José Bosingwa

José Bosingwa da Silva (born August 24, 1982 in Mbandaka) is a Portuguese footballer currently contracted to Chelsea. He is also a Portugal international. Amongst Chelsea fans, he is affectionately known as "The Machine," "right footed Cole" and "The Flying Unibrow".

Club career

Born in Democratic Republic of Congo (to a Portuguese father and a Congolese mother), Bosingwa moved with his parents at a very young age to Seia, inner Portugal, in the Guarda district. He was picked as a youth to play in Boavista, where he stayed until picked by José Mourinho in 2003–04 for his Porto squad, where he was used sparingly, playing only 11 league games that season. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on September 16, 2003, in a 1–1 away draw with Partizan Belgrade, playing eight matches in the club's victorious campaign.

Fully established as a right-back (he started as a defensive midfielder) and Porto's first-choice since the 2004–05 season, after the departures of Paulo Ferreira and veteran Carlos Secretário, Bosingwa was a vital element in the team's conquest of four league titles in five seasons.

The season ended on a sour note as, in May 2005, Bosingwa was at the wheel of his jeep when excess speed and wet road conditions led to a serious accident, with the vehicle skidding off the motorway and rolling down an embankment before bursting into flames. Along with the Porto player, four other footballers travelled, including then-Boavista player Nélson. All escaped alive, but one of them, Sandro Luís (player of modest Grupo Desportivo os Minhocas), had to have his left foot amputated as a result of the accident, which took place in Valongo. Bosingwa was subsequently suspended by the club.

Chelsea

On 11 May, 2008, Porto announced that Bosingwa had come to verbal agreements with Chelsea for a €20.6 million / £16.3m transfer. He put pen to paper on a three-year deal, and joined the London club after Euro 2008, along with Portugal national team boss Luiz Felipe Scolari and fellow international Deco. On July 16, 2008, Bosingwa was presented with the number 16. On August 8, 2008, Bosingwa was handed the number 17 for Chelsea, swapping with Scott Sinclair.

Bosingwa made his Champions League debut against Bordeaux on September 16, 2008, along with his fellow team mate Deco. He scored his first goal for Chelsea against Stoke City on September 27, 2008. He scored again for Chelsea with a stunning left-footed goal against West Brom from 25 yards.

On February 1, 2009, Bosingwa was involved in a controversial incident on the field where he appeared to kick Liverpool player Yossi Benayoun directly in the back, without making any attempt to play the ball. Although the referee Mike Riley did not see it, assistant referee Mo Matadar would later claim to have seen the incident, he signaled a foul at the time but then awarded Chelsea a throw-in following the incident. In the days following the match, the FA claimed that FIFA regulations prevented them from imposing disciplinary sanctions as no booking or sending off was issued.

International career

 Due to his consistent performances at club level, Bosingwa became a regular in the Portugal squad since 2007, overtaking Miguel as the country's first choice right-back. He also represented his nation in the 2004 Olympic Games, in Athens, and the 2004 Under-21 European Championship.

Bosingwa was named in the Portuguese squad for the Euro 2008 Championships. Portugal were knocked out in the quarter-finals and Bosingwa was a starter in three of their four matches, playing at right-back. In each match he performed exceptionally, leading to him being named in the UEFA team of the tournament.