*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:34, 4 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:39, 19 November 2023 (UTC)
On 9 December 2013, Horta scored his first professional goal, the game's only against Académica de Coimbra.[5] He was a regular starter in his second season, playing 28 matches and scoring seven times.[6]
Málaga
On 12 July 2014, Horta signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Málaga.[7] He made his debut in the competition on 23 August, starting in a 1–0 home win over Athletic Bilbao.[8]
Horta scored his first goal for on 6 January 2015, in a 2–0 defeat of Levante in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey also at La Rosaleda Stadium.[9] He finished his spell with 56 appearances, three goals and one assist in all competitions;[10] his only league goal was in a 3–2 victory against Getafe on 28 February.[11]
Braga
On 5 July 2016, Horta was loaned to Braga for one year.[12] Roughly one year later he joined the club permanently, with Juan Carlos moving in the opposite direction.[13] He scored 11 and eight goals in his second and third seasons respectively, helping to consecutive fourth-place finishes.[14][15][16]
In September 2019, Horta added two more seasons to his contract to take him through to 2024, while increasing his buyout clause from €25 million to €30 million.[17] The following 25 January, he scored the only goal in the last seconds of the final of the Taça da Liga against Porto.[18] He set the club's record for goals in European competition on 10 December in a 2–0 home win over Zorya Luhansk in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, surpassing Paulinho; both players had recently moved past Alan in that chart.[19]
Horta closed the 2–0 defeat of Benfica in the final of the Taça de Portugal on 23 May 2021, to claim the cup competition for the third time in club history.[20][21] On 3 August, Braga announced the player had rejected the chance to join Major League Soccer side Atlanta United following a bid worth €15 million;[22] his contract with the Minho Province team was extended to 2026 in October.[23]
In 2021–22, Horta became captain after Fransérgio's move to Bordeaux,[24] and had his most prolific season with 19 goals, bettered in the division by only Darwin Núñez and Mehdi Taremi.[25] On 25 April, he scored the only goal against Porto, preventing the visitors from taking the outright European record of 59 league games unbeaten.[26] It was also the 100th of his professional career, and he took the Player of the Month and Forward of the Month award, with two teammates taking the equivalents for other positions as well as manager Carlos Carvalhal.[27] On 15 May, he scored in the first minute of a 3–2 loss at neighbours Famalicão on the final day, thus moving ahead of 1940s player Mário Laranjo as Braga's top scorer with 93.[28][29]
Horta was linked with a move back to Benfica in the summer of 2022. Málaga, while admitting they rejected a €3 million offer for their undisclosed share in the player's economic rights, spoke of legal action against Braga for not selling him.[30] He scored his 100th goal for the latter on 10 November, opening an eventual 2–1 home win over Moreirense in the fourth round of the domestic cup.[31]
In April 2023, Horta extended his contract with the club until June 2028, with his buyout clause staying set at €30 million.[32][33] The following 27 January, he scored the equaliser in the league cup final against Estoril, followed by the first goal of the penalty shootout victory.[34]
In May 2022, after almost eight years in the international wilderness, he was recalled by Fernando Santos for upcoming 2022–23 UEFA Nations League games,[44] playing 20 minutes in the 1–1 draw with Spain in Seville on 2 June and scoring his team's goal.[45] In November, he was named in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[46] As the nation had already secured qualification from their group, he started in the last fixture, opening an eventual 2–1 loss to South Korea in Al Rayyan following a cross from Diogo Dalot.[47]
Personal life
Horta's younger brother, André, is also a footballer. He was a teammate at Benfica, Vitória de Setúbal and Braga.[48]
^Melero, Delfín (28 February 2015). "Estado de euforia en La Rosaledal" [State of euphoria in La Rosaleda]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
^"I Liga (balanço): Os golos em números" [I League (summary): The goals in numbers]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 14 May 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
^Ferreira, Bruno José (10 November 2022). "Taça: Sp. Braga-Moreirense, 2–1 (crónica)" [Cup: Sp. Braga-Moreirense, 2–1 (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
^"Ricardo Horta renova até 2028" [Ricardo Horta renews until 2028] (in Portuguese). S.C. Braga. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
^Lopes Pereira, Ricardo (13 February 2015). "André Horta acredita numa surpresa na Luz" [André Horta believes in surprise at the Luz]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.