Hámilton Ricard

Hámilton Ricard Cuesta (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxamilton ˈrikaɾð ˈkwesta]; born 12 January 1974) is a Colombian former footballer who played as a striker. He played for clubs in 10 different countries over the course of his career, including Colombian sides Deportivo Cali, Cortuluá, Independiente Santa Fe and Deportes Quindío, English club Middlesbrough, CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria, Emelec in Ecuador, Japanese side Shonan Bellmare, APOEL in Cyprus, Spanish side Numancia, Uruguayan club Danubio and Concepción in Chile.

Hámilton Ricard
Personal information
Full name Hámilton Ricard Cuesta
Date of birth (1974-01-12) 12 January 1974
Place of birth Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 12 in)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1998 Deportivo Cali 61 (22)
1998–2001 Middlesbrough 115 (33)
2001–2002 CSKA Sofia 9 (1)
2002 Independiente Santa Fe 0 (0)
2003 Shonan Bellmare 9 (1)
2003 Cortuluá 3 (0)
2004 Emelec 25 (17)
2004 APOEL 15 (6)
2005 Deportivo Cali 6 (0)
2005 Numancia 16 (2)
2006–2007 Danubio 25 (11)
2007–2008 Shanghai Shenhua 42 (14)
2009–2010 Danubio 10 (3)
2010–2011 Concepción 16 (5)
2011–2012 Deportes Quindío 30 (10)
2012–2013 Cortuluá 11 (0)
National team
1995–2000 Colombia 27 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Ricard was signed for Middlesbrough by manager Bryan Robson for a fee of £2 million in 1998. He signed his signature on a napkin because Middlesbrough had no documents.[1] Over a four-year Middlesbrough career, he scored 33 goals in 115 appearances. He was twice Middlesbrough's top scorer. When Steve McClaren took over the reins, Ricard was deemed surplus to requirements and allowed to move to CSKA Sofia on a free transfer.[2] After one season in Bulgaria, Ricard moved to Japan, where he joined Second Division side Shonan Bellmare.[3]

Since leaving Middlesbrough, Ricard courted controversy both on and off the pitch. In 2002, he was involved in a car accident that killed a passenger,[4] and was banned from football for 12 months for attacking a referee and making obscene gestures to the crowd while playing for Guayaquil side Emelec. The ban was reduced on appeal, and since then, Ricard attempted to move back to Europe to rejuvenate his career. He briefly played in Cyprus for APOEL, before signing a year's deal with Numancia for the 2005–06 season. He played 16 times, scoring two goals.

After he moved to Danubio in Uruguay where he scored 12 goals and was voted as one of their best players of the decade.[5] In June 2007 he trialled with Chinese Super League team Shanghai Shenhua, subsequently signing a contract with the Chinese club.

Ricard has represented Colombia 27 times, scoring five goals.

On 24 January 2007, Ricard was sentenced by a Colombian court to three years in prison for the 2002 car incident. His lawyers have indicated an appeal is likely. He has not yet served the sentence.[6][7]

Club statistics

Club performance League
Season Club League AppsGoals
Colombia League
1993Deportivo CaliPrimera A155
19944617
1995
199636
1997
England League
1997–98MiddlesbroughFirst Division92
1998–99Premier League3615
1999–20003412
2000–01274
2001–0290
Bulgaria League
2001–02CSKA SofiaA PFG91
Colombia League
2002Independiente Santa FéPrimera A00
Japan League
2003Shonan BellmareJ2 League122
Colombia League
2003CortuluáPrimera A30
Ecuador League
2004EmelecSerie A2517
Cyprus League
2004–05APOELFirst Division156
Colombia League
2005Deportivo CaliPrimera A60
Spain League
2005–06NumanciaSegunda División162
Uruguay League
2006–07DanubioPrimera División2511
China PR League
2007Shanghai ShenhuaSuper League155
2008279
Uruguay League
2009–10DanubioPrimera División103
CountryColombia 7058
England 11533
Bulgaria 91
Japan 122
Ecuador 2517
Cyprus 156
Spain 162
Uruguay 3514
China PR 279
Total 324106

Personal life

Ricard has a daughter.[8]

International goals

#DateStadiumRivalGoalResultCompetition
18-6-1997Estadio Centenario, Montevideo Uruguay1-11-11998 FIFA World Cup qualification
213-6-1997Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz Mexico1-21-2Copa América 1997
35-7-1997Nacional de Chile, Chile Chile1-31-41998 FIFA World Cup qualification
47-7-1999Estadio Feliciano Cáceres Ecuador2-02-1Copa América 1999

Honours

Club

References

  1. On Reflection: Middlesbrough's enigmatic hitman Hamilton Ricard gazettelive.co.uk
  2. "Sofia So Good For Hamilton". Middlesbrough FC. 26 March 2002. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  3. "Hamilton Moves To Japan". Middlesbrough FC. 16 January 2003. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  4. "Ex-Boro star Ricard hurt in death crash". ABC News Online. 16 December 2002.
  5. Hamilton Ricard: Middlesbrough Memories & Paving The Way For Colombian Footballers worldfootballindex.com
  6. "Former Columbia striker Ricard facing jail". ESPN Soccernet. 24 January 2007.
  7. http://southamerican-futbol.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-ever-happened-to-hamilton-ricard.html
  8. "Hamilton Goes Back To School". Middlesbrough F.C. 28 March 2001. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
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