Ricardo Sá Pinto
Sá Pinto with Esteghlal in 2022
Personal information
Full name Ricardo Manuel Andrade e Silva Sá Pinto
Date of birth (1972-10-10) 10 October 1972[1]
Place of birth Porto, Portugal[1]
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 APOEL (manager)
Youth career
1982–1987 Porto
1987–1991 Salgueiros
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1994 Salgueiros 57 (17)
1994–1997 Sporting CP 77 (20)
1997–2000 Real Sociedad 70 (6)
2000–2006 Sporting CP 97 (14)
2006–2007 Standard Liège 21 (2)
Total 322 (59)
International career
1992–1994 Portugal U21 10 (0)
1994–2001 Portugal 45 (10)
Managerial career
2010–2011 União Leiria (assistant)
2012 Sporting CP
2013 Red Star
2013–2014 OFI
2014–2015 Atromitos
2015 Belenenses
2016 Al Fateh
2017 Atromitos
2017–2018 Standard Liège
2018–2019 Legia Warsaw
2019 Braga
2020 Vasco da Gama
2021 Gaziantep
2022 Moreirense
2022–2023 Esteghlal
2023– APOEL
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place2000 Belgium-Netherlands
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up1994 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ricardo Manuel Andrade e Silva Sá Pinto (born 10 October 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a forward, currently manager of Cypriot First Division club APOEL.

He was known for his fighting spirit, best displayed in his stints at Sporting CP, where he was dubbed "Ricardo Lionheart" by the club's fans.[2] In a career cut short by injury and suspension, he appeared in 230 Primeira Liga games (scoring 51 goals), also playing for Real Sociedad in Spain for two years.

Sá Pinto represented the Portugal national team in two European Championships, reaching the semi-finals at Euro 2000. He started working as a manager with Sporting in 2012, and also worked in nine foreign countries.

Club career

Born in Porto, Sá Pinto made his professional debut with local S.C. Salgueiros and soon represented the Portuguese under-21s, helping the side reach the 1994 UEFA European Championship final. He first appeared in the Primeira Liga with the former on 30 August 1992, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 away loss against S.C. Farense.

In the 1994–95 season, Sá Pinto joined Sporting CP. After some solid performances he attracted the attention of La Liga's Real Sociedad, signing a four-year contract in July 1997 for a fee of 400 million pesetas, but was issued with a year-long worldwide suspension before making his debut.[3][4] He scored in his first official game for his new club, a 3–3 home draw with Real Oviedo on 30 August 1998.[5]

After 70 matches and six goals in Spain, Sá Pinto returned to Sporting where he played six further years, troubled by many injuries,[6][7] although he eventually gained team captaincy. In the 2006–07 campaign he joined fellow Portuguese international Sérgio Conceição at Standard Liège – with Jorge Costa having retired at the club in the summer – in the Belgian Pro League,[8] and retired at almost 35.[9]

International career

Sá Pinto received 45 caps for Portugal, 25 with Sporting and 20 for Real Sociedad, scoring nine times. His first game was on 7 September 1994 in a 2–1 win over Northern Ireland in Belfast, in which he netted the second goal. He played at UEFA Euro 1996,[10] equalising against Denmark (1–1) in the group stage opener,[11] and Euro 2000; he scored six times in qualification for the latter tournament, including a hat-trick in an 8–0 demolition of Liechtenstein in Coimbra on 9 June 1999.[12]

On 26 March 1997, Sá Pinto assaulted national team coach Artur Jorge upon hearing the news of not having been picked up for a match. The player travelled to the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon where the team was practicing, and punched the manager in the face, being banned for one year from all national and international competitions.[13]

Sá Pinto's last appearance was in the 6–0 victory over Cyprus for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, on 6 June 2001.[14] An injury prevented him from being present at the finals.[15]

Sá Pinto with Portugal in the 2011 Legends Cup

Coaching career

Early years (2009–2012)

Sá Pinto as manager of Sporting in April 2012

In early November 2009, Sá Pinto returned to Sporting, replacing former teammate Pedro Barbosa as director of football as coach Paulo Bento was sacked following a string of poor performances/results. On 21 January 2010, following a physical confrontation with club player Liédson in the team's locker room after the 4–3 home win against C.D. Mafra for the Taça de Portugal, he immediately presented his resignation.[16]

