Ricardo Emmanuel Rivera de León (born 17 April 1997) is a Puerto Rican footballer who plays as a forward for the Puerto Rico national team.

Ricardo Rivera
Personal information
Full name Ricardo Emmanuel Rivera de León
Date of birth (1997-04-17) 17 April 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth San Juan, Puerto Rico
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
O&M FC
Youth career
2004–2015 Atlético de San Juan
2015–2016 Racing Algemesí CF
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 UPR Mayagüez
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Vilamarxant CF 72 (13)
2021–2022 Union Omaha 20 (1)
2022–2023 Buñol 0 (0)
2024– O&M FC 12 (3)
International career
2012 Puerto Rico U17 3 (0)
2016 Puerto Rico U20 3 (0)
2019 Puerto Rico U23 3 (2)
2016– Puerto Rico 25 (16)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 October 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023

Career

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Youth and college

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Rivera played most of his youth career at Club Atlético de San Juan, before moving to Valencia in 2015, where he played one year at Racing Algemesí. From 2016 to 2018, he played college soccer at UPR Mayagüez, where he won the championship twice, and earned awards including MVP and top goalscorer.[1]

Senior career

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In 2018, Rivera tried out and signed with Villamarxant CF of the Tercera División.[2]

International

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Rivera was called up to the Puerto Rico national under-17 team under manager Jeaustin Campos in 2012, for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qualifiers. In 2016 he played for the Puerto Rico national under-20 team.[3] In the same year, he was called up, and made his debut for the senior national team, for friendly matches against the Dominican Republic.[4] In July 2019, he was called up to the Puerto Rico national under-23 team, for the 2020 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He scored the winning goal in the 93' minute in his debut against Antigua and Barbuda.[5]

Rivera concluded the 2022 World Cup qualifiers as the team’s leader in goals, with four.[6] Puerto Rico finished this stage second in their group, but only Saint Kitts and Nevis advanced.[6]

Career statistics

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International goals

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As of match played 21 November 2023.
List of international goals scored by Ricardo Rivera
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 28 March 2021 Estadio Centroamericano, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico   Trinidad and Tobago 1–1 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 2 June 2021 Estadio Centroamericano, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico   Bahamas 2–0 7–0
3 4–0
4 8 June 2021 Georgetown Football Stadium, Georgetown, Guyana   Guyana 1–0 2–0
5 12 June 2022 Estadio Centroamericano, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico   British Virgin Islands 2–0 6–0 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League C
6 4–0
7 5–0
8 6–0
9 26 March 2023 Mayagüez Athletics Stadium, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico   Cayman Islands 1–0 5–1
10 3–0
11 9 September 2023 Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas   Bahamas 2–1 6–1 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League B
12 12 September 2023 Mayagüez Athletics Stadium, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico   Antigua and Barbuda 2–0 5–0
13 3–0
14 21 November 2023 Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico   Bahamas 1–0 6–0
15 2–0
16 3–0

References

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  1. ^ Time/Results. "CAAMpeones los Tarzanes de la UPRM | FutbolBoricua.net". Futbolboricua.co. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Ricky, un Tarzán a la conquista de España". ¡Que Palo! Deportes.
  3. ^ "Noticias: Le llega el turno a la Sub20 rumbo a la Copa Mundial". Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  4. ^ Time/Results. "A Escena El Clásico Caribeño En Bayamón: #Nuestraselepr Vs. República Dominicana | Futbolboricua.Net". Futbolboricua.co. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Primera victoria de la Selección Olímpica en 12 años".
  6. ^ a b "Termina con victoria Puerto Rico la clasificación al mundial Catar 2022 | FutbolBoricua.net".