Arjen Robben Biography

Arjen Robben Biography

Name: Arjen Robben

Nick Name: The Flying Dutchman

Place of birth: Bedum

Date of birth: 23^rd January 1984

Country: Holland

Playing as: Winger, Second Striker

Current Club: Bayern Munich

Arjen is one of the top wingers in the current era. Robben is quick and quite tricky. He is a dangerous customer at the goal with his left foot. He won league titles in three top European countries in his career.

Robben started his football journey with the youth system of VV Bedum. Robben joined the youth system of FC Groningen later. He made it to the senior side of FC Groningen, in 1999.He made his debut for Groningen while playing against Waalwijik in 2000. Robben scored six goals in 23 matches for Groningen in 2001/2002 season. He was their player of the season.

Following his impressive performances for Groningen, he moved to PSV Eindhoven in a transfer deal worth 3.9 million Euros, in 2002.Robben scored 13 goals, and helped PSV to win Dutch league title, in 2003.Robben along with Mateja Kezman were the players of the year of PSV in that season. Robben helped PSV to lift Peace cup in 2003 and Johan Cruijff Shield in 2004.Robben won the Holland’s Young player of the year award, in 2003.Injury affected Robben in his second for PSV. Robben played 68 matches for PSV and scored 21 goals.

In 2004,Robben joined the English club Chelsea revolution in a deal worth 18 million Euros. Due to injury, Robben started playing for Chelsea from November only. During 2004/2005 season, he scored seven goals in 18 matches to help Chelsea to win their first league title in five decades. Robben helped Chelsea to lift FA Community shield aswell as League cup in 2005.Robben helped Chelsea to retain their English Premier League title, in 2005.Injury affected Robben’s progress in 2006/2007 season. However, he helped Chelsea to win the League cup as well as FA cup, in 2007.Robben played his part in Chelsea’s impressive run in Champions league during his stint. Robben scored 19 goals in 102 appearances for Chelsea.

In 2007,Robben moved to Spain and joined European giants Real Madrid in a transfer deal worth 24 million pounds. Injury hampered his first season with Real Madrid. He scored 4 goals in 21 matches and helped Real Madrid to win La Liga, in 2008.Robben was impressive in 2008/2009 season. He helped Real Madrid to lift Spanish Super cup, in 2008.Real Madrid finished second in la liga following poor results, towards the end of the season. Following the arrival of stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Robben became surplus at Real Madrid. Robben scored 13 goals in 63 matches for Real Madrid. Robben joined German giants Bayern Munich, in 2009. He scored a brace in his debut as a substitute to hand Bayern Munich an impressive win against German champions Wolfsburg.

Robben made his International debut for Holland in a Euro cup match against Czech Republic as a substitute, in 2004.He helped Holland to clinch penalty shootout against Sweden in a knock out match, in that tournament. Robben helped Holland to qualify for 2006 world cup. He scored against Serbia and Montenegro in his first world cup match. He won two man of the match awards, at 2006 world cup. He scored an amazing goal against France at Euro 2008.Holland went out of the tournament at quarterfinal stage. Robben has scored 11 goals in 43 appearances for Holland. Robben is certainly a skilful player to have in any team.

George Hagi Biography

George Hagi Biography,Gheorghe Hagi is arguably the best among all time Romanian football team players. Fans used to call him as “Maradona of the Carpathians.” Hagi was named as the Romanian footballer of the century. While Romanian Football Federation proclaimed him as the Golden Player of Romania. He was a top attacking midfielder of eighties and nineties in Europe. He was exquisite in passing, ball control and he had great long-range shots.

Gheorghe Hagi was born on 5th February 1965 at Sacele in Romania. At an age of 14, Hagi started his football journey with youth team of Farul Constanta in 1979.He then played for Luceafarul Bucaresti for couple of seasons before returning to Farul Constanta in 1982.He scored seven goals for Constanta that season. He then moved to Sportul Studentesc in 1983.He played 92 games for them. He left Sportul for Steau Bucaresti in 1986.Transfer to Steu was quite amusing. Initial deal was for only one match, that too European Super Cup final. He scored the winner for Steu and they lifted the trophy. After winning the super cup, Steu wished to keep him and they did not let him go back to Sportul. He was a revelation for Steu, as he helped them to win three consecutive Romanian championships in 1987, 1988 as well as 1989. More over Hagi was instrumental in three consecutive Romanian cup wins for Steu in 1987, 1988, as well as 1989.In 1989 Steu even made it to the semi final of European cup. He scored 31 goals in 30 matches in 1988/1989 season. He scored 85 goals for Steu during his stint with them.