Sá Pinto had his first coaching experience in 2010, being named assistant at U.D. Leiria under Pedro Caixinha. On 13 February 2012, after a spell with Sporting under-19s, he was appointed first-team manager, replacing the fired Domingos Paciência.[17]

On 25 May 2012, even though Sporting could only rank fourth in the league and lost the domestic cup final,[18] Sá Pinto signed a new two-year contract with the Lions.[19] On 4 October, however, following a 3–0 away loss to Videoton FC – led by former national teammate Paulo Sousa – in that season's UEFA Europa League, he was relieved of his duties.[20]

Stints abroad (2013–2019)

Sá Pinto was appointed at Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade on 18 March 2013,[21] winning the first eight SuperLiga matches in charge of the club but resigning his post on 19 June, in disagreement with its board of directors.[22] From October 2013 to February 2015, he worked in the Super League Greece with OFI Crete F.C. and Atromitos FC.[23][24]

Sá Pinto returned to Portugal and its capital in June 2015, after agreeing to become C.F. Os Belenenses manager in replacement of Lito Vidigal whilst signing a two-year contract.[25] On 15 December, however, after a 4–3 away defeat against Académica de Coimbra and failure to qualify from the Europa League group stage, he resigned from his position.[26]

On 29 May 2016, Sá Pinto was appointed manager of Al Fateh SC.[27][28] On 11 June 2017, after a second spell with Atromitos and even though he had agreed to a new deal after an eighth-place finish,[29] he left for Standard Liège;[30] in spite of initially underperforming in the Belgian League,[31][32] he led his team to the conquest of the domestic cup in his first year[33][34] as well as a final runner-up league position,[35] but left on 20 May 2018.[36]

In August 2018, Sá Pinto was announced as the new manager of Legia Warsaw after signing a three-year contract with the Ekstraklasa club.[37] He was sacked the following April with the team in second, five points off Lechia Gdańsk with three games remaining.[38]

Return to Portugal (2019–2022)

On 3 July 2019, Sá Pinto returned to his country for the first time in four years, taking over S.C. Braga on a two-year deal.[39] He was dismissed on 23 December with the team eighth in the league, despite winning their Europa League group.[40]

Sá Pinto was appointed at Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side CR Vasco da Gama on 13 October 2020, signing a contract until the end of the season.[41] He was relieved of his duties on 29 December, with the side in the relegation zone.[42]

On 20 January 2021, Sá Pinto agreed to a two-and-a-half-year deal at Gaziantep F.K. of the Turkish Süper Lig.[43] He left in May at the end of his first campaign, criticising his players, the club president and his predecessor Marius Șumudică.[44][45]

Sá Pinto became Moreirense FC's third coach of the season on 7 January 2022, following the dismissals of João Henriques and Vidigal.[46] He led the team to 16th place after a 4–1 win over F.C. Vizela on the final day sent C.D. Tondela down instead,[47] but was relegated in the promotion/relegation play-offs after a 2–1 aggregate loss to G.D. Chaves.[48] He missed the play-offs after being issued with a 15-day suspension and €2,805 fine for provoking opposing fans after the Vizela game, and then called for his club's supporters to revolt against the local National Republican Guard captain;[49] the force initiated criminal proceedings against him for this declaration.[50] Days later, his contract was allowed to expire.[51]

Esteghlal (2022–2023)

Sá Pinto in his introductory press conference as Esteghlal manager in June 2022

On 21 June 2022, Sá Pinto was appointed coach of Iranian club Esteghlal FC, signing a two-year contract.[52] He won the domestic Supercup on 2 November after beating F.C. Nassaji Mazandaran 1–0, and dedicated the conquest to the "country's women and men who are suffering".[53]

Sá Pinto eventually finished third in the Persian Gulf Pro League, and also reached the final of the Iranian Hazfi Cup where his side lost 2–1 to Persepolis F.C. and he was sent off.[54] He was elected Manager of the Year with 54% of the votes.[55]

APOEL (2023–)

