Ricardo Horta
Horta with Braga in 2023
Personal information
Full name Ricardo Jorge da Luz Horta[1]
Date of birth (1994-09-15) 15 September 1994 (age 29)[2]
Place of birth Sobreda, Portugal
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Braga
Number 21
Youth career
2003–2004 Ginásio Corroios
2004–2011 Benfica
2011–2013 Vitória Setúbal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Vitória Setúbal 34 (7)
2014–2017 Málaga 48 (1)
2016–2017 → Braga (loan) 32 (6)
2017– Braga 210 (80)
International career‡
2013 Portugal U19 5 (2)
2014 Portugal U20 6 (3)
2014–2017 Portugal U21 20 (4)
2016 Portugal U23 1 (1)
2014– Portugal 12 (4)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 2015 Czech Republic
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:48, 14 February 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:39, 19 November 2023 (UTC)

Ricardo Jorge da Luz Horta (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈkaɾðuˈɔɾtɐ]; born 15 September 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Primeira Liga club Braga and the Portugal national team.

He spent most of his career with Braga after coming through Benfica's youth academy, playing more than 350 games for the former and scoring a club record 121 goals while winning the 2020–21 Taça de Portugal and two Taça da Liga. In the Primeira Liga, he also represented Vitória de Setúbal, and spent two years with Málaga in La Liga.

Horta finished second with Portugal at the 2015 European Under-21 Championship, also being an international at various youth levels. He made his debut with the full side in 2014, being selected for the 2022 World Cup.

Club career

Vitória Setúbal

Born in Sobreda, Almada, Horta joined Vitória de Setúbal's youth ranks in 2011, signing from Benfica.[3] On 7 April 2013, he made his first-team and Primeira Liga debut, coming on as a second-half substitute for Cristiano in a 2–1 away loss against Rio Ave.[4] He finished the campaign with six games, all from the bench.

On 9 December 2013, Horta scored his first professional goal, the game's only against Académica de Coimbra.[5] He was a regular starter in his second season, playing 28 matches and scoring seven times.[6]

Málaga

On 12 July 2014, Horta signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Málaga.[7] He made his debut in the competition on 23 August, starting in a 1–0 home win over Athletic Bilbao.[8]

Horta scored his first goal for on 6 January 2015, in a 2–0 defeat of Levante in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey also at La Rosaleda Stadium.[9] He finished his spell with 56 appearances, three goals and one assist in all competitions;[10] his only league goal was in a 3–2 victory against Getafe on 28 February.[11]

Braga

Horta with Braga in 2016

On 5 July 2016, Horta was loaned to Braga for one year.[12] Roughly one year later he joined the club permanently, with Juan Carlos moving in the opposite direction.[13] He scored 11 and eight goals in his second and third seasons respectively, helping to consecutive fourth-place finishes.[14][15][16]

In September 2019, Horta added two more seasons to his contract to take him through to 2024, while increasing his buyout clause from €25 million to €30 million.[17] The following 25 January, he scored the only goal in the last seconds of the final of the Taça da Liga against Porto.[18] He set the club's record for goals in European competition on 10 December in a 2–0 home win over Zorya Luhansk in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, surpassing Paulinho; both players had recently moved past Alan in that chart.[19]

Horta closed the 2–0 defeat of Benfica in the final of the Taça de Portugal on 23 May 2021, to claim the cup competition for the third time in club history.[20][21] On 3 August, Braga announced the player had rejected the chance to join Major League Soccer side Atlanta United following a bid worth €15 million;[22] his contract with the Minho Province team was extended to 2026 in October.[23]

In 2021–22, Horta became captain after Fransérgio's move to Bordeaux,[24] and had his most prolific season with 19 goals, bettered in the division by only Darwin Núñez and Mehdi Taremi.[25] On 25 April, he scored the only goal against Porto, preventing the visitors from taking the outright European record of 59 league games unbeaten.[26] It was also the 100th of his professional career, and he took the Player of the Month and Forward of the Month award, with two teammates taking the equivalents for other positions as well as manager Carlos Carvalhal.[27] On 15 May, he scored in the first minute of a 3–2 loss at neighbours Famalicão on the final day, thus moving ahead of 1940s player Mário Laranjo as Braga's top scorer with 93.[28][29]

