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 | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 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) |
|
|||
Kevin Mirallas, born on October 5, 1987, is a former professional footballer from Belgium. He was known for playing as a winger, which is a player who runs down the sides of the field. He also played as a striker, scoring many goals.
Mirallas started his career in France with Lille and Saint-Étienne. He then 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, he was the top scorer with 20 goals.
His great playing caught the eye of Everton, a team in England. They signed him in 2012. After playing for Everton for several years, he went back to Olympiacos on loan. He also played on loan for Fiorentina in Italy. Later in his career, Mirallas played for teams in Belgium, Turkey, Portugal, and Cyprus.
Mirallas also played for the Belgian national team many times. He played in the 2008 Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He officially retired from playing football in 2023.
Contents
Kevin Mirallas' Club Career
Starting in France
Kevin Mirallas began his youth football career at Standard Liège, his hometown club in Belgium. In the 2004–05 season, he moved to France to start his professional career with Lille OSC. In his first season, he even played in the UEFA Cup, a big European competition.
Later, Mirallas moved to AS Saint-Étienne for €4 million. He quickly made a name for himself by scoring a goal in his very first game against Lyon.
Success with Olympiacos
In June 2010, Mirallas joined the Greek club Olympiacos on a one-year loan. He scored two goals in his first game for the club. He also scored against their biggest rivals, Panathinaikos. Because of his good play, his contract was extended for four years.
Olympiacos won the Greek Super League that season. Mirallas was the top scorer for his team with 14 goals. The next season, he scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Olympiacos. He even scored four goals in another match! Olympiacos won the league again, and Mirallas was the league's top scorer with 20 goals.
Time at Everton
In August 2012, Mirallas joined Premier League club Everton in England. He made his first appearance as a substitute in a 3–1 win against Aston Villa. In his first start, he scored two goals and helped with two others in a big 5–0 win in the League Cup.
Mirallas scored his first league goal for Everton in September 2012. He faced some injuries that season, but still scored important goals. In David Moyes' last home game as Everton's manager, Mirallas scored two goals, helping his team win 2–0.
In November 2013, Mirallas scored and assisted a goal in a thrilling 3–3 draw against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. He created 61 chances for his teammates that season, which was the most of any Everton player.
In September 2014, Mirallas scored his first goal in a European competition for Everton against Wolfsburg. He signed a new contract with Everton in August 2015 and again 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 win. However, his loan ended early because Everton wanted a high price to sell him permanently.
On August 4, 2018, Mirallas joined Fiorentina in Italy on a loan deal for the season.
Later Career and Retirement
In August 2019, Mirallas joined Royal Antwerp in Belgium. He then moved to Turkey to play for Gaziantep in October 2020.
In January 2022, Mirallas joined Moreirense in Portugal. Finally, in July 2022, he joined AEL Limassol in Cyprus for his last season as a professional player.
On August 31, 2023, Kevin Mirallas officially retired from playing football. He then took on a new role as chief technology officer for a club called Eendracht Aalst.
Kevin Mirallas' International Career
Kevin 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 was against Italy.
Mirallas made his first appearance for the senior national team in 2007. He scored his first international goal against Serbia in Brussels that same year.
He was part of the Belgian team that reached the quarter-finals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in the second group match against Russia. Although he hit the post, another player scored the winning goal.
In May 2018, Mirallas was not chosen for Belgium's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Kevin Mirallas' Achievements
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2010–11, 2011–12 (Won the league title twice)
- Greek Cup: 2011–12 (Won the cup once)
Royal Antwerp
- Belgian Cup: 2019–20 (Won the cup once)
Individual Awards
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2007 (Chosen as one of the best players in the tournament)
- Super League Greece Top Goalscorer: 2011–12 (Scored the most goals in the league with 20 goals)
- Super League Greece Player of the Season: 2011–12 (Voted the best player in the league)
- Super League Greece Foreign Player of the Season: 2011–12 (Voted the best foreign player in the league)
- BBC Goal of the Month: May 2013 (Scored the best goal of the month)
International Goals
Here are the goals Kevin Mirallas scored for the Belgian national team:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 August 2007 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Serbia |
2–0 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 2 | 12 September 2007 | Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan |  Kazakhstan |
2–1 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 3 | 19 November 2008 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 14 November 2009 | Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent, Belgium |  Hungary |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 25 May 2012 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Montenegro |
1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | 12 October 2012 | Stadium Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade, Serbia | Serbia |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying |
| 7 | 29 May 2013 | FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, United States |  United States |
1–0 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 8 | 6 September 2013 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying |
| 9 | 19 November 2013 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Japan |
1–0 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 10 | 28 March 2017 | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi, Russia |  Russia |
1–1 | 3–3 | Friendly |
