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Tiago Cardoso Mendes (; born 2 May 1981), known simply as Tiago, is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a midfielder.
He played professionally in five of Europe's major leagues, Portugal, England, France, Italy and Spain. He notably spent eight seasons with Atlético Madrid, winning five major titles including the 2013–14 La Liga and the 2012 Europa League.
A Portugal international on 66 occasions, Tiago represented the nation in two World Cups and Euro 2004. He later worked briefly as a manager.
In late December 2001, solid displays earned Tiago – and Braga teammates Armando Sá and Ricardo Rocha – a move to giants S.L. Benfica. In his first full season he scored a career-best 13 goals to help to a runner-up position in the Primeira Liga and, the following year, won the Taça de Portugal against FC Porto.
Tiago was a regular for Chelsea, having only missed four games in the league. He ended the season successfully as a firm fixture in the Blues' midfield three, making 51 appearances in all competitions and scoring four goals as the club also added the Football League Cup. However, despite his initial success, the following campaign saw the arrival of Michael Essien from Olympique Lyonnais, which limited his first-team chances; during his time at Stamford Bridge his loss percentage in the league was 2.94%, just once in 34 appearances – 1–0 at Manchester City on 16 October 2004 – which was the lowest in history for any player having appeared at least 20 times.
After the departure of Diarra to Real Madrid the following campaign, Tiago began to play a more significant role in Lyon's midfield with his former teammate's replacement Jérémy Toulalan. He won his second league title and helped reach the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, lost to FC Girondins de Bordeaux after a Last-minute goal; overall, he netted six times in 38 matches.
The start of the following campaign gave Tiago an opportunity to return to the Premier League in the form of year-long loan offer from Everton, with the Italians agreeing to the deal but with the player refusing to terms. The negotiations had a violent end when he forcibly locked Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli inside a toilet stall – the chairman was finally rescued by captain Alessandro Del Piero, more than an hour later. He eventually established himself in Claudio Ranieri's side but, in November 2008, against Inter Milan, he was stretchered off the pitch with a serious knee injury just several minutes into the match, and was sidelined for almost two months.
Tiago returned to the bench for the January match against S.S. Lazio, but found himself down the pecking order as Cristiano Zanetti, Mohamed Sissoko, and emerging youngster Claudio Marchisio were Ranieri's preferred centre midfield pairing. Following injuries to Sissoko and later Marchisio he was back in the starting XI, but his return was soured by a straight red card in the Derby d'Italia fixture in April (1–1 home draw).
The first half of 2009–10 was one to forget for Tiago. With the arrivals of midfielders Diego and Felipe Melo, coupled by his slight dip in form, his appearances were again limited; under Ciro Ferrara he was relegated to the bench once again, only making seven Serie A appearances.
After helping the Colchoneros to the domestic cup final – he was cup-tied for the Europa League – a new loan deal was arranged with Juventus. Again, he played in significantly more minutes than García as Atlético finally qualified for the Europa League, and added four goals in La Liga, including a brace to help defeat Málaga CF 3–0 away, both goals coming from headers.
On 20 July 2011, Tiago signed a permanent two-year deal. He was again an important part of the team that reached the Europa League final, usually playing as a starter under coach Diego Simeone, who replaced Gregorio Manzano midway through the season; he missed the decisive match in Bucharest however, being sent off in the semi-final's second leg against Valencia CF (1–0 away victory, 5–2 on aggregate) after slapping Roberto Soldado.
On 21 July 2014, aged 33, Tiago renewed his contract with Atlético for two seasons. On 13 September he put the visiting team ahead at Real Madrid after heading home a corner kick from Koke, in an eventual 2–1 win. In the reverse fixture on 7 February 2015, he opened the scoring in a 4–0 rout; eighteen days later, he received his marching orders in the 1–0 away loss to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the first leg of the Champions League last-16.
On 28 November 2015, in the first half of the league fixture against RCD Espanyol, Tiago suffered an undisplaced fracture to his right tibia, going on to be sidelined for several months. He left the Vicente Calderón Stadium at the end of the 2016–17 campaign, with competitive totals of 229 games and 19 goals both spells comprised.
Moving to France proved crucial in international selection as Tiago's strong form at Lyon afforded him a place in Portugal's well-established midfield. His contributions aided the national team in their quest for qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and he appeared in five matches in the tournament held in Germany as Portugal reached the semi-finals, losing to France.
Tiago scored his first goal on 28 March 2007, in a Player of the match display away to Serbia (1–1). He was, however, overlooked, for Euro 2008's final squad.
