MADRID, 15 (EUROPA PRESS)
Portuguese futsal player Ricardinho announced his retirement this Friday at an event with his country's Football Federation, the "most difficult decision" he has made as an athlete, considered one of the best in history.
'O Mágico' (The Magician) bid farewell to the pitch. The six-time world player of the year wore the Portuguese jersey 188 times, scored 142 goals, and won 43 professional titles. In Spain, the legend of Ricardinho wore the colors of Movistar Inter for seven seasons.
In the Inter squad (from 2013 to 2020), the Portuguese, an artist on the court with imaginative dribbles, feints, and impossible goals, won six league titles, two Champions League titles, three Spanish Super Cups, three Spanish Cups, and one Copa del Rey.
The Auditorium 1 at the City of Football was too small to host the farewell of "the greatest of all time on the pitch," according to the Portuguese Football Federation. Portugal's number 10, European champion in 2021 and World Cup champion in 2021, ended a 39-year career that began professionally with Benfica.
"Today I come here to end my sports career. It's the hardest decision I've ever made as an athlete. I wanted to be a soccer player, but that dream was denied because I was too young. However, Carolina Silva, a woman who unfortunately can't be here today, believed in me. She came to my neighborhood, to my house, and took me in, telling me I had to play this sport," said Ricardinho, who also played in Japan, France, and Indonesia.
"It was difficult because the field was too small, but it was almost love at first sight. Having the ball at my feet was always my dream, and I was always there with the ball. I was lucky to have people in my life who believed in me and advised me. I managed to be that role model, I managed to fight and surpass my dreams," he added.
