Ricardo Valente
Portuguese footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ricardo Jorge Oliveira Valente (born 3 April 1991) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga Portugal 2 club Leixões.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Jorge Oliveira Valente[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 3 April 1991[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Porto, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Leixões | ||
| Number | 91 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2006 | Porto | ||
| 2006–2010 | Leixões | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Esmoriz | 23 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Aliados Lordelo | 24 | (7) |
| 2012–2013 | Fafe | 27 | (5) |
| 2013–2014 | Feirense | 30 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Leixões | 18 | (9) |
| 2015–2017 | Vitória Guimarães | 48 | (13) |
| 2016–2017 | → Paços Ferreira (loan) | 27 | (4) |
| 2017–2019 | Marítimo | 44 | (9) |
| 2019 | Marítimo B | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Hatta | 11 | (2) |
| 2020 | Tondela | 11 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | 31 | (10) |
| 2021–2022 | Tuzlaspor | 6 | (0) |
| 2022 | Ionikos | 2 | (0) |
| 2022 | Mioveni | 0 | (0) |
| 2022– | Leixões | 81 | (18) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 June 2026 | |||
Club career
Born in Porto, Valente spent his first years as a senior in the lower leagues. In summer 2013 he signed for C.D. Feirense in the Segunda Liga, making his debut as a professional on 27 July by starting in a 3–1 away loss against G.D. Chaves in the first round of the Taça da Liga.[2] He scored his first league goal on 23 November, contributing to a 1–1 draw at Sporting CP B after entering the field as a late substitute.[3]
Valente joined Leixões S.C. of the same tier in the 2014 off-season, quickly excelling to become one of the Matosinhos side's top scorers.[4] In the following transfer window, he moved to Vitória de Guimarães.[5]
Valente's first game in the Primeira Liga occurred on 10 January 2015, as he played 33 minutes of the 3–0 away defeat to S.L. Benfica.[6] He found the net in the next match, a 4–0 home win over Académica de Coimbra,[7] and finished the campaign with 17 league goals between Leixões and Vitória.[8]
On 31 August 2016, Valente joined F.C. Paços de Ferreira on a season-long loan deal.[9] The following 12 July, he signed a permanent two-year contract with C.S. Marítimo.[10]
In March 2019, it was confirmed that Valente would not appear in any more matches for the Madeira club after having subject to disciplinary proceedings;[11] president Carlos Pereira commented that the player had an "irreverent temper", this not being the first time he had been internally suspended.[12]
Subsequently, Valente represented in quick succession Hatta Club (UAE Pro League), C.D. Tondela,[13] CS Gaz Metan Mediaș (Romanian Liga I),[14] Tuzlaspor (TFF First League), Ionikos F.C. (Super League Greece)[15] and CS Mioveni (Romanian top division).[16] In August 2022, the 31-year-old returned to Leixões after seven years.[17]
