Raul Meireles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Raul Meireles

Meireles playing for Fenerbahçe in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Raul José Trindade Meireles
Date of birth	(1983-03-17) 17 March 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth	Porto, Portugal
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1990–2001	Boavista
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2001–2004	Boavista	29	(0)
2001–2003	→ Aves (loan)	44	(1)
2004–2010	Porto	137	(15)
2010–2011	Liverpool	35	(5)
2011–2012	Chelsea	31	(2)
2012–2016	Fenerbahçe	76	(6)
Total		352	(29)
International career
2000	Portugal U16	11	(0)
2000	Portugal U17	7	(1)
2001–2002	Portugal U18	13	(1)
2003	Portugal U20	8	(0)
2003–2006	Portugal U21	26	(2)
2004	Portugal U23	4	(0)
2004–2006	Portugal B	5	(0)
2006–2014	Portugal	76	(10)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Portugal UEFA European Championship Bronze 2012 Poland-Ukraine UEFA European Under-21 Championship Third 2004 Germany UEFA European Under-17 Championship Winner 2000 Israel
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raul José Trindade Meireles is a former professional footballer from Portugal. He was born on March 17, 1983. Raul played as a midfielder, which is a player who helps both in defense and attack.

Raul Meireles started his football journey at Boavista. Later, in 2004, he joined Porto, where he played in 198 official games. He helped Porto win ten major trophies, including four Primeira Liga titles in a row. From 2010 to 2012, he played in the Premier League for Liverpool and Chelsea. With Chelsea, he won the Champions League in 2012. He also spent several seasons playing in Turkey for Fenerbahçe.

Meireles also played for the Portugal national team from 2006. He represented his country in two World Cups and two European Championships. He played in 73 games for Portugal and scored ten goals. He also played in the Olympic football tournament in 2004.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Boavista

Raul Meireles was born in Porto, Portugal. He joined the youth team of Boavista FC when he was seven years old. Before playing for Boavista's main team, he spent two years on loan at C.D. Aves in the Segunda Liga, which is Portugal's second division.

He scored his first goal as a senior player on May 25, 2003, for Aves. It was a powerful shot from 30 meters away! He played 26 games that season, helping his team finish in sixth place. For the 2003–04 season, Meireles returned to Boavista. He played his first game in the Primeira Liga on August 17 against S.L. Benfica. He was even chosen as the Player of the match for that game.

Playing for Porto

On July 7, 2004, FC Porto signed Meireles for five years. His first game for Porto was on September 22 against U.D. Leiria. He came off the bench early in the game. On February 18, 2005, he started his first game for Porto in a win against C.F. Os Belenenses. Five days later, he played his first game in the UEFA Champions League against Inter Milan. He played 15 games in his first year with Porto.

In the 2005–06 season, Meireles got an ankle injury that kept him out for a month. He returned to play in October. On February 19, 2006, Meireles scored his first goal for Porto in his 50th league game. This goal helped Porto win 1–0 against C.S. Marítimo. He scored again later that season, and Porto won both the league and the cup.

Over the next four years, Porto won the league three more times. Meireles was a regular player in Porto's midfield. He scored his first Champions League goal in the 2006–07 season against Chelsea.

Time at Liverpool

Meireles during a Liverpool training session in Singapore.

On August 29, 2010, Meireles moved to Liverpool. He was given the number 4 shirt. He played his first Premier League game on September 12 against Birmingham City. Four days later, he played his first UEFA Europa League game against FC Steaua București at Anfield.

Meireles started his first league game for Liverpool on September 19, 2010, against Manchester United. On January 16, 2011, he scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 2–2 draw against Everton. His second goal came six days later against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored with a great shot from 25 yards!

By February 12, 2011, Meireles had scored five league goals in seven games. He was named the ESPN PFA Fans' Player of the Month for February. He played 33 games that season, helping Liverpool finish sixth. He was also voted the PFA Fans' Player of the Year.

In the second game of the 2011–12 season, Meireles came on as a substitute against Arsenal. He helped set up a goal for Luis Suárez in a 2–0 win. This was Liverpool's first win at Arsenal in 11 years. On August 31, he asked to leave the club.

Joining Chelsea

Chelsea needed a midfielder, so they signed Meireles on August 31, 2011. He signed a four-year deal. He chose the number 16 shirt, which he often wore for his national team. He later said he didn't want to leave Liverpool, but the chance to work with coach André Villas-Boas again was too good to miss.

Meireles played his first game for Chelsea on September 10, 2011, against Sunderland. He helped set up a goal for Daniel Sturridge in a 2–1 win. The next month, he scored his first goal for Chelsea in a Champions League game against K.R.C. Genk, which Chelsea won 5–0. On December 12, he scored his first league goal for Chelsea against Manchester City.

On March 18, 2012, Meireles scored a goal and helped set up two goals for Fernando Torres in an FA Cup game against Leicester City. On April 4, he scored in the final minutes of a Champions League game against Benfica. This win helped Chelsea reach the semi-finals. He won his first trophy in English football on May 5, 2012, when Chelsea beat his old club Liverpool in the FA Cup final. He did not play in the Champions League final against FC Bayern Munich because he had received too many yellow cards. However, he still received a medal after Chelsea won the final on penalties.