His exploits for steu and Romanian national team in 1990 world cup took him to Real Madrid that year. Real Madrid bought Hagi for $4.3 million. However, he was not able to reproduce his magic from his Steu days for Real Madrid. He scored only 19 goals in two seasons for them. In 1992, he moved to Brescia. In 1992 season, Brescia was relegated to Serie B. However, in 1993 season Hagi played a role in the promotion of Brescia back to Serie A. His stunning performance in 1994 world cup again gave him a chance to play in Spain, but this time with Barcelona. Like his real Madrid stint, Hagi was not able to make much impact, as injuries marred his progress. He left Barcelona to join Galatasaray in 1996.He found his rhythm again and played big part in Galatasaray’s success. He won four consecutive Turkish league titles with Galatasaray from 1997 to 2000.He lead Galatasaray to a shocking UEFA cup win in 2000, defeating mighty Arsenal. Galatasaray was the first Turkish win to achieve this feat. He sparkled during the twilight of his career, which is amazing. He bid adieu to football in 2001.

Hagi started his international career with Romania in 1983 as an 18-year-old teenager while playing against Norway. He played in three world cups. His performance in 1990 world cup yielded him the move to La Liga.1994 world cup was truly memorable for Romania as they made it to the quarterfinals for the first time. He scored against Argentina in a match, which Romania won 3-2.He scored against Columbia also. He scored three goals in that tournament. His performances yielded him a place in world cup team. After playing in 1998 world cup, he retired from international football. However, he came out of retirement to represent Romania in euro 2000.He represented Romania in 125 matches, scoring 35 goals in that process.

He turned to managing career in 2001.His stint with Romanian national team was disastrous as they failed to qualify, for world cup. He coached Burdaspor before taking over reins at his former club Galatasaray. He led them to Turkish cup win in 2004.However he resigned despite of cup win. He then joined FCU Politehnica Timisoara. He had a poor stint with Steau as well. He is certainly a Romanian football legend as he amassed six player of the year awards.

David Villa Biography

David Villa Biography,avid Villa is currently, one of the best strikers in the world. Villa is quick and has amazing finishing skills. Villa plays for Valencia CF in Spanish La Liga. Villa is the second highest goal scorer for Spanish National team. He was the top scorer at Euro 2008, which Span won.

David Villa Sanchez was born on 3^rd December 1981 at Tuilla in Spain. Villa overcame a serious femur fracture during his childhood, before he started his football journey. At the age of 10, he joined UP Langreo, in 1991.He played for youth teams of UP Langreo until 1999.

He joined Sporting Gijon B that year. In 2000, he made it to the senior side of Sporting Gijon. He played for Gijon in the Spanish second division. He scored over 50 goals for Gijon during his three-year stint with them. His impressive goal-scoring tally prompted Real Zaragoza, a newly promoted team to Spanish La Liga, to buy him, in 2003.He made his La Liga debut while playing against Deportivo de La Coronaches. He scored his first la liga goal against Real Murcia. Villa scored 20 goals for Zaragoza, in his very first season. In 2004, he scored four goals while playing against Sevilla, to help Zaragoza to draw the match. He helped Zaragoza to win Copa del Rey in 2004, defeating Real Madrid. He won Spanish super cup also with Zaragoza that year. He helped Zaragoza to reach the round of 16 in UEFA cup during 2004/2005 season. Villa scored 38 goals for Zaragoza in 92 matches.

In 2005, Villa joined Valencia CF after a transfer deal worth £8 million. Villa scored his first goal for Valencia while playing against K.A.A Gent, during an Intertoto cup game. He scored a quick hat trick against Athletico Bilbao, in matter of 5 minutes, during 2005/2006 season. He finished as la liga’s second top scorer with 25 goals during that season. He helped Valencia to enter quarterfinals of Champions league during 2006/2007 season. He helped Valencia to win Copa del Rey in 2008.In an injury-plagued season he scored 22 goals. Villa has a contract with Valencia until 2014. During 2008/2009 season, he scored 28 goals in La Liga to equal the record of highest number of goals in a season, by a Valencia player. Villa has scored 101 goals until now for Valencia. Even though Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona tried to sign Villa in 2009, Valencia despite their financial problems took him off transfer market.

