Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Miguel Ângelo da Silva Rocha [1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 10 November 1994||
Place of birth | Rebordosa, Portugal | ||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) [2] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
2003–2007 | Paços Ferreira | ||
2007–2011 | Gondomar | ||
2011–2012 | Valencia | ||
2012–2013 | Paços Ferreira | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2013–2017 | Braga B | 28 | (2) |
2014–2016 | → Covilhã (loan) | 39 | (0) |
2016–2017 | Braga | 11 | (0) |
2017 | → Lille (loan) | 13 | (1) |
2017–2022 | Lille | 101 | (6) |
2017–2018 | → Dijon (loan) | 17 | (2) |
2019 | Lille II | 1 | (0) |
2022–2023 | Rennes | 8 | (0) |
International career | |||
2014 | Portugal U20 | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:16, 17 January 2023 (UTC) |
Miguel Ângelo da Silva Rocha (born 10 November 1994), known as Xeka (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʃɛkɐ]), is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
Formed at Braga, he spent most of his career in France, playing for Lille, Dijon and Rennes in Ligue 1 and winning the league with the first of those teams in 2020–21 while making 144 total appearances.
Born in Rebordosa, Paredes, [3] Xeka received his nickname from his grandfather for being the youngest of his siblings, just like him. [4] He played youth football with three clubs, including Valencia CF from Spain until the age of 17. [5] Having returned to his homeland, he started playing as a senior with S.C. Braga's reserves in the Segunda Liga, being then loaned for two years to S.C. Covilhã of the same league. [6] On 23 September 2013, whilst at the service of the former side, he scored his first goal in competition, but in a 1–3 home loss against S.L. Benfica B. [7]
Xeka started being called to Braga's first team in October 2016, by manager José Peseiro. [8] He made his debut in the Primeira Liga late in that month, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win over G.D. Chaves. [9] His fortunes changed, however, when Jorge Simão became the new coach before the end of the year. [10]
On 31 January 2017, Xeka was loaned to Lille OSC from Ligue 1 until June. [11] He made his debut four days later as a starter in a 1–0 home loss to FC Lorient. [12] He made 13 appearances for the 12th-place team and scored in a 3–0 win at Montpellier HSC on 29 April, assisted by compatriot Rony Lopes. [13]
In June 2017, Lille exercised the €5 million buyout clause to make Xeka's move permanent. [14] In the last hours of the summer transfer window, he joined Dijon FCO in the same league in a season-long loan. [15] He became a regular under Christophe Galtier at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy the following year, but suffered a thigh injury in a 5–1 home victory over Paris Saint-Germain F.C. on 14 April 2019, ruling him out until September. [16]
Xeka contributed 33 matches and one goal during the 2020–21 campaign to help Lille win the national championship for the fourth time in their history. [17] On 1 August 2021, he scored in the 1–0 defeat of PSG in the Trophée des Champions, with the club winning that trophy for the first time ever. [18]
On 20 May 2022, Xeka was released at the end of his contract. [19]
On 21 September 2022, Xeka agreed to a two-year deal at Stade Rennais F.C. also of the French top tier. [20] He made his debut on 9 October, starting in a 3–0 home win over Derby Breton rivals FC Nantes. [21] In January, he had ankle surgery. [22]
Xeka left Roazhon Park by mutual consent on 10 August 2023, with only nine matches to his name. [23]
Xeka earned one cap for Portugal at under-20 level on 5 February 2014, in a 2–0 friendly win over Slovakia under-21 in Marinha Grande. He played the final ten minutes as a substitute for Tomás Podstawski. [24]
Club | Season | League | National cup [a] | League cup [b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Braga B | 2013–14 | Liga Portugal 2 | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
2016–17 | Liga Portugal 2 | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||||
Total | 28 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 2 | ||||||
Covilhã (loan) | 2014–15 | Liga Portugal 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
2015–16 | Liga Portugal 2 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | |||
Total | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 0 | ||||
Braga | 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||
Lille (loan) | 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
Lille | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | ||
2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 [c] | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 [d] | 0 | — | 42 | 2 | |||
2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 [c] | 0 | 1 [e] | 1 | 31 | 4 | ||
Total | 114 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 144 | 9 | ||
Dijon (loan) | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 2 | ||||
Lille II | 2019–20 | CFA 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
Rennes | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
Career total | 218 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 257 | 13 |
Lille