Chelsea's last gasp transfer deadline day swoop for Raul Meireles places the former Liverpool man among a growing list of Portuguese internationals who've represented the Blues since Jose Mourinho took charge in 2004.
Will the tattoo-loving former Porto man prove as much of a hit as international team-mate Ricardo Carvalho at Stamford Bridge? Or will he flatter to deceive like Brazilian-born playmaker Deco?
Read about Chelsea's Portuguese signings below and let us know how you expect Meireles to perform under new boss Andre Villas-Boas…
RICARDO CARVALHO
Jose Mourinho made it a priority to lure Carvalho to Chelsea in 2004 and it paid off when the curly-haired Portuguese international formed a colossal defensive partnership with John Terry, which helped secure successive Premier League titles and both domestic cup competitons. After the Special One's unpopular sacking in 2007, the former Porto man continued to impress under different management, lifting a domestic double in 2009/10 before moving to Real Madrid for a reunion at his third different club under Jose Mourinho.
VERDICT: HIT
MANICHE
He may have looked like a slightly podgier, clean-shaved version of Frank Gallagher from Shameless, but a January 2006 loan move from Dynamo Moscow for Maniche promised to add a new dynamic to Chelsea's midfield in Jose's second year at the helm. The former Portugal international hit the cross bar, got his marching orders and found himself at fault for a goal during a nightmare debut against West Ham, but recovered to make eight steady if uninspiring league appearances during the second half of the season. He signed for Atletico Madrid after failing to make an impression.
VERDICT: MISS
JOSE BOSINGWA
The nippy full-back, who John Terry loves calling "Boss Winger", arrived from Porto along with Deco and Luiz Felipe Scolari in 2008 for £16.3m and has remained a first choice in the Blues' back line ever since. He played 48 games in all competitions in 2008/09 when Chelsea lifted the FA Cup under Guus Hiddink, but managed just half as many matches in the double-winning side the following year because of a serious knee injury. An attacking winger throughout his days at Boavista in Portugal, Bosingwa has made a blistering start under compatriot Andre Villas-Boas in 2011, creating the winner against West Brom and scoring a long range stunner in the 3-1 win over new boys Norwich.
VERDICT: HIT
Paulo Ferreira
Another 2004 arrival from Porto, the veteran full-back sometimes looks worryingly devoid of pace in the Premier League, where he plays second fiddle to Jose Bosingwa or Branislav Ivanovic these days. It was a little surprising when Ferreira, currently enjoying his eighth campaign at the club, was offered a big money five-year deal in 2008, shortly after celebrating his 29th birthday. But to Ferreira's credit, his best spell for Chelsea came during the first two years at the Bridge; the most successful period in the club's history.
VERDICT: HIT AND MISS
HILARIO
The ex-Porto stopper's chances at Chelsea have been fairly limited since arriving as cover for Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini in June 2006. Injuries to both 'keepers did hand the veteran a run of 18 games towards the end of 2006, starting with a 1-0 Champions League win over Barcelona. Prone to the odd clanger, Hilario has fallen foul to the odd dodgy headline drawing attention to his 'Hilario-us' errors, but has improved steadily with time and now serves as Petr Cech's first understudy. He made a stunning, finger-tips save in Chelsea's recent 3-1 Premier League win over Norwich.
VERDICT: HIT AND MISS
TIAGO MENDES
A shaggy-haired central midfielder who became the fourth Portuguese acquisition of Jose Mourinho's era, Tiago Mendes arrived from Benfica in a £10m deal. "There are big players in my position, but I go to work" said Tiago, after agreeing a three-year contract in July 2004. A year later he was on his bike when Michael Essien joined from Lyon with Tiago moving in the opposition direction. Despite a short stay in West London, he still managed to win the Premier League, Carling Cup and Community Shield in little over 12 months, featuring in 34 of Chelsea's 38 league games; the highlight coming at Old Trafford where he scored a spectacular long range effort in a 3-1 win.
VERDICT: HIT AND MISS
DECO
Big things were expected of the Brazilian after he joined Big Phil at the Bridge in 2008, but he failed to hit the heights that made him one of European football's most coveted playmakers at Porto and Barcelona. Deco started with a bang as a 30-yard free-kick rippled the back of the net on his Premier League debut against Portsmouth, but that proved to be one of just six goals in 55 appearances in two seasons for the Blues. "Honestly, I did not like the experience at Chelsea," Deco admitted following his departure to Fluminense in Brazil. The Chelsea faithful didn't enjoy the experience much either.
VERDICT: MISS
RICARDO QUARESMA
The world has been waiting for the Portuguese winger to fulfil his potential since he burst on to the scene with an exciting bag of tricks at Sporting Lisbon in 2001. A successful spell with Porto between 2004 and 2008 failed to mask Quaresma's failure to prove himself at European giants Barcelona and Inter. He had his chance at Chelsea during a brief loan stint in the second half of the 2009/10 season, having moved after being omitted from Inter's Champions League squad for the knock-out stages. He failed to make an impression as part of the club's FA Cup winning squad that year, managing only five outings before returning to Inter in the summer. Often criticised for being a poor trainer, his former boss at Inter, Jose Mourinho, said in October 2008: "He is a great talent, but the joy I have at seeing the way Ibra [Zlatan Ibrahimovic] works for and with the team I do not yet have with Quaresma. He will have to learn, otherwise he won’t play."
VERDICT: MISS