Villa made his debut for Spain against San Marino in 2005.He got the nod to play in 2006 world cup. He scored three goals during the world cup. Villa scored a stunning bicycle kick during the euro cup match against Liechtenstein. He scored six goals during the Euro 2008 qualification rounds. In euro 2008,Villa scored a hat trick against Russia and Spain won the match 4-1.He scored in penalty shoot win against Italy in Euro 2008 quarterfinal. However, he missed the final due to injury. Spain went on to win the Euro cup. He won the golden boot award for the top scorer of the tournament, with a tally of four goals. He made a new Spanish record of scoring 12 goals in world cup qualification matches. He also holds the record of scoring in six consecutive matches for Spain. He was an important player of Spanish team, which equalled the world record of having maximum consecutive wins as well as the record of having maximum consecutive undefeated matches. He has scored 31 goals for Spain in 49 matches.

Miroslav Klose Biography

Miroslav Klose Biography

If you've never heard of a footballer that jumped straight from an amateur team into one of the World's most powerful national teams, read on as this Miroslav Klose biography tells such a story.

Miroslav Klose Biography – Early Career
Brought up in a sportive family, with his mother being a famous handball player for Poland and his father being a footballer, eventually also ending up in the Poland national team, it was expected that the young Miroslav Klose take up on soccer.

Although he was very passionate about the game, he kept on playing at a village team, Blaubach-Diedelkopf, for most of his youth. The team was playing at amateur-level, in the seventh German division and posed no real prospect for any player.

Miroslav Klose Biography – FC Kaiserslautern
At age 20, no one was giving him a chance to play professionally and after spending one year for FC Homburg, he joined the amateur team of FC Kaiserslautern, watching the first team each week, cheering for them like any supporter, from the stands.

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Spending a year at the amateur side, he finally drew the eyes of the first team's staff, who gave him a small professional contract. Offered the chance to become a true footballer, Klose only needed one official match to impress the audience with his performance and most of all, his impressive headings.

Quickly winning the first team place, he managed to score 33 goals in 67 matches and was instantly taken to the German national side, which was in dire need of a striker for their World Cup campaign.

So the same footballer playing Sunday soccer for an amateur team a year ago was now a member of the German national side and a few months after his debut, he was announced as a squad member for the upcoming World Cup.

Miroslav Klose Biography – Werder Bremen
After a magnificent World Cup where he scored 5 times for Germany, Klose entered a slight fall, as injuries, coped with a visible lack of form only allowed him to score 7 times in the 2002-2003 season.

Looking to change the locker room atmosphere at FC Kaiserslautern, Klose agreed to a contract from Werder Bremen the following year, where he would soon form an impressive duo with Croatian forward Ivan Klasnic.

In his 3 seasons spent at Werder Bremen so far, he managed to get his top form back, scoring an impressive 53 goals in just 87 matches. He is also a constant player in the Germany national side, where he has a tally of 33 goals in 67 caps, which, although a smaller ratio of goals per game, is still quite impressive.

Luis Fabiano Biography Complete Name: Luís Clemente Fabiano Nationality: Brazilian Place of Birth: Campinas, Brazil Date of Birth: 08/11/1980 Height: 183 cm Weight: 81 kg Current Club: FC Porto (Portugal) Position: Striker Club career history

Guarani FC (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Ituano FC (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Ponte Preta (Brazil), Rennes (France), Ponte Preta (Brazil), Sao Paulo FC (Brazil), Rennes (France), Sao Paulo FC (Brazil), FC Porto (Portugal)

Honours

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Biography

Luis Fabiano Clemente (born November 8, 1980 in Campinas, São Paulo (state), Brazil), better known by his first name of Luis Fabiano, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward. He is currently signed with the Portuguese football club FC Porto. He has already played for the Brazilian national team, winning the Copa América 2004 tournament with them. In 2005 his mother was kidnapped by gunmen in Campinas.

