His place on a myriad of “failed wonderkid” lists has long been complete, but there are signs that Ricardo Quaresma could finally—at the age of 32—be about to showcase his remarkable talents on the global stage.
The early success, the money-spinning move to Barcelona, the switch to Serie A, the disastrous loan to England, a spell in the United Arab Emirates—Quaresma’s career really has ticked all the boxes of a “what-might-have-been” story, but as he showed in Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence in Portugal’s pre-Euro 2016 win over Norway, his second coming might be his best yet.
— Back Page Football (@bpfootball) May 30, 2016
When opening the scoring 13 minutes into the game in Porto, the Besiktas winger cut inside from the left flank and bent a stunning effort into the top corner past goalkeeper Rune Jarstein, who barely had time to react as it flashed past him into the net.