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FOOTBALL: A CURSE BROKEN BY ARSENAL FINALLY

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 23:01:00 +0000

Its all hapy day for the arsenal folk as manchester united lost out of the fac cup race.

SUMMARY

Arsenal are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup after a memorable victory at Manchester United on Monday night.
Nacho Monreal gave the visitors the lead after 26 minutes when finishing a terrific team move, but Wayne Rooney quickly equalised.
During an open second half, Danny Welbeck marked his return to Old Trafford in the best possibly way just after the hour, capitalising on Antonio Valencia’s error to poke into an empty net.
Angel Di Maria was sent off for shoving the referee as the home team tried in vain to get back into what was a captivating cup tie.
This fixture has produced some special fixtures over the years and this was no exception. Finally, after nine years and 11 attempts, Arsenal have won at Old Trafford again. Arsène Wenger’s grin at full-time said it all. He has now won 10 of his 11 FA Cup quarter-finals.
As the final whistle sounded, Arsenal’s excellent 9,000-strong away fans were in full voice. And on the balance of play, their team had deserved this victory.

SETTING THE SCENE

Wenger had said in his pre-match press conference that Wojciech Szczesny would start providing he recovered from the illness that had kept the Pole out of the win at QPR last Wednesday. Szczesny was passed fit and duly lined up between the posts.
In front of him, Monreal and Laurent Koscielny replaced Kieran Gibbs and the injured Gabriel respectively, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came in for Tomas Rosicky.
Elsewhere, Welbeck made a first return to the stadium that he called home until last summer’s deadline day.
While Arsenal’s route to the quarter-final was relatively serene, the hosts had required replays to see off both Yeovil Town and Cambridge United. This was the undisputed tie of the round and was set up tantalisingly.
Arsenal have found consistency since the turn of the year, winning 10 of their last 12 matches in all competitions. But Louis van Gaal’s side have done the same and came into this match with just two defeats in 22 games.

FIRST HALF

The game started at a quick and energetic tempo. Alexis cut in from the left but saw his low shot blocked by Chris Smalling at one end, Hector Bellerin was booked for scything down Ashley Young at the other.
With both teams pressing high up the pitch, chances were at a premium during an entertaining and even first 20 minutes. The hosts looked most dangerous when aiming aerial balls in the direction of Marouane Fellaini and, after the Belgian had chested down a back-post cross, Ashley Young slipped at the vital moment when eight yards out.
Arsenal had moved the ball intelligently during the opening stages but were let down by an inaccurate final ball. That changed after 26 minutes when the visitors took the lead with a goal of the very highest quality.
Monreal, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil were all initially involved, manoeuvring the ball with an intent and invention that eventually enabled Ozil to find space through the middle. He found Oxlade-Chamberlain who, after jinking his way forward, slipped the ball through for the onrushing Monreal to calmly side-foot beyond David de Gea.
It was a superb move but the advantage would last just three minutes.
Di Maria received the ball from Valencia on the right and worked the ball onto his left foot before whipping in a cross that the unmarked Rooney nodded emphatically beyond Szczesny.
Wenger’s side responded positively and, seconds after having a penalty appeal waved away, Welbeck tested De Gea with a close-range header.
The lively Di Maria then saw a right-footed effort kicked away by Szczesny before Cazorla forced compatriot De Gea into a decent save with the last chance of a breathless first half.