Diego Forlan Biography

Complete Name: Diego Forlán Nationality: Uruguayan Place of Birth: Montevideo, Uruguay Date of Birth: 19/05/1979 Height: 174 cm Weight: 75 kg National Team: Uruguay Current Club: Villarreal CF (Spain) Position: Striker

Club career history

Danubio FC (Uruguay), Penarol (Uruguay), Independiente (Argentina), Manchester United (England), Villarreal CF (Spain)

Honours

2003 Premiership Champions (Manchester United)

Biography

Diego Forlan (born May 19, 1979) is a Uruguayan footballer. He was born in Montevideo into a family of footballers. His father Pablo Forlan had played for the national football team during the 1974 World Cup held in West Germany and his grandfather Juan Carlos Corazzo played for Independiente. A promising tennis player in his youth, he decided however to follow the family tradition and concentrate on football playing for several South American clubs before transferring in January 2002 to play for Manchester United in England for a fee of £6.9 million. He made his debut for the team on January 29 against Bolton Wanderers but did not score his first goal for the club, a penalty, until August 18 in a Champions League game against Maccabi Haifa. His record of 17 goals from 95 appearances for the club does not compare favourably against team mate Ruud van Nistelrooy's 110 goals from 136 games, and it was widely thought that he would not start the 2004/2005 season in the Red Devils team colours. Forlan was strongly linked to a move to Spanish club Levante Union Deportiva, but signed on 21 August 2004 with another Spanish club, Villarreal, where he is one of the top scorers in La Liga.

Luis Suarez Biography

Luis Suarez is one of the stars of the Uruguay team for obvious reasons: he is a world-class finisher with remarkable technical ability, is blessed with a powerful shot and has the ability to outjump opponents, which means he also poses a serious aerial threat.

Suarez was only 11 when he left his native city of Salto to travel nearly 500 kilometres to Montevideo, where he joined the youth ranks of the fabled Nacional club. Here he polished his skills before making his debut in May 2005 in a Copa Libertadores match against Junior de Barranquilla.

In his one and only full season with el Bolso, the striker made an invaluable contribution to the team�s successful quest for the 2005/2006 Uruguayan Championship, notching up 12 goals. This feat soon brought him to the attention of Dutch side FC Groningen, who signed the front-runner in the summer of 2006 after barely a year in the Uruguayan top flight.

In January 2007 the club would not release him for Uruguayan youth team duty at the South American U-20 Championship, the qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada�. However, Suarez could claim the consolation prize of a senior international debut a month later when Oscar Tabarez started him in a friendly against Colombia in Cucuta, which ended in a 3-1 victory for la Celeste. Incidentally, the match also saw the forward receive his marching orders five minutes from time.

After firing 14 goals in 35 appearances for Groningen, Suarez was sold to Dutch giants Ajax, but prior to making the switch, the forward participated in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada where he formed a strike partnership with Edinson Cavani. Uruguay went on to reach the quarter-finals with Suarez contributing two goals of his own, one of which came right at the death as Uruguay were eliminated by the USA in a 2-1 reverse.

It came as little surprise, then, when Tabarez installed him in the starting eleven for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifying campaign, and Suarez returned the favour with strikes in the opening game against Bolivia, and against Chile two games later.

Su�rez made his debut for the Uruguayan national football team on 8 February 2007, in a 3�1 win against Colombia. He was sent off in the 85th minute after receiving a second yellow card for dissent. He has since continued participating with the Uruguayan national team, becoming a starter in the first four games of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. He has scored two goals in four games, against Bolivia and Chile, forming a lethal striking force with compatriot Diego Forl�n.

On 1 June 2010, Uruguay manager Oscar Tab�rez announced that the player would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Su�rez was a starter in all three Uruguay's group matches at the World Cup. On June 22, he scored his first World Cup goal against Mexico.

Thomas Müller Biography

Thomas Müller Biography

Thomas Müller (born 13 September 1989 in Weilheim) is a German international footballer.

Müller plays as a midfielder or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles – as an attacking midfielder, second striker, or on either wing. A product of Bayern’s youth system, he made his first-team breakthrough during the 2009–10 season, playing almost every game as the club won the league and cup double, and reached the Champions League final.This earned him an international call-up, and the season culminated in him being named in Germany’s squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup…

Thomas Mueller

Thomas Mueller

Thomas Mueller

Thomas Mueller

Thomas Mueller

Mesut Ozil Biography

Mesut Özil Biography

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The title of this article contains the character ö. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Mesut Oezil.

