Portuguese · Amarante, Portugal · Born 18 May 1978Elegant and composed Portuguese centre-back who was a European champion with Porto and Chelsea and played under Jose Mourinho at both clubs.
Ricardo Alberto Silveira de Carvalho was born in Amarante, Portugal on 18 May 1978. One of the finest centre-backs of his era, Carvalho was defined by his elegance, intelligent positioning and composure rather than brute strength. He developed through Porto under José Mourinho, winning the Champions League in 2004 and developing into one of Europe's best defenders. Mourinho then brought him to Chelsea in 2004 for £19.85m. At Stamford Bridge Carvalho won the Premier League twice (2005, 2006) and the FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield. He won the Champions League again in a squad role later. He moved to Real Madrid in 2010, winning La Liga in 2012 before returning to Monaco. For Portugal he earned 89 caps, won Euro 2016 (as a non-playing squad member) and appeared at three World Cups and three European Championships.
Key defender in Porto's 2004 Champions League triumph under Mourinho
He followed José Mourinho from Porto to Chelsea, winning the Champions League with Porto and two Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge — one of the most successful pairings of manager and defender in football history.
Did You Know?How They Played
Elegant ball-playing centre-back with excellent passing and positional awareness
Lasting Impact
One of Portugal's greatest centre-backs, won major titles across four countries
Career Honours
- Champions League 2004 (Porto)
- Premier League 2005, 2006
- La Liga 2012 (Real Madrid)
- Euro 2016 (squad)
- Champions League 2004
- Premier League 2005
- Premier League 2006
- La Liga 2012
| Club | Period | Apps | Goals | Shirt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leca | 1997–2002 | — | 6 | #6 |
| Porto | 2002–2004 | 65 | 9 | #6 |
| Chelsea | 2004–2010 | 55 | 6 | #6 |
| Real Madrid | 2010–2013 | 97 | 2 | — |
| Monaco | 2013–2015 | 45 | 4 | #6 |
| Shanghai SIPG | 2015–2017 | 0 | 0 | — |
 Portugal | — | 89 | 4 | — |
Portuguese Athletes