http://www.chelseafc.com/Player.asp?plid=26747

PLAYER PROFILES

Tiago


     Signed in the summer of 2004, Tiago is a Portuguese international
midfielder with the ability to control the tempo of the game, linking
defence and attack.


     His final game for former club Benfica was as an important part of
the team that defeated Jose Mourinho's Porto in the Portuguese Cup
Final, one of only five defeats for the Chelsea manager in 2004. He
weighed in with 13 league goals that season and showed in bursts his
goalscoring prowess in his first year with Chelsea, no more so than with
a stunner at Old Trafford in May.


     Braga was Tiago's first employer in Portugal and after two-and-a-
half years he was taken to capital by the giants Benfica, making his
international debut before another year had passed.


     A non-playing member of Portugal's Euro 2004 squad, he was also
selected for his country's Olympic side but missed that tournament and the
first game of Chelsea's season through minor injury.


     On his first start away at Crystal Palace, Tiago scored his first
goal and instantly became the recipient of a new song from the
appreciative fans. A regular in the midfield three, he appeared in 34 of
the 38 games in Chelsea's Championship-winning season.