SECOND HALF

Arsenal were dealt a blow five minutes after the restart when Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled up clutching his hamstring after a challenge with Marcos Rojo.
Aaron Ramsey replaced the winger and Arsenal forced the first chance of the second period when Cazorla robbed Smalling and found Alexis, whose shot was blocked by Valencia.
Fellaini and Young were booked as the game found its bite again, before Di Maria latched onto the Belgian’s pass but shot a yard or so wide.
Welbeck had produced a hardworking and powerful display up front, providing Arsenal’s attack with a quick and physical focal point. Just after the hour, he marked his return to his former home with a second goal that in truth, was gifted to him.
Valencia dallied on the ball midway his own half before under=hitting a backpass to De Gea. Welbeck capitalised and beat the goalkeeper to the ball before knocking it beyond him and slotting home in front of Arsenal’s jubilant 9,000 traveling contingent.
Arsenal were in command and would have extended the lead yet further were it not for De Gea, who sprang superbly to his left to keep out Cazorla’s well-hit 12-yard volley.
Seconds later, Arsenal found themselves with a goal and a man advantage. Di Maria was the man sent off, appearing to shove Michael Oliver after the referee had booked the Argentine for simulation.
With time running out, Van Gaal’s side threw more men forward. Substitute Adnan Januzaj had an appeal for a penalty turned down but the hosts’ open approach suited Arsenal, who continued to create chances on the break. Alexis could have sealed it late on but was denied by more De Gea heroics.
In the end it didn’t matter. Arsenal are back at Wembley.

Arsenal

1: Szczesny
4: Mertesacker (C)
6: Koscielny
18: Monreal Goal!
39: Bellerin 66 Yellow Card
15: Oxlade-Chamberlain 50
11: Ozil
19: Cazorla
34: Coquelin
17: Alexis
23: Welbeck 74 Goal!

Substitutes

16: Ramsey 50 Yellow Card
12: Giroud 74
38: Akpom
26: Martinez
14: Walcott
3: Gibbs
21: Chambers 66

Manchester United

1: Gea
5: Rojo 73 Yellow Card
3: Shaw 46
12: Smalling
25: Valencia
7: Maria Yellow Card Red Card
18: Young Yellow Card
17: Blind
31: Fellaini Yellow Card
21: Herrera 46 Yellow Card
10: Rooney (C) Goal!

Substitutes

4: Jones 46
11: Januzaj 73 Yellow Card
9: Garcia
16: Carrick 46
8: Mata
2: Silva
32: Valdes; Always follow allttrendi on twitter and facebook

SPORTS: MAJOR LEAGUE TABLES AS AT 8/3/2014

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 21:36:00 +0000

SportsTrendi bring to you all the major soccer league tables in the world today. As most of the actions in these leagues came came to a halt today, most tables got updated. So we are delighted to bring it you so as to let you the position(s) of your favourite league clubs in the world.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

SPANISH LA LIGA

ITALIAN SERIE

DUTCH EREDIVISIE

We poised to keep you abreast sport wise
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SOME INSPIRATIONAL SAYINGS TO KEEP YOU GOING

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 18:06:00 +0000

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.
Albert Einstein

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau

Inspiration and genius--one and the same.
Victor Hugo

To find what you seek in the road of life,
the best proverb of all is that which says:
"Leave no stone unturned."
Edward Bulwer Lytton

Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
Christian Nestell Bovee

If you would create something,
you must be something.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Every artist was first an amateur.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be.
Horace Bushnell

I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all of the time.
Anna Freud

In any project the important factor is your belief. Without belief, there can be no successful outcome.
William James

I avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward.
Charlotte Brontë

Life has no smooth road for any of us; and in the bracing atmosphere of a high aim the very roughness stimulates the climber to steadier steps, till the legend, over steep ways to the stars, fulfills itself.
W. C. Doane

We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough.
Helen Keller

I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she will make the same effort, and have the same hope and faith.
Mahatma Gandhi

Experience is the child of thought, and thought is the child of action.
Benjamin Disraeli

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.
Orison Swett Marden

Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?
George Eliot

No great man ever complains of want of opportunities.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Men do less than they ought,
unless they do all they can.
Thomas Carlyle

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities - brilliantly disguised as insoluable problems.
John Gardner

Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.
Leon J. Suenes

The power of imagination makes us infinite.
John Muir

First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do.
Epictetus

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DOWNLOAD NEW MOVIE: American Sniper

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 13:45:00 +0000

Released : 16 January 2015
Genre : Action | Biography | Drama
Starcast : Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner

Description: Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home to his wife and kids after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.
Duration : 2:14
Size : 175mb

DOWNLOAD 1

DOWNLOAD 2

Credits: MoviesMobile

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The Told Legends of Indian Music

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 13:28:00 +0000

One might begin to wonder if Indians have what it takes in the music and entertainment world at large. But the simple truth is that the have the most incredible legendary musicians. Most have bagged grammys, oscars, and all the major trophies for MUSIC!

