Official: Esgaio leaves Sporting for good and already has a new club | OneFootball

It's official! Ricardo Esgaio is a new addition to Karagumruk. The right-back, originally from Nazaré, thus ends his second stint with Sporting, having returned to his training home in 2021, under the guidance of coach Ruben Amorim, whom he had previously encountered during his time at Braga.

According to the publication by the emblem of the Turkish championship, the former 'jersey 47' of the Alvalade Club signed a contract valid for two seasons, in what will be the player's first adventure in leagues outside of Portugal. Apart from the lions, he only represented Braga for four years and Académica for one season, through a loan.

It's worth remembering that in the January transfer market, Ricardo Esgaio had already been linked to Turkish football, in a transfer that never materialized. Already in this summer window, the 32-year-old Nazarene was close to heading to Corinthians, but the deal fell through due to a FIFA penalty applied to the Brazilian emblem.

Remember that Ricardo Esgaio's departure was predictable, with news pointing in that direction appearing throughout the transfer window. The player ends a very long connection with the lions, after seeing Rui Borges' squad with increasingly less room for him to be useful to the Portuguese coach.

Thus, Ricardo Esgaio - valued at 1.5 million euros - ends a 17-year connection with Sporting. After being trained at the Alcochete Academy, the 'jersey 47' played a total of 192 games for the main team of the lions, where his two goals and 18 assists contributed to the conquest of two Portuguese Leagues, two Portugal Cups, one Super Cup and one League Cup.

Check out Ricardo Esgaio's farewell video:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.