Mika (footballer, born 1991)
 Mika with Benfica in 2012. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Simões Domingues | ||
| Date of birth | 8 March 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Yverdon, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Sunderland | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2006 | Sporting Pombal | ||
| 2006–2010 | União Leiria | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | União Leiria | 4 | (0) |
| 2011–2014 | Benfica | 0 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Benfica B | 31 | (0) |
| 2014 | Atlético | 16 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Boavista | 58 | (0) |
| 2016– | Sunderland | 0 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2011 | Portugal U20 | 17 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Portugal U21 | 6 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 September 2016. | |||
Michael Simões Domingues (born 8 March 1991), known as Mika, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for English club Sunderland as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Born in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland to Portuguese parents, Mika joined U.D. Leiria's youth ranks in 2006, aged 15. He was promoted to the main squad for the 2009–10 season, as third-choice. On 26 February 2010, in a home match against Vitória de Guimarães, he made his Primeira Liga debut, replacing Carlão after Hélder Godinho received a red card for committing a foul inside the box – he was not able to prevent Andrezinho from scoring the game's only goal, in the subsequent penalty kick; the following campaign he was still a backup, but two of his three appearances were against Sporting Clube de Portugal (0–0 away draw) and S.L. Benfica (3–3, also away).
On 7 July 2011, whilst on international duty with the Portuguese under-20s, Mika signed a five-year contract with Benfica for €500,000.[1] He played no official games during 2011–12, playing understudy to experienced Artur and Eduardo, going on to spend the following two seasons with the B-team in the second division.
On 27 January 2014, Mika cut ties with the Lisbon club.[2] He signed for two years with second level side Atlético Clube de Portugal the same day,[3] being first-choice during his short tenure but not being able to help prevent relegation.
Mika returned to the top flight in the 2014 summer, penning a three-year deal with Boavista FC.[4] During the 2016 summer, he gained interest from Premier League clubs Leicester City[5] and Sunderland: initial reports stated he agreed a move to the latter on transfer deadline day, but the deal was not finalized as the transfer window had already closed. The reason for the delayed transfer was a technical fault at the Portuguese end, but after an appeal to FIFA he was granted permission to join and signed a two-year contract.[6]
Mika played no official games in his first season, serving as backup to Jordan Pickford and Vito Mannone.[7]
International career
Mika was Portugal's starter at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia: he helped the national team reach the final without conceding a single goal, before losing to Brazil 2–3 in the decisive match. In the quarter-finals against Argentina he saved three penalties in the shootout and, in the following game, against France, he broke the record for number of minutes without conceding a goal in U-20 World Cup history, in a 2–0 win,[8] and was eventually voted as best goalkeeper in the tournament.
Subsequently, Mika was chosen by under-21 manager Rui Jorge for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign. He played in half of the games, with Portugal just missing out on the play-off round.
Club statistics
- As of 1 September 2016[9]
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 2009–10 | União Leiria | Primeira Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Benfica | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012–13 | Benfica B | Segunda Liga | 30 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | |||||
| 2013–14 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Atlético | Segunda Liga | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Boavista | Primeira Liga | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 58 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Sunderland | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career Total | 109 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 116 | 0 | ||
Honours
International
- Portugal
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: Runner-up 2011
Individual
References
- ↑ Benfica: guarda-redes Mika garantido por 500 mil euros (Benfica: goalkeeper Mika confirmed for 500.000 euros); Diário de Notícias, 7 July 2011 (in Portuguese)
- ↑ Mika rescindiu contrato (Mika has terminated contract); A Bola, 27 January 2014 (in Portuguese)
- ↑ Mika reforça alcantarenses (Mika bolsters alcantarenses); A Bola, 27 January 2014 (in Portuguese)
- ↑ Mika reforça baliza do Boavista (Mika bolsters Boavista goal); Zerozero, 24 June 2014 (in Portuguese)
- ↑ Leicester City plot £1million move for Portuguese goalkeeper Mika; Talk Sport, 23 May 2016
- ↑ "Sunderland sign Mika". Sunderland A.F.C. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ↑ "Did Sunderland get anything right this season?". Evening Chronicle. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- ↑ Portugal see off France to reach final; FIFA.com, 17 July 2011
- ↑ "Mika". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
