Rui Pedro dos Santos Patrício (; born 15 February 1988) is a Portuguese 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 ...
who plays as a
goalkeeper for
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
team
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
* Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
and the
Portugal national team. He is often nicknamed "São Patrício" (''Saint Patrício'') for his saves for club and country.
A product of
Sporting CP's youth academy, Patricio made his first team debut at the age of 18, and went on to appear in 467 official games. He won five trophies during his 12 years with the club, including two
Portuguese Cups, before moving to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
to join
Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018. In 2021, he signed for
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
* Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
, where he won the
Europa Conference League in his first season.
Patrício earned his first
cap for Portugal in 2010, after
Paulo Bento's appointment as head coach, and his
100th in 2021. He represented the nation in three
World Cups and four
European Championships, winning the
2016 edition of the latter tournament as well as the
2019 Nations League.
Club career
Sporting
Born in the village of Marrazes in
Leiria
Leiria (; cel-x-proto, ɸlāryo) is a city and municipality in the Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat of its own distr ...
, Patrício played as a
striker
Striker or The Strikers may refer to:
People
*A participant in a strike action
*A participant in a hunger strike
*Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant
*Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America
People wi ...
at a young age. Reportedly, a
Sporting CP scout was in the area and saw him play
in goal, being impressed enough to sign the 12-year-old to the club's youth academy. He made his
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal ...
debut on 19 November 2006, in a 1–0 away win against
C.S. Marítimo in the tenth round: standing in for habitual club and
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...
first-choice
Ricardo, he saved a
penalty kick 15 minutes before the end of the game.

In the
2007–08 season, after Ricardo's departure to
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vi ...
, Patrício beat competition from Sporting veteran
Tiago and new signing
Vladimir Stojković to become the undisputed starter. He made his
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
debut on 27 November 2007, in a
1–2 group stage loss at
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
.
During the 2008 off-season, Patrício was the subject of a rumored transfer to Italian giants
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter i ...
. Nothing came of it, however, and in
that year's
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira final, against
FC Porto
Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Por ...
, he stopped a
Lucho González penalty in a 2–0 final success,
also being an everpresent fixture in
the league
''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football leag ...
.
In the qualifying rounds of the
2009–10 Champions League, at
FC Twente, Sporting were trailing 0–1 in the 94th minute, after a 0–0 tie in the first leg: Patrício rushed to the opposing area for a
corner kick, where he went up for a header with
Nikita Rukavytsya. Both players seemed to make contact with the ball, and it was helped into the net for an
own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
via the boot of
Peter Wisgerhof as the latter side qualified for the last games prior to the group stage.
On 20 December 2012, Patrício was awarded Sporting's Footballer of the Year award for a second consecutive year.
On 18 October 2014, with the score at 2–1 for his team, he saved a penalty by
Jackson Martínez to help
oust Porto from the
Taça de Portugal with a 3–1 win at the ''
Estádio do Dragão''.
On 24 October 2016, Patrício was one of 30 players nominated for the 2016
Ballon d'Or award alongside
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
teammates
Pepe and
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
. The following 18 February he appeared in his 400th competitive game with Sporting, putting on a
Player of the match performance in a 1–0 home win against
Rio Ave FC.
On 15 May 2018, Patrício and several of his teammates, including coaches, were injured following an attack by around 50 supporters of Sporting at the club's training ground after the team
finished third in the league and missed out on
Champions League qualification. Despite the events, he and the rest of the team agreed to play in the
Portuguese Cup final scheduled for the following weekend, eventually losing 2–1 to
C.D. Aves.
Patrício's record of 467 official games was the second-highest in Sporting's history, behind only
Hilário da Conceição.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 1 June 2018, Patrício submitted a request to terminate his Sporting contract with grounds for just cause, due to the dressing room violence from supporters as well as seeing an €18 million move to newly promoted
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
team
Wolverhampton Wanderers fall through, after Sporting president
Bruno de Carvalho pulled out of negotiations at the last minute. He completed the move on 18 June, on a four-year deal, and it was announced on 31 October that both clubs had agreed a €18 million deal as settlement of his departure to England.
Patrício opted to wear the No.11 shirt for Wolves as opposed to the habitual No.1, in honour of
Carl Ikeme, who had just retired following treatment for
acute leukaemia. He made his league debut on 11 August 2018, in a 2–2 home draw against
Everton. He kept nine clean sheets – a club record – as they finished
his first season in seventh place and qualified for the Europa League.
