Ricardo Quaresma recently took a look back at his life and football journey. He spoke openly in an interview for SIC’s Geração 80 Podcast. He talked about his early days with Sporting’s main team and his move to Barcelona. The Portuguese international shared that he never felt shy playing against big names.
He explained his quick rise through Sporting’s ranks. “At 16, I was in the B team. By 17, I was with the first squad,” Quaresma said. He preferred to listen and learn in the locker room. There were legends like Jardel, João Pinto, Pedro Barbosa, Jorge, and Paulo Bento. He absorbed a lot from these amazing players. Quaresma admits he wasn’t a big talker. He joked when it felt right. But he also spoke up about things he didn’t like. “I never took anything home with me,” he stated, meaning he left conflicts on the field. “I spoke my mind, but I was never rude to anyone.” On the pitch, he always played like a kid who didn’t respect anyone, in the best way. This meant he played without fear.
His career moved fast. “At 18, almost 19, I was already at Barcelona,” he recalled. At 19, he played a Barcelona-Real Madrid match against Roberto Carlos. Carlos was one of the best players ever. Quaresma noted that it’s normal to feel nervous at that age. “You think, ‘I’m about to face an amazing player.'” But Quaresma never trembled when playing against anyone. He explained it’s part of his nature. “It just made me want to play against those players even more.” He saw it as a challenge. His thought was, “Let’s see if you’re really as good as people say.” He knew they were great, but he believed he was great too. “It was a clash of titans,” he described. Quaresma learned a lot from those moments. “It’s fabulous. Football seems easy sometimes,” he added.
Quaresma later admitted he wanted to leave Barcelona. He hoped to return to Sporting, his first club. But the Lions closed the door on him. He then ended up going to FC Porto instead. He now says he doesn’t regret his choices. Yet, he would do things differently if he could go back. “I was very young when I arrived at Barcelona, almost 19,” he remembered. He joined a locker room with stars like Luis Enrique, Xavi, Puyol, and Ronaldinho. He felt he had to wait for his chance. Iniesta, for example, knew how to wait for his moment. Quaresma felt he should have done the same.
“When you reach that level so early, you think you’re already as good as those players, but I wasn’t,” he reflected. He believes he made a mistake by asking to leave. Barcelona’s president, Laporta, did not want him to leave Portugal for good. Laporta suggested a loan move within Spain. Quaresma almost went to Valencia or Atlético Madrid. His agent, Jorge Mendes, discussed these options. But Quaresma had his heart set on returning home to Sporting.
“I was hurt by Sporting because I wanted to go home,” Quaresma shared. Sporting was his home. It was the only club he had ever known. He had grown up there. But Sporting shut the door on him. They decided to sign other players. He felt he was left behind. His path then led him to FC Porto. He soon realized FC Porto was different. He knows many Sporting fans might feel upset about his move. But he stressed, “Honestly, I went to FC Porto because Sporting closed the door on me. That’s the truth.” He truly wanted to return to Sporting. He wouldn’t have minded a lower salary, and Sporting knew this. But they made their own decisions. He had a meeting at the time. He told them he wanted to go back to Sporting. He did not want to join FC Porto then. Yet, it turned out to be the best choice he could have made.