Henrique Hilário

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Meireles and the second or paternal family name is Sampaio.

Henrique Hilário

Hilário pictured in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Henrique Hilário Meireles Sampaio
Date of birth	21 October 1975 (1975-10-21)
Place of birth	São Pedro da Cova, Portugal
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Chelsea
Number	40
Youth career
1987–1994	Porto
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994–1995	Naval	27	(0)
1995–1996	Académica	33	(2)
1996–2004	Porto	40	(0)
1998–1999	→ Estrela Amadora (loan)	27	(0)
2001–2002	→ Varzim (loan)	24	(0)
2003	→ Académica (loan)	10	(0)
2003–2004	→ Nacional (loan)	19	(0)
2004–2006	Nacional	40	(0)
2006–	Chelsea	20	(0)
National team
1996–1997	Portugal U21	8	(0)
2010	Portugal	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:21, 9 September 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Henrique Hilário Meireles Sampaio (born 21 October 1975), commonly known as Hilário, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League as a goalkeeper.

Club career

Portugal

Hilário was born in São Pedro da Cova, Porto District. After emerging through F.C. Porto's youth system, he left and began playing professionally with lowly Associação Naval 1º de Maio and Académica de Coimbra - respectively in divisions three and two.

Hilário returned to Porto for the 1996–97 season, after Vítor Baía's departure to FC Barcelona, appearing in 18 matches as the club won the national championship for the third straight time. He soon would be deemed surplus to requirements however (Baía also returned from Spain in January 1999), being loaned three times during his spell with the club, with C.F. Estrela da Amadora, Varzim SC, Académica and C.D. Nacional, while also being demoted to the team's reserves.

Released by Porto in the 2004 summer, Hilário signed with Madeira's Nacional on a permanent basis, playing 29 matches in his first season, but losing his importance after the arrival of Swiss Diego Benaglio.

Chelsea

Hilário signed with Chelsea on 1 June 2006, joining former Porto boss José Mourinho, the two having coincided there for a brief period in the 2003–04 pre-season. He was originally signed as third-choice goalkeeper, as back-up to Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini, but was handed a run in the first team after both Čech and Cudicini sustained injuries in Chelsea's game against Reading on 14 October 2006. He made his Chelsea debut on 18 October, against FC Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win; his league debut came three days later, against Portsmouth (2–1 home win).

Hilário's run in the side saw him make a total of 18 appearances during the 2006–07 season, keeping eight clean sheets; he also saved a penalty in an away game against Sheffield United. Čech's return to fitness in February 2007 saw him back on the substitutes bench, and he was an unused replacement in Chelsea's League Cup final win over Arsenal.

At the start of 2007–08, Hilário found himself again third-choice to both Čech and Cudicini, but made a substitute appearance against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, after Petr Čech suffered a hip injury. He went on to start against Newcastle United and Fulham, as Chelsea won both matches 2–1. On 8 April 2008, he made a substitute appearance against Fenerbahce SK, due to an injury to Cudicini, in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the season's UEFA Champions League, and kept a clean sheet. Portuguese newspapers subsequently hinted at a possible call-up to the Portuguese national side.

On 26 January 2009, Cudicini left Chelsea for Tottenham Hotspur, leaving Hilário as second-choice, and promoting Rhys Taylor to the first team. On 7 February, he made his first 2008–09 start after an injury to Čech, against Hull City, and kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. Hilário was an unused substitute during Chelsea's 2009 FA Cup Final win over Everton.

On 26 September 2009, when Čech was red carded against Wigan Athletic after a tackle on Hugo Rodallega, Hilário came on for Florent Malouda and let in two goals, one of which a penalty, in a 1–3 away loss. Due to Čech's suspension, he was in the starting line-up for the game against Liverpool at home on 4 October, and performed well, keeping a clean sheet and receiving the Barclays Man of the match award.

Hilário made his first appearance in 2010 coming off the bench for an injured Čech, in the second half of Chelsea's 1–2 loss at F.C. Internazionale Milano in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, letting in no goals in about 30 minutes. He made another appearance in the Premier League, this time against Manchester City, and conceded four goals from Carlos Tévez and Craig Bellamy as Chelsea lost 2–4, their first home loss in the 2009–10 season, although the Blues eventually won the championship.

On 13 June 2011, 35-year old Hilário signed a one-year contract extension at Chelsea. Following the appointment of countryman André Villas-Boas as manager and the knee injury suffered by Čech late into the preseason, he was propelled to the starting lineup over Ross Turnbull, appearing in two games and conceding two goals (in two home wins).

International career

Hilário received his first call-up for Portugal in November 2009, at the age of 34, as backup to Eduardo for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification playoffs against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a role for which Rui Patrício, José Moreira, Daniel Fernandes and Beto were also tried.

After being an unused substitute on that match, Hilário made his debut in the next game, a friendly with China on 3 March 2010, coming on for Eduardo at halftime in a 2–0 win.

Honours

Porto

• Portuguese League: 1996–97, 1997–98
• Portuguese Cup: 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2000–01
• Portuguese Supercup: 1996

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2009–10
• FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10
• Football League Cup: 2006–07
• FA Community Shield: 2009; Runner-up 2010

External links

• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• Stats at ForaDeJogo (Portuguese)
• Henrique Hilário career stats at Soccerbase
• Henrique Hilário at National-Football-Teams.com
• Premier League profile