Jorge Ribeiro

Jorge Miguel de Oliveira Ribeiro (born 9 November 1981) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.C. Farense. Mainly a left back, he can also play as a midfielder.

Brought up through S.L. Benfica's youth system, Lisbon-born Ribeiro would serve several loans to Primeira Liga and second division clubs before being purchased in January 2005 by Russian Premier League's FC Dynamo Moscow. Unadjusted, he left the team precisely a year after, joining La Liga side Málaga CF until the end of the season, which ended in relegation.

In January 2007, Ribeiro returned to Portugal, joining C.D. Aves still on loan from the Russians. On 4 February, he played his first league match for his new club against S.C. Braga (0–1 away loss), as the team he represented again dropped down a level. He would be purchased by Boavista F.C. in July and blossomed as a top flight player, scoring eight league goals during his only campaign, many from free kicks.

On 24 July 2008, Ribeiro returned to Benfica. Having scored his first goal for them on 22 September in a 4–3 win at F.C. 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 collect one single official appearance, often training separately and choosing to see out his lucrative contract rather than signing with another club.

On 16 August 2011, after spending five months on loan to Vitória de Guimarães, Ribeiro signed for two years with Granada CF on a free transfer. He only made one official appearance with the Andalusians – 55 minutes against Real Sociedad for the season's Copa del Rey (1–4 away loss) – losing his No. 16 jersey in the winter transfer window and being released from contract on 17 February 2012.

In the 2013 summer, after more than one year out of football, Ribeiro returned to active, penning a one-year contract with S.C. Olhanense. He was released less than one month later, however, still during pre-season play.

Ribeiro made his debut for Portugal in November 2002, against Scotland. In October 2007, he was again called and played as a replacement for right back José Bosingwa, for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers against 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 0–2 loss that would be his final international.

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

Club

• Taça da Liga: 2008–09

• Taça de Portugal: Runner-up 2010–11