Ricardo Vaz Te is a football player born on October 1, 1986 in Lisbon, Portugal. A promising striker, he is regarded as a tough opponent by defenders.
Ricardo Vaz Te made his maiden international appearance in 2005 against Korea and scored a hat-trick for the Portugal Under-20 team in the annual Toulon tournament. He then became a regular player in the Under 21 squad. He soon progressed to the senior national team and was one of the crucial members at the Euro 2007 qualification campaign.
Ricardo Vaz Te started his football career as a trainee with the youth team of the Sporting Club Farense. He made nine goals in his first three youth academy matches, which made people around him take note of his talents. Soon Ricardo Vaz Te was invited to England for a trial with Bolton Wanderers. After his success at the trial, he was picked up by Bolton Wanderers on a three-year contract.
Though comparison have been drawn between Wayne Rooney and Ricardo Vaz Te due to their similarity in age, Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce, wanted this young player to improve his skills in the youth and reserve teams. During the 2003-04 season, Ricardo Vaz Te was elevated from the reserves to train with the first-team squad.
In Januray 2004, Ricardo Vaz Te featured in the first eleven of Bolton in a clash against Tranmere Rovers at the Football Association Challenge (FA) Cup. He scored a total of six goals during the 2005-06 season, including the one made in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup match that helped Bolton draw the match against Vitoria S.C. Ricardo Vaz Te was loaned out for a month to Hull City in March 2007.
As of 2008, he has appeared in a total of 82 club matches, out of which he played as a substitute in 62 matches. He has also entered the field in 62 league matches and 11 FA cup matches.
Ricardo Vaz Te aspires to play in the Portuguese league and wants to be a part of Sporting, a club that promotes youth. His size and ability to drive the ball into the area is an added asset, which gives him the chance to display his talents.
