Rio Ave is a historic football club from Vila do Conde on Portugal’s northern coast, founded in 1939 and closely associated with the Ave River and the Atlantic setting around it. Known as Os Vilacondenses, the club carries green-and-white traditions and a strong local identity. Its profile combines a long Portuguese football presence with a record of cup occasions, European experience and player development. The page brings together the club’s identity, recent football context and enduring place in the national game.
Rio Ave Upcoming matches by league
Primeira Liga
-
- Regular Season - 7
Alverca
Rio Ave
-
- Regular Season - 8
Rio AveNo H2HNacional
-
- Regular Season - 9
Rio AveNo H2HFamalicao
-
- Regular Season - 10
Academico ViseuNo H2HRio Ave
Rio Ave Last matches by league
Primeira Liga
Friendlies Clubs
Taça de Portugal
Rio Ave Team Roster
Rio Ave’s recorded squad contains 27 players: nine attackers, nine defenders, six midfielders and three goalkeepers. The attacking group includes Diogo Bezerra, J. Blesa, M. Vrousai, R. Galcik and Tamble Monteiro, while the defensive unit features F. Petrasso, J. Brabec, João Tomé and N. Abbey. C. Miszta, E. Van der Gouw and K. Chamorro form the goalkeeper group. Midfield options include Diogo Nascimento, Ryan Guilherme, T. Medina and T. Nikitscher. Together, the four units provide a clear positional outline for the 2026 squad.
position Goalkeeper
Cezary Miszta
Kevin José Chamorro Rodríguez
Ennio van der Gouw
position Defender
Nelson Ighodaro Abbey
Julien Lomboto Lompombi
Jakub Brabec
Marios Vrousai
João Tomé Esteves Baptista
Francisco Petrasso
Pedro Miguel Gaspar Amaral
Gustavo Teixeira Lopes da Conceição
Georgios Liavas
Caike
position Midfielder
Andreas-Richardos Ntoi
Diogo Bezerra de Oliveira
Ryan Guilherme da Silva Pae
Jalen Aleix Miller Blesa
Malik Sellouki
Tobías Medina
Tamás Nikitscher
A. Wenck
Dario Špikić
D. Balde
Diogo André Santos Nascimento
position Attacker
Tamble Ulisses Folgado Monteiro
Radek Šiler
Rafael Genuino Lobato
Roland Galčík
Samuel
M. Patricio
Last Rio Ave Coachs
The latest recorded appointment is Sotiris Silaidopoulos, who began his Rio Ave coaching spell on 1 July 2025. The available chronology does not establish that he remains in the role. Before him, Petit led the team from November 2024 until June 2025, following Luís Freire’s tenure from July 2021 to November 2024. Earlier entries record Miguel Cardoso from January to May 2021 and Pedro Cunha from December 2020 to January 2021. The timeline therefore shows five recorded appointments across the period.
