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Player profile: Raul Meireles

Full name: Raul Jose Trindade Meireles

Position: Midfielder

Date of Birth: 17 March 1983

Birthplace: Porto, Portugal

Some players are filled with immense potential and never realize it throughout their entire careers. Some are late bloomers and do not get noticed or make a name for themselves until several years in the game. Then there are those who have certain, special qualities that enable them to win a mountain of silverware early in their careers.

Thus is the case with Raul Meireles. The young FC Porto midfielder plays for one of Portugal’s biggest clubs and can already boast an impressive trophy cabinet. His neat and intelligent play adorned with accurate passing, tough tackling and a powerful shot, has made him an undisputed starter at Portugal’s most successful club despite his young age.

The left-back turned defensive midfielder was a member of Portugal’s youth squad that won the under-16 European Championships with Portugal in 2000 and four years later helped his country finished third in the under-21 European Championships.

With a host of achievements as a youth, Meireles was playing regularly at the age of 18. A product of Boavista’s youth academy, he got his first taste of professional football at neighbouring club, Desportivo das Aves, where he spent two seasons on loan.

Cross-city move

Meireles played a total of 45 matches, scoring one goal for Aves before Boavista decided to take him back in 2003. The defensive midfielder played just one season with Boavista, making 29 appearances for the club, and impressed so much that he was snapped up by cross-town rivals, FC Porto.

Porto had recently lost Jose Mourinho to Chelsea and sold the likes of Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira. Much pressure was placed on his shoulders as he had very big shoes to fill in a team where winning is the only option.

Meireles was left in limbo in his first year as Porto went through three coaches. As the central midfield places were occupied by Portugal internationals, Maniche and Costinha, the player was used on the left side of defence for the majority of the season, which ended with the Dragons relinquishing the championship to bitter rivals Benfica.

The following year would see Meireles flourish as Porto completed the double. The 2006/07 season started with a Portuguese SuperCup triumph as Meireles continued to compile a healthy set of winners’ medals, all at the age of 24.

International breakthrough

Things got even better for the young Portuguese midfielder as he broke into the senior Portugal national team in November 2006, playing in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Kazakhstan in Coimbra. Meireles produced an assured performance in a 3-0 victory, and the player certainly has a solid foundation on which to build his international career with one of the world’s best footballing nations.

by Marco Pereira

CLUB APPEARANCES* GOALS Desportivo das Aves 45 1 Boavista 29 0 FC Porto** 42 2       PORTUGAL*** 1 0

* League only
** Up to July 2006
*** Up to November 2006