Ricardo Janota

Ricardo Janota
Personal information
Full name Ricardo Baleia Janota
Date of birth (1987-03-10) 10 March 1987
Place of birth Pêro Pinheiro, Sintra, Portugal
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Académico Viseu (gk coach)
Youth career
1995–1997 Progresso Mem-Martins
1997–2001 Estrela Amadora
2001–2005 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Benfica B 2 (0)
2005–2006 Benfica 0 (0)
2006–2007 Estrela de Vendas Novas 5 (0)
2007–2009 Atlético CP 32 (0)
2009–2010 Estrela Amadora 22 (0)
2010–2011 Trofense 0 (0)
2011–2012 Mafra 28 (0)
2012–2013 Atlético CP 11 (0)
2013–2014 Académico Viseu 30 (0)
2014–2015 Oriental 13 (0)
2015–2016 Académico Viseu 46 (0)
2016–2018 Tondela 1 (0)
2018–2019 Mafra 0 (0)
2019–2023 Académico Viseu 53 (0)
Total 243 (0)
International career
2003 Portugal U16 2 (0)
2003–2004 Portugal U17 9 (0)
2005 Portugal U18 2 (0)
2005–2006 Portugal U19 4 (0)
Managerial career
2023– Académico Viseu (gk coach)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ricardo Baleia Janota (born 10 March 1987) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently a goalkeeping coach at Liga Portugal 2 club Académico de Viseu.

Janota began his career with Benfica. He played twice for their B team in the Segunda Divisão, the third tier of Portuguese football, before moving on to third-tier clubs Estrela de Vendas Novas, Atlético CP and Estrela da Amadora. He spent the 2010–11 season with Liga de Honra (second-tier) Trofense, but never played for the first team. After a season back in the third tier with Mafra, Janota returned to Atlético CP, where he finally made his first appearance in the newly renamed Segunda Liga. He continued his Segunda Liga career with Académico Viseu and Oriental, before returning to Viseu in 2015. He signed for Tondela ahead of the 2016–17 season, and made his Primeira Liga debut in April 2017. That was his last top-flight appearance, and after half a season with Mafra he rejoined Académico Viseu in January 2019.

In international football, Janota played for his country from under-16 to under-19 level, and was part of Portugal's squad for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup without taking the field.