Nuno Ricardo de Oliveira RibeiroOIH (born 11 November 1977), known as Maniche (European Portuguese:[maˈniʃ]), is a Portuguese retired professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.
He played top-flight football in Portugal, Russia, England, Spain, Italy and Germany, and in 2004 he helped Porto to the Champions League, one of eight trophies won with that club. He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 177 matches and 31 goals in seven seasons.
Maniche won 52 caps for Portugal, representing the nation at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup and finishing runner-up in the former competition.
Club career
Benfica and Porto
Born in Lisbon, Maniche played youth football for local S.L. Benfica. After three seasons with neighbouring F.C. Alverca, who acted as the former's farm team, he returned to Benfica, where he was initially deployed as a winger.[3]
Maniche was sold to FC Dynamo Moscow in May 2005, for €16 million;[9] he was accompanied in that adventure by Porto teammates Giourkas Seitaridis and Costinha (another club player, Derlei, had left for the Russian team in January). Unsettled, as were the vast majority of foreign players bought by new owner Alexey Fedorychev,[10] he left in January 2006 on loan to Premier League side Chelsea.[11]
Maniche was part of Chelsea's 2006 league-winning squad. In his first start, a home game against West Ham United on 9 April, he had an opportunity to score an equaliser from six yards out but smashed his shot against the crossbar, and was shown an immediate red card in the 17th minute for a challenge on Lionel Scaloni; nevertheless, they went on to win 4–1.[12]
However, Maniche did not make enough appearances in the league to earn a winners' medal, challenged for a central midfield place by Michael Essien, Frank Lampard and Claude Makélélé.[13] Chelsea had the option of making the transfer permanent at the end of the season, for £5 million (US$9 million), but the player eventually returned to Dynamo Moscow.[14]
Following a run-in with Atlético coach, Javier Aguirre,[18] Maniche was cut from the squad, and agreed to join Inter Milan on a January loan, running for the second part of 2007–08.[19] Splitting time between the bench and the starting eleven in eight Serie A appearances, he managed to score one goal, in a 1–2 home defeat to Juventus FC on 22 March, also hitting the post in stoppage time.[20]
In July 2008, Maniche returned to Atlético Madrid, playing a major part in the Colchoneros' early season as they had returned to the UEFA Champions League after a 12-year absence. In late February 2009, however, he was ousted after a new quarrel with the management, now led by former club player Abel Resino.[21]
According to additional reports in the Spanish press, Maniche was deemed surplus to requirements in Madrid after he rejected the club's offer of a new deal, as his contract was going to expire on 30 June 2009.
On 20 July 2009, Maniche moved to the Bundesliga with 1. FC Köln, signing a two-year deal and rejoining former Benfica and Portugal teammate Petit.[23] He scored the first of his three goals on 27 October, closing the 3–0 away victory over SV Eintracht Trier 05 in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal.[24]
Return to Portugal
Maniche left after only one season in Germany, and on 16 June 2010 he returned to his native country, signing a one-year deal (plus an option for two further seasons) with the club he still had not represented in the Portuguese Big Three, Sporting CP.[25][26] Frequently injured during his spell with the Lions and vastly underperforming,[27][28][29] the 33-year-old terminated his contract by mutual consent – even though he had automatically renewed it in December after appearing in his 20th competitive game[30]– on 6 July 2011;[31] in May of the following year, not being able to find a new team, he decided to retire.
On 12 June 2013, Maniche was appointed as assistant at F.C. Paços de Ferreira after his former Porto and international teammate Costinha was hired as the manager.[32] Three years later, he was hired in the same role alongside the same boss at Segunda Liga side Académica de Coimbra, but left four months later for personal reasons.[33]
International career
Maniche playing for Portugal in 2009
Maniche made his debut for the Portugal national team on 29 March 2003, in a 2–1 friendly win over Brazil.[34] He was a key element in the country's runner-up run at UEFA Euro 2004, scoring in a 2–0 group stage defeat of Russia[35] and adding another in the semi-finals against the Netherlands, which ended in a 2–1 victory;[36] he was subsequently selected for the Team of the Tournament.[37]
On 21 June 2006, in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Portugal played Mexico in the final group fixture. Maniche netted in the sixth minute in an eventual 2–1 win that sealed the group win.[38] Four days later, in the round of 16, as the national side faced the Netherlands once again, he scored the only goal of the game,[39] and was the only Portuguese player to feature on Adidas' Golden Ball shortlist.[40]
After appearing significantly during the qualifying stages for Euro 2008, he was surprisingly left out of the nation's final squad, although younger brother Jorge Ribeiro would make the final cut. He also featured little during the qualification for the 2010 World Cup, and was subsequently left out of the squad for the final stages by manager Carlos Queiroz.
Style of play
Known for his teamwork, stamina and powerful shot, Maniche received his nickname after Benfica's 1980s Danish forward Michael Manniche.[41]
Personal life
Jorge Ribeiro, Maniche's younger brother, was also a footballer. Mainly a left midfielder, he also represented Benfica amongst many other clubs, and the two were teammates at Dynamo Moscow.[42]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[43][2]
^Jiménez, Hugo (7 January 2008). "Aguirre y Maniche ni se miran" [Aguirre and Maniche don't even look at each other]. Público (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
^"Maniche rescindiu" [Maniche cut ties]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
^"Portugal na festa holandesa" [Portugal in Dutch party]. Record (in Portuguese). 30 April 2003. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
