Ricardo Rocha: Portsmouth gave me back the joy for football after Spurs agony. What a special club

Rooted to the bottom of the table, reeling from a winding-up petition, and about to become the first Premier League club to enter administration, in truth Pompey represented an unattractive proposition.

Nonetheless, irrespective of the carnage and tell-tale signs of an imminent financial implosion, Ricardo Rocha refused to be perturbed.

Recognising a precious opportunity to relaunch his career and return to England following an unsuccessful two-and-a-half years at Spurs, the former Portugal international headed to Fratton Park with eyes wide open.

Indeed, the cultured defender even negotiated the cancellation of his Standard Liege contract in order to push through the move during the final hours of the transfer window in February 2010.

What unfolded was an eternal Pompey love affair consisting of 97 matches, three spells, three divisions, an FA Cup final, and an iconic Adam Lallana moment at St Mary’s.

By Rocha’s own admission, it was an inspired choice of destination.

‘That was my last chance. I wanted to put myself back into the Premier League and now I had this great opportunity with Pompey,’ he told The News.

‘It was always my ambition to play in the Premier League. Here in Portugal we always watch it. It’s an example of the kind of football everybody loves and enjoys, with the big clubs, the big players and the big managers. I had to be there.

‘I’ve always loved the English language, I learnt it at school and from watching movies, for me that was never a problem. I remember arriving at Spurs and speaking English fluently, people there were “Whoa, you actually speak English?”. Of course I do.

‘My time at Spurs wasn’t easy, I went to the club in January, I wasn’t prepared for all the things I had to adapt to, especially in the middle of the season. I thought I was - but it wasn't the case.

‘You have to learn English culture, the weather, the food, driving on the other side of the road. Then you need to organise your family to come with you and they also have to adapt.

‘The football is faster, more physical, the referees don’t give as many fouls, with a lot of quality among all the teams. Managers are very important, they need to protect you a little, give you time, give you games to adapt. Yet sometimes they want you to perform very quickly - and it's not possible.

‘Spurs didn’t give me that time and they didn’t give me an opportunity. At a club like that, there’s a lot of pressure for them to win titles and do well, they’re always changing players and it’s never easy.

‘Things didn’t work out for me at White Hart Lane. It took me a while to show my quality, then I had an operation on my ankle, so I didn't play as much as I wanted. Unfortunately, I couldn’t perform at the level I wanted.

‘I left England and went to Standard Liege, but, having not played much at Spurs, I wasn’t in my best place physically, so I worked very hard to be at a good level.

‘Then, in the last hours of the January 2010 transfer window, I had the opportunity to play for Pompey. I knew they were in trouble and bottom of the Premier League, I knew they were struggling financially.

‘But, for me, it was a great opportunity to go back to England and prove to people, especially to myself, that I had the quality to play in the Premier League - and I discovered the joys of playing football again.

‘The environment around Pompey is completely different, it’s a family club, everybody is there for you, everybody is asking if you need anything, the fans are unbelievable, they are always supporting you. I still miss those home games at Fratton Park.

‘I finally had what I wanted. It had taken me a while, but I had found Pompey.’

Just five weeks after facing Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 3-1 Champions League defeat, Rocha had arrived at Spurs in a £3.3m move in January 2007.

A Primeira Liga winner with Benfica, a six-time capped international, and experienced campaigner in European competition, he joined a club positioned eighth in the Premier League and still involved in the Uefa Cup and FA Cup.

By the end of the 2006-07 campaign, the 28-year-old had made 13 appearances, including nine Premier League starts, during an encouraging beginning to life in England.

However, he subsequently totalled a further five outings over the next two seasons and was left without a club upon the expiry of his White Hart Lane contract in the summer of 2009.

As a free agent, a potential Pompey move then fell through, with Rocha instead joining Belgium club Standard Liege - but the Blues came knocking once more in the January 2010 window.

Buoyed by the partial lifting of a transfer embargo, Avram Grant signed Quincy Owusu-Abeyie on loan from Spartak Moscow, soon to be joined by free agents Rocha and Dusko Tosic.

The Portugal international debuted in a 5-0 defeat at Manchester United, featuring at left-back, before being sent off in successive matches against Sunderland and Burnley.

Yet Rocha bounced back from that nightmare start with customary class, ending the season with a 2010 FA Cup final appearance against Premier League champions Chelsea.

He said: ‘I thought the fans wouldn’t like me after two red cards so early in my Pompey career, but it was the opposite. They supported me so much and I thought “Whoah, what is this?”. That meant so much.

‘As players, even though we knew the situation was very difficult, we kept giving our best. We were struggling, especially financially, but carried on, so to reach the FA Cup final was unbelievable.

