Ricardo Quaresma

Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo born 26 September 1983 is a Portuguese footballer of Romani descent who currently plays as a winger for Turkish Süper Lig side Beşiktaş J.K and the Portuguese national team. Quaresma began his career at Sporting Clube de Portugal, and has also played for FC Barcelona, FC Porto, Internazionale, and Chelsea. He is popular for the football trick, the rabona, which is when the ball is kicked while the kicking leg is wrapped around the standing leg. This allowed him to cross the football when the ball was on the left side of his body, since he is a right footer.

Sporting CP

Whilst a trainee at Sporting's famed academy, Quaresma made his professional debut during the 2000–01 season, playing 15 games for the B squad. In the next season, he was promoted to the senior squad by then club manager László Bölöni, playing 28 matches and scoring three goals and was a key player in Sporting's league and cup double triumph.

2002–03 was a poor season for Sporting, finishing third in the league, which prompted speculation about Quaresma's future at the club.

Barcelona

Quaresma was then sold to FC Barcelona for a reported €6 million and loan of Fábio Rochemback. His stint with the Catalan side could be best described as unlucky. In his debut season, he made 10 starts and 11 substitute appearances, scoring only one goal. In the final weeks of the season, he injured his right foot badly, forcing him to miss the 2004 UEFA Under-21 Championship.

FC Porto

Quaresma signed for FC Porto in the summer of 2004 when they sold Deco for a fee of €15 million cash, plus Quaresma's playing rights, which were evaluated at the time at €6 million.
Quaresma started his campaign with Porto on a high note, scoring in his debut game in the 2004 UEFA Super Cup and netting the only goal in Porto's triumph against Benfica in the Portuguese SuperCup. He went on to score five goals in 32 league matches and was ever-present in Porto's run to the first knockout round of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League. He also contributed to Porto's dramatic win against Once Caldas in the 2004 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, scoring in a thrilling penalty shoot-out which ended 8–7 in Porto's favour.
Quaresma was heavily criticised during his first year with Porto for being selfish and frequently trying to dribble past defenders rather than making a simple pass. He gradually began to incorporate his teammates into the game, however, and by his third year with Porto, he had become a fan favorite and a key component of the squad. His sublime performances in both the Primeira Liga and the Champions League drew interest from various clubs,and despite having a contract with Porto running until 2011, he soon found himself being transferred to a major club for the second time in his career.

Internazionale ( Inter Milan )

 

On 1 September 2008, Quaresma signed for Italian champions Internazionale on a cash/player exchange fee of €18.6 million with young Portuguese midfielder Pelé joining Porto. He played his first game for the club in a friendly against Locarno, playing on the left wing. The game ended 2–2, and Quaresma was voted man of the match following an impressive performance. He was decisive in his first Serie A match against Catania, with one of his trademark trivelas resulting in a Giuseppe Mascara own goal. The game finished 2–1 for Inter.

Quaresma, however, found opportunities in the Inter XI limited as former Inter boss José Mourinho stated:

"He is a great talent, but the joy I have at seeing the way Ibra [ Zlatan Ibrahimović ] works for and with the team I do not yet have with Quaresma. He will have to learn, otherwise he won’t play, and I am sure he'll change and become more tactically disciplined. He likes kicking the ball with the outside of his foot, but if you ask me about him in a few months' time, we'll be talking about a different Quaresma."

Chelsea

Quaresma's omission from Inter's squad for the knockout stage of the 2008–09 Champions League led to speculation of him leaving the club. On 2 February 2009, transfer deadline day, he signed on loan for Premier League club Chelsea, until the end of the season. He was given the #18 shirt. On 7 February, he made his debut for Chelsea against Hull City. Quaresma was mostly used as a substitute, making noticeable contributions, including providing the cross for Alex to score against Coventry City. After a disappointing start to life at the San Siro, Quaresma claimed his move to Chelsea had restored his confidence after he struggled to impress José Mourinho at Inter. The 25-year-old Portuguese international told The Star on 29 March 2009, "When I was at Inter, I wasn't feeling very confident. I wasn't playing well and wasn't happy, I already feel more confident here at Chelsea.

Beşiktaş

On 13 June 2010, Quaresma joined Beşiktaş J.K. in Turkey after long and arduous negotiations with Inter. Besiktas paid a €7.3 million for his transfer. He signed three-year contract, which entitled him to €3.5 million in the first season and €3.75 million in the next two seasons. He scored his first goal for the club against Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round.

