Fernando Meira facts for kids
Meira in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fernando José da Silva Freitas Meira | ||
| Date of birth | 5 June 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Guimarães, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1992 | Vitória Guimarães | ||
| 1992–1993 | Ribeira de Pena | ||
| 1993–1996 | Vitória Guimarães | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–2000 | Vitória Guimarães | 53 | (2) |
| 1998–1999 | → Felgueiras (loan) | 33 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Benfica | 46 | (2) |
| 2002–2008 | VfB Stuttgart | 173 | (11) |
| 2008–2009 | Galatasaray | 21 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Zenit St. Petersburg | 35 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Zaragoza | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 373 | (16) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Portugal U20 | 14 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Portugal U21 | 20 | (0) |
| 2004 | Portugal Olympic (O.P.) | 3 | (1) |
| 2000–2008 | Portugal | 54 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Fernando José da Silva Freitas Meira (born on 5 June 1978) is a former professional footballer from Portugal. He mostly played as a central defender, which is a player who helps protect the goal. Sometimes, he also played as a defensive midfielder, helping to stop opponents in the middle of the field.
Fernando Meira played for several famous clubs during his career. In Portugal, he was well-known for playing with Vitória de Guimarães and also spent a year with Benfica. He then had a long and successful time in Germany with VfB Stuttgart. After that, he played for teams in Turkey, Russia, and Spain.
Meira was known as a strong and skilled defender. He played 54 times for the Portuguese national team. He was part of the squad for big tournaments like the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008.
Contents
Fernando Meira's Club Career
Starting Out in Portugal
Fernando Meira was born in Guimarães, Portugal. He started his football journey with his hometown club, Vitória Sport Clube. He had one really strong season with them in 1999–2000. During that year, he played in 30 of his 53 games for the team.
In 1998, he was loaned to F.C. Felgueiras in the second division of Portuguese football. He was a very important defender for them. His team almost got promoted to the top league that season.
Joining Benfica
In the summer of 2000, Meira moved to one of Portugal's biggest clubs, S.L. Benfica. He played 31 matches in his first season with Benfica. He even became the team's captain. However, the club did not win any trophies while he was there.
Success with VfB Stuttgart
In January 2002, Fernando Meira moved to Germany to play for VfB Stuttgart. This was a big transfer for the club at the time. He made his first league appearance on January 26, 2002, in a 3–0 win against Hamburger SV. He played the whole game as a central defender.
Meira scored his first goal for Stuttgart on February 23, 2002. He helped his team finish eighth in the league that year. In the 2002–03 season, he played in 31 league games. His team finished second, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League.
For the 2006–07 season, Meira was chosen as the team captain. This was a special moment, as he was the first Portuguese player to be a captain in the German Bundesliga. He played a key role that season, helping VfB Stuttgart win the national championship for the first time in 15 years. They also reached the final of the German Cup (DFB-Pokal).
Fernando Meira played for Stuttgart for six and a half years. He appeared in 230 games and scored 13 goals. He left the club in the summer of 2008 when he was 30 years old.
Playing in Turkey and Russia
After leaving Stuttgart, Fernando Meira joined Galatasaray SK in Turkey on July 20, 2008. He signed a four-year contract. He made his first official appearance for Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Cup, which they won 2–1. However, he left Turkey after just one season.
In March 2009, Meira moved to Russia to play for Zenit St. Petersburg. He quickly made his debut and scored his first goal for the team on April 5, 2009.
Final Years in Spain
On August 15, 2011, when he was 33 years old, Meira joined Real Zaragoza in Spain. He played mostly as a defensive midfielder for them. He ended his contract with Zaragoza on February 1, 2012. Later that year, he decided to retire from football because he couldn't find a new club.
Fernando Meira's International Career
Fernando Meira played for Portugal's national youth teams before joining the senior team. He played 20 games for the under-21 team. He made his full debut for the Portuguese national team on October 11, 2000. This was during a qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
In 2004, he played three games at the Summer Olympic Games. He was also chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He played in all seven of Portugal's matches in that tournament, helping the team finish in fourth place.
Meira also played regularly at UEFA Euro 2008. He took part in the first three matches of the tournament. Overall, he scored 2 goals for the Portuguese national team.
Fernando Meira's Achievements
Fernando Meira won several important trophies during his career:
VfB Stuttgart
- Bundesliga: 2006–07 (Champions of Germany)
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2002 (European competition)
- DFB-Pokal runner-up: 2006–07 (Reached the final of the German Cup)
- DFB-Ligapokal runner-up: 2005 (Reached the final of the German League Cup)
Galatasaray
- Turkish Super Cup: 2008 (Won the Turkish Super Cup)
Zenit
- Russian Premier League: 2010 (Champions of Russia)
- Russian Cup: 2009–10 (Won the Russian Cup)
- Russian Super Cup: 2011 (Won the Russian Super Cup)
Orders
- Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (Award from the Royal House of Braganza)
See also
In Spanish: Fernando Meira para niños