‘I had struck up an understanding with Aaron Mokoena at centre-back, it was instant and came naturally, especially in the big games like Spurs and Chelsea. He was a leader, always talking to us on the pitch, and very good in the air.

‘We were easily the under-dogs in the FA Cup semi-final against Spurs. We’d been relegated the previous day, but the opportunity to get to the final gave us strength - while I was facing my former club.

‘This was a game in which I wanted to prove myself to the Spurs fans, showing them my quality and how I should have had more opportunities to play. When we won, I was emotional.

‘Imagine that, not even in my dreams did I see us winning 2-0 at Wembley, with me receiving the man of the match. For me, it was the perfect day and I still have the bottle unopened. I will never open it!

‘After relegation from the Premier League, my contract was up, and it took me a little while to come back because no-one knew what would happen with the club and its financial problems. I had offers from other clubs, but not what I wanted. I wanted to find a place where my family would feel comfortable.

‘I waited and waited and, when everything was sorted with Pompey, they came back again and I said “Definitely”, signing a two-year deal under Steve Cotterill.

‘People expected us to fight for promotion from the Championship, but the most important thing in that first season was to stabilise the club. When we did and found what we believed was a good owner (Convers Sports Initiatives), there were financial problems again.

‘I left again in the summer of 2012, but Guy Whittingham brought me back. My wife and kids kept wanting to return - and I did as well! We lived in Whiteley and didn’t want to leave.

‘Pompey’s like a big family, the club is so special to the fans and the city. We didn’t want to be anywhere else.’

Little did Rocha realise that a goalless Fratton Park draw against Stevenage in April 2013 would represent the final match of his playing career.

Injury then sidelined the then 34-year-old for the last three matches of the season as caretaker boss Whittingham’s men plunged into League Two - three seasons after gracing the Premier League.

Nonetheless, with fan ownership seizing control of the club from Portpin at the High Court, a fresh start was on the horizon, with Whittingham now permanent manager.

However, despite talks with new chairman Iain McInnes over a fresh deal and even a potential director of football position, the rebuild didn’t include Rocha.

He added: ‘I tried to recover from my injury as fast as possible. I really wanted to play the last game at Shrewsbury, but pushed too hard and got injured once again in the final week, so I couldn’t.

‘It was a muscle problem, nothing too special, nothing serious, but after leaving Pompey the offers were not what I expected.

‘You get to a certain age and are thinking about your family and what’s best for them, not what’s best for you. I didn’t receive an offer which represented the right place for me and my family.

‘There were offers from other countries, although I didn’t want to come back to Portugal, which was maybe a mistake. I had always wanted to go abroad and looked at staying in England, but there wasn’t the chance.

‘I could have played for another two or three years, but decided to retire. I couldn’t watch football on TV for a few years because I still felt I had the capacity and the condition to play, so it was really difficult for me.

‘It wasn’t meant to be, but I’m okay with that today. It takes a while to get over that, it takes a while for you to adapt to a different life after finishing your career, it’s never easy for any player.

‘We love what we do and are used to playing, training, and being in the dressing room with your team-mates. When it reaches a time where you don’t have that, it's really difficult to take your next step.’

After remaining in their Whiteley home for another year, with his two children continuing to attend Miltoncross Academy, the Rocha family returned to Portugal, living near Porto.

Having obtained a degree in Football Management through the Portuguese FA, he subsequently studied for a postgraduate qualification in Organisation In Football, with one eye on becoming a sporting director in the future.

In the meantime, Rocha has spent the last two years working for Portuguese channel Sport TV, sitting on a panel of three ex-footballers analysing the weekend’s Primeira Liga results on a popular Monday night programme.

He said: ‘So many people I speak to have affection for Pompey. The other Monday, I did a Portuguese podcast and, speaking to the guys beforehand, they mentioned my time there.

‘They said “Everybody loves Pompey. Kanu, Mendes, D’Alessandro, so many amazing players”. So I advised them that, if they ever get the opportunity, they should watch a game at Fratton Park for an amazing football experience.

‘Pompey was really, really special, I cannot put it into words how I felt. Playing for the club, living there, my kids being at school in the area, my family adapting to England, fantastic. One of the best moments I had in football was playing for Pompey.

‘People cared about me and my family, I had that support from the fans, it’s a place in my heart and in my family’s hearts, it's very special to us.

‘Every weekend, me and my son keep an eye on the scores. We love Pompey and will always love Pompey, so keep up to date with whatever is happening - and I know we are top of League One!

‘Play Up Pompey, this is our year. We have to do this.’