Tiago was selected for the squad at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, replacing Deco in the first game, a 0–0 against the Ivory Coast. He took the naturalised Brazilian's place for the following fixture, netting twice (including a header) in a 7–0 demolition of North Korea in Cape Town on 21 June.
After the World Cup, Tiago officially quit the national team citing personal reasons, and also to "make room for opportunities for younger players," ending his international career with 58 caps and three goals. On 3 October 2014, however, after an absence of almost four years, he was called up by new manager Fernando Santos for a friendly with France and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Denmark. He was sent off for two bookings on 13 June 2015, in a 3–2 win in Armenia in another qualifying match; he was not selected for the finals, not having fully recovered from a broken leg.
Tiago had his first head coaching experience on 28 July 2020, signing a two-year contract with Vitória de Guimarães. He signed his former international teammate Ricardo Quaresma. On his managerial debut on 18 September, he lost by one goal at home to B-SAD.
Tiago resigned on 8 October 2020, having taken four points from three games.
Chelsea
Lyon
Atlético Madrid
Portugal
Orders
Juventus
On 17 June 2007, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas confirmed that Tiago's departure from Lyon was imminent with both Juventus FC and A.C. Milan reportedly after his signature; he officially signed for the former five days later, for a €13 million fee. His performance in 2007–08 was criticised, however, with Goal.com describing him as the third biggest of the season.
Atlético Madrid
On 8 January 2010, Tiago joined Atlético Madrid on loan until the end of the season. He scored his first league goal in nearly three years on 21 January, heading home against RC Celta de Vigo in a 1–1 home draw in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey (2–1 aggregate win); gradually, he established himself in the starting lineup ahead of longtime incumbent Raúl García, also reuniting with former Benfica teammate Simão Sabrosa.
International career
Tiago's performances in Portugal's youth teams eventually earned him his senior debut against Scotland in a November 2002 Exhibition game. He went on to seal a regular berth in the squad and was included in the 23-man list for UEFA Euro 2004, although he did not play in the finals; originally part of the squad for that year's Summer Olympic Games, he withdrew through injury.
Coaching career
Immediately after retiring, Tiago spent one year as assistant to former manager Simeone. He returned to the national team setup in June 2019, working with every age group from the under-15s to the under-20s.
Style of play
A versatile defensive or central midfielder, with good vision and overall skills, Tiago was known mainly for his work-rate, tenacity and tackling ability, as well as his accurate distribution of the ball after winning back possession. These attributes earned him the nickname "the washing machine" during his time with Lyon.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Braga 1999–2000 Primeira Liga 1 2000–01 Primeira Liga 0 2001–02 Primeira Liga 3 Benfica 2001–02 Primeira Liga 1 2002–03 Primeira Liga 13 2003–04 Primeira Liga 11 Chelsea 2004–05 Premier League 4 2005–06 Premier League 0 Lyon 2005–06 Ligue 1 7 2006–07 Ligue 1 6 Juventus FC 2007–08 Serie A 0 2008–09 Serie A 0 2009–10 Serie A 0 Atlético Madrid (loan) 2009–10 La Liga 3 2010–11 La Liga 6 Atlético Madrid 2011–12 La Liga 0 2012–13 La Liga 2 2013–14 La Liga 2 2014–15 La Liga 5 2015–16 La Liga 1 2016–17 La Liga 1
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0
+ List of international goals scored by Tiago Mendes Euro 2008 qualifying 2010 FIFA World Cup 7–0
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenure Vitória Guimarães 28 July 2020 8 October 2020
Honours
Benfica
External links
Categories: 1981 Births, Living People, 21st-century Portuguese Sportsmen, Portuguese Men's Footballers, Footballers From Viana Do Castelo, Men's Association Football Midfielders, Primeira Liga Players, Segunda Divisão Players, S.c. Braga B Players, S.c. Braga Players, S.l. Benfica Footballers, Premier League Players, Chelsea F.c. Players, Ligue 1 Players, Olympique Lyonnais Players, Serie A Players, Juventus Fc Players, La Liga Players, Atlético Madrid Footballers, Portugal Men's Youth International Footballers, Portugal Men's Under-21 International Footballers, Portugal Men's International Footballers, Uefa Euro 2004 Players, 2006 Fifa World Cup Players, 2010 Fifa World Cup Players, Portuguese Expatriate Men's Footballers, Expatriate Men's Footballers In England, Expatriate Men's Footballers In France, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Italy, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Spain, Portuguese Expatriate Sportspeople In England, Portuguese Expatriate Sportspeople In France, Portuguese Expatriate Sportspeople In Italy, Portuguese Expatriate Sportspeople In Spain, Portuguese Football Managers, Primeira Liga Managers, Vitória S.c. Managers, Atlético Madrid Non-playing Staff
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