- At Espanyol, he started playing as a right midfielder, but they soon moved him to right back, where he performed at an excellent level. The divine Ricardo Zamora was already playing for Espanyol, with whom he quickly struck up a deep friendship, and both witnessed firsthand the inauguration of the iconic Sarriá stadium in February 1923.

- Saprissa was a forceful defender, but with extraordinary nobility; in fact, he was never sent off despite his position. A true gentleman on and off the field. However, he knew how to be tough when the occasion called for it. Thus, in a highly competitive match against Barcelona on November 23, 1924, he charged Paulino Alcántara with such force that he fell to the ground violently, suffering a concussion and a broken jaw. The action, however, was permitted by the rules.

- Saprissa had the honor of competing in the first ever La Liga championship (1929), although he was unable to play in the opening match against Real Unión due to a knee injury. An anecdote perfectly captures his enormous physical strength, which was not at odds with his prowess. “Once, a defender from another team threw himself at me; I rolled over on the ground several times and the fans started shouting. I got up without a single scratch and shook that player's hand while saying, ‘Congratulations, that foul was enough to kill me,’ but all it did was stop my team’s attack.”

- This Salvadoran was center-back Ricardo Saprissa, tasked with blocking Real Madrid’s attack that day, in an era when defensive lines were made up of just two men (following the classic 2-3-5 formation). It was also the culmination of Saprissa’s nine-year career with Espanyol.

- But the sport in which Ricardo Saprissa excelled most was soccer. He played for nine seasons with Espanyol de Barcelona, ​​a team known by the nickname "Los Periquitos." According to contemporary chronicles, he was a fine and classy right back.

- With "Los Pericos" the man whose destiny was destined to become one of the pillars of Costa Rican sports history won two Catalan titles and one Spanish title. And something that speaks to his enormous human quality was the fact that he was never sent off the field for any violent play or any complaint to the referees. And he never charged anything for playing; he always did it—as was done in the past, but which is now a practice that no longer exists—for the love of the shirt.

- A fine and powerful full-back, he was never sent off and left a lasting impression on the club. "The already hugely popular Saprissa has reached such a point that its passage through our streets disrupts vehicle traffic and forces guards to break up curious crowds," they recall at the "perico" club.

- His clean and forceful style of play, with never a single red card, earned him respect both on and off the field. A highlight of his career was his confrontation with Barcelona's Paulino Alcántara, where his strong but legal charge caused shock and controversy, increasing his popularity.

- In 1922, he began playing football, where he excelled as a great right-back for Espanyol, which, along with Ricard Zamora (whom he replaced as team captain) and Conrad Portas, formed the best defense of its time in Spain.

- He was a player of great class and a gentleman of the sport. He was a fine example of the early 20th-century concept of the "sportsman," that is, the quintessential multi-sport athlete. He wasn't sent off in a single match and never earned a single penny.
- As a player, Saprissa was a staunch defender, though loyal to fair play. However, he didn't shy away from rough handling when necessary; for example, during a November 1924 game against FC Barcelona, ​​he fractured the jawbone of forward Paulino Alcántara.

Links:
https://hallofameperico.com/2009/07/17/ ... issa-ayma/
https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_S ... _Aym%C3%A1
https://www.saprissa.com/noticias/ricar ... l-nacional
https://www.diez.hn/centroamerica/quien ... BUDZ936351
https://www.20minutos.es/deportes/blogs ... a-5593138/
https://web.archive.org/web/20100528122 ... rissa.html
https://books.google.com.sv/books?id=dM ... 90&f=false
https://web.archive.org/web/20150527212 ... a-del-rey/
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Saprissa