Bryan Ruiz again features as an attacking midfielder, this time in Sporting CP's 2-0 win against Nacional

"I am happy with the win and to have set a goal up. I was playing in a position that isn't usually mine because the coach asked me to step in for Adrien, but we will play wherever we have to", said Bryan Ruiz in a flash interview at the final whistle on Saturday night.

Going on to reflect further on his recent introduction as an attacking midfielder, the Alvalade number 10 added: "I already knew a bit how to play in that position, which made things easier. It is just one more position for me and here I have already played on the left, the right and as a second striker. I enjoyed it and I am ready to do it whenever needed."

Although one of the more experienced players in Jorge Jesus' side, Ruiz is also happy to see the Sporting CP coach introducing new blood: "It is important for Sporting CP to use the lads and we will help them grow with our experience."

Costa Rican international scoops award

Sporting CP's Bryan Ruiz has been named as the CONCACAF Player of the Year for 2016. The Costa Rican international also features in the Confederation's XI for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The creative forward used his Facebook page to speak about the award: "I want to say that I am really proud and happy for being names the CONCACAF Player of the Year 2016. I want to thank all of the fans, coaches and directors for voting for me. Hopefully I will carry on enjoying their support and I want to carry on making people happy, both in Costa Rica and Sporting CP."

Alvalade forward looking to take home the trophy after finishing second last time

Joel Campbell is also in the running for silverware, having been shortlisted for goal of the year after his strike against the United States.

Bryan Ruiz confident in Sporting CP's chances of a place in the Europa League

"We won at home, but it wasn't easy and we had to fight hard to get the points. It will be a difficult match, but we believe we will get into the Europa League", said Bryan Ruiz in Tuesday's pre-match press conference.

The Polish capital is currently a good 20 degrees colder than Lisbon, however Ruiz dismissed the impact of the weather: "I don't think the cold will affect how we play. We are used to playing in places like this. We have played in Russia before and I don't think it makes a difference. We know how important it is for us to carry on in Europe and we know what we have to do tactically tomorrow."

Adrien on his return to action and Bryan Ruiz on Wednesday's loss in Dortmund

Adrien Silva made his long awaited return from injury this Wednesday, in Sporting's narrow defeat in Dortmund.

"It is always hard to come back after a few weeks out, but I am happy to be back with the lads. No player can decide a result on their own, this only works as part of a team and that is what we will carry on doing", said Adrien at the final whistle.

Also speaking with the press was Bryan Ruiz. "We did everything we could. We had a good came against a good team and all we were missing was a goal. We had chances and possession, but couldn't get the goal."

Costa Rica, Uruguay, Netherlands and Serbia all call on Sporting stars

Sporting's Costa Rican double Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell have both been called up for their country's friendly against Russia.

Meanwhile, Sebastián Coates features in the Uruguay squad for a 7th of October and 11 of October World Cup Qualifiers with Venezuela and Colombia respectively.

Serbia have called up Markovic for the matches against Moldova and Austria.

Finally, Bas Dost is in the Dutch preliminary squad list against Belarus on the 7th of October and against France on the 10th of October.
 

Alvalade star starts in 3-1 win against Panama

A convincing Costa Rica national team beat Panama 3-1 this week, in a CONCACAF World Cup Qualification Group B match which saw Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz called up.

The Alvalade number 7 started the evening and was substituted after 64 minutes, while Bryan Ruiz remained on the bench.

Bolanos, on 19' and 80', and Matarrita on 85' were on target for Costa Rica, while Tejada netted for Panama.
 

Costa Rica lead World Cup CONMEBOL Group B

With Bryan Ruiz in the starting XI and Joel Campbell introduced off the bench after 64 minutes, Costa Rica secured a 1-0 win against Haiti this Friday, in World Cup qualification CONMEBOL Group B.

The solo strike came through Azofeifa on 73 minutes.

Bryan Ruiz brushes off results to focus on pre-season positives

Bryan Ruiz took a moment to speak with the press after Sporting's loss to PSV this week.

"We played against a really good side. We let a goal in really quick and also had a player sent off. It is really hard to play with 10 men from the 34th minute until the end of the match, but now we have to psh on and get some results. We are tired and it is normal that we aren't at our best right now", said the Costa Rican.

Assistant coach Raul José also spoke with Sporting TV at the final whistle, touching on the evening's refereeing: "The referee could have analysed the situation differently and not spoiled the match. We will take some notes and have a good week of training out of this. Honestly we aren't worried about winning right now and we are focused on getting the lads up to speed. We will look at a few situations ahead of the start of the season and look to win the competitions that we are involved in."

Bryan Ruiz reflects on Wednesday's encounter with Monaco and the use of the captain's armband

Their are plenty of new faces in Alvalade this season, but the pre-season also saw another debut which has been a long time in the making, with Bryan Ruiz given the captain's armband for Sporting's encounter with Monaco on Wednesday night.

"It is a pleasure for me", opened the Costa Rican, before going on to speak about the match itself and the fans: "We did well in the first-half. Of course we were a bit tired after the break and our opponent made the most of that. We will get better as we play more matches, but I would say we deserved more. I want to say thank you to the fans. It is really nice see the fans travel around Europe with us and I hope that carries on."