Raul Meireles facts for kids

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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
Playing position	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)
National team
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)
Honours 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
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Raul José Trindade Meireles (born on March 17, 1983) is a retired Portuguese footballer. He played as a midfielder for many top clubs.

Raul started his career at Boavista before joining Porto in 2004. With Porto, he played 198 games and won ten major trophies, including four Primeira Liga titles in a row. Later, he moved to the Premier League in England, playing for Liverpool and Chelsea. He even won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012. He also played several seasons in Turkey for Fenerbahçe.

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

Raul Meireles' Club Career Highlights

Raul Meireles was born in Porto, Portugal. He joined the youth team of his local club, Boavista FC, when he was just seven years old.

Starting Out at Boavista

Before playing for Boavista's main team, Raul spent two years on loan at C.D. Aves in the Segunda Liga, which is Portugal's second division. He joined Aves on July 8, 2001.

Raul scored his first goal as a professional player on May 25, 2003. It was a powerful shot from 30 meters out in a 2–1 home win. He played 26 games that season, helping his team finish sixth. For the 2003–04 season, Meireles returned to Boavista. He played his first game in the top league, the Primeira Liga, on August 17 against S.L. Benfica. He was even named "Player of the Match" by a newspaper for his performance in the 0–0 draw.

Success with FC Porto

On July 7, 2004, FC Porto signed Meireles on a five-year contract. He played his first game for Porto on September 22 against U.D. Leiria. He came on as a substitute in a 1–1 league draw. A few months later, on February 18, 2005, he started his first game in an away win. Five days after that, he played his first UEFA Champions League game against Inter Milan. He played 15 games in his first year with Porto.

Meireles started the 2005–06 season strong, but then got an ankle injury that kept him out for a month. He returned to play in October. On February 19, 2006, he scored his first goal for Porto in his 50th league game, helping them win 1–0. He scored again later that season, and Porto won both the league and the cup.

Over the next four years, Meireles was a regular player in Porto's midfield. He often played alongside Fernando and Lucho González. During this time, Porto won the league title three more times. He scored his first Champions League goal in the 2006–07 season against Chelsea.

Moving to Liverpool

Meireles during a Liverpool training session in Singapore.

On August 29, 2010, Meireles joined Liverpool for about £11.5 million. He was given the number 4 shirt. He played his first Premier League game on September 12, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 draw. Four days later, he played his first UEFA Europa League match in a 4–1 win.

Meireles started his first league game for Liverpool on September 19, 2010. On January 16, 2011, he scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 2–2 draw against Everton. Six days later, he scored again with a fantastic 25-yard shot in a 3–0 win.

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

Playing for Chelsea

On August 31, 2011, Meireles signed a four-year deal with Chelsea for around £12 million. 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 made his Chelsea debut on September 10, 2011, in a 2–1 away win. He even helped set up a goal in that game. The next month, he scored his first goal for Chelsea in a Champions League game that Chelsea won 5–0. On December 12, he scored his first league goal for Chelsea in a 2–1 home win against Manchester City.

On March 18, 2012, Meireles scored a goal and set up two others in a 5–2 win in the FA Cup quarter-finals. On April 4, he scored a late goal in a Champions League quarter-final win, helping Chelsea reach the semi-finals. He won his first trophy in England on May 5, 2012, when Chelsea beat his old club Liverpool 2–1 in the FA Cup final. He also received a medal for winning the Champions League final against FC Bayern Munich, even though he couldn't play in the final due to a yellow card.

Time at Fenerbahçe

On September 3, 2012, Meireles was sold to Fenerbahçe SK in Turkey for £8 million. He scored his first goal for the Turkish club on October 4 in a 4–2 win in the Europa League. His first goal in the Süper Lig (Turkish league) came on November 25 in a 4–1 win.

Meireles played 20 games in the 2013–14 season, helping Fenerbahçe win the national championship after three years. During his time in Istanbul, he played with other Portuguese players like Bruno Alves and Nani.

Raul Meireles' International Career

Raul Meireles played for Portugal at different age levels before joining the senior team.

Youth National 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 qualifiers. He helped his country qualify for the tournament. In June 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 qualifiers 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.

Meireles played his first game for the Portuguese senior team on November 15, 2006. It was a 3–0 win against Kazakhstan in a qualifier for UEFA Euro 2008. He was selected for the Euro 2008 tournament and scored his first international goal in a 2–0 win against Turkey.

On November 18, 2009, Meireles scored a very important goal in a 1–0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. This goal helped Portugal qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was a starting player throughout the World Cup and scored in a big 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 exited in the group stage.

Raul Meireles' Playing Style

Meireles was a very flexible player who could play in different positions in the midfield. He usually preferred to play as a central midfielder. He could play both defensively and offensively, depending on what his team needed.

When he was at Porto, he started as a defensive midfielder but later moved to an attacking midfield role. At Liverpool, his coach sometimes used him as a deep-lying playmaker. He was known for his good passing, strong tackling, hard work, and powerful long-range shots.

Raul Meireles' Life Outside Football

Personal Life and Family

Raul Meireles' father, Raul Meireles Sr., worked as a masseur for Boavista. He encouraged his son to play football at the club when Raul was only six years old. In 2008, Raul married Ivone, his long-time girlfriend. They met when he was a youth player. Their wedding was held at Martim Church in Barcelos. Many of his Porto teammates attended the wedding. The couple's daughter, Lara, was also christened there.

In February 2009, Raul and Ivone opened a clothes shop. Ivone said they both loved fashion, so opening the shop made sense. In January 2019, Raul performed a song on a TV show called Lip Sync Portugal, and people really liked his performance.

Tattoos and Their Meaning

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 big tattoo is a necklace with a skull, which he got after his 28th birthday.

When he joined Liverpool, Meireles joked in an interview that he wanted to win the "ink championship" against his teammates Daniel Agger and Martin Škrtel. This was because they all loved tattoos.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

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

Raul Meireles' Football Achievements

Meireles (centre) celebrating Chelsea's victory after the 2012 Champions League Final.

Porto

• Primeira Liga (Portuguese League): 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup): 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (Portuguese Super Cup): 2006, 2009, 2010

Chelsea

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

Fenerbahçe

• Süper Lig (Turkish League): 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