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David Beckham

2007-08-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

David Beckham video

2007-07-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

David Beckham pictures

2007-07-31T13:51:00.001-07:00

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David Beckham Biography

2007-07-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

Full name David Robert Joseph Beckham
Date of birth May 2, 1975 (1975-05-02) (age 32)
Place of birth Leytonstone, London, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Right Winger, Central Midfielder
Club information
Current club Los Angeles Galaxy
Number 23
Youth clubs
1991–1992 Manchester United
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1992–2003
1995
2003-2007
2007- Manchester United
→ Preston North End (loan)
Real Madrid
Los Angeles Galaxy 265 (62)
005 0(2)
116 (13)
000 0(0)
National team2
1994–1996
1996– England U21
England 009 0(0)
096 (17)

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (pronounced IPA: /'bɛk.əm/) (born 2 May 1975) is an English professional football (soccer) midfielder who plays for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also currently a member of the England national team.

He was twice chosen runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year, and as recently as 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer. He is currently the world's highest paid per year team athlete banking $50 million dollars per year. Alex Rodriguez is still the highest contract award winning team athlete. Rodriguez's contract is worth $252 million, but it is stretched over 10 years. However, Beckham's was stretched only over five. He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004. Such global recognition has made him an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.

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.

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 Premiership 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.

In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. He played his final match with Real on 17 June, after which the team was awarded the 2006-07 La Liga championship.

His new contract with the Galaxy took effect on 1 July 2007. He made his Galaxy debut on 21 July in a friendly versus Chelsea FC at the Home Depot Center.
Contents

Childhood and early career

Beckham was born in Leytonstone, London, England; the son of David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham, a kitchen fitter and Manchester United fan, and Sandra Georgina West, a hairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford as a child. His maternal grandfather, Joseph West, is Jewish, and Beckham has referred to himself as "half Jewish" and spoken of the influence the religion has had on him, although he is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith. In his book Both Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he always attended church with his parents and sisters.

His parents were fanatical Manchester United supporters who would frequently travel to Old Trafford from London to attend Manchester United's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one of Bobby Charlton's football schools in Manchester and won the chance to take part in a training session at FC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. As a child he played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers - coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby.

He was Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local club, Leyton Orient, and attended Tottenham Hotspur's, which was the first club he played for, school of excellence. During a two-year period in which he played for Brimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990. He also attended Bradenton Preparatory Academy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991.

He was part of a group of young players at the club who guided the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first-team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards. United reached the final of the Youth Cup again the following year, with Beckham playing in their defeat by Leeds United, and he won another medal in 1994 when the club's reserve team won their league.

He went to Preston North End on loan in the 1994-95 season to get some first team experience, then made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goalless draw against Leeds United.

Manchester United era

Becoming a first-team player

United manager Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players. When three of his first-team players left the club at the end of the 1994-95 season, his decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying players from other clubs, drew a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa, with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game; however, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well. Beckham became a regular player on the team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also taking the corner that Éric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final. Despite playing regularly for Manchester United, Beckham did not break into the England squad before Euro 96.

In August 1996, Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United ahead 2–0, Beckham noticed that Wimbledon's goalkeeper Neil Sullivan was standing a long way out of his goal, and hit a shot from the halfway line that floated over the goalkeeper and into the net.The 57-yard goal is the furthest successful strike at goal since the Premiership was founded in 1992

Beckham was frequently mentioned in the press, and he made his first appearance for the England national football team on 1 September 1996, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova.He became an automatic first-choice player at United during the 1996-97 season, helping them to retain the Premier League championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.

United started the 1997-98 season well, but their performance deteriorated and the club finished the season in second place, behind Arsenal.

World Cup 1998

Beckham had played in all of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and was part of the England squad at the World Cup finals in France, but the team's manager Glenn Hoddle publicly accused him of not concentrating on the tournament, and he did not start in either of England's first two matches. He was picked for their third match against Colombia and scored from a long-range free kick in a 2–0 victory, which was his first goal for England.

In the second round (last 16) of that competition, he received a red card in England's match against Argentina. Beckham, after having been fouled by Diego Simeone, kicked Simeone, striking him on the calf. Simeone later admitted to trying to get Beckham sent off by over-reacting to the kick and then, along with other members of his team, urging the referee to send Beckham off. The match finished in a draw and England were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Many supporters and journalists blamed him for England's elimination and he became the target of criticism and abuse, including the hanging of an effigy outside a London pub, and the Daily Mirror printing a dartboard with a picture of him centred on the bullseye. Beckham also received death threats after the World Cup.

1998-99 season (the Treble)

In the 1998-99 season, he was part of the United team that won the treble — Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, a unique feat in English football. There had been speculation that the criticism that he had received after being sent off in the World Cup would lead to him leaving England, but he decided to stay at Manchester United.

To ensure they would win the league championship, United needed to win their final league match of the season, at home to Tottenham Hotspur, but Tottenham took an early lead in the match. Beckham scored the equaliser and United went on to win the match and the league.

Beckham played centre-midfield in United's FA Cup final win over Newcastle United and for the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, since United's first string centre-midfielders were suspended for the match. United were losing the match 1-0 at the end of normal time, but won the trophy by scoring two goals in injury time. Both of the goals came from corners taken by Beckham. Those kicks, coupled with great performances over the rest of the season, led to him finishing runner up to Rivaldo for 1999's European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

1999-2000 season
Beckham in a match against Bristol Rovers F.C.
Beckham in a match against Bristol Rovers F.C.

Despite Beckham's achievements in the 1998-99 season, he was still unpopular among some opposition fans and journalists, and he was criticised after being sent off for a deliberate foul in Manchester United's World Club Championship match against Necaxa. It was suggested in the press that his wife was a bad influence on him, and that it might be in United's interests to sell him,but his manager publicly backed him and he stayed at the club.

The relationship between Ferguson and Beckham began to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football. In 2000, Beckham was given permission to miss training to look after his son Brooklyn, who had gastroenteritis, but Ferguson was furious when Victoria Beckham was photographed at a London Fashion Week event on the same night, claiming that Beckham would have been able to train if Victoria had looked after Brooklyn that day. He responded by fining Beckham the maximum amount that was permitted (two weeks' wages – then £50,000) and dropping him for a crucial match against United's rivals Leeds United. He later criticised Beckham for this in his autobiography, claiming he hadn't been "fair to his team mates". Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin.

Winning over the England fans

The abuse that Beckham was receiving from English supporters peaked during England's 3–2 defeat by Portugal in Euro 2000, a match where Beckham set up two goals, when a group of England supporters taunted him throughout the match. Beckham responded with a one-fingered gesture and, while the gesture attracted some criticism, many of the newspapers that had previously encouraged his vilification asked their readers to stop abusing him.

On 15 November 2000, following Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager in October, Beckham was promoted to team captain by the caretaker manager Peter Taylor, and then kept the role under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, with their performances including an impressive 5–1 victory over Germany in Munich. The final step in Beckham's conversion from villain to hero happened in England's 2–2 draw against Greece on 6 October 2001. England needed to win or draw the match in order to qualify outright for the World Cup, but were losing 2–1 with little time remaining. The rest of the England team were playing relatively poorly, and it was Beckham's inspirational performance that lifted his teammates. When Teddy Sheringham was fouled some eight yards outside the Greek penalty area, England were awarded a free-kick and Beckham ensured England's qualification with a curling strike of the kind that had become his trademark. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001. He once again finished runner-up, to Luís Figo of Portugal, for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Metatarsal injury

On 10 April 2002, Beckham was injured during a Champions League match against Deportivo La Coruña, breaking the second metatarsal bone in his left foot. There was speculation in the British media that the injury might have been caused deliberately, as the player who had injured Beckham was Argentinian Aldo Duscher, and England and Argentina were due to meet in that year's World Cup The injury prevented Beckham from playing for United for the rest of the season, but he signed a three-year contract in May, following months of negotiations with the club, mostly concerning extra payments for his image rights. The income from his new contract, and his many endorsement deals, made him the highest-paid player in the world at the time.

World Cup 2002 and final season at United

He was partially fit by the time of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden. Beckham scored the winning goal of the match against Argentina with a penalty, causing Argentina to fail to qualify for the knockout stage. England were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil. The following month, at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Beckham escorted Kirsty Howard as she presented the Jubilee Baton to the Queen.

Following an injury early in the 2002-03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place on the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær having replaced him on the right side of midfield. His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following a defeat to Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson kicked a football boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. The incident led to a great deal of transfer speculation involving Beckham, with bookmakers offering odds on whether he or Ferguson would be first to leave the club. Although the team had started the season badly, their results improved greatly from December onwards and they won the league. He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and he was awarded an OBE for services to football on 13 June.

During his 11-year stint at United, Beckham made 266 appearances for them and scored 61 goals.

He won 6 Premiership titles, 2 FA Cup's, 1 UEFA Champions League, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FA Youth Cup with his time at United.

Real Madrid era
Beckham (right) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid
Beckham (right) and Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid

Manchester United had been keen to sell Beckham to Barcelona but he refused to go there, instead signing a four-year contract with Real Madrid, worth a potential €35 million. The transfer was completed on 1 July and made him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. It was speculated that Real's desire to sign him came from the merchandising opportunities he would bring as well as from his football ability. For example, Real Madrid shirts bearing his name and number sold out in Madrid on the day his transfer was completed and the club was expected to receive €624,000 for the sale of the shirts. Although Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as Raúl had the right to wear it written into his contract. He decided to wear number 23 instead, citing his admiration of basketball player Michael Jordan, who also wore the number 23 shirt, as the reason behind his decision.

First season 2003-04

Real Madrid finished the season in fourth place, and were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage. But, Beckham immediately became a favourite with the Real Madrid supporters, scoring five times in his first 16 matches, but the team, whose club president expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, was not performing well. He had further problems in April 2004, when the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had had an extramarital affair. A week later, the Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as "ludicrous".

Euro 2004

Beckham played in all of England's matches at Euro 2004, but the tournament was a disappointment for him. He had a penalty saved in England's 2-1 defeat to France and missed another in a penalty shootout in the quarter final against Portugal. England lost the shootout and went out of the competition.

Second season, 2004-05

In July 2004, while Beckham was in pre-season training in Spain, an intruder scaled a wall at the Beckhams' home while carrying a can of petrol. Victoria and their children were in the house at the time, but security guards apprehended the man before he reached the house. Beckham made more headlines on 9 October 2004 when he admitted intentionally fouling Ben Thatcher in an England match against Wales in order to get himself booked. Beckham was due to receive a one-match suspension for his next caution, and had picked up an injury which he knew would keep him out of England's next match, so he deliberately fouled Thatcher in order to serve his suspension in a match that he would have had to miss anyway. The Football Association asked Beckham for an explanation of his actions and he admitted that he had "made a mistake" and apologised.

Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2005 and was involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Third season, 2005-06

Real Madrid finished second to Barcelona (with a 12 point gap) in the La Liga and only reaching the last sixteen in the Champions League after losing to Arsenal by one goal. Although there is the notable fact that Beckham led La Liga in assists for the season.
Warming up
Warming up

In October 2005, Beckham's sending off against Austria made him the first ever England captain to be sent off and the first (and only) player to be sent off twice while playing for England. He captained England for the 50th time in a friendly international against Argentina the following month. He was sent off again shortly afterwards, this time in a league match for Real Madrid against Valencia CF. Having received a yellow card, he appeared to sarcastically applaud the referee and was given a second yellow card, causing an automatic dismissal, although the suspension was cancelled on appeal two days later. He was sent off for the third time that season on 3 December 2005 in a league match against Getafe.

During the season, Beckham established football academies in Los Angeles and east London and he was named a judge for the 2006 British Book Awards.

Fourth season, 2006-07

Real Madrid won their first Spanish La Liga title in 3 years because of their superior head-to-head record against Barcelona, giving Beckham his first title since he joined Real Madrid. Initially out of favour with manager Fabio Capello, Beckham started only a few games at the beginning of the season, as Jose Antonio Reyes was normally preferred on the right wing. In the first nine matches Beckham started, Real lost seven.
Beckham pictured during his time with Real Madrid
Beckham pictured during his time with Real Madrid

On 10 January 2007, after prolonged contract negotiations, Real Madrid's sporting director Predrag Mijatović announced that Beckham would not remain at Real Madrid after the end of the season. However, he later claimed that he was mistranslated and that he actually said that Beckham's contract had not been renewed yet.

