Kevin Mirallas

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Mirallas and the second or maternal family name is Castillo.
Kevin Mirallas

Mirallas with Belgium in 2013
Personal information
Full name Kevin Antonio Joel Gislain Mirallas y Castillo[1]
Date of birth (1987-10-05) 5 October 1987[2]
Place of birth Liège, Belgium
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) [3]
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current team
 Everton
Number 11
Youth career
1999–2004 Standard Liège
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2004–2008 Lille 76 (10)
2008–2010 Saint-Étienne 53 (3)
2010–2012 Olympiacos 52 (34)
2012– Everton 108 (23)
National team‡
2003 Belgium U16 10 (8)
2003–2004 Belgium U17 13 (7)
2005 Belgium U18 4 (0)
2005–2006 Belgium U19 16 (4)
2006–2007 Belgium U21 5 (2)
2007– Belgium 51 (9)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of match played 16 April 2016.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of match played 13 November 2015

Kevin Antonio Joel Gislain Mirallas y Castillo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkeβin miˈɾaʎas]; born 5 October 1987) more commonly known as Kevin Mirallas is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Everton and the Belgium national team.

Mirallas started his professional career in France with Lille & Saint-Étienne before moving to Greece with Olympiacos in 2010. Mirallas enjoyed success during his time at Olympiacos scoring 34 goals in 52 league games, including being the league's top scorer in his second season with 20 goals in 25 games. His impressive performances attracted the services of Everton who signed him in the summer of 2012 for £6 million.

Mirallas has over 50 caps for Belgium since his senior debut in 2007. He has represented Belgium at various youth levels and has featured for them at senior level at the 2008 Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup; the latter of which he helped his team reach the quarter-finals.

Club career

Early career

Mirallas spent his youth career playing for his hometown club Standard Liège.[4] He then left Belgium and began his first team career in France by signing for Lille OSC and played for them since the opening of the 2004–05 season.[2] Mirallas participated in the UEFA Cup in his first season at the club. Mirallas subsequently was transferred to AS Saint-Étienne for €4 million, and began to make a name for himself by scoring against Lyon on his debut in the Rhone-Loire derby.[5]

Olympiacos

Mirallas playing for Olympiacos in 2012

In June 2010 Mirallas joined Greek club Olympiacos on a one-year loan for a fee of €2.5 million.[6] Mirallas made his debut in a 5–0 win against KS Besa Kavaje in the Second Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa League Qualifiers[7] and scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–1 home win against Olympiakos Volos.[8] Mirallas scored in a 2–1 away loss to their greatest rivals Panathinaikos in the Derby of the eternal enemies after which his contract was extended to four years.[9] Olympiacos won that season's Greek Super League and Mirallas finished as the club's top scorer with 14 goals, with only Panathinaikos's Djibril Cissé scoring more league goals than him. The following season Mirallas scored his first ever hat-trick for Olympiacos in a 4–0 away win against Levadiakos F.C.[10] and scored four in a 7–2 victory over Asteras Tripolis.[11] Olympiacos again won the league,[12] and Mirallas was the league's top scorer with 20 goals.[13]

Everton

In August 2012, Mirallas joined English Premier League club Everton for a reported fee of £6 million.[14]

2012–13 season

He made his debut as a second-half substitute during a 3–1 league win over Aston Villa at Villa Park in which he had a headed goal disallowed due to it being ruled offside.[15] In his first start four days later, Mirallas scored twice and provided two assists as Everton won 5–0 against Leyton Orient in the second round of the League Cup.[16] He scored his first league goal on 22 September 2012, in a 3–0 away win against Swansea City after heading in his initial effort which rebounded off the underside of the bar.[17] Mirallas suffered a number of injuries which limited his number of appearances during the middle part of the season. He made a number of brief cameos, notably against Tottenham Hotspur in December. Mirallas' next goal came against Oldham Athletic in a 3–1 win on 26 February 2013 in the fifth round of the FA Cup. He then scored again, scoring his second league goal of the season against Reading in a 3–1 win on 2 March 2013. He scored his first brace in David Moyes' last home game in charge of Everton in a 2–0 win against West Ham United.[18]

2013–14 season

Mirallas warming-up for Everton in 2015.

Mirallas scored and assisted a goal during a 3–3 draw in the first Merseyside derby of the 2013–14 season on 23 November.[19] He also received a booking for a high challenge on Luis Suárez which opposing manager Brendan Rodgers described as reckless and insisted Mirallas was lucky to remain on the pitch.[20] In the 85th minute of the game on 1 February, he scored a 25-yard free kick against Aston Villa to win the game 2–1.[21] He went on to score eight goals in the season, before it was ended in April due to a groin injury.[22] Mirallas created 61 chances for his teammates during the season, the most of any Everton player.[23]

2014–15 season

On 18 September 2014, Mirallas scored his first European goal for Everton, netting in a 4–1 win over Wolfsburg in the first match of their Europa League campaign.[24] On 19 January 2015, Mirallas came in for the suspended Aiden McGeady for a home match against West Bromwich Albion, but missed a penalty in the first half and was substituted for Bryan Oviedo at halftime; the match ended goalless.[25] Manager Roberto Martínez stated that Mirallas was substituted due to injury rather than for missing the penalty.[26]

2015–16 season

On 7 August 2015, Mirallas signed new three-year contract with the club.[27]

International career

Mirallas in action against DaMarcus Beasley during an international friendly against the United States on 29 May 2013

Mirallas has represented Belgium at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level, and was one of the leading figures in guiding the under-21s to the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.

