Profile Football Stars

Alex Song

2012-08-21T22:52:00.002+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Alex Song | Song was called-up for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and was the only Cameroonian named in the Team of the Tournament. Known for his colorful hair dye, Song also possesses a French passport. Song was born in Douala, Cameroon and lost his father at the age of three.

Song joined the Bastia youth team in 2003-04 and became a part of the first team the following season with 31 appearances. Bastia were playing in French Ligue 1 during the time Alex Song had a stint there. Song was Noted for his high versatility While playing for Bastia, he was selected as a part of French U-16 football team. He later chose to represent Cameroon his country of birth. During his time at Bastia, he attracted attention from numerous clubs, Including Inter, Juventus, Manchester United, Lyon, and Middlesbrough. During his time at Bastia Song made a total of 32 league appearances.

Song impressed Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger as a trialist during Arsenal's pre-season training camp in Austria, and Arsenal secured his services on loan for the 2005-06 season on 11 August 2005. Song made his Premiership debut during Arsenal's 2-0 win against Everton on 19 September 2005 as a substitute. He played in several UEFA Champions League matches and made several Premiership starts near the end of the season, when first team players were injured or being rested. Song again assisted van Persie who scored a volley, during a match against Everton roomates also proved to be the only goal as the 125th anniversary game ended 1-0 to Arsenal. Song also assisting Showed his skills in the following matches: In an FA Cup match against Leeds United, Song played a wonderful through ball past Leeds United's four returning players to the legend, Thierry Henry. Song played a wonderful overhead pass to Theo Walcott and claimed an assist against Aston Villa on 24 March 2012. Arsenal went on to win the game 3-0.

Song was first capped by Cameroon in 2005. He was named in the Cameroon squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. He played for Cameroon in their first group match, a 4-2 defeat against holders Egypt; he replaced Stéphane Mbia at half time, joining his cousin Rigobert on the pitch. Song was called-up for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and was the only Cameroonian named in the Team of the Tournament. Song was included in the Cameroonian squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He did not Appear in his side's opening loss to Japan, but played the full 90 in Cameroon's disappointing 2-1 loss to Denmark.

Personal information
Full name Alexandre Dimitri Song Billong
Date of birth 9 September 1987 (age 24)
Place of birth Douala, Cameroon
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current club Barcelona
Number 25

Youth career
2001-2004 Bastia

Senior career
Years Team Apps
2004-2006 Bastia 32 (0)
2005-2006 Arsenal (loan) 5 (0)
2006-2012 Arsenal 138 (7)
2007 Charlton Athletic (loan) 12 (0)
2012-Barcelona 0 (0)

National team
2002-2003 France U16 6 (0)
2003-2004 Cameroon U17 3 (0)
2008 Cameroon U23 3 (0)
2005 Cameroon 30 (0)

Honours

Club
Arsenal
     UEFA Champions League
         runners-up (1): 2005-06
     Football League Cup
         runners-up (2): 2006-07, 2010-11

International
Cameroon U17
     African U-17 Championship: 2003

Cameroon
     African Cup of Nations runners-up: 2008
     2011 LG Cup (Morocco)

Individual
     Africa Cup of Nations Best XI: 2008, 2010

Gianluca Zambrotta

2012-07-12T08:05:00.002+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Gianluca Zambrotta | Zambrotta began his professional career with his hometown club, Como Calcio at the age of 17 in 1994. In his first season, he played only one match. In 1995, however, Como were Promoted to Serie B and Zambrotta started to play more regularly for the first team. In the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons, he made 47 appearances and scored 6 goals.

In 1997, Zambrotta's Serie A career began when his great potential was spotted by Bari boss Eugenio Fascetti. Zambrotta was snapped up by Fascetti after Bari had won promotion to Serie A. In his first year in the top flight, Zambrotta played on the left wing and scored two goals in 27 appearances. In the 1998-99 season, following the departure of Nicola Ventola, Zambrotta exploded on to the scene. After the transfer to Juventus on 1 July 1999, Zambrotta continued his upward momentum. He made 32 league appearances with one goal in the first season he played for Juventus. In his second season for Juventus, 2000-01, Zambrotta made 29 league appearances and scored three goals.

On 4 August 2006, after his holiday Following the World Cup, Zambrotta reported to his new club for the first time in Los Angeles, United States where FC Barcelona stayed for Their pre-season tour in the U.S. Zambrotta's official debut in Barça shirt was on 17 August against local rivals Espanyol in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. On 17 March 2007, he scored his first goal in the league game against Recreativo. He also netted goals in matches against Atletico Madrid at Vicente Calderon Stadium (Atlético record home loss - 0-6) and Tarragona. In two seasons with the club, Zambrotta made 58 league appearances, scoring three goals, before his return to Italy. He was Heavily tipped to join Milan, or return to former club, Juventus.

On 31 May 2008, Zambrotta signed a three-year contract with Milan. Zambrotta would reportedly be earning € 4 million per year. Later That year he won the Serie A title with Milan, and the Super Cup. Decided not to renew Milan the contracts of Several of Their veteran players and Zambrotta was one of Those along with Filippo Inzaghi, Mark van Bommel, Alessandro Nesta and Gennaro Gattuso. He played his final game for Milan against Novara on 13 May 2012 .

In his second game for the U21 against Wales on April 22, 1998, he scored the 2nd goal of Italy on the 43rd minute and helped Italy to win the game 2-1. On 9 July 2006, Zambrotta played his first major final tournament with the national team after he missed the Euro 2000 final. Coincidently, France was Italy's opponents on both Occasions. Zambrotta's ability to play in multiple positions on either flank contributes great flexibility to the Italian squad, and earned him a place in the 23 man 2006 World Cup All-Star squad. Zambrotta was also selected for the 2010 World Cup but was Unable to help the team progress to the second round. Although Italy in 2010 has a poor performance he remained the only bright spot for the team.

Personal information
Full name Gianluca Zambrotta
Date of birth 19 February 1977 (age 35)
Place of birth Como, Italy
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1/2 in)
Playing position Full back

Club information
Current club Free Agent

Senior career
years Team
1994-1997 Como 48 (6)
1997-1999 Bari 59 (6)
Juventus 1999-2006 217 (6)
2006-2008 Barcelona 58 (3)
2008-2012 Milan 84 (2)

National team
1999-2010 Italy 98 (2)

Honours

Club
Juventus
     Serie A: 2002, 2003, 2005 (canceled), 2006 (canceled)
     Supercoppa Italiana: 2002, 2003
     UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999

FC Barcelona
     Supercopa de España: 2006

AC Milan
     Serie A: 2010-11
     Supercoppa Italiana: 2011

International
     FIFA World Cup: 2006

Individual
     UEFA Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament
     UEFA Team of the Year: 2006
     FIFPro World XI: 2006
     2006 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team

Orders
     Omri Ufficiale BAR.svg
     4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: (2006)
     Cavaliere Omri BAR.svg
     5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: (2000)

Andrea Pirlo

2012-07-12T07:35:00.001+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Andrea Pirlo | Pirlo has played for the Italian U-15 youth teams, U-18 and U-21, captaining and leading the latter to victory in the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship as the Golden Player and top scorer of the tournament. Pirlo was born in Flero, Lombardy, Italy. His brother Ivan plays for a Serie C2 club in Brescia. Pirlo made his debut for Brescia against Reggina. After breaking into the Brescia first team, Pirlo was spotted by Internazionale coach Mircea Lucescu, WHO signed the playmaker. Pirlo was Unable to break into the first squad, however, and Internazionale finished eighth in the 1998-99 Serie A campaign. Pirlo was shipped off on loan to the club he made his debut against in 1995, Reggina.

After three seasons on the Internazionale books, Pirlo was sold to Fierce rivals Milan for 35 billion Italian lire (about € 18 million). That transfer windows the two clubs also swapped Cristian Brocchi for Guly; Paolo Ginestra for Matteo Bogani. Milan played host to Genoa on 25 September 2010, Pirlo lifted Provided a lovely ball over the top of the defense to set the striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic free to score the solitary goal of the game. On 2 October Pirlo scored a 40-yard field goal against Parma to give Milan Their first away win of the 2010-11 season. On 14 May 2011, Pirlo Appeared in his last match for Milan, coming on as a half-time substitute for Massimo Ambrosini as the club with a Celebrated Their Title 4-1 victory over Cagliari. In his last season in Milan, Pirlo Appeared only in the league 17 times notching just one goal and three assists.

In 2011, Juventus signed Pirlo as a free agent on a contract That will last until 2014. His debut with Juventus was a friendly match against Sporting Clube de Portugal, the which They lost 2-1. Antonio Conte played him alongside younger midfielders Marchisio and new signing Arturo Vidal in a three-man midfield. Pirlo and Juventus also finished runners up to SSC Napoli in the Coppa Italia final.

Pirlo captained Italy to an Under-21 European Championship in 2000 (wearing the number 10 jersey and winning the award for best player) and semi-finalists in 2002. Pirlo played for Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics, won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics. Pirlo was a member of the Italian Squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In Italy's first match in the tournament, Pirlo scored the opening goal against Ghana, and subsequently set up a goal for Vincenzo Iaquinta to seal a 2-0 victory , as the midfielder was named Man of the Match. On 24 June, Pirlo produced a man-of-the-match performance against England as Italy won 4-2 on Penalties after the game had finished 0-0 in extra time. In the semi-final round, on June 28, Pirlo once again put up a man-of-the-match performance against Germany, a match the which Italy won 2-1. Pirlo won three Man of the Match Awards for Euro 2012, equaled amongst with Andrés Iniesta of Spain and was elected to be part of the team of the tournament.

Personal information
Full name Andrea Pirlo
Date of birth 19 May 1979 (age 33)
Place of birth Flero, Lombardy, Italy
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1/2 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current club Juventus
Number 21

Youth career
Brescia 1994-1995

Senior career
years Team
1995-1998 Brescia 47 (6)
1998-2001 Internazionale 22 (0)
Reggina 1999-2000 (loan) 28 (6)
2001 Brescia (loan) 10 (0)
Milan 2001-2011 284 (32)
2011-Juventus 37 (3)

National team
1998-2002 Italy U-21 37 (15)
2000-2004 Olympic Italy 9 (1)
2002-Italy 89 (10)

Honours

Club
Milan
     Serie A: 2003-04, 2010-11
     Coppa Italia: 2002-03
     Supercoppa Italiana: 2004
     UEFA Champions League: 2003, 2007
     UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007
     FIFA Club World Cup: 2007

Juventus
     Serie A: 2011-12

International
     UEFA Under-21 European Championship: 2000
     2004 Summer Olympics - Bronze medal
     FIFA World Cup: 2006
     UEFA Euro: 2012 - Silver medal

Individual
     UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 2000
     UEFA European Under-21 Championship top scorer: 2000
     2006 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament
     FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball Award: 2006
     2006 FIFA World Cup Final Man of the Match
     FIFPro World XI: 2006
     UEFA Euro 2012 Team of the Tournament

Andrea Ranocchia

2012-07-12T07:14:00.000+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Andrea Ranocchia | In August 2008, Genoa purchased half of the registration rights for € 1.55 million and sent him on loan to Bari coach Antonio Conte rejoining Arezzo, where he won the Serie B Championship. On 26 June 2009 Genoa have signed him outright for another € 2.45 million, made Genoa paid € 4 million in total within a year.