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent,” Victor Hugo had rightly said. Music has always been a part and parcel of Indian culture.
No form of expression touches your soul the way Hindustani Music does. India has been blessed with some of the most talented musicians who touched a million lives with their music. So here we bring before you the list of 15 greatest Indian musicians of all time:

Pandit Ravi Shankar (Sitar Virtuoso)

Image Credit: Ãï¿½ï¿½ BCCL
Ravi Shankar is a legendary sitar player and one of India's most esteemed classical musicians. He has made a major contribution in popularizing Indian classical music in the West through his association with The Beatles. He was conferred Bharat Ratna in 1999.

Lata Mangeshkar (Singer)

Image Credit: Ãï¿½ï¿½ BCCL
Gifted with the most melodious voice, she is one of the most respected playback singers in India. Her career spans over six and a half decades and has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six languages. She was awarded Bharat Ratna in 2001.

Hariprasad Chaurasia (Flute player)

Image Credit: Ãï¿½ï¿½ BCCL
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is a world-renowned exponent of the bansuri. He is one of those rare classical musicians who expanded the peripheries of classical music by taking it to the masses. He has given music in several hit films such as Silsila, Chandni, and Lamhe. He is also the recipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Bibhushan.

Mohammed Rafi (Singer)

Rafi cannot be called any less than a genius. A man who has been associated with playback singing for almost half a century, his voice has been the antidote to many a dreadful diseases and a soothing balm for broken hearts. His contribution to the Hindi film industry has been fabulous and perhaps no singer till date has managed to capture the hearts of fans the way Mohammed Rafi has.

A R Rahman (Music Composer)

Allah Rakha Rahman is a world-renowned musician of India. AR Rahman holds the credit for totally overhauling the style in which music was being made in India. Due to his creative brilliance, AR Rahman is often referred to as the Mozart of Madras by his fans in India and abroad. He won an Oscar award for his music score in Slumdog Millionaire.

Tansen (Indian Classical Music)

Miyan Tansen, who was one of the nine jewels or navaratnas in the court of Emperor Akbar, is regarded as the greatest musician India has ever produced. He is said to have played a pivotal role in creating the classical genre of north Indian music we know today.

Kishore Kumar (Singer)

Image Credit: Ãï¿½ï¿½ BCCL
He was the most popular playback singer of his time and his recordings are still best-sellers. He was also a lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.

M S Subbulakshmi (Carnatic Singer)

MS Subbulakshmi was a legendary Carnatic musician. Her rendering of bhajans (devotional songs) was divine and used to enthral and transfix listeners, and transport them into a different world. She was conferred Bharat Ratna in 1998.

Ustad Bismillah Khan (Shehnai Player)

The legendary shehnai player was one of India's most celebrated classical musicians. Bismillah Khan has been credited with taking the shehnai from the marriage mandap to the concert hall. He was conferred Bharat Ratna in 2001.

Exclusive: The Kardashians Sign Record-Breaking $100million Deal With E!

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 22:49:00 +0000

he Kardashians have just signed a record breaking deal to remain with entertainment and lifestyle Channel, E!

PageSix of the New York Times report that momager Kris Jenner recently secured the astonishing deal for herself and daughters Kim, Khloé, Kourtney, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Bruce Jenner is not part of the deal, having previously agreed that he will be leaving after the upcoming 10th season of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” Bruce has his own show at E! based on his sex transition.

The Kardashian deal, the highest in TV history for a reality brand, is being kept strictly under wraps. E!’s parent company Comcast says it plans to save by spending less on content if its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable goes ahead.

The deal covers at least four more seasons of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” as well as spinoffs, which have included “Kourtney and Khloé Take the Hamptons.” E! executives also believe the family’s huge social media following will fuel future digital projects. The source added that Kanye West is not part of the deal.

E! is also closely monitoring future projects of Kendall and Kylie. The Kardashians are yet to react to the report.

