Rikelme
Rikelme
Brazilian footballer
Rikelme Hernandes Amorim Rocha (born 16 July 2003), simply known as Rikelme, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Série A club Cuiabá.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rikelme Hernandes Amorim Rocha | ||
| Date of birth | (2003-07-16) 16 July 2003 (age 20) | ||
| Place of birth | Cuiabá, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cuiabá | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2018–2023 | Cuiabá | ||
| 2019–2020 | → Cruzeiro (loan) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021– | Cuiabá | 40 | (1) |
| 2022 | → Dom Bosco (loan) | 9 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:12, 29 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Born in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Rikelme joined Cuiabá's youth setup in 2018, aged 14. After impressing with the under-15 squad, he signed a professional contract in 2019, and was subsequently loaned to Cruzeiro.[1]
Upon returning in December 2020, Rikelme made his first team debut for Dourado on 6 February 2021, coming on as a late substitute for Elvis in a 1–0 home win over Vila Nova, for the 2020 Copa Verde. In 2021, he only appeared with the main squad in the Campeonato Mato-Grossense and in the Copa FMF, as the club opted to field an under-23 team in the latter tournament.[citation needed]
Rikelme was loaned to Dom Bosco for the 2022 Mato-Grossense, being unable to play in the semifinals against his parent club.[2] Upon returning, he featured in two Copa Sudamericana matches before making his Série A debut on 23 October 2022, replacing André Luis in a 2–1 home loss against Goiás.[3]
Converted into a left back during the 2023 season, Rikelme established himself as a regular starter under head coach António Oliveira and scored his first top tier goal on 2 July of that year, netting his team's third in a 3–0 home win over Santos; he also became the youngest player to score for the club in the Série A.[4]
On 6 April 2023, Rikelme was called up to the Brazil under-20s for friendlies in Spain, becoming the first ever player of Cuiabá to be called up to any category of the national side.[5]
Rikelme's older brother Matheus Ernandes is also a footballer. A central defender, he was also groomed at Cuiabá.[citation needed]
- As of match played 26 November 2023[6]
| Club | Season | League | State league | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cuiabá | 2020 | Série B | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | Série A | 0 | 0 | 7[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2023 | 28 | 1 | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 29 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 58 | 1 | ||
| Dom Bosco (loan) | 2022 | Mato-Grossense | — | 9[lower-alpha 2] | 3 | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | ||||
| Career total | 29 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 67 | 4 | ||
- Appearances in Copa Verde
- Appearances in Campeonato Mato-Grossense
- Eight appearances in Copa FMF, one appearance in Copa Verde
- Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
- "Cuiabá recontrata promessa de 17 anos após passagem no Cruzeiro" [Cuiabá bring back 17-year-old prospect after stint at Cruzeiro] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Olhar Esportivo. 26 December 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- "Dom Bosco tem dois retornos e perde Rikelme para primeiro jogo contra o Cuiabá" [Dom Bosco have two returns and lose Riquelme for the first match against Cuiabá] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- "Goiás vence, encerra jejum de seis jogos e mantém o Cuiabá no Z-4" [Goiás win, end their six-match drought and keep Cuiabá in the Z-4] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- "Rikelme se torna jogador mais jovem a marcar pelo Cuiabá na Série A: "Orgulho"" [Rikelme becomes the youngest player to score for Cuiabá in the Série A: "Pride"] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- "Rikelme, do Cuiabá, é convocado para amistosos da Seleção Brasileira Sub-20" [Rikelme, from Cuiabá, is called up to friendlies of the Brazil national under-20 team] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.