Pedro Ricksen |
![]() Pedro Ricksen was born on Thursday, 30th August, 1979, in Heerlen, Limburg. The defender joined John Lambie's Thistle for a trial period in July, 2001, having most recently been with AZ Alkmaar. Aged 21, he made his debut appearance on Wednesday, 18th July, 2001, in a 5-1 win at home to Alan Morgan Select in a Benefit match. There were no goals for Pedro during his spell with Thistle. He played his second and last game for the club on Wednesday, 25th July, 2001, in a 1-1 friendly draw at home to Blackpool. Pedro's club-list included Roda JC Kerkrade, AZ Alkmaar and Partick Thistle. |
![]() Pedro had a promising youth career with Roda JC but never made the grade professionally. He joined at the age of nine after being spotted while kicking a ball about as his would-be-famous brother, Fernando, played for Fortuna on another pitch. Willy van der Kuijlen, the Eredivisie’s record goalscorer, liked the way he struck the ball and took him to Roda, where he was a coach. Pedro moved to Fortuna at the age of 12, where he remained until 16, before returning to Roda for another three years. His final year saw him play for AZ Alkmaar’s second side, where future Holland international Khalid Boulahrouz was a team-mate.
He stayed in the youth set-up until 21 before he followed his brother across to Scotland, where he had trials at Hearts and Partick Thistle. Rather than taking the plunge, though, he returned home, a decision he doesn’t regret. He played at local level afterwards and believes his experience as a youth player means he can relate to the boys he is coaching now.
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(18-Sep-2020, ATH) |