Raphaël Guerreiro


Raphaël Adelino José Guerreiro is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for German club Borussia Dortmund and the Portuguese national team mainly as a left back but also as a left midfielder.
Born in France, he began his career at Caen, signing in 2013 with Lorient where he made his Ligue 1 debut. In June 2016, he joined Borussia Dortmund.
Guerreiro represented Portugal at under-21 and senior level, first appearing for the latter in 2014. He was part of their squad at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2016, winning the latter tournament.

Club career

Caen

Born in Le Blanc-Mesnil, Seine-Saint-Denis to a Portuguese father and a French mother, Guerreiro played youth football for three clubs, finishing his formation at Stade Malherbe Caen after signing in 2008 at the age of 14. After starting as a senior with the reserve team he made his professional debut in the 2012–13 season, appearing in all the games and failing to start only once in an eventual fourth-place finish in Ligue 2; he was also elected to the Team of the Year.

Lorient

On 27 June 2013, Guerreiro moved to Ligue 1 after signing a four-year contract with FC Lorient. His maiden appearance in the competition took place on 10 August, as he featured the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 away loss against Lille OSC.
On 1 November 2014, Guerreiro scored his first goal for Lorient, opening the scoring at title-holders Paris Saint-Germain F.C. but in an eventual 1–2 defeat. He finished the campaign with seven goals to help his team stave off relegation, including the equaliser as they came from behind to defeat his former employers 2–1 at the Stade du Moustoir.
Guerreiro opened the scoring in a Derby Breton on 24 October 2015, assisted by Majeed Waris in a 1–1 home draw against Stade Rennais FC.

Borussia Dortmund

On 16 June 2016, Borussia Dortmund signed Guerreiro to a four-year contract for a reported fee of €12 million. Under coach Thomas Tuchel, he was primarily deployed as a midfielder.

International career

Guerreiro accepted the call to represent the Portugal under-21 team after being spotted by Rui Jorge's coaching staff, making his debut on 21 March 2013 in a 0–1 home defeat against Sweden. On 7 November 2014, even though he hardly spoke the language, he was called up by Fernando Santos to the full side for a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Armenia and a friendly with Argentina. He made his debut on 14 November against the former opponent, playing the entire 1–0 win in Faro; four days later, against the latter, he scored in the last minute for the only goal at Old Trafford.
Guerreiro returned to the under-21s for the 2015 UEFA European Championship in the Czech Republic, helping them finish in second place. He was one of five Portuguese included in the Team of the Tournament.
Guerreiro was selected by the main squad for their Euro 2016 campaign, playing the full 90 minutes in the first game, a 1–1 draw to Iceland in Saint-Étienne. Portugal went on to win the competition, defeating hosts France 1–0 in the final in extra time; following his performances throughout the competition, he was nominated for the Young Player of the Tournament Award, which ultimately went to his teammate Renato Sanches.
In spite of an injury-riddled season, Guerreiro was picked for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

In 2014, Guerreiro said that he supported S.L. Benfica, dreamed of playing for Real Madrid and his favourite player was Cristiano Ronaldo. His Portugal under-21 manager, Rui Jorge, remembered him as a very introverted character, in part due to his language difficulties.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
118 November 2014Old Trafford, Manchester, England21–01–0Friendly
229 May 2016Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal62–03–0Friendly

Honours

Club

Borussia Dortmund
Portugal