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Personal Information
| Full Name | Rui Pedro dos Santos Patrício |
| Date of Birth | February 15, 1988 |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Role | Goalkeeper |
| Past Team(s) |
Rui Patricio: A Brief Biography
Rui Patricio is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for his national side, Portugal and the Primeir League side Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was born on 15th February 1988 in Leiria, Portugal.
Rui Patricio is not considered into the same bracket as Manuel Neuer or David de Gea, but his brilliance under the bar has helped Portugal to scale many heights in international football.
Background
At the age of 10, Patricio started as a striker in Leiria e Marrazes youth team in 1998-99. While trying his hand in goalkeeping, Patricio was spotted by Sporting CP’s scouts and included in the youth team in 2002.
He spent six years in the youth system before he was promoted to the Sporting’s senior team in 2006. At the age of 18, Patricio helped Sporting to win saving a penalty in his senior team debut against Marítimo in November 2006.
Patricio represented Portugal team at different age levels from Under-16 to Under-21. He guarded the Portuguese goal in the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Debut
During the UEFA Under-21 Euro Championship qualification round, Patricio was included in the senior team for the 2008 Euro.
He did not play any match in that edition. Two years later, he got his maiden international cap as a half-time substitution in an international friendly match against Spain in November 2010. In his third match, he got his maiden first XI start against Chile in March 2011.
Rise to Glory
In Euro 2016, the custodian ensured Portugal’s maiden international trophy.
He kept four clean sheets in seven matches including saving Jakul Blaszczykowski’s penalty in the quarter-final shootout against Poland to progress Portugal to the semi-final.
In the final against France, among the entire buzz around Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, Patricio gently foiled French attacks.
He saved all seven shots on target . He was also named in the Euro 2016 XI.
Club Career
The Portuguese international has been a one-club player since his commencement of professional career at Sporting CP in 2006. He has lifted Portuguese Cups and Portuguese Cups twice. He holds the club-record of highest numbers of consecutive appearances in the National Championship. Patricio captained Sporting CP several times since 2012-13.
