Kevin Mirallas facts for kids
Mirallas playing for Olympiacos in 2012
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Antonio Joel Gislain Mirallas y Castillo | ||
| Date of birth | 5 October 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Liège, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2004 | Standard Liège | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2008 | Lille | 76 | (10) |
| 2008–2010 | Saint-Étienne | 53 | (3) |
| 2010–2011 | → Olympiacos (loan) | 27 | (14) |
| 2011–2012 | Olympiacos | 25 | (20) |
| 2012–2019 | Everton | 151 | (29) |
| 2018 | → Olympiacos (loan) | 13 | (2) |
| 2018–2019 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 27 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | Royal Antwerp | 18 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Gaziantep | 28 | (5) |
| 2022 | Moreirense | 8 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | AEL Limassol | 21 | (4) |
| Total | 447 | (92) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Belgium U16 | 10 | (8) |
| 2003–2004 | Belgium U17 | 13 | (7) |
| 2005 | Belgium U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Belgium U19 | 16 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | Belgium U21 | 5 | (2) |
| 2007–2018 | Belgium | 60 | (10) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kevin Antonio Joel Gislain Mirallas y Castillo (born on October 5, 1987), known as Kevin Mirallas, is a Belgian former professional footballer. He played as a winger, which is a player who attacks from the sides of the field.
Mirallas started his professional football journey in France with clubs like Lille and Saint-Étienne. Later, he moved to Greece to play for Olympiacos in 2010. He was very successful there, scoring 34 goals in 52 league games. In his second season with Olympiacos, he was the top scorer in the Greek league with 20 goals.
His great performances caught the eye of Everton, a team in England's top league, the Premier League. Everton signed him in 2012. After playing regularly for Everton for several years, he went back to Olympiacos on loan in 2018. He also had a loan spell at Fiorentina in Italy. Mirallas finished his career playing for clubs in Belgium, Turkey, Portugal, and Cyprus.
Mirallas also played for the Belgian national team at different youth levels. He then played 60 games for the senior national team, starting in 2007. He represented Belgium in two big tournaments: the 2008 Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in France
Mirallas began his youth football career at his hometown club, Standard Liège, in Belgium. He then moved to France to start his professional career with Lille OSC in the 2004–05 season. In his first season at Lille, he even played in the UEFA Cup, which is a big European competition.
Later, Mirallas moved to AS Saint-Étienne for about €4 million. He quickly became known by scoring a goal against Lyon in his very first game for the club.
Success with Olympiacos
In June 2010, Mirallas joined the Greek club Olympiacos on a one-year loan. He made his first appearance in a big 5–0 win in a European qualifying match. He scored his first two goals for Olympiacos in a 3–1 home win against Olympiakos Volos.
Mirallas scored in a tough 2–1 away game against their biggest rivals, Panathinaikos. After this, his contract was extended for four years. Olympiacos won the Greek Super League that season. Mirallas was the club's top scorer with 14 goals. The next season, he scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Olympiacos in a 4–0 win. He even scored four goals in another game! Olympiacos won the league again, and Mirallas was the league's top scorer with 20 goals.
Time at Everton
In August 2012, Mirallas joined the English Premier League club Everton. He made his first appearance as a substitute in a 3–1 league win. In his first start for Everton, just four days later, Mirallas scored two goals and helped set up two others in a 5–0 win in the League Cup.
He scored his first league goal for Everton on September 22, 2012, in a 3–0 away win against Swansea City. Mirallas faced some injuries that limited his playing time during that season. He scored his second league goal against Reading in a 3–1 win. He scored two goals in a single game for the first time in the league against West Ham United.
In the 2013–14 season, Mirallas scored and assisted a goal in a 3–3 draw against Liverpool in the first Merseyside derby of the season. He scored eight goals that season before a groin injury ended his playing time early. He was known for creating many chances for his teammates.
On September 18, 2014, Mirallas scored his first European goal for Everton in a 4–1 win against Wolfsburg in the Europa League. He signed a new contract with Everton in August 2015. On March 11, 2017, he scored his 29th Premier League goal for Everton in a 3–0 win. He signed another new contract with Everton in May 2017.
Loan Spells
On January 7, 2018, Mirallas went back to his former club Olympiacos on loan. He scored a great goal in a 5–1 home win against Kerkyra. His loan ended early in May 2018.
On August 4, 2018, Mirallas joined Fiorentina in Italy on a loan deal for the season.
Later Career and Retirement
Mirallas joined Royal Antwerp in Belgium in August 2019. On October 5, 2020, he moved to the Turkish club Gaziantep.
On January 24, 2022, Mirallas joined Moreirense in Portugal. Finally, on July 23, 2022, he joined AEL Limassol in Cyprus for the 2022–23 season.
On August 31, 2023, Kevin Mirallas officially retired from playing professional football. After retiring, he joined Eendracht Aalst as their chief technology officer, which means he helps with the club's technology.
International Career
Mirallas played for Belgium at different youth levels, including the under-17, under-19, and under-21 teams. He helped the under-21 team reach the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
He scored two goals in the 2008 Summer Olympics football tournament. One goal was against China and another against Italy. He made his first appearance for the senior national team in 2007. He scored his first international goal against Serbia in Brussels on August 23, 2007.
Mirallas was part of the Belgian team that reached the quarter-finals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played his first game in the tournament as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Russia. In that game, he hit the post with a shot, showing his attacking threat. In May 2018, Mirallas was not included in Belgium's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
How He Played
When Mirallas played for Olympiacos, he often played as a centre forward, which is a main attacking player. But after he moved to Everton, he mostly played as a winger or a free-roaming forward. He was known for his speed, excellent control of the ball, good passing, and being good at one-on-one situations against defenders.
Personal Life
Kevin Mirallas's father was born in Spain and lived in Madrid for a part of his early life.
Honours and Awards
Team Awards
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2010–11, 2011–12
- Greek Cup: 2011–12
Individual Awards
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2007
- Super League Greece Top Goalscorer: 2011–12 (20 goals)
- Super League Greece Player of the Season: 2011–12
- Super League Greece Foreign Player of the Season: 2011–12
- BBC Goal of the Month: May 2013
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Mirallas para niños
