Lopez Felipe Ricardo

Lopez Felipe Ricardo

In late August 2002, Manchester United signed Spanish international goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez Felipe from Real Valladolid on a three-year contract in a deal worth £1.5m.

Ricardo was picked as part of the Spanish squad that travelled to the World Cup, though he did not play in the finals. The 30-year-old stopper played for Atletico Madrid throughout the 1990s and signed for his previous club Real Valladolid in 1998.

Ricardo explained his delight at signing for United: "As a child I followed the English league and I believe at the moment it is the best league in the world. As a footballer you always try and get to the top and be the best and I think I have arrived at one of the best clubs in the world."

He was signed as cover for the injured Fabien Barthez and the inexperienced Roy Carroll. Initially, his only appearances for the club were in unimportant Champions League matches against Maccabi Haifa and Bayer Leverkusen, and he managed to give away penalties in each of those matches.

His first Barclaycard Premiership action came at home to Blackburn Rovers when he took over from Barthez at half-time. Within minutes he had given away another penalty, but this time he redeemed himself by saving it. However, when Barthez was dropped, it was Carroll who Ferguson made first choice.

With his options looking very limited, Ricardo joined La Liga side Racing Santander on a year's loan at the start of the 2003/04 season, with a view to joining them on a permanent basis. That didn't work out, and he was no closer to the first team at Old Trafford by May 2005 and was released.