Ladies: That killer body-The Once-A-Week, All-You-Need Abs Workout

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 21:15:00 +0000

Beth Bischoff

It's been well established that the best strength-training programs allow for some days of rest in between workouts—yet some experts say you should do abs workouts every day. That approach works if you are interested in improving the muscular endurance of your ab muscles. The drawback is that everyday workouts make it hard to truly tax and "overload" your muscles—and asking your ab muscles to push and pull a bit harder than they're used to is what allows for more change and more lasting change.
This mack-daddy of a workout will challenge your abs muscles in a new way—so new, in fact, that you'll only need to perform this workout once per week. Let's increase the intensity of your abs workouts so that you can decrease the frequency of them!
The Workout: Complete the following exercises in a row using the sets, reps, and rest phases noted below.
Oh! One last tip: Using your breath properly will improve the quality of the workout. Exhale during the contraction—when you are squeezing your ab muscles. The exhale will actually help you contract better and deeper. Then, inhale when you are relaxing, or on "the easy" phase.
Check out a preview of the workout in the pin-able graphic below, then scroll down for a move-by-move breakdown.

MOVE 1Swiss Ball Body Saw

Beth Bischoff

Start on your knees and place your forearms on the top of a 65 cm or 75 cm stability (Swiss) ball. Clasp your hands together for an anchoring effect. Walk your knees backward until you can easily lift up into a plank position with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your feet flexed, brace your core strongly, and lift away from the ball by pressing into your forearms. This will keep you from sagging and losing tension in your core. Activate and squeeze your legs and butt to stabilize, then pull your arms two to four inches toward you (A). Immediately push your arms four to eight inches forward so that you end forward from your starting position (B). That’s one rep. Continue this backward and forward movement for a total of 20 reps. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat the movement, this time for 30 reps. Then, rest for one minute and repeat the movement for 40 reps. Pow: Hello, abs. Rest for one minute between this and the next exercise (or for as long as it takes to get prepared for the next move).

MOVE 2Swiss Ball Plank with Feet on Bench

Beth Bischoff

Begin on your knees, and place your forearms on a 65 cm or 75 cm stability (Swiss) ball with hands clasped. Lift your upper body away from the ball to stabilize and tighten your upper-body muscles. Once you're stable, step one foot back to a sturdy exercise bench and activate that leg for stability. Then, step the other foot back to the bench and place it so that your feet are shoulder-width distance apart. Brace your core strongly. Imagine that you could lengthen your body outward from your head and backward from your heels. Keep your upper body strong, and take short, shallow breaths. Hold for 30 seconds. Relax down, and rest for 30 seconds. Repeat the movement, this time holding for 45 seconds. Relax, and rest for 45 seconds. Repeat for a third set, this time holding for one minute (or longer if you can). Rest for one minute between this and the next exercise (or for as long as it takes to get prepared for the next move).

MOVE 3V-Up

Beth Bischoff

Begin lying face-up on the floor with your legs stretched out straight and your arms reaching over your head with your hands together but not clasped (A). Keeping your feet and hands together, contract and brace your core deeply as you exhale; this sets the foundation for the movement. Immediately, use the strength of your core to lift your torso and legs off the ground, as if bringing your hands and feet together and reaching for your toes. Continue exhaling throughout this phase of the movement. Imagine that you are trying to lift your whole body off the ground so that you end with just your tailbone touching the floor. This isn’t exactly possible, but that’s the essence of the movement and the direction that you want to go (B). Relax fully to the ground, pausing for a brief moment. That’s one rep. Immediately lift back up and continue the movement for a total of 15 reps. Rest for one minute, then repeat for two more sets of 15, again resting for one minute between the second and third sets. If you’d like to add more of a challenge, hold a five-pound dumbbell end-to-end in your hands throughout the exercise. Rest for one minute between this and the next exercise (or for as long as it takes to get prepared for the next move).

