Cristiano Ronaldo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveirio (pronounced [kɾɨʃˈtiɐnu ʁuˈnaɫdu]), OIH, (born 5 February 1985[2] in Funchal, Madeira) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester United and the Portuguese national team. With Manchester United, Ronaldo plays primarily as a right winger.[3] He has also been used both in a central attacking role and as a second striker.[4]

A winner of the 2007 English PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, and third in the 2007 World Player of the Year award, Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the most talented footballers of his generation.[5] Ronaldo also won the 2008 English PFA Player of the year award and FWA Footballer of the Year, giving him back to back victories for both awards.[6][7] Johan Cruyff said in an April 2, 2008 interview, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."[8]

Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine professional footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona in the Spanish Primera División. He is also a member of the Argentine national team.

He has drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, and indeed Maradona himself named Messi his “successor”.

Carlos Tevez

Carlos Alberto Tévez (born 5 February 1984 in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Premier League champions Manchester United. He was described by Diego Maradona as the "Argentine prophet for the 21st century."

Luis Figo

Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, (born 4 November 1972 in Almada, Portugal) is a professional Portuguese footballer. In his homeland Figo is considered by many second only to Eusebio as Portugal’s greatest player ever. He plays as a midfielder and winger, currently for Internazionale.

Figo was the 2000 European Footballer of the Year, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and was named amongst the FIFA 100. Known for his exceptional trickery and dribbling skills on either wing (though he predominantly plays on the right), Figo is one of the few footballers to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Frank Lampard

Frank James Lampard, Jr. (born 20 June 1978) is an English football player currently at Chelsea and previously with West Ham United and Swansea City.

Lampard was born in Romford, East London, England. He is the son of Frank Lampard, Sr., the former England full back and two-time FA Cup winner with West Ham United. His family is related to another famous footballing family, the Redknapps. Lampard was educated at Brentwood School, a boys' independent school in Brentwood, Essex.he is a very good soccer player.ahahaha

A current England national team regular, he has won the English Premiership twice (with Chelsea, 2004–05 and 2005–06), the FA Cup (with Chelsea, 2007) twice the League Cup (with Chelsea, 2005 and 2007), the FA Community Shield (with Chelsea, 2005), and the UEFA Intertoto Cup (with West Ham, 1999).

In November 2005 he was named runner-up to Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho in the European Footballer of the Year awards. A month later he finished in second place, once again behind Ronaldinho, in the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He was also named FWA Footballer of the Year in 2005.

Thierry Henry

Thierry Daniel Henry (pronounced [tjɛʁi ɑ̃ˈʁi], born 17 August 1977) is a French footballassists, he plays as a striker for the French national team and FC Barcelona. player. Renowned for his pace, goal-scoring record and ability to create

Henry was born and brought up in the tough neighbourhood of Les Ulis, Essonne—a suburb of Paris—where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and signed instantly, making his professional debut in 1994. Good form led to an international call-up in 1998, after which he signed for the Italian defending champions Juventus. He had a disappointing season playing on the wing, before joining Arsenal for £10.5 million in 1999.

It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer. Despite initially struggling in the Premiership, he emerged as Arsenal's top goal-scorer for almost every season of his tenure there. Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 226 goals in all competitions. The Frenchman won two league titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners; he was twice nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year, was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year three times. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the UEFA Champions League final in 2006. In June 2007, after eight years with Arsenal, he transferred to FC Barcelona for a fee of £16.1 million.

Henry has enjoyed similar success with the French national squad, having won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000. In October 2007, he surpassed Michel Platini's record to become France's top goal-scorer of all time. Given his accomplishments, he is regarded today by many as one of the best footballers in the world. Off the pitch, as a result of his own experience, Henry is an active spokesperson against racism in football. His footballing style and personality have ensured that he is one of the most commercially marketable footballers in the world; he has been featured in advertisements for Nike, Reebok, Renault, Pepsi and Gillette.

Ronaldinho

Ronaldo de Assís Moreira (born March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre), commonly known as Ronaldinho, is a football player from Brazil. He became a naturalized Spanish citizen in January 2007.

Ronaldinho, meaning "little Ronaldo", is better known in Brazil by the nickname Ronaldinho Gaúcho, in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo (already called Ronaldinho in Brazil). However, upon Ronaldo's move to Europe, he began to be known simply as 'Ronaldo', thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop Gaúcho and remain simply as 'Ronaldinho'.

Among his many achievements and accolades, Ronaldinho has been awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice (2004, 2005), as well as the European Footballer of the Year award and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award twice (2005, 2006). He has downplayed suggestions that he is the best footballer in the world, telling FourFourTwo magazine, "I don't even feel I'm the best at Barça."

Currently, he plays for FC Barcelona with a contract ending in 2010.

Ricardo Kaka

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (IPA: [xi'kaʁdu i'zɛksõ du'sɐ̃tus 'leitʃi]; born April 22, 1982 in Brasília), better known as Kaká, is a Brazilian midfielder who plays for Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan and the Brazilian national team. He was the recipient of both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007, and was named in the 2008 Time 100 ranking at 29.