Mesut Özil

Personal information
Full name	Mesut Özil
Date of birth	15 October 1988 (1988-10-15) (age 21)
Place of birth	Gelsenkirchen, West Germany
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Werder Bremen
Number	11
Youth career
1995–1998	Westfalia 04 Gelsenkirchen
1998–1999	Teutonia Schalke-Nord
1999–2000	Falke Gelsenkirchen
2000–2005	Rot-Weiss Essen
2005–2006	Schalke 04
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2008	Schalke 04	30	(0)
2008–	Werder Bremen	71	(13)
National team‡
2006–2007	Germany U19	11	(4)
2007–	Germany U21	16	(5)
2009–	Germany	15	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:30, 4 June 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:21, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Mesut Özil (German pronunciation: [ˈmeːzʊt ˈœzɪl], Turkish: [ˈmesut ˈøzil]; born 15 October 1988 in Gelsenkirchen) is a German professional footballer of Turkish origin^[2] who plays for Werder Bremen and the German national football team.

Club career

Özil began his youth career playing for different clubs in Gelsenkirchen and five years for Rot-Weiss Essen. In 2005, he moved to the youth department of FC Schalke 04. He is a midfielder and wears 11 as his squad number, after starting as playmaker and central attacking midfielder in the place of the suspended Lincoln in Ligapokal matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich for Schalke.^[3]

On 31 January 2008, he moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €4.3 million, signing a contract with the German club until 30 June 2011.^[4] Before signing for Werder Bremen, Özil was courted by Manchester United to sign him as a teenager.^[5]

[edit] International career

In September 2006, Özil was called up for the Germany U-17 team. Özil has been a member of the German U-21 team since 2007. On 29 June 2009, Özil was the catalyst in a 4–0 win over England during the U-21 European Championship final.^{[citation needed]}

He made his debut for the Germany national football team during a friendly match against Norway on 11 February 2009. He scored his first goal for the senior team in his third appearance, another friendly, against South Africa on 5 September in Leverkusen.

2010 World Cup

He was selected for the Germany national squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, starting in the team's first four games. He scored a left-footed half-volley from the edge of the 18 yard box against Ghana in the final group game, ensuring Germany progressed to the second round as group winners.^[6] On 27 June 2010, he played in Germany's win over England in the last 16 match, setting up the fourth goal as Germany triumphed 4–1.

Lionel Messi Biography

Lionel Messi Biography

Profile:

Full name: Luis Lionel Andrés Messi
Birth day: June 24, 1987
Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
Other nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward
Debut: 17 November 2003


Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football (soccer) player.

Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1).

With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve team players were called upon, and Messi became a regular feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old.

He was offered the chance to play for the Spain national football team, but declined, prefering to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in a U-20 friendly match against Paraguay.
Lionel Messi wearing FC Barcelona's colorsIn June 2005 he starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship played in The Netherlands. Messi picked up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel has already drawn comparisons with Diego Maradona, arguably the best football player of all time.

On September 25, 2005 Messi obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled up all of their quota of non-EU players.

Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski

In September 2005, Messi was given an improved and extended contract until 2014.

Steven Gerard Biography

Steven Gerrard or Stevie G as he’s widely known as an English professional footballer who plays for Liverpool.

Born in Whiston, Merseyside on the 30th May 1980, Gerrard was born and brought up in Liverpool and is lucky enough to have played for his beloved club who he supported as a youngster for his whole career thus far.

Gerrard started out playing for hometown team Whiston Juniors, where he was noticed by Liverpool scouts and he was picked up and was playing for the youth academy at the age of 9. However a serious injury whilst playing football with his friends could have ultimately ended his career before it begun. A young Steven Gerrard kicked his football into a bush full of nettles and tried to kick it out but accidentally kicked a garden fork which ended up going through his trainers and straight into his big toe.

The doctor who Gerrard went to see said that he thinks he might have to get his big toe off but thankfully for him and English football, physiologist Mark Waller said he didn’t need to, and one of the greatest English Footballer’s for generations was allowed to come through the Liverpool ranks.