Unfortunately, in January he suffered a season ending knee injury serious. On 1 July 2010 he moved back to Genoa. After a link with Internazionale in February 2010, the clubs Agreed a deal in June 2010 the which INVOLVED the transfer of young striker Mattia Destro. Ranocchia also loaned back to Genoa for a season.

The president of Inter, Moratti, spoke on the transfer to Sky Italia and said: "Finally an Italian. On 9 January 2011, Ranocchia made his debut against Catania where Inter won the match 2-1. On 21 August 2007 he made his debut with the Italy U-21 squad in a friendly match against France.

Personal information
Date of birth 16 February 1988 (age 24)
Place of birth Assisi, Italy
Height 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position Centre back

Club information
Current club Internazionale
Number 23

Youth career
Perugia
Arezzo

Senior career
years Team
Arezzo 2006-2008 56 (1)
Genoa 2008-2011 16 (2)
2008-2010 Bari (loan) 34 (3)
2011-Internazionale 30 (2)

National team
Italy U-21 2007-2010 14 (2)
2010-Italy 8 (0)

Honours

Internazionale
Coppa Italia: 2010-11

Gylfi Sigurðsson

2012-07-08T14:11:00.001+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Gylfi Sigurðsson | Born in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, Gylfi played for hometown side before joining FH Breiðablik and was an Icelandic under-17 international. In February 2009, Gylfi joined Crewe Alexandra on an emergency loan move, and he made his debut two days later against Brighton away, scoring in the 89th minute in Crewe's 4-0 win. In March 2009, Gylfi's loan was extended until the end of the season. He scored two further goals for Crewe, Milton Keynes Dons and against Cheltenham Town respectively, but could not Prevent the club's Relegation to League Two.

A week later, he scored his first goal for Hoffenheim in a 2-2 draw with Kaiserslautern after coming on as a 77th minute substitute. He scored with his first touch, a 20-yard free kick That leveled the game. On 25 May 2011, Gylfi was voted as 1899 Hoffenheim's fans' player of the season, Despite only starting 13 games. He finished the season with ten goals and two assists. In 18 Premier League games during his loan spell for Swansea, Sigurdsson scored seven goals and added four assists.

As a result of his fine form, Gylfi was named the Premier League Player of the Month for March, the first Icelander to win the award. His next goal in a 3-0 victory CAME over Blackburn Rovers That put the club on 42 points for the season. On 28 May, Swansea Agreed a £ 8.6 million fee with Hoffenheim for the permanent transfer of the player, subject to him passing a medical, however, following Brendan Rodgers' move to Liverpool, the deal collapsed Despite Huw Jenkins keeping hope alight in the deal . In 18 Premier League games during his loan spell for Swansea, Sigurdsson scored seven goals and added four assists.

In November 2007, Gylfi made his debut for Iceland U21s, playing half an hour against Germany. In Iceland's last match, he scored the opener against Slovakia but Miroslav Stoch equalized to make it 1-1. May 2010, Gylfi made his full debut in Iceland the convincing 4-0 win over Andorra and Provided the assist for the second goal from a free kick. Gylfi also helped Iceland's U21 side reach the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, playing in both legs play-off against Scotland U21s won 4-2 as Iceland on aggregate. In the second leg, Gylfi scored two " stunning "second-half goaresbahfdals to Ensure Iceland won the match 2-1.

Personal information
Full name Gylfi Sigurdsson Thor
Date of birth 8 September 1989 (age 22)
Place of birth Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder

Club information
Current club Tottenham Hotspur
Number -

Youth career
2002 FH
2003-2005 Breiðablik
2005-2008 Reading

Senior career
years Team
2008-2010 Reading 42 (19)
2008 Shrewsbury Town (loan) 12 (1)
2009 Crewe Alexandra (loan) 15 (3)
Hoffenheim 2010-2012 1899 36 (9)
2012 Swansea City (loan) 18 (7)
2012-Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)

National team
2005 Iceland U-17 3 (2)
2006 U-18 Iceland 3 (1)
2006-2007 Iceland U-19 12 (7)
2007-2011 Iceland U-21 14 (6)
2010 - Iceland 9 (1)

Honours

Individual
     Premier League Player of the Month: March 2012
     Football League Championship Player of the Month: March 2010
     Reading Player of the Season: 2009-10
     Hoffenheim Player of the Season: 2010-11

Silvestre Varela

2012-06-21T19:36:00.001+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Silvestre Varela | Aged only 17, received a large Perišić amount of interest from a number of clubs, Including Anderlecht, PSV, Ajax, Trabzonspor, Hertha BSC and Hamburger SV, before he eventually signed for French club FC Sochaux . He moved to France from Hajduk Split. In Split, he was called by some Journalists "the new Asanović," a famous Croatian midfielder who also played in France. From 2007 till January 2009 he played for FC Sochaux.

On 26 August 2009 Club Brugge signed Perišić from Sochaux for € 250,000 on a three-year deal. Belgian football Critics predict a bright future for the 20 year old. In the 2010-11 season, Perišić was the top scorer of the Belgian Jupiler Pro League with 22 goals for Club Brugge, and was elected Player of the Year in Belgium. On 21 April 2012, he scored the 1-0 goal Important against Borussia Mönchengladbach and opened the door to the eighth national championship for Dortmund.

Perišić has Appeared internationally for the Croatian national under-17, under-18 and under-21 teams. He participated in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification for Croatia, where he scored two goals.

Personal information
Full name Ivan Perišić
Date of birth 2 February 1989 (age 23)
Place of birth Split, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Winger
attacking midfielder

Club information
Current club Borussia Dortmund
Number 14

Youth career
Hajduk Split 2005-2006
Sochaux 2006-2007

Senior career
years Team
2007-2009 Sochaux 0 (0)
2009 Roeselare (loan) 18 (5)
2009-2011 Club Brugge 70 (31)
2011-Borussia Dortmund 27 (7)

National team
2005 Croatia U17 7 (0)
2007 Croatia U19 2 (0)
Croatia 2009-2010 U21 8 (3)
2011-Croatia 13 (0)

Honours

Club
Borussia Dortmund
Bundesliga (1): 2011-12
DFB-Pokal (1): 2011-12

Silvestre Varela

2012-06-17T22:03:00.001+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Silvestre Varela | In 2007-08 Varela, alongside two former Sporting players, Beto and Carlos Martins, Recreativo de Huelva played for in Spain (Varela on loan again). Before the season was over, in March 2009, courtesy of his solid performances at Estrela, only relegated from the top division off the field, Varela signed a four-year agreement with champions FC Porto, on a free transfer, starting in July.

In his first season at Porto, Varela ranked second in overall goals in the team, only behind Colombian striker Radamel Falcao. On 16 February 2012, in a rare start, he put Porto ahead against Manchester City in the season's UEFA Europa League round-of-32, in an eventual 1-2 home loss.

Porto courtesy of his performances, gained his first full Varela cap for Portugal on 3 March 2010, Appearing in the second half of the 2-0 friendly win with China, in a match played in Coimbra. Varela was selected by manager Paulo Bento for the 23-man squad competed in the UEFA That Euro 2012.

Personal information
Full name Silvestre Varela Manuel Gonçalves
Date of birth February 2, 1985 (age 27)
Place of birth Almada, Portugal
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Winger

Club information
Current club Porto
Number 17

Youth career
2000-2002 Pescadores
2002-2004 Sporting CP

Senior career
years Team
2004-2008 Sporting CP 2 (0)
2004-2005 Casa Pia (loan) 36 (11)
Vitória Setúbal 2006-2007 (loan) 45 (4)
2007-2008 Recreativo (loan) 22 (0)
Estrela Amadora 2008-2009 28 (5)
2009-Porto 65 (21)

National team
2005-2007 Portugal U21 26 (6)
2010 - Portugal 8 (2)

Honours

Club
Porto
     UEFA Europa League: 2010-11
     Portuguese League: 2010-11, 2011-12
     Portuguese Cup: 2009-10, 2010-11
     Portuguese Supercup: 2009, 2010, 2011
     UEFA Super Cup: Runner-up 2011

Portuguese League Cup: Runner-up 2009-10

Mario Mandzukic

2012-06-17T21:40:00.003+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Mario Mandzukic | The summer of 2007 he was bought by the Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb for € 1.3 million as a replacement for Their star striker Eduardo da Silva. He finished his first season at Dinamo with 12 goals and 11 assists throughout 29 matches, but also had a bad discipline record, collecting eight yellow cards. In the 2008-09 Mandžukić Prva HNL league's top goalscorer was, bagging 16 goals in 28 appearances. After the 2008-09 season had finished he was linked with German side Werder Bremen, but the € 12m offer was rejected by Dinamo Zagreb who board were of opinion That Mandžukić's price was at least € 15m.

On 17 September 2009, after Dinamo lost 2-0 at home to Anderlecht in the Europa League, Mandžukić was controversially fined € 100k after being Accused for poor performance. On 20 September, Mandžukić captained Dinamo to a 6-0 victory against Rijeka in Prva HNL. In a post-match interview Mandžukić rejected any speculations about him leaving the club after the fine, stating That it was his childhood dream to captain Dinamo side and that 'he tends to give his best in any match he plays for the club.

On 14 July 2010 signed for VFL Wolfsburg Mandžukić for a fee believed to be around € 8 million. According to Kicker, Mandžukić is available for transfer at a fair price, though as he still has two years left on his contract, is not available on a free transfer.

After putting together a string of solid performances in the 2007-08 Prva HNL, as well as in Dinamo's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup matches, he earned a call-up to the Croatian national team, for the which he debuted in a game against Macedonian on 17 November 2007. On 10 September 2008, he scored his first ever goal for Croatia in a 4-1 loss against England. He scored twice in Croatia's opening game of Euro 2012 against Republic of Ireland.

Personal information
Full name Mario Mandžukić
Date of birth 21 May 1986 (age 26)
Place of birth Slavonski Brod, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Striker / Winger

Club information
Current club VFL Wolfsburg
Number 18

Youth career
1992-1996 TSF Ditzingen
1996-2003 Marsonia
Zeljeznicar Slavonski Brod 2003-2004

Senior career
years Team
2004-2005 Marsonia 23 (14)
NK Zagreb 2005-2007 51 (14)
Dinamo Zagreb 2007-2010 81 (42)
2010-VfL Wolfsburg 56 (20)

National team
Croatia 2005-2007 U21 7 (1)
2007-Croatia 31 (8)

Honours

Club
     Dinamo Zagreb Croatia
         Croatian champions: 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
         Croatian Cup: 2008, 2009

Individual
Prva HNL top goalscorer: 2008-09
Prva HNL best player: 2008-09

Eduardo da Silva

2012-06-14T12:32:00.001+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Eduardo da Silva | Eduardo stayed at Dinamo on trial until December 1999 and returned to the club in February 2000, starting to play regularly for Their under-17 squad. After making his first-team debut with Dinamo in the 2001-02 season, Eduardo was loaned for one season to Croatian second division side inker Zaprešić (now Inter Zaprešić) in 2002-03 to see more first-team action, scoring 10 goals in 15 league appearances for the club.

