Ricardo Alexandre Martins Soares Pereira – a name guaranteed to boost ink sales! His birth certificate records him as being born in Porto on 11 February 1976. As a goalkeeper he made history at the EURO 2004 in Portugal under his fighting name, Ricardo.

For the crazy fellow from Portugal held the joy of his football-mad nation firmly in his hands in the match against England (8 - 7 aet) at the quarterfinal stage of the European Championships  on 24 June 2004. Ultimately, he handed the semi-finals to his countrymen and women after a magnificent performance and Portuguese heads were still full of title dreams.

“Fantastic, simply fantastic,” shouted his Brazilian coach Luis Felipe Scolari with tears in his eyes. Holding the Portuguese and Brazilian flags in his hands, Scolari said “It was a moment similar to the one when Brazil won the 2002 FIFA World Cup™.”.

And the curious thing about the European Championships: before and during the finals, the man with the No 1 jersey was supposed to be the weak link in the Portuguese team. His strongest critics described him as being fidgety, unconcentrated and prone to mistakes.

Portugal’s real No 1 was normally a man called Vitor Baia, who carried the number 99 on the back when playing for Porto. But Baia and Scolari fell out before the European Championships. Viktor Baia had after all only just previously won the Champions League with Porto.

But Ricardo had already become a regular by the time the quarterfinals came around and during the match against England he appeared to be on the way to a major European title.

It was the decisive moment. The 13th spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out against the English. The moment that Ricardo became the focus of the world’s attention. The Portuguese suddenly threw his gloves in the back of the net.

And then proceeded to save the game’s first penalty – just like in football’s early days – with bare hands. Ricardo guessed which way the Englishman – Darius Vassell from Aston Villa – would go. He threw himself to his left and his speculations were proved right. Advantage Portugal.

Coach Scolari was overjoyed: “My thanks go to Ricardo. He crowned our game with his skills, courage and willingness to take risks.” The whole of Portugal was in ecstasy in June 2004. “Ricardo the Lion Heart!” wrote the jubilant Portuguese newspaper “Diario de Noticias”.

Ricardo was much calmer about everything. “I ‘d already done the same thing a few times in Portuguese league games. It was also decided - with Scolari’s consent – that my turn would come after the first five penalty takers.” Portugal’s football journal “A Bola” praised the match-winner. “He keeps well and takes even better penalties. He has proved himself to be a penalty specialist in both senses.”

Ricardo has always felt some striker’s blood in his veins: “As a teenager, I often stood in goal for one half and then I was a centre forward for the other.” The goalkeeper’s career can be quickly outlined: Ricardo comes from the Boavista Porto youth team set-up and then made the successful transition to the professionals.

He played 16 matches in 1996/97, including winning the Portuguese cup. One year later, he had become an established player with 34 matches to his credit.

He experienced his first sporting highlight three years before the EURO in the Bessa Stadium when Boavista became Portuguese champions for the first time in 2001- just a point ahead of their  far more successful local rivals, FC Porto.

One thing though was a little strange: Even though Ricardo was an instrumental part of Boavista’s achievements, he did not want to be treated as a hero but that was the way the fans already saw him. “Hero is a very strong word. It all wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my team mates. We all work hard to achieve our goals,” he said.

Ricardo played regularly in the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying competition. However, in the finals in Japan and South Korea he again had to make way for Vítor Baía and his international appearances still totalled 26. He only got back into the team after the coach to Brazil’s FIFA World Cup™ winning side, Luiz Filipe Scolari was appointed coach to the national team.

Then Ricardo made six appearances at the EURO 2004 in Portugal under the Brazilian, Scolari. He played in every one of the 570 minutes that the hosts were out on the pitch and ended up a runner-up after losing 1 – 0 to Greece in the final.

One other thing that was not quite normal: as a little boy Ricardo was originally a fan of the European Cup winners Benfica, the team that Eusebio, the national idol, played for. When Ricardo was transferred to Lisbon, he signed a five-year contract – but for the local rivals, Sporting Lisbon. Ricardo just happens to be a goalkeeper and they are often described as being mad.