Raul Meireles

1.1. Childhood and Boavista Youth

Meireles was born in Porto on March 17, 1983. His father, Raul Meireles Sr., worked as a masseur for Boavista F.C. and played a significant role in encouraging his son to join the club's youth system at the tender age of six or seven. He spent two years developing his skills within the Boavista youth setup.

1.2. C.D. Aves (loan)

In the summer of 2001, Meireles joined C.D. Aves on a loan deal from Boavista. He was publicly presented on July 8, 2001. His official debut for Aves came on August 8, 2001, in a friendly match against Gondomar S.C., which Aves won 3-0. In his inaugural professional season, Meireles made 16 league appearances. On May 25, 2003, he scored his first senior goal, firing a shot from 98 ft ^{(30 m)} into the net during a 2-1 home victory over C.F. União. He concluded the 2002-03 season with 26 appearances and one goal, contributing to Aves' sixth-place finish.

1.3. Boavista Return

For the 2003-04 campaign, Meireles returned to Boavista after his loan spell concluded. He made his Primeira Liga debut on August 17, 2003, against S.L. Benfica, a match that ended in a 0-0 home draw. His performance earned him the "Player of the Match" award from the newspaper Record. Throughout that season, Meireles made 29 league appearances, establishing himself as an important player for the team.

2.1. FC Porto

On July 7, 2004, FC Porto secured Meireles' signature on a five-year contract, officially presenting him at a press conference five days later on July 12. He was assigned the number 33 shirt. His competitive debut for Porto took place on September 22 against U.D. Leiria at the Estádio do Dragão, coming on as a substitute in the 59th minute in a league match that ended in a 1-1 draw. His first start for the club was on February 18, 2005, in a 1-0 away victory over C.F. Os Belenenses. Five days later, on February 23, Meireles made his UEFA Champions League debut, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 home draw against Inter Milan in the round-of-16 first leg. He finished his first season with 15 appearances across all competitions, without scoring a goal.

During the 2005-06 campaign, Meireles sustained an ankle injury in Porto's first league fixture against C.F. Estrela da Amadora, which sidelined him for approximately one month. He returned to action in October in a Taça de Portugal match against F.C. Marco. On February 19, 2006, in his 50th league appearance for the Dragons, Meireles scored his first goal for the club, securing a 1-0 home victory over C.S. Marítimo. His second goal came three matchdays later, on March 10, in a 2-0 defeat of Vitória de Setúbal. The season concluded with Porto winning both the Primeira Liga and the Taça de Portugal.

In the subsequent four years, Porto won the domestic league three more times, and Meireles became a regular fixture in their midfield, often forming a partnership with Fernando and Lucho González. He scored his first Champions League goal in the 2006-07 edition, in a 1-1 home draw against Chelsea, who were then coached by José Mourinho. By the end of his spell at Porto, Meireles had appeared in 198 official games and won ten major trophies, including three additional Primeira Liga titles (2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09), two consecutive Taça de Portugal titles (2008-09 and 2009-10), and three Portuguese Super Cups (2006, 2009, 2010).

2.2. Liverpool

On August 29, 2010, Meireles made a move to Liverpool for a transfer fee reported to be around 11.50 M GBP (or 13.00 M EUR). He was assigned the number 4 shirt, which had been vacated by Alberto Aquilani after his loan move to Juventus FC. Meireles was widely considered an ideal replacement for Javier Mascherano, who had also departed Liverpool that summer for FC Barcelona.

Meireles made his Premier League debut on September 12, playing for 14 minutes as a substitute in a 0-0 draw away against Birmingham City. Four days later, on September 16, he made his UEFA Europa League debut, playing the entire game in a 4-1 group stage victory over FC Steaua București at Anfield. His first league start came on September 19 in a 3-2 away loss against Manchester United.