David Beckham

From Wikipedia

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for and captains Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy[2] and is also a member of the England national team. He earned his 100th cap for England against France in March 2008.

He has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year, and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer.[3] He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004.[4] Such global recognition has made him an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.[5][6] Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 to 2 July 2006. He made 58 appearances as captain, and ended his tenure in that role after the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. He continued to make contributions for the England national team in 2007 competitions.[7] Beckham captained Manchester United for the first time on October 21st 2000 in a Premiership match against Leeds United. He came on as a substitute for regular captain Roy Keane, who was injured. Beckham went on to score a free-kick in this match, which finished 3-0.

Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons. While at Madrid, Beckham became the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. In his final season, Real clinched the 2006-07 La Liga chamionship title (Beckham's only major trophy with the club) in the final game of the season on 17 June. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy.[8]

Beckham's new contract with the Galaxy, effective 1 July 2007, gave him the highest salary of any MLS player in history. He debuted for the team on 21 July in a friendly versus Chelsea at the Home Depot Center,[9] and on 15 August, he had his first start with the team, scoring his first goal in the 2007 SuperLiga semi-final. His first league start then came on 18 August in front of a record crowd at Giants Stadium.

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Eric Cantona

From Wikipedia

Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born 24 May 1966 in Paris raised in Marseille) is a French former footballer of the late 1980s and 1990s. He ended his professional footballing career at Manchester United where he won four Premiership titles in five years (being suspended the season without title), including two League and FA Cup "doubles". Cantona is often regarded as having played a major talismanic role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse and he enjoys iconic status at the club. In 2001 he was voted their player of the century, and to this day United fans refer to him as "King Eric".

Chilavert

From Wikipedia

José Luis Félix Chilavert González (born July 27, 1965 in Luque, Departamento Central) is a Paraguayan former football goalkeeper and free kick specialist. He was voted "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1995, 1997, & 1998, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of football.

Besides being one of the best goalkeepers of his time, Chilavert was also known for his skills as a free kick specialist, and often took penalties. His pioneering of this expertise in his position made him the all-time leading scorer among professional keepers until Brazilian Rogério Ceni passed him in 2006. He scored 62 goals in his professional career, many of them crucial, including eight in international matches. Four of his international goals were scored during Paraguay's qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Chilavert was also known for his eccentricity and at times fiery temper, which brought him his fair share of controversies; most notorious among which was being sent off for brawling with ex-Newcastle player 'Tino'
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Edgar David

From Wikipedia

Edgar Steven Davids (born March 13, 1973 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch professional football player. He plays in the defensive midfield position and is known for his hard work ethic. He is in his second stint at Ajax, having joined them as an 18-year-old. He has also played for A.C. Milan, Juventus FC, FC Barcelona, Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur.

Davids suffers from glaucoma, which requires him to wear protective goggles during football matches. His dreadlocked hair and distinctive goggles make Davids one of the most recognisable footballers of his generation.

Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[2][3] (born November 9, 1974 in Conegliano Veneto) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. He is the captain of Juventus where he holds several club records and he is a member of the Italian national team.

His footballing ability is highly regarded and he has won critical recognition. Pelé named Del Piero in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. He was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000 Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue.[4] Currently, Del Piero is still the highest earning Italian Player.[5]

As well as earning respect for his playing, Del Piero has won several accolades for his character. Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct[6][7] he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability.[8]

Usually, Del Piero plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "Trequartista" position. Although he is not very tall, Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching."[9] His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded.[10] Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special " Del Piero Zone", approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal.[11]

In terms of goalscoring, Del Piero holds the all-time record at Juventus.[12] On April 6th, 2008, Alessandro Del Piero became the all-time top capped Juventus player, ahead of Juve legend Gaetano Scirea. He is in sixth place in the UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer records.[13] Within the Italian national team, he is currently joint fourth with Roberto Baggio in the all-time scoring records.

Filippo Inzaghi

From Wikipedia

Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2] (born August 9, 1973 in Piacenza) is a World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Italian Serie A club AC Milan and for Italy. He is the all-time leading scorer in official UEFA competition with 63 goals.

Paolo Maldini

Paolo Maldini (born 26 June 1968 in Milan) is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club A.C. Milan. The son of Cesare Maldini, he has spent his entire career with Milan, and is the most-selected player in both the history of the club and Serie A. He was named among Pelé's top 125 living footballers in 2004. On 16 December 2007, after winning the FIFA Club World Cup over Boca Juniors, he announced that he will retire at the end of the season,[1] but later stated that he may reconsider his retirement.[2]

Maldini played at the left back position for the majority of his career. After 2002 he moved into the centre back position which is where he plays predominantly now days. He is widely considered one of the all time greats.
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Diego Armando Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is a former Argentine football player. He played in four World Cups and split with Pele the FIFA Player of the Century award, after being voted first in 2000 in an internet poll on the organisation's website to determine opinion on the best player of the 20th century.[1][2]

Maradona won many trophies with Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli over the course of his career. During an international career that included 91 caps and 34 goals, he played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, leading the Argentina national team to its victory over West Germany in 1986 World Cup, in which he collected the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. He scored both goals in the 2-1 victory over England in the quarter-final of the '86 tournament. The first goal was an unpenalized handball known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal was a spectacular 60-metre weave through six England players, commonly referred to as "The Goal of the Century" or, in Argentina, "The Cosmic Kite" (Spanish: El barrilete cósmico).

