| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paulo Ricardo Ribeiro J. Machado | ||
| Date of birth | 31 March 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Bairro do Cerco, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Olympiacos | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2002 | Padroense | ||
| 2002–2003 | Porto | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2005 | Porto B | 22 | (2) |
| 2004–2009 | Porto | 4 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Estrela Amadora (loan) | 25 | (2) |
| 2006–2007 | → União Leiria (loan) | 26 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Leixões (loan) | 25 | (2) |
| 2008–2009 | → Saint-Étienne (loan) | 35 | (3) |
| 2009–2012 | Toulouse | 89 | (12) |
| 2012– | Olympiacos | 33 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005–2006 | Portugal U20 | 10 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Portugal U21 | 24 | (6) |
| 2009–2010 | Portugal U23 | 2 | (1) |
| 2010– | Portugal | 6 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:50, 1 December 2013 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:00, 15 August 2013 (UTC) | |||
Paulo Ricardo Ribeiro de Jesus Machado (born 31 March 1986) is a Portuguese professionalfootballer who plays for Olympiacos F.C. in the Superleague Greece, as a central midfielder.
Club career
Born in the Porto neighbourhood of Bairro do Cerco, Machado joined F.C. Porto's youth system at the age of 16, and made his first-team debut in the 2003–04 edition of the Portuguese Cup, underJosé Mourinho. In the summer of 2005 he signed an improved contact until 2010 along with teammate Bruno Vale, before both went on consecutive loans to C.F. Estrela da Amadora and União de Leiria.[1]
In the following two years Machado was loaned again, to Leixões S.C. and Ligue 1's AS Saint-Étienne, respectively. Alongside teammates Diogo Valente and Vieirinha, also loaned by Porto, he was instrumental as the Matosinhos outfit retained its top level status at the season's close.
On 10 July 2008 Machado was loaned to the French outfit, part of the deal that brought ColombianFredy Guarín to Porto.[2] He adapted well, becoming an integral part of Saint-Étienne's season, scoring twice in his first 16 games – 12 as a starter – and only missing three league matches in the campaign, as the side narrowly avoided relegation.
On 2 July 2009 Toulouse FC signed Machado from Porto, on a four-year deal.[3] On 10 August 2012, after three seasons in which he averaged 30 games and four goals, he joined Olympiacos F.C. in Greece for €2,700,000 penning a 3+1 contract. He scored his first goal for his new team on 3 November, also providing an assist in a 2–0 home win against OFI Crete.
International career
Machado was part of the Portuguese U-21 team at the 2007 UEFA European Football Championship. Previously, he won the U-17 Euro in 2003.
On 30 September 2010, Machado was called up for the first time to the senior team by newly appointed coach Paulo Bento. He did not make his debut in any of the two UEFA Euro 2012qualifiers that were scheduled, but later spoke of his smooth integration into the squad and his ambition to eventually earn a regular place in the national team.[4] On 17 November he finally made his debut, replacing Nani in the dying minutes of a 4–0 friendly win with Spain, in Lisbon.