On 8 June 2023, Sá Pinto was confirmed as manager of APOEL FC in the Cypriot First Division. His assistants were José Dominguez (who worked with him at Gaziantep) and Nuno Morais (who played for over a decade at the Nicosia club).[56]

Career statistics

Sá Pinto: International goals
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition[57]
19 June 1996Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, England Denmark1–11–1UEFA Euro 1996
26 September 1998Puskás Ferenc Stadium, Budapest, Hungary Hungary1–11–3Euro 2000 qualifying
36 September 1998Puskás Ferenc Stadium, Budapest, Hungary Hungary1–21–3Euro 2000 qualifying
426 March 1999Estádio D. Afonso Henriques (1965), Guimarães, Portugal Azerbaijan1–07–0Euro 2000 qualifying
59 June 1999Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Liechtenstein1–08–0Euro 2000 qualifying
69 June 1999Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Liechtenstein3–08–0Euro 2000 qualifying
79 June 1999Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Liechtenstein4–08–0Euro 2000 qualifying
823 February 2000Stade du Pays de Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium Belgium1–11–1Friendly
92 June 2000Estádio Municipal de Chaves, Chaves, Portugal Wales2–03–0Friendly
103 September 2000Kadrioru Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia Estonia0–31–32002 World Cup qualification

Managerial statistics

As of match played 12 January 2024[58][59]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Sporting CP 13 February 2012 4 October 2012 30 15 7 8 41 31 +10 050.00
Red Star 19 March 2013 19 June 2013 11 8 0 3 17 9 +8 072.73
OFI 16 October 2013 25 May 2014 34 15 7 12 35 39 −4 044.12
Atromitos 25 September 2014 5 February 2015 19 5 9 5 20 20 +0 026.32
Belenenses 9 June 2015 15 December 2015 26 8 8 10 25 42 −17 030.77
Al Fateh 29 May 2016 23 September 2016 5 1 1 3 5 9 −4 020.00
Atromitos 5 February 2017 11 June 2017 13 5 2 6 11 12 −1 038.46
Standard Liège 11 June 2017 20 May 2018 46 22 14 10 78 56 +22 047.83
Legia Warsaw 13 August 2018 1 April 2019 28 15 7 6 42 29 +13 053.57
Braga 3 July 2019 23 December 2019 30 18 5 7 55 36 +19 060.00
Vasco da Gama 14 October 2020 29 December 2020 15 3 6 6 10 19 −9 020.00
Gaziantep 20 January 2021 17 May 2021 21 6 6 9 26 28 −2 028.57
Moreirense 6 January 2022 1 June 2022 20 6 2 12 18 27 −9 030.00
Esteghlal 21 June 2022 7 June 2023 36 23 8 5 63 25 +38 063.89
APOEL 8 June 2023 Present 26 18 3 5 45 18 +27 069.23
Total 360 168 85 107 491 400 +91 046.67

