Rui Patrício is undoubtedly having a pretty exciting summer. After finally getting his transfer to the Premier League, the goalkeeper is now having a very good World Cup for Portugal, being one of the team’s most important players alongside Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
This Friday, newspaper O Jogo has Patrício on their front page, calling him ‘bulletproof’. And to help them praise the new Wolves player, they’ve interviewed a couple of former national team goalkeepers.
Vitor Baía and Ricardo have both spoken about Patrício, highlighting his ‘extraordinary mental force’, among his other qualities.
“After all these problems of the termination with Sporting, he managed to get calm to the World Cup and do what he knows best, which is to defend and well,” Baía told O Jogo.
“In recent years, Rui has been keeping a very high level and, due to hard work, achieved a very remarkable balance in what is the role of goalkeeper. In the last two years he has shown a quality above average. It’s always difficult to say that this is his best time because the best is always coming next.”
Regarding Patrício’s transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Baía said: “He’s going to a very competitive and very strong league where he can be seen even more and, who knows, in the near future make the leap to a club of another dimension.”
Former national team goalkeeper Ricardo, who had a spell in England when playing for Leicester City in 2011, talked about the transfer as well.
“(He) would have no difficulty in finding a club and so it wouldn’t interfere with his performance if he hadn’t signed yet.”
“This fantastic save against Morocco confirms a great elasticity,” Ricardo said. “He has shown that he continues to do his job well, despite everything that has happened.”
