Ribeiro: Bruno Miguel Fernades (Bruno)

1997-1999 (Player Details)

Left Midfield

Born: Setubal, Portugal: 22-08-1975

Debut: Arsenal (h): 09-08-1997

5’7 1/2” 12st 3lb (2000)

Ribeiro started his career with hid local club Vitoria Setubal and built up quite a reputation and after scoring four times in forty games. He was spotted by the Leeds management team of George Graham and David O’Leary when the pair went to assess the capabilities of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, when he was in action for his team Boavista against Vitoria Setubal. Ribeiro’s skills shown in the game impressed them greatly and Ribeiro was signed for £500,000 by Leeds manager George Graham on 18th July 1997. Already capped at Under-Twenty-one level by Portugal, he had also been attracting the attention of Monaco and Benfica, but could not resist the challenge of making his mark in England, where the crowds were bigger and the game much quicker than in his native Portugal. He and Hasselbaink were brought instantly into the Leeds team and both debuted in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Elland Road on the opening day of the 1997-98 season. A compact and versatile player, with an eye for goal and a crisp shot he scored several spectacular goals in his first season, but also had a tendancy to have a short fuse, which caused him to see red more than once from the referee. He became a key component of the rebuilding exercise that Graham had been brought in to do at Leeds, running the midfield and sometimes looking like a latterday Johnny Giles. Unfortunately he was injured at the start of the1998-99 season, and he never really regained his place in the midfield under new manager David O’Leary. He was eventually transferred to Sheffield United on 25th October 1999 for £500,000. Injuries and disputes with management prevented him from cementing a spot in the Blades line-up on a regular basis and after just one goal in twenty-five League appearances, half as a substitute, he left Bramall Lane on loan to Portuguese club Uniao Leiria, where he made nine appearances without scoring. He subsequently returned to Portugal, moving to SC Beira-Mar in 2001 and spent the 2001-02 season with them making twenty-five appearances and scoring once. In 2002-03 he moved on to play for Santa Clara, scoring twice in twenty-three games before rejoining Vitória Setúbal, where he started his professional career, in 2003. He played regularly for his hometown team and captained them. He picked up some silverware along the way, with a Portuguese Cup Winners’ medal in 2005 and a runners-up medal in 2006. He twice won runners-up medals in the Portuguese Super Cup in 2005 and again in 2006, together with a Carlsberg Cup winners’ medal in 2008. To date he has made over one hundred and twenty appearances, scoring six goals, but a full cap has so far evaded him, and maybe now time is against him.