Ricardo Gomes (Cape Verdean footballer)

Ricardo Gomes
Personal information
Full name Ricardo Jorge Pires Gomes
Date of birth 18 December 1991
Place of birth Santa Maria, Cape Verde
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Al-Shamal
Number 11
Youth career
Batuque
2009–2010 Vizela
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010−2013 Vizela 73 (12)
2013−2016 Vitória Guimarães 21 (1)
2013−2016 Vitória Guimarães B 53 (13)
2016 Nacional (loan) 15 (1)
2016−2018 Nacional 60 (22)
2018−2019 Partizan 36 (20)
2019−2021 Sharjah 14 (6)
2020 Kalba (loan) 5 (1)
2020−2021 BB Erzurumspor (loan) 31 (5)
2021−2023 Partizan 70 (48)
2023− Al-Shamal 12 (7)
International career
2015−2020 Cape Verde 14 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:45, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Ricardo Jorge Pires Gomes (born 18 December 1991) is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Qatar Stars League club Al-Shamal SC.

Club career

Vitória Guimarães

Born in Santa Maria, Ilha do Sal, Gomes moved to Portugal at the age of 17, starting playing football with F.C. Vizela and going on to spend four seasons in the third division. In 2013 he signed with Vitória de Guimarães, being initially assigned to the reserves who also competed at that level.

Gomes made his Primeira Liga debut with the first team on 17 August 2013, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2−0 home win against S.C. Olhanense. He scored his first goal in the competition on 4 January 2015, in the 4−0 victory over C.D. Nacional also at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques.

Nacional

In mid-January 2016, Gomes was loaned to precisely Nacional, until June. On 8 August, he agreed to a two-year permanent deal with the Madeirans.

After no goals in 2016−17, which ended in relegation, the following campaign Gomes led the LigaPro scoring charts at 22 to help the team achieve immediate promotion as champions.

Partizan

On 8 June 2018, Gomes signed with Serbian club FK Partizan. On 26 August he scored his first SuperLiga goal for them, helping to a 3−1 away defeat of FK Mačva Šabac. He added another on 23 September in the 1−1 draw with Red Star Belgrade in the Eternal Derby, being subsequently voted by Mozzart Sport as his side's best player.

Gomes finished his only season with 26 goals in all competitions, which made him the joint-best foreigner in Partizan's history.

Sharjah

In August 2019, Gomes joined UAE Pro League champions Sharjah FC, helping to win the UAE Super Cup on penalties shortly after his arrival. The following February, he was loaned to fellow league club Al-Ittihad Kalba SC until the end of the season.

Return to Partizan

On 25 June 2021, Gomes returned to Partizan and signed a three-year contract. He scored six goals in his first seven competitive appearances, including braces in 4–0 away league wins against FK Proleter Novi Sad and FK Kolubara. He totalled 38 for the campaign for the runners-up, being voted the league's best player and scorer while breaking Mateja Kežman's 2000 record.

International career

Gomes earned his first cap for Cape Verde on 31 March 2015, playing the last ten minutes of the 2–0 friendly win over Portugal in Estoril. On 4 June 2016 he netted his first goal, in the 2–1 away victory against São Tomé and Príncipe in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Cape Verde 2015 1 0
2016 4 1
2017 1 0
2018 4 3
2019 2 0
2020 2 0
Total 14 4
Cape Verde score listed first, score column indicates score after each Gomes goal.
International goals by date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 June 2016 12 de Julho, São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe 3 São Tomé and Príncipe 1–0 2–1 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2 1 June 2018 July 5, 1962 Stadium, Algiers, Algeria 7 Algeria 1–1 3–2 Friendly
3 12 October 2018 Estádio Nacional, Praia, Cape Verde 9 Tanzania 1–0 3–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4 2–0

Honours

Vitória Guimarães

Nacional

Partizan

Sharjah

Individual