On 11 January 2007 Beckham announced that he had signed a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy beginning 1 July 2007. On 13 January 2007 Fabio Capello said that Beckham had played his last game for Real Madrid, although he would continue to train with the team. Capello back-tracked on that statement and Beckham rejoined the team for their match against Real Sociedad on 10 February 2007 – he scored and Real Madrid won. In his final UEFA Champions League appearance, Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition (by the away goals rule) on 7 March 2007. Beckham had made a total of 103 appearances in the Champions League, the third highest number of any player at the time.

On 17 June 2007, the last day of the La Liga season, Beckham started in his final match for the club, a 3-1 win over Mallorca, which saw them clinch the title from Barcelona. Although both finished level on points, Madrid took the title because of their superior head-to-head record, capping a remarkable six-month turnaround for Beckham.

A month after the conclusion of Beckham's Real career, Forbes magazine reported that he had been the party primarily responsible for the team's huge increase in merchandise sales, a total reported to top $600 million US during Beckham's four years at the club.

World Cup 2006

During the FIFA World Cup 2006, Beckham's performance was criticised by the majority of the press and public.

In England's opening game against Paraguay on 10 June 2006 Beckham's free kick led to an own-goal by Carlos Gamarra, and England won 1-0. In England's next match, played against Trinidad and Tobago on 15 June 2006, Beckham's cross in the 83rd minute led to Peter Crouch's goal which put England ahead 1-0. Beckham gave another assist to Steven Gerrard. In the end they won 2-0. He was named Man-of-the-Match by tournament sponsor Budweiser for this game.

During England's second round match against Ecuador, Beckham scored from a free kick in the 59th minute, becoming the first ever English player to score in three World Cups, and giving England a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals. He was sick before the game and vomited several times as a result of dehydration and illness after he scored the winning goal.

In the quarter-final against Portugal, Beckham was substituted following an injury shortly after half time and the England team went on to lose the match on penalties (3-1), the score having been 0-0 after extra time. After his substitution, Beckham was visibly shaken and emotional for not being able to play, being in tears at one point.

A day after England were knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made a statement in a news conference saying that he had stepped down as England captain, saying, "It has been an honour and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95 games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren". (Beckham had actually won 94 caps up to that point.) He was then succeeded by Chelsea captain John Terry.

Having stepped down as captain after the World Cup, Beckham was dropped completely from the England national team selected by new coach Steve McClaren on 11 August 2006. McClaren claimed that he was "looking to go in a different direction" with the team, and that Beckham "wasn't included within that". McClaren said Beckham could be recalled in future. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kieran Richardson and the World Cup alternative to Beckham, Aaron Lennon, were all included, although McClaren eventually opted to employ Steven Gerrard in that role.

England recall
Beckham takes a freekick
Beckham takes a freekick

On 26 May 2007, Steve McClaren announced that Beckham would be recalled to the England squad for the first time since stepping down as their captain. Beckham started against Brazil in England's first match at the new Wembley Stadium and put in a positive performance. In the second half he set up England's goal converted by captain John Terry. It looked as though England would claim victory over Brazil, but newcomer Diego equalised in the dying seconds. In England's next match, a Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, Beckham sent two trademark assists for Michael Owen and Peter Crouch, helping England to prevail 3-0.

Beckham had assisted in three of England's four total goals in those two games,and he stated his desire to continue to play for England after his move to the MLS.

L.A. Galaxy era

It was confirmed on 11 January 2007 that David Beckham would be leaving Real Madrid to join MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy on a 5 year deal worth as much as $250 million that will see Beckham earn up to $10 million a year in direct salary, but with endorsements and profit-sharing, up to $50 million a year. Beckham said, "After considering several options to stay in Madrid or join other major British and European teams, I have decided to join LA Galaxy."

On 12 January, Beckham's official press conference was held in conjunction with the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. Via satellite from Spain, Beckham told reporters "I'm coming there not to be a superstar. I'm coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things. With me, it's about football. I'm coming there to make a difference. I'm coming there to play football... I'm not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would be difficult to achieve. Baseball, basketball, American football, they've been around. But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I could make a difference."

On 17 June, he played his final match with Real Madrid, and although he limped off the field and was replaced, his sub made two goals and the team won the season's La Liga title, their first since Beckham had signed with them. On 26 June, his first major U.S. ad campaign since finishing with Real Madrid made its debut via the web. "Futbol Meets Football" pairs him with the NFL's Reggie Bush in a 13-part video series, with additional television, radio, and online promotion by adidas planned throughout the summer season.

His new contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy took effect on 1 July and the team announced that he would be officially introduced on 13 July.

The morning of that introduction, the Galaxy announced that over 250,000 new jerseys had already been ordered in the first 48 hours on sale, as the team's new logo and uniform design were unveiled to coincide with Beckham's arrival.

5000 Galaxy season-ticket holders were in attendance at the invitation of the team, and several introductions were made by MLS officials including team President and GM Alexi Lalas and League Commissioner Don Garber. After Beckham himself spoke, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa put on one of the newly-designed jerseys and welcomed him to the city.

Beckham was featured by the U.S. magazine Sports Illustrated for the first time as a Galaxy player and in his new uniform, on the cover of the 16 July 2007 edition, and was also given his own weekly TV series, "David Beckham's Soccer USA" on Fox Soccer Channel.

ESPN produced a 30-second TV promo for Beckham's arrival: "Hello, Goodbye" featuring a Son Volt cover of the Beatles composition of the same name, depicting European fans' farewells and Americans' anticipation. The same network then featured him on the cover of the 30 July issue of ESPN The Magazine.

He attended the MLS All-Star Game on 19 July, and on 21 July, at the Home Depot Center, Beckham made his Galaxy playing debut. ESPN used 19 cameras, more than they had ever used before in match coverage, including one trained only on him.. Beckham came on as a substitute in the 78th minute of the friendly versus Chelsea, a part of the World Series of Football. Chelsea won the sold-out match by a score of 1-0. ESPN later announced that the TV audience for that match was five times the norm for an MLS match on their network, and that it set a new viewing record for MLS on their network. In addition, Nielsen Media Research reported that it was the most watched TV program that night by young adult males across the U.S.

Discipline

Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that he "practiced with a discipline to achieve an accuracy that other players wouldn't care about". He maintained his training routine at Real Madrid and even when his relationship with management was strained in early 2007, Ramon Calderon and Fabio Capello praised Beckham for maintaining his professionalism and commitment to the club.

Beckham was the first England player ever to collect two red cards and the first England captain to be sent off. Beckham's most notorious red card was during the 1998 FIFA World Cup: after Argentina's Diego Simeone had fouled him, Beckham lashed out with his leg and the Argentine fell. England went on to lose the game on penalties.

For Real Madrid he amassed 41 yellow cards and 4 red cards.

Beckham has also been described as a "gentleman" when referring to his demeanour on the pitch. During his time as England captain, Beckham helped to keep Wayne Rooney's temper in check on several occasions.

Lionel Messi video

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Lionel Andrés Messi pictures

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Lionel Andrés Messi bioraphy

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Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine international football player who currently plays for FC Barcelona in the Primera División, and appears on Argentina's national team. Often touted in the media as New Maradona, Messi has been publicly named as his "successor" by Diego Maradona himself.
Contents

Career

Beginnings

Lionel Messi was born in Santa Fe Province on 24 June 1987. At the age of five, he started playing football for Grandoli, a club coached by his father. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for the treatment of the illness, which cost over £500 a month. As Argentina's economy was collapsing, Carles Rexach, then sporting director of FC Barcelona, was made aware of Messi's talent, and Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to start a new life in Spain.His family moved with the young player to Europe and he starred in the club’s youth teams.

He soon found himself starting for the Barcelona B team, averaging more than a goal per game, by scoring 35 goals in 30 matches.

Barcelona début

In October 2004, Messi made his official début for the first team against RCD Espanyol, becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for FC Barcelona. When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompié on May 1, 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for FC Barcelona.

Argentina U-20

Messi was offered the chance to play for the Spanish national side, but he declined, preferring to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004, he got his chance, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay.

In June 2005, Messi played in the U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship in Netherlands, picking up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel was already being compared to Diego Maradona, one of the greatest football players of all time. On June 27, FC Barcelona renewed his contract until 2010, establishing a selling clause of €150 million (which happens to be 30 million more than his Barcelona team mate, Ronaldinho).

International début

On August 4, José Pekerman called him up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his début against Hungary, being put in during the 63rd minute, but was sent off after just 40 seconds, because the referee Markus Merk found he had elbowed the defender Vilmos Vanczák who was tugging Messi's shirt, and left the pitch in tears. The decision was heavily contested as Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated.Messi then had his first real international debut on September 3 in Argentina's 0-1 World Cup qualifier away loss against Paraguay playing the last eight minutes of the match. Ahead of the match he had said "This is a re-début. The first one was a bit short"

2005-06 season

On September 16, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract - this time improved to pay him as a first team member and extended till June 2014. Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on September 25 and was finally able to make his début in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled their quota of non-EU players. Messi's first home outing in the UEFA Champions League came on September 27 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. In December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, ahead of Wayne Rooney, Lukas Podolski, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi netted 6 goals from 17 league appearances and scored 1 Champions League goal from the 6 games he featured in. His reputation for big match temperament was helped by performances in Barcelona's important away leg victories against Real Madrid and Chelsea in the league and Champions League respectively, each considered his best of the respective campaign. Messi's season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, when he tore a muscle in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea.Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.

World Cup 2006

The injury that kept him from playing for two months at the end of the 2005/06 league jeopardised his presence at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the tournament on May 15 2006. He also played in the farewell match against the Argentinian U-20 team for fifteen minutes and a friendly against Angola from the 64th minute.

Messi witnessed Argentina's opening match win against Ivory Coast from the bench because manager Pekerman wanted to shield him from the pressure.In the next match against Serbia and Montenegro, he came on as a substitute for Maxi Rodríguez in the 74th minute. In doing so he became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup. He assisted Hernán Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6-0 victory. This goal made him the youngest scorer in the 2006 World Cup and the sixth youngest scorer in World Cup history, Pelé being the youngest.Messi started in Argentina's following 0-0 tie against the Netherlands. Fellow striker Carlos Tevez and he were not allowed much space by the Dutch defence, which prevented him from causing any damage and he was substituted in the 69th minute.

In the following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute for Javier Saviola in the 84th minute, with the score tied 1-1. He appeared to score a goal, but was ruled offside. Argentina proceeded to win the game 2-1 in extra time. Messi spent the entire quarter-finals match against Germany, which Argentina lost in a penalty shootout, on the bench.

2006-07 season

Messi maintained his reputation as a big match player when he tricked Brazilian full back, Roberto Carlos, making him fall over and break a finger during one particularly deft move. His 89th minute equaliser away to Werder Bremen was pivotal in Barcelona's qualification to the Champions League knock out phase. Messi had another long lay off with a broken metatarsal which kept him out for 3 months. He sustained the injury in a game against Real Zaragoza on November 12, after tackles from Alberto Zapater and Albert Celades. On 5 January 2007, Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo reported that Internazionale president Massimo Moratti was planning a £71 million bid for Messi;however, Moratti denied any immediate plans to sign Messi in an interview posted on Internazionale's official website.He made his return against Racing Santander on the 11th of February, where he came on as a second-half substitute.On 10 March 2007, he scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid in El Clásico, with his third goal coming in injury time to earn 10-man Barcelona the draw 3-3 at home to Real Madrid. Messi was the first player to score a hat-trick in El Clásico since Iván Zamorano did it for Real Madrid in the 1994-95 season, and the first Barcelona player to do it since Romario scored three against Real Madrid in the 1993-94 season. Messi is the youngest player ever to have scored in El Clásico, and against Recreativo he scored again, his 7th goal. He scored again against Deportivo, from a wonderful pass from Ronaldinho. A wonderful solo goal against Getafe CF in a Copa del Rey game on 18 April further reflected Messi's footballing similarity with Diego Maradona, and has further forged the youngster as one of the hottest prospects in the game. On June 9 Messi scored a goal with his hand against RCD Espanyol very similar to Diego Maradona, once again furthering the comparisons with the former Argentina great. He scored 2 goals when they beat Atletico Madrid with 6-0, and 2 goals against Espanyol. On the closing day of La Liga, Messi scored two goals against Gimnastic de Tarragona but, despite his efforts to lead his club to victory in that game, Barcelona lost La Liga crown to Real Madrid. Few days later Spanish news agency EFE awarded him the 2007 trophy for the best Ibero-American football player in La Liga ahead of Daniel Alves from Sevilla and club mate Ronaldinho. Messi gained the title as the youngest player ever and has a buy out clause of 150 million Euros which is the highest in the world.
Messi shortly before scoring the goal.
Messi shortly before scoring the goal.

