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How Ricardo Quaresma went from Al Ahli flop to Porto's Champions League hero

If anyone had suggested in May 2013, when Ricardo Quaresma was released by Al Ahli just four months into his hugely disappointing spell in the UAE, that less than two years later he would star in the Champions League quarter-finals, they would have been laughed at. Quaresma’s career seemed to be in ruins. No club would sign an ageing player whose physical fitness and mental stability were very much uncertain.

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Indeed, he spent half a season without a team, and was totally forgotten when Porto suddenly decided to give him a chance - the very last chance to salvage at least a tiny part of his divine potential. That was a huge gamble, and it has paid off handsomely. At the age of 31, Quaresma is enjoying a superb spell, which was highlighted by the brace he scored just ten minutes into Porto’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich, inspiring the Dragons to a 3-1 win. On Tuesday he arrives to Allianz Arena, hoping to finish off the job.

Quaresma will always be remembered as a classic case of “what could have been”. When promoted from the famous Alcochete academy to Sporting Lisbon’s first team at the tender age of 17, he was touted as the next big thing in European football, the natural heir to Luis Figo. Blessed with incredible ball control and lightning speed, he was unstoppable on the wing, and played a significant role as the Lions won the league title in 2002, the club’s last triumph.

 Both emerged from Sporting's academy.
Both emerged from Sporting's academy.

At the time, Cristiano Ronaldo, 16 months younger than Ricardo, was also taking his first steps – though Quaresma was considered by most of the pundits to be the more talented of the duo. In the summer of 2003, Barcelona and Manchester United considered signing both, and at one stage, Quaresma was quite close to moving to Old Trafford. He would likely have developed very differently had that happened, but in the end he headed for Camp Nou, with Sir Alex Ferguson opting for Cristiano.

While Ronaldo was ready for the big move mentally, proving himself step by step and gradually developing into superstar, Quaresma assumed that his raw natural talent will be enough to make him a world beater. Frank Rijkaard thought differently, and by the end of his first season Quaresma, disappointed with the amount of playing time, issued an incredible ultimatum, saying that he would never play under the Dutchman again. Naturally, Barca immediately offloaded him to Porto as part of the deal that sent Deco to Catalonia.

That attitude proved to be Quaresma’s downfall everywhere he went outside of his homeland. Jose Mourinho was certain that he would be able to tame his compatriot and convinced Inter to pay more than Dhs70 million (€18m) for his services upon arriving to San Siro in the summer of 2008. The Special One failed miserably, and Quaresma barely played for him.

In retrospect, the winger claimed that moving to Italy was his biggest mistake. “My happiness and self confidence were taken away from me. I felt on the margins of the squad and woke up crying when I had to attend training sessions,” Ricardo told Publico newspaper in 2010, upon leaving Inter for Besiktas, but he had only himself to blame. His loan spell at Chelsea was so forgettable that few at Stamford Bridge are able to even recall him staying there.

The years at Besiktas were not a total disaster, but Quaresma angered many a team-mate with his arrogance and selfishness. Eventually, he attacked the club’s Portuguese coach Carlos Carvalhal for substituting him. “I brought you here,” he shouted at his compatriot. That wasn’t entirely wrong, by the way, because the club desperately wanted to make Quaresma feel comfortable, but the incident proved to be costly. When the relationship between the winger and the club deteriorated, there were claims by Besiktas executives regarding allegedly extreme behaviour by the Portuguese, which included urinating on training ground staff.

He was released from his contract in late 2012, and in such circumstances an opportunity at Al Ahli was a blessing for him. Unfortunately, even that didn’t work out, and that was expected to be the final straw. Then, seven long months later, Porto entered the scene in January 2014.

The fans didn’t really know what to think. On one hand, Quaresma was brilliant during his four years at Estadio do Dragao, between 2004 and 2008. Nicknamed Harry Potter for his magic, he won three league titles and was voted Player of the Year in 2006, even though that wasn’t enough for Luiz Felipe Scolari to include him in Portugal’s World Cup squad. On the other hand, his potential contribution was extremely questionable, while his influence on the dressing room could potentially be disastrous.

Former Porto star Jaime Magalhaes was highly critical of the move, claiming that Quaresma was finished. However, Laszlo Boloni, the coach who gave the winger his debut at Sporting, was much more positive. “At Dragao, Quaresma will recover again,” he said. Boloni was right.

Crucially, the player himself realised how lucky he was to be given the chance. “I am proud to wear this jersey again, and I'd like to thank the chairman Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa and the coach Paulo Fonseca for believing in me and in my value,” he said ahead of the first training session. Fonseca was impressed: “I am pleased to see Ricardo’s motivation and enthusiasm”. The coach didn’t last in the job himself and was fired in March 2014, but his protégé stayed and produced one great performance after another.

It was Quaresma at his best again – quick, full of imaginative tricks, but most importantly very dedicated to the team. He scored 10 goals in just 24 games, and the level of his play was such that many pundits called for him to be included in the World Cup squad. Paulo Bento decided differently, and paid the price when Portugal were sent packing after the group stage.

"For years, Quaresma believed his magic was fundamental to the teams he represented. Everything had to be done his way. We see a different Quaresma now - a complete player and a team player."

That was a very bright start, but there was room for even more remarkable progress this term. Julen Lopetegui, the new coach who was free to overhaul the squad after the disappointing season, could have discarded Quaresma but decided to give him more responsibilities instead. The Spaniard made it clear that he expectsed the winger to perform in defence as well, and succeeded where Mourinho failed.

In a recent interview with Porto’s official TV channel, Lopetegui claimed that Quaresma it the team’s most improved player, both tactically and mentally, adding: “I feel proud for him”.

Victor Hugo Alvarenga of Maisfutbol wrote: “For years and years, Quaresma believed that his magic was fundamental to the teams he represented. Everything had to be done his way. We see a different Quaresma now - a complete player and a team player. Lopetegui had an important role in this development”.

“Football changes, ideas change, and I had to change,” Quaresma himself said. But who could possibly have believed that this change would happen? How high could he have climbed had it occurred a decade earlier? Could he have been even better than Ronaldo? Now that is impossible, but he is more than happy with what he has.

In 2008, when Porto met Schalke in the last 16 of the Champions League, Quaresma missed a superb chance against Manuel Neuer, and his team eventually lost on penalties. Seven years later, Neuer is a much more established star, but Quaresma beat him this time to double Porto’s lead last week, after stealing the ball from Dante. The winger didn’t lose his head after such a successful start. His new attitude was evident as he covered the whole right wing, equally active offensively and defensively throughout the victory over Bayern.

He is certain to do his utmost for the team on Tuesday as well. Gone are the years of inconsistency. These days, Porto fans know exactly what to expect of him. Given his history, that is a major miracle.


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