He scored twice in the 2008 Summer Olympics football tournament, once against China (2–0 victory) and once against Italy (3–2 victory).[28] He made his full international debut for the senior team in 2007 and scored his first ever international goal against Serbia in Brussels on 23 August of that year, as a Mousa Dembélé brace helped the Red Devils to a 3–2 home victory.[29]

Mirallas was part of the Belgian squad which reached the quarter-finals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, making his tournament debut in the second group match, a 1–0 win over Russia in the Maracanã, as a 75th-minute substitute for Dries Mertens. In a game of few opportunities, Mirallas hit the post with Belgium's first shot on target, with another substitute Divock Origi scoring the only goal two minutes from full-time.[30]

Style of play

Mirallas was deployed as a centre forward for Olympiakos but since his move to Everton he has been deployed mainly as a winger or a free roaming forward. He is known for his pace, close ball control, passing ability and proficiency in one-on-one situations.

Personal life

Mirallas' father was born in Spain,[31] although Mirallas was born in Liège.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 5 March 2016.[2][32]
Club Division Season League Cup League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lille Ligue 1 2004–05 3100000031
2005–06 151002020191
2006–07 232002050302
2007–08 356210000377
Total 76102140708911
Saint-Étienne 2008–09 303200081404
2009–10 230412000291
Total 533612081695
Olympiacos Superleague 2010–11 27143000303314
2011–12 25203000603420
Total 52346000906734
Everton Premier League 2012–13 2764122—339
2013–14 3294010—379
2014–15 2972100533611
2015–16 1522141—214
Total 10324123735312733
Career total 2857126513329435283

International goals

Scores and results lists Belgium's goal tally first.[33]
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 22 August 2007 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium  Serbia 2–0 3–2 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2. 12 September 2007 Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan  Kazakhstan 2–1 2–2 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3. 19 November 2008 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg  Luxembourg 1–0 1–1 Friendly
4. 14 November 2009 Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent, Belgium  Hungary 3–0 3–0 Friendly
5. 25 May 2012 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium  Montenegro 1–1 2–2 Friendly
6. 12 October 2012 Stadium Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade, Serbia  Serbia 3–0 3–0 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
7. 29 May 2013 FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, United States  United States 1–0 4–2 Friendly
8. 6 September 2013 Hampden Park, Glasgow, United Kingdom  Scotland 2–0 2–0 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
9. 19 November 2013 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium  Japan 1–0 2–3 Friendly

Honours

Club

Olympiacos[2]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Clubs submit retained and released lists". Premier League. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "K. Mirallas". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "Everton Football Club Profile". web page. Everton F.C. 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Blues Complete Mirallas Swoop". Everton F.C. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  5. ↑ "O. Lyon 1–1 AS Saint-Etienne". Goal. 1 February 2009.
  6. ↑ FIFA.com – Mirallas joins Olympiakos on loan
  7. ↑ "Μπέσα-Ολυμπιακός 0–5". Sport24. 15 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "Ολυμπιακός-Ολυμπιακός Βόλου 3–1". Sport24. 2 October 2010.
  9. ↑ "Η Σεντ Ετιέν ανακοίνωσε Μιραλάς!". Sport24. 1 February 2011.
  10. ↑ "Mirallas treble sends Olympiacos top". FIFA. 14 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "OLYMPIACOS F.C. – ASTERAS TRIPOLIS 7–2". Olympiacos.org. 25 March 2012.
  12. ↑ "Everton have signed forward Kevin Mirallas on a four-year deal from Olympiakos for a fee of about £6m". BBC Sport. 19 August 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Στατιστικά Παικτών". Super League Greece. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "Everton sign Kevin Mirallas from Olympiakos for £6m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "Aston Villa 1–3 Everton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  16. ↑ "Everton 5–0 Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  17. ↑ "Swansea 0–3 Everton" BBC Sport. 22 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  18. ↑ "Mirallas double downs Hammers". Whufc.com. 12 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "Everton 3–3 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Everton 3–3 Liverpool: Brendan Rodgers angry with Kevin Mirallas". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  21. ↑ "Premier League: Kevin Mirallas' free-kick helps Everton seal 2–1 win over Aston Villa". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  22. ↑ "Everton's Kevin Mirallas ruled out for rest of season with injury". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  23. ↑ "Squawka Awards: A statistical review of Everton’s Premier League season". Squawka. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  24. ↑ "Everton marked their Europa League return with a dominant victory over Germans Wolfsburg at Goodison Park.". BBC Sport. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  25. ↑ Abraham, Timothy (19 January 2015). "Everton 0–0 West Brom". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  26. ↑ "Everton: Kevin Mirallas substituted over injury not penalty miss". BBC Sport. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  27. ↑ "Mirallas Pens New Deal". Everton F.C. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  28. ↑ "Kevin Mirallas Biography and Statistics". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  29. ↑ "Dembélé double downs Serbia". UEFA. 23 August 2007.
  30. ↑ Chase, Graham (22 June 2014). "Belgium 1–0 Russia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  31. ↑ http://premierskills.britishcouncil.org/en/learn-english/kevin-mirallas-player-profile
  32. ↑ "Kevin Mirallas French stats". LFP. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  33. ↑ "Kevin Mirallas". eu-football.info. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  34. ↑ rvh (4 May 2012). "Kevin Mirallas is speler van het jaar in Griekenland". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 Aug 2014.
  35. ↑ "Kevin Mirallas – player profile". Premier Skills (British Council). Retrieved 11 February 2015.

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