On April 18, 2007, Messi scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe CF, one of which was very similar to Maradona's famous goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century. Messi's goal is already considered a major contender for the best goal of the year. The world's sports press exploded with Maradona comparisons, and the Spanish press labelled Messi as "Messidona". He ran about the same distance (62 metres), beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before. In a press conference after the game, Messi's team-mate Deco said: "There's no other like Leo."

kaka leite video

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kaka leite pictures

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kaka leite biography

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Early life

Kaká was born to Simone Cristina dos Santos Leite and Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite. He has a younger brother, Rodrigo (known as Digão), who has followed in Kaká's footsteps by playing football in Italy.

In September 2000, at the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spine fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident, but remarkably made a full recovery. The next year, Kaká made his comeback on the pitch, when he came in as a reserve-substitute in the Torneio Rio-São Paulo final match and scored two goals, among them the match-winner, in less than five minutes. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.

Club career

He began his club career with São Paulo at the age of 8. He signed a contract at 15 and led the SPFC youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. In 2000, the club was set to sell Kaká to Turkish 1st division side Gaziantepspor, who turned down the deal after refusing to pay a price of $1.5m for him. Kaká made his São Paulo senior debut in January 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, in addition to leading São Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship. He scored 10 in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs.

AC Milan, fresh from winning the UEFA Champions League 2002-03, brought him aboard in 2003 for $8.5 million, a fee described in hindsight as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and has remained there since. His Serie A debut was in a 2-0 Milan win at A.C. Ancona. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, as Milan won the Scudetto and the European Super Cup.

Kaká was an integral part of the five-man midfield in the 2004-05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. He scored 7 goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up to Juventus. Despite Milan losing the 2004-05 Champions League final to Liverpool F.C. on penalties, he was nonetheless voted the best midfielder of the tournament, and also finished ninth, with 19 votes, in the running for the 2005 Ballon D'Or.

The 2005-06 season saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic and European competition. On April 9, 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo Verona. All three goals were scored in the second half. Seven months later, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4-1 group stage win over RSC Anderlecht. The football world was beginning to take notice of a superstar in the making. Following Rui Costa's departure to Benfica at the end of the season, and despite the insistence of many Milan fans, Kaká turned down the chance to switch from his number 22 to the now-vacant #10, a number typically associated with world-class scorers. (The number was eventually claimed by teammate Clarence Seedorf.)

Shevchenko's departure to Chelsea FC for the 2006-07 season allowed Kaká to become the focal point of Milan's offense as he alternated between the midfield and striker positions. He finished as the top scorer in the 2006-07 CL campaign with ten goals, which proved a huge catalyst in steering Milan back to European success. One of them helped the Rossoneri squeak by Celtic FC 1-0 after extra time in the quarterfinals on a 1-0 aggregate, and three others proved fatal for Manchester United in the semifinals despite Milan losing the first leg. Following the convincing 3-0 second-leg defeat at the San Siro on May 2 that knocked out the English champions, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson declared that Kaka was one of the two best players in the world, alongside his charge Cristiano Ronaldo. The previous month, a panel of experts set up by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport proclaimed Kaká as the world's best footballer. Shevchenko also included his endorsement, while suggesting that Kaka deserved to win the Ballon d'Or.

Kaká added the Champions League title to his trophy case for the first time when Milan defeated Liverpool F.C. 2-1 in Athens on May 23, 2007. Though he went scoreless, he won a free kick that led to the first of Filippo Inzaghi's two goals, and provided the assist for the second. For his stellar play throughout the competition, he was voted the Vodafone Fans' Player of the Season in a poll of over 100,000 UEFA.com visitors. In June 2007, German football publication Kicker named him the world's best player, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho finishing second and third, respectively, while he was also given this honor by UK publication The Times.

National Team

Kaká made his Seleção debut in January 2002 against Bolivia. He was part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but played only 19 minutes, all of which were in the first round match against Costa Rica. During the final against Germany, coach Luis Felipe Scolari was reportedly about to send Kaká on as a substitute, but he never made it into the game as the referee did not notice him waving on the sidelines to enter the pitch.

In 2003,Kaká was the captain for the Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil finished as runner-up, as did Kaká with a second-best three goals. He was also named as one of the competition's top eleven players by position. On June 29, 2005, he scored in a 4-1 defeat of Argentina in the 2005 Confederations Cup final, with a powerful shot into the upper right-hand corner of the net. He finished in joint tenth place in the voting for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award, and finished two spots higher the following year.

Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup Finals in 2006, scoring his first and only goal in a 1-0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opening match. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep up his momentum for the remainder of the tournament as Brazil were ingloriously eliminated by France in the quarterfinals. On September 3, 2006, he scored one of his most brilliant goals for Brazil, receiving the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score.

On May 12, 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League and national team play, Kaká openly bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which was won by Brazil. "I haven't had a break for three seasons. I won't have the form to achieve what is expected of me at an international level." Brazil coach Dunga took the optimistic route, declaring that while he was disappointed about Kaká's decision, his absence would subsequently free up a roster spot for a lesser-used player. Kaká, however, did play 70 minutes of Brazil's 1-1 friendly draw with England on June 1, but only 30 in a lackluster goalless draw with Turkey on June 5.

Personal life and religion

A devout evangelical Christian, Kaká became engrossed in religion at the age of 12: "I learnt that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not." He removed his jersey to reveal an "I Belong to Jesus" T-shirt and openly engaged in prayer moments after the final whistle of Milan's 2007 Champions League triumph. Kaká previously sported the same shirt during Milan's 2004 Scudetto celebration and after Brazil's defeat of Germany in the 2002 World Cup final, and had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots. During the postmatch celebration following Brazil's 4-1 win over Argentina in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup final, he and several of his teammates, among them backup keeper Gomes and defender Lúcio, wore T-shirts with "Jesus Loves You" printed on them in various languages.

Two days before Christmas in 2005, Kaká married 18-year-old Caroline Celico at the Reborn in Christ Church in São Paulo. She was born on July 26, 1987 to Rosangela Lyra, the director of Dior in Brazil, and entrepreneur Celso Celico. She and Kaká met in 2001 while she was a student and he was playing for São Paulo FC. The wedding drew 600 guests, including fellow Brazilian footballers Cafu, Ronaldo, Adriano, Dida, Júlio Baptista, and then-Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. Caroline is currently attending university in Milan, where she plans to earn a fashion business degree.

Kaká is a member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ"). His goal celebration consists of him pointing to the sky as a sign of thanks to God after every score, and is proud that he was a virgin when he married His favorite music is gospel music, and his favorite book is the Bible. Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations' World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment.

Kaká was sworn in as an Italian citizen on February 12, 2007. (He is ineligible to play for Italy, though, having already played for Brazil.) He features prominently in Adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, but the latter prevented him from appearing in a photo collection alongside his Milan teammates that was published by Dolce & Gabbana in early 2007.

Arda Turan Video

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arda turan pictures

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arda turan

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Arda Turan, (born January 30, 1987 in Istanbul, Turkey), is a Turkish professional footballer currently playing for Galatasaray in left or right winger position.

Arda is currently one of the rising stars of Galatasaray's successful youth set-up. After performing well for the reserve team, he was called into the full team in the beginning of the 2004-2005 season and played well in the senior side since then. In mid season he was loaned to Vestel Manisaspor in order to gain first team experience. Former Turkey national football team coach Ersun Yanal gave him a good deal of chance in the team and Arda used this time wisely playing for 15 times and scoring twice.

Arda is noted for his consistent performances on the left wing but he is also capable of playing on the right side, as an attacking midfielder.

Galatasaray Return

Arda Turan returned to Galatasaray at the start of the 2006/07 season and gave an impressive performance in the 3rd round Champions League qualifying round game against Mladá Boleslav, by scoring two goals and setting up two more in the process. Following the game, he was widely praised by footballing experts all around Europe, who are likening him already to the likes of Gheorghe Hagi, a Galatasaray and Romanian legend. Arda Turan is known for his precise passes, assists and his ability to get past defenders. Clubs like Inter, Milan, Everton, Newcastle and Tottenham have shown interest in Arda Turan.

As UEFA.com states, he is combative young midfielder with high levels of vision and technique and exceptional passing ability

Wayne Rooney video

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Wayne Rooney pictures

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Wayne Rooney biography

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Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Liverpool) is an English footballer who currently plays for the English Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team. He is seen as one of the most exciting prospects of the modern game, his transfer fee from Everton still stands as the highest ever paid for a teenager. He normally played as a second striker to Ruud van Nistelrooy for his club team before van Nistelrooy's move to Real Madrid, although during 2005-06, he showed his versatility as a player by shifting to the midfield and playing on both flanks. He wore the number 8 shirt for Manchester United from 2004 until June 2007, when his shirt number was changed to number 10. He wears the number 9 shirt for England.

Rooney was brought up in an urban area of eastern Liverpool called Croxteth, where he and his two brothers attended the local De La Salle Catholic School.

Rooney grew up supporting Everton and his childhood hero was Duncan Ferguson, and wore a T-shirt reading "Once a blue, Always a blue"However, he would end up playing just two seasons with Everton before demanding, and then executing, a transfer. This has left him on unfavourable terms with Everton fans, and this showed when he returned to Goodison Park and was booed severely.

Rooney has been under an intense media spotlight since first arriving on the scene in 2002, particularly coming to the public's notice on 19 October 2002 when he scored a memorable goal against title-holders Arsenal, ending their 30-match unbeaten run. Receiving the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box, Rooney brought it down with instant control and turned away from his marker before firing it into the top left-hand corner of the goal, beating England keeper David Seaman and giving Everton a late 2-1 victory at Goodison Park. This goal provoked Clive Tyldesley, the match commentator, to exclaim "Remember the name, Wayne Rooney!". Rooney was only 16 years old when he scored the goal, making him the youngest ever goalscorer in the Premiership at the time. Rooney gained a huge reputation on the world stage due to his performance at Euro 2004, as he spearheaded the English attack, scoring four goals, eclipsing fellow England team mate Michael Owen.
Contents

Career

Everton

After excelling for Liverpool Schoolboys and The Dynamo Brownwings, Rooney was signed by Everton shortly before his 11th birthday.Rooney gained national prominence on the 19th of October 2002 when he became the youngest goal scorer in the history of the Premier League at 16 years and 360 days while playing for Everton (though this record has since been surpassed twice by James Milner and current record holder James Vaughan). His goal against then-champions Arsenal was a last-minute winner and brought to an end the London side's 30-match unbeaten run. At the end of 2002 he won the BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year.

Transfer

Before turning 17 and becoming eligible for a professional contract, he was playing for £80 a week and living with his family on a council estate. His salary has since been increased several times and Rooney now earns an estimated £51,755 a week. Following intense media coverage of Rooney at Euro 2004, Everton claimed that they would not transfer his contract for less than £50 million. The club offered Rooney a new contract for £12,000 a week for three years. This, however, was turned down by Rooney's agent on the 27 August 2004, leaving Manchester United and Newcastle United to compete for his signature.

The Times newspaper reported that Newcastle were close to signing the young star for £18.5 million, a fact later confirmed by Rooney's agent. Manchester United, however, were the successful club in signing the young talent. Rooney handed in a transfer request to Everton and on 31 August 2004, Rooney signed for Manchester United after a deal worth around £31 million (£49 million including wages) was agreed. The deal was concluded just hours before the transfer deadline.

The initial fee of £23m was paid to Everton over two years; the rest of the money depends on appearances and/or success at Manchester United and/or England. It is likely the fee will reach the maximum £31m within the next 3 years. A final fee in the region of £30m plus costs is more likely. In the club's 2004-05 accounts, Rooney's contract is recorded as having a book cost of £25.066 million as at 30 June 2005, with contingent payables of £4 million, giving a maximum final fee of £29.066 million including costs.

