matches, including the home win against Celtic in the round of 16's second leg, and found the net in the second round's 2–0 home defeat of Ferencvárosi TC. For the 2006–07, Meira was named captain by manager Armin Veh, making him the first Portuguese ever to achieve that feat in the Bundesliga. He appeared in 20 matches and added three goals as the Baden-Württemberg club was crowned national champions for the first in 15 years, adding four in a runner-up run in the DFB-Pokal. Over a six-and-a-half-year spell, Meira made 230 competitive appearances and scored 13 goals. He left the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in summer 2008, aged 30. Galatasaray On 20 July 2008, at the end of the 2007–08 season, Stuttgart stripped Meira of the captaincy and announced their intention to sell the player. Two days later, he agreed to a four-year deal at Galatasaray SK for €4.5 million. Meira made his official team debut in the season's Turkish Super Cup, a 2–1 win against Kayserispor, but left Turkey at the end of the campaign, with his team only ranking in fifth position in the Süper Lig. Zenit In mid-March 2009, after reported interest from FC Zenit Saint Petersburg as the player grew unsettled in Istanbul, Meira signed for the Russian club for €4.5 million, being awarded the number 3 shirt previously worn by Martin Škrtel. He made his Russian Premier League debut on 15 March 2009, starting in a 1–1 away draw with FC Spartak Moscow. On 5 April he netted his first goal for his new team, in a 3–0 victory at FC Tom Tomsk. Later years On 15 August 2011, aged 33, Meira joined Real Zaragoza from Spain after mutually terminating his contract with Zenit. He made his official debut 13 days later, starting and being booked in a 0–6 home loss against Real Madrid. In his spell with the Aragonese, Meira featured almost exclusively as a defensive midfielder, partnering Leonardo Ponzio. He terminated his contract on 1 February 2012, as the side were placed last in the league; late into the year, not being able to find a new club, he retired from football. International career After having earned 20 caps for the under-21s, Meira made his full debut for Portugal on 11 October 2000 in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands. In 2004 he played three games at the Summer Olympic Games, in an