On June 24, the Colombian National Team debuted in the Copa América against Paraguay. To the joy of the Colombians, the National Team emerged victorious with a 2 to 1 score. In this match, one of the players who stood out the most was Paisa midfielder Richard Ríos. This has made several people interested in his story and want to know a little more about him.
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Richard Ríos Montoya was born in Bello, Antioquia, in 2000. According to the ‘Conmebol’ page, from a very young age he took his first steps in football playing in the streets of his neighborhood. “Football was a good alternative to not go down negative paths,” he recalled in the same medium.
His beginnings in field football were not easy, which led him to try his luck in futsal. At the age of 16, he became a professional player, participating in grassroots categories and then in the Colombian senior futsal team. In 2018, he played in the Conmebol U20 Futsal in Brazil.
“With the national team it was a unique experience, it is always good to represent the country and coming to Brazil, where the South American was, was a nice experience,” he commented.
Thanks to his outstanding performance in the tournament, he attracted the attention of Brazilian scouts, who invited him to field soccer trials.. Thus, he joined the Flamengo youth team in 2020.
One of the most difficult moments of your life
In Flamengo, he debuted in September 2020, but was not considered for the main team, so he was loaned to Mazatlán in Mexico. There he suffered a serious injury that kept him off the field for more than half a year. “I had a torn cruciate ligament and other knee injuries. It was a very difficult moment, but with the support of my family and colleagues, I managed to overcome it,” he commented.
After recovering, he returned to Brazil, where Guaraní, from the second division, welcomed him. His performance attracted the attention of Palmeiras, the club with which he was crowned champion of the Brasileirão in 2023.. Ríos played 37 games this season, in addition to 10 in the Conmebol Libertadores and 6 in the Brazilian Cup.
“Leaving the country is not easy for anyone, so that motivates me, we who are from outside Brazil see it as the country of football, so for me it is an honor to be here and in such a big club,” he said in the ‘Conmebol’.
Then, he was called up again by the Colombian team and already played in South American Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup.
According to ‘Transfermarkt’, Richard Ríos’ signing is valued at three million euros and it is estimated that his monthly salary in Palmeiras ranges between 150,000 and 300,000 euros, equivalent to approximately 252 million Colombian pesos.
DANIELA LARRARTE ASAAD
DIGITAL SCOPE EDITORIAL
TIME