Moving to Fenerbahçe

On September 3, 2012, Meireles was sold to Fenerbahçe SK in Turkey. He scored his first goal for the Turkish club on October 4, in a 4–2 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Europa League. His first goal in the Süper Lig (Turkish league) came on November 25.

In December 2012, Meireles faced a ban from the Turkish Football Federation. The ban was later reduced to four games after it was decided he was only guilty of verbal abuse.

Meireles scored one goal in 20 games during the 2013–14 season. He helped his team win the national championship after three years. While playing in Istanbul, he played alongside other Portuguese players like Bruno Alves and Nani.

International Career for Portugal

Youth Teams

Meireles played for the Portuguese under-16 team in the 2000 UEFA European Championship. Portugal won this tournament in Israel. He also played in the 2001 Meridian Cup with the under-17 team, where they finished third.

In November 2001, Meireles was part of the under-19 squad for the 2003 European Championship qualifying games. He helped his country qualify for the tournament. On June 2, 2003, he was chosen for the under-20 team for the Toulon Tournament. They won the competition, and he was voted the second-best player.

Meireles played regularly in the qualifying games for the 2004 European Under-21 Championship. He helped Portugal qualify for the Summer Olympics in Athens. At the Olympics, he played in three games, but Portugal did not make it past the group stage.

Senior National Team

Ángel Di María (left) and Meireles (right) during a friendly match between Portugal and Argentina in 2011.

Meireles played his first game for the Portuguese senior team on November 15, 2006. It was a 3–0 win against Kazakhstan in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers. He was chosen for the Euro 2008 tournament. He scored his first goal for Portugal in a 2–0 win against Turkey during the group stage.

On November 18, 2009, Meireles scored an important goal in a 1–0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. This goal helped Portugal qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played as a starter throughout the World Cup and scored in a 7–0 win against North Korea.

Meireles also played for Portugal in the Euro 2012 tournament, where Portugal reached the semi-finals. He also played in the 2014 World Cup, but Portugal did not get past the group stage.

Playing Style

Raul Meireles was a versatile player who could play in different positions in the midfield. He preferred to play as a central midfielder. He could play both defensively and offensively, depending on what his team needed. At Porto, he started as a defensive midfielder but later moved to an attacking midfield role. When Paulo Bento became the coach for Portugal in 2010, Meireles often played in a more defensive position.

His coaches sometimes used him as a deep-lying playmaker. Meireles was known for his good passing and tackling skills. He also had a strong work ethic and could shoot powerfully from long distances.

Outside Football

Personal Life

Raul Meireles' father, Raul Meireles Sr., worked as a masseur for Boavista. He encouraged his son to play football at the club from a young age. In 2008, Raul married Ivone, whom he had known for many years since he was a youth player. Their wedding was held at Martim Church in Barcelos. Many of his Porto teammates attended the wedding.

In January 2019, Raul Meireles performed a song called O Corpo é que Paga on the TV show Lip Sync Portugal. His performance was very well received.

Tattoos

Meireles' wedding ceremony was held at Martim Church.

Raul Meireles has been a fan of tattoos since he was 18. He has many tattoos on his body, including images of his wife Ivone and daughter Lara. He also has a large black and red Chinese-style dragon tattoo that covers his back. Another tattoo is a large necklace with a skull.

After joining Liverpool, Meireles joked in an interview that he wanted to win the "ink championship" against his teammates Daniel Agger and Martin Škrtel, who also loved tattoos.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Meireles goal.

List of international goals scored by Raul Meireles

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 June 2008	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Turkey	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008
2	12 August 2009	Rheinpark, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	2–0	3–0	Friendly
3	18 November 2009	Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–0	1–0	2010 World Cup qualification – Playoffs
4	1 June 2010	Complexo Desportivo, Covilhã, Portugal	Cameroon	1–0	3–1	Friendly
5				2–0
6	21 June 2010	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa	North Korea	1–0	7–0	2010 FIFA World Cup
7	3 September 2010	D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal	Cyprus	2–2	4–4	Euro 2012 qualifying
8	12 October 2010	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	Iceland	2–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
9	10 September 2013	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States	Brazil	1–0	1–3	Friendly
10	5 March 2014	Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal	Cameroon	2–1	5–1	Friendly

Honours and Awards

Meireles (centre) in Chelsea's victory parade after the 2012 Champions League Final

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• Taça de Portugal: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2006, 2009, 2010

Chelsea

• FA Cup: 2011–12
• UEFA Champions League: 2011–12

Fenerbahçe

• Süper Lig: 2013–14
• Turkish Cup: 2012–13
• Turkish Super Cup: 2014

Portugal U-16

• UEFA European Under-16 Championship: 2000

Portugal U-21

• Toulon Tournament: 2003

Individual Awards

• PFA Fans' Player of the Month: February 2011
• PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2011

See also

In Spanish: Raul Meireles para niños