Ricardo Santos

Ricardo Santos spent four seasons in the PFA Team of the Year, and each of them was at Bolton Wanderers. He was selected in League Two for 2020–21, then in League One for 2021–22, 2022–23 and 2023–24.

He began at Thurrock, where he made 19 appearances, and in January 2014 moved to Peterborough United for a reported £8,000. He played 63 league games for the club before Barnet signed him in January 2017 for £100,000. He made 84 league appearances at Barnet.

Bolton signed him on a free transfer in August 2020. In his first season, Bolton won direct promotion to League One. Santos was named the club's Player of the Year and took the EFL League Two Player of the Month award for February 2021. He later became club captain. In the 2022–23 season he lifted the EFL Trophy after a 4–0 win over Plymouth Argyle, and he was also named in the League One Team of the Season. He made 207 appearances in total for Bolton, 172 of them in the league, and scored six goals.

He joined Swansea City on a free transfer in June 2025, but the spell was short. His only appearance was as a substitute in a 3–0 defeat to Bristol City, and he left on 19 June 2026.

Santos plays for Cape Verde. His debut came on 17 November 2025 in a friendly against Egypt at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the UAE, part of the Al Ain Cup. The match finished 1–1, and Egypt won the penalty shootout 2–0.