Ricardo Pereira to leave Leicester after 220 appearances

ricardo pereira will leave Leicester City after his final match at Blackburn on Saturday, ending an eight-year spell and closing out his 220th appearance for the club. The 32-year-old captain said tomorrow will be his last game for Leicester, with his contract at the King Power Stadium set to expire this summer.

Blackburn Sends Pereira Off

Pereira’s final outing will come at Ewood Park, where Leicester finish with one more match in his kit before he moves on. He joined from Porto for around £18m eight years ago and quickly settled into the side, winning the club’s player of the year award in his first season.

That first campaign set the tone for a spell that delivered major moments on the field. He was part of the squad that won the FA Cup and scored the goal at PSV Eindhoven that sent Leicester to their first ever European semi-final.

Leicester’s Relegation Blow

The move also lands in the middle of a bruising season for Leicester, who were relegated and now face more turnover this summer. Pereira said the end comes after “eight years with ups and downs,” and added that the way it finishes leaves him with mixed feelings.

His own run through those years included an ACL tear in the final game before Covid shut down football, then an Achilles injury soon after he came back. He later played an integral role as an inverted full-back in Enzo Maresca’s Championship title-winning team, but his legacy is now tied to a season that ended with relegation while he wore the armband.

Summer Departures At Leicester

Leicester are expected to lose more players as well, with Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka among those whose contracts also expire in June. Pereira said he will keep following the club and hopes they get back “to where we belong,” a message that fits the shape of his exit: one last game, then a summer of change around him.