In 2006, he also helped Dinamo winning the Croatian Supercup, scoring two goals in their 4-1 victory over Rijeka. In Dinamo's 4-0 derby win over Zagreb on 12 May 2007, Eduardo scored his 30th and 31st league goals of the 2006-07 season and Became the most Successful Croatian league goalscorer of all time, breaking a 13-year-old record set by former Dinamo Zagreb striker Goran Vlaović with 29 goals scored for the club in the 1993-94 season. He finished the season with 34 league goals in 32 appearances. In the final league match of the season on 19 May 2007, he Became the first player ever to score a hat-trick in the Eternal derby Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Between Split, netting all three goals as Dinamo won the match 3-0.

Eduardo's injury was so graphic That Sky Sports, the which was broadcasting the game live, Decided not to show replays of the incident. Taylor claimed to have visited Eduardo in hospital and that 'an apology was accepted; Eduardo, however, could not remember Taylor's visit or even the tackles.

Shakhtar and Arsenal were both drawn into Group H in the Champions League, Eduardo hoped something would not Happen prior to the draw. Eduardo scored his second goal in an away game against FC Volyn Lutsk, coming on as a substitute, to give Shakhtar a 0-1 win. His third goal in the Ukrainian Cup came against FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih where, after coming on as a substitute, he scored the fifth goal in a 6-0 win. Eduardo scored a volley in 0-2 away win against Kryvbas on 6 November. In a game against FK Partizan in the Champions League, coming on as a substitute, he scored the 3rd goal in a comfortable 0-3 win Shakhtar That put then on top of Group H.

Eduardo also scored one goal in his international debut against Serbia and Montenegro national under-21 side. Eduardo was also called up to the Croatia team for the 2006 European Under-21 Championship qualifiers, in the which he made a total of nine appearances and scored seven goals. However, Croatia failed to qualify for the final tournament after losing 5-2 on aggregate to Serbia and Montenegro in the play-offs, where Eduardo scored both of Croatia's goals. He won a total of twelve international caps and scored eight goals.

Personal information
Full name Eduardo Alves da Silva
Date of birth 25 February 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Striker / Winger

Club information
Current club Shakhtar Donetsk
Number 11

Youth career
CBF Nova Kennedy
Bangu 1996-1998
Dinamo Zagreb 1998-2001

Senior career
years Team
Dinamo Zagreb 2001-2007 108 (73)
2002-2003 Inter Zaprešić (loan) 15 (10)
2007-2010 Arsenal 41 (8)
2010-Shakhtar Donetsk 38 (11)

National team
Croatia U21 2004-2005 12 (8)
2004-Croatia 48 (23)

Honours
Club
Dinamo Zagreb
     Croatian First League (2): 2005-06, 2006-07
     Croatian Cup (2): 2003-04, 2006-07
     Croatian Supercup (2): 2003, 2006

Shakhtar Donetsk
     Ukrainian Premier League (2): 2010-11, 2011-12
     Ukrainian Cup (2): 2010-11, 2011-12

Individual
     Croatian Footballer of the Year: 2006
     SN Yellow Shirt Award: 2006, 2007
     Croatian First League top scorer: 2007

Lars Bender

2012-06-14T12:11:00.002+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Lars Bender | Bender was born in Rosenheim, Bavaria. He is the twin brother of Sven Bender, who plays for Borussia Dortmund. In 2006, while still playing for 1860 Munich, Bender has won the Fritz-Walter trophy, ahead of then Monchengladbach's Marko Marin and his twin brother, Sven Bender. On 18 August 2009, Bender signed a three year contract with Bayer Leverkusen. Bender scored his first goal in the Bundesliga against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bender was chosen as part of Germany's 23-man squad for Euro 2012. He was a late substitute in Germany's 1-0 win against Portugal in their opening Group B match of the European Championships.

Personal information
Full name Lars Bender
Date of birth 27 April 1989 (age 23)
Place of birth Rosenheim, West Germany
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current club Bayer Leverkusen
Number 8

Youth career
TSV 1993-1999 Brannenburg
1999-2003 SpVgg Unterhaching
1860 Munich 2003-2006

Senior career
years Team
2006-2009 1860 Munich 58 (4)
2009-Bayer Leverkusen 72 (8)

National team
2005-2006 Germany U17 9 (1)
2007-2008 Germany U19 9 (2)
2008-2009 Germany U20 7 (1)
2010 Germany U21 1 (0)
2011-Germany 8 (0)

Honours

International
UEFA U-19 Championship (1): 2008

Individual
2006 Fritz Walter Gold Medal (U17 Category)

Andriy Shevchenko

2012-06-05T00:37:00.004+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Andriy Shevchenko | Shevchenko was nine when the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April 1986 Occurred. In 1992-93, Shevchenko was the top scorer for Dynamo-2 with 12 goals, and he made his first appearance in the starting eleven. He won his second league title next season, scoring six goals in 20 matches, and scored a hat trick in the first half of a 1997-98 Champions League road match against FC Barcelona, the which Dynamo won 4-0. His 19 goals in 23 league matches and six goals in ten Champions League matches (including a hat trick over two legs against Real Madrid) were Followed by 28 total goals in all competitions in 1998-99. He won the domestic league title with Dynamo in each of his five seasons with the club.

In 1999, Shevchenko joined Italian club Milan for a then-record transfer fee of $ 25 million. Alongside five other players - Michel Platini, John Charles, Gunnar Nordahl, Istvan Nyers, and Ferenc Hirzer - he managed, as a foreign player, to win the Serie A scoring title in his debut season, finishing with 24 goals in 32 matches. Shevchenko maintained his excellent form into the 2000-01 season, scoring 24 goals in 34 matches. Shevchenko also managed to score nine goals in 14 matches in the Champions League. In the semi-finals, Milan lost to eventual winners FC Barcelona 1-0, a match where Shevchenko controversially had a last minute equalizer denied by the referee. Shevchenko ended his seven year stint with Milan with 175 goals in 296 games.

During the summer of 2005, there were persistent reports Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich That Offered a record sum of € 75.2 million and striker Hernán Crespo to Milan in exchange for Shevchenko. Milan Refused the monetary offer but took Crespo on loan Milan, desperate to keep the striker, Shevchenko Offered a six-year contract extension. During the Christmas period, however, Shevchenko enjoyed a good run of form. He scored the first goal in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Sunderland, and he was named Man of the Match in Chelsea's 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, scoring twice (including a stunning 25 yard shot into the top left hand corner ) and assisting Alex to the make the score 3-2 in Chelsea's Favour. Shevchenko scored his last goal in the 2007-08 season in a 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers. He finished the season with five league goals in 17 games. Shevchenko also played a part in a pre-season match against the which was his former team, Milan.

On 28 August 2009, Shevchenko signed a two-year deal at his former club Dynamo Kyiv and scored a penalty-goal in his first game upon returning to his former club against Metalurh Donetsk in Dynamo's 3-1 victory on 31 August 2009 . On 16 September 2009, Shevchenko played his first Champions League match after returning to Dynamo, against Rubin Kazan, in Dynamo's first game of the 2009-10 season. On 4 November 2009, he scored a goal in the game against Internazionale, cross-city rivals of his former club Milan, in the fourth game of the Champions League season. On 25 August 2010, he scored a penalty against Ajax in the second game against two teams in Qualifications level for 2010-11 UEFA Champions League.

Shevchenko has 105 caps and 46 goals for the Ukrainian national team, whom he represented at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In March 2000, Dynamo manager Valeri Lobanovsky Became the Ukraine coach, with the aim to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. Shevchenko scored ten goals in the qualifiers, but Ukraine failed to qualify after losing a play-off against Germany. He scored a total of five goals in Ukraine's Euro 2008 qualifying round. In a 21 December 2009 interview with UEFA, Shevchenko declared That he was keen to play in his home country at Euro 2012.

Personal information
Full name Andriy Shevchenko Mykolayovych
Date of birth 29 September 1976 (age 35)
Place of birth Dvirkivschyna, Ukrainian SSR,
Soviet Union
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information
Current club Dynamo Kyiv
Number 7

Youth career
1986-1994 Dynamo Kyiv

Senior career
years Team
Dynamo Kyiv 1994-1999 117 (60)
Milan 1999-2006 226 (127)
Chelsea 2006-2009 48 (9)
2008-2009 Milan (loan) 18 (0)
2009-Dynamo Kyiv 53 (23)

National team
Ukraine U18 8 1994-1995 (5)
Ukraine 1994-1995 U21 7 (6)
1995-Ukraine 107 (46)

Honours

Club
Dynamo Kyiv
    Ukrainian Premier League: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
    Ukrainian Cup: 1996, 1998, 1999
    Ukrainian Super Cup: 2011
    CIS Cup: 1996, 1997, 1998

Milan
    Serie A: 2003-04
    Coppa Italia: 2003
    Supercoppa Italiana: 2004
    UEFA Champions League: 2003
    UEFA Super Cup: 2003

Chelsea
    FA Cup: 2007
    Football League Cup: 2007

Individual
    Ukrainian Footballer of the Year: (6) 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005
    Ukrainian Sports 1999.
    Commonwealth of Independent States Cup top scorer: 1997
    Commonwealth of Independent States 1997 Team of the competition
    Ukrainian Premier League top scorer: 1999
    Ukrainian Premier League Best Player: 1997
    Ukrainian Cup top scorer (2): 1995, 1998
    ESM Team of the Year: (3) 1999-00, 2003-04, 2004-2005
    UEFA Champions League Top scorer: (2) 1998-99, 2005-06
    UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 1999
    UEFA Team of the Year: (2) 2004, 2005
    UEFA Super Cup 2003 Man of the match.
    Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 2000
    Serie A Goal of the Year 2004 (Rome-Milan 2004).
    Serie A top scorer: (2) 1999-00, 2003-04
    Supercoppa Italiana all time top scorer
    Best Player of Eastern Europe - Focus Vest magazine Trophy: 2001
    Baltic and Commonwealth of Independent States Footballer of the Year:
   (2) 2004, 2005
    Ballon d'Or: 2004
    Ballon d'Or: Third Place 1999, 2000.
    2004 FIFA World Player of the Year Third
    Golden Foot award: 2005
    FIFPro World XI: 2005
    Ukraine's all-time top scorer with 46 goals.
    Derby all-time top scorer with 14 goals.
    Milan's all time Top goal scorer in the Champions League with 33 goals.
    All-time FIFA World Cup top scorer of European qualification. with 26 goals.
    2002 FIFA World Cup qualification European top scorer with 10 goals.
    FIFA 100
    The World Team of the Decade by Mirror Football: 2009
    A.C. Milan Hall Of Fame.
    UEFA awards 100 caps.
    Pallone d'Argento 2004.
    L'Equipe Team of the Year: (2) 2004, 2005.
    Top scorer in the history of Ukrainian football with 372 goals.
    Dynamo Kiev Top goalscorer (2).
    A.C Milan Top goalscorer (6).

