Archive for 2012

Ronaldo

Posted on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 by


Ronaldo Luíz Nazário de Lima was born in 1976 in a deprived Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood. Football was his passion from a very early age and Ronaldo became something of a teenage prodigy whilst playing for his first club, Cruziero. In 1993, he scored an amazing 58 goals in 60 games, helping his club win the Brazilian Cup, his first professional title. Such an impressive goal-scoring record attracted attention from all over the world, particularly in Europe. This intensified as Ronaldo made his international debut in early 1994 for Brazil against Argentina. Following his involvement in the Brazilian squad which won the World Cup that same year, Ronaldo signed with Holland's PSV Eindhoven during the summer.
Despite winning the Dutch Cup with PSV (and averaging a goal per game in the Dutch league), it wasn't until his 1996 arrival at Spanish giants, FC Barcelona, that Ronaldo's talent was fully realised in Europe. 1996 saw Ronaldo named the youngest ever winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and, that season, the young player scored an impressive 34 goals in 37 appearances for the Catalan club. Ronaldo was naturally instrumental in Barcelona's successful UEFA Cup Winners' Cup campaign, scoring a decisive penalty in the final. Moreover, despite the club failing to win the Spanish league, Ronaldo finished the season as top scorer. The summer brought fresh success for the player, as he helped Brazil win the Copa America, scoring 5 goals in the process.
This success attracted the eye of FC Internazionale, and Ronaldo completed a move to the Italian club for a record transfer fee. During his first season at the club, he scored in the UEFA Cup Final to help Internazionale on their way to a 3-0 win over Lazio. Ronaldo also became the first player to retain his title as FIFA World Player of the Year and also added the accolade of European Footballer of the Year award to his collection.
The 1998 World Cup signalled the start of an extremely difficult period in Ronaldo's career. Brazil were defeated by France 3-0 in the final, which was dramatically preceded by Ronaldo suffering a convulsive fit. The decision from Brazil's management team to play their star striker only a few hours after this event led to heavy criticism. Certain sports writers even developed a conspiracy theory that Nike (with whom Ronaldo has one of his most lucrative sponsorship deals) forced the Brazilian coaching team to make the player take part in the final.
Ronaldo's fit was blamed on stress, but he seemed to have made a recovery when he won his second Copa America, ending the competition as top scorer. October brought a new problem for the player though, as he suffered a severe knee injury which needed surgery and kept him out for six months. Unfortunately, when Ronaldo made his comeback from this injury in April of 2000, he then ruptured a knee ligament which caused him to miss the rest of the season. Further injuries prevented a successful comeback at the beginning of the following season, as he limped off against Lecce in November 2001.
Banishing the World Cup ghosts and the move to Madrid
Following nearly two years of rehabilitation, operations and general frustration, Ronaldo was declared fit to play in the 2002 World Cup. Many in the media wrote the player off before the tournament, questioning his fitness and claiming he was past his best. However, he scored 8 goals, including two in the final, to help Brazil win the tournament.
It appeared that the player was back to his best but controversially, Ronaldo expressed a desire to leave the club which had stood by him throughout his spells of injury. This greatly angered both the club's management and the fans, who felt bitter that the player had picked up his millions in wages without even playing a minute of football. Eventually, the player left Internazionale to join Real Madrid. Ronaldo became the latest of the 'galacticos' to join the Spanish club and, as such, the media hype surrounding the transfer was phenomenal. Despite winning a third FIFA World Player of the Year award and a second European Footballer of the Year award later that year, public opinion towards the player had somewhat turned. It was now evident that Ronaldo would have to do something special in order to prove himself all over again.
Real Madrid won the Spanish title in 2003, as Ronaldo finished his first season in Spain, scoring 21 times in 30 domestic matches. The following season also saw Ronaldo end the year as top goal scorer. Despite this, the player hadn't quite managed to rediscover the sparkling form which had made him such an exciting prospect prior to his injuries, especially during his scintillating spell at Barcelona. Ronaldo's form began to stutter towards the end of his Real Madrid career, with concerns surrounding his increasing weight and apparent lack of fitness intensifying. The 2006 World Cup was a generally disappointing one for Ronaldo but did hold some personal glory, as he scored his 15th World Cup goal against Ghana, beating Gerd Muller's previous record of 14 goals.
In early 2007, Ronaldo decided it was once again time for a change and made the move back to Milan. This time, though, AC Milan was the player's club of choice. Ronaldo became one of a tiny number of players who have played for both FC Internazionale and AC Milan in the Milan derby and he is the only player to have scored for both sides in the derby game. Indeed, Ronaldo's form for the club has been promising, with a good ratio of goals per game, as well as some important assists. Unfortunately though, Ronaldo's AC Milan career has been blighted by injury, causing him to sit out much of the past six months. Nevertheless, the Milan fans live in hope that he can recover the form which propelled him into the spotlight some years ago.
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Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Johan Cruijff

