Joao Meira

Joao Diogo Serpa Meira (born 30 April 1987) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Leixoes S.C. as a central defender.

Club Career

Born in Setubal, Meira spent until the age of 24 competing in the third and fourth divisions. In the 2010–11 season, he started in all of his 33 league appearances as Atletico Clube de Portugal returned to the Segunda Liga following a lengthy absence.

Meira made his professional debut on 31 July 2011, in a 0–1 home loss against S.C. Freamunde in the first round of the Taca da Liga. On 2 February 2012, he was suspended for eight months after failing a drug test on 29 May of the previous year, in a match against Padroense FC.

For 2012–13, Meira joined C.F. Os Belenenses also in the second tier, signing a three-year contract. He contributed 34 games and two goals, as the Lisbon side returned to the Primeira Liga after three years, as champions with 21 points more than the closest team in the table.

From 2013 to 2015, Meira started in 43 of his 45 league appearances, and Belenenses also qualified for the UEFA Europa League in the latter season. On 23 January 2016, aged 28, he moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing with Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer as a free agent. He made his debut on 6 March, as the campaign opened with a 3–4 home defeat to New York City FC.

After a solid performance during a 3–0 win over Philadelphia Union at Toyota Park on 4 September 2016, Meira earned a spot on the Team of the Week. In November 2017, he announced he would not continue the following season.

Meira joined Spanish Segunda Division club Lorca FC on 11 January 2018. Eleven days later, however, after the latter failed to meet the terms of the contract, he left.

On 23 March 2018, Meira signed a one-year deal with Valerenga Fotball from the Norwegian Eliteserien. In late January 2019, he moved to the Romanian Liga I with CS Concordia Chiajna.