Ballon d'Or
    1998 - nominated (top 50)
    1999 - 3rd
    2000 - 3rd
    2001 - 8th
    2003 - 4th
    2004 - 1st
    2005 - 5th
    2006 - nominated (top 50)

FIFA World Player of the Year
    1999 - 7th
    2000 - 5th
    2001 - 9th
    2003 - 10th
    2004 - 3rd
    2005 - 6th
    2006 - 21st

World Soccer Award
    1999 - 3rd
    2000 - 3rd
    2001 - 8th
    2003 - 8th
    2004 - 3rd
    Decade - 13th

Paul Scholes

2012-05-31T11:52:00.000+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Paul Scholes | Scholes represented the England national team from 1997 to 2004, Gaining 66 caps and participating in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, as well as the UEFA Euro 2000 and Euro 2004 tournaments. Scholes has made 689 appearances for United, the third highest number of appearances by any player for the club. Scholes Officially Announced his retirement from playing duties on 31 May 2011 and began his coaching career at the club from the 2011-12 season onward. Scholes reversed this decision on 8 January 2012, to play for the club until the end of the 2011-12 season. Scholes was born at Hope Hospital in Salford, Greater Manchester, to parents Stewart and Marina Scholes. Scholes also excelled at cricket. At age 14, he began training with Manchester United.

Scholes was not a member of Manchester United's 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning squad That included future senior teammates David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, but he was part of the youth team That reached the final in the following season, alongside Phil Neville. Scholes turned professional on 23 July 1993 and was issued with the number 24 shirt, but did not the make his breakthrough into the senior squad until the 1994-95 season, when he made seventeen league appearances and scored five goals. His debut came on 21 September 1994, where he scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Port Vale in the Football League Cup. His league debut three days later came against Ipswich Town at Portman Road, a game the which United lost 3-2 and Scholes scored a Consolation goal. He scored two league goals came on 10 December when United beat QPR 3-2 at Loftus Road.

In 2001-02, Manchester United completed the signing of Argentine international Juan Sebastian Veron. In order to accommodate Scholes and Veron, Ferguson persisted with the 4-4-1-1 formation, the which saw Scholes playing at the Withdrawn striker role behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and Veron as Roy Keane played in central midfield. In European away fixtures, Scholes was played in central midfield Often Veron as Keane anchored alongside. Scholes netted a career-high twenty goals in all competitions in the 2002-03 season, a number That dipped to fourteen the next year. This was Despite a career-best four FA Cup goals, in comparison to his total of five FA Cup goals scored in his first nine seasons.

On 8 January 2012, Scholes reversed his decision to retire Because of the injury crisis in the Manchester United squad and made his return as a substitute during a 3-2 win, against neighbors Manchester City in the FA Cup. On 8 April he scored in a 2-0 win against Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford, Manchester United's Helping to go eight points clear of rivals Manchester City in the Premier League. On 30 May, Scholes signed a one-year extension with Manchester United, keeping him at the club until 2013.

Scholes made his international debut against South Africa in 1997 in a 2-1 friendly win at Old Trafford, and was included in the England squad for the 1998 World Cup. During England's first World Cup group match against Tunisia, Scholes sealed a 2-0 victory with a goal late in the game.
On 27 March 1999, Scholes managed a hat-trick for England in a game against Poland. In Addition, Scholes scored both goals in England's 2-0 win at Hampden Park over Scotland in the Euro 2000 play-off first leg, sealing a 2-1 aggregate win and qualification for the finals tournament. With the turn of the century, Scholes Became a prominent player in England's midfield, Becoming a first-choice selection for the 2002 World Cup. Scholes Announced his retirement from international football in August 2004, citing his family life and his club career with Manchester United as being more important.

Personal information
Full name Paul Scholes
Date of birth 16 November 1974 (age 37)
Place of birth Salford, Greater Manchester, England
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current club Manchester United
Number 22

Youth career
Manchester United 1991-1993

Senior career
years Team
1993-2011 Manchester United 466 (102)
2012-Manchester United 16 (4)

National team
1993 England U18 3 (0)
1997-2004 England 66 (14)

Honours

Club
Manchester United
     Premier League (10): 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000,
     2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11
     FA Cup (3): 1995-96, 1998-99, 2003-04
     Football League Cup (2): 2008-09, 2009-10
     FA Community Shield (5): 1996, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2010
     UEFA Champions League (2) :1998-99, 2007-08
     Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
     FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

England
     1997 Tournoi de France
     UEFA European Under-18 Football Championship: 1993

Individual
     Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year (1): 1992-93
     Premier League Player of the Month (4): January 2003,
     December 2003, October 2006, August 2010
     PFA Team of the Year (2): 2002-03, 2006-07
     Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992-93 to 2001-02):
     Domestic & Overall Team of the Decade
     English Football Hall of Fame Inductee: 2008

Ricky van Wolfswinkel

2012-05-30T14:50:00.002+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Ricky van Wolfswinkel | On 5 April 2008, Van Wolfswinkel made his debut for Vitesse's first team. In his third match this season, against Sparta Rotterdam, Van Wolfswinkel scored his first Eredivisie goal.

Van Wolfswinkel started the 2010/11 Champions League with a goal in a 3-1 loss against Feyenoord. On the 22 August 2010, he scored two goals against Willem II, resulting in a 3-0 win for Utrecht. On 26 August 2010, Van Wolfswinkel scored a hat-trick against Celtic in the UEFA Europa League. Utrecht went on to win the match 4-0. On the 3rd of October, 2010, Van Wolfswinkel Penalties scored two against Ajax to gain a 2-1 away win over the Dutch runners-up.

On 15 September 2011 he scored in the 2-0 win against FC Zurich, for the UEFA Europa League, scoring another goal in 19 September against Rio Ave, two more five days later against Vitória FC, and another one against SS Lazio on 29 September 2011 . His impressive goal scoring form led to him being awarded the SJPF Player of the Month for September 2011.. Van Wolfswinkel already played some matches for the Dutch national youth sides.

Personal information
Full name Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Date of birth 27 January 1989 (age 23)
Place of birth Woudenberg, Netherlands
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information
Current club Sporting CP
Number 9

Youth career
1998-1999 v.v. Woudenberg
Vitesse 1999-2008

Senior career
years Team
Vitesse 2008-2009 33 (8)
2009-2011 Utrecht 60 (22)
2011-Sporting CP 25 (14)

National team
2006-2007 Netherlands U-19 2 (1)
2007-2009 Netherlands U-20 2 (2)
2010-Netherlands 1 (0)

Dimitar Berbatov

2012-05-28T12:29:00.002+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Dimitar Berbatov | He was signed by Bayer Leverkusen of Germany in January 2001 and played in his first Champions League final 18 months later, coming on as a substitute in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final, the which Leverkusen lost 2-1 to Real Madrid. Berbatov is the first non-Englishman in Premier League history to have scored five goals in a single match, having done so in Manchester United's 7-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in November 2010. Berbatov was born to Ivan and Margarita Berbatov, Themselves both professional athlete: Ivan was a footballer with the Pirin and CSKA Sofia, while Margarita was a handball player.

Berbatov joined the youth squad of his father's former club, CSKA Sofia, after being spotted by scout and manager Dimitar Penev in 1998. Berbatov's first game in Europe came in September 1999, in a 2-0 defeat against his childhood team Newcastle United; That it was during season, from 1999 to 2000, that he started to make-his name, scoring 14 goals in 27 league matches.

A run of nine goals in eleven games during the first half of the 2000-01 season was enough to persuade German club Bayer Leverkusen to pay € 1.3 million to sign a four-year contract with Berbatov on 1 January 2001. Berbatov played for the club's reserve team in the Oberliga Nordrhein at first, and scored six goals in seven appearances before being Promoted to the first team. He made his team debut in a 4-3 pre-season friendly win against DC United, scoring a hat-trick. FC Köln. Berbatov found Himself being used as a substitute by manager Berti Vogts, making six appearances and scoring no goals as Leverkusen finished fourth and qualified for the Following season's UEFA Champions League. During the next season, Berbatov scored 16 goals and Made Important Contributions to the club's Champions League campaign, scoring in a 4-2 win over English club Liverpool in the quarter-finals as Leverkusen eventually reached the final. Berbatov established his place as the first-choice forward during the next season , 2002-03, and netted his team's goal against Manchester United on 24 September 2002, during a 2-1 defeat for Leverkusen. He scored 16 goals in 24 league appearances during the 2003-04 season, before the Following two seasons saw the Bulgarian raise awareness of his talent by netting 46 goals in the league over the two seasons and five times in the 2004-05 Champions League.

After Tottenham lost 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers in Berbatov's first league match in England on 19 August 2006, he scored his first goal for Spurs three days later in a 2-0 home victory against Sheffield United. Berbatov scored his first Premier League hat-trick on 29 December 2007, scoring four in a 6-4 win over Reading. Berbatov scored an equalizing penalty as Tottenham went on to win the game 2-1 after extra time. He ended the season with 15 league goals. Before the next season, 2008-09, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was quoted by newspapers as saying he expected to sign Berbatov: Tottenham submitted a complaint to the Premier League alleging That Manchester United had broken league rules.

Berbatov marked his Manchester United debut at the age of 27, with an assist to a Carlos Tévez goal away at Liverpool, but United lost the game 2-1. Alex Ferguson has defended Berbatov after he was missing a penalty criticized for during the 2008-09 FA Cup semi-final against Everton, Manchester United the which eventually lost by a penalty shoot-out. Soon after, Berbatov scored the fifth of United's goals as They came back from 2-0 down at half-time to win 5-2 against his former team, Tottenham Hotspur. When Manchester United won the Premier League on 16 May 2009, Berbatov Became the first Bulgarian to win an English league title. After Berbatov struggled to Make an impact during the 2009-10 season, was linked with Berbatov away from Old Trafford, but this was denied by Ferguson. On 26 December 2011, Berbatov scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 win against Wigan Athletic. This was Berbatov's fourth Premier League hat trick for Manchester United and 5th overall in the division. In the second half, after going 2-0 behind, United responded with two goals from Quickly Berbatov. However United went on to lose the game 3-2. On 31 January, Berbatov scored a goal in a 2-0 league win at Old Trafford against Stoke City, scoring the second of two Penalties on the night.

Berbatov captained the team from 2006 until May 2010, when he Announced his retirement from international football, leaving his tally for Bulgaria standing at 48 goals from 77 matches.

