Ricardo Caraballo
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Andrés Caraballo Florez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 February 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Soledad, Barranquilla, Colombia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sarajevo | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2017 | Cambiando Vidas | ||
| 2018–2020 | Barranquilla | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2024 | Barranquilla | 67 | (11) |
| 2024–2026 | Al-Ittihad | 0 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → Jeddah (loan) | 22 | (4) |
| 2025–2026 | → Al-Anwar (loan) | 31 | (10) |
| 2026– | Sarajevo | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2019 | Colombia U16 | 7 | (7) |
| 2022–2023 | Colombia U20 | 14 | (3) |
| 2023 | Colombia U23 | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 May 2026 | |||
Ricardo Andrés Caraballo Florez (born 9 February 2004) is a Colombian footballer who currently plays as a forward for Bosnian Premier League club Sarajevo.
Club career
[edit]Born in Soledad in the Metropolitan area of Barranquilla, Caraballo began his career with local side Club Deportivo Cambiando Vidas, where his performances earned him a call-up to the Atlántico Department's representative team, as well as the Colombian under-15 side.[3] Following good performances at the 2019 South American U-15 Championship, at which he finished top scorer with seven goals, he attracted offers from teams in Brazil, but would remain in his native Colombia with the academy of Barranquilla, whom he had joined the year prior.[3][4]
Throughout his progression in the Barranquilla academy, he was consistently their top scorer in competitions.[5] On 17 September 2020, he marked his debut for Barranquilla with a goal; having come on as a half-time substitute for José Martínez, he needed only two minutes to score his first professional goal, scoring with a half-volley shot.[6]
On 8 September 2024, Caraballo signed to Al Ittihad, and was loaned to Jeddah.[7] On 21 August 2025, Caraballo joined Al-Anwar on a one-year loan.[8]
International career
[edit]Having represented Colombia at under-15 and under-17[5] levels, Caraballo began to establish himself in the under-20 squad in 2022, scoring twice in six appearances in friendlies.[1] He was called up for the 2023 South American U-20 Championship, but in Colombia's third game, a 1–1 draw with Brazil, he was heavily criticised by fans and media alike for his performance, in which he missed an open goal.[5][9] Following the criticism, his former coach at Atlántico, as well as the assistant coach of Colombia's under-15s, came to his defence, with the president of Barranquilla, Ernesto Herrera, stated that he would have the full support of the club.[5]
Caraballo's performances, however, did not significantly improve, and he was singled out again by fans for his performances in the matches against Argentina and Uruguay.[3][6][10] He had started in each game, as well as Colombia's first match, a 1–1 draw with Paraguay, but had been substituted off in each one.[6] Following the tournament, having scored no goals in six games, Caraballo revealed that he visited a psychologist to help him deal with the criticism and abuse.[11]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 9 May 2026[12]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barranquilla | 2020 | Categoría Primera B | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2021 | Categoría Primera B | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2022 | Categoría Primera B | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2023 | Categoría Primera B | 27 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 6 | |
| 2024 | Categoría Primera B | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| Total | 67 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 72 | 11 | ||
| Jeddah (loan) | 2024–25 | Saudi First Division League | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 |
| Al-Anwar (loan) | 2025–26 | Saudi First Division League | 31 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 |
| Sarajevo | 2026–27 | Bosnian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 122 | 39 | 8 | 3 | 130 | 42 | ||
- ↑ Includes Copa Colombia, King's Cup
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Ricardo Caraballo at WorldFootball.net
- ↑ "Ricardo Caraballo". barranquillafc.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- 1 2 3 Gómez, Sebastián (13 February 2023). ""Para juzgar hay que conocer": la verdad de lo que vivió Ricardo Caraballo, en el Sudamericano" ["To judge you have to know": the truth of what Ricardo Caraballo experienced, in the South American]. gol.caracoltv.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ↑ Figueroa Turcios, Francisco (20 December 2019). "Ricardo Caraballo, goleador de raza costeña" [Ricardo Caraballo, scorer of the coastal race]. lachachara.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 González Badillo, William (27 January 2023). "Barranquilla FC alienta y respalda a su pupilo Ricardo Caraballo" [Barranquilla FC encourages and supports his pupil Ricardo Caraballo]. elheraldo.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- 1 2 3 Pinzón, Cristian (1 February 2023). "¿Quién es Ricardo Caraballo, delantero de Selección Colombia Sub-20? Su experiencia" [Who is Ricardo Caraballo, striker for the Colombia U-20 team? Your experience]. caracol.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ↑ "الاتحاد يوقّع مع الموهبة الكولومبية «كارابالو»" (in Arabic). 8 September 2024.
- ↑ "تعاقدت إدارة نادي الأنوار مع لاعب خط الوسط الكولومبي / ريكاردو كارابالو بنظام الإعارة".
- ↑ Gómez, John Eric (26 January 2023). "Caraballo, un 'chivo expiatorio' de la ineficacia colombiana" [Caraballo, a 'scapegoat' for Colombian inefficiency]. elcolombiano.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ↑ Sandoval Castro, Jhon Edison (1 February 2023). "¿Quién es Ricardo Caraballo, el delantero que no liga una con la Selección Colombia sub 20?" [Who is Ricardo Caraballo, the striker who does not link one with the Colombian Under 20 Selection?]. antena2.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ↑ "Delantero de la Selección Colombia Sub-20 tuvo que ir al psicólogo por las fuertes críticas: "Fueron días difíciles"" [Forward of the Colombia U-20 team had to go to the psychologist due to strong criticism: "They were difficult days"]. semana.com (in Spanish). 25 February 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ↑ Ricardo Caraballo at Soccerway
- 2004 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Barranquilla
- Colombian men's footballers
- Colombia men's youth international footballers
- 21st-century Colombian sportsmen
- Men's association football forwards
- Categoría Primera B players
- Saudi First Division League players
- Barranquilla F.C. footballers
- Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah) players
- Jeddah Club players
- Al-Anwar Club players
- FK Sarajevo players
- Footballers at the 2023 Pan American Games
- Colombian expatriate men's footballers
- Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
- Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia
- Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Expatriate men's footballers in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Footballers at the 2022 South American Games