A spectacularly erratic player and person, the Portuguese winger's career was as wild as it was glorious
As a two-time Serie A winner, four-time Primeira Liga champion, a Champions League victor and even a Euro 2016 winner with Portugal, Ricardo Quaresma enjoyed a glittering career that saw him enjoy spells at the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Inter, Porto and Besiktas. However, it's not the large collection of winners' medals that earned the Lisbon native worldwide adoration. Rather, it was his flamboyant, electrifying swagger on the ball that captured the hearts of millions.
Adorned with various playful nicknames such as 'Mustang' for his powerful and devastatingly quick dribbles, or 'Harry Potter' for his ability to pull off magical tricks to get himself out of the tightest of spaces, Quaresma truly was the epitome of a street footballer. Many, however, would argue that he has never truly received the credit he deserves for his exploits, or that he did not reach the heights he was capable of, despite the massive clubs he turned out for.
Nevertheless, he remains a cult hero in many circles and, here, GOAL explores exactly why Quaresma is a name the streets will never forget…
GettyExploding onto the scene
The roots of Quaresma's reputation as a bad boy with a wealth of talent can perhaps be traced back to his upbringing. He grew up in a poor family and was the victim of discrimination.
"In the eyes of others, I was always guilty of being a gypsy. I was a child angry about this," he told in 2016. "One day, a coat went missing from the school and parents immediately started saying that it had been the gypsy. Later, they realised it wasn't me. I'm proud of who I am and the parents I have. If I have this strength and personality, it's because I've experienced a lot. Our house was very small, but we could sleep and eat. My mother never let me miss anything. She had several jobs."
Football offered an outlet for Quaresma to channel his anger and a path to a better life. His journey began when he joined the Sporting CP youth academy as a teenager and rocketed through the system. At the age of 17, was given an unusually strong test on his debut when he was thrown into a clash against Portuguese giants Porto in the first league game of the 2001-02 season, which the Lisbon team won 1-0.
As far as debut seasons go for such a young talent, Quaresma's could hardly have gone better. He scored five goals and registered six assists in all competitions as Sporting won the Portuguese league title as well as the Taca de Portugal. He was flying in his second season in the senior team, too, which coincided with the emergence of fellow academy star Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese pair were equally spectacular, each netting five goals over the course of the campaign even though Sporting missed out on the title.
With two magnificent, explosive young attackers who could each play on either wing, there was the potential for something beautiful to develop between Quaresma and Ronaldo. The future looked bright for both, but unfortunately for Sporting, it would not be at the Lisbon club as financial difficulties forced them to sell both Quaresma and Ronaldo in the summer of 2003 – the former enjoyed just two seasons in the first-team while the latter only had one.
AdvertisementGettyGoing to 'war' with Barcelona
While Ronaldo went on to Manchester United to develop into one of the game's greatest-ever players, Quaresma, the more senior and perhaps more naturally talented of the pair, went straight to Camp Nou to join up with the likes of Ronaldinho, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol Luis Enrique and Javier Saviola in Frank Rijkaard's Barca team.
It should have been a step towards greatness for the 19-year-old, but life in Catalunya was not the glorious dream he expected. In fact, it was a collision of two opposite styles. Rijkaard hoped to instil some tactical discipline into Quaresma and convince him to stick to his position. The plucky young winger, however, wanted to continue to his risky, explosive way of playing and felt stifled by the Dutchman's tactics.
Quaresma complained that he was promised he would be allow to play the same free role at Barcelona that he was given at Sporting. However, even though he was given the chance to shine in the first half of the season, things turned sour and he was dropped completely halfway through the campaign.
He said years later: "Even today, I don't understand what happened to me at Barcelona because at first I started playing and things were going well, but, suddenly, the worst moment of my life came and the coach didn't give me any explanations… I wanted him to play a certain way and I tried to do that. I changed the way I played to please him, but I always achieved the same result: whether on the bench or in the stands. So I decided to play my football and we went to war."