Rooney's transfer fee is the second highest for an exclusively British deal, with only his Manchester United team-mate, Rio Ferdinand, commanding a higher fee. Rooney does, however, have the honour of being the most expensive teenage footballer ever, being only 18 when Manchester United signed him.

Manchester United

Rooney made his debut for Manchester United on 28 September 2004 in the UEFA Champions League against Fenerbahçe, scoring a hat-trick and also an assist (the match finished in a 6-2 win for United). For the 2005-06 season, Rooney initially started playing in wider positions than his more favoured central role. Pundits and fans alike agreed that he seemed less effective in such positions. Eventually, after Manchester United's poor run of form early in the season, Sir Alex Ferguson moved him back to his stronger position, playing behind Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy as a second striker. He got his first professional Winners Medal in the 2006 English League Cup. He was also named Man of the Match in the League Cup final against Wigan Athletic, after scoring two goals in the final (a 4-0 victory for United), en route to winning his first senior medal. He was also a member of the United side defeated in the 2005 FA Cup Final by Arsenal. He captained Manchester United for the first time in a home Champions League match against Copenhagen on 17 October 2006, becoming probably the youngest captain in the clubs' history. On 26 November 2006 he signed a two-year extension to his contract, which will keep him at Old Trafford until at least 2012; the contract extension negotiations only took one month, which was interpreted as showing how keen both sides were to conclude the extension.

Rooney has been a prolific goal scorer for Manchester United and Everton, matching the level of goals scored by other strikers such as Ruud van Nistelrooy. Also, he is a regular assist contributor. In the 2005-2006 season he achieved a final total of 14 assists and 16 goals, fewer goals than his current strike partner Louis Saha, but more assists.

During the first half of the 2006-7 season, Rooney went 10 games without a goal before scoring a hat-trick against Bolton. There was speculation about his fitness and confidence on the pitch, as he seemed less active than he usually is and his presence on the field was somewhat overshadowed by the brilliant form of Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo. Rooney's scoring rate had been matched by Louis Saha and exceeded by Cristiano Ronaldo, a winger. Nevertheless, as of February 2007 he was the top English goalscorer in the Premiership, and had received significantly fewer bookings than in previous seasons.In the FA Cup tie against Portsmouth, Rooney came on as a substitute and scored two goals, one of which was a 25-yard chip over goalkeeper David James, and soon after scored two of United's four goals in the derby against Bolton. Rooney scored his first goal for two-and-a-half years in Europe in a 2-1 defeat to A.S. Roma on 4 April 2007 in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League. His scoring in the tournament continued in the quarter-final second leg against Roma and the semi-final first leg on, when he scored two goals in the 3-2 victory over A.C. Milan, the second a low first-time drive into the bottom right-hand corner.By the end of April, Rooney had scored 23 goals for his team in all competitions, putting him level with team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of goals scored in all competitions this season.

On 30 June 2007 it was announced that Rooney would take over the number 10 shirt vacated by Ruud van Nistelrooy's departure to Real Madrid just over a year earlier. He was formally presented with the shirt by former United and Scotland striker Denis Law, who famously wore the number during his prolific spell with the club.

National team career
Rooney playing for England
Rooney playing for England

He has also figured prominently in recent England international matches, after having become the youngest ever player to play for England, in a friendly against Australia, on 12 February 2003, aged 17 years, 111 days. This record has since been surpassed by Theo Walcott, who came off the bench to play in England's friendly against Hungary on 30 May 2006. Before Rooney, England's youngest ever player was James F. M. Prinsep of Clapham Rovers,who made his debut almost one and a quarter centuries before, on 5 April 1879, aged 17 years, 253 days. Rooney is also the youngest England scorer ever (17 years, 317 days).

His reputation as one of the world's most exciting young players was further enhanced by his highly regarded performances for England at Euro 2004 in Portugal. At the tournament Rooney became the youngest player ever to score in the UEFA European Football Championships, when on 17 June 2004 he scored twice against Switzerland; although the Swiss player, Johan Vonlanthen, broke this record against France four days later. Unfortunately Rooney was injured early in the quarter final match against Portugal and England were subsequently knocked out on penalties.

On 29th April 2006 Rooney was stretchered off in the 82nd minute of a Premier League game between United and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It was later confirmed that Rooney had suffered a broken metatarsal in a seemingly innocuous challenge with Paulo Ferreira, and was left with a race against time to be fit for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Due to his status as a cult hero and the fact that he was by now a key player in the national side, Rooney's recovery made front and back page headlines, as, aided by an oxygen tent, he made a staggering recovery, coming on as substitute for England's second group game against Trinidad and Tobago, and starting alongside Michael Owen in the following match against Sweden. However, the World Cup was to turn sour for Rooney. Struggling for match fitness, his frustration came to the fore as he was sent off for a stamp on Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho in the quarter final, and England crashed out of the tournament on penalties, with Rooney having failed to find the net.

2004 Court Case

In and around 2002 there was a dispute between two groups over who had the right to manage Rooney and this led to a criminal trial after allegations that one side was trying to demand money with menaces from the other. The court was told that one group sought the help of the infamous London gangster Tommy Adams in resolving the dispute.

Disciplinary issues

Wayne Rooney's career has been tainted with moments of ill-discipline.In September 2005, against Northern Ireland, Rooney launched an on-field outburst at former England captain David Beckham, but since then the pair have played down the bust-up.

His ill-discipline led to his dismissal in the 0-0 draw with Villarreal during United's Champions League encounter in Spain. Rooney was sent off for dissent following his sarcastic applauding of the referee, Kim Milton Nielsen, after he was initially booked for what he felt was an unfair booking.

Rooney has pledged to keep his temper under control and both his club and international managers have defended him, citing his youth as the main reason for his behaviour. It is known that other teams and players are familiar with Rooney's disciplinary problems and sometimes use them against him, teasing him or provoking him.Since the 2004-05 season he has been trying to keep his temper in check, as shown by a drop in cards received in the 2005-06 season. In the 2006 World Cup quarter-final match with Portugal, Rooney was sent off after an incident during the 62nd minute of the match. He became only the third English player to be given a red card while playing a match in a World Cup Finals. Rooney was struggling to gain proper control of the ball as he was involved in a tangle with Ricardo Carvalho and Petit, during which he appeared to stamp on Carvalho's groin. The incident occurred right in front of Argentinian referee Horacio Elizondo. As play was stopped, Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, a fellow teammate of his at Manchester United, remonstrated with the referee. Rooney then pushed Ronaldo and was shown the red card for what was thought to be a combination of the incidents involving Carvalho and Ronaldo.However, on 4 July, Elizondo told The Times that the red card was due to the stamp on Carvalho, and not the scuffle afterwards. He said "It was violent play and therefore he got a red card. People can say what they want (about Ronaldo) but this had absolutely no influence. For me it was a clear red card, so I didn't react to the Portuguese players."

After the match, which England lost on penalties, the BBC pundit team, led by Gary Lineker, showed a clip of what they found interesting in light of Rooney's dismissal. Before the match, Rooney's Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo approached him from behind and aggressively placed his head close to Rooney before speaking directly into his ear. Rooney's reaction and the look on Ronaldo's face suggested that the act was far from playful. Following Rooney's dismissal, Ronaldo was seen winking at the Portuguese bench.Cristiano Ronaldo said in a post-match press conference that he had not urged the referee to take out a red card, but just pointed out that Rooney had committed a foul.

On 3 July, Rooney released a statement saying, "I bear no ill feeling to Cristiano but am disappointed that he chose to get involved. I suppose I do, though, have to remember that on that particular occasion we were not team-mates." He also claimed that his actions were accidental. He also defended his own actions in the statement: "I want to say absolutely categorically that I did not intentionally put my foot down on Ricardo Carvalho. He slid in from behind me and unfortunately ended up in a positioning where my foot was inevitably going to end up as I kept my balance. That's all there was to it. When the referee produced the red card I was amazed - gobsmacked."

Wayne Rooney was investigated by FIFA's disciplinary committee after being sent off during England's World Cup quarter-final defeat against Portugal, banned for two competitive matches and fined 5,000 Swiss francs.

Rooney was sent off again for Manchester United in an Amsterdam Tournament game against FC Porto on 4 August 2006 for the use of an elbow,and was subsequently handed a three-match ban by the FA following their receipt of a 23-page report from referee Ruud Bossen explaining why he felt it was necessary to send Rooney off in the aforementioned game.This was viewed as surprising, as other players sent off in pre-season friendly matches were not so sanctioned, and Rooney wrote to the FA threatening to withdraw the FA's permission to use his image rights if the ban was not revoked - however the FA has no procedure to do so.

Though not related to on-field action, there were reports by British media that Rooney punched Blackburn Rovers' Michael Gray on 2 September 2006. The alleged incident that happened inside a Manchester restaurant was a result of suggestive comments by Gray towards Rooney's fiancée Coleen McLoughlin. Police were not informed about the incident.

On 24 November 2006, Wayne Rooney was questioned by the police over a fight outside a Manchester nightclub. This supposedly happened when a photographer started hassling Rooney. The photographer did not need any medical treatment.

Personal life

Rooney is the eldest of three children (all sons) born to Thomas Wayne Rooney and Jeanette Rooney. His brothers are Graham (born 1987) and John (born 1990). . He didn't achieve a single GCSE.

He has rarely been out of the media spotlight since his goal against Arsenal in October 2002, and has received criticism for his relationship with fiancée Coleen McLoughlin, who is often featured in the tabloid press for her shopping habits. They currently live in a £4.25 million mansion in the village of Prestbury in Cheshire, built by a company owned by Dawn Ward, the wife of former Sheffield United striker Ashley Ward. When he moved to Manchester United and was told to find a home in the posh area of Cheshire, Rooney passed a pub which he thought was named "Admiral Rooney" and saw it as a good omen for his future home. It was actually "Admiral Rodney", but Rooney chose the place, Prestbury, anyway (kicker, April 18, 2006, p. 79-80). He also owns property in Marbella and Harbor Pointe, Port Charlotte, Florida

Rooney has also lucrative contracts with Nike, Nokia, Ford, Asda and Coca Cola. marketing value is estimated at €46 million, making him the third-highest rated football player behind Ronaldinho and David Beckham.Rooney appears on the cover of the FIFA 06 and FIFA 07 video game in the United Kingdomand was featured on 500 million Coca-Cola cans during the 2006 World Cup. Regarding his private life, Rooney's favourite rappers are Eminem and 50 Cent.His favourite film is Grease, and his favourite TV series is Only Fools And Horses.Moreover, he is an avid reader of the Harry Potter series. He enjoys boxing, and idolises Mike Tyson.(kicker, April 18, 2006, p. 79-80).

Rooney was "Merk'd" along with other England teammates (the equivalent to the American TV Show "Punk'd") by his Manchester United and England team mate, Rio Ferdinand on a mini-series TV show build up to the World Cup, "World Cup Wind Ups". This comical scenario left Wayne holding a drip for a young Manchester United fan's dog.
In his spare time, Wayne likes to play video games, his favourite game is FIFA 07, which he plays with Man United teammates Wes Brown, John O'Shea and Rio Ferdinand.

Rooney's personal life has also often been marred by accusations from the press surrounding his visits to prostitutes, which he later confirmed to be true. Rooney has spoken of his deep regret regarding his actions.

Press accusations

In April 2006, newspapers suggested that he owed in excess of £700,000 in gambling debts, possibly connected to a business partner of Michael Owen. Days later, he accepted £100,000 (which he donated to charity) in libel damages from The Sun and News of the World newspapers which had claimed he had assaulted his fiancée in a nightclub.

In September 2006, Rooney was again at a the centre of controversy, accused of punching Michael Gray in the eye following provocation from the Blackburn defender.

Books and website

On 9 March 2006, Rooney signed the largest sports book deal in publishing history with the publishers HarperCollins. He is to receive a £5 million advance, plus royalties, for a minimum of five books to be published over a twelve-year period. The first book, My Story So Far, a ghost-written autobiography, was scheduled to be published after the World Cup. On 1 September 2006 Everton manager David Moyes started a libel action against the Daily Mail, which was publishing extracts of Rooney's book and threatened to also sue Rooney and his book publishers over statements made in the book concerning the circumstances of Rooney's leaving Everton.