Despite never making it for England schoolboys, Liverpool never had any doubt in Gerrard’s ability and he signed his first professional contract with Liverpool on 5 November 1997. It did however take him a year before he made his debut as a last minute substitute for Vegard Heggem on 29 November 1998. He then went on to make 13 appearances that season.

Two years later Gerrard was making leaps and bounds and made his international debut against Ukraine on 31 May 2000. That summer, he was called up for Euro 2000, making only one appearance as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Germany before England were eliminated in the group stage. Although he didn’t shine in that competition, it was clear that Gerrard had a bright future on the international stage.

Growing up, he had many injury problems mainly with his back and groin. His troublesome back problems stemmed from a growth spurt which turned quite a small-framed boy into a 6ft 1 teenager. Gerrard scored his first international goal in a 5–1 victory over Germany in a 2002 World Cup qualifier in September 2001, and as these ongoing injury problems were plaguing his development, they were also hindering his international career, and while England qualified for the World Cup, Gerrard was forced to pull out of the squad due to his ongoing groin problems.

Gerrard replaced Sami Hyypiä as Liverpool captain in October 2003, as manager Gérard Houllier said that he recognised Gerrard had demonstrated leadership qualities early on, but needed to mature. This turned out to be a fantastic decision from Houllier as Gerrard took his own game to new levels and acquired the name “Captain fantastic” from a number of pundits
The man who wears the No.8 jersey for the Reds and No.4 for England first captained England against Sweden in 2004, and led the side five times in 2007. When ex-England manager Steve McLaren took over from Sven Goran Eriksson in August 2006, he named Gerrard vice captain of the national team and about Gerrard, said, “A leader par excellence, the man gives nothing less than 100% when he is on the pitch.”

Gerrard’s own lionesses, wife Alex Curran and daughters Lily-Ella and Lexie keep him level-headed off the pitch. Gerrard married his childhood sweetheart at the Cliveden mansion in Buckinghamshire on 16 June 2007. Initially he was rejected by Alex when he asked her out for the very first time, as he thought he would get his friend to ask her for him and she replied, “If he wants to ask me out he can do it himself”.

With the ever growing Gerrard a recognised world class performer he even has many personal accolades to go with this claim. He has won several awards - the PFA young player of the year in 2001, the most valuable player in the Champions League in 2004-05 and PFA player of the year in 2006. He came third behind Ronaldinho and Frank Lampard in the poll for the prestigious Ballon D'Or (European Footballer of the Year) in 2005. In December 2006, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his services to the game. In the last five seasons, he has never failed to make it to the PFA Team of the Year. He received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University on 26 July 2008 as recognition for his contribution to sport.

After eleven years in the first team growing in stature as he gets older he has recently made his 500th appearance for Liverpool and manager Rafael Benitez says he thinks Gerrard could go on to make another 200 or 300 appearances for the club. Although Gerrard’s loyalty seems unquestionable, there have been difficult times where he has had to think about what would be best for his career.

After a trophy-less 2003–04 season, Gerrard was linked with a move to Chelsea during the offseason. He admitted he was not, "Happy with the progress Liverpool has made," and that "for the first time in my career I've thought about the possibility of moving on." In the end, Gerrard turned down a £20 million offer from Chelsea to stay with Liverpool and new coach Rafael Benítez.

This turned out to be a good decision as the new manager’s first season ended with a UEFA Champions League trophy, and although Liverpool finished 5th, a memorable victory over A.C Milan after coming from 3-0 down meant that Gerrard had his hands on the most prestigious trophy in club football. Gerrard scored in this game to begin the comeback and he rallied his troops to complete a memorable comeback.

In 2006 Gerrard scored one of the most amazing goals that will ever be seen in a Cup final, in the F.A cup against West Ham. 93 minutes in, 3-2 down, after already scoring one, Gerrard scores a screamer from 35 yards and pulls Liverpool level, then proceeds in scoring a penalty in the penalty shootout and helping to win the F.A cup for his beloved team.

Gerrard’s inspirational performances are down to hard work and his own inspiration, cousin, Jon-Paul Gilhooley, who tragically died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster when Gerrard was just 8 years old. His cousin’s family drove him on to become the player he is today.

