Football Vaganza

Bayern Munchen VS Chelsea FC Super Cup 2013

2013-08-31T00:40:00.001-07:00

Bayern finally defeated Chelsea in the Super Cup. Bayern won the Champions league and Chelsea won the Europa league in the 2012-2013 season. It was held in Prague, Czech Republic. The match featured Bayern Munich, the winners of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League, and Chelsea, the winners of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. It was played at the Eden Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on 30 August 2013.

The Match:

The starting line up for Bayern Munchen was:

GK	1	Manuel Neuer
RB	13	Rafinha		56'
CB	17	Jérôme Boateng	84'
CB	4	Dante
LB	27	David Alaba
DM	21	Philipp Lahm (c)
CM	39	Toni Kroos
RW	10	Arjen Robben		95'
AM	25	Thomas Müller		71'
LW	7	Franck Ribéry	23'
CF	9	Mario Mandžukić
Substitutes:
GK	22	Tom Starke
DF	5	Daniel Van Buyten
DF	26	Diego Contento
MF	8	Javi Martínez		56'
MF	19	Mario Götze		71'
MF	11	Xherdan Shaqiri		95'
FW	14	Claudio Pizarro

The starting line up for Chelsea was:

GK	1	Petr Čech
RB	2	Branislav Ivanović	120'
CB	24	Gary Cahill	41'
CB	4	David Luiz	66'
LB	3	Ashley Cole	118'
CM	8	Frank Lampard (c)
CM	7	Ramires	64', 85'
RM	14	André Schürrle		87'
AM	11	Oscar
LM	17	Eden Hazard		113'
CF	9	Fernando Torres	90'	98'
Substitutes:
GK	23	Mark Schwarzer
DF	26	John Terry		113'
DF	28	César Azpilicueta
MF	5	Michael Essien
MF	12	Mikel John Obi		87'
MF	10	Juan Mata
FW	18	Romelu Lukaku	99'	98'

The score ended up to 1-1 in the full 90 minutes with Fernando Torres scoring on the 8th minute for Chelsea and on the 47th minute Ribery for Bayern Munchen.

It went to Extra time and Eden Hazard scored for Chelsea just 3 minutes after the extra time kicked off. Javi Martinez scored the equalizer just on time before Super Cup was Chelsea's. Javi scored on the 120th minute +1.

2012-09-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid

Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It was founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club and has traditionally worn a white home kit since. The word Real is Spanish for royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem. The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members have owned and operated the club since its inception. The club is the richest football club in terms of annual revenue, generating €479.5million in 2011 and the second most valuable, worth €1.8billion. Real Madrid holds many long-standing rivalries, most notably El Clásico with FC Barcelona. The team has played its home matches in the 85,454-capacity Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid since 1947. It is one of three clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight of Spanish football, along with Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona. Domestically, Real Madrid has won a record 32 La Liga titles, 18 Copas del Rey, 9 Supercopas de España, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la Liga.Internationally it has won a record nine European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and a joint record three Intercontinental Cups, as well as two UEFA Cups, and one UEFA Super Cup.

History

Early years (1897–1945)
Real Madrid's origins go back to when football was introduced to Madrid by the academics and students of the Institución libre de enseñanza, which included several Cambridge and Oxford University graduates. They founded Football Club Sky in 1897, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa. It split into two clubs in 1900: New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Club Español de Madrid. On 6 March 1902, after a new Board presided by Juan Padrós had been elected, Madrid Football Club was officially founded. Three years after its foundation, in 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the founding sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 4 January 1909, when club president Adolfo Meléndez signed the foundation agreement of the Spanish FA. After moving between grounds the team moved to the Campo de O'Donnell in 1912. In 1920, the club's name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted the title of Real (Royal) to the club. In 1929, the first Spanish football league was founded. Real Madrid led the first league season until the last match, a loss to Athletic Bilbao, meant they finished runners-up to Barcelona. Real Madrid won its first League title in the 1931–32 season. Real won the League again the following year, becoming the first side to have won the championship twice. On 14 April 1931, the arrival of the Second Spanish Republic caused the club to lose the title Real and went back to being named as Madrid Football Club. Football continued during the Second World War, and on 13 June 1943 Madrid beat Barcelona 11–1 in the second leg of a semi-final of the Copa del Generalísimo, the Copa del Rey having been renamed in honour of General Franco. It has been suggested that players were intimidated by police,including by the director of state security who "allegedly told the team that some of them were only playing because of the regime's generosity in permitting them to remain in the country.The Barcelona chairman, Enric Piñeyro, was assaulted by Madrid fans.

2012-06-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012, is the 14th European Championship for national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament is being hosted by Poland and Ukraine between 8 June and 1 July 2012. It is the first time that either nation has hosted the tournament. This bid was chosen by UEFA's Executive Committee in 2007. The final tournament features 16 nations, the last European Championship to do so (from Euro 2016 onward, there will be 24 finalists). Qualification was contested by 51 nations between August 2010 and November 2011 to join the two host nations in the tournament. The winner of the tournament gains automatic entry to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Brazil. The tournament is played across eight venues, four in each host country, five of which were newly built for the tournament. Aside from venues, the host nations have also invested heavily in improving infrastructure, such as railways and roads, at UEFA's request. Euro 2012 was the second consecutive European Championship (after UEFA Euro 2008 held in Austria and Switzerland) to see none of the hosts emerge from the group stage after co-hosts Poland and Ukraine failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.

The draw for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying competition took place in Warsaw on 7 February 2010. Fifty-one teams entered to compete for the fourteen remaining places in the finals, alongside co-hosts Poland and Ukraine. The teams were divided into nine groups, with the draw using the new UEFA national team coefficient for the first time in order to determine the seedings. As defending champions, Spain was automatically top seeded. The qualifying process began in August 2010 and concluded in November 2011. At the conclusion of the qualifying group stage in October 2011, the nine group winners qualified automatically, along with the highest ranked second placed team. The remaining eight second placed teams contested two-legged play-offs, and the four winners qualified for the finals. Twelve of the sixteen finalists participated at the previous tournament in 2008. England and Denmark made their return to the Euro, having last participated in 2004, while Republic of Ireland returned after a twenty-four year absence to make their second appearance at a European Championship. One of the co-hosts, Ukraine, made their debut as an independent nation (before 1992 Ukraine participated as part of the Soviet Union). With the exception of Serbia – according to UEFA's ranking at the end of the qualifying stage – Europe's sixteen highest-ranked teams all successfully qualified for the tournament. Eight cities were selected by UEFA as host venues. In a return to the format used at Euro 1992, Euro 1996 and Euro 2008, each of the four groups' matches were played in two stadiums. Host cities Warsaw, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań, Kiev, and Lviv are all popular tourist destinations, unlike Donetsk and Kharkiv, the latter of which replaced Dnipropetrovsk as a host city in 2009. In order to meet UEFA's requirement for football infrastructure improvements, five new stadiums were built and opened in advance of the tournament. The remaining three stadiums (in Kiev, Poznań and Kharkiv) underwent major renovations in order to meet UEFA's infrastructure standards. Three of the stadiums are categorized as UEFA's highest category stadiums. The transport infrastructure in Poland and Ukraine was also extensively modified on the request of UEFA to cope with the large influx of football fans. UEFA organized fan zones in the eight host cities. They were located in the center of each city, with all 31 matches shown live on a total of 24 giant screens. The zones enabled supporters to come together in a secure and controlled environment. The Warsaw Fan Zone occupied 120,000 square meters and accommodated 100,000 visitors. In all, the fans zones had a 20% increase in capacity compared to Euro 2008. The tournament was broadcast live by around 100 TV channels covering the whole world. 150,000,000 people were expected to watch the matches each day. Each team has a "team base camp" for its stay between the matches. From an initial list of thirty-eight potential locations (twenty-one in Poland, seventeen in Ukraine), the national associations chose their locations in 2011. The teams will both train and reside in these locations throughout the tournament, traveling to games staged away from their bases.

Nike Mercurial Vapor

2011-11-08T00:46:00.000-08:00

The Mercurial Vapor is a football boot manufactured by Nike. The boot is known for being lightweight. Because of this, the boot is favoured by many players for whom speed is a very important part of their game, notably wingers or strikers. The boot is now in its seventh version the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly 3, currently available in two colourways: Red Plum/Volt, and Blue/Platinum/Orange.
The boot is available in either Soft Ground (SG) or Firm Ground (FG) versions. The SG version's sole plate is fitted with six NikeSnap removable studs, which can be purchased in different lengths, for the first and second models, and traditional screw-in aluminium studs for versions 3 to 7; the FG version has twelve moulded blades.

Background

The origin of the Mercurial Vapors can be traced back to as early as 1998, when Ronaldo debuted the original Nike Air Mercurial boots. The boots were originally released in black, but a version in silver/blue/yellow was released for the 1998 World Cup and a blue/black version followed soon after. All boots were made in Soft Ground (SG) and Firm Ground (FG) varieties, with the SG version using non-removable studs. In 1999, the Mercurial 2 was released in two colourways: black/blue and black/red. These were identical in shape, size, and fit to the originals, but they had a different insole and a smaller swoosh on the side of the boot. The Mercurials were Nike's first boots to be made using synthetic materials, and also their first venture into the market of lightweight boots designed for speed.

Mercurial Vapor

The original Vapors were released in mid-2002, just before the World Cup of that year. The first glimpse anyone outside of Nike got of the boots was in the Nike cage advert (starring Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, and Roberto Carlos), in which a close-up shot of the boots is taken near the end of the advert. The boot was first released in three colourways: cinder/white/maize; dark obsidian/white/university blue; and medium grey/chilli red. A chrome/lime variation (worn exclusively by Ronaldo in the semi-finals and final) was released to the public in limited numbers (just 4,600) in the period after the tournament. Other colours included white/ice/black; chrome/black; black/chilli red; dark charcoal/surf blue/white; and shock orange/white. In addition to the NikeSkin Vapors, Nike released its first kangaroo leather version of the shoe in black/grey. The Vapors also continued with the R9 designation on boots that was featured originally in the previous Mercurial lines. Both chrome colourways featured the "R9" mark.
At the time of release, the Vapor was the lightest boot on the market with several key innovations. The upper was made of an extremely thin, lightweight synthetic known as Nike Skin. It was claimed to be thinner and stronger than any kangaroo leather. The Vapor also featured an external heel counter which was very uncommon at that time as well as a "glass" filled outsole called NikeFrame, inspired by track sprint spikes and designed to spring back into shape after push-off. According to the booklets inserted into the box with each pair, the shoe showed a 3% decrease in the time to cover a 20-metre sprint compared to other boots.

Mercurial Vapor II

The Mercurial Vapor II was released in January 2004 in two colourways: team red and photo blue. The photo blue boots were debuted by Ronaldo a month earlier, in Real Madrid's clash with FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou, whilst Thierry Henry debuted the red pair in Arsenal's 5 – 1 win over Internazionale in Milan, with Henry scoring two goals. The revised version of the boot differed from the original Vapors in three respects: first, the material from which the boot was constructed was made marginally thicker; second, a cushioned area around the ankle with a slightly larger heel tab was added midway through the MVII run (generally known as v2.1); and finally, the pattern down the sides of the boot was modified to make the indentations more pronounced, along with a thin coloured stripe to complement the colour of the boot. The boot still maintained the same upper material, sole plate, and external heel counter. The boot was also released in many other colourways, which included cinder/maize; mist blue/navy; gunmetal; burnt orange/black; navy/silver; gold/black; white/red; chrome/photo blue; chili red/silver; and the final colourway, aluminium/gold, was released as an homage to the colours of Real Madrid, which were to be worn by Ronaldo. Once again, Nike also released a kangaroo leather version, this time in a white/black colourway.