In July 2006, Rooney's lawyers went to the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to gain ownership of the internet domain names "waynerooney.com" and "waynerooney.co.uk", which Welsh television actor Huw Marshall had registered in 2002. In October 2006, the WIPO ruled that "waynerooney.com" should be handed over to Rooney.

Didier Drogba video

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Didier Drogba Biography

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Didier Drogba Biography

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Didier Drogba Biography

Didier Drogba Biography – Preview
It's said that a great soccer striker will score a goal every two opportunities he has. Then how would this logic rate Didier Drogba, one of today's most famous strikers, who doesn't even need a second chance to score? Regardless, he is a player that emerged on the first pages rather late and a Didier Drogba Biography is in call, especially now, that the player is on the top of his game.

Let's take a look at his rough early life and follow him going up through the ranks of soccer. As you will see in this Drogba biography, he started low and had to work extremely hard to get to where he is today.

Full name Didier Yves Drogba Tebily
Date of birth March 11, 1978
Place of birth Abidjan,Ivory Coast
Height 6.2FT - 1.88M
Playing position Striker

Didier Drogba Biography – Early Career
Born in the Ivory Coast, Didier Drogba didn't have anything brought to him on the silver platter, as his family struggled to give the young boy a proper education in a harsh environment.

Moving to France with his family meant a huge step for Didier, as he was sent to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, who was a professional footballer. His uncle, a striker in the Ivory Coast national team and playing for second division club Brest, introduced the young footballer Drogba to the joy of soccer as well as teaching him a few tips and tricks needed by every striker.

At age 15, Drogba rejoined his family in the town of Levallois, where he took up soccer for the local team's youth club. At age 17, he made his debut in the first squad of the team that played in the fourth French division. Playing at such a low level, when Le Mans, who was playing in the second division at that time, offered him a contract, Didier Drogba immediately signed.

Season Club Games Goals
1998-2002 Le Mans 62 11
2002-2003 En Avant Guingamp 45 20
2003-2004 Olympique de Marseille 35 19
2004-Present Chelsea 91 42

Didier Drogba Biography – Le Mans and Guingamp
Didier Drogba played for four years at Le Mans in the second division and although content with the fact that he was finally having a better life with the modest wage offered by the club, he was hungry for more in regards of soccer.

At age 24, being already considered a mature footballer, Drogba was finally noticed by a first division club, in En Avant Guingamp, who were at that time a mid-table Ligue 1 team.

Being a major breakthrough in his professional career, Guingamp was the perfect setting for a talented footballer such as Drogba to make himself noticed. And that's exactly what happened after only 1 and a half years spent at the club, when Olympique de Marseille, a regular Top 5 team in France, clinched a contract with him.

Years National Team Games Goals
2002-Present Ivory Coast 40 28

Didier Drogba Biography – Olympique de Marseille
It was 2003 and Didier Drogba emerged rather late on the first scene of top European soccer, at age 25. Still, his appetite for goal wouldn't allow him to lay low, even though he reached a comfortable level for any footballer, Marseille being a team that would battle each year for the league and cup, as well as on the European front, in the UEFA Champions League.

The main passion for Drogba, goals, remained his primary target and he managed to score 18 times in 35 matches for Marseille, of which 5 in the UEFA Champions League group stages and another 6 in the following UEFA Cup run.

Didier Drogba © Photo by Free-ers-flickr.com

Age 26, it was the perfect setup for him to step in the light, as he got a contract offer from what is still the most important club in the career of Drogba, Chelsea London. And not just any Chelsea, but Roman Abramovici's Chelsea, a team studded with 24-carat footballers in which many thought that Drogba would have no room.

Didier Drogba Biography – Chelsea
The English Premiership seemed to be the perfect league for Didier Drogba (or was it the other way around?), since the type of soccer played in England fits like a glove on Drogba's qualities: commitment to effort, strength and lots of crosses.

Even though he suffered an injury that would keep him from playing for over 2 months, Drogba managed to score 16 goals in his first season for Chelsea, including another 5 in Champions League, a competition in which Drogba seemed like a fish in water.

Winning the Premiership and the Carling Cup meant a new step for the Ivorian footballer, Drogba tasting the cup of real success for the first time.

Although being helped by a tremendous performance by Drogba, Chelsea didn't manage to win the Champions League trophy, stopping in the finals, they are considered amongst the favorites each year and many (including me), believe that only time separate Chelsea and Drogba from being crowned the kings of Europe.

Cristiano Ronaldo video

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Cristiano Ronaldo pictures

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Cristiano Ronaldo Biography

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Cristiano Ronaldo was born on the 5th February 1985, on the small island of Madeira, Portugal.

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Manchester amid a media storm. Manchester United had managed to sign the player without the Press suspecting anything. As the stock market was told that the player had been signed, hundreds of journalists flooded up to Manchester to get a proper look at one of Manchester United's youngest signings.

Named after Ronald Reagan, due to his father's respect for the man, few would have gambled that this child would make it to the very top of the Football tree, especially with Madeira mainly being used for farm-land. He has one brother and two sisters, and it is family whom he deems most important in his life.

It was on the dusty back-streets of this small island that Ronaldo learnt his first few tricks, and it was also on this Island that he was first scouted. By the age of twelve Ronaldo had established himself as the best player on the Island, able to use his ball skills and pace to get past full-grown defenders for Andorinha.

Having been recognised as a serious talent, all that was left was for the big Portuguese clubs to scrap it out for his signature. Though Porto and Boavista came in for him, he could only ever play for Sporting the club he supported as a boy.

He progressed slowly through the youth ranks, although all those who worked with him were impressed with the talent that he had for his age, as well as his maturity.

At the tender age of 17, Ronaldo was thrown in at the deep end with his first game against Moreirense. Two goals on his first appearance not only gave him his dream debut, but also endeared him to the fans, who soon learnt to chant for the ball to be passed to him. A goal against title-rivals Boavista also saw him rise to the top of the "Fan's Favourites" list.

His skills were watched closely by all of the big clubs in Europe, including Liverpool and Juventus, in the U-17 European Championships. His dazzling skills put England U-17s out, and everyone who watched felt they had seen something special.

At the end of his first season at Sporting he was linked to Liverpool. Though he claimed he was extremely happy at Sporting, he was also flattered by the interest of such a big club, who used to do well in the Premier League.

Sporting finished top in the league, and Ronaldo was hailed as the future of the club, alongside Quaresma, another Portuguese Starlet.

As it was, both moved away, with the money on the table to much for the Portuguese club to turn down. Best-friend Quaresma ended up at Barcelona, whilst Ronaldo came to the bright red of Manchester.

The deal saw Ronald become the most expensive teenage signing in Britain, with Manchester United paying £12.24million over two seasons, in two equal payments.

Those who had not seen him play baulked at the price such a lot of money for someone unproven!

Those who had seen the Man Utd vs. Sporting friendly just three days before, however, knew that this player was special. Playing for Sporting, Ronaldo had taken the game to the reds, and was the main reason that Manchester United lost 3-1. After the game, all the United players could talk about was how well Ronaldo had played, and they begged Sir Alex to buy him. Sir Alex had been following him for months, but decided that the time was right not least because other clubs were getting increasingly closer to buying him.

An so, on 12th August 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo held up the famous Red shirt, with his favourite number 7 (it is hero Figo's number) for all the press to see.

A new star had been born.

His first performance for the club was against Bolton. He entered the fray with an hour gone, with United 1 0 up. A standing ovation from the fans at old Trafford did nothing to settle his nerves, but he rewarded the fans for their trust. A man-of-the-match performance followed, and Ronaldo became legend. He had a hand in two of the goals, won an unconverted penalty, and mesmerised the Bolton defence.

The next day the media proclaimed him one of the best players ever for United, comparing him with Red-Legend George Best. Much had been seen, but much is still to come. Ronaldo got better and better as the season went on, eventually leading the Reds to the FA Cup - though somewhat suprisingly, he was not awarded "Man of the Match in that game". It was a disappointing season for United, but no-one was questioning whether Ronaldo was worth the £12million Sir Alex had splashed out on him just eight months previously - everyone could see that Ronaldo was going to be an incredible player.

Ronaldo matured so much during his first year at United that he became a regular in the Portuguese national first team squad. He played a major role in their progress to the final of Euro 2004, where they opposed Greece. In a match that was played on Portuguese soil, Portugal deserved to win the game, but were beaten by a goal scored on the counter-attack by a defensive Greece team.

Ronaldo was also selected for the Portuguese Olympic football team for 2004. He is fast becoming the greatest player who ever lived.

luis saha video

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luis saha pictures

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Louis Laurent Saha biography

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Louis Laurent Saha (born 8 August 1978 in Paris, France) is a French international footballer of Guadaloupian descent who plays for the English club, Manchester United. He made his English football debut on loan from F.C. Metz to Newcastle United in 1999, making 11 appearances and scoring one goal before returning to Metz. He was transferred to Fulham for £2.1million in 2000. During a spell of nearly four years at the club, he scored 63 goals in total.

In January 2004 he moved to Manchester United for £12.825 million, and was handed the number 9 shirt which had been vacant since the departure of Andy Cole two years earlier. Saha scored from a free-kick on his United debut in a 3-2 win over Southampton F.C. on 31 January 2004. In February 2004, Saha capped another debut appearance with a goal, on this occasion for the French national team, in a 2-0 victory against Belgium. Saha ended the season with 7 goals from 13 appearances for United and he looked to have developed a promising partnership with Ruud van Nistelrooy.

However, the arrival of Alan Smith (from Leeds United for £6million) and then Wayne Rooney (from Everton for £30million) pushed Saha down the pecking order and he was linked with a move away from the club less than a year after arriving. His 2004-05 season was badly hit by a succession of injuries and he managed only two goals. 2005-06 also began with injury setbacks, but Saha has silenced his critics with a series of strong performances since his return to first-team action in November 2005. He has replaced van Nistelrooy as United's main striker after the Dutchman has left the club. A member of the French national team and now fairly well established in the squad, Saha was a part of the squad at the 2004 European Football Championship.

The conclusion of the 2005/06 season finally saw Saha pick up his first medal in the Carling Cup 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic, in which Saha scored one of the goals.

He was picked in the 2006 World Cup Squad squad for France as a forward, along with Thierry Henry and David Trézéguet as well as Djibril Cissé, Sylvain Wiltord and Franck Ribéry. He was unable to play in the final due to receiving his second yellow card of the knockout stages in the semi-final against Portugal.

He got his 2006-2007 Champions League campaign off to a good start, scoring two goals in United's 3-2 win against Celtic. He also scored against Benfica in the Champions League.

In the next Champions League fixture against Celtic at Parkhead, Saha missed a crucial penalty in the 89th minute which would've drawn the game 1-1. He said that "1000 'sorry's" was not enough to apologise to the Manchester United fans. He made up for his mistake by scoring a clever 20 yard goal against league rivals and reigning Premiership champions Chelsea. He further proved his worth by scoring a successful bottom-left of goal penalty against Middlesbrough F.C., and notching the crucial 2nd goal in the Manchester derby taking his tally to 8 league goals. This took his overall Premiership goal tally to 50, equalling the feat achieved by Wayne Rooney 39 minutes earlier. He has now achieved a degree of popularity with fans. Chants of 'Knowing me, knowing you -- Sahaaa!' to the tune of the ABBA song of a similar name, have been heard in Salford pubs.

Saha signed an extension to his contract at Manchester United F.C. on 20th December 2006, tying him to the English Premiership club until 2010.

He also helped Manchester United win the 2006/07 Barclays English Premier League. However throughout the 2nd half of the season he was injured, and did not manage to make a full return to the first team for the remainder of the season.

Saha recently received a knee operation in the United States. His agents say he will be fit and ready to play for Manchester United in mid-September.

anderson luis video

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anderson pictures

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Luis anderson biography

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Following in the well-heeled footsteps of comics like Oliver Hardy (of Laurel & Hardy), Jackie Gleason and Roseanne Barr, Louie Anderson built a successful comedy career using his weight as his number one asset. With an eternally adolescent look and a self-deprecating wit, all wrapped up in a tongue-in-cheek style, Anderson was best known for his stand-up comedy act, but also appeared in numerous television shows and films, wrote best-selling books – even revived the 1970’s game show hit “The Family Feud.”