Personal information
Full name Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov
Date of birth 30 January 1981 (age 31)
Place of birth Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1/2 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information
Current club Manchester United
Number 9

Youth career
Pirin Blagoevgrad
CSKA Sofia

Senior career
years Team
1998-2001 CSKA Sofia 49 (26)
2001 Bayer Leverkusen II 7 (6)
2001-2006 Bayer Leverkusen 154 (69)
Tottenham Hotspur 2006-2008 70 (27)
2008 - Manchester United 108 (49)

National team
1999 Bulgaria U18 2 (2)
1999 Bulgaria U21 1 (2)
1999-2010 Bulgaria 77 (48)

Honours

Club
CSKA Sofia
     Bulgarian Cup (1): 1998-99

Tottenham Hotspur
     Football League Cup (1): 2007-08

Manchester United
     Premier League (2): 2008-09, 2010-11
     Football League Cup (1): 2009-10
     FA Community Shield (2): 2010, 2011
     FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual
     Bulgarian Man of the Year (1): 2009 [98]
     Bulgarian Footballer of the Year (7 - record holder): 2002, 2004.2005,
     2007, 2008.2009, 2010
     Tottenham Hotspur Club Player of the Year (1): 2006-07
     Premier League Player of the Month (2): April 2007, January 2011
     PFA Premier League Team of the Year (2): 2006-07, 2010-11
     Premier League Golden Boot Award Landmark (2):
     2010-11 (10 Goals) ,2010-11 (20 Goals)
     Premier League Golden Boot (1): 2010-11
     IFFHS (1): Europe's World's Most Popular Footballer Amongst Currently
     Active Players in 2010

Park Ji-Sung

2012-05-28T11:58:00.000+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Park Ji-Sung | Park began his football career in his native South Korea and played for the team Myongji University before moving to Japan to play for Kyoto Purple Sanga. After Park's national team manager Guus Hiddink moved back to the Netherlands to manage PSV Eindhoven, Park Followed him to the Dutch side a year later. After PSV reached the semi-finals of the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League, Park's talents were recognised by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed Park for a fee of around £ 4 million in July 2005. Since then, Park has won the Premier League four times and has also won the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. As a member of the South Korean national team, Park won 100 caps and scored 13 goals, and was a member of the team finished fourth That at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After the 2011 Asian Cup, on 31 January 2011, Park Announced That he was retiring from international football at a press conference held by the Korea Football Association in Seoul.

Despite his injuries, Park performance was outstanding. Park played only about 20 minutes, however we Could see his sense, physical strength, and his potential, so we accepted Park instead of the player we thought. In 2002, Park led the team to the finals of the Emperor's Cup, and in the final on January 1, 2003, he scored the equalizer with a header and assisted on Teruaki Kurobe's winning goal.

After the World Cup, Hiddink was appointed as manager of Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. In 2003, Park and South Korean teammate Lee Young-Pyo moved to PSV Eindhoven in order to play under Their mentor and former national team coach. While Lee Quickly Became a fixture in PSV Eindhoven's starting lineup, Park struggled due to injuries. Having been a top contributor of goals and assists That season, the highlight of Park's PSV career when he came scored the first goal against Italian team of Milan in the Champions League semi-finals. PSV fans were so enamored with Park That They wrote a song about him entitled "Song for Park", the which was included on the official PSV PSV Kampioen album.

In the closing months of the 2004-05 season, Park chose to join Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. Park signed for the Premier League side for £ 4 million, subject to a medical and work permit. On 5 February 2006, Park Appeared to have scored his first Premier League goal, coming against Fulham in United's 4-2 victory at Old Trafford. On 9 April 2006, Park scored his first official league goal, netting the second of a 2-0 home win over Arsenal. On 23 February 2012 Park captained Manchester United for the first time from the beginning of a match in a 2-1 home defeat to Ajax in the Europa League. On 30 April 2012, Park played in the Manchester derby, in a game That was Widely perceived as crucial to Manchester United's title defense. Manchester United lost the game 0-1 and Manchester City went on to win the Premier League title.

Park's father, Park Sung-jong, said his son has planned to end his national team career after the 2011 Asian Cup tournament in Qatar. Park traveled to the tournament on 26 December 2010 as squad captain. Park made his 100th international appearance in the semi-final match against Japan on 25 January 2011. Park was nominated as the tournament's MVP alongside Mark Schwarzer, Keisuke Honda and Server Djeparov. On 31 January, Park confirmed his retirement from international football to the make way for younger players with "enormous potential".

Personal information
Full name: Park Ji-Sung
Date of birth 25 February 1981 (age 31)
Place of birth Seoul, South Korea
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current club Manchester United
Number 13

Youth career
Myongji University 1999-2000

Senior career
years Team
Kyoto Purple Sanga 76 2000-2002 (11)
PSV Eindhoven 2002-2005 64 (13)
2005-Manchester United 134 (19)

National team
1999-2004 South Korea U23 23 (3)
2000-2011 South Korea 100 (13)

Honours

Club
Kyoto Purple Sanga
     J. League Division 2 (1): 2001
     Emperor's Cup (1): 2002

PSV Eindhoven
     Eredivisie (2): 2002-03, 2004-05
     KNVB Cup (1): 2004-05
     Johan Cruijff-Schaal (1): 2003

Manchester United
     Premier League (4): 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11
     Football League Cup (3): 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10
     FA Community Shield (2): 2010, 2011
     UEFA Champions League (1): 2007-08
     FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual
     Peace Cup Golden Ball (1): 2003
     UEFA Champions League Best XI (1): 2005
     KNVB Cup MVP (1): 2004-05
     Eredivisie Best XI (1): 2004-05
     Nominees for the Ballon d'Or: 2005
     FIFA.com Best Asian Player in Europe (1): 2007
     KFA Footballer of the Year (1): 2010
     MLS All-Star Game MVP (1): 2011

Sergio Ramos

2012-05-28T11:35:00.000+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Sergio Ramos | After emerging through Sevilla's youth system, he went on to be a defensive Main Stay for both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, Gaining his first cap at the age of 18. Born in Camas, Seville, Andalusia, Ramos began his career at local side FC Sevilla, emerging through the club's youth system alongside Jesús Navas and Antonio Puerta. In the 2004-05 season, Ramos Appeared in 31 games as Sevilla finished sixth and qualified to the UEFA Cup, netting in home fixtures against Real Sociedad (2-1) and Real Madrid (2-2).

In the summer of 2005, 19-year old Ramos was purchased by Real Madrid for € 27 million, a record for a Spanish teenager. At the club, Ramos was awarded the number 4 shirt, Previously worn by Fernando Hierro. On 6 December 2005, he scored his first goal for the Merengues, in a 2-3 UEFA Champions League group stage loss at Olympiacos FC. Just at the start of the 2009-10 season, Ramos was appointed as one of Real Madrid's four captains of Real Madrid. On 21 February 2010, he played his 200th official match for the capital team against Villarreal CF (150 in the first division).

In Real Madrid's 5-0 loss to FC Barcelona on 29 November 2010, Ramos was sent off after kicking Lionel Messi from behind, then pushing Carles Puyol in the ensuing melee. After this ejection, he equaled Fernando Hierro's previous record for red cards at the club, having played in 264 fewer games. On 20 April 2011, Ramos started in the season's Copa del Rey final, a 1-0 win against Barcelona in Valencia. On 12 July 2011, Ramos extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2017.

In 2004, Ramos Became an instant hit for Spain's under-21, for whom he played six international matches. In the tournament's final stages, Ramos played in all matches and minutes, except the 2-1 group stage win against Greece. Ramos was selected in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, as Spain finished in third position.

Personal information
Full name Sergio Ramos García
Date of birth 30 March 1986 (age 26)
Place of birth Seville, Spain
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Defender

Club information
Current club Real Madrid
Number 4

Youth career
Sevilla 1996-2003

Senior career
years Team
Sevilla 2003-2004 B 26 (2)
Sevilla 39 2004-2005 (2)
2005 - Real Madrid 229 (28)

National team
2002 Spain U17 1 (0)
2004 Spain U19 6 (0)
2004 Spain U21 6 (0)

Honours

Club
Real Madrid
     La Liga: 2006-07, 2007-08, 2011-12
     Copa del Rey: 2010-11
     Supercopa de España: 2008: Runner-up 2011

Country
Spain U-19
     UEFA U-19 Championship: 2004

Spain
     FIFA World Cup: 2010
     UEFA European Championship: 2008
     FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009

Individual
     La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2005
     ESM Team of the Year: 2007-08
     FIFA / FIFPro World XI: 2008, 2011
     UEFA Team of the Year: 2008
     2010 FIFA World Cup: Winner Castrol Index
     FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010

Francesco Totti

2012-05-21T12:20:00.003+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Francesco Totti | In the following seasons, he began to play more games and scored his first goal on 24 September 1994 in a 1-1 draw against Foggia. By 1995, Totti had become a regular in the starting eleven and scored 16 goals in the next three seasons. Manager Zdenek Zeman played with an offensive 4-3-3 formation, in the which Totti was the left winger. Totti scored 30 goals during Zeman's two-year managerial stint. Though Totti was not called up for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he was named the Serie A Footballer of the Year Young in the 1998-99 season. On 17 June 2001, he won the Scudetto, and scored one goal in a 3-0 victory against Fiorentina Supercoppa Italiana. Totti was born in Rome, to parents Lorenzo and Fiorella Toitt. Totti began to play youth football team at the age of 8, with Fortituto, then he joined Smit Trastevere and Lodigiani. A 2006 World Cup and Euro 2000 winner finalist, Totti was selected in the All-Star team for both tournaments. In 2011, Totti has been Recognized by IFFHS as the most popular footballer in Europe.

Roma's new coach for the 2005-06 season, Luciano Spalletti, went with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Totti scored his 200th goal with Roma in a 4-0 Coppa Italia win over Torino on 16 January 2008. Roma won the Coppa Italia Their ninth with a 2-1 victory over Internazionale on 24 May. Totti did not play though, he was still allowed to lift the cup as the team's captain. With this win, Totti Became the most Successful captain in team history.

Totti performed well in the UEFA Europa League Inaugural. On 20 March, Totti Became the sixth player in Serie A history to score 200 goals, finding the target twice in the 2-2 draw with Fiorentina That to raise his total to 201. On 1 May, Totti scored a brace against Bari to equal and overtake Roberto Baggio in the total number of goals scored in the league with his 205th and 206th goals. Totti completed a remarkable turn-around in his season, Completing the 2010-11 Serie A campaign with 15 goals - scoring 12 goals in Roma's last thirteen league fixtures.

On 8 January 2012, Totti scored his first goal of the season against Chievo, converting first one penalty in the first half and then another in the second, in a game the which ended 2-0 for Roma. He went on to score two goals in a 5-1 win against Cesena the which allowed Totti to set a new record as his second goal of the match Brought his league tally to 211 goals - the most any player has ever scored for a single club in Serie A. As the second round of the 2011-2012 season begins, Totti's goals remain at four but his performances continue to convince and in Roma's 4-0 win over rivals Internazionale on 5 February 2012, Totti's corner turned into an assist for Juan as he headed in the opening goal in Roma's dominating performance. As of that game, Totti's stats for the season are 8 goals and 7 assists in 25 appearances. Totti scored his fifth goal in 2011-12 season in a 3-1 victory over Udinese. He scored again in a 2-1 loss against Fiorentina, and two weeks later on his 500-th match in Serie A he scored two goals in a 2-2 draw against Catania at the Olimpico.

Totti first came into international prominence while playing in the UEFA youth tournaments. Totti won the UEFA Under-21 Championship in 1996, in the final match, he opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw against the Spanish before triumphing on Penalties. After starring with the Azzurrini in Italy's Under-19 and Under-21 sides, Totti earned his first cap for Italy during a Euro 2000 qualifying victory against Switzerland on 10 October 1998. Then-Italy coach Roberto Donadoni Attempted to get Totti to change his mind for the remaining Euro 2008 qualifiers but was not successful. After the national team reunited with Marcello Lippi, Totti Announced That he would play in the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa if he got called up. The Azzurri lack creative players like Totti.