Mercurial Vapor III

The MVIII is the third generation in the Mercurial Vapor family and was released in 2006. It featured Teijin microfibres which conform to the foot and are lightweight and durable. The boot itself weighed only 196 g (6.9 oz). It also has a carbon last to give support to the heel and more padding was added to the heel cup area. The original MVIIIs were released in a white/gold colourway, which was followed by sport red/white; silver/yellow; platinum/red; deep royal; dark charcoal/gold; ignite (a yellow/green combination); white/silver; and blue graphite/sonic yellow. A limited edition boot was released to commemorate Italy's fourth World Cup triumph in World Cup gold/Azzurri blue.
Towards the end of the 2006–07 season, further colourways were released, including obsidian/metallic platinum; metallic zinc/tart orange; cactus; silver/red; and argon blue.
On 13 September 2007, Nike released a limited edition tenth anniversary version of the Mercurial Vapor, featuring "all the modern technology from the current MVIII combined with the original Mercurial Upper design from 1998." These boots featured in an advert with the Brazilian star Ronaldo, where he reinacted many of his past goals, which he scored wearing the famous Mercurial Vapor boots.

Mercurial Vapor IV

n April 2007, some initial pictures of what were believed to be the new Mercurial Vapor boots were leaked onto the Internet. Not much could be ascertained from the pictures, but they did show that the MVIVs might have a cover over the laces in the same vein as the Adidas F50s. The Nike "swoosh" was also larger than on previous versions. Only two colourways were shown, those being orange peel/obsidian and anthracite/vivid blue.[2] Later in the year, a limited edition version of the Mercurial SL was put up for sale online. Only 2,000 pairs were made available, costing £250 (€400/$600) each. This version of the boot is made almost entirely out of carbon fibre and weighs a mere 190 grams (6.7 oz). The shoe is made in one colour, black, with two pink "swooshes" on each boot.

In December 2007, a promotional video was released by Nike, featuring the former world record holder for the 100m sprint, Asafa Powell. In the video, Powell dons the Mercurial SL boots, and sprints the length of a football pitch in 9.94 seconds, before instructing the Nike representatives to, "Tell them they're fast." The Nike representatives are then seen taking the boots to a mansion in London, where Didier Drogba opens the door and is told "They're fast.

n January 2008, football boot specialists Pro Direct Soccerreleased information about the Mercurial Vapor SL boots. The retail version will cost £189.99 and, at this stage, will only be released in an orange peel/dark obsidian colourway. The soleplate is made of carbon fibre, while the upper is made of NikeSkin, a form of Teijin, bringing the weight of the boots to approximately 210g. The Mercurial Vapor SLs were released on 20 February 2008.[4] At the same time, Pro Direct Soccer released information on the Mercurial Vapor IV boots. Aesthetically, they look the same as the Mercurial Vapor SLs, the only difference being that the soles are not made of carbon fibre but of a fibre composite, increasing the weight to about 230g. The Mercurial Vapor IVs were released on 1 February 2008, at a price of £119.99, and in two colourways: orange peel/dark obsidian and black/vivid blue.

One of the advertisements shows Cristiano Ronaldo appearing to outrun a Bugatti Veyron, allegedly the fastest car in the world, while wearing the Orange Peel/Obsidian versions of the Mercurial Vapor IV boots. The final 'launch' advertisement for the boots show Aaron Lennon of Tottenham Hotspur and Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa go head-to-head on a 45-metre track where the speed was based on speed to the ball and speed with the ball.
A third colourway was revealed on the first weekend of March 2008. Cristiano Ronaldo wore them on 1 March 2008 in Manchester United's FA Cup exit against Portsmouth. This new colourway features a sport red outsole with a gold "swoosh". This new colourway was released on 7 April 2008.

The carbon fibre Mercurial SL boots were used in a professional match for the first time in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester United and Chelsea, when they were worn by Cristiano Ronaldo. Didier Drogba was also expected to wear them, but instead wore the black Mercurial Vapor IVs.

On 7 June 2008, a limited edition brown leather version of the Mercurial Vapors was released to coincide with the start of UEFA Euro 2008. Each boot weighed approximately 275 g (9.7 oz). A green and white colourway, as worn by Cristiano Ronaldo, was also unveiled on 7 June, and was released on for release on 24 July, as is a white and blue version.

The seventh colourway of the Mercurial Vapor IV was a marina/volt version, which was worn by Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
On 24 November 2008, Nike released an eighth, limited edition pink colourway called Nike Mercurial Vapor Berry. Initial pictures of a pink colourway called Nike Vapor Rosa were leaked onto the Internet.These were then backed up with a video from Nike, which stated "You better be quick," and featured players such as James Milner, Theo Walcott, Carlos Vela, Marlon Harewood, and Cesc Fàbregas. Nicklas Bendtner debuted the boots when Arsenal faced Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium on 22 November 2008.In early January 2009, Nike released the final two colourways for the Vapor IVs: citron/charcoal and charcoal/max orange.The citron colourway has been especially popular with professional players, and was worn by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Al-Gharafa Sports Club

2011-09-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

Al-Gharafa Sports Club is primarily a Qatari football club from Doha, although it also has teams for other sports. It was established on the 6 June 1979 as Al-Ittihad and later officially incorporated into the Qatar Football Association on the 23 September that same year. The club was officially renamed to its current form in 2004 to better represent the district of Al-Gharafa, which the club belongs to.
The idea of of creating the new club that would represent Gharafat Al-Rayyan sparked from a group of young Qataris in 1978. Most notably, people like Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al-Thani, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Jassim Al-Thani, and Saad Mohammad Al-Rumaihi. In a documentary produced by Al Kass sports channel about the history of the club, Shiekh Hamad Bin Jassim mentioned that the idea was suggested by Saad Al-Romaihi initially who was working as a sports journalist at Al Raya newspaper

Full name

Al-Gharafa Sports Club

Nickname(s)

Alfuhud (The Cheetahs)

Founded

6 June 1979 as Al-Ittihad, 2004 as Al-Gharafa

Ground

Al-Gharafa Stadium
Doha, Qatar
(Capacity: 25,000)

Chairman

Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani

Manager

Bruno Metsu

League

Qatari League

2010/11

2nd

Home colours

Away colours

Liverrpool FC history 1892

2011-08-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

3rd June 1892
When the Football League was founded in 1888, Anfield was one of the League's original grounds. On September 8th of that year - the very first Saturday of League football - Anfield welcomed as visitors Accrington to play not against the 'Reds', but the 'Blues' of Everton Football Club.
The blue and white quartered shirts of Everton FC made quite a name for themselves at Anfield winning the League Championship in 1891, but this is to run ahead slightly. Both teams owe their existence to a Reverend Chambers of the then newly constructed and now, totally demolished, church - St Domingo, and to John Houlding - Tory MP and Mayor of Liverpool who ultimately caused Everton FC to leave Anfield and who created Liverpool Football Club.
St Domingo's football team was a strictly amateur affair created amid the belief that young lads could better be kept on the path of religious well-being through a healthy passion for competitive team games. After only a year or so of enthusiastic play in Stanley Park, they renamed themselves Everton Football Club in honour of the location of their founding church.
The St Domingo's team met however not at Church, but the Queen's Head Hotel in Village Street adjacent to "Ye Anciente Everton Toffee House". From this Everton F.C. gained their curious nickname of "The Toffees". In adopting the name Everton, the team ensured that they would permanently struggle to be located with confidence by those from outside of the city and lead to Royalty asking "Tell me, from which part of the country is the city of Everton?" nearly a century later.
The fledgling Everton played in a number of locations but settled in a greenfield site between Anfield Road and Walton Breck Road. So was born one of the great names in world football - Anfield. The team prospered and became financially sound with astute guidance from their President Mr John Houlding. John Houlding was a brewer, local council member and later Mayor of Liverpool.
Despite this he has become a largely forgotten figure in the city, although a bronze plaque outside the Directors' Lounge in Anfield and a fine oil portrait hanging within the Club museum preserve his likeness.
For a man responsible for the development of Everton and the creation of Liverpool Football Club, it is amazing how little he is remembered. There are however a few landmarks in the area where Houlding was known as "King John of Everton". The very short 'Houlding Street' has on it's corner the 'Sandon' pub. This pub was once owned by Houlding and he led many meetings of Everton Football Club from here in the bowls pavilion that existed to the rear. The place was also used as a dressing room by the players for many years. Both Everton and later Liverpool football teams were first photographed in front of this bowls pavilion.
It can be questioned whether Everton would have been one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888 without Houlding's assistance. He brought Everton to Anfield in 1884. They previously rented a little field in Priory Road, north of Stanley Park, but they were unwelcome because of the noisy crowds on match days.
So Houlding went to his friend and fellow brewer, Mr. Orrell, who owned a place in Anfield Road and conducted the business to get a new home ground. But it was from this point on that criticism of the club President started to grow from some members of the Everton board, building up to a crisis in 1892.

It was not the rent alone that annoyed the board members. Houlding also wanted only his sparkling ales to be sold at the ground, and he of course profited very considerably from this arrangement. However it was still John Houlding that helped the club out when they need money to buy players and rebuild the ground.
The Sandon's use as dressing room was an arrangement that really only suited Houlding as he again benefited from his players drinking his products. A letter in the Liverpool Echo in January 1892 suggested that Houlding didn't want the club to move out of the pub.
The writer says: "It's a disgrace that at a big club such as Everton, players have to walk through hordes of people on match days."
The conflict on how the club should be managed and conduct its business came to a head in 1889-90. The rent at Anfield went up again. Everton FC paid £100 in 1884. By 1889-90 Houlding was charging them £250. Houlding had many practical and realistic solutions on how they could solve this situation. One was to transform Everton into a plc. On the 15th of September 1891 he chaired a meeting about the issue.
The local press was banned as he predicted trouble ahead. And trouble it was. Houlding suggested that Everton FC should buy Anfield and also some land he owned adjoining the ground. The price seemed high and the members said no. Although with the growing development of football and the club, the land would soon have paid for itself.
In October the same year, the on-going deadlock over this situation resulted in the vast majority of the Board and players of Everton F.C. walking out to build a new ground. Houlding explained why this situation arose in a match programme against Cliftonville in April 1893. He pointed out that he had given Everton a rent free loan until the club started to make money. If the club had gone bust he would have lost it all.
Despite making no profit in this respect, the issue that upset the members at Everton most was his plan to sell Anfield and the land adjoining, with Houlding himself profiting. He felt it was a reasonable reward for the risk he had ventured in the club for nine years. Houlding, as the ambitious businessman he was, saw a great future for the club. He wanted the club to have its own home ground and wanted them to buy land so the club could expand in due course.
Unfortunately most of the Everton FC board members failed to share his forward thinking and lacked confidence. They wanted instead a long term rent deal on all the land, but for this to be acceptable to Houlding, he wanted a rent at a price considered too high for the Club. The members reacted to that by "offering" Houlding less rent. Houlding unsurprisingly refused to accept this stating that he did not want to be dictated: "I cannot understand why a gentleman that has done so much for the club (Everton) and its members should be given such treatment".
The official split between Houlding and Everton took place on the 12th of March 1892. At a members meeting one of the opponents George Mahon, led the meeting when John Houlding unexpectedly turned up. Mahon stood up to give the club's President the chair. But surrounded by "enemies" Mr. Houlding said the famous words: "I'm here on a trial, and a criminal never takes the chair". He then left the club with 18-19 other members.