MOVE 4Weighted Russian Twist

Beth Bischoff

Sit up tall on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Hold a five- or 10-pound weight plate with your hands, bracing the muscles of your core. Extend your hands outward directly in front of your chest. Take a deep inhale, then exhale and lean backward with a long, tall spine, holding your torso at a 45-degree angle and keeping your arms extended (A). From here, turn your torso to the right, pause and squeeze your core muscles (B), then turn your torso fully to the left, and pause and squeeze your ab muscles (C). That’s one rep. Continue alternating sides and twisting for a total of 20 reps. Then rest for 30 seconds and repeat the movement for 30 reps. Rest for one minute and complete a third set for 40 reps. credits: womenshealth

Motor Tech: The top 10 most expensive cars of all time

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 20:25:00 +0000

There are more high net worth individuals in the United States than any other country – a lot more. Though other countries are beginning to catch up, right now the United States is the home of the collectibles market in almost every genre (art, stamps, coins, wine, ad infinitum), and rare automobiles are no exception.
Seventy-two of the top 100 cars sold at auction (72 percent) were sold in the United States, with the United Kingdom (12), Italy (8), France (4), Monaco (3) and Germany (1) making up the remainder. Finally, we get to the list itself. Wherever the auction house has provided an online link to the individual sale, we've included it.

1 – 1962-63 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta

US$38,115,000
August, 2014, Pebble Beach, U.S.
Auctioned by Bonhams

The first sale at auction of a Ferrari 250 GTO for many years created intense international interest at Pebble Beach this year, with the record almost certain to be broken well before bidding began.The rumor mill tends to report really big dollar sales and in recent times it had been working overtime and the word on everyone's lips was GTO. In February 2012, a 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO changed hands privately to become the most expensive car ever sold with a price of US$32 million. Then, just a few months later, a 1962 GTO sold for US$35 million, and in late 2013 a 1963 GTO sold this time for US$52 million.
As mentioned, the sale of the GTO returned the automotive auction record to Ferrari on the 26th anniversary of the death of Enzo Ferrari). The full story can be found here.

2 – 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Silver Arrow

US$29,600,000
July, 2013
West Sussex,United Kingdom
Auctioned by Bonhams

Juan Manuel Fangio leads the pack through Eau Rouge in his Mercedes-Benz W 196 R in 1955 Belgian GP

One of the most famous cars in the world, driven by the world's most famous driver, which we've covered in great detail previously.
Mercedes-Benz has a history of competing at the highest level of motorsport, trying out a host of new technologies, winning big, then retiring. The company returned to Grand Prix racing in 1954 with the stated intention of winning both the World F1 title and the World Sportscar championship, achieved everything it set out to do inside two years, then shut it all down.
Only fourteen W196R machines ever existed. Ten still exist, three are in museums and six remain inside Mercedes-Benz. That leaves this Silver Arrow W196R (chassis 006/54) as the only post-war Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow in private hands. The very recent (2010 – present) F1 cars of Schumacher, Rosberg and Hamilton all remain inside Mercedes-Benz too.
The car is a technological gem, having been built specifically to win world Formula One titles, the W196R won two inside 18 months with a final scorecard of 12 starts for nine wins. The engine is a 2½-liter straight-8 and the auction car was driven by Fangio who won both the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix races in it.
The W165R was such a showcase of technological firsts that it is a milestone vehicle in motorsport history, and a car that demonstrates significant thought leadership on many levels.

Desmodromic valve actuation (as used by Ducati sixty years later), inboard brakes, independent suspension, the first first fuel-injected F1 motor, a lightweight space frame that weighed just 36 kg (73 lb), all wrapped in an aerodynamics package so far ahead of the game that it put the team in a different league.
As you shall see as this list progresses, almost every car has an impeccable provenance and derives at least some of its considerable value from being owned or driven or used by royalty, a celebrity, or a famous driver.
This particular Silver Arrow was driven by the most respected race driver of all-time, Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio won several Grand Prix races in this vehicle including famous back-to-back victories that sealed his 1954 Formula One driver's title.
For those who know the name but not the deeds, Fangio's racing years were largely stolen by WWII. When he drove his first F1 race, he was 38 years of age, yet he went on to win 24 Formula one races, five driver titles with four teams (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati), and still easily retains the highest winning percentage of any driver in F1 history at 46 percent – 24 wins from 52 starts.
For the record, those behind him are Alberto Ascari (13 from 33 / 39.4%), Jim Clark (25 from 73 / 34.25%), Michael Schumacher (91 from 308 / 29.6%), Jackie Stewart (27 from 100 / 27%), Ayrton Senna (41 from 162 or 25.3%) and Alain Prost (51 from 202 / 25.2%) and his win ratio is better than double that of any current driver. The full story of both the car and the driver can be found in our in-depth write up when the Silver Arrow took the world record.
Racing historian Doug Nye said of Fangio: "He was a humble man, originally a mechanic from a potato town in Argentina – and he never forgot his roots. As a driver, he was simply a genius. As a man he had no enemies. He was universally loved, even by those he regularly beat on track. No standard-setting sportsman could have a better epitaph."