Personal information
Full name Francesco Totti
Date of birth 27 September 1976 (age 35)
Place of birth Rome, Italy
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Striker / Attacking midfielder

Club information
Current club Roma
Number 10

Youth career
1984 Fortitudo
1984-1986 Smit Trastevere
1986-1989 Lodigiani
1989-1992 Rome

Senior career
years Team
1992-Rome 501 (215)

National team
1992 Italy U-15 6 (3)
Italy U-16 1991-1992 13 (2)
1993-1995 Italy U-18 14 (7)
Italy U-21 1995-1997 8 (4)
1997 Italy U-23 4 (2)
Italy 1998-2006 58 (9)

Honours

Club
Winners
    Serie A: 2000-01
    Supercoppa Italiana (2): 2001, 2007
    Coppa Italia (2): 2006-07, 2007-08

Runner-up
    Serie A (6): 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10
    Coppa Italia (4): 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10
    Supercoppa Italiana (3): 2006, 2008, 2010

International
Winners
    UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1996
    Mediterranean Games (Under-23): 1997
    FIFA World Cup: 2006

Runner-up
    UEFA European Under-18 Championship: 1995
    UEFA European Championship: 2000

Records
    Serie A Leading Goalscorer Active: 215 goals
    Roma All-Time Leading Goalscorer: 270 goals
    Roma All-Time Leading Goalscorer in Serie A: 215 goals
    Roma All-Time Leading Goalscorer in UEFA Champions League: 16 goals
    Roma All-Time Leading Goalscorer in UEFA Europa League: 21 goals
    Roma All-Time Leading Goalscorer in UEFA Competitions: 37 goals
    Roma All-Time Appearance Maker: 641 games
    Roma All-Time Appearance Maker in Serie A: 501 games
    Roma All-Time Appearance Maker in UEFA Champions League: 50 games
    Roma All-Time Appearance Maker in UEFA Europa League: 38 games
    Roma All-Time Appearance Maker in UEFA competitions: 88 games

Individual
    Guerin d'Oro (2): 1998, 2004
    Serie A Young Footballer of the Year: 1999
    Euro 2000 Final Man of the Match
    Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament
    Serie A Footballer of the Year (2): 2000, 2003
    Italian Footballer of the Year (5): 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007
    ESM Team of the Year (3): 2000-01, 2003-04, 2006-07
    FIFA 100
    Serie A Goal of the Year (2): 2005, 2006
    2006 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team
    Serie A top scorer: 2006-07
    European Golden Shoe: 2006-07
    USSI Silver Ball: 2007-08
    Golden Foot: 2010

Ballon d'Or
    2000 - 14th
    2001 - 5th
    2002 - nominated (top 50)
    2003 - 18th
    2004 - nominated (top 50)
    2007 - 10th

FIFA World Player of the Year
    2000 - 10th
    2001 - 10th
    2002 - 14th

Michael Owen

2012-05-20T21:29:00.003+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Michael Owen | The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. In 2001, Liverpool won a cup treble of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Football League Cup, and Owen was the recipient of the Ballon d'Or. He went on to score 118 goals in 216 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool. Internationally, Owen first played for the senior England team in 1998, Becoming England's youngest player and youngest goalscorer at the time. Owen's long injury absence after the 2006 World Cup resulted in a dispute Between FIFA and The FA and Newcastle United, and eventually resulted in an unprecedented £ 10m compensation award to Newcastle, and Brought changes to the compensation arrangements Between club and country regarding injuries sustained by contracted club players while on international duty.

The 2002-03 season saw Owen on top form again as he hit 28 goals. Owen also scored at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff when Liverpool beat Manchester United 2-0 to win the League Cup and scored his 100th Premier League goal against West Bromwich Albion. Following Gérard Houllier's sacking as Liverpool manager, Speculation about Owen's departure from the club began. During the first few Champions League games at the start of the 2004-2005 season, Owen sat on the bench to avoid being cup-tied for the Champions League, Something That Meant he would have would be Unable to play in European competitions for any other That club season. Since 1998 Owen had been Liverpool's top scorer every season until he left the club.

Owen had a slow start to his Madrid career. A few days later, he scored his first Spanish league goal in a 1-0 victory over Valencia. During his time at Real Madrid, Owen scored 18 goals from 41 games, 15 of the which were starts.

Roughly 20.000 fans were present at Newcastle's home ground of St James 'Park for Owen's official unveiling as a Newcastle player. Owen scored his first hat-trick for Newcastle in the 4-2 away win over West Ham on 17 December. On 14 June it was reported That Owen's management company Wasserman Media Group had sent out a 34-page brochure advertising Owen to Several potential clubs.

On 3 July 2009, it was Announced That Owen had signed a two-year deal with Premier League champions, Manchester United. Owen started his second game of the season in the fourth round of the League Cup , against League Two club Aldershot Town. In February 2012, Owen started light training with the Manchester United squad. From April 2012, Owen started full training but not yet ready for first team games.

Owen had a highly Successful record at youth level, playing for the England under-20 team at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship and scoring three goals in four games. As of December 2007, Owen has never gone more than four international games in a row without scoring a goal. Owen's future as a first choice striker for England is uncertain however, due to competition from Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and fast-developing Theo Walcott amongst others. Owen's lack of action in Fabio Capello's first two England friendlies and Capello's selection of a single striker 4-5-1 formation also support the view That Owen's international opportunities in future may be limited. On 28 February, he suffered a hamstring injury in the League Cup final and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Personal information
Full name Michael James Owen
Date of birth 14 December 1979 (age 32)
Place of birth Chester, England
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information
Current club Free Agent

Youth career
Liverpool 1991-1996

Senior career
years Team
Liverpool 1996-2004 216 (118)
2004-2005 Real Madrid 36 (13)
2005-2009 Newcastle United 71 (26)
2009-2012 Manchester United 31 (5)

National team
1997 England U20 4 (3)
1997 England U21 1 (1)
2006-2007 England B 2 (0)
1998-2008 England 89 (40)

Honours

Club
Liverpool
     FA Cup (1): 2000-01
     Football League Cup (2): 2000-01, 2002-03
     FA Community Shield (1): 2001
     UEFA Cup (1): 2000-01
     UEFA Super Cup (1): 2001

Manchester United
     Premier League (1): 2010-11
     Football League Cup (1): 2009-10
     FA Community Shield (1): 2010

Individual
     PFA Young Player of the Year (1): 1997-98
     PFA Premier League Team of the Year (1): 1997-98
     Premier League Player of the Month (1): August 1998
     Premier League Golden Boot (2): 1997-98, 1998-99
     Carling Player of the Year (1): 1997-98
     FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award (1): France 1998
     BBC Sports Personality of the Year (1): 1998
     Ballon d'Or (1): 2001
     Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992-93 to 2001-02):
     Domestic Team of the Decade
     FIFA 100

Samuel Eto'o

2012-05-16T12:16:00.003+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Samuel Eto'o | As a member of the Cameroon national team, he was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament, he has participated in three World Cups and six African Nations Cup (being champion twice) and is the leading all-time scorer in the history of the African Nations Cup with 18 goals. Eto'o scored over 100 goals in five seasons with FC Barcelona, and so is the record holder in number of appearances by an African player in La Liga. In 2010, he became the first player to win two European Continental Trebles following his back-to-back achievements with Barcelona and Internazionale. He is the second player to have ever scored in two separate UEFA Champions League finals and the fourth player, after Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa, and Gerard Piqué, to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams. He is the most decorated African player of all time having won the African Player of the Year award a record four times in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010th

Samuel Eto'o joined Real Madrid in 1997 but, he could only train with Real Madrid B, as he was still a minor. The next season, in the winter transfer window, he Transferred to La Liga team RCD Mallorca on loan, scoring six goals in 19 games. At the end of the season, Eto'o left Real Madrid, signing a permanent deal with RCD Mallorca for a club record £ 4.4 million fee. In his second season, he scored 11 goals and began to garner attention throughout the league. Mallorca won the match 3-0, with Eto'o scoring two late goals to seal the victory.

Eto'o departed Mallorca as the club's all-time leading scorer domestic league (54 goals) when he signed for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of € 24 million after lengthy, three-way negotiations with Mallorca and Madrid. After aggravating a meniscus injury on 28 August during a summer friendly against Internazionale, Eto'o was sidelined indefinitely. Eto'o recorded his first league hat-trick in a match against Levante UD on 24 February 2008. He finished with a total of 16 league goals in 18 appearances for the season. Only two games later, on 8 November 2008, Eto'o scored four goals in the first half of Barcelona's game against Real Valladolid , Which ended 6-0. On 29 November 2008, he scored his 111th career goal in all competitions in Barcelona a 3-0 road win over Sevilla FC, moving him into the club's top ten all-time goalscorers. On 14 February 2009, he scored his 99th and his 100th league goals for Barcelona in a 2-2 draw with Real Betis. Eto'o scored his 30th goal of the 2008-09 season in a La Liga match against Real Valladolid. Eto'o scored the opening goal in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United.

After Maxwell completed the transfer from Internazionale, Joan Laporta confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Internazionale for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to join the club in exchange for Eto'o and € million 46th after Ibrahimović agreed terms with Barcelona, the club announced Eto'o would travel to Milan for his medical to complete the transfer. On 16 March 2011, Eto'o gave a legendary performance in Munich as he helped eliminate Internazionale Bayern Munich 3-2 (on aggregate with score of 3-3, winning on away goals) in the Champions League. Eto'o is fantastic. " On 29 May, Eto'o scored two goals in the final of the Italian Cup against Palermo to help Internazionale 3-1 win and taking his season total to 37 goals, a new record high for him.

Eto'o scored his sole goal of the 2002 World Cup when he netted the game-winner against Saudi Arabia during the group stage on 6 June, 2002, Which was Cameroon's only win of the competition. On 1 December 2009, Eto'o finished fifth in voting for the Ballon d'Or, Which was won by his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi. On 19 June 2010, Eto'o scored a goal in Cameroon's 2010 World Cup group stage match against Denmark, from a mistake by Christian Poulsen. Cameroon eventually lost the game 2-1 and was eliminated from the World Cup. Eto'o Described it as the biggest disappointment of his career. In December 2010, Eto'o became the first man to be named African Player of the Year for a fourth time. On 16 December 2011, Eto'o was suspended for fifteen games by the Fédération de Football Camerounaise, after the team refused to play a friendly against Algeria earlier this year.