Sotiris Silaidopoulos
History
| Coach | Coach country | Coach since | Coach until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sotiris Silaidopoulos | Greece | 1 July 2025 | |
| Armando Gonçalves Teixeira | France | 1 November 2024 | 1 June 2025 |
| Luís Carlos Batalha Freire | Portugal | 1 July 2021 | 1 November 2024 |
| José Miguel Azevedo Cardoso | Portugal | 1 January 2021 | 1 May 2021 |
| Pedro Filipe Fernandes da Silva Cunha | Portugal | 1 December 2020 | 1 January 2021 |
| Mário Fernando Magalhães da Silva | Portugal | 1 August 2020 | 1 December 2020 |
| Carlos Augusto Soares da Costa Faria Carvalhal | Portugal | 1 July 2019 | 1 August 2020 |
| Daniel António Lopes Ramos | Portugal | 1 January 2019 | 1 June 2019 |
| Augusto Vilela Gama | Portugal | 1 December 2018 | |
| José Manuel Martins Teixeira Gomes | Portugal | 1 July 2018 | 1 December 2018 |
| José Miguel Azevedo Cardoso | Portugal | 1 June 2017 | 1 June 2018 |
| Luís Manuel Ribeiro de Castro | Portugal | 1 November 2016 | 1 June 2017 |
| Nuno Fernando da Goncalves Rocha | Portugal | 1 July 2016 | 1 November 2016 |
| Pedro Rui da Mota Vieira Martins | Portugal | 1 July 2014 | 1 June 2016 |
| Nuno Herlander Simões Espírito Santo | São Tomé e Príncipe | 1 July 2012 | 1 May 2014 |
| João Eusébio Ferreira da Costa | Portugal | 1 July 2005 | 1 January 2009 |
Rio Ave Transfers
The recorded arrivals include transfers for R. Galcik from Podbrezová, Samuel from Botafogo, Tamble Monteiro from Portimonense, J. Blesa from Cesena, Ryan Guilherme from Cruzeiro and Diogo Bezerra from OFK Beograd. Loan additions include Diogo Nascimento from Olympiakos Piraeus, Gustavo Mancha from the same club and Leonardo Buta from Udinese. J. Brabec is listed as a free-agent arrival from Aris Thessalonikis. The list also includes return-from-loan entries for Georgios Okkas, A. Sina, Jorge Karse, Valentim Sousa and N. Santos. It is a recent recorded sample rather than a complete transfer register.
Latest player transfers from
| Player | Team from | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
| R. Šiler |
Podbrezová
|
Transfer | 3 September 2026 |
| S. Garcia |
Atletico Nacional
|
Transfer | 2 September 2026 |
| M. Sellouki |
Laval
|
Transfer | 25 August 2026 |
| Pedro Amaral |
Estoril
|
Free agent | 24 August 2026 |
| R. Galčík |
Podbrezová
|
Transfer | 15 July 2026 |
| R. Galcik |
Podbrezová
|
Transfer | 15 July 2026 |
| Diogo Nascimento |
Olympiakos Piraeus
|
Loan | 14 July 2026 |
| Samuel |
Botafogo
|
Transfer | 2 July 2026 |
| E. van der Gouw |
Zulte Waregem
|
Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| Pedro Amaral |
Estoril
|
Free agent | 29 June 2026 |
Leça
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 | |
| Valentim Sousa |
AD Marco 09
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Jorge Karse |
Academica
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| A. Sina |
PAS Giannina
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Georgios Okkas |
Panionios
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
Recorded departures include transfers for Ole Pohlmann to SpVgg Greuther Fürth, Clayton to Olympiakos Piraeus, Alfonso Pastor to Maritimo, J. Panzo to Birmingham and André Luiz to Olympiakos Piraeus. Free-agent exits include Jorge Karse to Home United, Georgios Okkas to Olympiakos, S. Samushia to FC Andorra, K. Zoabi to Torreense, Marc Gual to Kairat Almaty and G. Gogia to Samgurali. Several departures are marked as returns from loan, including O. Richards, A. Papakanellos, E. Van der Gouw, Leonardo Buta and Gustavo Mancha. This is a recent recorded sample, not a complete departures register.
Latest player transfers to
| Player | Team to | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorent Talla |
Malisheva
|
Loan | 18 August 2026 |
| Jorge Karse |
Home United
|
Free agent | 22 July 2026 |
| Jorge Karse |
Home United
|
Free agent | 21 July 2026 |
| Georgios Okkas |
Olympiakos
|
Free agent | 20 July 2026 |
| Georgios Okkas |
Olympiakos
|
Free agent | 19 July 2026 |
FC Andorra
|
Free agent | 16 July 2026 | |
| Ole Pohlmann |
SpVgg Greuther Fürth
|
Transfer | 9 July 2026 |
| Valentim Sousa |
Varzim
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 |
| K. Zoabi |
Torreense
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 |
Supra du Quebec
|
- | 29 June 2026 | |
| Valentim Sousa |
Varzim
|
Free agent | 29 June 2026 |
| Gustavo Mancha |
Olympiakos Piraeus
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| Leonardo Buta |
Udinese
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| E. van der Gouw |
Zulte Waregem
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
| A. Papakanellos |
Olympiakos Piraeus
|
Return from loan | 29 June 2026 |
Transfers Synthesis
Taken together, the recorded movement around Rio Ave between September 2025 and July 2026 shows a mixed pattern of direct transfers, loans, free-agent arrivals and returns from loan. The arrivals extract contains all four categories, while the departures extract combines direct transfers with free-agent exits and returns to parent clubs. These categories show movement in both directions, but the listed activity does not establish the full scale of activity or a complete seasonal balance. Olympiakos Piraeus appears repeatedly in both directions, alongside connections with clubs in Portugal, Greece, England, Brazil and other European countries. Activity is concentrated in two phases, with entries in January and February 2026 and another sequence from late June through July. The pattern alone does not establish recruitment policy, budget or sporting intent.