3 – 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S NART Spider

US$27,700,000
August, 2013
Pebble Beach, U.S.

When North American Ferrari importer (and Le Mans 24 Hour winner) Luigi Chinetti said to his friend Eddie Smith, “I talked Enzo into building some spiders. Do you want one?”, the story of this car began. Eddie bought one of the ten N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team) Spiders that were built and the car remained in the family until this sale when it was generously donated to charity.

The whole story is in the official auction page for the car. Fully restored, one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever made, and blindingly quick with its 300 bhp 3,286 cc quad cam V-12 engine.
Eddie Smith Snr.'s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S NART Spider was one of just ten built. It was sold by RM Auctions for US$27,700,000 in August, 2013. Photo © Darin Schnabel/RM Auctions.

4 - 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale

US$26,400,000
August, 2014
Pebble Beach, U.S.
Auctioned by RM Auctions

We've already written up the 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale to be auctioned by RM Auctions. The hand-built 275 GTB/C incorporated lightweight aluminum bodywork and a Tipo 563 chassis.
As a successor to Ferrari’s 250 GTO, the Speciale ran a lightweight, 3.3 liter V12 that, with the help of six Weber carburetors, managed to produce 320 hp (238.6 kW). That impressive bit of power was put to the road via a 5-speed manual transaxle gearbox that worked in conjunction with a four-wheel independent suspension set up, and disc brakes on all corners.

5 – 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider

US$18,450,000 (sold for EUR16,300,000)
February, 2015
Paris, France
Auctioned by Artcurial

The jewel within the world’s greatest ever barnfind (the Baillon Collection), this 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider fetched US$18.45 million (EUR16.3 million) at Artcurial’s Retromobile auction in Paris on February 5, 2015.
It was formerly owned by actor Alain Delon, one of several cars unaccounted for in the Ferrari Register and thought lost. Full story.

6 – 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

US$16,390,000
August, 2013
Pebble Beach, U.S.
Auctioned by Gooding & Co

A previous holder of the world auction record, this Ferrari Testa Rossa prototype sold for US$16.4 million at the 2013 Gooding & Co Pebble Beach auction.
The 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa auction car debuted at the 1957 Nurburgring 1000 kms but it is not the car's racing history which makes it so valuable, but the fact this is the very first Testa Rossa – the original prototype and rolling testbed for the 250 TR (Testa Rossa) line, one of the most successful sports racing cars ever.
Though Ferrari's Testa Rossa dominated sports car racing for the next half decade, only 34 were ever built, with this car's younger siblings winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1958, 1960, and 1961.

This is the original Ferrari Testa Rossa (Testa Rossa means "red head" in Italian), a nickname derived thanks to the bright red rocker covers on THIS CAR - Chassis 0666 TR).
Like many race cars that have seen action over a period, Ferrari 0666 TR is a little bit like Grandpa's axe (which had three heads and 12 handles during its lifetime), as it burned twice and was seriously bent out of shape during the 1958 Le Mans 24 Hour race. It is nonetheless the original Testa Rossa, and hence represents the beginning of a long and glorious history.
The full story of Ferrari 0666 TR regales its provenance in granular detail.