Honours

Player

Sporting CP

Portugal U-21

Manager

Sporting CP

Standard Liège

Esteghlal

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ricardo Sá Pinto at WorldFootball.net
  2. ↑ Santos, João Carlos (21 January 2010). "Sá Pinto, "coração de leão"" [Sá Pinto, "lion heart"]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Sa Pinto, a la Real Sociedad" [Sá Pinto, to Real Sociedad.]. El País (in Spanish). 1 July 1997. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  4. ↑ Ormazabal, Mikel (1 August 1997). "La Real se queda sin Sá Pinto, suspendido un año" [Real lose Sá Pinto, suspended for a year]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Parrondo, Óscar (31 August 1998). "Festival anotador entre la Real Sociedad y el Oviedo" [Scoring festival between Real Sociedad and Oviedo]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Sá Pinto's misery continues". UEFA. 19 January 2002. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "Knee trouble sidelines Sá Pinto". UEFA. 22 September 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  8. ↑ "Fresh starts for Tommasi and Sá Pinto". UEFA. 31 July 2006. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  9. ↑ "Enough is enough for Sá Pinto". UEFA. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Hodgson, Guy (1 June 1996). "The rising force in Europe counting on their foreign legion; CHAMPIONSHIP COUNTDOWN: No 9 Portugal". The Independent. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "Holders Denmark draw with Portugal". UEFA. 6 October 2003. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  12. ↑ Nascimento, Hélio (10 June 1999). "Coimbra tem mais encanto com golos dos manos Pinto" [Coimbra has more charm with goals from the Pinto bros]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "Sá Pinto forced into early retirement". UEFA. 27 April 2006. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  14. ↑ "Portugal-Chipre, 6–0 (Pauleta 37m e 72m, Pedro Barbosa 55m e 60m, e João Pinto 78m e 82m)" [Portugal-Cyprus, 6–0 (Pauleta 37m and 72m, Pedro Barbosa 55m and 60m, e João Pinto 78m and 82m)]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 June 2001. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  15. ↑ Mateus, José J. (14 May 2002). "Operação Mundial começou ontem sem grandes surpresas" [Operation World Cup started off with no major surprises]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  16. ↑ "Sporting director quits after reported fracas". USA Today. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  17. ↑ "Sporting: Domingos out, Sa Pinto in". PortuGOAL. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  18. 1 2 Valente, Susana (20 May 2012). "Académica-Sporting: Marinho devolve a Taça ao primeiro vencedor" [Académica-Sporting: Marinho returns Cup to its first winners] (in Portuguese). Relvado. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  19. ↑ Bernabei, Simone (25 May 2012). "Ufficiale: Sporting Lisbona, rinnova il tecnico Sa Pinto" [Official: Sporting Lisbon, coach Sa Pinto renews] (in Italian). Tutto Mercato Web. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "Official – Sá Pinto relieved of his duties; Oceano appointed caretaker coach". PortuGOAL. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "Red Star Belgrade turn to Sa Pinto". FIFA. 19 March 2013. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  22. ↑ "Sa Pinto quits as Crvena Zvezda coach". FIFA. 19 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  23. ↑ "Sa Pinto resigns as Atromitos coach". FIFA. 5 February 2015. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  24. ↑ "Sá Pinto deixa Atromitos devido a motivos pessoais" [Sá Pinto leaves Atromitos due to personal reasons]. Record (in Portuguese). 5 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  25. ↑ "Sá Pinto oficializado no Restelo" [Sá Pinto made official at the Restelo]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 June 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  26. ↑ Correia Azevedo, Marta (15 December 2015). "Sá Pinto deixa Restelo" [Sá Pinto leaves the Restelo]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  27. ↑ الفتح يتعاقد رسمياً مع البرتغالي ريكاردو سابينتو [Al Fateh signed a contract with Ricardo Sá Pinto] (in Arabic). Al-Fateh SC. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  28. ↑ "Ricardo Sá Pinto vai treinar o Al-Fateh da Arábia Saudita" [Ricardo Sá Pinto will coach Saudi Arabia's Al-Fateh] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 29 May 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  29. ↑ "OFICIAL: Sá Pinto mais um ano no Atromitos" [OFFICIAL: Sá Pinto another year in Atromitos] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  30. ↑ "Sá Pinto deixa Atromitos para treinar Standard Liége" [Sá Pinto leaves Atromitos to coach Standard Liége]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 11 June 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  31. ↑ "Sá Pinto sofre nova goleada com o Standard na Bélgica" [Sá Pinto suffers new rout with Standard in Belgium] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  32. ↑ "Bélgica: Standard Liège de Sá Pinto cede novo empate" [Belgium: Sá Pinto's Standard Liège allow new draw]. Record (in Portuguese). 23 December 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  33. ↑ "3–2 not enough to overcome Standard". Club Brugge KV. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  34. 