Born Louie Perry Anderson on March 24, 1953 in Minneapolis, MN, the future comic was one of 11 children. With that much competition, he quickly realized the benefits of standing out with a sense of humor. Growing up with an alcoholic father, Anderson found work full-time as a school counselor to troubled children, until one night, on a dare, his comedy career began. At a comedy club in Minneapolis, Anderson bragged to his friends that he was just as funny as any of the comics on stage. They dared him to go up on stage and prove it – so he did. Within six months, he was doing comedy full time.

His early comedy routines focused on the outrageous situations inherent with growing-up inside of a big family, as well as the normally not-so-funny experiences from counseling kids. Touring the college circuit and clubs in Chicago and Kansas City, Anderson crafted his persona as the happy, loveable loser; the harmless kid you can’t help but feel sorry for, yet like at the same time. This act helped him to win first place at the 1981 Midwest Comedy Competition, where the host was legendary comedian, Henry Youngman (the violin-playing “King of the One-Liner”). Youngman immediately saw the young comic’s potential and took him on as a writer and protégé.

Like virtually every successful comedian of his day, Anderson landed his big break with an appearance on “The Tonight Show” (NBC, 1962- ) with Johnny Carson in 1984. Carson was so impressed with Anderson that he called him out for a ‘second bow,’ a gesture rarely bestowed on comics and one that signified the late-night legend’s seal of approval. Anderson quickly found himself as a headliner at Sunset Boulevard’s the Comedy Store and performed small, but memorable roles in feature films such as the flower-delivery guy in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986), the always-eating bicycle courier in “Quicksilver” (1986), and with fellow comedians Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall in “Coming To America” (1988).

With the face of a chubby, forever-adolescent kid, and a disarmingly sweet smile, Anderson’s amiable personality seemed tailor made for the TV game show genre – or, more specifically, old TV game shows reborn. Anderson appeared as a recurring panelist guest on “The New Hollywood Squares” starting in 1987 and stole the show, consistently being the most-chosen square (perhaps due to his inability to lie with a straight face). Anderson’s uncanny ability to personally connect with a crowd had bloomed enough that he found himself hosting his own gigs, such as HBO’s “Comedy Showcase” and “Comic Relief VII” in 1995.

After the success of his bestselling first book Dear Dad – Letters From An Adult Child in 1989, the comic continued his personal catharsis-as-comedy with the creation of the animated show “Life with Louie” in 1995. The Saturday morning series based on his childhood won numerous awards, including two Emmy Awards and three Humanitas Prizes. In 1999, Anderson’s family-friendly persona fashioned him a natural fit for the rebirth of another classic game show, the 70s hit, “The Family Feud.” Ironically, the original show was best known for its debonair host Richard Dawson kissing the female contestants – a polar opposite to its new host Louie Anderson, who would giggle at them.

It was during this heady time that Anderson became the victim of blackmail and extortion. Richard J. Gordon, from Mesa, AZ, wrote to Anderson, detailing how he (Anderson) had approached him in a California casino requesting sexual acts in 1993. Gordon threatened to take his story to the tabloids, reportedly writing "stars are falling left and right," and "now that you are working with kids it makes it even worse." Between 1997-98, Anderson paid Gordon $100,000 to keep the story out of the tabloids, protect his family-friendly image and avoiding becoming another “Pee Wee Herman,” but when Gordon upped the ante to another $250K, Anderson and his lawyer went to the feds. In a scene more dramatic than any of his professional work, Anderson and the FBI set up a sting where Anderson's assistants arranged to meet Gordon in a Los Angeles restaurant to hand over the extortion check. Instead, Gordon was confronted by undercover FBI agents and fled the scene in a pickup, leading authorities in a high-speed chase down Santa Monica Boulevard, dropping two loaded pistols out of his vehicle before being nabbed. Gordon was later tried, convicted, and in 2000, sentenced up to 21 months in prison. Anderson later stated, "Being a target of criminal activity is an unfortunate and increasingly common by-product of celebrity.”

Anderson continued his stint on “The Family Feud” until 2002. In 2003, he had sudden heart surgery in a Los Angeles hospital. Louie "did not have a heart attack," said longtime agent Steve Levine. "Louie woke up not feeling well. Anyone who knows Louie, knows he has a giant heart. It just needed a little maintenance.” Indeed, Anderson was true to his agent’s words, returning to stand-up comedy, as well as publishing the book The F Word: How to Survive Your Family. Anderson next landed a gig performing at the Excalibur in Vegas. He also starred in the new film “Cook-Off!” and clocked in at #92 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-ups of all-time.

nani video

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nani cunha Biography

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Club career

Early career

Nani was born in Cape Verde, but migrated with his family to Portugal at an early age. He grew up in the Amadora district of Lisbon and started his career in junior football at Real de Massamá before joining the youth setup at Sporting. Manuel Fernandes has been a friend of Nani's since childhood and the pair used to kick a ball about together on the streets of Lisbon.

Sporting

Nani made his debut for the Sporting first team in the 2005-06 season, in which he made 32 appearances and scored five goals. In the 2006-07 season, he was again a regular, making 29 appearances for the first team and scoring five goals. He also played three games in the Portuguese Cup, which Sporting won, as well as six Champions League matches, scoring one goal.

Manchester United

In May 2007, Sporting and Manchester United agreed on an undisclosed fee for Nani to sign for the Manchester club. The fee is believed to be in the region of £14m, the alleged value of the release clause in Nani's contract. Tottenham Hotspur were also reported to have made a bid for the player. Nani passed his medical at United's Carrington training ground on 6 June 2007, before being confirmed as a Manchester United player on 2 July. It was announced that Nani had signed a five-year contract with the club.

On 9 July, Nani was revealed to the press along with fellow newcomer Owen Hargreaves. He was handed the number 17 shirt for the 2007-08 season, the shirt previously worn by Henrik Larsson during his short spell at the club.

Nani scored on his debut in a pre-season friendly against Shenzhen FC in which United ran out 6-0 winners and he also scored in the next game against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical with a lob from inside the box, making his goals to game ratio perfect at 100%.

International career

Nani made his first appearance for Portugal on 1 September 2006, scoring on his début in a friendly against Denmark.

Nani was the youngest member of the Portugal team at the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, and was called up to the Portugal team again for the 2007 UEFA U-21 Championship.

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Thierry Henry video

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Thierry Henry pictures

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Thierry Henry Biography

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Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977 in Les Ulis, Essonne, France) is a French football player who plays as a striker for the French national team, and for the English club Arsenal, where he is the club's all-time leading scorer in both league matches and all competitions.

Henry has been nominated three times for the FIFA World Player of the Year, finishing runner-up in 2003 and 2004, with the announcement of the 2006 winner to come in Zürich on December. Also, he was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

He has surpassed Ian Wright to take over as Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with over 200 goals for the club. In 2006, Henry was the first player to score more than twenty goals in five consecutive seasons (2002–2006). He won the European Golden Boot in both 2004 and 2005 thus making him the first ever player to retain the trophy.

On 19 May 2006, despite months of speculation linking him with Spanish club FC Barcelona, he renewed his contract at Arsenal under a 4-year deal until 2010.

Family and marriage
On May 27, 2005, Henry celebrated the birth of his first child, a daughter named Tea Henry. Henry is married to English model Nicole Merry. He lives with his family in Hampstead, North London.

Racism incident
Luis Aragonés became Spain's coach in 2004. During a training session with the national team, a Spanish TV crew caught Aragonés motivating Henry's then Arsenal teammate José Antonio Reyes saying, "Give him the ball, and then show that black little shit that you are better than him." The incident caused an uproar in the British media with calls for Aragonés to be sacked. When Spain played England in a friendly match at the Bernabéu later that year, the crowd was hostile. Whenever black English players touched the ball, large segments of the Spanish crowd began to make "monkey chants." The Spanish football federation -- the RFEF -- eventually fined the coach €3,000.

After an investigation, UEFA fined the RFEF 100,000 Swiss francs and warned that future incidents would be punished more severely, from suspension from major international tournaments or the closure of Spain's home international matches to supporters.

Henry and Nike started the Stand Up Speak Up campaign against football racism as a result of the incident. He was also a part of Nike's Joga Bonito campaign, Portuguese for "Play beautifully".

Henry trained at Clairefontaine, one of the nine French Football Federation's elite academies and played at a youth level for CO Les Ulis (1983–1989), then Palaiseau (1989–1990), Viry-Châtillon (1990–1992) and FC Versailles (1992–1993). Henry started his professional career at AS Monaco and was given his début in 1994 by then Monaco manager, Arsène Wenger, at the age of 17. Thierry was put on the left wing by Wenger because at the time Wenger believed that Henry's pace, natural ball control and skill would terrorise full-backs better than they would centre-backs. Wenger changed his view later, when he signed Henry for Arsenal.

Juventus career
Having impressed in the French national team's triumph in the 1998 World Cup, Henry left Monaco together with David Trézéguet and moved to Italian club Juventus in January 1999 for £10.7 million. At Juventus, Thierry was made to play on the wing and in an unfamiliar position he was unable to cope with Italian defensive discipline, scoring just three goals while starting 13 games for the Bianconeri.

Arsenal career
Unsettled in Italy, he transferred from Juventus in August 1999 to Arsenal for £11 Million, reuniting with his former manager at Monaco, Wenger. At Arsenal, Wenger moulded Henry into a striker, taking him from his position on the left wing, and this is still regarded as one of his biggest masterstrokes in his time as manager of Arsenal. At first some doubted whether he was cut out for the English Premiership, failing to score in his first ten games. However, he has flourished ever since first finding the net; Henry has been Arsenal's top goalscorer for each of the seven seasons he has been with the club.

He was made Arsenal captain in the summer of 2005, succeeding the departed Patrick Vieira. Regarded by many as Arsenal's best player ever, on October 18, 2005 Henry became the club's top goalscorer of all time; two goals against Sparta Prague meant he broke Ian Wright's record of 185 first-class goals. On February 1, 2006, he scored a goal against West Ham, bringing his league goal tally up to 151 and thus breaking Cliff Bastin's Arsenal league goals record. The 2005–06 season also saw him score his 100th league goal at Highbury, a feat unparalleled in the history of the club, and a unique achievement in the Premier League. He also contributes a large number of assists - most notably 23 in the 2002–03 season — an all-time Premiership record.

On May 7, 2006 Henry scored a hat-trick against Wigan Athletic in the club's final game at Highbury. In an emotionally-charged game that ended with Arsenal securing a place in next season's Champions League ahead of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the last of Henry's three strikes and the final goal at the old stadium, was a penalty in front of the North Bank. After scoring the penalty, Henry knelt down in a final gesture to kiss the Highbury pitch goodbye. In the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal led the group stages and only conceded 2 goals leading up to the final in Paris. A strike from Henry gave Arsenal a 1-0 win on aggregate against Spanish Giants Real Madrid in the first knockout round. An assist to Fàbregas and a goal knocked Juventus out of the quarter-finals. Henry met Barcelona in a star-studded final in Paris on May 17, 2006. The match started badly for Arsenal as goalkeeper Jens Lehmann fouled Samuel Eto'o and was subsequently sent off. Nevertheless, Arsenal took the lead through a Sol Campbell goal, eventually losing 2-1. Henry attracted harsh criticism for missing chances to secure the trophy for Arsenal, being denied twice by the Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Throughout the 2005-06 season Henry was linked with a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid; however he eventually decided to stay with Arsenal, declaring his loyalty and love for the club and accepting a four-year contract after the Champions League final.

Henry is currently third in the list of all-time English Premiership goal scorers, 91 goals behind Alan Shearer who is in first place, and 17 goals behind Andy Cole in second place.

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein claimed the club turned down two bids of £50 million "from Spanish clubs" for Thierry Henry before the signing of the new contract. If either of these bids had been accepted it would have made Henry the most expensive player in the world - breaking the previous transfer record of £47million paid by Spanish side Real Madrid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

Thierry Henry scored Arsenal's first ever goal in the Emirates Stadium on 22 July 2006, during Dennis Bergkamp's Testmonial. On 23 September 2006, Henry played a crucial role in creating the first two goals and then scoring one himself in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Sheffield United which gave them their first victory in the English Premiership at the Emirates Stadium.