Liverpool F.C. was formed on the 15th of March 1892. It was at John Houlding's house in Anfield Road that he and his closest friends left from Everton FC, formed a new club. William.E.Barclay, a great football enthusiast, strongly suggested that they should go on with a new name: Liverpool.
However, it was not until 3rd June that the name Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Ltd was formally recognised by the Board of Trade, and the club could start to make history.
Barclay had been the first secretary at Everton when they became a league club in 1888, and so in turn became the first secretary at Liverpool. Bearing in mind Barclay's suggestion, it was surprising that on 26th of January 1892 Houlding tried to form a 'new' Everton: The "Everton Football Club and Athletic Grounds Company plc" was registered in London on that date and as the 'old' Everton club was not registered as a plc Houlding had hoped to perform a weird "takeover" of Everton; stealing the name of the club in a legal way. But a meeting at the Football Council on 4th of February 1892 ruled that it could not approve membership of a new club with the same name as an existing member!

At the same time a group of Everton patriots, among them the organist from the St. Domingo's church, had made a deal to buy a piece of land north of Stanley Park. The land cost them £8,090. Four members paid £1,000 each to let the deal go through. Houlding, left with an empty ground, took the bold step of forming a new football team to play in it.
Unable keep the Everton F.C. name he then thought bigger and finally acceded to his secretary's proposal, and named his club after the entire city rather than one of its suburbs, even adopting by 1894 the City's colour of red for the playing shirts and by 1901 the Liverbird as the crest.
The majority of Everton's backroom and playing staff left for Goodison, so Liverpool FC had to be built from scratch. Fortunately one John McKenna stayed loyal to Houlding along with Barclay the Secretary. Most of the team building work was carried out by McKenna, a dynamic and personable Irishman. 'Honest' John McKenna did more than most people in English football.
He was to be a director at Anfield for 30 years, and also served the club as chairman on two occasions. He was a member of the FA Council from 1905, and he became the President of the Football League in 1910, and Vice-President of the Football Association in 1928. He also served on many different committees until he died in 1936. He was a well respected man, with an unique know-how of the game. Houlding is the founder of the club, but McKenna was the man and the brain behind early successes.
His rapid elevation to the top of English football is proof of John McKenna's abilities as a manager and administrator. With a generous loan from Houlding of £500 that was never paid back, and McKenna's know how, over a dozen players were recruited from Scotland. This led to LFC becoming known as the "Team of all the Macs" because of their surnames. However amongst the Scottish "Macs" in the early formations the goalkeeper Bill McOwen was in fact an Englishman.
Liverpool's initial application to join the Football League was rejected and so they began life in the Lancashire League. On the first of September 1892 Liverpool AFC played their first match at Anfield. The opponents were Rotherham from the Midland League in a friendly.
On the very same day Everton played their first match at Goodison on the other side of Stanley Park. The rivalry was on! Which team would the people of Liverpool support? The Liverpool directors announced to the newspapers that: "No better game will be witnessed on any of the plots in the neighbourhood". That was their message to Everton. The papers write that 'Councillor J. Houlding kicked off the match'. Liverpool won the match 7-1. McVean scored the first ever Liverpool goal early in the first half. The only disappointment on the day was that only a handful people turned up. More than 10,000 came to Goodison.
A couple of days later Liverpool played the first match in the Lancashire League. Again LFC won heavily by eight goals to nil. The match was postponed for a few hours because of a late arrival of the guest team. Again only a few hundred people witnessed this convincing win. The captain of the day, McVean, won the toss and chose to play towards Anfield Road in the first half. A tradition many Liverpool captains have followed to this day. The club's first competitive match was at home to Higher Walton on September 3rd 1892 with Liverpool yet again winning 8-0 .

Real Madrid C.F.

2011-07-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal maˈðɾið ˈkluβ ðe ˈfutβol] Royal Madrid Football Club), commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful club in Spanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful football club of the 20th century, having won a record 31 La Liga titles, 18 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 8 Spanish Super Cups, a record 9 UEFA Champions Leagues, 2 UEFA Cups, 1 UEFA Supercup, and 3 Intercontinental Cups. Real Madrid was a founding member of FIFA and the now-defunct G-14 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association. The word "Real" in the club's name is the Spanish term for "royal", and was given by the King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem – several other Spanish football teams also received this royal distinction: Real Sociedad, Real Unión de Irún, Real Betis, and Real Zaragoza.
Founded in 1902, Real Madrid has never been relegated from La Liga, the top league of Spanish football. The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. In the 1980s, the club had one of the best teams (known as La Quinta del Buitre) in Spain and Europe, winning two UEFA Cups, five consecutive Spanish championships, one Spanish Cup and three Spanish Super Cups.
The team's traditional home kit colour is white, although it originally adopted a blue oblique stripe on the shirt. Its crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernise or re-brand it. The current crest is a modified version of the one first adopted in the 1920s. Real Madrid's home ground is the 80,354-seater Santiago Bernabéu football stadium in downtown Madrid, where it has played since 1947. The Bernabéu was the venue for the European cup (or UEFA Champions League) finals of 1957, 1969, 1980 and 2010.
Real Madrid holds long-standing rivalries with other football clubs, most notably FC Barcelona, with matches between the two teams referred to as "el Clásico". Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since its inception. The club is the world's richest football club (€438.6m) in terms of revenue and the second most valuable worth over €1.4mld in 2011.

History

Main article: History of Real Madrid C.F.
Early years (1902–1945)
Real Madrid's origins go back to when football was introduced to Madrid by the academics and students of the Institución libre de enseñanza, which included several Oxbridge graduates. They founded Football Club Sky in 1897, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa. It split into two clubs in 1900: New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Club Español de Madrid. The latter club split again in 1902, resulting in the formation of Madrid Football Club on 6 March 1902. Three years after its foundation, in 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the founding sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 4 January 1909, when club president Adolfo Meléndez signed the foundation agreement of the Spanish FA. After moving between grounds the team moved to the Campo de O'Donnell in 1912. In 1920, the club's name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted the title of Real (Royal) to the club.
In 1929, the first Spanish football league was founded. Real Madrid led the first league season until the last match, a loss to Athletic Bilbao, meant they finished runners-up to Barcelona. Real Madrid won its first League title in the 1931–32 season. Real won the League again the following year, becoming the first side to have won the championship twice.

2011-07-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈkaɾdu iˈzɛksõ duˈsɐ̃tus ˈlejtʃi]; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká, is a Brazilian football midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid[2] and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club. At the time, he also played tennis,[3] and it was not until he moved on to São Paulo FC and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of fifteen that he chose to focus on football.
In 2003 he joined Milan for a fee of €8.5 million. While at Milan, Kaká won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. After his success with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid for a world record fee of £56 million, smashing the previous record of Zidane, £49 million.[4] Kaká's record was later broken by Cristiano Ronaldo when he joined Real Madrid for a fee of £80 million. In addition to his contributions on the pitch, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004, by the time of his appointment, he became the youngest ambassador of the UN' World Food Programme.[5]

Early life

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Brasília to Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite (a civil engineer) and Simone dos Santos (an elementary school teacher).[6] He had a financially secure upbringing that allowed him to focus on both school and football at the same time.[7] His younger brother Rodrigo (best known as Digão) and cousin Eduardo Delani are also professional footballers.
When he was seven, Kaká's family moved to São Paulo.[8] His school had arranged him in a local youth club called "Alphaville," who qualified to the final in a local tournament.[9] There he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered an assignment.[10]
At the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident,[11][12] but remarkably made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.[12]
Club career

São Paulo
Kaká began his career with São Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at fifteen and led the São Paulo youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. He made his senior side debut on 1 Feb 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, in addition to leading São Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship, in which he scored two goals in two minutes as a substitute against Botafogo in the final, which São Paulo won 2–1.
He scored 10 goals in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs. Kaká made a total of 58 appearances for São Paulo, scoring 23 times.[13]

Milan
The steady European interest in Kaká culminated in his signing with Italian club AC Milan in 2003 for a fee of €8.5 million, described in retrospect as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi.[14] Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and his Serie A debut was in a 2–0 win over Ancona. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, as Milan won the Scudetto and the UEFA Super Cup.
Kaká was a part of the five-man midfield in the 2004–05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. He scored seven goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up in the Scudetto race. Despite Milan losing the 2004–05 Champions League final to Liverpool on penalties, he was nonetheless was voted the best midfielder of the tournament.
2005–06 saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic competition. On 9 April 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo; all three goals were scored in the second half. The following season, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over the Belgian side Anderlecht.
Andriy Shevchenko's departure to Chelsea 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 Champions League campaign with ten goals. One of them helped the Rossoneri eliminate Celtic in the quarter-finals on a 1–0 aggregate, and three others proved fatal for Manchester United in the semi-finals, despite Milan losing the first leg.

Kaká added the Champions League title to his trophy case for the first time when Milan defeated Liverpool on 23 May 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. On 30 August, Kaká was named by UEFA as both the top forward of the 2006–07 Champions League season and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.[15]
He played his 200th career match with Milan in a 1–1 home draw with Catania on 30 September, and on 5 October, he was named the 2006–07 FIFPro World Player of the Year. On 2 December 2007, Kaká became the eighth Milan player to win the Ballon d'Or, as he finished with a decisive 444 votes, long ahead of runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo.[16] He signed a contract extension through 2013 with Milan on 29 February 2008.[17]
Due to his contributions on and off the pitch, Time magazine named Kaká in the Time 100, a list of the world's 100 most influential people, on 2 May.[18] On 14 October, he cast his footprints into the Estádio do Maracanã's sidewalk of fame, in a section dedicated to the memory of the country's top players.[19] He won the honor again in 2009.[20]
BBC reported on 13 January 2009 that Manchester City made a bid for Kaká for over £100 million. Milan director Umberto Gandini replied that Milan would only discuss the matter if Kaká and Manchester City agreed to personal terms.[21] Kaká initially responded by telling reporters he wanted to "grow old" at Milan and dreamed of captaining the club one day, but later said, "If Milan want to sell me, I’ll sit down and talk. I can say that as long as the club don’t want to sell me, I'll definitely stay."[22] On 19 January, Silvio Berlusconi announced that Manchester City had officially ended their bid after a discussion between the clubs, and that Kaká would remain with Milan.[23] Milan supporters had protested outside the club headquarters earlier that evening, and later chanted outside Kaká's home, where he saluted them by flashing his jersey outside a window.[24]

Real Madrid
On 3 June 2009, Football Italia reported that newly-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had offered Milan a €68.5 million deal for Kaká,[25] two days after the player had left for international duty with Brazil.[26] Milan vice president Adriano Galliani did not deny the reports, and confirmed that he and Kaká's father, Bosco Leite, had traveled to Mexico to meet with La Volpe. "We had lunch and spoke about Kaká. I don't deny it. Negotiations exist, but a deal has yet to be done."[27] On 4 June, Galliani told Gazzetta dello Sport that financial reasons were his motive for the talks with La Volpe. "We cannot allow [Milan] to lose €70 million [...] The reasons behind Kaká's departure would be economic."[27] On 8 June, Milan and Real Madrid confirmed Kaká has moved to the Bernabéu on a six-year deal.[28]
Kaká made his unofficial debut on 7 August 2009, in a 5–1 friendly victory against Toronto FC.[29] He scored his first goal for Madrid during a pre-season match on 19 August 2009, in a 5–0 victory against Borussia Dortmund.[30] Kaká later made his league debut on 29 August 2009 in a 3–2 win against Deportivo La Coruña.[31] He scored his first goal, a penalty kick, on 23 September, in a 2–0 against Villarreal.[32] On 5 August 2010, Real Madrid announced that Kaká had undergone a successful surgery on a long-standing left knee injury and would face up to four months on the sidelines.[33] Kaká returned to training after a long lay-off and manager Jose Mourinho said that having Kaká back was like a new signing.[34][35]
After an eight-month absence, Kaká returned to play by entering as a substitute for Karim Benzema on the 77th minute of a 3–2 victory over Getafe on 3 January 2011. He said he was "(...) happy for playing a game again and for stepping onto a pitch."[36] His first league goal (and his first of the season) after his return from injury came with an assist from Cristiano Ronaldo on a 4–2 victory over Villareal on 9 January.[37]
In March 2011 Kaká suffered from Iliotibial band syndrome which kept him sidelined for a few weeks. Kaka, after returning from injury, appeared in a convincing win over Valencia, scoring two goals.

