Raul Meireles

[Pablo]

If he has a **** patch they will say Rafa bought him again

[Shanks]

Speaks volumes..

[Shaggy]

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/unusual-meireles-not-out-of-place-at-liverpool

Unusual Meireles not out of place at Liverpool

Duncan Castles
Last Updated: Mar 6, 2011

In his hometown of Oporto, Portugal, Raul Meireles once owned, managed and chose the gear for a high-end fashion store by the name of Metropolis. You sense there would have been a problem persuading his Liverpool teammates to shop there.

"What is this for?" Pepe Reina asked as Meireles posed for photographs by the Melwood training ground boot room. A newspaper interview, comes the reply, prompting the goalkeeper to respond: "And this shirt is allowed?"

Meireles was kitted out in tight-fitting French sailor shirt, blue-and-white hoops ending mid-arm to expose intricately interlaced tattoos that include an image of wife Ivone. The faded jeans are drainpipe, the footwear battered canvas. The 27-year-old midfielder would not look out of place at university studying a postgraduate arts degree, but he does at Liverpool Football Club.

"I like English fashion, but the fashion of the university students," Meireles said. "But I come to the dressing room and nobody dresses like me. The players look at me and it's: 'What?'

"But I don't change. If I'm a player why can't I dress in the British style? I think this is the British style. Maybe I'm wrong."

Unusual and unpredicted; just like the Portugal international's recent feats on the football field. When Meireles arrived at Liverpool last summer in a €13 million (Dh65m) move from Porto he had constructed a reputation for himself as one of Europe's finest box-to-box midfielders, winning four league titles and a World Cup starter's shirt with an intelligent, high-energy game.

A sweeper in his youth-international days, what nobody had seen in his game were the fundamentals of a prodigious scorer. Then Kenny Dalglish returned as Liverpool manager, examined his squad for an individual capable of playing behind a striker, and decided that Meireles's ability to pick a pass and the right position to run into was worth a risk.

What followed was a run of five goals in six unbeaten games, earning Liverpool 14 points from 18 and including a memorable winner at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. So readily had Meireles adapted to the new role that he had established himself as Liverpool's leading league scorer, with more goals in those six matches than he had managed in an entire club season before.

A natural finisher perhaps, yet Meireles refuses to adopt the trappings of one. He credits the hard work of his teammates and the success of a three-centre-back formation that confused Premier League opponents accustomed to regulation flat-back fours.

Meireles said: "It's not my job. People say 'Hey you, you are scoring goals, you are …' No, I'm not Stevie Gerrard. OK, Stevie is a midfield player but he scored a lot of goals, these are his qualities. Not me, I'm not this player."

His enthusiasm for the city of Liverpool is similarly effusive. He lives centrally, enjoys exploring its streets on foot, and though the goals have removed the relaxing anonymity of his early months on Merseyside, he appreciates the politeness with which supporters request pictures and autographs. He even likes the dialect that six-year-old Lara is making her own.

"My daughter started to speak like a little Scouser - with the accent, really nice," he said. "And I love Liverpool; this is a really big club .

"You know I always dreamed of playing in the Premier League, but I didn't dream of playing in Liverpool or Manchester or Chelsea. No, I just wanted to play in Premier League. But in Liverpool is the best. Every game that you play the supporters are … well, it's unbelievable. I really enjoy playing here."

When he joined during the troubled final summer of Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s ownership there was an informal agreement to extend Meireles’ contract if the first season went well. He’d be delighted to see the new regime honour it. “If I had this opportunity I’d sign a new contract today. Ten, 20 years. Yeah, for sure.”

There’s been just one negative to Meireles’ move to Merseyside. He has been unable to add to the corporeal gallery of tattoos that opened when he and Ivone visited the same Porto artist as 18-year-old partners and is now so detailed Meireles cannot number the designs.

“I really miss it,” he exclaims. “It’s like I’m hungry to do a tattoo, like it’s a vice. Some people have vices, addictions. My wife has been one week in Portugal, did tattoos, and came home and teased me: ‘Hey, do you like it?!’ I need to do it.”

And Liverpool need Meireles.

[wiw]

[little dave hedgehog]

[Baracus]

'beware the ides of torres, i mean march'

Torres used to say something similar

[Mostar]

“If I had this opportunity I’d sign a new contract today. Ten, 20 years. Yeah, for sure.”

We can only hope that he continues to build on his first season here.

[wiw]

Funny how he's played as an inside-right player a bit recently, especially against United, yet still flourished

He was absolute dog**** in that position under Roy

[-V-]

He's absolutely brilliant. His work-rate is immense and he's fast becoming a big favourite. He's found out very quickly how hard you have to work in the Premiership and he's properly battling for every ball, all game long. A proper fighter

[Rudo]

He's absolutely brilliant. His work-rate is immense and he's fast becoming a big favourite. He's found out very quickly how hard you have to work in the Premiership and he's properly battling for every ball, all game long. A proper fighter

[Fernandinho]

My favourite thing to do with his work rate is the fact that even if he doesn't have the legs for the full 90, he will still absolutely destroy himself until he has nothing left. Getting up and down the pitch so many times.

[Rudo]

Yeah Meireles has some engine, there's no doubt about that.

Just wish he would put himself about a little bit more and get stuck in, but sometimes he shys away from a tackle or challenge and that pisses me off greatly tbh.

[banditos]

Funny how he's played as an inside-right player a bit recently, especially against United, yet still flourished

He was absolute dog**** in that position under Roy

I think the difference is he's much more suited to the inside right where he can drift inside than he was for RM in Bodge's prehistoric 442 formations.

[SB]

He's absolutely brilliant. His work-rate is immense and he's fast becoming a big favourite. He's found out very quickly how hard you have to work in the Premiership and he's properly battling for every ball, all game long. A proper fighter

[/B]

I knew you wouldn't be able to leave that one alone Rudo.

[Pablo]

Signing him on on a 20 year contract would be suicide for us. He'd be 48 by the time it finished. For him to even suggest it shows he's up for taking us for a ride