Ricardo Pereira gave up on leaving Leicester City during the summer, but he stayed to support the team in their quest to return to the Premier League and their rightful place there.
The Portuguese international, who played more minutes than he had in the previous three seasons combined, was crucial to City’s Championship victory, adopting a hybrid role in Enzo Maresca’s setup. However, he acknowledged that he almost left.
Ricardo had offers, but he decided to stay put because he wanted to help City win back the Premier League and because of Maresca’s influence. He is now eager to engage in the struggle for survival.
In Spain, the right-back stated to Marca, “There is no one explanation (for City’s relegation).” It was a lot of stuff put together. Our confidence crashed after a poor start to the season, and it is difficult to alter that dynamic. We recovered, but when the World Cup unexpectedly arrived in the middle of the season, we lost again.
“We attempted to make changes. You tell yourself, “We have a good team, and we have a lot of games left.” Although you wouldn’t believe it could happen, it did, and it was quite difficult. It was a huge shock, particularly in light of our previous accomplishments.
“I got various offers (last summer), and at first I thought I should quit, but as the preseason got on, things started to make sense in my thoughts. I saw a difference. I enjoyed the new manager and the crew.
Additionally, a part of me desired to put Leicester back where they belonged. It has relieved me of a burden. Making the leap to the Premier League was crucial.
Compared to a year ago, I am calmer. It will be challenging to return to the Premier League, but I am eager to do so. If we play well, our squad has the potential to have a quiet season.
Arriving from Porto for £20 million in 2018, Ricardo flew down the right side for City and combined offensive prowess with defensive stability to win player of the season in his debut campaign. He made a name for himself as one of the Premier League’s top full-backs.
However, he was sidelined for a while the following year due to an ACL injury, and he has subsequently developed a string of new issues. That was prior to the previous campaign, in which he began 37 of City’s 46 Championship games.
“Playing a full season without injuries was important,” he stated. I play different positions, so it’s hard to compare, so I’m not sure if my current version is better than the 2019 version, but I’m closer than ever to my best.
