| Ricardo Santos | |
| Full Name: | Ricardo Alexandre Almeida Santos[1] |
| Birth Date: | 18 June 1995[2] |
| Birth Place: | Almada, Portugal |
| Height: | 1.96 m[3] |
| Position: | Centre-back |
| Currentclub: | Bolton Wanderers |
| Clubnumber: | 5 |
| Youthyears1: | –2012 |
| Youthclubs1: | Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Years1: | 2012–2013 |
| Clubs1: | Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2013 |
| Clubs2: | → Billericay Town (loan) |
| Caps2: | 4 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2013 |
| Clubs3: | Dover Athletic |
| Caps3: | 0 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2013–2014 |
| Clubs4: | Thurrock |
| Caps4: | 19 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Years5: | 2014–2016 |
| Clubs5: | Peterborough United |
| Caps5: | 63 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Years6: | 2017–2020 |
| Clubs6: | Barnet |
| Caps6: | 84 |
| Goals6: | 6 |
| Years7: | 2020– |
| Clubs7: | Bolton Wanderers |
| Caps7: | 147 |
| Goals7: | 3 |
| Club-Update: | 16:30, 27 April 2024 (UTC) |
Ricardo Alexandre Almeida Santos (born 18 June 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Bolton Wanderers.
Santos was a youth team player at Dagenham & Redbridge, making one appearance in the matchday squad,[4] before he was released and signed by Thurrock manager Mark Stimson, following a spell at Dover Athletic where he made no appearances.[4] He impressed for the Isthmian League club, making 24 appearances,[5] and was signed by Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson on a three-and-a-half-year contract in February 2014.[6] Peterborough paid £8000 for him.[7] He made his League One debut on 3 May in a 0–0 draw with Port Vale at London Road.[8] Santos scored his first goal for the club when he scored a late winner against Doncaster Rovers on 19 March 2016.[9]
On 1 January 2017, Santos joined Barnet for a fee of £100,000.[10] He made his debut on the following day in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle. He left the club at the end of the 2019–20 season having spent two and a half seasons with the Bees, making 94 appearances, scoring six goals.[11]
Santos signed for Bolton Wanderers on a two-year deal on 3 August 2020.[12] His debut came on 5 September in Bolton's first match of the season, a 2–1 home defeat against Bradford in the first round of the EFL Cup.[13] On 1 March 2021, Santos signed a new contract with Bolton until 2023.[14] He was named as EFL League Two Player of the Month for February 2021.[15] On 21 May 2021, following the team's direct promotion to the EFL League One, he was announced to have been voted as Bolton Wanderers' Player of the Year for the 2020–21 season.[16] Plus, he was named in the league's Team of the Year, together with his team-mate Eoin Doyle.[17]
On 22 October 2021, following the sudden departure of Antoni Sarcevic to Stockport County, Santos was appointed by manager Ian Evatt as Bolton's new captain.[18] He was named in the Team of the Year for the second consecutive year, this time in League One, for the 2021–22 season.[19] On 26 May 2022, Santos signed a new three-year deal with Bolton Wanderers which would keep him at the club until 2025.[20]
On 11 February 2023, Santos scored his first goals for Bolton with a brace in a 5–0 win at his former team Peterborough United, Bolton's 5000th league game.[21] On 2 April, he started in the 2023 EFL Trophy final which Bolton won 4–0 against Plymouth Argyle.[22] He was named in both the EFL[23] and PFA[24] Teams of the Season for the 2022–23 season, the third season in a row he had been named in Teams of the Year.
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 2012–13 | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Billericay Town (loan) | 2012–13[25] | Conference South | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Thurrock | 2013–14[26] | IL Division One North | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[27] | 0 | 23 | 1 | ||
| Peterborough United | 2013–14 | League One | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | League One | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | League One | 37 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[28] | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | League One | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 63 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 75 | 1 | |||
| Barnet | 2016–17 | League Two | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | |
| 2017–18 | League Two | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19 | National League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | National League | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[29] | 0 | 27 | 1 | |||
| Total | 84 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 94 | 6 | |||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2020–21 | League Two | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | League One | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | League One | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 39 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | League One | 34 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 45 | 2 | ||
| Total | 147 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 175 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 317 | 11 | 19 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 371 | 13 | |||
Bolton Wanderers
Individual
February 2021[15]
2020–21 League Two,[31] 2021–22 League One,[19] 2022–23 League One[24]
2023–24 League One[32]