International career
Kaká was called up for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, but the Brazilians crashed out to Ghana in the quarter-finals. Several months later, he made his debut for the senior Brazil squad in a friendly match against Bolivia on 31 January 2002. He was part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but played only 25 minutes,[38] all of which were in the first round match against Costa Rica.
In 2003, Kaká was the captain for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil, competing with their under-23 team, finished as runner-up to Mexico. He scored three goals during the tournament. He was included in Brazil's squad for 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. He appeared in all five matches and scored one goal in a 4–1 win over Argentina in the final.
Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and scored his first and only goal of the tournament in Brazil's 1–0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opener, for which he was named Man of the Match.[39] He was unable to keep up the momentum for the remainder of the tournament, as Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarter-finals. In a friendly against rivals Argentina on 3 September 2006, after entering as a substitute, he received the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and outran Lionel Messi while taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score.[40]
On 12 May 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League, and national team play, Kaká bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil won.[41] After missing out on the Copa América, he returned to play in Brazil's friendly match against Algeria on 22 August 2007.
Kaká participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, marking his first international tournament since the 2006 World Cup. His only two goals came in Brazil's group stage opener against Egypt on 14 June, when he scored a goal in the fifth minute and then added a 90th-minute penalty in Brazil's 4–3 victory.[42] He received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament at the Confederations Cup and was also named the Man of the Match in the final after helping Brazil to a 3–2 win against the United States.[43][44][45]
In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, during the 20 June match against Côte d'Ivoire, Kaká received a red card after receiving two yellow cards. The second card was given for an elbow in the direction of Abdul Kader Keïta. Kaká was innocent in the incident leading to the second yellow card, The Telegraph called this "an innocuous off the-the-ball incident".[46] Kaká ended the tournament with three assists in total, and Brazil eventually ended up losing 2–1 to the Netherlands.

Personal life
Kaká married his childhood sweetheart Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 at a Rebirth in Christ church in São Paulo.[47] Their first child, Luca Celico Leite, was born in São Paulo on 10 June 2008.[48] On 8 December 2010, Kaká announced Celico was pregnant with their second child, a daughter.[49] She was born late at night on 23 April 2011 and named Isabella.
Kaká was sworn in as an Italian citizen on 12 February 2007.[50] He features prominently in Adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, the latter preventing him from appearing in a photo collection alongside his Milan teammates that was published by Dolce & Gabbana in early 2007.
Raí, the former Brazilian and São Paulo FC captain, has always been the footballing role model of Kaká.[51][52]
Kaká's best friend is fellow Brazilian Marcelo Saragosa who plays as a midfielder for the team FC Absheron in Azerbaijan. They both served as best man at each other's wedding.[53]
Kaká is a follower of the evangelical Rebirth in Christ Church[54] and 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 Brazil's 2002 World Cup, and Milan's 2004 Scudetto and 2007 Champions League triumphs. He also had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots.[55] 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 wore t-shirts that read "Jesus Loves You" in various languages.
Though sharing a common goal, Kaká is not currently a formal member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ").[56] In goal celebrations he usually points to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God. Kaká's favourite music is gospel,[57] and his favourite book is the Bible.[58] Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the UN' World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment.[5]
On August 2010, EA Sports announceed that Kaká has been chosen for the cover of FIFA 11.[59]
Kaká has a musical side to himself as he performed a song with his wife, Caroline, on her debut album. The song, entitled Presente de Deus, was written by Kaká himself for his wife and was resonated in the church during their wedding in 2005.[60]
His nickname is pronounced as it is spelled, with stress on the second syllable and is a common term of endearment of "Ricardo" in Brazil. In Kaká's case, it was created by his younger brother Digão calling him "Caca" due to his inability to pronounce "Ricardo" when they were young; it eventually evolved into Kaká.[55]

Cristiano Ronaldo

2011-07-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾɨʃtiˈɐnu ʁuˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985),[2] commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a right winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo is the most expensive player in football history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer deal worth £80 million (€94m, US$132m). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is to be paid £11 million per year over the following six years, makes him the highest-paid football player in the world,[3] and values him at €1 billion as per his buyout clause.[4]
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, then moved to Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup and played at Euro 2004 with Portugal. Ronaldo scored his first international goal in the opening game of the tournament against Greece, although Greece won 2–1. Portugal reached the final, which they again lost to Greece.
Ronaldo was the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, was named best forward and player of the tournament and was the competition's top goalscorer as well as winning the European Golden Shoe, becoming the first winger to do so, and topping the Premier League Golden Boot award. He won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies, only missing the PFA Young Player of the Year, and was named the FIFPro, World Soccer and Onze d'Or Footballer of the Year[5][6][7] and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.[8] Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the FIFA Puskás Award, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year. He scored that goal from 40 yards out against FC Porto in a UEFA Champions League quarter-final match, while playing for Manchester United.[9] Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."[10]
On 15 May 2011, Ronaldo became the highest goalscorer in a season in the history of Real Madrid with 51 goals, surpassing the club's previous high of 49 by Ferenc Puskás. He would later finish the season with a total of 53 goals, making him the first Real Madrid player to ever reach and surpass 50 goals in a season. Six days later, Ronaldo broke the record of most goals ever scored in a season in La Liga with 40, surpassing Telmo Zarra's mark established in 1951 and Hugo Sanchez's mark matched in 1990. Ronaldo also broke Zarra's record of most goals per minute, with a goal scored every 70.7 minutes. The newspaper Marca, the official deliverer of the Pichichi Trophy (the top La Liga goalscorer award), claimed that Ronaldo scored 41 goals. By doing so, he won the European Golden Shoe award once again, becoming the first player to win the trophy in two different championships.

Early life

Ronaldo was born in Santo António, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener.[11] His second given name "Ronaldo" was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor.[12] He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.[2] His great-grandmother Isabel da Piedade was from Cape Verde.[13]
Club career

Early career
At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.[14]
Sporting CP
Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Academia Sporting, the club's football academy, in Alcochete. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting's under-16, under-17, under-18, B-team, and the first team, all within one season.[15] He scored two goals in his league debut on 7 October 2002, which Sporting CP won 3–0 against Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the 2002 European Under-17 Championship.[16]
When he was 15, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo's mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.[17]
He was first spotted by then-Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16, but Liverpool declined to take him on because they decided he was too young and needed some time to develop his skills.[18] However, he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.[19]

Manchester United
2003–2006
Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for €15 million[20] (£12.24 million) after the 2002–03 season.[21] He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."[22]
Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 3–0 FA Cup final victory over Millwall.[23]
He scored United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough.[24] He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.
He was sent off in the Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium on 14 January 2006 (a game which United lost 3–1) for kicking City's former United player Andrew Cole.[25]
Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football in the 2005–06 season, scoring the third goal in Manchester United's 4–0 Football League Cup final victory over Wigan Athletic.[26]

2006–2009
The 2006–2007 season proved to be the breakout year for Ronaldo, as he broke the 20 goal barrier for the first time and picked up his first league title with Manchester United.
In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996.[27][28] He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals Manchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.
Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo,[29] he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.[30][31]
Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour.[32] In April, he completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Ronaldo's 2007–08 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban.[33] Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future.[34] After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.[35]
He finished as the runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d'Or,[36] and was third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi.[37]
Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table.[38] He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Reading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season.[39] During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA.[40] One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.[41]
On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory.[42] The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season.[43] Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08 European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Güiza.[44]
In the 2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but John Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match,[45] and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling four short of Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season.

On 5 June 2008, Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount of money the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year.[46] Manchester United filed a tampering complaint with FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, but FIFA declined to take any action.[47][48] Speculation that a transfer would happen continued until 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at United for at least another year.[49]
Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on 7 July.[50] He returned to action on 17 September in United's UEFA Champions League goalless group-stage draw with Villarreal as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung,[51] and scored his first overall goal of the season in a 3–1 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24 September.
In a 5–0 win over Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks.[52] The goals also meant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier League at the time.[53] On 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or recipient since George Best in 1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi.[54] He was awarded the Silver Ball after finishing with two goals as United won the Club World Cup on 19 December.[55]
On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he wrote off his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a tunnel along the A538 near Manchester Airport. A breathalyser test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning.[56] Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since Luís Figo in 2001.[57]
Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in a 2–0 victory over Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals.[58] In the second leg against Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yard game-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. He later called it the best goal he had ever scored.[59][60] Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive Champions League final, but made little impact in United's 2–0 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higher than the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.
On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club.[61] It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson.[62] When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career."[63]

Real Madrid
2009–10 season
On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009 from Manchester United for £80 million,[64] after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract.[65] Ronaldo's contract is worth €11 million per year[3] and it has a €1 billion buy-out clause.[66] He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July,[67] where he was handed the number 9 jersey.[68] The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano.[69] Ronaldo was welcomed by 80,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.[70]
Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later with a penalty in Madrid's 4–2 LDU Quito.[71] On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo La Coruña.[72] On 15 September, Ronaldo scored two free-kicks in a 5–2 away victory over Zürich, his first Champions League goals for Real.[73] He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match against Villarreal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.[74]
An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with Portugal against Hungary,[75] kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against Milan. Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1–0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career in Madrid's 4–2 victory against Almería, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.[76] Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín scored 53 league goals during the course of the season and became Real's highest scoring league duo in their history.[77]

2010–11 season
With the departure of Raúl during the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the No. 7 jersey for Real Madrid.[78] On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals against Racing de Santander,[79] the most goals he has ever scored in a single match.[80] This completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (three in La Liga, one in the Champions League, and two for Portugal) in which Ronaldo scored in each match, totalling 11 goals, which is the most Ronaldo has scored in a single month. Before Real Madrid's 5–0 defeat by Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo scored his second La Liga hat-trick of the season in a 5–1 win over Athletic Bilbao.[81] His final match of the calendar year saw him score a hat-trick in a 8–0 trashing of Levante in the Copa del Rey.[82]
Ronaldo began the 2011 with a very promising outlook, especially after Real Madrid acknowledged he had broken numerous goalscoring records, previously settled and held by classic players such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Hugo Sánchez, and Manuel Alday.[83][84] Ronaldo began his scoring spree by scoring two vital goals in a tight 3–2 victory away to Getafe.[85] He then consolidated his massive performances by scoring a hat-trick and assisting Kaká to score his first league goal after his return from injury, in a 4–2 victory over Villareal on 9 January. One game away from the middle of the season, Ronaldo had a very clear chance of breaking Telmo Zarra's and Hugo Sánchez's record of 38 League goals in a single season, since he was the league's top scorer with 22 goals, above Lionel Messi.[86][87] However, shortly after, Ronaldo experienced the biggest goal drought in his entire career, scoring only 2 goals in more than a month. During this period, Real Madrid acknowledged to have hit the crossbar more than 12 times in the season, most of the shots belonging to Ronaldo and almost all having happened during crucial moments in drawn matches.[88] Ronaldo then made a massive comeback by scoring a hat-trick in a 7–0 trashing of Málaga on 3 March 2011, but was affected by a muscle injury at the end of the match, which forced him to spend 10 days on the sidelines.
In April he made another massive comeback from injury, sustaining a three-game scoring streak (including 2 goals in Champions League quarter-finals against Tottenham Hotspur), thus arriving to the first of a historical series of four El Clásico encounters two goals short of breaking his personal record of 42 goals in all competitions in a single season, achieved at Manchester United in the 2007–08 season.
During the second league edition of El Clásico, Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot and took his tally to 41 goals, also taking his scoring streak to four games. On 20 April, Ronaldo scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the 103rd minute of the Copa del Rey final.[89] This goal would later be chosen as both Ronaldo's and Real Madrid's best goal in the season by several fan polls, including those of Marca[90] and Real Madrid's website.[91] 7 May saw Real travel to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán to take on Sevilla, where Ronaldo led the thrashing of a woeful Andalusian side, scoring four goals in a 6–2 victory. These four goals took him to 46 for the season which surpassed his previous record of 42 in a season playing for Manchester United.[92] Three days later he reached 49 goals for the season, by scoring another hat-trick in a 4–0 home win against Getafe. On 15 May, after scoring 2 free-kick goals in a 3–1 win over Villarreal, he equalled the La Liga record with most goals in a season with 38, a record previously held by Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sánchez.
On 21 May, he scored two goals in the last league match of the season against Almería, taking his Pichichi total to 41, and La Liga total to 40, becoming the first and only player to score 40 or more goals in a La Liga season. By doing this, he won the European Golden Shoe award once again, becoming the first player to win the trophy in two different leagues. The sports newspaper Marca, who awards the Pichichi Trophy, included the goal scored on 18 September 2010 to Real Sociedad in Ronaldo's goal count, which some sources attribute to Pepe while others attribute to Ronaldo. Should this goal be granted to Ronaldo, his goal count in the Pichichi Trophy would tally 41 goals. However, careless of this goal polemic, Ronaldo's record-breaking figures became a source of major attention from public media, something that granted Ronaldo awards like Sports Illustrated XI,[93] rating him as one of the world's best footballers.

