Jorge Ribeiro

Early career

Born in Lisbon, Ribeiro was brought up in Benfica's youth system. In 2002, he was one of three young players sold to fellow Primeira Liga club Varzim, along with Rui Baião and Pepa. In January 2005, after angering his employers Gil Vicente by an unauthorised absence, he was purchased by the Russian Premier League's Dynamo Moscow; unadjusted, he left the team precisely a year after, joining La Liga side Málaga until the end of the season, which ended in relegation. Ribeiro returned to Portugal in January 2007, joining Aves still on loan from the Russians. On 4 February, he made his debut for his new club in a 1–0 away loss against Braga, as the team he represented again dropped down a level. He would be purchased by Boavista in July and blossomed as a top-flight player, scoring eight league goals during his only campaign, many from free kicks.

Return to Benfica

On 24 July 2008, Ribeiro returned to Benfica after a deal was agreed upon in April. Having scored his first goal for them on 22 September in a 4–3 win at Paços de Ferreira, he eventually became first-choice left-back, overtaking Brazilian Léo. However, Ribeiro soon lost his starting place to David Luiz, and eventually was deemed surplus to requirements. In the 2009–10 season, as Benfica won the league and the League Cup, he did not play a single competitive match, often training separately and choosing to see out his lucrative contract rather than signing with another club. On 16 August…

Ribeiro made his debut for Portugal in November 2002, against Scotland. He was part of the under-23 team that was eliminated in the group stage at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, scoring in the 4–2 defeat against Costa Rica in Heraklion. Ribeiro did not play a senior game again until a 2–2 draw away to Liechtenstein in October 2004. After another two-year absence, he was again called and played as a replacement for right-back José Bosingwa in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on 13 and 17 October, respectively. With eight caps, Ribeiro was selected for the squad that competed in the finals in Austria and Switzerland, as older brother Maniche was left out. He appeared as a substitute in the last group stage match against Switzerland, a 2–0 loss that would be his final international.

As of match played 2 April 2017

Jorge's older brother Nuno was also a footballer. A midfielder, he represented, among others, Benfica, Porto and Chelsea, and the two were teammates at Dynamo Moscow.