In 2021, Quaresma further reflected on his time at the club, saying: "I should have calmed down more and I didn't. I was a kid and I was rebellious. Maybe I wasn't prepared for the size of the club. You go from a neighbourhood to the world of fame where you think you've done everything and done nothing."
His controversial period at Barca likely stunted his career with the Portugal national team, too. Quaresma had made his debut in the summer before joining the Catalan club, but was sent straight back to the Under-21s and missed out on a place in the Euro 2004 squad that went on to lose out in the final to Greece.
GettyPerfect Porto resurrection
There was no way back for Quaresma at Barcelona after he refused to play for Rijkaard, and the club quickly got fed up with the petulant youngster and decided to sell him after just one year. When Porto came calling, he departed Camp Nou having started just 10 of his 22 La Liga matches, and had scored just one goal in all competitions.
The return to his homeland proved the perfect move to provide Quaresma the chance to bounce back from the bitter blow that was his failed Barcelona career. The 20-year-old was immediately thrown back into first-team football at Porto and he quickly brought back that unique, vibrant flair that made him such a coveted talent in the first place.
He chipped in with five goals as Porto missed out on the league title on his first season, finishing three points behind Benfica. The next season was even better, though, as Quaresma, alongside the likes of Benni McCarthy, Lucho Gonzalez, Pepe and Jose Bosingwa, helped guide the Portuguese giants to the league and cup double. He scored five goals, provided 11 assists and was named the league's Player of the Year.
After that eruption with Porto, Quaresma could not be stopped. His development into a magnificent and deadly attacker continued as he played a vital role in their success with his tricks, agility and that famous outrageous curl he could put on the ball with the outside of his foot, known as the trivela. Porto went on to win second and third consecutive league crowns, and Quaresma was even more devastating each year.
"If I had done at Barcelona what I did at Porto, I would be on par with the greats to win a Ballon d'Or," he said years later. Months after Quaresma won his third league title with Porto, Ronaldo won his first Golden Ball.
"But that's life, we have opportunities and you take advantage of them or not, and there is no need to regret that. Now I'm happy because I managed to make my dream come true and I also played for Porto, which is still a great club and where I was very happy, where they welcomed me very well. Therefore, as a player and as a person, I can say that I am happy and grateful for the opportunity they gave me at Barcelona and Porto to wear both shirts."
Getty'Hurt' by Mourinho
The arrival of a special player at Porto coincided with the departure of 'The Special One', as Jose Mourinho fled to join Chelsea after leading the club to Champions League glory in 2004. However, he and Quaresma would be united eventually when the legendary manager brought his compatriot to Inter.
For the winger, here was another chance to prove himself in one of Europe's most prestigious leagues and banish the demons from his time at Barcelona once and for all. Sadly, it was even worse than the Camp Nou horror show.
A beautiful goal from the wing in a Serie A debut win against Catania offered promise, but Quaresma was never able to replicate that success. It was a terrible clash of styles, as Mourinho demanded a more disciplined style than Quaresma was ever prepared to offer, and he was quickly dropped. Mourinho would not tolerate his lack of effort and gave up on him, sending him on loan to Chelsea halfway through the season. To compound his humiliation, Quaresma was voted the worst player in the Italian top-flight.
That spell in London was a disaster, too. Quaresma played in four of the first six Premier League matches – starting only one – after his January transfer before Luiz Felipe Scolari dropped him altogether and let him return to San Siro in the summer.
In 2009-10, Quaresma featured sporadically in Serie A, but played the most minor role – enough to earn him a winners' medal – in the Champions League as Mourinho's team went on to claim the European and domestic treble.
Reflecting on his time with Mourinho years later, Quaresma said: "At Inter, he wasn't that young anymore, but things happened that shouldn't have happened. They hurt me because when you're waiting for one thing and another comes along, and when you have the person as an example and then you end up seeing that it's not what you thought… Mourinho is a great coach, but there are things that hurt me."