International career
Ronaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1–0 victory against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003.[94]

Euro 2004
He was called up for Euro 2004,[95] scoring in a 2–1 group stage loss to eventual champions Greece[96] and in a 2–1 semi-final win over the Netherlands.[97] He was named in the team of the tournament despite finishing with only two goals.[98] He also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[99][100]

2006 World Cup
Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals,[98] and scored his first World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick.[101]
During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee Horacio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off.[102] On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.[103]
The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United,[104] and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid.[105] In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroz to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney.[106][107] Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.[108]
Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semi-final defeat to France,[109] and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans.[110] Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.[111]
Post-World Cup
One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil on 6 February 2007.[112] This move was in honour of Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a gesture... [he] is too young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us."[113]
Euro 2008
Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign,[114] behind Poland's Ebi Smolarek, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany.[115] When Carlos Queiroz was named Portugal's new coach in July 2008,[116] he appointed Ronaldo as team captain.[117]
2010 World Cup
On 15 June 2010, in Portugal's opening World Cup match against Côte d'Ivoire, Ronaldo was tackled by right-back Guy Demel, which led to an argument and both being booked. The next day, Portugal contacted FIFA to suggest that Ronaldo's yellow card be rescinded since he was "pulled into" the confrontation after having already moved away from the spot where he was tackled, but the appeal was rejected.[118]
Ronaldo failed to make an impact in the World Cup; after going scoreless in the qualifiers, his only goal came in Portugal's 7–0 group stage thrashing of North Korea on 21 June,[119] which marked his first international goal in 16 months.[120] Portugal were ultimately eliminated by Spain in the Round of 16.

Mesut Özil

2011-07-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Mesut Özil (German pronunciation: [ˈmeːzut ˈøːzil], Turkish pronunciation: [ˈmesut ˈøzil]; born 15 October 1988) is a footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and for the German national team. Özil has been a youth national team member since 2006, when he debuted for first professional league season and a member of the German national team since 2009. He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated for the Golden Ball Award which is awarded to the tournament's best player. Following his breakout performance at the World Cup, he was transferred to Real Madrid in August 2010.
His nicknames include “der neue Diego” – the new Diego – in reference to Brazilian Diego Ribas da Cunha whose playmaker-role he inherited at Werder Bremen,[2] "German Messi"[3][dead link] and "German Zidane".

Club career

Gelsenkirchen and Rot-Weiss Essen
Özil began his youth career playing for various clubs in Gelsenkirchen and then played five years for Rot-Weiss Essen.

Schalke 04
In 2005, he moved to the youth department of FC Schalke 04. He was a midfielder and wore 17 as his squad number, after starting as play-maker and central attacking midfielder in the place of the suspended Lincoln in Ligapokal matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich for Schalke.[5] On making the first team there, he was described as 'the next big thing', but he eventually fell out with club management and moved on to Werder Bremen in January 2008.[6]

Werder Bremen
On 31 January 2008, he moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €4.3 million, signing a contract with the German club until 30 June 2011.[7] Fresh off his fallout at Schalke 04 he stepped into the shoes of Brazilian playmaker Diego to fire the northern club to the 2009 DFB-Pokal with the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Berlin.[8] He also excelled in Europe where he led Werder Bremen to the final of the last ever UEFA Cup, losing out to Shakhtar Donetsk.[9] Although Bremen failed to get going in their 2008–09 Bundesliga season, eventually finishing in a disappointing 10th, Özil managed to make a significant impact in most games and came away with a respectable three goals and 15 assists that highlighted his attacking credentials.[9] In his second season with the club, they ended third and Özil was instrumental with 16 assists.

Real Madrid

Due to his performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he ensured his place among Europe's top young talents. On 17 August 2010 Werder Bremen announced that they had reached an agreement with Real Madrid.[10] The transfer fee is believed to be in the region of €15 million.[11] He made his debut on 22 August in a friendly match against Hércules, which Real Madrid won 3–1.[12]
He then made his La Liga debut for Real Madrid as a substitute for Ángel di María in the 62nd minute against Mallorca, which Real Madrid drew 0–0.[13] Özil made his season debut in Champions League on 15 September. He got his first assist with Real Madrid in the 74th minute against Ajax after he crossed in the ball, resulting in a Higuaín goal.[14] Özil's performances for Real Madrid have been praised by media, fans and players.[15]
He walked off the pitch as a second half substitute to standing ovations in his first two games as a starter at the Santiago Bernabéu. His first goal came in a league match against Deportivo La Coruña on 3 October 2010, in a 6–1 victory.[16] Özil's first Champions League goal with Real came in the 14th minute against Milan on 19 October 2010.[17] On 22 December he made his debut in Copa del Rey, scoring once in a 8–0 victory over Levante.[18]
On 6 March 2011, after providing two assists in a 3–1 victory over Racing Santander, Özil was greatly praised by worldwide media thanks to his performance on the pitch, thus consolidating his outstanding season so far.[19] He finished his 2010/2011 season with Madrid with 25 assists, which was the highest for any player in any major European competition that season.

International career

In September 2006, Özil was called up for the Germany U-17 team. Özil has been a member of the German U-21 team since 2007. On 29 June 2009, Özil was selected the man of the match in a 4–0 win over England during the U-21 European Championship final.[6]
He made his debut for the Germany national football team during a friendly match against Norway on 11 February 2009. He scored his first goal for the senior team in his third appearance, another friendly, against South Africa on 5 September in Leverkusen.

2010 World Cup
He was selected for the Germany national squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, starting in all of the teams games. He scored a left-footed half-volley from the edge of the 18 yard box against Ghana in the final group game, ensuring Germany progressed to the second round as group winners.[20] On 27 June 2010, he played in Germany's win over England in the last 16 match, setting up the fourth goal with a cross to Thomas Müller as Germany triumphed 4–1.[21] During the quarter-final match against Argentina he assisted the second goal for Miroslav Klose with a low cross to make it 4–0 to the Germans. Germany went on to win the match 4–0. FIFA announced him as one of the ten nominations for the Golden Ball.

Football Stars: Eden Hazard

2011-07-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Eden Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian football player who currently plays for French club Lille in Ligue 1 and the Belgium national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger. Hazard is known for his creativity, speed, and technical ability and is described as a "fearless, explosive attacking midfielder who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble".[2][3][4] He has also been described as "a defender's nightmare" and has earned critical acclaim for his playing style, which has led to the media, coaches, and players drawing comparisons to FIFA World Player of the Year winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.[2][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Hazard is the son of former Belgian football players Carine and Thierry Hazard and began his football career in Belgium playing for local clubs Royal Stade Brainois and Tubize. In 2005, he ventured to France joining first division club Lille. Hazard spent two years in the club's academy and, at the age of 16, made his professional debut in November 2007. In his first full season as a starter, he won the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year award becoming the first non-French player to win the award.[11] In the 2009–10 season, Hazard captured the award again becoming the first player to win the award twice.[12] He was also named to the league's Team of the Year. Since making his debut in 2007, Hazard has become an integral part of the club under manager Rudi Garcia racking up over 140 appearances. In the 2010–11 season, he was a part of the Lille team that won the league and cup double and, as a result of his performances, was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player to win the award.[13]
Hazard is a Belgium international, having represented his nation at under-17 and under-19 level. Prior to starring for the senior team, he played on the under-17 team that qualified for the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Hazard made his senior international debut in November 2008, at the age of 17 years and 316 days, in a friendly match against Luxembourg.

Personal life

Hazard was born in the city of La Louvière, but was raised in Braine-le-Comte, a small town in the Wallonia region. He grew up in a football dominant family. His mother, Carine, and father, Thierry (not to be confused with the French singer and songwriter of the same name) were both footballers in Belgium. His father spent most of his career playing in the Belgian Second Division with R.A.A. Louviéroise, while his mother played as a striker in the Belgian Women's First Division.[14] Hazard is the eldest of four children. He has three younger brothers all of whom play football. Thorgan, 17, plays in the youth academy of Lille's most hated rivals RC Lens.[15][16][17] Hazard's other younger brothers Kylian, 15, and Ethan, seven, remain in Belgium playing in the youth academy of Eden's former club A.F.C. Tubize.[15] Kylian is set to join Lille when he turns 16.[18] Hazard and his three brothers were raised in a comfortable environment with their parents ensuring they had whatever they needed to excel.[19] The family lived "no more than three meters" from a football training ground and the brothers often ventured onto a training pitch through a small hole in order to hone and develop their skills.[14] Hazard is currently in a relationship with girlfriend Natasha. On 19 December, Belgian and French media announced that she had given birth to a baby boy.[20][21]

