Ricardo Álvarez Puig (born 11 September 1984), known as Richy, is a Spanish former
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 played as a
central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
.
Club career
Celta and Córdoba
Born in
Vigo
Vigo (, ; ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest ...
,
Galicia, Richy began his career at hometown club
RC Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues), the club was fou ...
, playing almost exclusively for
their reserves in the
Segunda División B
Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...
. His lone appearance for the first team was on 26 August 2007 on the
first day of the
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
season, playing the entirety of a 1–1 home draw against
Córdoba CF
Córdoba Club de Fútbol (), is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Córdoba, Andalusia, Córdoba, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1954 after the dissolution of RCD Córdoba. Currently it plays ...
in which he featured as a
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
, and being notified of this by manager
Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov (; born 8 February 1966) is a Bulgarian former professional Association football, footballer and current football commentator for TUDN. A prolific Forward (association football), forward, he is widely regarded as the g ...
one hour before kick-off.
On 14 July 2009, after helping Celta B to
fifth place, Richy signed a one-year contract at Córdoba. He made his debut on 29 August as they began
the campaign with a 3–0 loss at neighbours
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...
, and the following 27 March he was
sent off in a 2–0 home win over leaders
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...
.
Richi scored his first two professional goals towards the end of
2010–11, starting with a
header to open a 3–0 away defeat of
Villarreal CF B on 17 April 2011.
Girona
On 21 June 2011, Richy turned down a two-year deal at Córdoba to move to
Girona FC
Girona Futbol Club, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. ( ) is a Spanish professional Football team, football club based in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 23 July 1930, the team plays in La Liga, to which they gained promotion in the 2022 ...
– also in the second tier – for one year. He made his debut on 26 August in a 1–4 home loss to
Elche CF
Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Elche, Province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Founded in 1923, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025–26 season, holding home matches at ...
, receiving a red card towards the end; he missed the vast majority of
the season, due to an
external lateral ligament injury to his right knee.
Richi's first goal for the
Catalans
Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; ; ; or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, a nationality and autono ...
came on 16 March 2013, opening their 3–1 win at
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Huelva, Andalucia, Spain. Founded on 23 December 1889, they are the oldest football club in Spain, and currently play in , holding home ...
. In his
fourth year, he netted a career-best four goals and was ever-present until his late dismissal in the penultimate match, a 1–0 away victory against
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (, , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or RCD Mallorca, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Palma de Mallorca, ...
.
On 14 June 2017, after
achieving promotion to
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
and following six knee surgeries in only two years, the 32-year-old Richy announced his retirement.
References
External links
*
*
Celta de Vigo biography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richy
1984 births
Living people
21st-century Spanish sportsmen
Spanish men's footballers
Footballers from Vigo
Men's association football central defenders
Segunda División players
Segunda División B players
RC Celta Fortuna players
RC Celta de Vigo players
Córdoba CF players
Girona FC players