Horta was linked with a move back to Benfica in the summer of 2022. Málaga, while admitting they rejected a €3 million offer for their undisclosed share in the player's economic rights, spoke of legal action against Braga for not selling him.[30] He scored his 100th goal for the latter on 10 November, opening an eventual 2–1 home win over Moreirense in the fourth round of the domestic cup.[31]

In April 2023, Horta extended his contract with the club until June 2028, with his buyout clause staying set at €30 million.[32][33] The following 27 January, he scored the equaliser in the league cup final against Estoril, followed by the first goal of the penalty shootout victory.[34]

International career

Horta was part of the Portugal under-20 team at the 2014 Toulon Tournament[35][36][37][38] and the under-21 one at the 2015[39] and 2017 UEFA European Championship.[40] He scored in his only appearance in the 2015 competition,[41] in a final runner-up position in the Czech Republic.[42]

On 7 September 2014, Horta earned his first cap for the full side – one week before his 20th birthday – replacing William Carvalho early into the second half of a 0–1 home loss against Albania for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers.[43]

In May 2022, after almost eight years in the international wilderness, he was recalled by Fernando Santos for upcoming 2022–23 UEFA Nations League games,[44] playing 20 minutes in the 1–1 draw with Spain in Seville on 2 June and scoring his team's goal.[45] In November, he was named in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[46] As the nation had already secured qualification from their group, he started in the last fixture, opening an eventual 2–1 loss to South Korea in Al Rayyan following a cross from Diogo Dalot.[47]

Personal life

Horta's younger brother, André, is also a footballer. He was a teammate at Benfica, Vitória de Setúbal and Braga.[48]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 11 February 2024[49][50][51]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Vitória Setúbal 2012–13 Primeira Liga 6 0 — — — — 6 0
2013–14 28 7 2 0 5 0 — — 35 7
Total 34 7 2 0 5 0 — — 41 7
Málaga 2014–15 La Liga 31 1 6 2 — — — 37 3
2015–16 17 0 2 0 — — — 19 0
Total 48 1 8 2 — — — 56 3
Braga (loan) 2016–17 Primeira Liga 32 6 2 0 5 2 5[c] 1 0 0 44 9
Braga 2017–18 30 11 2 0 4 0 7[c] 1 — 43 12
2018–19 34 8 6 0 2 0 2[c] 2 — 44 10
2019–20 33 12 3 2 5 4 11[c] 6 — 52 24
2020–21 32 9 6 3 3 0 7[c] 3 — 48 15
2021–22 32 19 2 0 2 0 12[c] 4 1[d] 0 49 23
2022–23 30 14 6 1 1 0 8[e] 2 — 45 17
2023–24 19 7 3 2 4 2 10[f] 0 — 36 11
Total 242 86 30 8 26 8 62 19 1 0 361 121
Career total 324 94 40 10 32 8 62 19 1 0 458 131
  1. ^ Includes Taça de Portugal, Copa del Rey
  2. ^ Includes Taça da Liga
  3. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
  5. ^ Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 19 November 2023[52]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Portugal 2014 1 0
2022 8 2
2023 3 2
Total 12 4
Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Horta goal.[52]
List of international goals scored by Ricardo Horta
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 June 2022 Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain 2  Spain 1–1 1–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
2 2 December 2022 Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar 7  South Korea 1–0 1–2 2022 FIFA World Cup
3 11 September 2023 Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal 10  Luxembourg 6–0 9–0 2024 UEFA Euro qualifying
4 19 November 2023 Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal 12  Iceland 2–0 2–0 2024 UEFA Euro qualifying

