Richard Ríos Montoya (born 2 June 2000) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for Campeonato Brasileiro club Palmeiras and the Colombia national team.

Club career

Early career

Born in Vegachí, Ríos started his career playing

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

and attracted the interest of Flamengo during the 2018 South American Under-20 Futsal Championship. He was invited for a trial period at the Brazilian club and, after two months, Flamengo signed him to their youth team.

Flamengo

In the beginning of the 2020 season, despite still playing in the youth team, Ríos was promoted to the professional team to play alongside reserve players and other youngsters in the first matches of the 2020 Campeonato Carioca. He made his senior debut on 23 January 2020, coming on as a second-half substitute for Matheus Dantas in a 1–0 away win over Vasco da Gama. Ríos made his Série A debut on 27 September 2020, replacing Guilherme Bala in a 1–1 away draw against Palmeiras, as Flamengo was heavily impacted due to a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

outbreak in the squad. The following day, his contract was renewed until December 2021. On 21 June 2021, Ríos signed a contract extension with Flamengo until December 2023, on the same day the club announced his loan to Mexican club

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...

Mazatlán (loan)

On 23 June 2021, Flamengo confirmed the one-year loan deal of Ríos to Mazatlán. He made his debut for the club on 26 July, replacing Alfonso Sánchez in a 2–0 away win against Cruz Azul. In September 2021, Ríos suffered a knee injury, only returning to action the following April. In May, after only six matches, Mazatlán opted to not exercise his US$ 1 million buyout clause, and he returned to Flamengo.

Guarani

On 4 August 2022, Ríos terminated his contract with Flamengo, and signed a deal with Série B side Guarani until December 2023. He scored his first professional goal on 11 October, netting the winner in a 1–0 home success over CRB. In the 2023 season, Ríos became a key unit at ''Bugre''.

Palmeiras

On 28 March 2023, Ríos signed a contract with Palmeiras until the end of 2025, with an option for a further year. The club paid R$ 6 million for 60% of his economic rights. Richard Ríos arrived at Palmeiras under the sign of mistrust. Although he did well in Guarani in Paulistão, which aroused the interest of Palmeiras, there was the shadow that he left much to be desired. But the 23-year-old Rios began to steal the show, earning a starting spot, and winning the Brasileirão with the Verdão. In addition, he was the best dribbler in the competition. He was also part of the Colombian national team.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first.''

Honours

Flamengo *

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

* Campeonato Carioca:

, 2021 Palmeiras *Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2023 *

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...

: 2024 Colombia * Copa América runner-up: 2024

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ríos, Richard 2000 births Living people Footballers from Antioquia Department Colombian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders CR Flamengo footballers Guarani FC players SE Palmeiras players Mazatlán F.C. footballers Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players Liga MX players Colombia men's international footballers 2024 Copa América players Colombian expatriate men's footballers Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico 21st-century Colombian sportsmen 20th-century Colombian sportsmen