Ricardo Vaz Afonso Fernandes (born 28 August 2002) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for Liga 3 club União Santarém. Born in Portugal, he plays for the São Tomé and Príncipe national team.

Professional career

Fernandes is a youth product of Arrentela and Pescadores, before moving to Casa Pia's youth academy in 2018. On 20 May 2021, he signed his first professional contract with Casa Pia. In the winter of 2022, he was loaned to Real in the Portuguese third division. He returned to Casa Pia for the 2022–23 season, as they were newly promoted to the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

. Later that summer, he transferred to

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the civil parish of Cascais e Estoril of the Portuguese Municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a popular tourist destination, with hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numero ...

where he was assigned to their U23 side.

International career

Born in Portugal, Fernandes is of Santomean descent. He was called up to the São Tomé and Príncipe national team for a set of 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches in September 2023.

Personal life

Fernandes' twin brother, Rogério, is also a professional footballer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandes, Ricardo 2002 births Living people Footballers from Seixal São Tomé and Príncipe men's footballers São Tomé and Príncipe men's international footballers Portuguese men's footballers Portuguese people of São Tomé and Príncipe descent Men's association football fullbacks Casa Pia A.C. players Real S.C. players G.D. Estoril Praia players União de Santarém players Liga Portugal 2 players Liga 3 (Portugal) players Portuguese twins 21st-century Portuguese sportsmen 21st-century São Tomé and Príncipe people