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Richard Rios is going to have a very busy 12 months.
Having signed for Benfica from Palmeiras in the summer, the midfield schemer went straight from the Club World Cup, to European football, with a World Cup with Colombia on the horizon, too.
So… who exactly is Richard Rios?
Name: Richard Rios
Position/s: Defensive midfield, central midfield
Age: 25 (Born: 2 June, 200)
Nationality: Colombian
Height: 1.87m (6ft 1in)
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: Benfica
A former futsal player who left his home in Vegachi, Colombia, with nothing but a backpack and a dream, Rios wound up in Sao Paolo via Rio De Janeiro, where he initially impressed for Guarani and Palmeiras.
The idea of a ‘complete’ midfielder is thrown around these days – but the Colombian international is unbelievably well-rounded and has played as a no.6, a no.8 and further forward, due to his typically South American skillset: not only is Rios combative enough to bully anyone in the centre of the park, he has the deftness of a diminutive controller. It's as if someone took elements of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
Rios's strengths
Close control and press resistance: Giving the ball to Rios is akin to locking it in a safe. The Colombian is diligent in possession, and with excellent close control, he's superb at coming deep to receive from the backline, even against an aggressive counterpress.
Progressive ball-carrying: Rios ranks highly for progressive carries in Europe. His natural inclination is to bring the ball forward through the centre of the pitch and, using that great control, isn't afraid to run through congested areas to disrupt an opposition's shape.
Physical presence and engine: At over 6ft and with good core strength, Rios is capable of playing box-to-box, providing midfield energy and intensity at the highest level.
Duel-winning: Not only is Rios a high-volume ball-winner when it comes to tackling, he ranks highly for tackles and interceptions at the elite level, and can compete for headers, too, with a good aerial duel success rate. He has a rare combination of flair and fire.
Passing: Rios is technically secure on the ball: his short passing is almost faultless, while he's capable of sweeping diagonals, too.
Franculino's areas of development
Discipline: Often, Rios overcommits. He commits plenty of offences with his all-action style and isn't afraid of a yellow card: it's not something that you'd want to coach out of him completely, but learning the art of the tactical foul would be hugely beneficial to his game.
Goals and assists: He can arrive late in the box and his passing is secure – but often, final balls evade Rios. If he could start to deliver numbers in the final third on top of his work in the middle, he could leap to the next level.
Concentration: Rios still has lapses of concentration in-game, such as holding onto the ball for too long or finding himself out of position in transition. Given that he's only played in Europe for a little over six months, this is entirely natural and something that will clean up over time.
Rios's ceiling
As proven under Jose Mourinho this season, Richard Rios is a Champions League-level player and more than capable of moving to an ambitious Premier League side in Europe. There are parallels with Rodrigo De Paul, and he's exactly the kind of player you could see Atletico Madrid going for.
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