Wayne Rooney Biography

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Liverpool) is an English footballer. He currently plays for the English Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team. He normally played as a second striker to Ruud van Nistelrooy for his club team before van Nistelrooy's move to Real Madrid, although during 2005-06, he showed his versatility as a player by shifting to the midfield and playing on both flanks. He wears number 8 for Manchester United and wears number 9 the English national team.

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

His boyhood team was always Everton; his love for his home town club was famously bore out when he wore a T-shirt reading "Once a blue, Always a blue". However, he would end up playing just two seasons with Everton before demanding, and then executing, a transfer. This has left him on unfavourable terms with Everton fans, as they showed when he returned to Goodison Park and he was booed severely.

Although he has been under an intense media spotlight since first arriving on the scene in 2002, it was not until his performances at Euro 2004 that he gained a reputation on the world stage, as he spearheaded the English attack, scoring four goals. Rooney is also on the cover of the FIFA 07 video game in the United Kingdom.

Rooney has also been compared to George Best and Paul Gascoigne in terms of talent.[4]

Wayne Rooney in the Premiership

After excelling for Liverpool Schoolboys and The Dynamo Brownwings, Rooney was signed by Everton shortly before his 11th birthday. Rooney gained national prominence on the 19th of October 2002 when he became the youngest goal scorer in the history of the Premier League at 16 years and 360 days while playing for Everton (though this record has since been surpassed twice). His goal against then-champions Arsenal was a last-minute winner and brought to an end the London side's 30-match unbeaten run. At the end of 2002 he won the BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year award. On 26 December 2002 he "achieved" the record of becoming the youngest player ever to be sent off in a Premiership game. This is also his only standing record in the Everton books.

National team career

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

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

World Cup 2006 - Wayne Rooney

There was concern for Rooney's fitness ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup after the fourth metatarsal on his right foot was broken, possibly in several places, following a seemingly innocuous challenge from Paulo Ferreira during Manchester United's 3-0 defeat away at Chelsea on 29 April 2006, putting him out of action for an estimated six weeks. This was also the first match he played in the re-branded Nike Total 90 'Supremacy'. The boot's safety went under the spotlight after many considered it unsafe to wear.

A bone scan on 25 May 2006 suggested he would not be expected to return in time for the World Cup group ties, with a decision to be made on his return to training after these games had passed. Shortly afterwards his international manager confirmed he would travel with the squad to Germany, and would return to have another bone scan on 7 June. Ahead of this scan, Wayne claimed to be feeling fine and was "300% confident" of his own fitness. Rooney was reported to be back, doing light training on 2 June, working on kicking the ball and running.

On 7 June, Wayne Rooney had his second scan, with reports saying he would play in the World Cup as he boarded a flight to Baden-Baden to regroup with the England squad.

On 8 June, Sven-Göran Eriksson said that he was "injury free" and that "he just needs to get back his fitness before he can play". Eriksson hinted at a possible involvement in the later group stage matches and almost certainly, should England progress, in the second round of the competition.

On 15 June, Sven-Göran Eriksson and FA doctors declared Rooney match fit in time for the match against Trinidad & Tobago. Prior to the match there was much speculation as to whether his health would be risked by playing him at this stage; the speculation was ended when he entered the match in the 58th minute, replacing Michael Owen. Although Rooney did not score, England's fans were keen to see him running with pace (as if he was match fit many weeks before his medical clearance) and making his presence felt on the attack. On 18 June, Eriksson announced that Rooney would be starting England's next game. Rooney's rush into play was much to the dismay of his club team, Manchester United, who were concerned that a full recovery would be jeopardised.

On 20 June, Rooney started in the final group match, England against Sweden, helping England to a 2-2 draw.

On 25 June, Rooney once again started in England's second round game (knock-out rounds) against Ecuador. Although he failed to score, he looked lively and appeared to be fully fit and definitely match fit.

On 1 July, Rooney was sent off in the quarter final against Portugal while fighting for possession with Chelsea and Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. Rooney appeared to stamp down on Carvalho's groin and was sent off by referee, Horacio Elizondo. Rooney later announced, through the serialisation of his biography in the Daily Mail, that the stamp on Ricardo Carvalho was unintentional. He became only the third English player to be sent off in a World Cup Finals. Due to his red card, he missed England's opening Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra on 2 September and Macedonia on 6 September.

