Ricardo Velho
Portuguese footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mário Ricardo da Silva Velho (born 20 August 1998) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Super League Greece club Aris and the Portugal national team.
|
Velho with Portugal in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mário Ricardo da Silva Velho[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 August 1998[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Famalicão, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aris | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Vitória Guimarães | ||
| 2007–2009 | Porto | ||
| 2009–2010 | Salgueiros | ||
| 2010–2012 | Trofense | ||
| 2012–2013 | Braga | ||
| 2013–2014 | Palmeiras Braga | ||
| 2014–2017 | Braga | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2020 | Braga B | 11 | (0) |
| 2020–2026 | Farense | 97 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | → Gençlerbirliği (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| 2026– | Aris | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2026– | Portugal | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:04, 19 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 01:05, 1 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Braga
Born in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Braga District, Velho joined Braga's academy when he was 14.[2] On 23 August 2017, he made his professional debut with the reserve team in a 2–1 away loss against Penafiel in the LigaPro.[3]
During his spell, Velho played second-fiddle to Tiago Sá (who later appeared in several matches for the main squad) and Rogério Santos.[4][5]
Farense
On 31 July 2020, Velho signed a two-year contract with Primeira Liga club Farense.[6] In the 2022–23 season, he contributed 22 games as his side finished runners-up and returned to the main division after a two-year absence, while they conceded a league-best 34 goals; subsequently, he agreed to an extension until June 2026.[7][8]
Velho's maiden appearance in the top flight took place on 12 August 2023, in a 0–3 home defeat to Casa Pia.[9] Due to his performances, which included a league-best 143 saves and seven clean sheets with Farense finishing tenth, he was voted the campaign's Goalkeeper of the Year.[10][11][12]
In summer 2024, Velho was linked with a move to Benfica, but the deal fell through when Farense demanded that his €10 million buyout clause be paid. This led to him agreeing to extend his contract until 2028.[13]
Velho missed the final month of 2024–25, due to a knee ligament injury that required surgery.[14] His team would be ultimately relegated as second-bottom.[15]
Shortly after the start of the following season, Velho was loaned to Gençlerbirliği with an option to buy.[16] He only made his Süper Lig debut on 7 November, in a 2–1 home win over İstanbul Başakşehir; manager Volkan Demirel later disclosed that he was fielded because the Turkish club would have to pay €200.000 in compensation if he did not take part in the required number of matches in the first half of the campaign.[17][18]
Aris
On 18 August 2026, Velho joined Super League Greece side Aris Thessaloniki on a four-year deal.[19]
International career
Velho was not capped by Portugal at any youth level. On 4 October 2024, he was called by the senior team for matches against Poland and Scotland in the UEFA Nations League.[20]
On 31 March 2026, Velho made his full debut, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute for José Sá in a 2–0 friendly victory over the United States in Atlanta.[21][22] He was selected for the year's FIFA World Cup as an emergency-only fourth goalkeeper.[23]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 17 May 2026[24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Braga B | 2017–18 | LigaPro | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | LigaPro | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Campeonato de Portugal | 9 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 11 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Farense | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Liga Portugal 2 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Liga Portugal 2 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26 | Liga Portugal 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 97 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 106 | 0 | ||
| Gençlerbirliği (loan) | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | |
| Career total | 131 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 141 | 0 | ||
Honours
Individual
- Primeira Liga Goalkeeper of the Season: 2023–24[11]
- Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2023–24[25]