1 2 Geril, Jürgen (18 March 2018). "Circus Sa Pinto haalt de beker binnen: Standard-coach was al crazy, nu is hij nog zotter" [Circus Sa Pinto scoops the cup: Standard coach was already crazy, now he is even more foolish]. Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  35. ↑ "Bélgica: Standard Liège de Sá Pinto conquista segundo lugar" [Belgium: Sá Pinto's Standard Liège conquer second place] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  36. ↑ "Jupiler Pro League – Ricardo Sa Pinto bevestigt vertrek bij Standard Luik" [Jupiler Pro League – Ricardo Sá Pinto confirms departure from Standard Liège]. Metro (in Dutch). 20 May 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  37. ↑ "Sá Pinto confirmado no Légia Varsóvia" [Sá Pinto confirmed at Legia Warsaw]. Record (in Portuguese). 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  38. ↑ "Legia Varsóvia confirma saída de Sá Pinto" [Legia Warsaw confirm exit of Sá Pinto]. Observador (in Portuguese). 2 April 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  39. ↑ "Treinador Ricardo Sá Pinto assina por dois anos com o Sporting de Braga" [Manager Ricardo Sá Pinto signs for two years with Sporting de Braga]. Observador (in Portuguese). 3 July 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  40. ↑ "Ricardo Sa Pinto: Rangers' Europa League opponents Braga sack manager". BBC Sport. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  41. ↑ "Ricardo Sá Pinto é o novo técnico do Vasco da Gama" [Ricardo Sá Pinto is the new manager of Vasco da Gama] (in Portuguese). CR Vasco da Gama. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  42. ↑ "Nota oficial" [Official note] (in Portuguese). CR Vasco da Gama. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  43. ↑ "Oficial: Ricardo Sá Pinto oficializado como novo treinador do Gaziantep" [Official: Ricardo Sá Pinto confirmed as new coach of Gaziantep] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  44. ↑ "Sumudica rahat durmuyor" [Șumudică doesn't hold back] (in Turkish). Olay Medya. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  45. ↑ "Ricardo Sa Pinto: 'Türkiye'de futbolu yönetenler işi bilmiyor'" [Ricardo Sá Pinto: 'Those who manage football in Turkey don't know the job'] (in Turkish). Sporx. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  46. ↑ "Ricardo Sá Pinto rende Lito Vidigal no comando técnico do Moreirense" [Ricardo Sá Pinto takes over from Lito Vidigal at the helm of Moreirense] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  47. ↑ Kundert, Tom (15 May 2022). "Moreirense get a dramatic lifeline, Tondela go down and Porto smash points record". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  48. ↑ Celso, Marcos (29 May 2022). "Desportivo Chaves regressa à I Liga, Moreirense cai na Liga 2" [Desportivo Chaves return to I League, Moreirense fall in League 2] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  49. ↑ ""Sá Pinto, com as suas palavras de ódio, pretende incentivar à desordem pública"" ["Sá Pinto, with his hate speech, intends to incite public disorder"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  50. ↑ "GNR participa criminalmente contra Ricardo Sá Pinto pelas críticas a comandante" [GNR launches criminal proceedings against Ricardo Sá Pinto for his criticism of the commander]. Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  51. ↑ "Sá Pinto deixa comando técnico do Moreirense" [Sá Pinto leaves the helm of Moreirense]. Público (in Portuguese). 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  52. ↑ "ساپینتو سرمربى استقلال شد" [Sá Pinto became Esteghlal's manager / Blues welcomed Portuguese man + photo] (in Persian). Fars News Agency. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  53. 1 2 "Sá Pinto conquista Supertaça e dedica troféu a "mulheres e homens do Irão que estão a sofrer"" [Sá Pinto conquers Supercup and dedicates trophy to "women and men of Iran who are suffering"]. Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). 2 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  54. 1 2 "Esteghlal de Sá Pinto derrotado na final da Taça" [Sá Pinto's Esteghlal defeated in Cup final]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 31 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  55. ↑ "Sá Pinto eleito treinador do ano no Irão" [Sá Pinto voted manager of the year in Iran]. Record (in Portuguese). 1 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  56. ↑ "Sá Pinto vai treinar o APOEL na próxima época" [Sá Pinto will manage APOEL next season]. Público (in Portuguese). 8 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  57. ↑ "Ricardo Sá Pinto". European Football. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  58. ↑ "Ricardo Sá Pinto". Zerozero. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  59. ↑ Ricardo Sá Pinto coach profile at Soccerway
  60. 1 2 3 "Sá Pinto estreia-se a vencer em dérbis" [Sá Pinto has winning debut in derbies]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 April 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  61. ↑ "Sporting 1–3 CSKA Moscow". BBC Sport. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  62. ↑ Da Cunha, Pedro Jorge (29 June 2015). "Seleção Sub-21: (pre)destinados à glória" [Under-21 national team: (pre)destined to glory] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ricardo Sá Pinto.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.