2009–10 Season

On 22 August 2009, he became the 20th Manchester United player to have scored over 100 goals for the club, finding the net twice in a 5-0 away win at Wigan Athletic.

His performance for Manchester United have led many to say he is one of the greatest football players in the world. If not the best player, then in the top two with Lionel Messi of Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography

Usually, the name of Ronaldo, at least in soccer, was firmly tied to the Brazilian striker, as he was immensely renowned after winning almost anything a footballer could dream of winning.
However, entering a poorer period of his career at Real Madrid, Ronaldo slowly began to succumb and young Cristiano Ronaldo was there to grab the name for his own.

So, nowadays, most people will think of the young Portuguese rather than the ex-"Il Phenomeno" when hearing the name Ronaldo. (By the way, this name was given to Cristiano by his mother after former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, so there's no connection between him and the Brazilian player).

Full name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro Date of birth February 5, 1985 Place of birth Funchal, Madeira, Portugal Height 6.1FT - 1.85M Playing position Right/Left Winger

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography – Youth Period
Despite being raised as a supporter of SL Benfica in his childhood, a twist of events made him join rivals Sporting Lisboa as a professional player.

His first team was a youth amateur team named Andorinha where Cristiano Ronaldo's skills attracted several professional scouts from the local Madeira teams, CS Maritimo Funchal and CD Nacional Madeira.

Cristiano Ronaldo was just 10 when taken to CD Nacional's youth team, with which he won the youth league title, giving out a substantial hand to this success. This brought him in the lights of Sporting, which, despite having lost the youth championship to Nacional, had one of the most prestigious and well equipped youth facilities in Europe.

Season Club Games Goals 1999-2003 Sporting CP 28 3 2003-06/07 Manchester United 190 50

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography – Sporting
Receiving first-class instruction at Sporting's Alcochete youth academy, Cristiano Ronaldo's skills quickly drew the eyes of first squad manager Ladislau Boloni, who took him to the senior team at 17 years of age, together with his youth team colleagues, Ricardo Quaresma and Hugo Viana.

Finally becoming a professional footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo starred in his first game against Madeira, scoring two goals and impressing the audience. But most importantly, he impressed the staff of the Under 17 Portuguese national team, who quickly added him to their squad. In the same year, the U-17 championship took place, with Cristiano Ronaldo being one of the tournament's best players, drawing the eyes of several huge European clubs, of which Liverpool and Manchester United.

However it was not until 2003 that he truly came into the attention of Manchester United's coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, when his team played a friendly match against Sporting, a game lost by the English team with 3 to 1, Cristiano Ronaldo decisively contributing to his side's success. It's supposedly then that Sir Alex Ferguson decided to sign the young winger.

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography – Manchester United
After the departure of David Beckham from Manchester United in 2003, Sir Alex Ferguson was looking for a replacement on the right wing and after seeing Cristiano Ronaldo's goals and skills in several matches for Sporting (including the one mentioned above, between Sporting and Manchester United) he decided he was the perfect candidate for that role and signed him on a fee of approximately 16 million euros.

As if the pressure of moving to such a big club as Manchester United, combined with the hardship of adapting to a new country, a new language and a new soccer style, Cristiano Ronaldo was also given the extra-pressure of having to wear the red number 7 shirt, formerly owned by Man U legends such as George Bet, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona or David Beckham.

Although his career is still at an early stage, Cristiano Ronaldo's skills on the wing already earned him a lot of fans throughout the World as he is widely considered the most technical player in the World at this point, in competition with FC Barcelona's Ronaldinho. However, he also attracted several boos and jeers across many stadiums, being considered a tricky player that tends to cheat and dive a lot.

Most notably, an incident at the 2006 World Cup in Germany almost ended his career at Manchester, when he encouraged the referee of the Portugal – England game to give a red card to his Man U colleague, Wayne Rooney, after an vicious foul from Rooney (Click here to play a funny online game dedicated to that incident).

Years National Team Games Goals 2003-06/07 Portugal 46 17

Manchester United fans told him they don't want him back in England and Real Madrid quickly tried to seize the opportunity and sign him. In the meantime, having rejected Real's offer, Cristiano Ronaldo won back the hearts of his club's fans with his sheer skills and impressive (and often decisive) goals and also made friends again with Wayne Rooney, after the World Cup incident.