Awards
Henry has received many plaudits and awards. He was runner-up for the 2003 and 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award while helping Arsenal to an unbeaten record (26 wins, 12 draws) in the Premiership . He has also won the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year three times, the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the French Player Of The Year on four occasions — an all-time record. In 2004–05, despite Arsenal being the runners-up in the Premiership, Henry emerged with the European Golden Boot for the second consecutive year (albeit sharing it with Villarreal's Diego Forlan in 2005). He is the first ever player to retain the award.

International career
The Frenchman made his international debut in November 1997 against South Africa. Four months earlier, he played for the U-20 French national team in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. He played in France's 1998 FIFA World Cup championship team, on which he was their top-scorer with three goals. Henry was scheduled to appear in the final — where France beat Brazil 3-0 — as a substitute, but a red card forced a defensive change instead. On Bastille Day 1998, he was awarded France's highest decoration, the Légion d'Honneur.

Henry was a member of the Euro 2000 championship squad, again scoring 3 goals and finishing as France's top scorer, including the equalizer against Portugal in the semi-final. France would later win the game in extra time thanks to a penalty kick by team captain Zinedine Zidane.

However, the 2002 FIFA World Cup featured a stunning early exit for both Henry and France as the reigning champions were eliminated in the group stage after failing to score a goal in any contest. After France lost their first match in group play, Henry was red carded for a sliding, studs-up challenge in their next match against Uruguay. France played to a 0-0 draw, but Henry was forced to miss the final match due to suspension which France lost 2-0 to Denmark.

The next year, Henry would return to form at the 2003 Confederations Cup. France, playing without team stalwarts Zidane and Vieira, won in large part to Henry's spectacular play for which he was named Man of the Match by FIFA's Technical Study Group in three of France's five matches. In the final, he scored the golden goal in extra time to lift the host country over Cameroon 1-0. Henry was awarded both the adidas Golden Ball as the outstanding player of the competition and the adidas Golden Shoe as the tournament's top goalscorer.

Henry also played in all of France's games in the Euro 2004 in which the team beat England in the group stages but lost to the eventual winners Greece 1-0 in the quarter-finals.

Henry was one of the automatic starters in the France squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was played in the unfavoured lone striker role, but despite an indifferent start to the tournament, Henry became one of the top players of the World Cup. He scored three goals - including France's goal against returning champion and tournament favourite Brazil- and earned two fouls in two knockout-round games that led to decisive scores, although he was criticised by some commentators for possibly faking a facial injury when winning a foul against Spain. France eventually lost to Italy on penalties 1-1 (5-3) in the final. Henry was one of 10 nominees for the Golden Ball award for Player of the Tournament, an award which was ultimately presented to his teammate, Zinedine Zidane.

Henry is France's second highest goalscorer of all time behind Michel Platini.

Style of Play
Henry is well-known for his acceleration, pace, ball control, dribbling, finishing, balance, agility, flair and technique. He is also famous for taking quick free-kicks in order to catch out the opponent's defence. He usually likes to drop deep and receive the ball, before marauding forward down the left wing. This may be due to him spending his early career playing as a left-winger. His pace is such that he can push the ball far ahead of him and run from behind the defender to get the ball again. Also, despite his height, he is also able to accelerate extremely quickly, enabling him to reach top speed in a very short time.

He loves to beat defenders with his explosive acceleration and blistering pace before cutting in from the left for a curling shot, a cut-back or a cross. But he does not restrict his play only to the left wing, going to the right wing occasionally. He also displays some tackling ability, being able to take the ball cleanly away from opponents sometimes with the odd sliding tackle. He is also known for his ability to read the game extremely well and for his exceptionally quick reactions. He can work under pressure very well and is known for his composure on the field. He is also adept at exquisitely-timed forward runs and usually meets a through-ball and mostly converts the chances. He has no fixed style of dribbling, sometimes inventing unorthodox and unique skills to get past opposing defenders.

One of the much criticised aspect of his game is his heading ability, although recently, he has shown remarkable improvement, scoring two goals with headers in two matches. One of the other underrated aspect of his game is his strength. He is sometimes known to combine strength and skill to get past defenders, but with the latter used most often. The solo goal against Real Madrid in the 05/06 Champions League knockout round proved that he can also hold off relatively strong players.

Some offside decisions go against him due to his speed of thought as well as his blistering pace. He is frequently used in a free role inside the opponent's half, giving him much licence to roam about. He likes to hold the ball up by going face to face with a defender, then when a supporting player comes and he is trapped, he passes to that player. His level of technique is such that he can strike a first-time volley extremely sweetly, with the power and spin controlled. His shot power is also known to be quite powerful as well. He is also one of the most naturally two-footed strikers in the world, able to score with both feet, and although his left foot can unleash powerful shots, he still prefers to use his right foot.

ronaldinho video

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ronaldinho pictures

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ronaldinho biography

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Full name: Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Nickname: Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho Gaúcho
Birthday: 21 March 1980
Place: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height: 181cm
Weight: 76 kg
T-shirt's number: 10
Best foot: rights'
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Debut in spanish league: 27 July 2003

Biography of Ronaldinho

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil) is a footballer more commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho due to his being from the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil.

His name Ronaldinho Portuguese for "little Ronaldo", was originally devised as a means of distinguishing between himself and fellow Brazilian footballer Ronaldo. Among his many achievements and accolades, Ronaldinho has been awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice as well as both the European Footballer of the Year award and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award once. He is widely regarded as the best player in the world by fans, pundits and peers alike, although he himself considers such talk ridiculous, having told FourFourTwo magazine, "I don't even feel I'm the best at Barça."

History of Ronaldinho

Childhood

In his childhood, Ronaldinho's skill in football began to blossom due to his particular interest in futsal and beach football, which later developed into a fondness for more standardised football. His first brush with the media came after a 23 goal flurry against a local team, at just 13 years of age. His reputation as a footballer was built up through his childhood, particularly since he was a prolific goalscorer in the Egypt under-17 world championship. His stylish play at the tournament also caught the eye of many.

Professional career

Brazil
He was introduced into the Brazilian national team in 1999. He debuted for the national team on June 26, 1999 against Latvia. In his first tournament participation he scored against Venezuela in the 1999 Copa América which the Brazilian team won.

Ronaldinho played a part in Brazil's successful 2002 campaign to win the World Cup. One of the highlights of the tournament was an outrageous 35-metre free kick he scored against England in the quarter-finals in Shizuoka, although he was sent off soon after for a foul on Danny Mills. Following the sending-off, he was suspended for the semi final, but returned to Brazil's starting line-up for the 2-0 victory over Germany in the final.

On June 29, 2005, he played a pivotal role as the captain of the Brazilian squad which won its second FIFA Confederations Cup title, and was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory over Argentina in the final. Pelé named Ronaldinho in his 125 Top Living Footballers in March 2004.

Grêmio years

His career began in the youth team at Porto Alegre club Grêmio, under head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who would later coach the Brazilian national team to glory in the 2002 World Cup. His first senior appearance came in the 1998 Libertadores Cup, and his penchant for goalscoring was quickly displayed, his career soon generating speculation and interest due to his phenomenal ball control and ability to score. This was followed by his introduction into the Brazilian national team in 1999.

Towards the end of his career at Grêmio, in 2001, many clubs from all over the world, particularly Premiership teams in England, were eager to sign him as an attempt to attain a player who was both a "big name" and was also performing well. Despite several generous bids from Premiership teams, including a reported astronomical bid from Leeds, and several requests from Grêmio, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, to whom he moved at the beginning of the following season.

Paris Saint-Germain years

In 2001 Ronaldinho left Grêmio to play European football. Despite bids from much larger clubs, he opted to play for PSG. During his time at PSG, the manager, Luis Fernandez, claimed that Ronaldinho was too focussed on the Parisian nightlife rather than on his football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil would always drag on and never end at the scheduled times.

After the World Cup, having shown his worth on the international scene, there was no shortage on the interest from bigger clubs, and in 2003, Ronaldinho made it known he wanted to leave PSG after they failed to qualify for any European competitions. That set off a bidding war among the top clubs for his services.

Barcelona years

Ronaldinho with DecoOn July 19, FC Barcelona snapped him up for £18 million. Originally, Barcelona chairman Joan Laporta had promised to bring David Beckham to the club, but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and beat Manchester United to his signature. It was thought that a failure on the part of the English and French clubs to agree a fee was the reason for Manchester United's deal falling through. Ronaldinho is said to have signed with Barcelona instead of Manchester United because of his friendship with former Nike executive in Brazil and Barcelona's then vice-president in charge of sports, Sandro Rosell. Ronaldinho's signing for Barcelona meant he followed in the footsteps of a number of illustrious fellow countrymen who had enjoyed successful careers with the club, including Evaristo, Romario, Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

Ronaldinho justified the purchase, returning from injury in the first half of the campaign to lead Barcelona to a second-place finish in La Liga during the 2003/04 season. Together with Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Lionel Messi, Ludovic Giuly and Henrik Larsson, he comprises part of an awesome strike force which reaped the 2004/05 La Liga title for FC Barcelona. On December 20, 2004, Ronaldinho was named FIFA World Player of the Year ahead of Arsenal's Thierry Henry and AC Milan's Andriy Shevchenko, with Barcelona having rejected a £60 million bid for him by Chelsea, according to Sandro Rosell.

In June 2005, Rosell resigned from the Barcelona administration following a bust-up with Joan Laporta, and it was feared that it would spell the eventual exit of Ronaldinho as well. His contract running to 2008, Ronaldinho was offered a contract until 2014, netting him £85 million, which he rejected until he on September 1, 2005 signed a two-year extension of his original contract until 2010, with a minimum fee release clause, allowing him to leave should a club make an offer to Barcelona of £85 million for him.

On November 19, 2005, he scored two amazing solo goals to help FC Barcelona to a 3–0 win over arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. After he scored his second goal of the night, his team's third, a large part of the Madrid faithful gave him a standing ovation, a rare feat which had not occurred since Diego Maradona was playing for Barcelona.

In 2005 Ronaldinho was named as both the European Footballer of the Year and the best striker in the UEFA Champions League tournament of 2004/05. Ronaldinho is the third Brazilian to win the European Footballer of the Year Award. On December 19, 2005, he was again named FIFA World Player of the Year with 956 points, more than three times the 306 points of Chelsea's Frank Lampard, who finished second in the poll, and the 190 points of Barça teammate Samuel Eto'o, third. He was chosen for the UEFA team of 2005 for the third time running in January 2006. He received more votes than any other player in that team. Over 1.5 million people participated in that vote.

On March 7 2006, in the 2nd leg of the Champions League first knockout round at Nou Camp, Ronaldinho avenged Barcelona's defeat to Chelsea in the same competition the previous year, gliding past the Chelsea defence to score. Although the game ended 1-1, Barcelona progressed to the Champions League Quarter Final. And in the semifinal first leg at AC Milan on 18 April 2006, Ronaldinho once again proved his expertise with a superb pass for the goal scored by Ludovic Giuly, which brought Barcelona a 1-0 victory. The second leg game ended in a goaless draw despite a 70th minute scare from Andriy Shevchenko's disallowed goal. That result pushed Barcelona to an exciting-looking final with Thierry Henry's Arsenal F.C. Gunners, who had not conceded a goal in ten Champions League matches.

On May 3rd 2006, Barcelona were crowned 2005/2006 La Liga champions after they beat Celta Vigo 1-0.

On May 17th 2006 Barcelona has won the Champions League defeating Arsenal for 2-1.

Youth clubs

Grêmio

Professional clubs*

1998–2001 Grêmio 110 (37)
2001–2003 Paris SG 55 (17)
2003- FC Barcelona 68 (24)

National team**

1999 – present Brazil 60 (27)

* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 2006.
** National team caps and goals correct as of 2006.

Honours
Paris SG
2003 French Cup Finals

Barcelona
2005-06 Champions League
2005-06 League
2005-06 Spanish Supercup
2004-05 League
2005-06 Champions League

National Team of Brasil
2004-05 FIFA Confederations Cup
2001-02 World Cup
1998-99 America Cup
1996-97 World Cup under 17

Individual Awards
2003-04 FIFA WORLD PLAYER
2004-05 Ballon d'Or
2004-05 FIFA WORLD PLAYER

fernando torres video

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fernando torres Biography

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Atlético Madrid

In 1994, at the age of ten, Torres scored 55 goals in his first season with an eleven-a-side team, Rayo 13, and won himself a trial with Atlético Madrid. He impressed and joined the club in 1995. After progressing through the ranks for a few seasons Torres won his first important youth title in 1998. Atlético sent an under-15 team to compete in Nike Cup Europe against youth teams from such teams as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Manchester United and Juventus. Atlético won the tournament with Torres their leading player. He was later voted as the best player in Europe for that age-group.