Ricardo Carvalho

Ricardo Alberto Silveira de Carvalho, born 18 May 1978 in Amarante Portugal, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a centre back for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid, and for the Portuguese national team.Carvalho was born in Amarante where he played for the local team, Amarante Futebol Clube. By his great performance as a youngster, he was spotted by the Portuguese powerhouse, Porto, and in 1996 he was brought to FC Porto Junior team. Between 1997 and 2001 he had loan spells at Leça, where he made his professional debut, Vitória de Setúbal and FC Alverca, but it was in Mourinho’s reign that he really started to make big strides forward.

It was in the 2002–03 season that Carvalho made his name known all around Europe, winning his first domestic league title under Mourinho’s commands, the Portuguese Cup, and the UEFA Cup. His good form led to an international call-up in 2003. In the next season, Carvalho won his second league title in a row, and his first UEFA Champions League title, in which tournament he was named best defender of the tournament.In July 2004, Carvalho transferred to Chelsea for a fee of just under €30 million. With "The Blues", he won two Premier League titles in a row and one League Cup in his first two seasons.

 In 2008 he helped the club reach the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in their history, a game that they lost 6–5 on penalties against Manchester United. In the same year he was voted by his fellow Chelsea colleagues as Chelsea's "2008 Players Player of the Year". Two years later, in the 2009-10 season, Carvalho helped "The Blues" win their first Championship since 2006 and the FA Cup, by winning this last trophy Chelsea have secured the first ever Double in the club's history. In August 2010, after six years with Chelsea, he transferred to Real Madrid for a fee of £6.7 million.

Fabio Coentrao

Coentrão joined hometown Rio Ave FC in 2004 at the age of 16, playing three first division games in the following season for a northern side that would be relegated. In 2006–07, he established himself as first-choice, as Rio Ave barely missed promotion back and had a good run in the Cup of Portugal, ended by Sporting Clube de Portugal with a 2–1 win in Lisbon, with Coentrão scoring Rio Ave's goal, from 30 metres out; whilst playing for the Vila do Conde team, he earned the nickname "Figo das Caxinas."

After that season, where he was voted the divisions' Breakthrough Player of the Year, many clubs showed interest in Coentrão, most notably Sporting and Sport Lisboa e Benfica, with Coentrão choosing the Encarnados (reds) on July 2007. His playing style was likened to that of Arjen Robben by World Soccer Magazine in their 50 World Talents 2007 issue.

On 1 January 2008, having received insignificant playing opportunities at Benfica, Coentrão joined Madeira's CD Nacional, loaned until the season's end. On 3 May, he scored twice in a 3–0 away success against already crowned league champions FC Porto. Coentrão came close to signing with Eredivisie´s Feyenoord during the 2008 off-season, with reports of a one-year loan deal being announced on the Internet.Two days later, however, he joined Real Zaragoza, freshly relegated into Spain's second level. After almost no appearances during the campaign, however, Coentrão returned to Portugal and Rio Ave in January 2009, still owned by Benfica. On 15 February, he scored after an individual effort, albeit in a 3–1 loss at Porto.

On 2 December 2009, having played some matches for Benfica as a left defender, Coentrão scored his first goal in European competition, against FC BATE of Belarus in a 2–1 away win for the UEFA Europa League group stage. During that season, he had a breakthrough year, appearing in a total of 43 official games (2,851 minutes), as the club won the league and thePortuguese League Cup; he ended the season in style, as he was voted Portuguese League Breakthrough Player of the Year.

On 27 September 2010, fully established with both his club and the national team, 22-year old Coentrão extended his contract with Benfica until 2016.On 2 November, he scored his first career brace, helping to a 4–3 home win against Olympique Lyonnais, for the season's UEFA Champions League group stage. In a 67-minute fast break, he combined with Carlos Martins to make it 4–0 for the hosts.

International Career

An international for Portugal at youth level, Coentrão was voted MVP in the 2007 Madeira Cup for the U-20s,also being crowned the competition's topscorer. Subsequently, he represented the nation in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and, also during that year, made his U-21 debuts.

After consistent performances at Benfica, although he started rarely in the early 2009–10, Coentrão earned his first senior call-up in November 2009, for the decisive 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification play-offs against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and made his debut in the first leg on 14 November, at the Estádio da Luz, playing the second half of the 1–0 win.

Coentrão was chosen for Carlos Queiroz's squad of 23 for the final stages in South Africa, starting as left back ahead of another adapted player, Duda. He played in all the matches in Portugal's eventual round of 16 exit.