Personal information
Full name Samuel Eto'o Fils
Date of Birth 10 March 1981 (age 31)
Place of birth Nkon, Cameroon
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information
Current club Anzhi Makhachkala
Number 99

Youth career
1992-1997 Kadji Sports Academy

Senior career
Years Team Apps
1997-2000 Real Madrid 3 (0)
1997-1998 Leganes (loan) 30 (4)
Espanyol in 1999 (loan) 0 (0)
2000 Mallorca (loan) 19 (6)
Mallorca 2000-2004 120 (48)
Barcelona 2004-2009 145 (108)
2009-2011 Internazionale 67 (33)
2011-Anzhi Makhachkala 22 (13)

National team
2000 Cameroon U-23 6 (1)
1997-Cameroon 109 (54)

Honours

Club
Mallorca
     Copa del Rey (1): 2003

Barcelona
     La Liga (3): 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09
     Copa del Rey (1): 2009
     Supercopa de España (2): 2005, 2006
     UEFA Champions League (2): 2005-06, 2008-09

Internazionale
     Series A (1): 2009-10
     Coppa Italia (2): 2010, 2011
     Super Coppa Italiana (1): 2010
     Super Coppa Italiana Runner Up: (1) 2011
     UEFA Champions League (1): 2009-10
     FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2010

Cameroon
     African Cup of Nations (2): 2000, 2002
     LG Cup (1): 2011
     Cameroon Olympic Team
     Olympic Gold Medal (1): 2000

Individual
     Young African Player of the Year: 2000
     African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010
     ESM Team of the Year: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11
     FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006
     UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
     African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2006, 2008
     UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006
     La Liga top scorer: 2006
     African Cup of Nations All-Time Top Scorer
     RCD Mallorca All-Time Top Scorer
     Cameroon All-Time Top Scorer
     2005 FIFA World Player of the Year Third
     UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match 2006
     FIFA Club World Cup - Golden Ball 2010
     CAF Starting XI in the Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2006

Deco

2012-05-16T11:52:00.000+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Deco | Deco arrived in Portugal in 1997 at the age of 19 along with fellow Brazilian player Caju after being acquired by Benfica of Lisbon. Despite good showings in training, Benfica decided to loan Deco to the Liga de Honra Alverca club, where he played for a season. Deco is one of the few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs - FC Porto in 2004 and FC Barcelona in 2006. Deco was the first player to win the UEFA Best Midfielder Award with two different clubs, Porto and Barcelona. Deco received Portuguese citizenship in 2002, having completed six years of Portuguese residence, opting to play Subsequently internationally for the Portugal national football team. Subsequently, Deco what Salgueiros transferred in the season 1998-99, playing games and scoring 12 two goals.

A key figure in the season 2002-03, he scored 10 goals in 30 games, but nevertheless received 17 yellow cards and one red card. Deco was one of the key players in Porto's UEFA Cup final 3-2 win over Celtic that year. In the 2003-04 season, Deco helped Porto recapture the national title and led the team to the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, in which Porto won 3-0 over Monaco, scoring the second goal of the match. That season, Deco won the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year as well as the award for the best midfielder in the competition.

On 17 June 2004, Deco told a Portuguese radio station that he would almost certainly join English side Chelsea (then coached by Jose Mourinho) following UEFA Euro 2004. Deco scored twice in the Spanish Super cup 2006-07, Barca won Which. Deco won the UEFA Best Midfielder Award yet again for his performance in Barca's Champions League-winning season, enabling him to join the exclusive group of players that have won the same award more than once with different teams, having won the Champions League previously with Porto.

Deco scored on his Chelsea debut and his Premier League debut, with a 30-yard goal in a 4-0 victory over Portsmouth. Deco followed up his performance by scoring in his second game for Chelsea, a curling free kick against Wigan Athletic. Deco made his Champions League debut for Chelsea on 16 September. Deco was Chelsea's 7-1 win in sensational over Aston Villa, creating chances for his teammates and helping Chelsea's midfield flow. On 6 August 2010, Deco signed a two-year contract with Brazilian club Fluminense on a free transfer, joining former Chelsea and FC Barcelona player Juliano Belletti. Also in 2010, Deco has won his first Brazilian Championship, participating Fluminense's victorious campaign in.

Having played six years of club football with Porto Deco allowed to gain Portuguese citizenship that made him eligible to play for Portugal. None of Deco's great grandparents, grandparents or parents were Portuguese and FIFA's player eligibility Therefore under Portuguese citizenship rules required to be Considered eligible. Deco was mentioned several times in the media as an option for the Portuguese national team. Despite the early criticism, Deco was one of the highlights of the Portuguese national team. Deco played for Portugal in their opening game against Côte d'Ivoire.

Personal information
Full name Anderson Luis de Souza
Date of Birth 27 August 1977 (age 34)
Place of birth São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1/2 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder

Club information
Current club Fluminense
Number 20

Youth career
1995-1996 National-SP

Senior career
years team
1996-1997 Corinthians 2 (0)
1997-1999 Benfica 0 (0)
1997-1998 Alverca (loan) 32 (13)
Salgueiros 1998-1999 (loan) 12 (2)
Porto 1999-2004 154 (32)
Barcelona 2004-2008 113 (11)
2008-2010 Chelsea 42 (5)
2010-Fluminense 53 (5)

National team
2003-2010 Portugal 75 (5)

Honours

Club
postage
     Portuguese League: 1997-98, 1998-99, 2002-03, 2003-04
     Taça de Portugal: 2000, 2001, 2003
     Portuguese Super Cup: 1999, 2001, 2003
     UEFA Champions League: 2004
     UEFA Cup: 2003

Barcelona
     La Liga: 2004-05, 2005-06
     Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006
     UEFA Champions League: 2006

Chelsea
     Premier League: 2009-10
     FA Cup: 2009, 2010
     Community Shield: 2009

Fluminense
     Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2010
     Taça Guanabara: 2012
     Rio de Janeiro State League: 2012

Individual
     Portuguese League Footballer of the Year: 2003-04
     UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2003-04
     UEFA Best Midfielder: 2003-04, 2005-06
     FIFA World Club Cup Golden Ball: 2006
     Premier League Player of the Month: August 2008
     UEFA Team of the Tournament: 2004

Orders
     Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
    (House of Braganza)

Raul Meireles

2012-05-16T11:05:00.002+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Raul Meireles | By his great performances, Meireles was brought to the Portuguese powerhouse, FC Porto, winning three league titles in a row Primeira, adding two Portuguese Cups and three Portuguese Super Cup. In 2010 he moved to Liverpool where he won the 2011 PFA Fans' Player of the Year award following a very successful first season in the Premier League. On August 2011, Meireles signed for Chelsea, joining his former manager André Villas-Boas with whom he had spent a short period of time. In international football career began at youth Meireles national level when he Represented the Under-16 side at the 2000 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in Israel.

In the summer of 2001, the Desportivo Aves from the Liga de Honra (Portuguese second level football competition) signed on loan from Boavista Meireles, and he was presented on 8 July. He made his senior debut on 8 August 2001, a friendly match against Gondomar, Which Desportivo das Aves won 3-0. In his first campaign, Meireles clocked up only 16 league appearances. In the 2002-03 season, on 25 May 2003, he scored his first senior goal against União da Madeira Meireles fired a shot 30 meters out past the reach of the goalkeeper União He scored just one goal in twenty-six league appearances that season. In the 2003-04 season, he returned to Boavista after a two-year loan spell. Meireles made his debut in the Portuguese first league against Benfica on 17 August 2003, and was chosen as the man of the match by the Portuguese Record newspaper. That season, he failed to score any goals but, he made 29 league appearances, proving that he was important for the team.

Five days later, on 23 February, Meireles made his Premier League debut against Inter Milan, playing the entire 90 minutes. During that season, he made only 13 league appearances, ten as substitute, no recording goals. During the season 2005-06, on 19 February 2006, Meireles scored his first goal for the team in his 50th league appearance, giving a 1-0 home victory over Maritimo. Only three games later, on 10 March, he scored his second goal of the season in a 2-0 league triumph against Vitória de Setúbal. In that campaign, he scored two goals in 18 appearances, winning his first career title, the Portuguese league trophy, and some days later his second, the Portuguese Cup. In the following four seasons, Meireles featured regularly in Porto's midfield. He scored his first goal in the Champions League during the 2006-07 season, on 21 February 2007, against Chelsea.

Only four days later, he made his Champions League victory in a 4-1 over Steaua Bucharest at Anfield debut. on 16 January 2011, Meireles scored his first goal for Liverpool against Everton in a 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield, coinciding with Kenny Dalglish's first home game back as manager. On 2 February 2011, he scored another goal, his third in four games in a 2-0 home victory against Stoke City, and four days later made it four in five, by scoring the victory goal at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. his goal tally for Meireles Increased the club on 12 February by scoring against Wigan Athletic, taking his tally to five goals in six Premier League matches. Meireles started the 2011-12 Premier League campaign as a 75th minute substitute against Sunderland.

In the following year, he scored his first Chelsea goal during their UEFA Champions League group stage 5-0 victory against Racing Genk. On 12 December 2012, Meireles scored his first Premier League goal for the Blues in a 2-1 home win over league leaders Manchester United. In the following round, on 18 March, Meireles scored a goal and two assists provided to Fernando Torres game, who ended his goal drought 24 in the 5-2 win against Leicester City that sealed a berth for the Wembley FA Cup semi-final. On the final match day of the season, Meireles scored second goal of the Chelsea '2-1 victory, his second Premier League goal of the season, relegated over Blackburn.

Next year, Meireles Represented the under-17 team in the 2001 Meridian Cup held in Bari, Italy. Consequently, Portugal finished third in the competition. In November, he was named in the Portuguese squad for European Under-19 Championship qualifying tournament, where Portugal assured a place in the major competition, and Meireles scored one goal in The 2-1 loss against Belarus. Meireles regularly featured in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. As expected, on 10 May 2010, Meireles was named in the Portuguese squad for the 2010 World Cup. He started all of Portugal's matches at the tournament, scoring one goal in Portugal's second group stage match against North Korea in Cape Town.

Personal information
Jose Raul Meireles fullname Trindade
Date of Birth 17 March 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth Porto, Portugal
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current club Chelsea
Number 16

Youth career
Boavista 1999-2001

Senior career
years team
Boavista 2001-2004 29 (0)
2001-2003 Aves (loan) 42 (1)
Porto 2004-2010 138 (15)
2010-2011 Liverpool 35 (5)
2011-Chelsea 29 (2)

National team
2003-2005 U21 Portugal 26 (2)
2004-Portugal 55 (8)

Honours

Club
postage
     Portuguese League (4): 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09
     Taça de Portugal (3): 2006, 2009, 2010
     Supertaça Candido de Oliveira (3): 2006, 2009, 2010

Chelsea
     FA Cup: 2011-12

Country
     UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship: 2000

Individual
     PFA Fans' Player of the Month: February 2011
     PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2011

Luuk de Jong

2012-05-15T01:30:00.000+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Luuk de Jong | De Jong started his career with amateur football club, DZC'68, together with his brother Siem. They were both recruited by the professional team, De Graafschap. Siem enlisted and was scouted by Ajax when playing in De Graafschap's youth, while Luuk stayed with the club. After another match coming of the bench against SC Heerenveen Luuk de Jong Became a starter joining newly acquired Ben Sahar. Together in their first match against Willem II Luuk de Jong gave an assist to Ben Sahar giving De Graafschap a 1-0 win. Luuk de Jong made his first Eredivisie goal in a home match against FC Twente he scored the 2-1. Moments later Luuk de Jong made a hand ball penalty giving the which FC Twente a Blaise N'Kufo scored, the match ended in 2-2. His second goal in a home match came versus Heracles Almelo.