He is also considered one of the sport's most controversial figures. Maradona was suspended for 15 months in 1991 after a failed doping test for cocaine in Italy, and then again for ephedrine during the 1994 World Cup in USA.

After retiring from playing on his 37th birthday in 1997,[3] he suffered ill health and weight gain, hardly helped by ongoing cocaine abuse. However, a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain. Since overcoming his cocaine addiction, he has become a TV host in Argentina.[4]

Nistelrooy

Rutgerus Johannes Martinius "Ruud" van Nistelrooy (originally spelled van Nistelrooij) (born 1 July 1976 in Oss, North Brabant) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a centre forward for Real Madrid and is a member of the Netherlands national football team. He previously starred for Manchester United, where he holds the record for being the club's top scorer in European competition, despite having only played for them for five seasons.

He has been the top scorer in three different European leagues as well as having been the top goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League on three occasions.

Raul Gonzales

Raúl González Blanco (born June 27, 1977 in Madrid, Spain), usually referred to simply as Raúl, is a Spanish professional football forward. He has been playing for Real Madrid at senior level since 1994, and is the team captain since 2003. He is also a member of the Spanish national team, and is its all-time leading goal scorer with 44 goals. He represented Spain in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2004 and 2006 FIFA World Cup tournaments. With Real Madrid, he has won the UEFA Champions League three times, and is the all-time leading scorer of that competition with 61 goals.

Raúl is also currently 7th highest goalscorer in the history of Spain's top flight, with 205 goals in 482 games. All of these goals were for Real Madrid, making Raúl the club's 2nd highest goalscorer of all time. He is also called 'El siete' (The Seven), 'El Angel del Madrid' (Madrid's Angel), 'El que nunca hace nada' (The man who never does anything) and 'El Capitán' (The Captain) by fans and pundits.

When playing, he wears jersey number 7 for both club and country (except WC'98 and EC'00 he wore 10 for Spain). He has been wearing the number 7 shirt for Real Madrid since he was 19.

His current contract with Real Madrid runs until 2011 and will be extended for a year each as long as he plays at least 30 official games for Real Madrid in his last year of a contract. This means that he will likely play for the club for the rest of his career.[1] He is considered by many to be one of the greatest Spanish Footballers of all time.

Roberto Baggio

From Wikipedia

Roberto Baggio (born 18 February 1967 in Caldogno, Veneto) is a retired Italian footballer, among the most technically gifted and popular players in the world throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. He played for the Italian national team in three World Cups, and is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups. He was the best Italian player of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, carrying his team to the final, but was one of the three players who missed a penalty in the final which contributed to Italy losing the trophy to Brazil on penalties. He won both the European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1993.

Francessco Totti

Francesco Totti, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI,[1][2] (born September 27, 1976 in Rome) is a World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Italian club A.S. Roma.

His position is that of a striker or an attacking midfielder, though he is best known for playing as a second striker. Totti, who has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number one goalscorer and the most capped player in club history. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

Zidane Wallpaper

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (pronounced [ˌzineˈdin jaziːd ziˈdan ]; born 23 June 1972 in Marseille), popularly nicknamed Zizou, is a French former professional football midfielder of Algerian Kabyle Berber descent. He was a member of the French national team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000, and was also the recipient of the Golden Ball after he captained the French side to the 2006 World Cup final, a match that saw his career end in controversy after he was sent off for headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi.

He played for four European clubs, and lifted the 2002 UEFA Champions League trophy with Real Madrid C.F. after scoring the match-winning goal. One of only two three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winners (Ronaldo the other), he also finished in the top three an additional three occasions, and was also named European Footballer of the Year in 1998. In 2004, fans voted him atop UEFA's fiftieth-anniversary Golden Jubilee Poll, and he was included in Pelé's selection of the 125 greatest living footballers.

Zidane retired from professional football after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Batistuta Wall paper

Gabriel Omar Batistuta (born February 1, 1969), nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at ACF Fiorentina in Italy, and he is the eighth top scorer of all time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches between 1991 and 2003. On the international level, he is the all-time highest scorer for Argentina's national team, with 56 goals in 78 national team matches, and he represented his country at three FIFA World Cups. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the "125 Greatest Living Footballers".

When his club Fiorentina was relegated to Serie B in 1993, Batistuta stayed with the club and helped it return to the top-flight league a year later. A hero in Florence, the Fiorentina fans erected a life-size bronze statue of him in 1996, in recognition of his performances for Fiorentina. He never won the Italian league with Fiorentina, but when he moved to AS Roma in 2000, he finally won the Serie A championship to crown his career in Italy. He played his last season in Qatar with Al-Arabi before he retired in 2005.

Currently he works as a commentator having worked for Televisa Deportes during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and for the show "La jugada".