| Name: |
Raul Meireles |
| Nationality: |
Portuguese |
| Date of Birth: |
17/03/1983 |
| Height: | 5' 10" (179cm) |
| Weight: | 10st 3lbs (65.0kg) |
| Previous |
|
| Clubs: | Liverpool, Porto, Boavista |
| Position: | Midfielder |
Chelsea career
Chelsea completed the signing of Raul José Trindade Meireles from Liverpool on a four-year contract on transfer deadline day in August 2011.
He made his debut in the holding midfield role away at Sunderland on September 10, and impressed with his range of passing, creating Daniel Sturridge's goal with a rangy through ball.
Raul has since been deployed as a more conventional midfielder, and will be looking to establish himself as a first-choice pick over the coming months.
The Portuguese international netted his first Chelsea goal in mid-October, the opener in the 5-0 Champions League victory over Genk, and has been a regular under both Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto di Matteo, set to play over 50 games in his debut campaign in west London. The midfielder featured in every game from the start of December to mid-February, also netting a crucial equaliser in the 2-1 home win over Manchester City in December and scoring twice in our run to the FA Cup's later stages.
Pre-Chelsea
The midfielder, 28, arrived at Stamford Bridge after just over a season at Anfield in which he made 44 appearances for Liverpool.
Born in Aves, Portugal, the highly-rated international began his career with his hometown club before a move to top-flight Boavista, where he spent one season before moving to Porto in 2004.
It was at the Estadio do Dragao that he flourished and helped Porto to a domestic treble in 2005/06. He scored against Chelsea in the Champions League knockout rounds a year later.
Two more league titles followed in 2008 and 2009 before new manager Andre Villas-Boas agreed to sell him to the Reds after six years as a Porto player.
After a low-key start in English football, Meireles came to life in January 2011, scoring five times in six games, including a winner at Stamford Bridge.
The 5ft 10in midfielder appeared twice from the bench for Kenny Dalglish's side this season before completing his move to Stamford Bridge on transfer deadline day.
International career
Meireles established himself in the national side, playing under Luiz Felipe Scolari in the lead-up to Euro 2008, where he scored his first international goal.
He played every game in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, and then scored in South Africa during the 7-0 beating of North Korea to catch Liverpool's eye.
A regular in qualifying for Euro 2012, he recently won his 50th cap.
| League |
23
(5) |
2 |
8 |
0 |
| FA Cup |
5
(1) |
2 |
1 |
0 |
| Euro Cups |
9
(2) |
2 |
5 |
0 |
| |
| Liverpool |
| League |
0
(2) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| League Cup |
1
(0) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
| Career History: |
|
Liverpool
| 2010 - 11 | League |
32
(1) |
5 |
| | | FA Cup |
1
(0) |
0 |
| | | Euro Cups |
7
(0) |
0 |
|
Porto
| 2009 - 10 | League |
24
(1) |
2 |
| | | FA Cup |
3
(0) |
2 |
| | | League Cup |
1
(0) |
0 |
| | | Euro Cups |
8
(0) |
0 |
|
Porto
| 2008 - 09 | League |
28
(0) |
4 |
| | | FA Cup |
2
(0) |
1 |
| | | Euro Cups |
10
(0) |
0 |
|
Porto
| 2007 - 08 | League |
27
(1) |
4 |
| | | FA Cup |
3
(0) |
0 |
| | | Euro Cups |
7
(1) |
0 |
|
Porto
| 2006 - 07 | League |
19
(6) |
3 |
| | | Euro Cups |
6
(1) |
1 |
|
Porto
| 2005 - 06 | League |
15
(3) |
2 |
| | | Euro Cups |
0
(1) |
0 |
|
Porto
| 2004 - 05 | League |
3
(9) |
0 |
| | | Euro Cups |
1
(0) |
0 |
|
Boavista
| 2003 - 04 | League |
26
(2) |
0 |
| |