7 – 1954 Ferrari 375-Plus Spider Competizione

US$16,380,895
(sold for £10,753,500)
June, 2014
Goodwood, U.K.
Auctioned by Bonhams

Bonhams describes this car in the auction catalog as an "outstanding example of the biggest-engined, most powerful and most important sports-racing Ferrari model built purely for works team use at the outset of the 1954 International motor racing season."
One of the features of the "works" 1954 Ferrari 375-Plus Spider was its 4.9 litre V12 motor, which was known by the French racing community as "Le Monstre" and by the British as "The Fearsome Four-Nine."
The car ran second in the 1954 Mille Miglia in the hands of Umberto Maglioli, won an international race at Silverstone in May with JoséFroilán González behind the wheel, then Maglioli and Paolo Marzotto used this car in the Le Mans 24 Hour race, swapping the lead with a sister car driven by González and Maurice Trintignant until a gearbox failure finished its race. González and Trintignant won the race in an identical car and both cars shared the fastest lap.
Paolo Marzotto, the driver who had passed the exquisitely talented González (dubbed the "The Pampas Bull" by the British press) for the lead at Le Mans, described this car as "terrifyingly fast" as it had enough torque to out-accelerate anything out of a corner, and enough horsepower to breeze past the aerodynamically superior D-Type Jaguars on the straights.

This particular car has a long and interesting history which is well documented on the Bonhams auction page.
"The Fearsome Four-Nine" is perhaps best known as the winner of the final and fastest Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.
For those unfamiliar with the infamous Carrera Panamericana, it was a road race run on public roads in Mexico from 1950 to 1954. To picture the event, think of famous road races such as the Mille Miglia or Targa Florio on both steroids and acid. The race was twice as long as the Mille Miglia, and with no separation from the public.
The original Carrera Panamericana (it has now been revived in somewhat tamer and saner form) is arguably the fastest and most dangerous road race ever held on public roads, well beyond the African runnings of the Paris-Dakar, an event we previously labelled the world's most dangerous sporting event when it was still being run in Africa.
The 1950-54 Carrera Panamericana comprehensively trumps the Paris-Dakar as the world's most dangerous regularly staged motor race EVER! In five runnings of the Carrera Panamericana, 27 competitors were killed along with an unknown but substantial number of spectators and race officials.
When the race began in 1950, average speed for the 3000+ kilometer course was 142 km/h (88 mph) but by the fifth running, average speeds (remember this was on public roads, indeed, a national highway, and organizer resources to separate the public from the racing were so thin that "collateral damage" was almost guaranteed) had climbed dramatically to an average speed of 173.7 km/h (107.96 mph).
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame British band Pink Floyd's Nick Mason and David Gilmour made a film documentary about the Carrera Panamericana race which can be seen in two parts – part 1 and part 2 – with seven previously unpublished tracks along with some music you will undoubtedly know.
Factory teams from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati, Gordini, Buick, Cadillac and Oldsmobile competed, and the world's best drivers (Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Ritchie Ginther, Piero Taruffi, Umberto Maglioli, Felice Bonetto, Louis Chiron, Herman Lang, Karl Ling and dozens of other well-known names) drove in the event, and it held world championship status in both 1953 and 1954.

8 - 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider

US$15,180,000
August, 2014
Pebble Beach, U.S.
Auctioned by Gooding & Co

This Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider features the highly attractive covered-headlight treatment, which Scaglietti applied to just 37 of the 56 examples built. It is also one of a limited number of SWB California Spiders that came factory-equipped with an optional hardtop. This car has been displayed at such world-renowned events as Concorso Italiano, Monterey Vintage Ferrari Concours and Cavallino Classic, as well as participating in important rallies such as the Colorado Grand and the Copperstate 1000. Accompanied by a Ferrari Classiche certification, it will most likely push its way into the top 20 most valuable cars ever sold at auction, and top 10 is also a possibility.

9 – 1964 Ferrari 250 LM

US$14,300,000
November, 2013
New York, U.S.
Auctioned by RM Auctions

Described by RM Auctions in the auction catalog as "one of the finest original examples of Ferrari’s first mid-engined car", the Ferrari 250 LM (for "Le Mans") was a derivative of the 250P (for prototype) and 275P mid-engined factory race cars which won the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1963 and 1964 – a genuine racecar available to the public.
Only 32 of the 320 hp V-12 250 LMs were built, and one duly went on to validate its model designation by winning the 1965 Le Mans classic in North American Racing Team (NART) colours, driven by Masten Gregory, Ed Hugus and Jochen Rindt (who would win the World Formula One Champion in 1970, albeit posthumously).

