Ricardo Janota

Ricardo Baleia Janota (born 10 March 1987) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently a goalkeeping coach at Liga Portugal 2 club Académico de Viseu.

Janota began his career with Benfica. He played twice for their B team in the Segunda Divisão, the third tier of Portuguese football, before moving on to third-tier clubs Estrela de Vendas Novas, Atlético CP and Estrela da Amadora. He spent the 2010–11 season with Liga de Honra (second-tier) Trofense, but never played for the first team. After a season back in the third tier with Mafra, Janota returned to Atlético CP, where he finally made his first appearance in the newly renamed Segunda Liga. He continued his Segunda Liga career with Académico Viseu and Oriental, before returning to Viseu in 2015. He signed for Tondela ahead of the 2016–17 season, and made his Primeira Liga debut in April 2017. That was his last top-flight appearance, and after half a season with Mafra he rejoined Académico Viseu in January 2019.

In international football, Janota played for his country from under-16 to under-19 level, and was part of Portugal's squad for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup without taking the field.

Club career Janota was born in Pêro Pinheiro, Sintra, in the Greater Lisbon area. He began his football career in the youth system of Primeira Liga club Benfica, and made his senior debut for Benfica's B team as a 17-year-old, on 16 October 2005 in a 2–0 defeat of Pinhalnovense in the Segunda Divisão, the third tier of Portuguese football. A few days later, with the club's two main goalkeepers José Moreira out for six months and Quim receiving treatment for a recent injury, Janota received an unexpected call-up to train with the first-team squad ahead of the match with Estrela da Amadora; Quim recovered in time to start the match.

International career

While a youngster with Benfica, he represented his country at under-16 level, and was first-choice goalkeeper at the European under-17 championship finals, at which Portugal's under-17s beat England 3–2 on penalties to win the third-place play-off; Janota saved the decisive penalty.