Meireles scored his first goal for Liverpool on January 16, 2011, in a 2-2 home draw with Everton, which also marked Kenny Dalglish's first home game since returning as manager. Six days later, he netted his second goal in a 3-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, striking a dipping 25 yd volley into the top corner in the 50th minute. His third goal was on February 2, 2011, in a 2-0 home victory over Stoke City. On February 6, he scored his fourth goal, securing a 1-0 away victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. On February 12, Meireles scored his fifth league goal in seven games, putting Liverpool ahead midway through the first half against Wigan Athletic in a match that eventually ended 1-1.

His impressive scoring run earned him the ESPN PFA Fans' Player of the Month trophy for February, as he became a crucial figure in Liverpool's climb up the league table. He concluded the 2010-11 season with 33 league appearances and was voted the PFA Fans' Player of the Year, triumphing over other nominees including Dimitar Berbatov, David Luiz, Samir Nasri, and Fernando Torres.

Meireles began the 2011-12 campaign as a substitute. In the second match, away against Arsenal, he played 19 minutes after replacing Dirk Kuyt and provided the assist for Luis Suárez's goal in a 2-0 win, marking Liverpool's first victory at Arsenal's ground in 11 years. On August 31, however, he submitted a transfer request to the club.

2.3. Chelsea

With Chelsea actively seeking a midfielder following a long-term injury to Michael Essien and an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Luka Modrić from Tottenham Hotspur, the London club signed Meireles on August 31, 2011. He penned a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, widely reported to be in the region of 12.00 M GBP. Meireles chose the squad number 16, a number he frequently wore while on international duty and previously used by former Chelsea figures like Roberto Di Matteo and Arjen Robben. He later clarified that while he never truly wanted to leave Liverpool, the opportunity to work again with André Villas-Boas, with whom he had a brief spell at Porto, was too significant to decline.

Meireles made his Chelsea debut on September 10, 2011, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 away victory against Sunderland. During this match, he assisted Daniel Sturridge's goal with a precise long pass. The following month, on October 19, he scored his first goal for Chelsea during a Champions League group stage match, contributing to a 5-0 home victory over K.R.C. Genk. On December 12, he netted his first goal in the Premier League for Chelsea, helping secure a 2-1 home win against league leaders Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

On March 6, 2012, Meireles scored his third goal of the season in an FA Cup fifth-round replay, a 2-0 away victory over Birmingham City. On March 18, in the FA Cup quarter-finals, he scored the final goal in a 5-2 home triumph against Leicester City and also provided two assists for Fernando Torres, helping the striker end a 24-game goal drought. On April 4, Meireles scored a crucial goal in the final minutes of a Champions League quarter-final second leg, securing a 2-1 victory over S.L. Benfica (3-1 on aggregate) and setting up a semi-final tie against reigning champions FC Barcelona.

He secured his first title in English football on May 5, after Chelsea defeated his former club Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final, where he replaced Ramires for the last 15 minutes. Meireles was unable to participate in the Champions League final against FC Bayern Munich due to a yellow card accumulation from the semi-final match against Barcelona at Camp Nou. However, he still received a medal for his contributions after Chelsea's 4-3 victory on penalties. He scored his second league goal in the final match of the season, a 2-1 home win against Blackburn Rovers.

2.4. Fenerbahçe

On September 3, 2012, Meireles was transferred to Fenerbahçe SK for a fee of 8.00 M GBP. His contract stipulated an annual salary of 3.00 M EUR in his first season, supplemented by a bonus of 10.00 K EUR per match. He quickly became a central figure for the Turkish club, appearing in 18 competitive matches and scoring 2 goals. His first goal for Fenerbahçe came on October 4, in a 4-2 away victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach during the Europa League group stage. He scored his first Süper Lig goal on November 25, in a 4-1 win against Gençlerbirliği.

3.1. Youth National Teams

Meireles began his international career representing Portugal at the youth level. He was part of the Portuguese under-16 team that competed in the 2000 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in Israel, where they emerged victorious with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic.

