Raul Meireles landed at Anfield last week for a fee of £11.5m. The midfielder, who featured for Portugal at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is expected to line up for his country on Friday and Tuesday. (Visit the Portugal vs Cyprus Live Streaming and TV Schedule page as well as the Norway vs Portugal Live Streaming and TV Schedule page for further details.) Now ahead of Portugal’s Euro 2012 qualifiers against Cyprus and Norway, Coach Carlos Queiroz declared:
“I think that Raul Meireles is a fantastic player for Portugal. He is one of the pillars of the national team. He is one of the pillars of the [Portuguese] national team. He is a great player as well as an excellent professional.
As he commentated on Liverpool’s capture of Raul Meireles, Portugal Coach Carlos Queiroz also talked about how well the ex-Porto midfielder could thrive in the English Premier League. Recently, Portuguese-speaking football star Robinho became the latest Brazilian name to quit Premiership football after failing to impress in England.
Meanwhile, Raul Meireles’ fellow Portuguese team mate Cristiano Ronaldo left the English Premier League on a high – helping his former club Manchester United to win three league titles on the trot and the UEFA Champions League amongst other major trophies. Cristiano Ronaldo’s impressive performances and records paved the way for other Portuguese-speaking players to join the English Premier League such as Luis Nani and Anderson.
Raul Meireles has now joined the lot by signing for Liverpool, and Portugal Coach Carlos Queiroz expects him to shine. The boss, who worked in England as a Manchester United assistant manager, explained:
“[Raul Meireles] has all that it takes to be a success in English football at Liverpool. They [the Merseyside Reds] have just signed the services of a player who stands out for his application and his professional dedication as well as his technical and football quality. He will be very successful for the Liverpool team.
“He is a box-to-box midfielder. Raul is hard-working, he is creative and also a good finisher. He is consistent and very solid. He is a great team player. I can say that Raul Meireles is a great person, a serious person. He is a player who has a lot of capacity to communicate. Raul Meireles will be a great reinforcement for Liverpool.”