Leagues Rio Ave has participated in
Rio Ave’s most recently recorded active competitions are the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and Friendlies Clubs, each with participation recorded through 2025. The Primeira Liga record begins in 2010, while Taça de Portugal appears from 2016 and Friendlies Clubs from 2020. Taça da Liga is recorded from 2019 to 2023 and is historical in the available timeline. Segunda Liga appears only for 2021, also as a historical entry. The club’s UEFA Europa League participation is recorded from 2014 to 2020, making that continental competition historical rather than recent in this context.
More about Rio Ave
Rio Ave Futebol Clube is a Portuguese football club from Vila do Conde, founded in 1939 and named after the Ave River, which reaches the Atlantic through the municipality. The club is widely known as Rio Ave, Os Vilacondenses and Rioavistas. Its home is Estádio do Rio Ave FC, commonly called Estádio dos Arcos, a compact venue in the coastal town. That setting gives the club a distinctly local character, with matchdays tied closely to the community around the river basin and northern Portuguese coast.
Green and white are Rio Ave’s defining colors, most visibly expressed through traditional vertical home stripes. The club’s visual identity also draws on Vila do Conde’s maritime heritage. Its crest incorporates a sailing ship, castle and mural elements, and wavy green-and-white bands that evoke both the sea and the Ave River. Away traditions have often used red and white, creating a clear contrast with the home design.
Founded on 18 January 1939, Rio Ave has developed a durable place in Portuguese football. Its historical footprint includes a stable presence in the Primeira Liga, several fifth-place league finishes and appearances in the Taça de Portugal final. The club has also crossed into European competition, reaching the UEFA Europa League group stage. Those milestones form a profile of a club capable of competing beyond its immediate local setting without losing its regional identity.
Player development is another enduring part of the Rio Ave story. The club has been associated with launching Portuguese talent, including Fábio Coentrão, as well as developing notable goalkeepers. Its broader football ecosystem combines domestic continuity with international connections. The modern ownership structure is linked to private investment stewardship connected to international football ownership models led by Evangelos Marinakis, alongside an internal presidency structure led by Alexandrina Cruz. That blend of local culture, developmental reputation, private investment and European ambition defines Rio Ave’s place in the modern Portuguese game.
Last matches statistics for Rio Ave
| match | shots | Poss. | Pass % | Fouls | Cards | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rio Ave
2 - 1
Arouca
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
Portimonense
0 - 3
Rio Ave
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
Rio Ave
2 - 2
Al-Ahli Jeddah
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
Rio Ave
3 - 1
Tondela
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
GIL Vicente
1 - 0
Rio Ave
|
2 / 6 |
|
77 | 8 | 3 1 | 3 |
|
Rio Ave
0 - 2
FC Porto
|
1 / 13 |
|
83 | 1 | - | 4 |
|
Estoril
0 - 2
Rio Ave
|
3 / 3 |
|
77 | 14 | 1 | 6 |
|
Rio Ave
0 - 4
Sporting CP
|
0 / 6 |
|
85 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
|
Santa Clara
4 - 0
Rio Ave
|
3 / 5 |
|
85 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
|
Rio Ave
3 - 3
Estrela
|
6 / 11 |
|
0% | 16 | 2 | 2 |
Detailed statistics Rio Ave
Xtra rating history
Last rating points (most recent matches).