In
2019–20, Patrício increased his number of clean sheets to 13, and conceded 40 goals compared to 46 the season before.
On the European front, he helped the team to a first continental quarter-final since 1972.
[ On 19 February 2021, he played his 100th Premier League match in a 1–0 win over Leeds United.][
]
Roma
On 13 July 2021, Patrício joined Italian side A.S. Roma, signing a three-year deal. He made his debut on 19 August in the first game under compatriot José Mourinho, a 2–1 win away to Trabzonspor in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on the ...
playoffs. Three days later he made his first Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
appearance, a 3–1 victory at home to ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
; he was one of seven players to feature in every game of the season while only Empoli F.C. counterpart Guglielmo Vicario matched him for playing every minute. He played all bar one of the 15 fixtures as the team won the inaugural Conference League, including the 1–0 final win over Feyenoord in Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
.
International career
From 2007, Patrício started appearing for the Portuguese under-21 side. On 29 January of the following year, senior team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari called him up for a 1–3 friendly
Friendly may refer to:
Places
* Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England
* Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States
* ...
defeat against Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich () i ...
, although he did not leave the bench; on 12 May he was picked to the squad for UEFA Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...
, but did not play in the tournament.
Although not part of the provisional 24-player list for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
in South Africa, Patrício was named in a backup list of six players. He made his debut on 17 November 2010, playing the second half of a 4–0 friendly win against Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
.
After Eduardo was relegated to the bench at his new club, S.L. Benfica, Patrício became the starter under national team boss Paulo Bento, and both players finished the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with five games (450 minutes) as Portugal qualified for the final stages. He was the starter in the finals in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
and Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...
, conceding four goals in five matches in an eventual semi-final exit.
Patrício was included in Bento's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting rig ...
as first-choice, and made his debut in the competition in the first encounter against Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
, which ended with a 0–4 loss. He missed the second game against the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, due to injury.
Patrício appeared in his 50th international on 30 June 2016, during Euro 2016: after the 1–1 draw to Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
at the Stade Vélodrome during the first 120 minutes, he saved Jakub Błaszczykowski's attempt in a 5–3 penalty shootout win that qualified to the semi-finals. Having won the tournament with a solid display in the final, he also made the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
in Russia. On 17 November that year, he captained the side for the first time in a goalless draw with Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in the UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.
The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...
.
As Portugal defeated the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Final on home soil at the '' Estádio do Dragão'', Patrício earned his 81st cap, thereby surpassing Vítor Baía as the nation's most capped goalkeeper. After keeping his place at the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 in 2021, he reached 100 caps on 12 October that year in a 5–0 World Cup qualifying
The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup.
Qualifying tournaments are h ...
win over Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
, becoming the seventh Portuguese and first goalkeeper to the landmark. In March 2022, he did not play in the World Cup playoffs, being replaced by Porto's Diogo Costa.
In November 2022, he was named in Portugal's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Personal life
Patrício married Joana Pereira in June 2011, after a seven-year relationship. He filed for divorce on 24 December of the same year, aged 23. As of 2019, he is married to television sexologist Vera Ribeiro, with whom he has a son and a daughter.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours

Club
Sporting
* Taça de Portugal: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2014–15
* Taça da Liga: 2017–18
* Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
, 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
,[ 2015
Roma
*]UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on the ...
: 2021–22[
]
International
Portugal[
*]UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
: 2016[
*]UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body.
The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...
: 2018–19
Individual
* SJPF Young Player of the Month: January 2008, April 2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Pr ...
, November 2010, March 2011, April 2011
* SJPF Player of the Month: April 2011
* Sporting CP Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2012
* LPFP Primeira Liga Goalkeeper of the Year: 2011–12, 2015–16
* UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
* O Jogo Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
* SJPF Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2017
*UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
Squad of the Season: 2017–18
* UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season: 2021–22
Orders
*
Commander of the Order of Merit
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patricio, Rui
1988 births
Living people
People from Leiria
Portuguese footballers
Association football goalkeepers
Sporting CP footballers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
A.S. Roma players
Primeira Liga players
Premier League players
Serie A players
Portugal youth international footballers
Portugal under-21 international footballers
Portugal international footballers
UEFA Euro 2008 players
UEFA Euro 2012 players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA European Championship-winning players
UEFA Nations League-winning players
FIFA Century Club
Portuguese expatriate footballers
Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate footballers in England
Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Expatriate footballers in Italy
Commanders of the Order of Merit (Portugal)
Sportspeople from Leiria District
UEFA Europa Conference League winning players