Jorge Ribeiro

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 2011, after spending five months on loan to Vitória de Guimarães, Ribeiro signed for two years with Granada on a free transfer. He only made one official appearance with the Andalusians – 55 minutes against Real Sociedad in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey (4–1 away defeat) – losing his No. 16 jersey in the winter transfer window and being released from contract on 17 February 2012.

Later years In the summer of 2013, Ribeiro returned to active, penning a one-year contract with Olhanense but being released less than one month later, still during pre-season play. He subsequently returned to Aves, where he was a regular until his departure.

Ribeiro signed a one-year deal with Atlético Clube de Portugal, also of the LigaPro, in July 2015. After the season ended with relegation to the third tier, he moved to Farense at that level. Having scored six times in 30 games to win promotion in his second year, he extended his contract until 30 June 2019.

In July 2019, the 37-year-old Ribeiro joined Casa Pia in his hometown, newly promoted to division two. He and captain João Coito rescinded their contracts the following February; Ribeiro, who left due to disputes with new manager Ricardo Peres, retired to spend time with his family instead of taking offers to move to Brazil.

International career 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.

Personal life 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.

Career statistics

Honours Benfica Taça da Liga: 2008–09