In 1999, Torres signed his first contract with the club. In 2000 he broke his leg and didn't return to action until December. Then in February 2001 Torres won the Algarve Tournament with the Spain under-16 team. In May the under-16s took part in the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship, which they also won, with Torres scoring the only goal in the final. He finished as the tournament's leading goalscorer (7 goals in 6 games) and was also voted the best player. Toward the end of the 2000–01 season Torres made his first team debut for Atlético. The date was May 27, 2001, the venue El Calderón and the opponent Leganés. He scored his first goal for the club the following week, in a game against Albacete.

2001–02 saw Atlético win promotion back to La Liga. The then 17-year-old Torres didn't have the best of seasons in front of goal though, netting only 6 times in 36 appearances in the Segunda División. In November Torres represented Spain at the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship. He scored one goal in three games, but the team didn't progress past the group stage. Later that season in July, Torres won the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Again he scored the only goal in the final and ended as the tournament's leading goalscorer (4 goals in 4 games) and best player.

2002 saw Atlético Madrid returning to the first division of Spanish football. In his first season playing in the top division, Torres did not find the transition from second tier football too much of a hindrance as he scored 13 goals as Atlético finished 12th. He also made his debut for the Spanish U21 team.

In 2003–2004 Torres made further strides as he scored 19 league goals in just 35 appearances. He was also named as Atlético's club captain aged just 19. Atlético also improved, but were pipped for a UEFA Cup place on the final day of the season as they finished 7th behind Sevilla due to goal difference in the two team's head-to-head record (2-1, 0-2). In this season Torres made his debut for the full Spanish national team on September 6, 2003 in a friendly against Portugal. His first goal for Spain came against Italy on April 28, 2004. At the end of the season Torres was chosen as part of the Spanish squad for Euro 2004. He only appeared as a late substitute in Spain's first two group games, but made the first eleven for the deciding game against Portugal. Torres hit the post in the 62 minute after Nuno Gomes put Portgual ahead on 57 minutes. Spain lost 1-0 and were eliminated.

Atlético's 7th place finish in 2004 did qualify them for the Intertoto Cup, giving Torres his first taste of European club competition. They made the final, but agonisingly lost on penalties, this time to Villarreal.

At his first ever appearance in a World Cup finals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Torres scored the final goal in a 4-0 victory over Ukraine with a volley. In the second group match, Torres scored twice against Tunisia, in the 76th minute for Spain to take the lead 2-1 and then again from a penalty kick in the 90th. Torres was dropped from the team for a friendly versus Romania in November 2006, but returned to the national side for the friendly against England in February 2007, a 1-0 win for Spain. After the World Cup Torres admitted that he turned down the chance to join Chelsea after the end of the 2005-06 season.
Again in 2007, Torres's future at Madrid was the subject of much speculation after Atlético's inability to secure a UEFA Cup spot. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United were all linked with a move for the player. Following the end of the 2006-07 season, reports in the English media stated that Torres was the main transfer target of Liverpool.
The rumours reached such a fever pitch that Atlético president Enrique Cerezo made a statement saying "We've received no offer from Liverpool or any other club or player". However, a few days later new reports suggested that Atletico had agreed a deal with Liverpool for Torres, the fee rumoured was £20 million with Luis Garcia moving in the opposite direction in a separate transfer deal. Then on 30 June Atlético announced agreeing a deal with Villareal to sign Diego Forlán (seen as a potential replacement for Torres).

On July 2 it was reported that Torres had cut short his holiday to fly back to Madrid to finalize the move. The next day Torres passed a medical for Liverpool and it was announced that a farewell press conference would be held in Madrid the on 4 July to bid farewell to the Atlético Madrid fans. Later that day, Atlético officially confirmed his transfer to Liverpool on their website.

Liverpool

Torres will wear Liverpool's number 9 shirt, which has previously been worn by legendary Liverpool strikers Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush. It was revealed during the Liverpool press conference that the fee stood at €30 million approximately £20.2 million. It has also been widely reported that Torres has taken a pay-cut as part of the transfer. A drop from £103,000 a week in Spain, to about £90,000 according to The Times. Torres made his official debut for Liverpool F.C. on July 17, 2007 during a friendly match against Werder Bremen.

Personal life

Torres is very good friends with Spain teammate Sergio Ramos.[citation needed] He has been dating childhood sweetheart Olalla since 1999, who he met at the age of eight when his parents moved to the same street as her family in Galicia.

fernando torres

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Ricardo Quaresma video

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Ricardo Quaresma

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Ricardo Quaresma

Ricardo Quaresma dribbling

Ricardo Quaresma face

Ricardo Quaresma show

Ricardo Quaresma

Club footballing career

Sporting Lisbon

While a trainee at Sporting's famed academy, he made his professional debut during the 2000-2001 season playing 15 games for the B Team. The next season, he was promoted to the senior squad by then club manager Laszlo Bölöni , playing 28 matches and scoring three goals and was a key player in Sporting's league and cup double triumph. Quaresma's made his BWINLIGA debut for Sporting against FC Porto.

During the 2002-2003 season he was Sporting's "lone star", coming second in total minutes played (2216), played in 31 matches, and scoring on five occasions. Sporting's poor results during the season were partially attributed to Bölöni, who rarely opted to play Cristiano Ronaldo and Quaresma at the same time.

Barcelona

Quaresma was sold to FC Barcelona for €6,000,000. His stint with the Catalan side could be best described as luckless. He made his debut for Barça in a friendly against AC Milan, scoring his first goal for the club. In his debut season at Barça, Quaresma made ten starts and eleven substitute appearances, scoring only one goal. In the final weeks of the season he injured his right foot badly, forcing him to miss both the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship.

During the EURO 2004 championships, he announced his refusal to play for Barça as long as Frank Rijkaard was in charge, incurring the interest of many other clubs. However, it was Sporting's rivals FC Porto that had the ace up their sleeve: a transfer for Deco was being negotiated, and Quaresma could be used as part of the transfer fee. At first uninterested in returning to Portugal, he changed his mind quickly and was subsequently signed by Porto for a fee of €6m with Deco going the other way

Porto

He started his campaign with Porto on a high note, scoring in his debut in the European Super Cup and netting the only goal in Porto's triumph against SL Benfica in the Portuguese Super Cup. He went on to score five goals in 32 league matches, and was ever-present in Porto's run to the first knockout round of the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League. He also contributed to Porto's dramatic win against Once Caldas in the 2004 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, scoring in a thrilling penalty shoot-out which ended 8-7 in Porto's favour.

Regarded as one of the best players in the BWINLIGA, he managed to score 5 more goals. However Porto's title dreams in the 2004-05 season was derailed by the team's lack of cohesion, losing out to Benfica. Quaresma's was however influential in Porto's 2004-05 title success. He was the number one assist provider in the BWINLIGA that season, but was controversially omitted from the Portugal's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad by Luiz Felipe Scolari. Quaresma has also often been criticized by the Portuguese media for his lack of defensive skills, seldom helping the team out in defensive duties.

Quaresma has been linked with a move to several high profile clubs including Chelsea, Lyon, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid,Liverpool, and Real Madrid. Quaresma however has already rejected a move to Munich, joking "In Germany, it always seems very cold!" Atletico have been very public in their desire to sign Quaresma, reported having bid €21 million. On 4 July 2007, the Portuguese press reported a €20.7m (£14m) bid from Liverpool had been turned down.

National team

A UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship winner with Portugal in 2000, he made his full international debut for the Portuguese national football team in June 2003, a friendly against Bolivia.

Poor form during his time with Barça and an injury, prevented Quaresma from taking part in the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, 2004 UEFA European Football Championship and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. However, sparkling displays with Porto won him a role in Portugal's 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign and the winger helped his country to a vital 2-0 win against Slovakia. However, Quaresma was left out of the 23-man squad named by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to represent Portugal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

He was later called up by Scolari to play in a friendly against Brazil at the Emirates Stadium where Portugal won 2-0. Quaresma provided two assists and was named Man of the Match. On March 24, 2007, Quaresma scored his first goal for the national team in Portugal's 4-0 win in a UEFA EURO 2008 qualifier against Belgium.

Franck Ribery

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Franck Ribery video

Franck Ribery: French wing wizard

Franck Ribery

Scarface and Golden feet - Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery and Samir Nasri ( best goals )

Compilation Franck Ribéry by Math DeVauln

Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery pictures

Franck Ribery bioraphy

Franck Ribéry or Franck Bilal Ribéry (born April 7, 1983 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) is a French football player who currently plays for FC Bayern München.

Franck Ribéry's face suffered severe scarring when he was only 2 years old because of being involved, with his parents, in a serious car accident.

Footballing career

Galatasaray

He signed a contract with Turkish club Galatasaray in January 2005, and went on to help them win the 2005 Turkish Cup by scoring a key goal in a 1-0 victory in the semi-final and scoring a goal and assisting another in a 5-1 win in the final against rivals Fenerbahçe. The Galatasaray fans were impressed with the young Frenchman's skills, and quickly gave him the nickname, "FerraRibery".

Galatasaray Controversy

On April 25, 2007, the World Sport's top court dismissed an appeal by Turkish club Galatasary against French international Franck Ribery's move to Marseille in 2005. The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) said in a statement that Ribery had terminated his contract with the Turkish club on just grounds, and that Galatasaray was not entitled to any compensation. The midfielder had signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Turkish side in January 2005 before signing up with Marseille just five months later.

Galatasaray had claimed that Ribery was at fault when he broke his contract having not been paid for over four months. The Istanbul side was reportedly claiming 10 million euros in compensation from Marseille. The Turkish club appealed to CAS after football's world governing body FIFA dismissed their case last November.

Olympique de Marseille

Franck Ribery had 2 highly successful seasons at l'OM making 68 appearances (in all competitions) and scoring 14 goals. Ribery became a very important member of the squad contributing greatly towards Marseille's campaign to play UEFA Champions League football. Marseille completed the 2006-07 season in second place.

Bayern Munich

Ribery attracted growing interest from major European clubs including Real Madrid and Arsenal after a successful 2006 stint in the World Cup. On June 7, 2007, Bayern Munich officially announced the signing of Ribéry on a four year deal from Marseille for a club record fee of €26 million (16 M€ cash, and 10 M€ in 2008, i.e. £17.5 million) and up to €4 million more with team's successes.Ribéry was given the number 7 shirt, previously worn by club legend Mehmet Scholl, who had retired the preceding season.

On July 6, 2007 Ribery made his first appearance against FT Gern in a friendly. The game ended 18-0 for Bayern Munich and Ribery scored 2 goals.

In his first competitive match (1st game of the Ligapokal), he scored 2 goals against Werder Bremen, one of which was a Penalty. Bayern ended up winning the match 4-1. He then played in the 2nd match of the tournament against Stuttgart, scoring once again to beat them 2-0. He suffered a minor injury, and was unable to play the final of the Ligapokal.

International career

On May 27, 2006, he made his French senior national team debut in the "Les Bleus" 1-0 victory over Mexico at the Stade de France. He began the match and was substituted by David Trezeguet in the 74th minute.

On June 12, 2006, he was named in the starting lineup of the French team for their opener in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Switzerland. His first international goal proved to be a crucial one, levelling France at 1-1 with Spain in the 41st minute of their knockout round match after calmly rounding the Spanish keeper, Iker Casillas. Though Spain were the favourites, France went on to win that game 3-1 to book a quarter-final slot against Brazil.

Upon facing Brazil on July 1, 2006, Ribéry was substituted in the 75th minute of the 1-0 victory following an impressive performance. He also played in the World Cup final defeat to Italy where he went close with a low shot in the first half of extra-time.

Personal life

Ribery converted to Islam and is married to Wahiba, they have a daughter named Hizya. He has taken the Muslim name of Bilal, which he shares with fellow french international Nicolas Anelka. He is also a competent Saxophone player, having played saxophone since the age of 12.