The full history of this car, which included eighth overall and first in class at the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona, can be found on the official RM Auctions page.

10 – 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta 'Competizione'

US$12,745,707
(sold for EUR9,856,000)
May, 2013
Tivoli, Lazio, Italy
Auctioned by RM Auctions

This is a car of legend. It is the CAR in which Umberto Maglioli famously averaged 222 km/h (138 mph) for the final 365 km (227 mile) stage of the infamous Carrera Panamericana to ensure Ferrari won the 1953 World Sports Car Championship - an all-time record for a public road stage that will undoubtedly stand forever, at least in the bizarre circumstance of having the public using the same roads while the race is in progress.

This is one very special automobile for many reasons. It is a genuine factory Ferrari racing car, and was driven in the World Sports Car Championship by three World Champions: Mike Hawthorn, Alberto Ascari, and Giuseppe "Nino" Farina.
It was one of the three works 375 MM cars entered at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans race where it was disqualified while running in second place (driven by Hawthorn and Farina) because brake fluid had been added during a pit stop on the 12th lap, violating an obscure rule that prohibited the addition of any fluids before the 28th lap.
The car went on to play an integral part of Ferrari’s 1953 World Sports Car Manufacturer’s Championship, participated in the 24 Hour of Spa, and won the 12 Hours of Pescara.
There is one particular feat however, which stands above all that - this car achieved the fastest road stage average speed ever recorded, and in a world championship event at that.
We've already mentioned the outrageous Carrera Panamericana road race staged on public roads in Mexico in the early fifties in coverage of the 1954 Ferrari 375-Plus Spider Competizione which sits in third place in this Top 100 list. The Carrera Panamericana was legally sanctioned insanity.
This car (0320AM) was one of five 375 MM Ferraris entered in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana, all competing under the private banner of Franco Cornacchia’s Scuderia della Guastalla. It began the race driven by Mario Ricci, but during the fifth stage of the Carrera, Umberto Maglioli’s identical 375 MM (0358AM) lost a rear wheel and was unable to continue in the event – the attrition rate was understandably horrific with only one third of cars completing the race.
As the regulations of the Panamericana allowed for the substitution of drivers, Maglioli was then swapped into Ricci’s 0320AM and set about ensuring Ferrari collected the points it needed to overhaul Jaguar in the final event of the 1953 World Sports Car Championship.
Maglioli moved the car from eighth place when he took over, to a sixth place at the finish, but his drive during the eighth and final 365 km (227 mile) stage of the race is the stuff of legend.
In this car, Maglioli AVERAGED 222 km/h (138 mph), an all-time record for a public road stage that will undoubtedly stand forever, at least in the bizarre circumstance of having the public present while the race is in progress.
Part of a world championship, a car of legend, and beautiful too, it has been presented at and awarded at numerous concours d’elegance, including Pebble Beach, the Louis Vuitton Classic, and the Goodwood Revival.

CREDITS: gizmag

Top Richest Football Players of the year

noreply@blogger.com (Eze Maximus) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 19:46:00 +0000

Top 10 Richest Soccer Players 2015

Richest Soccer Players 2015

Association football, commonly known as soccer, is the most widely played sports in the world. The biggest event of the soccer world, FIFA World Cup is considered as one of the most watched events of the planet Earth. Many other football events such as Spanish Liga BBVA, UEFA Championship, English Premier League, Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga are also among the top rated and most viewed sports event of modern days. Soccer players are counted among the highest paid athletes in the world for their huge salary and lucrative endorsement income. Many big clubs such as the clubs in Spanish Liga BBVA or English Premier League are well known to trade players with huge amount of money as the players also gets a decent amount of shares in the transfer. Forbes inducts the highest earning soccer players into their list of highest paid soccer players each year. Besides Forbes, Goal.com the quite a renowned soccer website for announcing its own rich list each year. So let us look at the Top 10 Richest Soccer Players 2015.