Richard Ríos
Colombian footballer (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Ríos Montoya (born 2 June 2000) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Colombia national team.
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Ríos with Benfica in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Richard Ríos Montoya[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 2 June 2000[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Vegachí, Colombia | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Benfica | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Alianza Platanera (futsal) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Flamengo | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Flamengo | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | → Mazatlán (loan) | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Guarani | 20 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Palmeiras | 99 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Benfica | 29 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Colombia | 37 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:36, 17 August 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 July 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
After beginning his career in Brazil with Flamengo and Guarani, he moved to Palmeiras, where he won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 2023 and the Campeonato Paulista in 2024. In 2025, he transferred to Benfica and won the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in his debut season.
Internationally, Ríos debuted for Colombia in 2022 and was part of the squad that finished runners-up at the 2024 Copa América.
Early life
Club career
Early career
Ríos started his career playing futsal and attracted the interest of Flamengo during the 2018 South American Under-20 Football Championship. He was invited for a trial period at the Brazilian club and, after two months, Flamengo signed him to their youth team.[3]
Flamengo
In the beginning of the 2020 season, despite still playing in the youth team, Ríos was promoted to the professional team to play alongside reserve players and other youngsters in the first matches of the 2020 Campeonato Carioca.[4] He made his senior debut on 23 January 2020, coming on as a second-half substitute for Matheus Dantas in a 1–0 away win over Vasco da Gama.[5]
Ríos made his Série A debut on 27 September 2020, replacing Guilherme Bala in a 1–1 away draw against Palmeiras, as Flamengo was heavily impacted due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad. The following day, his contract was renewed until December 2021.[6]
On 21 June 2021, Ríos signed a contract extension with Flamengo until December 2023, on the same day the club announced his loan to Mexican club Mazatlán.[7]
Mazatlán (loan)
On 23 June 2021, Flamengo confirmed the one-year loan deal of Ríos to Mazatlán.[8] He made his debut for the club on 26 July, replacing Alfonso Sánchez in a 2–0 away win against Cruz Azul.
In September 2021, Ríos suffered a knee injury,[9] only returning to action the following April.[10] In May, after only six matches, Mazatlán opted to not exercise his US$ 1 million buyout clause, and he returned to Flamengo.[11]
Guarani
On 4 August 2022, Ríos terminated his contract with Flamengo, and signed a deal with Série B side Guarani until December 2023.[12] He scored his first professional goal on 11 October, netting the winner in a 1–0 home success over CRB.[13]
In the 2023 season, Ríos became a key unit at Bugre.[14]
Palmeiras
On 28 March 2023, Ríos signed a contract with Palmeiras until the end of 2025, with an option for a further year.[15] The club paid R$ 6 million for 60% of his economic rights.[16]
Ríos arrived at Palmeiras under the sign of mistrust. Although he did well in Guarani in Paulistão, which aroused the interest of Palmeiras, there was the shadow that he left much to be desired. But the 23-year-old Rios began to steal the show, earning a starting spot, and winning the Brasileirão with the Verdão. In addition, he was the best dribbler in the competition.[17]
Benfica
On 22 July 2025, Primeira Liga side Benfica announced the signing of Ríos on a five-year contract.[18]
International career
On 12 October 2023, Ríos made his debut as a substitute for Mateus Uribe in the 67th minute of a 2–2 draw against Uruguay.[19] In the 2024 Copa América, he was a member of Colombia squad that finished as runner-up to Argentina.
On 25 May 2026, he was named in head coach Néstor Lorenzo's final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[20] He made his FIFA World Cup debut on 17 June in a 3–1 victory over Uzbekistan, coming on as a substitute for Gustavo Puerta in the closing minutes of the match.
Style of play
Ríos is a midfielder who plays in several positions. His physical characteristics allow him to play across the midfield in different positions. His technical style includes ball control in restricted spaces and a role in his team's playmaking.[21]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 20 August 2026[22]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | League cup[c] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Flamengo | 2020 | Série A | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Mazatlán (loan) | 2021–22 | Liga MX | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Guarani | 2022 | Série B | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||||
| 2023 | — | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | |||||||
| Total | 9 | 1 | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 3 | ||||||
| Palmeiras | 2023 | Série A | 37 | 2 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 10[d] | 0 | — | 53 | 3 | |||
| 2024 | 24 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 6[d] | 1 | 1[e] | 0 | 49 | 4 | |||
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 2 | 5[f] | 0 | 36 | 4 | |||
| Total | 71 | 5 | 28 | 2 | 12 | 1 | — | 21 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 138 | 11 | |||
| Benfica | 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 27 | 5 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12[g] | 1 | 1[h] | 0 | 45 | 8 | |
| 2026–27 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[i] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 29 | 5 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 8 | |||
| Career total | 116 | 11 | 45 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 222 | 22 | ||
- Includes Campeonato Carioca, Campeonato Paulista
- Includes Copa do Brasil, Taça de Portugal
- Includes Taça da Liga
- Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- Appearance in Supercopa do Brasil
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 7 July 2026[21]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first.[21]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 June 2024 | Commanders Field, Landover, United States |  United States | 3–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 6 July 2024 | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States |  Panama | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2024 Copa América |
Honours
Flamengo
Palmeiras
Benfica
Colombia
- Copa América runner-up: 2024
Individual
- Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2025
