Ricardo Alberto Silveira Carvalho (born 18 May 1978 in Amarante) is a Portuguese footballer who currently plays as a central defender for English Premier League club Chelsea and the Portuguese national team.

Ricardo Carvalho was born in Amarante where he played for the local team, Amarante Futebol Clube. By his great performance as a youngster, he was spotted by the Portuguese powerhouse, FC Porto, and in 1996 he was brought to FC Porto Junior team. Between 1997 and 2001 he had loan spells at Leça FC, where he made his professional debut, Vitória de Setúbal and FC Alverca, but it was in Mourinho’s reign that he really started to make big strides forward. It was in the 2002-03 season that Carvalho made his name known all around Europe, winning his first domestic league title under Mourinho’s commands, the Portuguese Cup, and the UEFA Cup. His good form led to an international call-up in 2003. In the next season, Carvalho won his second league title in a row, and his first UEFA Champions League title, in which tournament he was named best defender of the tournament. In July 2004, Carvalho transferred to Chelsea FC for a fee of £19.85 million. At London, he won two Premier League titles in a row and one Carling Cup in his first two seasons.

Internationally, Carvalho has represented Portugal in the Euro 2004, Euro 2008 and the 2006 World Cup. He reach the final in the Euro 2004 and a fourth place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

At Stamford Bridge, Carvalho, who was considered one of the best centre-backs at UEFA Euro 2004, joined his former manager José Mourinho and former teammate Paulo Ferreira. He signed for a fee of £19.85 million and performed extremely well in his first season with Chelsea, helping the team win the Premier League title and the League Cup. He scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 3–1 victory over Norwich City. His partnership with captain John Terry in the central defense was hailed as a major factor behind Chelsea's two Premier League titles in a row.

The start of 2005-06 season was not as smooth for Carvalho, as he was publicly lambasted by Mourinho after making comments about his selection policy. He later returned to favour, though, and was a near-regular in the side from September. He scored his second Chelsea goal in the 4–0 home win against Real Betis in the Champions League. Carvalho continued his scoring run in Europe by netting the second goal in Chelsea's 2–0 away victory over R.S.C. Anderlecht of Belgium, scoring from a Hernán Crespo flick on which he blasted into the roof of the net. Carvalho received the first red card of his Chelsea career in January 2006, in Chelsea's 1–1 draw against Charlton. Later, on 29 April 2006, he scored again a goal, in the Barclay's Premier League match against Manchester United, finishing off a move he had started on the edge of his own penalty area by smashing the ball into the net, to help Chelsea clinch the title for the second consecutive year.

In the 2006-07 season Carvalho scored again against Manchester United an important goal in a 1–1 draw – a header from a Frank Lampard corner that also bounced off Louis Saha's head. On 7 April he scored another goal against Tottenham Hotspur, this time a long-range strike from 30 yards, to earn his team a 1–0 win, and 21 days later, on 28 April, Carvalho injured the medial ligaments of his right leg against Bolton Wanderers. The injury meant Carvalho missed the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool. He also missed the FA Cup Final against Manchester United, which Chelsea won after a goal from Didier Drogba during extra time. On 18 May 2007, the day of his 29th birthday, Carvalho signed a five-year contract extension with Chelsea, keeping him at the club through the 2011-12 season. For his great performances during the 2006-07 season, Carvalho has been recognized by a number of organisations. Sky Sports listed him as one of seven candidates for the Premiership's "Defender of the Year". He was also one of three Chelsea players nominated for the club's "Player of the Year" honour, which was won by Michael Essien.

Carvalho continued his excellent form into the 2007-08 season. Following the departure of manager José Mourinho, the Spanish champions, Real Madrid, have once again expressed their interest in Carvalho. A Madrid source said "We have never been able to get Carvalho because of his connection with Mourinho. Now he has left Chelsea, we feel there's a real chance.", but the Portuguese didn't left the English club. In that season, Carvalho was one of the most consistent performers at the club and his efforts were rewarded when he scored his first goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Premier League. Later, Carvalho made his 100th appearance for the club against Manchester United, despite Chelsea's 2-1 win, he marred his centenary mark with an error that allowed Wayne Rooney to equalise. On 8 May 2008, Carvalho was voted by his fellow Chelsea colleagues as Chelsea's "Players Player of the Year", whilst finishing in the top three for Chelsea's "Player of the Year" award voted by Chelsea fans along with Michael Ballack and Joe Cole.

Carvalho opened his account for the 2008-09 season against Manchester City in a 1–3 away victory, on 13 September 2008. He was a somewhat peripheral figure for the rest of the season, as injury, the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari, and subsequent appointment of Guus Hiddink meant that he lost his place in the team to Brazilian team-mate Alex. He clocked up 18 appearances in all competitions, 2 as substitute, scoring one goal.

The appointment of Carlo Ancelotti, coupled with recovery from injury, has seen Carvalho regain his place in the Chelsea team. He made a fine start to the 2009-10 season, scoring a diving header in the 2009 FA Community Shield match against Manchester United, a game in which he also received the Man of the Match award. Chelsea went on to win the match 4-1 on penalties, following a 2-2 draw at the end of normal time.