Mineiro bridges gap in Chelsea midfield
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Article summary
Chelsea FC have signed out-of-contract Brazil midfielder Mineiro to fill the void left by the injured Michael Essien, with manager Luiz Felipe Scolari comparing the former Hertha BSC Berlin player to Claude Makelele.
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Essien injury
Mineiro, 33, was released this summer after 18 months with Hertha BSC Berlin and has agreed a deal until the end of the season, although he is ineligible to join the Chelsea squad for the UEFA Champions League group stage. Capped 25 times by Brazil and part of São Paulo FC's 2005 Copa Libertadores and FIFA Club World Cup winning side – scoring the winner in the global competition against his new domestic rivals Liverpool FC – Mineiro has moved to Chelsea after Essien was ruled out for six months with knee ligament damage.
Makelele comparison
His compatriot, Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, said: "He is a player I need because I lost Michael Essien for six months. I have only one midfielder like him, [John] Mikel [Obi]. I say to fans of Chelsea: if they remember [Claude] Makelele, Mineiro is the same." Scolari estimates that Mineiro will be ready to play in a fortnight.