Club career

Early career
Hazard began his football career playing for hometown club Royal Stade Brainois. He spent five years at the club before moving to Tubize. Hazard was spotted by a Lille scout while playing in a local tournament with the club. The scout's subsequent report on the player prompted club officials to meet with Hazard's father and offer the young player an aspirant (youth) contract.[22] Hazard's parents accepted the offer with hopes that the training facilities in France would be better.[19] Hazard's father later admitted that the decision to let Eden and, later Thorgan, join clubs in the North of France was the best solution stating "They remained so close to home and, at the same time, they integrated at structures where they could grow, because in Belgium, unfortunately, it's a little empty for the training of youth".[14]
Lille
Hazard joined Lille in 2005 and spent two years developing in the club's youth academy in Luchin. On 28 May 2007, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Lille.[22] At the start of the 2007–08 season, at the age of 16, Hazard was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, though he still played with Lille's under-18 team in its league and the Coupe Gambardella. Hazard made his amateur debut on 1 September 2007 in a league match against Racing Club de France appearing as a second half substitute in a 3–1 defeat.[23] He made his first start a week later in the team's 1–0 defeat to Lesquin.[24]
After spending the majority of October and the early part of November playing with the club's under-18 team, on November 14, due to several players being on international duty, Hazard was called up to the senior team by manager Claude Puel to participate in a friendly match against Belgian club Bruges on 16 November.[25] He appeared as a substitute in the match and, as a result of his performance, was included in the 18-man squad to face Nancy in a league match on 24 November.[26] Hazard, subsequently, made his professional debut in the match coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute.[27] Hazard returned to the club's reserve team and spent December playing with the squad. Following the winter break, Hazard returned to the first team in January and made substitute appearances in three league matches against Metz, Sochaux, and Paris Saint-Germain.[28][29][30] After-wards, he was relegated back to the amateur level where he played concurrently with the reserve team in the fourth division and the under-18 team in the Coupe Gambardella. On 17 May 2008, he scored his first amateur goal in a 3–2 victory over Vitré.[31] Hazard finished his amateur career with 11 appearances and one goal helping the reserve team finished in fifth place, which was first among professional clubs' reserve teams playing in the group.[32][33]
2008–09 season
For the 2008–09 season, Hazard switched to the number 26 shirt and was promoted to the senior team permanently by new manager Rudi Garcia. Early on, he made substitute appearances regularly making his season debut as a substitute on 14 September 2008 against Sochaux in a 1–1 draw.[34] One of his substitute appearances proved beneficial against Auxerre on 20 September. With Lille trailing 2–1 in the waning minutes of the match, Hazard, after Lille took a corner kick, quickly scooped up a short clearance from Auxerre and took a right-footed shot just outside the box. It beat the keeper and drew the score 2–2 in the 88th minute.[35] With Lille's confidence high, the club won the match 3–2 in injury time following a goal from Tulio de Melo.[36] Hazard's first career goal resulted in him becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club's history.[37] Four days after scoring his first professional goal, Hazard made his first professional start in a 4–2 defeat on penalties to Montpellier in the Coupe de la Ligue.[38] After featuring as a substitute in the team's next five league matches, on 15 November, Hazard made his first professional league start against Saint-Étienne. He capped the appearance by scoring the opening goal in the club's 3–0 victory.[39] His positive performances with the club resulted in Lille offering him a three-year contract extension, which he agreed to on 18 November 2008, tying him to the club until 2012.[40]
After featuring as a substitute in December, Hazard returned to the starting lineup in January. On 23 January, he scored the second goal in a 3–0 win over amateur club Dunkerque in Round of 32 of the Coupe de France.[41] Two weeks later, he scored a game-winning goal in a league match against Sochaux and, on 22 February, assisted on the winner against Monaco.[42][43] In the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France, Hazard netted a goal in a 3–2 win over the competition's defending champions Lyon.[44] On 26 April, he scored the opening goal against Marseille, though Lille lost the match 2–1.[45] In the final ten league matches of the campaign, Hazard started eight and contributed to the team finishing in 5th place, which resulted in Lille qualifying for the newly-created UEFA Europa League. After the season, he was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year, becoming the first international player to achieve the honor.[12]

2009–10 season
“Eden is technically gifted and very fast. He will be a major star in the future. I would take him to Real Madrid with my eyes closed."
Zinedine Zidane, on Eden Hazard.[46][47]
Following the 2008–09 season, constant media speculation occurred in numerous countries regarding Hazard's availability on the transfer market. Despite Lille chairman Michel Seydoux declaring the player off limits and Hazard stating that he wanted to remain at the club for at least another season, several clubs declared interest in the player.[48][49] Notable clubs included English clubs Arsenal and Manchester United, Italian club Internazionale, and Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. French football legend Zinedine Zidane personally recommended the player to the latter club.[50][51][52][53][54]
Hazard began the 2009–10 season on a quick note scoring in the Lille's first competitive match of the season. The goal, contributing to the team's 2–0 victory, came against Serbian club FK Sevojno in the first leg of the club's third qualifying round match in the UEFA Europa League.[55] On 27 August, he scored his second career European goal in the club's second leg tie in the playoff round against Belgian club Genk. It was Lille's final goal in the club's 4–2 victory.[56] The 6–3 aggregate scoreline assured the club progression to the Europa League group stage. On 22 October, he scored a goal in Lille's important 3–0 victory over Italian club Genoa in the 84th minute after entering as a substitute 10 minutes prior. Upon receiving the ball on the left wing, Hazard proceeded to dash through the midfield dribbling past six Genoa defenders before finishing at the 18-yard box.[57][58] A month later, Hazard was instrumental in Lille's 5–1 thrashing of Czech club Slavia Prague as he was partly responsible for the opening goal after slicing through the defense and delivering a cross near post, which awkwardly went off Slavia player Marek Suchý resulting in an own goal.[59]
On 20 December, he scored his first league goal of the season in the club's 3–0 win over Le Mans. Hazard also provided both the assists on the other two goals.[60] On 30 January, Hazard scored the only goal in Lille's win over Derby du Nord rivals Lens.[61] The victory helped the club achieve stability in the league by keeping them in the UEFA Champions League places and, also, ended a disaster of a week which saw Lille suffer elimination from both of France's cup competitions. Five days later, Hazard and Lille reached an agreement on a contract extension, which will keep the player at the club until 2014.[62][63] On 11 March, Hazard scored the only goal in Lille's victory over English club Liverpool in the first leg of the club's UEFA Europa League tie converting a free kick in the 83rd minute.[64] Three weeks later, Hazard provided two assists in the club's 4–1 win over fellow title contenders Montpellier.[65] The two passes brought his league tally to seven, tied for second in the league. For his impressive displays in the month of March, Hazard was given the UNFP Player of the Month award.[66]
On 29 April, Hazard was nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award. He was also nominated, for the second consecutive season, for the Young Player of the Year award.[67] On 9 May, Hazard was awarded the UNFP Young Player of the Year trophy for the second consecutive season. He is the first player, since the award's inception in 1994, to win the award twice.[12] Hazard lost out on the Player of the Year award, which was awarded to Lyon striker Lisandro López.
2010–11 season
Hazard began the 2010–11 campaign as a starter featuring in Lille's first six league matches of the season, as well as matches in the UEFA Europa League. On 29 August 2010, he scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Nice.[68] In late September, Hazard began to struggle with inconsistency and was benched by Garcia in an effort to "allow him (Hazard) to breathe and learn that his performances were insufficient".[69] Hazard, subsequently, appeared as a substitute in the team's 2–1 defeat to Portuguese club Sporting in the Europa League and as a substitute in the next three league matches against Toulouse, Montpellier, and Lyon.[70][71][72] Hazard later admitted that his first bout of inconsistency affected him stating "The first two months were a bit tough. I wouldn’t say that I began doubting my abilities, but I definitely went through a really patchy spell".[73]
On 7 October, Belgium national team manager Georges Leekens, citing Hazard's recent spell on the bench at Lille, said that the player needed to work harder, both physically and mentally, to regain his past year's form. The team's assistant coach, Marc Wilmots, also stated that Hazard often displayed a lazy mentality while training with the national team.[74] Garcia responded to Leekens comments the following day stating that he thought they were "excessive" and that "Eden is only 19 years old" and can still "make more progress in all areas."[75] Following Belgium's match against Kazakhstan, in which Hazard failed to start or even appear on the substitute's bench, Leekens responded to Garcia's comments declaring that he would stand by his previous comments and that players must think about the team and not themselves.[76] Hazard, himself, later reflected on Leekens and Garcia comments in February 2011 stating "I learned a lot during those few weeks, mentally speaking. And since then things have got better. The national side has had a fair bit to do with that – I get a lot out of being a part of it".[73]
Following the international break, Hazard re-captured his scoring form netting the final goal in Lille's 4–1 victory over Caen in the Coupe de la Ligue on 27 October.[77] Ten days later, he scored his second league goal of the season in a 3–1 win against the league table leaders Brest.[78] On 21 November, Hazard assisted on both Lille's goals in a 2–1 win over Monaco.[79] The victory continued the club's domestic unbeaten streak, which led to Lille topping the league table following an emphatic 6–3 victory against Lorient on 5 December.[80] Hazard began the 2011 portion of the season scoring in the team's first match of the new year against amateur club Forbach in the Coupe de France. Lille won the match 3–1.[81] In the team's following match, he assisted on goals scored by Moussa Sow and Gervinho in a 2–0 league victory over Nice.[82] On 19 January, Hazard scored the second goal in a 3–0 victory over Nancy.[83] On 4 March, Lille officials confirmed that Hazard had added an extra year to his contract. The new deal ties him to the club until 2015.[84][85] In his first match after the news, Hazard scored the opening goal in Lille's 2–1 away win over title rivals Marseille.[86] The goal was scored on a left-footed shot from almost 35 metres (38 yd) out.[87]
On 2 April, Hazard capped his 100th league appearance with Lille by scoring the second goal in a 3–1 win over Caen.[88] The goal tied his career-high for goals in a season and also moved Lille eight points clear as league leader in the table.[89] For his performances in the month of March, Hazard was named the UNFP Player of the Month for the second time in his career.[90] On 19 April, after appearing as a first half substitute, he scored the opening goal in Lille's 2–0 Coupe de France semi-final victory over Nice.[91] The victory inserted the club into the 2011 Coupe de France Final; the club's first appearance in the competition's final since 1955. On 7 May, Hazard converted a game-winning free-kick goal in the team's 1–0 win over Nancy.[92] Three days later, he was nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season.[93] In the Coupe de France final, Hazard played 89 minutes as Lille defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 at the Stade de France.[94] A week later, Lille clinched the Ligue 1 title by drawing 2-2 away to Paris Saint-Germain, achieving the club's first league championship since the 1953–54 season and the club's first double since the 1945–46 season.[95][96] The domestic cup and league title were the first two honours in Hazard's career. On the day after Lille won the league, Hazard was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player ever to win the award.[97] He was also rewarded with a place in the organization's Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.[13]
International career

Eden has played for various Belgian national youth teams, such as the under-17 and under-19 teams. With the under-17 team, Hazard was a regular in the team making 17 appearances and scoring four goals. He played with the team in the Toto Cup, a yearly international youth tournament held in Austria and, also, played in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, which Belgium hosted. In the tournament, Hazard scored his only goal in the team's opening match against the Netherlands converting a penalty in a 2–2 draw.[98] Throughout the tournament, Hazard impressed media and coaches, which led to many in Belgium comparing him to Belgian football legend Enzo Scifo.[99][100][101] Belgium suffered elimination in the semi-final portion of the competition losing to Spain 7–6 on penalties. Belgium were minutes away from a victory, courtesy of an own goal from David Rochela, which Hazard was particularly instrumental in, however Barcelona striker Bojan Krkić equalized for his nation to send the match into extra time.[102] Due to finishing in third place at the tournament, Belgium qualified for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, held in South Korea. Hazard was selected to participate and played in all three group stage matches, where Belgium were eliminated.
Hazard bypassed the Belgian under-18 team and began earning call-ups to the under-19 team in October 2007. His first appearance came in a 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification match against Romania coming on as a substitute in a 4–0 victory.[103] He subsequently played in the next two group stage matches against Iceland and England. Belgium lost both matches.[104][105] The negative results eliminated the country from the tournament. Due to being an underage player the previous year, Hazard was eligible for the under-19 team for the 2008–09 season. Due to his increase participation with Lille's first team, Hazard was only allowed participation in 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification matches by his club and, as a result, missed the 2008 edition of the Milk Cup, which was held during Lille's preseason. On 7 October 2008, he scored his first under-19 goal in the team's 5–0 victory over Estonia.[106] Three days later, he scored a double in a 2–2 draw with Croatia.[107] In the Elite Round, Hazard led the team in goals scoring three. In the opening match against the Republic of Ireland, he scored the lone goal.[108] In the next match, Hazard was influential in the team's 5–0 thrashing of Sweden scoring a goal and assisting on two others.[109] In the team's final match, they faced Switzerland. Belgium needed an outright victory to progress to the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, but were eliminated from qualifying after drawing 1–1 with the Swiss, despite Hazard opening the scoring for Belgium in the 21st minute.[110]
Although, Hazard is still eligible to represent Belgium on youth level, on 18 November 2008, he was called up to the Belgium senior team, for the first time, for the team's match against Luxembourg.[111] He made his highly anticipated debut in that match coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute for Wesley Sonck.[112] On his debut, Hazard became the eighth youngest player in Belgian football history at 17 years and 316 days to play for the national team.[113] On 12 August 2009, after consecutive substitute appearances with the team, he made his first start in the team's 3–1 friendly loss to the Czech Republic.[114]
Style of play