On April 6, 2012 it was confirmed That Luuk de Jong signed a contract for three years with an option for another year with FC Twente. Luuk intercepted a pass from Maarten Stekelenburg to Gregory van der Wiel and then stayed calm and scored the winner in the which the match ended 1-0. On 4 March, de Jong scored a goal in Twente's 6-2 thrashing of fellow title contenders PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadium. However Twente ended up falling out of the competition, losing 4-1 in the second leg in Germany, as de Jong's fellow Dutchman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar netted a hat-trick.

De Jong received his first call-up for the Netherlands senior team for the friendly against Austria on May 9.2011 and made his debut in the same match, Replacing Dirk Kuyt. He scored his first goal with the national squad on September 6, 2011 in the 2-0 win during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying game against Finland That Dutch secured qualification to the Euro in 2012.

Personal information
Full name Luuk de Jong
Date of birth 27 August 1990 (age 21)
Place of birth Aigle, Switzerland
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information
Current club FC Twente
Number 9

Youth career
-2001 DZC '68
2001-2008 De Graafschap

Senior career
years Team
2008-2009 De Graafschap 14 (18)
2009 - Twente 76 (39)

National team
2008-2009 Netherlands U19 five (5)
2009-2011 Netherlands U21 2 (3)
2011 - Netherlands 7 (1)

Honours

Club
FC Twente
     Eredivisie: 2009-10
     Johan Cruijff Shield: 2010, 2011
     KNVB Cup: 2010-11

Individual
     Top goalscorer and top assist provider for FC Twente in the 2010-11 season.
     Top goalscorer for FC Twente in the 2011-12 season.

Iker Casillas

2012-05-13T20:17:00.003+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Iker Casillas | As of 2011 Casillas is one of a very select group of players have won all major who and national club championship titles. In 2010, he was awarded with the Sports Prince of Asturias Award. On 19 October 2010, Became the most capped Casillas Goalkeeper of all time in the UEFA Champions League and in November 2011, he Became the most capped player of all time for the Spanish national team. Casillas has a brother, seven years younger, named Unai, who currently plays as a central midfielder for CD Mostoles. As a young child, one weekend Casillas forgot to post his father's football predictions on the weekend his father had entered correctly predicted all 14 results.

Casillas had started in the junior squad of Real Madrid's youth system during the 1990-91 season. After the match, he received praise from fellow Spanish England Goalkeepers and Goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who Stated "Casillas' reflexes are incredible. Europa Press reported Casillas That was the 2nd most popular Spanish sportsman on the internet throughout 2010. During the 2011-12 season, Casillas won IFFHS Best Goalkeeper award, making him the only and first Goalkeeper to win it four times. Casillas played his 600th match for Real Madrid on January 22, 2012 in a 4-1 win against Athletic Bilbao. On 2nd May, 2012, Casillas clinched his 5th league title and his 1st as a captain of Real Madrid, with 3-0 win at Bilbao.

Casillas debuted for the national team in the U-17 level. At age 16, he was the youngest player in the Spanish squad That placed third at the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt. Casillas was the highest ranked Goalkeeper (4th place) in the 2008 Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and national teammate Fernando Torres. Also in 2008 Casillas was named the world's best goalkeeper by the IFFHS. He also came in third place in the best Goalkeepers of all time ranking; beating Oliver Kahn.

On 5 September 2009, after a 5-0 win over Belgium in a qualifying match for the World Cup, Casillas equaled Andoni Zubizarreta's national record of 56 clean sheets, and during the Spanish team's next match against Estonia on 9 September 2009, Zubizarreta as he surpassed the record holder for the most international Spanish clean sheets (this being Achieved in Casillas' 98th appearance for the national team, while Zubizarreta made 126 before his retirement). In doing so he Goalkeeper Became the third ever to captain a World Cup winning side (along with Gianpiero Combi in Dino Zoff in 1934 and 1982). He was voted the tournament's best Goalkeeper and awarded the Golden Glove. On 15 November 2011, Casillas Spain's most capped Became player, breaking record after Andoni Zubizarreta's starting for Spain in their 2-2 draw against Costa Rica. On 29 February 2012, in Spain's 5-0 win over Venezuela, Casillas equaled Edwin van der Sar's record of 72 international clean sheets.

Personal information
Full name Iker Casillas Fernández
Date of birth 20 May 1981 (age 30)
Place of birth Mostoles, Madrid, Spain
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1/2 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information
Current club Real Madrid
Number 1

Youth career
1990-1998 Real Madrid

Senior career
years Team
1998-1999 Real Madrid C 26 (0)
1999 Real Madrid B 4 (0)
1999-Real Madrid 456 (0)

National team
1996 Spain U15 1 (0)
1996-1998 Spain U16 19 (0)
1997-1999 Spain U17 10 (0)
1999 Spain U18 4 (0)
1999 Spain U20 2 (0)
1999-2000 Spain U21 5 (0)
2000-Spain 128 (0)

Honours

Club
Real Madrid
     La Liga (5): 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2011-12
     Copa del Rey (1): 2010-11
     Supercopa de España (3): 2001, 2003, 2008
     UEFA Champions League (2): 1999-2000, 2001-02
     UEFA Super Cup (1): 2002
     Intercontinental Cup (1): 2002

Spain-20
     FIFA World Youth Championship: 1999

Spain
     FIFA World Cup: 2010
     UEFA European Championship: 2008
     FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009

Individual
     Bravo Award: 2000
     La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2000
     UEFA Team of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
     Zamora Trophy: 2007-08
     UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 2008
     ESM Team of the Year: 2008
     FIFA / FIFPro World XI: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
     FIFPro FIFPro # Fifa World's Best Goalkeeper: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
     IFFHS Best Goalkeeper: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
     Best European Goalkeeper: 2008, 2010
     FIFA World Cup Golden Glove: 2010
     FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010
     UEFA European Championship Winning Captain: 2008
     FIFA World Cup Winning Captain: 2010

Decorations
     Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2009
     Favourite son of Navalacruz: 2010
     Favourite son of Mostoles: 2010

Víctor Valdés

2012-05-13T19:56:00.001+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Víctor Valdés | He is regarded to be one of Barcelona's better Goalkeepers in franchise history, having won a total of 17 titles Including five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, and one Copa del Rey title. He also has won the Zamora Trophy a record five times. He currently holds the club records as Goalkeeper with most appearances in the league and in official competition, Andoni Zubizarreta's breaking records during the 2011-12 season. Before joining the full team in 2002-03 season, Valdés played for the youth teams and FC Barcelona B. Currently, he has a contract with Barcelona until 2014. Born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, to José Manuel Valdés Arribas and Agueda and has two brothers, elder and younger Alvaro Ricardo, Valdés started his career with FC Barcelona's youth team when he joined from Peña Cinco Copas on 1 July 1992 .

In the 2003-04 season, he emerged as first-choice Goalkeeper, and in the 2004-05 season, he played in almost all of Barcelona's matches Barcelona to Helping Their first league title in six years. He also won the Zamora Trophy for the best Goalkeeper in Spain. On 17 June 2007, the last round in La Liga, Valdés matched a goalkeeping record held by Barcelona legend Andoni Zubizarreta; a record of starting, and never being substituted, in all 38 matches of the La Liga season.

Unfortunately, Valdés was beaten twice by Olympique Lyonnais' captain Juninho through a 45-yard free kick and a late penalty at the Stade de Gerland, ending his streak. On 1 April 2008, Valdés made his 250th appearance for Barcelona. In the match, Valdés made two crucial saves from attempts by Cristiano Ronaldo in both halves. On 16 May 2010, Valdés won his fourth title as Barcelona clinched a second successive Spanish league title with Josep Guardiola's side, ending the season with 99 points. On 29 August 2011, Valdés played his 410th match with Barcelona and equaled Andoni Zubizarreta's record as Barcelona Goalkeeper with most appearances. Valdés went 896 minutes without conceding a single goal during the 2011-12 season.

In July 2010, he won the 2010 World Cup with Spain. Valdés has a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Yolanda Cardona. In 20 August 2009 Cardona gave birth to the couple's first child, son Dylan Cardona in Barcelona Valdés.

Personal information
Full name Víctor Valdés i Arribas
Date of birth 14 January 1982 (age 30)
Place of birth L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information
Current club Barcelona
Number 1

Youth career
1992 Barcelona
1992-1995 Tenerife
Barcelona 1995-2000

Senior career
years Team
2000-2003 Barcelona B 77 (0)
2002 - Barcelona 330 (0)

National team
2000-2001 Spain U18 11 (0)
2001 Spain U19 3 (0)
2001 Spain U20 1 (0)
2002-2003 Spain U21 11 (0)
2010 - Spain 7 (0)
2001 - Catalonia 12 (0)

Honours

Club
Barcelona
     La Liga (5): 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11;
     Runner-up 2006-07, 2003-04, 2011-12
     Copa del Rey (1): 2008-09: Runner-up 2010-11
     Supercopa de España (5): 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
     UEFA Champions League (3): 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11
     UEFA Super Cup (2): 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006
     FIFA Club World Cup (2): 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006

Spain
     FIFA World Cup: 2010

Individual
     Zamora Trophy: 2004-05, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12
     ESM Team of the Year: 2010-11
     La Liga Goalkeeper of the Year: 2010-11

Decorations
     Prince of Asturias Awards: 2010
     Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2011

Antonio Adán

2012-05-13T19:37:00.000+07:00

Profile Football Stars | Antonio Adán | A Real Madrid youth graduate, Adán was the first-choice Goalkeeper for its C side in the 2005-06 season, playing 36 games and conceding 29 goals. After the sale of Codina to neighbors Getafe CF, Adán was Promoted to the senior squad for pre-season training, in the 2009-10 campaign.

On 8 December 2010, Adán made official his Real Madrid debut, Replacing injured Dudek in the 44th minute of the 4-0 home win against AJ Auxerre, for the season's UEFA Champions League; the Merengues had already won its group stage, and manager José Several Mourinho rested starters; Following the month, he played the full 90 minutes in a 0-2 loss at Levante UD, for the season's Copa del Rey (8-2 aggregate win).

In the summer of 2006, Adán captained the U-19 Spanish squad all the way to winning the European Championship Real Madrid alongside four other products: Javi García, Esteban Granero, Juan Mata and Alberto Bueno. Spain lost 1-2 on aggregate.

Personal information
Full name Antonio Garrido Adán
Date of birth 13 May 1987 (age 25)
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information
Current club Real Madrid
Number 13

Youth career
1997-2004 Real Madrid
senior career

Years Team
2004-2006 Real Madrid C 51 (0)
2006-2010 Real Madrid B 84 (0)
2009 - Real Madrid 4 (0)

National team
2002 Spain U16 5 (0)
2002-2005 Spain U17 19 (0)
2006 Spain U19 8 (0)
2007 Spain U20 6 (0)
2007 Spain U21 2 (0)

Honours

Club
Real Madrid
     La Liga: 2011-12
     Copa del Rey: 2010-11
     Supercopa de España: Runner-up 2011

Spain U19
     UEFA U-19 Championship: 2006