He subsequently participated in the 2001 Meridian Cup with the under-17s, starting three matches as Portugal finished in third place. In November 2001, Meireles was selected for the under-19 squad for the 2003 European Championship qualifying tournament. He scored in a 1-2 loss to Belarus but helped his country secure qualification for the main tournament. On June 2, 2003, he was chosen for the under-20 side to compete in the Toulon Tournament, where Portugal won the competition, and Meireles himself was voted its second-best player.

Meireles regularly featured in the qualifying phase for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. This included a crucial play-off tie against France, where he played the entire 90 minutes in a 4-1 penalty shootout victory that secured Portugal's qualification. He was then selected by coach José Romão for the finals, appearing in four out of five games to help the country qualify for the Summer Olympics. He missed the semi-final match against Italy due to suspension. In the subsequent Olympic tournament held in Athens, Meireles started twice and came on as a second-half substitute against Iraq, as Portugal exited the group stage with three points.

3.2. Senior National Team

Meireles' first game for the Portuguese senior team took place on November 15, 2006, under coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, when he played the entire 3-0 win over Kazakhstan in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers. He was included in the squad for the final stages of the tournament in Austria and Switzerland. He marked his debut in a major international competition with his first goal for the national team, scoring in an 83rd-minute substitute appearance during Portugal's 2-0 group stage victory against Turkey. He then started alongside several reserve players in the final group match, a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland. Four days later, he replaced João Moutinho during the first half of Portugal's 3-2 quarter-final loss to Germany.

On November 18, 2009, Meireles scored a crucial goal in the 1-0 away victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the second play-off game, which secured Portugal's qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was named in Carlos Queiroz's 23-man squad and was a starter throughout the tournament. On June 1, 2010, in a friendly against Cameroon, he scored his first brace for the national team, contributing to a 3-1 victory. In the World Cup itself, he scored in the 7-0 group stage rout of North Korea in Cape Town. Later that year, he scored in the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Cyprus (September 3) and Iceland (October 12).

Meireles also featured for Portugal at the Euro 2012, starting in five matches as Portugal reached the semi-finals. He was part of the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, making two appearances before Portugal's group stage exit. He scored in a friendly against Brazil on September 10, 2013, and another friendly against Cameroon on March 5, 2014. In total, Meireles earned 76 caps and scored ten goals for the senior national team before his reported international retirement in 2014.

5.1. Family and Relationships

Raul Meireles' father, Raul Meireles Sr., was a significant influence on his early career, working as a masseur with Boavista F.C. and encouraging his son to play football at the club from a young age. In 2008, Raul Meireles married Ivone, his long-time partner whom he had met during his youth football days. Their wedding ceremony took place at Martim Church in Barcelos. The event was attended by many guests, including several of his then-Porto teammates such as Bruno Alves, José Bosingwa, Pedro Emanuel, Nuno Espírito Santo, Lucho González, Mariano González, Lisandro López, and Pepe. The couple's wedding attire was designed by renowned fashion designer Fátima Lopes. Their daughter, Lara, was also christened at the same church.

5.2. Tattoos and Fashion

Meireles is widely recognized for his extensive collection of tattoos, a passion he developed from the age of 18. His body is adorned with numerous images, including dedicated tributes to his wife Ivone and daughter Lara. A prominent piece is a large black and red Chinese-style dragon design, which spans across his entire back and was completed in two stages. Another notable tattoo is a substantial necklace design featuring a skull, which he acquired shortly after his twenty-eighth birthday. Meireles openly stated that getting tattoos was a hobby for him and that, as of 2011, he had undergone over 50 sessions. His wife, Ivone, also shares his enthusiasm for tattoos.

His interest in fashion extends beyond body art. On February 17, 2009, Raul and Ivone opened a clothes shop in Ermesinde, with Ivone stating that the venture made sense given their shared interest in fashion.

5.3. Other Activities

Outside of football, Meireles has engaged in other notable activities. In January 2019, his performance of António Variações' song O Corpo é que Paga in the premiere of Lip Sync Portugal received critical acclaim for his distinctive portrayal.

6.1. Club Statistics

6.2. International Statistics

6.3. International Goals List

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