Hazard primarily plays as either an attacking midfielder or a winger and has been credited as being "possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now".[115] Under Lille manager Rudi Garcia, Hazard often plays in the latter role in the team's 4–3–3 formation and regularly switches flanks due to his ability to effectively use both feet. Two of Hazard's most common exemplary traits is his pace and technical ability, which has been described as both "astonishing" and "mesmerizing", respectively.[73] Club captain Rio Mavuba described Hazard as "a great player, with an immense talent. He’s actually not that big, but he’s so fast. He’s also very difficult to dispossess and his finishing is top notch".[73] Hazard's pace coupled with his finishing and inability to be dispossessed easily led to his former coach Claude Puel dubbing him "little Messi", in reference to the Barcelona star.[5] Puel's sentiments were later echoed by former Marseille manager and media personality Rolland Courbis who commented "At times it looks to me like Lionel Messi on the right-hand side".[69] Hazard's "flair and tricky" style of play has been described as being similar to Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo; a comparison later repeated by former French international Christophe Dugarry.[116][117] His vision, described as being the trait he has improved on the most, has allowed him to develop into an effective passer, which compensates for his relatively low goal-scoring output.[118]
In Belgium, Hazard's talent and similar ascension up the country's football hierarchy has led to comparisons to former Belgian international Enzo Scifo.[15][119] Both players share the same birthplace and Scifo himself spent time with Hazard while he was in Tubize admitting "Eden, you know, I've coached in Tubize. During the week, I took care of the young people at least once, and he, in those days, I immediately saw he had a secure future".[119] However, despite the positive opinions, Hazard has endured criticism from some. His former national team coach and mentor Dick Advocaat agreed with the majority in that Hazard possessed everything required to be a world-class player, however Advocaat admitted that the attacker lacked charisma stating "I told him to have more charisma. He is a talent, but he can not be seen like that forever".[120] In 2010, current national team manager Georges Leekens questioned Hazard's work-rate.[121] Lille youth academy director Jean-Michel Vandamme countered both managers criticism by arguing that Hazard simply possesses an intellectual honesty that is out of the ordinary and unexpected of today's footballer declaring "He is a real competitor, not a cheat, nor a moaner, because you don’t hear him complaining when he gets fouled".[69] Hazard's calm and cool demeanor on the field has been cited as one of his best attributes.[118] So far in his career as a professional, in which he has accumulated over 130 appearances, Hazard has collected only nine yellow cards.

Football Stars: Alexis Sanchez

2011-07-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Sánchez

Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez (Spanish pronunciation: [a'leksis 'sanĉeθ]; born 19 December 1988) is a Chilean footballer who plays as a right winger or striker for Italian Serie A club Udinese and also for the Chilean national team. He will move to Barcelona in a transfer worth €36 million, which will make Alexis the most expensive player in the chilean football history.[3] His contract with Barça is also expected to make him the highest-paid player in Chile.
Alexis began his career as a youth player for Cobreloa, where he played as professional for two years. His precocious talent caught the attention of the italian side Udinese and signed the 16-year-old for US$3 million in 2006.[4] However, he was immediately loaned out to Colo-Colo, and then River Plate where he was able to mature in less physically demanding confines than Serie A. In 2008, he officialy joined to Udinese, for finally three years later devoting in the Fruili team. Sánchez made a steady progress in his first two seasons at Udinese, but in the 2010-11 season he it strengthens the team of Friuli, having between his achievements be voted player of the season in Italy, being the first chilean player in receive this honour. He also was the first chilean in score four goals in a single match, surpassing stars of his country like Iván Zamorano and Marcelo Salas.
Alexis made his international debut for his national team against Sweden in 2006 and scored his first goal against Switzerland in a 2–1 loss, being also the first goal of the Marcelo Bielsa era. During the period of Bielsa, he was the top-scorer of Chile with 13 goals over Humberto Suazo with 11.

Club career

Early career
Sánchez joined Cobreloa in 2004 and eventually made his first-team debut one year later at the age of 16 on 12 February 2005 in a 5–4 win against Deportes Temuco. In his second professional game, he set a Copa Libertadores record by becoming the youngest player to debut in the South American Club Championship. In the next season, Sánchez concentrated on his goal scoring for the Torneo Apertura 2006, netting six goals in 12 appearances. On 21 July, Cobreloa sold Sánchez to the Italian side Udinese for $3 million.
In July 2006, he was loaned to one of Chile's biggest teams, Colo-Colo on a season-long deal. His loan was due to a maturation project that Udinese implemented with youth players. After a notable season in the Cacique, and winning two league titles, it was assumed that Sánchez would return to Italy. He was loaned out again, however, this time to Argentina's River Plate.

Udinese

Early seasons

After a successful season in Argentina, in July 2008, Sánchez left South America to officially join Udinese, where he would suit up with Chilean compatriot Mauricio Isla. Sánchez made his non-competitive debut in a 3–0 win over Bassano and was named the man of match.[5] On 14 September, he played his first game in Serie A in a 1–0 loss with Juventus and four days later, he made his Europe debut against Borussia Dortmund. On 19 October 2008, Sánchez scored his first league goal against Lecce. After this first goal, Sánchez got into a minor slump, in which he took much criticism. He kicked the ball in the goal with his foot and smiled when he did it. The criticism ended after scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute against Bologna in a 1–0 win, being named the man of match.
In the following season, Sánchez played an important role for Udinese at Coppa Italia 2009–10, being a key player in the team that eliminated AC Milan, assisting Gökhan Inler for the winning goal.[6] In the semi-final second leg, Sánchez was the man of match after playing a successful game against Roma, including scoring his first Coppa Italia goal in the 81st minute. It was not enough, however, as the aggregate score was 2–1 in favor of Roma.[7] By the end of this year, Sánchez scored a total of five goals (four at the end of tournament) in 32 appearances.

2010–11 season
After participating for Chile in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Sánchez began to live an intense process of adaptation that consecrated him in Udinese with very good performances for the club, because of this, Sánchez has also he attracted the interest from clubs such as Manchester United,[8] Zenit St. Petersburg, Inter Milan,[9] Manchester City,[10] Juventus,[11] Barcelona,[12] Real Madrid and Chelsea,[13] with Barcelona even going so far as to claim that they had signed a pre-contract agreement with the player's agent, but Udinese's dirigents declared to Sánchez untransferable until June 2011.
On 27 February 2011, Sánchez scored four of the seven goals that his team defeated to Palermo, playing only the first 52 minutes of the game. This event meant him broke the record of goals scored by a chilean player (in a single match) at the Italian Serie A,[14] thus overcoming to historic players of his country as Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano.
During his succesfull season at Calcio, between the achievements of Sánchez in his career, the player and the italian striker Antonio Di Natale became in one of the best scoring duos in Serie A with 39 goals, two goals under of the Del Piero–Trezeguet, duo that completed 41 goals in the 2007–08 season. Other of his most important achievements was be named the world's most promising youngster of the 2011 season.[15]

International career

Alexis made his international debut for his national team against New Zealand on 27 April 2006. He was called up by the coach José Sulantay for play with his country in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup celebrated in Canada, achieving an historic performance, finishing in third place of the tournament.
After his participation in the youth championship, he scored his first goal in the Marcelo Bielsa era in a 2–1 loss against Switzerland on 7 September 2007. Due to the three-months injury that he suffered playing for River Plate, Sánchez missed the first four games of the FIFA World Cup qualification. Fully recovered now, he led to Chile to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, becoming the team's star player. His best game during the qualfiers was in a 4–0 win over Bolivia, scoring two goals of the victory. However, in the maximum global competition, he had a regular performance, but Alexis continued to be the favorite of the fans.
Prior to the 2011 Copa América, Sánchez has scored 2 goals in 4 games, those goals were scored against Uruguay and Estonia. On 29 June 2011, he was selected in the 23-man squad that will represent to Chile in the Copa América celebrated in Argentina.

Football Stars: Neymar

2011-06-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes), commonly known simply as Neymar, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Santos and the Brazilian national football team. Still a teenager, he is largely untested outside Brazil, but has gathered interest from a number of leading European clubs.

Club career

Santos

Neymar joined Santos in 2003[2] and eventually made his first-team debut six years later aged 17 on 7 March 2009 in a 2–1 win against Oeste. He made another appearance the following week against Mogi Mirim, during which he scored his first goal for Santos. On 11 April, in the 2009 Campeonato Paulista semi-final first leg against Palmeiras, Neymar scored the decisive goal in a 2–1 win at Estádio Vila Belmiro.[3] In the final however Santos suffered a 4–2 aggregate defeat to Corinthians.[4]
On 15 April 2010, Neymar scored six goals for Santos in an 8–1 routing of Guarani in the round of 16 of the Brazilian Cup.[5] Following the 2010 Campeonato Paulista in which Neymar scored 14 goals in 19 games,[2] the club were crowned champions after a 5–5 aggregate win over Santo André in the finals.[6] Neymar was subsequently given the award for the best player in the competition.[7]
Neymar's performances for Santos have drawn comparisons to Brazilian idols such as Robinho and Pelé.[8] In June 2010, Santos rejected a £12 million bid from English Premier League team West Ham United for his services.[9] Neymar has also attracted interest from clubs such as Manchester United,[10], AC Milan, Internazionale,[8] Real Madrid,[8] Chelsea[11] and Juventus, with Real Madrid even going so far as to claim that they had signed a pre-contract agreement with Neymar's agent, Renato Rodrigues,[12] which Santos fervently denied.[13] Following this, Santos placed a €30 million price tag on the player's head,[12] and tied Neymar down to a new contract lasting until December 2014.[14] Neymar himself said he did not think it was time to leave Santos, and that he was entirely focused on his current club,[15] However, Renato Rodrigues insisted that the Santos striker does not want to stay in his home country of Brazil.[16]
On 30 November 2010, Santos sold 5% interests on future transfer fees received to an investment group, Terceira Estrela Investimentos S.A. (TEISA), for R$ 3,549,900 (€1.5 million).[17] DIS Group (subsidiary of Sonda Group, a Brazil supermarket chain), investment partner of Santos in recent years, bought 40% sporting rights from Neymar's family in 2009.[18]

International career

Following Neymar's performances for Brazil's U-17 team at the 2009 U-17 World Cup in which he scored a goal in the opening match against Japan[19] former Brazilian football players Pelé and Romário reportedly urged coach Dunga to take Neymar to the 2010 World Cup.[15][20] Although the widespread opinion that Neymar deserved a place in Dunga's squad went as far as a 14,000 signature petition,[15][21] and despite the huge pressure on Dunga to pick Neymar,[22] he was omitted from both the squad of 23,[23][24] and the stand-by list.[25] Although Dunga described Neymar as "extremely talented", he claimed that he had not been tested sufficiently on the international level to earn a World Cup spot and he had failed to impress enough while on international duty.[26][27]
On 26 July 2010, Neymar was selected in the squad for the Brazil team by new head coach Mano Menezes for a friendly match against the USA on 10 August 2010. He started the game and wore the number 11 jersey. He scored on his debut after 28 minutes, a header coming from an André Santos cross in a 2–0 win for Brazil.[28]

Neymar celebrates a goal for Brazil against Scotland in March 2011 with Andre Santos and Ramires
On 27 March 2011, he scored twice in a 2–0 win against Scotland at the Emirates Stadium.[29] During the match against Scotland, a banana was thrown onto the pitch after a penalty was taken, which Neymar claimed was an act of racism from a Scottish fan.[30] However a German student later admitted to throwing the banana. This led to the Scottish Football Association asking the Brazilian Football Confederation for an apology for the accusations made to the Scottish fans.[31]

Predator®_X - Zidane adidas football

2011-06-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

Finally the wait is over! New technologies in the adidas Predator®_X equips players with unmatchable power and swerve to boost performance on the pitch in both wet and dry conditions.

