The history of Ricardo Quaresma and the trivela
By Devin Nguyen
The Inaugural Trivela: SC Beira-Mar vs Porto (April 24, 2005)
After watching a countless number of grainy YouTube videos of Quaresma highlights and corroborating his jersey numbers with the years in which he wore them, I believe his goal for Porto against Beira-Mar in 2005 is his first professional trivela goal. I’m sure he scored his fair share of trivelas in youth leagues and on practice pitches, but this is his first trivela in a professional game.
Here is his entire highlight-reel from the match, which includes an earlier trivela attempt saved by the keeper.
The goal is a beginner trivela. Probably unfair to describe it as “beginner”, but Quaresma’s trivelas only get better from here.
Wearing the number 10, which he only wore for one season, out on the right-wing, Quaresma receives a squared pass from Porto’s striker. With players running into the box expecting a cross, Quaresma hits the ball with the outside of his foot without taking a touch to settle the ball. From the top corner of the box, the ball curls low into the far post past the opposing keeper.
He joined Porto for the 2004/05 season after beginning his career at Sporting and then joining Barcelona as a highly touted youngster. He scored a handful of goals for Sporting and only once for Barcelona, of which none were trivelas.
Returning to Portugal after an underwhelming season at Barcelona, he looked to make good on his potential. He refused to return to Barcelona just after one season as he butt heads with Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard.
He said that “[he] changed his playing style to please [Rijkaard], but it always ended up in the same result… On the bench or ruled out of the side altogether.”
If we know anything about Quaresma, it’s that he is best playing his style of soccer, with trivelas included.