Honours

Braga

Portugal

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Portugal (POR)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 22. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Ricardo Horta" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. ^ Serrano, Maria (31 March 2014). "O talento é a cor da visibilidade – Entrevista a Ricardo Horta" [Talent is the colour of visibility – Interview to Ricardo Horta] (in Portuguese). Bola Na Rede. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  4. ^ "Rio Ave derrota V. Setúbal e mantém-se "colado" ao Sporting" [Rio Ave defeat V. Setúbal and are still "glued" to Sporting] (in Portuguese). TSF. 7 April 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  5. ^ Silva Pires, Tiago (9 December 2013). "Ricardo Horta dá triunfo ao Vitória de Setúbal" [Ricardo Horta gives win to Vitória de Setúbal]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  6. ^ Rodrigues, André (12 July 2014). "Málaga contrata o jovem português Ricardo Horta" [Málaga sign Portuguese youngster Ricardo Horta]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Portuguese-born Ricardo Horta joins Málaga CF". Málaga CF. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Malaga 1–0 Athletic Bilbao". ESPN FC. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  9. ^ Egea, Pablo (6 January 2015). "El Málaga cree más en la Copa" [Málaga believe more in Cup]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  10. ^ Rubio, Alberto (27 January 2020). "Ricardo Horta: de ser uno más en Málaga... a campeón y 'jugador de moda' en Portugal" [Ricardo Horta: from just one of the guys in Málaga... to champion and 'hip player' in Portugal]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. ^ Melero, Delfín (28 February 2015). "Estado de euforia en La Rosaledal" [State of euphoria in La Rosaleda]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Ricardo Horta loaned out to Sporting de Braga". Málaga CF. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Ricardo Horta y Juankar, el trueque perfecto para el Málaga" [Ricardo Horta and Juankar, the perfect trade for Málaga]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 10 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  14. ^ Mendes, António (22 March 2018). "Goleadores de marca nacional" [National brand scorers]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  15. ^ "I Liga (balanço): Os golos em números" [I League (summary): The goals in numbers]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 14 May 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  16. ^ Ramires, Laura (2 July 2019). "Abel Ferreira. Sp. Braga vê-se grego com adeus relâmpago" [Abel Ferreira. Sp. Braga turn Greek with lightning goodbye]. i (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  17. ^ Marques Costa, Pedro (16 September 2019). "Ricardo Horta: contrato prolongado e cláusula de rescisão aumentada" [Ricardo Horta: contract extended and release clause increased]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  18. ^ a b Cole, Richard (25 January 2020). "Late Ricardo Horta strike wins the Taça da Liga for Braga". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Golo de Ricardo Horta ao Zorya tem significado especial e deixa Paulinho para trás" [Ricardo Horta's goal against Zorya has a special significance and leaves Paulinho behind]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 10 December 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Galeno eleito 'Homem do Jogo' em Coimbra" [Galeno voted 'Man of the Match' in Coimbra] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  21. ^ "SC Braga conquista a Taça de Portugal Placard 2020/2021" [SC Braga win the 2020/2021 Placard Portugal Cup] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Comunicado | Ricardo Horta" [Announcement | Ricardo Horta] (in Portuguese). S.C. Braga. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Oficial: Ricardo Horta renova contrato com o Sp. Braga" [Official: Ricardo Horta renews contract with Sp. Braga] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  24. ^ Rocha, Pedro (12 December 2021). ""A pilha de Ricardo Horta nunca acaba e o Fernando Santos não vê isso"" ["Ricardo Horta's battery never runs out and Fernando Santos doesn't see this"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  25. ^ "Darwin Núñez é o melhor marcador da Liga, Taremi em segundo" [Darwin Núñez is the League's top scorer, Taremi takes second] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Acabou a odisseia da invencibilidade: Dragões estiveram 58 jogos sem derrotas" [Odyssey of invincibility over: Dragons went 58 games without defeat]. Record (in Portuguese). 25 April 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  27. ^ a b c "Ricardo Horta vence prémio de melhor jogador de abril" [Ricardo Horta wins best player award for April] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Ricardo Horta torna-se o melhor marcador da história do Sp. Braga" [Ricardo Horta becomes top scorer in the history of Sp. Braga]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  29. ^ Dantas, Nuno (15 May 2022). "Famalicão-Sp. Braga, 3–2 (crónica)" [Famalicão-Sp. Braga, 3–2 (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  30. ^ Gutiérrez, Borja (5 September 2022). "Muñoz: "Nos constan dos ofertas del Benfica por Horta"" [Muñoz: "We have two offers from Benfica for Horta"]. Diario Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  31. ^ Ferreira, Bruno José (10 November 2022). "Taça: Sp. Braga-Moreirense, 2–1 (crónica)" [Cup: Sp. Braga-Moreirense, 2–1 (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  32. ^ "Ricardo Horta renova até 2028" [Ricardo Horta renews until 2028] (in Portuguese). S.C. Braga. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  33. ^ "Ricardo Horta renova! Cláusula de rescisão mantém-se" [Ricardo Horta renews! Buyout clause the same]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 5 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  34. ^ a b Vaza, Marco (27 January 2024). "Sp. Braga vence a Taça da Liga pela terceira vez" [Sp. Braga win League Cup for the third time]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  35. ^ "Torneio de Toulon: Portugal-México, 2–0" [Toulon Tournament: Portugal-Mexico, 2–0]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 May 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  36. ^ "Torneio de Toulon: Portugal-Chile, 3–1" [Toulon Tournament: Portugal-Chile, 3–1]. Record (in Portuguese). 23 May 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  37. ^ Lucas, Cipriano (27 May 2014). "Portugal goleia China e fica a um empate da final" [Portugal rout China and final is now one draw away]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  38. ^ "Portugal conquista terceiro lugar do Torneio de Toulon ao bater Inglaterra" [Portugal finish third in Toulon Tournament after beating England] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  39. ^ "Bruno Fernandes fora dos convocados para o Europeu de sub-21" [Bruno Fernandes left out of squad for under-21 Euro]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 7 June 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  40. ^ "Sanches e Cancelo convocados por Portugal para o EURO Sub-21" [Sanches and Cancelo called by Portugal for Under-21 EURO] (in Portuguese). UEFA. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  41. ^ Hart, Simon (27 June 2015). "Five-goal Portugal stun Germany in semi-finals". UEFA. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  42. ^ a b Kell, Tom (30 June 2015). "Spot-on Sweden beat Portugal to win U21 EURO". UEFA. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  43. ^ Marques, Pedro (7 September 2014). "Balaj pounces as Albania stun Portugal". UEFA. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  44. ^ ""O Ricardo Horta sempre fez parte de um lote de jogadores que estavam a ser observados"" ["Ricardo Horta was always part of a group of players we were watching"] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  45. ^ Motz, Nathan (2 June 2022). "Portugal steal a point in Sevilla". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  46. ^ "Os 26 convocados de Portugal: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio e Matheus Nunes chamados" [Portugal select 26: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio and Matheus Nunes called] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  47. ^ Bevan, Chris (2 December 2022). "South Korea 2–1 Portugal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  48. ^ Lopes Pereira, Ricardo (13 February 2015). "André Horta acredita numa surpresa na Luz" [André Horta believes in surprise at the Luz]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  49. ^ Ricardo Horta at ForaDeJogo (archived) Edit this at Wikidata
  50. ^ Ricardo Horta at WorldFootball.net
  51. ^ Ricardo Horta at Soccerway
  52. ^ a b "Ricardo Horta". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  53. ^ Ribeiro, Patrick (23 May 2021). "Braga beat nine-man Benfica to lift Portuguese Cup". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  54. ^ Kundert, Tom (4 June 2023). "Dominant Porto dispatch Braga to lift Portuguese Cup". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  55. ^ "Taremi fecha onze do ano da Liga: Os eleitos por treinadores e capitães (fotogaleria)" [Taremi completes League's All-Star XI: The chosen ones by coaches and captains (photogallery)]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 28 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  56. ^ "Taremi escolhido para o 11 do ano" [Taremi makes year's 11] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  57. ^ "Ricardo Horta eleito melhor avançado do mês" [Ricardo Horta voted forward of the month]. O Minho (in Portuguese). 12 February 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  58. ^ "Ricardo Horta (Sp. Braga) eleito o melhor avançado do mês da Liga" [Ricardo Horta (Sp. Braga) voted League's forward of the month] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  59. ^ "Ricardo Horta eleito o avançado do mês da Liga Bwin em abril" [Ricardo Horta voted Bwin League's forward of the month in April]. Record (in Portuguese). 11 May 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  60. ^ "Melhores de janeiro: Ricardo Horta eleito o Melhor Jogador do Mês na Liga NOS" [Best in January: Ricardo Horta voted League NOS' Player of the Month] (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  61. ^ Fernandes, Inês Pedro (12 May 2023). "Ricardo Horta eleito o melhor jogador do mês de abril" [Ricardo Horta voted best player for the month of April]. Diário do Minho (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 September 2023.

External links

S.C. Braga – current squad
Portugal squad – 2022 FIFA World Cup
Taça da Liga top scorers
Categories