Tiago Cardoso

Tiago Cardoso Mendes (, born May 2, 1981, in Viana do Castelo, Portugal) or more commonly referred to as Tiago, is a Portugal professional football (soccer) player. Generally, Tiago plays as a central midfielder and during his time at Olympique Lyonnais and Juventus he took up both Midfielder "Box-to-box" and Midfielder Defensive midfielder duties. He is an occasional goal scorer and is a known for his Passing (Association Football) and dribbling. Tiago currently plays as a midfielder for, Italian club, Juventus F.C. and the Portugal national football team.

Tiago has played for two teams in the Portuguese Liga; starting a S.C. Braga and later moving to SL Benfica. His first cup medal came in 2004 after Benfica beat F.C. Porto. Chelsea F.C bought Tiago for Euro15m in 2004 but he was sold to Olympique Lyonnais the following season. After two league winning seasons with the club, Tiago moved to Juventus in 2007, helping them finish 3rd in the Serie A 2007-08

Club career

Tiago came to prominence at S.C. Braga, the reserve team of S.C. Braga, during the 1999-00 in Portuguese football. He moved to the main team the 2000-01 in Portuguese football, helping Braga secure 4th place just a place away for UEFA Cup qualification.

Tiago moved to SL Benfica in December 2001 where he excelled in the 2002-03 in Portuguese football, scoring 13 times in the league, playing a significant part in the club's second place finish. He then helped Benfica defeat FC Porto in the Cup of Portugal during the 2003-04 in Portuguese football, denying Porto an historic The Treble.

Tiago signed for Chelsea F.C. on July 20, 2004, for a Euro15m fee, becoming José Mourinho's sixth signing that season. Having missed the first game of Chelsea's FA Premier League 2004-05, Tiago soon became an important member of his new team's squad, scoring on his away debut against Crystal Palace F.C. on August 24, 2004. Tiago also scored a long-range goal in Chelsea's 3-1 win over Manchester United on May 10, 2005, after already winning the Premier League title. Tiago was a regular for Chelsea that season, having only missed four games in the Premier League. He ended the season successfully as a firm fixture in the Blues' midfield three, having made 51 appearances in all competitions and scoring 4 goals. Chelsea won the Premier League and Football League Cup that season.

Despite his initial success, the following season saw the arrival of Michael Essien in August 2005 and this limited Tiago's first team chances. After an emotional goodbye, Tiago flew to Lyon and completed his medical with French giants Olympique Lyonnais, signing a four-year deal for a Euro10.1m transfer fee. Mourinho later confessed in an interview that letting Tiago go was "a big mistake".

Usually playing in a defensive midfield role alongside Juninho Pernambucano, Mahamadou Diarra and Florent Malouda, Tiago excelled for Lyon scoring 7 goals in 37 appearances. The highlights of his first season in France were a pair of goals against PSV Eindhoven that took Lyon into the UEFA Champions League 2005-06 and the winning goal against Troyes AC on April 1, 2006. Lyon finished top of the league during the Ligue 1 season 2005/2006 which was a 5th consecutive Ligue 1 title for the club. After the departure of Diarra to Real Madrid the Ligue 1 season 2006/2007, Tiago began to play a more significant role in Lyon's midfield with Diarra's replacement, Jeremy Toulalan. He won his second Ligue 1 title that season and helped Lyon to the Coupe de la Ligue final. However, the club lost to FC Girondins de Bordeaux after a last minute strike. Tiago scored 6 goals in 40 appearances in his second season with the club.

On June 17, 2007, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas confirmed that Tiago's departure from Lyon was imminent with both Juventus and AC Milan reportedly after his signature. He officially signed for Juventus on June 21, 2007, for a Euro13m fee. However, his performance in the Serie_A_2007-08 season was criticised, Goal.com describing him as the third biggest flop of the season.

The start of the Serie A 2008-09 season gave Tiago an opportunity to return to the Premier League in the form of year long loan offer from Everton F.C.. Juventus agreed to the deal but Tiago refused their terms, favouring to stay in Italy instead. The negotiations between the player and the club had a violent end when Tiago forcibly locked Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli inside a toilet. Cobolli Gigli was finally rescued by Alessandro del Piero more than an hour later. Tiago is now likely to move back to England, and join Tottenham Hotspur in January, as their manager, Juande Ramos looks to strenghten his side. The move is likely to be for around £10million, Tiago has also stated his desire to leave Juventus, and join the English club.