How to Kick a Soccer Ball : Creating Spin or Swerve in Soccer Shots

2011-06-17T04:51:00.000-07:00

Fool the goalie by putting spin or swerve on the soccer ball; get tips on using spin when shooting soccer balls in this free beginner soccer (football or futbol) skills video lesson.

PREDATOR KINETIC SL TRX FG

2011-06-14T03:31:00.000-07:00

Description

Consider these football boots your new secret weapon on the pitch. Built to dominate firm natural playing fields, these adidas PREDATOR® Kinetic SL TRX FG boots feature a lightweight welded sprint frame, a SPRINTSKIN upper and a powerspine forefoot for maximum shooting power.

More Details

PREDATOR Kinetic SL TRX FG Boots

PREDATOR® technology in the forefoot for more power, swerve and ball contact; SPRINTSKIN single-layer synthetic upper for incredible ball feel and reduced weight

Welded sprint frame upper provides lightweight support and breathability

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AgION™ anti-microbial treatment stops odours and prevents bacterial and fungal growth (ultra-light sockliner only)

Predator ADIDAS

2011-06-11T00:06:00.000-07:00

#G40922

PREDATOR ABSOLION TRX SG

DESCRIPTION
MORE DETAILS

These adidas PREDATOR® Absolion TRX SG cleats work a soft nubuck heel lining into the leather upper, giving you comfortable, Achilles tendon-friendly support. And with PREDATOR® in the sweet spot, they still deliver the best swerve, ball control and touch on soft-ground soccer fields.

PREDATOR® technology in the forefoot for more power, swerve and ball contact
Full grain leather upper for comfort and soft feel
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TRAXION™ SG outsole with aluminum stud tips for use on soft and wet natural grass pitches

F50 ADIDAS

2011-06-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

F50 ADIZERO TRX FG

DESCRIPTION

Matches are won with speed, and these adidas F50 adiZero™ TRX FG football boots are the fastest on the pitch. These football boots feature a SPRINTSKIN upper, TPU support bands and new TRAXION® studs that blaze on the pitch with fresh, fearless looks.

Predator ADIDAS

2011-06-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

PREDATOR_X X-TRX SG

DESCRIPTION

Taking control of soft pitches, the adidas PREDATOR®_X X-TRX SG football boots combine PREDATOR® forefoot power and control with an ergonomic opti-fit upper, lightweight EVA cushioning and pitch-perfect X-TRAXION® outsole grip.

History of Barcelona

2011-06-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

On November 29, 1899, Hans Gamper founded Futbol Club Barcelona, along with eleven other enthusiasts of 'foot-ball', a game that was still largely unknown in this part of the world.

He could never have imagined the magnitude of what that initiative would eventually develop into. Over more than one hundred years of history, FC Barcelona has grown spectacularly in every area and has progressed into something much greater than a mere sports club, turning Barça’s ‘more than a club’ slogan into a reality.

Barça has become, for millions of people all around the world, a symbol of their identity, and not just in a sporting sense, but also in terms of society, politics and culture. Throughout the most difficult of times, Barça was the standard that represented Catalonia and the Catalan people's desire for freedom, a symbolism that has continued to be closely linked to the idiosyncrasy of the Club and its members to this day. Within the context of Spain, Barça is seen as an open and democratic club. And all around the world, Barça is identified with caring causes, and most especially children through its sponsorship agreement with Unicef.

For a whole century, FC Barcelona has passed through moments of glory and pain, periods of brilliance and other less successful ones, epic victories and humbling defeats. But all these different moments have helped define the personality of a Club that, due to its peculiar nature, is considered unique in the world.

With over one hundred years of history, there have naturally been many different periods, both in a social and a sporting sense. In the early years (1899-1922) , from the foundation of the club to the construction of Les Corts stadium, Barça was a club that had to distinguish itself from all the other football teams in Barcelona, to the point that it would come to be identified with the city as a whole. Barça soon became the leading club in Catalonia, and also associated itself with the increasingly growing sense of Catalan national identity.

From Les Corts to the Camp Nou (1922-1957), the club went through contrasting periods. Its membership reached 10,000 for the first time, while football developed into a mass phenomenon and turned professional, and these were the years of such legendary figures as Alcántara and Samitier. But due to material difficulties and the political troubles of the Spanish Civil War and post-war period, the club was forced to overcome several adverse circumstances, including the assassination of president Josep Sunyol in 1936, the very person who had propagated the slogan ‘sport and citizenship'. But the club survived, and a period of social and sporting recovery materialised in the form of the Camp Nou, coinciding with the arrival of the hugely influential Ladislau Kubala.

From the construction of the Camp Nou to the 75th anniversary (1957-1974) , Barça suffered mediocre results but was consolidated as an entity, with a constantly increasing membership and the slow but steady recovery, in the face of adversity, of its identity. A very clear sensation that was manifested for the first time ever in the words ‘Barça, more than a club’ proclaimed by president Narcís de Carreras. The board presided by Agustí Montal brought a player to Barcelona who would change the history of the club, Johan Cruyff.

From the 7th anniversary to the European Cup (1974-1992) the club saw the conversion of football clubs to democracy, the start of Josep Lluís Núñez’s long presidency, the extension of the Camp Nou on occasion of the 1982 World Cup and the Cup Winners Cup triumph in Basle (1979), a major success not just in a sporting sense but also in a social one, with an enormous and exemplary expedition of Barça supporters demonstrating to Europe the unity of the Barcelona and Catalan flags. Cruyff returned, this time as coach, and created what would come to be known as the 'Dream Team' (1990-1994), whose crowning glory was the conquest of the European Cup at Wembley (1992), thanks to Koeman’s famous goal.

International Dominance. From Wembley to Abu Dhabi (1992-2009) was when the club’s most recent developments occurred in between its three greatest achievements, becoming champions of Europe. Josep Lluís Núñez’s long presidency came to an end, and the club displayed its finest potential during the celebrations of the club Centenary. Following on from Joan Gaspart (2000-2003), the June 2003 election brought Joan Laporta into office, and the start of new social expansion, reaching 172,938 members, and more successes on the pitch, including four league titles, the Champions League titles won in Paris and Rome and the FIFA Club World Cup.

In the season 2008-09 the arrival of Josep Guardiola as first team coach brought new energy to the club and they recorded the most successful season in their entire history winning the six titles that will be forever burned into the memories of all Barça fans. Success on the field has helped the club expand its social role and heighten its media profile. In the 2009/10 season, Guardiola’s second in charge, the Liga title was won for the second year in a row, and the twentieth on club history, setting a new record of 99 points in the process. The title was not decided until the very last day, with a game against Valladolid, and the celebrations went ahead that very same evening in the company of the fans at the Camp Nou.

The grandeur of Futbol Club Barcelona is explained, among many other factors, by its impressive honours list. Very few clubs anywhere in the world have won so many titles. The Intercontinental Cup is the only major football trophy that has never made its way into the club museum, where the club's greatest pride and joy remain the three European Cup titles won in Wembley (1992) Paris (2006), Rome (2009) and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009.

Apart from winning Europe’s top title,, the Club also has the honour of being the only one to have appeared in every single edition of European club competition since the tournaments were first created back in 1955. Barcelona's many achievements in Europe include being considered 'King of the Cup Winners Cup', having won that title a record four times

In addition, FC Barcelona also won three Fairs Cups (the tournament now known as the UEFA Cup) in 1958, 1960 and 1966. In 1971, Barça won that trophy outright in a match played between themselves, as the first ever winners of the competition, and Leeds United, as the last.

ChealseaFC old stadium

2011-06-09T04:41:00.000-07:00

Chelsea's home stadium is called Stamford Bridge and has a history as varied and unique as the team itself.

Stamford Bridge officially opened on 28 April 1877. For the first 28 years of its existence it was used almost exclusively by the London Athletic Club as an arena for athletics meetings and not for football at all.

In 1904 the ownership of the ground changed hands when Mr H A (Gus) Mears and his brother, Mr J T Mears, obtained the deeds, having previously acquired additional land (formerly a large market garden) with the aim of establishing a football team there on the now 12.5 acre site.

Stamford Bridge was designed by Archibald Leitch and initially included a 120 yard long stand on the East side which could hold 5000 spectators.

The other sides were all open in a vast bowl with thousands of tons of material excavated from the building of the underground railway provided high terracing on the West side.

The capacity was originally planned to be 100,000 and was the second largest in country behind Crystal Palace - the FA Cup final venue.

Initially the stadium was offered to Fulham FC to play there, they turned down the chance and so instead a new side, Chelsea Football Club, was born in 1905 and moved into the new Stamford Bridge stadium.

FC Barcelona won the Champion League

2011-06-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

With the majority of European Leagues having finished, most of the spots for the 2011-12 Champions League are known and Barça will be defending their title in a year that sees the return of ex-champions Porto and Borussia Dortmund.

Barça are the only team who managed to retain their league title amongst the major European leagues, but there will be a full line up of top clubs in the Champions League next season.

City in for Spurs
The trio of Arsenal. Chelsea and Manchester United are again into the competition from England, but Spurs will not be –their place having been taken by the big spending Manchester City. Five times European Champions Liverpool again miss out on the chance to make it six –the second season on the run they’ve not made the competition.

Naples and Udinese back
Alongside the two Milan teams, Naples and Udinese are the Italian representatives, with Juve, Roma and Fiorentina all failing to reach the competition.

Dortmund and Porto
Two ex-champions are also back in the competition: Borussia Dortmund and Porto. The Germans, who won the title in the 1996-7 season, took the Bundesliga title in May and will go straight through to the group stages, whilst Porto ran away with the Portuguese league and also took the Europa Cup, to set up the European Super Cup game against Barça in August.

Familiar faces –and some new ones!
There are also many familiar teams who will be going into the draw-Ukranian champions Shaktar Donetsk, Anderlecht from Belgium,Olympiacos, coached by Ernesto Valverde, from Greece, Copenhagen, Basle, Glasgow Rangers, Partizan and the Russian champions Zenith. From Romania, there will again be a new team -Otalut Galati, who won the title and left Cluj with no chance to repeat their title.

Manchester United FC

2011-06-09T02:48:00.000-07:00

1900-1909

John Henry Davies decided to invest in Newton Heath, in return for some interest in running it.

This led to a change of name and, after several alternatives including Manchester Central and Manchester Celtic were rejected, Manchester United was born in April/May 1902.

The next influential figure to arrive at United was Ernest Mangnall, who was appointed secretary in September 1903 but is widely acknowledged as being the club's first manager. His side, including new signings like goalkeeper Harry Moger and forwardCharlie Sagar, finished third in the Second Division in 1903/04 and again in 1904/05.

The following season, 1905/06, was to prove one of the greatest in the early life of Manchester United. The half-back line of Dick Duckworth, Alex Bell and captain Charlie Roberts were instrumental in the side which reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, but more importantly finished as runners-up in the Second Division. Twelve years after being relegated, United reclaimed their place in the top flight.

To celebrate, Mangnall signed Billy Meredith from rivals Manchester City. Nicknamed the Welsh Wizard, Meredith had been implicated in a bribery scandal at City, and was due to be auctioned along with 17 other players. Mangnall made his move early, and acquired Meredith's signature before the bidding began.

The winger's arrival proved to be inspirational - Meredith set up countless goals for Sandy Turnbull in 1907/08 when United won the Football League Championship for the first time. As champions, United played in the first-ever Charity Shield in 1908. They duly won the trophy, beating Southern League champions QPR 4-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Sandy's namesake, Jimmy Turnbull.

The third trophy to be added to the club's honours board was the FA Cup, at the end of a tremendous run in 1909. United beat Bristol City 1-0 in the final, thanks to Sandy Turnbull's goal.