Raphaël Guerreiro

1.1. Birth and family

Raphaël Adelino José Guerreiro was born on 22 December 1993 in Le Blanc-Mesnil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. He is the fourth son of Adelino Guerreiro (Adelino Guerreiro^Portuguese), a Portuguese father who worked in a soft drink factory, and Claudine (Claudine^French), a French homemaker. His paternal grandfather, along with his grandmother and four children, including Adelino, immigrated from the Algarve region of Portugal to France in 1969 due to economic circumstances, eventually settling there.

His father, Adelino, was an amateur footballer for Blanc-Mesnil (Blanc-Mesnil^French) before ending his playing career to work in the beverage factory. Raphaël has three older brothers: Celso Guerreiro (Celso Guerreiro^Portuguese), Miguel Guerreiro (Miguel Guerreiro^Portuguese), and Manuel Guerreiro (Manuel Guerreiro^Portuguese). His mother, Claudine, would often buy him chorizo^Spanish sandwiches as a reward for good performances on the field. She also expressed concerns to his youth club, asking them to provide protective measures for Raphaël, as he was approximately 3.9 in ^{(10 cm)} shorter than his peers.

1.2. Youth career

Guerreiro began his football journey in 1999, joining the Blanc-Mesnil youth team. Although his father, Adelino, initially hoped for Raphaël to develop as a forward, coaches at Blanc-Mesnil believed he was better suited for the roles of full-back and midfielder, which became his primary positions. From 2005 to 2008, he continued his development at the prestigious Clairefontaine academy, a national football center in France. In 2008, at the age of 15, Guerreiro joined the youth academy of SM Caen, where he completed his formative years as a youth player.

2.1. SM Caen

After progressing through the youth ranks, Raphaël Guerreiro was promoted to Caen's senior reserve team (Caen II) in 2010. Over two seasons, he made 55 appearances and scored 4 goals for the reserve squad. His strong performances led to his promotion to the first team in 2012. He made his professional debut in the 2012-13 Ligue 2 season, featuring in all but one of Caen's matches, totaling 38 appearances and scoring 1 goal. His contributions helped Caen to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 2, and he was subsequently named to the Ligue 2 Team of the Year.

2.2. FC Lorient

On 27 June 2013, Guerreiro completed a transfer to Lorient, signing a four-year contract that marked his entry into Ligue 1. His debut in the top-flight French league occurred on 10 August, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 away loss against Lille.

Guerreiro scored his first goal for Lorient on 1 November 2014, opening the scoring against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in a match that ultimately ended in a 2-1 defeat. During the 2014-15 Ligue 1 campaign, he netted seven goals, playing a crucial role in helping his team avoid relegation. This included an equalizer in a 2-1 comeback victory against his former club, Caen, at the Stade du Moustoir. On 24 October 2015, in a Derby Breton match against Rennes, Guerreiro scored the opening goal, assisted by Majeed Waris, in a 1-1 home draw.

2.3. Borussia Dortmund

On 16 June 2016, Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Raphaël Guerreiro on a four-year contract for a reported fee of 12.00 M EUR (approximately 9.50 M GBP). Under coach Thomas Tuchel, Guerreiro was frequently deployed as a midfielder rather than his natural left-back position.

He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on 14 September 2016, contributing to a dominant 6-0 away victory against Legia Warsaw during the group stage of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League season. In the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League campaign, he continued to impress in the group stage, scoring two goals in separate victories against Atlético Madrid (4-0 at home) and Monaco (2-0).

During the 2020-21 Bundesliga season, Guerreiro proved to be a significant creative force, recording 10 assists, which ranked him tied for sixth in the league. In March 2023, he was named the Bundesliga Player of the Month for his exceptional performances, which included scoring 2 goals and providing 3 assists in just two matches during the 2022-23 Bundesliga season.

On the final matchday of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season, 27 May 2023, Guerreiro scored his fourth goal of the season and contributed to a total of 12 assists. Despite his efforts, which helped Dortmund come back from a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 against Mainz 05, their rivals Bayern Munich secured the league title by defeating 1. FC Köln 2-1. The following day, Borussia Dortmund confirmed Guerreiro's departure, alongside four other players, marking the end of his seven-season tenure with the club.

2.4. Bayern Munich

On 23 June 2023, Bayern Munich officially announced that they had signed Raphaël Guerreiro as a free agent. He agreed to a three-year contract with the club, set to expire on 30 June 2026, and was assigned the jersey number 22, which had previously been worn by João Cancelo during the 2022-23 season.

Guerreiro's debut for Bayern Munich took place on 26 September, when he came off the bench in a 4-0 away victory against Preußen Münster in the first round of the 2023-24 DFB-Pokal. He scored his first goal for the club on 11 November, entering the field at the hour mark and netting Bayern's third goal in a 4-2 league home win against 1. FC Heidenheim.

His initial period at Bayern was affected by injuries. On 22 July 2023, he sustained a right calf muscle tear during training, which prevented him from participating in the Audi Summer Tour in Asia. He underwent individual training for a period before completing his first running session post-injury on 22 August 2023. In May 2024, Guerreiro suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out of UEFA Euro 2024.

3.1. Portugal U-21

Guerreiro accepted an invitation to represent the Portugal under-21 team after being scouted by coach Rui Jorge's staff. He made his debut on 21 March 2013 in a 0-1 home defeat against Sweden in a friendly match. He later returned to the under-21 squad for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship held in the Czech Republic, where he helped Portugal finish as runners-up. For his impressive performances, he was one of five Portuguese players selected for the Team of the Tournament.

3.2. Portugal

Guerreiro's senior international career for Portugal began in 2014, leading to participation in multiple major tournaments and significant victories.

3.2.1. Debut and early caps

On 7 November 2014, despite admitting that he hardly spoke Portuguese, Raphaël Guerreiro received his first call-up to the senior national side by coach Fernando Santos. This call-up was for a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Armenia and a friendly match against Argentina. He made his senior debut on 14 November against Armenia, playing the entire 1-0 victory in Faro. Four days later, in the friendly against Argentina at Old Trafford, he scored a last-minute goal, securing a 1-0 win for Portugal.

3.2.2. UEFA Euro 2016

Guerreiro was selected for Portugal's squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 campaign. He played the full 90 minutes in Portugal's opening match, a 1-1 draw with Iceland in Saint-Étienne. He played a crucial role throughout the tournament, helping Portugal advance to the final. Portugal ultimately won the competition, defeating hosts France 1-0 in the final after extra time. Following his consistent performances, Guerreiro was nominated for the Young Player of the Tournament Award, which was eventually won by his teammate Renato Sanches. He was also included in the UEFA Euro 2016 Team of the Tournament.

4.1. Club statistics

4.2. International statistics

Portugal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Guerreiro goal.

5.1. Club honours

Borussia Dortmund

• DFB-Pokal: 2016-17, 2020-21
• DFL-Supercup: 2019

5.2. International honours

Portugal

• UEFA European Championship: 2016
• UEFA Nations League: 2018-19
• FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2017

5.3. Individual awards

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2015
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
• UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016
• Bundesliga Player of the Month: March 2023
• Bundesliga top assist provider: 2022-23

Orders

• Commander of the Order of Merit