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Johan Cruijff was born in Amsterdam on the 25th of April 1947, and joined the famous Ajax youth programme only ten years later. He made his first team debut at the age of 17 in 1964 against GVAV. He started as he meant to go on, scoring Ajax’s only goal in their 3-1 defeat. This was the worst season in the club’s history - they finished 13th. Cruijff established himself as a favourite centre-forward in the first team, and the following season Ajax won the league, with Cruiff scoring an incredible 25 goals in 23 appearances, including three hat tricks. From then on, Cruijff became a living legend to Ajax fans.
The following seasons were even more successful - he scored 33 times and Ajax won both the league and the KNVB, the Netherlands equivalent of the FA Cup. He won the title of Dutch footballer of the year in the '66, '67, and '69 seasons. The '69 season saw Cruijff’s Ajax win another league and cup double. This season also saw Ajax reach the finals of the European cup, but they were defeated 4-1 by AC Milan. At the beginning of the season, Cruijff suffered a serious groin injury that was to recur at various intervals throughout his career. During his absence, Gerrie Muhren wore his number nine shirt. When Cruijff returned, he wore the number 14 shirt, and decided to stick with it for the rest of his career.
In those days, players were usually allotted a shirt numbered 1 to 11 depending on their starting position. It was highly unusual for a regular starter to wear the number 14. He also began wearing the number 14 during his international appearances. This became something of a trademark - there is a documentary about him entitled ‘Number 14’, and it is frequently referenced in biographies. 1971 was also an extraordinarily successful year for Cruijff’s Ajax, who defeated Panathinaikos 2-0 at Wembley. This season saw Cruijff named European player of the year for the first time. To dispel speculation that he would move clubs, he signed a seven-year contract at the end of that season. However, after winning two more European Cups in 1972 and 1973, he signed to Barcelona for six million guilder.
Always willing to express his political beliefs publicly, he made himself popular among Catalans by declaring that he could never play for Real Madrid because of its association with the Fascist leader General Franco. He helped Barcelona to their first ‘La Liga’ championship in 14 years in 1973/74, and was named European footballer of the year for good measure. During his tenure at Barcelona, Cruijff scored his most famous goal, known popularly as the ‘Phantom’ goal, because of its seemingly supernatural quality. Somehow, Cruijff managed to jump in the air with his back to goal, and use his heel to score past a beleaguered Atletico Madrid goalkeeper.
Like so many of Europe’s best known players of the 1970’s, Cruijff was lured to the United States to play exhibition matches for the New York Cosmos and eventually signed a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Aztecs. After a season with the Aztecs, he switched coasts, and signed for a season with the Washington Diplomats. By this time the campaign to elevate the status of soccer in the eyes of US sports fans had more or less run its course, and Cruijff returned to the Netherlands in 1981.
A 34 year old Cruijff signed to Ajax but the club decided not to extend his contract after the end of the second season. This angered the Amsterdam-born Cruijff, who moved to arch rivals Feyenoord in protest. He helped the club to its first league and cup double in over a decade. At the end of the 83/84 season, after making 33 appearances and scoring 11 times for Feyenoord, Cruijff retired after 20 years as one of the most prolific strikers in the world.
Cruijff also enjoyed a distinguished career as an international, playing a central role in the famous 1974 Dutch team that came second place in the FIFA World Cup Finals, where he was named player of the tournament. They lost the final 2-1 to their West German hosts, after Cruijff coordinated one of the most famous pieces of attacking football in history, which ended with the Netherlands scoring a penalty. Although Cruijff helped the Netherlands to qualify for the 1978 World Cup, he refused to participate in the actual tournament as it was being held in Argentina, which was in the grip of a right-wing military junta, which had seized power during a coup two years ago. Without him, the Netherlands lost in the final again.
Cruijff is the embodiment of ‘total football’, a style of play developed by Ajax coach Rinus Michaels. The style arose in opposition to the physical aspect of the game prevalent at the time, emphasising the importance of technical skill and awareness. Cruijff and his Ajax team-mates were able swap positions at the drop of a hat - he was particularly fond of taking defenders unawares by moving out from his central position to the wings. He commented; "Total football is to do with your way of thinking, character - everything is involved. The Dutch team at that time was made up mostly from Ajax players. We could change position easily, and that's total football... the first defender was the centre forward, which was me. We had a change of mentality on the field where we thought we could achieve anything."
Cruijff reprised his role as a football technician in managerial roles at Ajax and Barcelona. He led an all-star Barcelona team to victory against Sampdoria at the Wembley European Cup finals in 1992. He is Barcelona’s most successful manager to date; the club won 11 competitions under his stewardship. In 1999 he was named European footballer of the century, and is widely regarded as one of the top five players ever to of played the game.
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Location: British, Via XX Settembre, 16121 Genoa, Italy
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Alfredo Di Stefano

Posted on Thursday, August 2, 2012 by

Alfredo Di Stefano was born to Italian parents in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires on 4th of July 1926. He was from a farming family and had a gruelling upbringing. Being the oldest son in the family he had a heavy workload on the farm but still found time to indulge his love for football. It was perhaps this gruelling physical work from a young age that helped him develop his levels of fitness and made him such a devastatingly agile and fit player on the football field later in life. His achievements, both for the most successful teams of his era and on the international stage, were huge. Despite never reaching a World Cup Final, he is arguably one of the greatest footballers ever to have played, with Pele being his closest rival.
Di Stefano's first club at 12 was Los Cardales, with whom he won the amateur championship. Three years later, he was playing for the second team of then-giants River Plate and at 16 he took up a place on the right wing in the first team. At that time the team had one of the most feared sets of forwards in Argentinian football, La Maquina, meaning “The Machine”. As a result he began playing on loan for another team, Huracan, where he scored one of the fastest goals in Argentinian football against his own club River Plate.
His high scoring record continued and he returned to River Plate aged 20. He was moved to centre-forward to take the place of Pedernera who had moved to Atlanta. In a fiercely contested match against Atlanta, Di Stefano scored the winning goal. He was set upon by the Atlanta fans and was hospitalised.
At 21 Di Stefano made his international début for Argentina in 1947. An injury in the first team allowed him to play throughout the cup and he was the second highest goal scorer, helping Argentina retain the South American Championship.
1949 saw the footballers of Argentina go on strike and so Di Stefano moved to play for Columbian side, Millonarios. He dominated the midfield of the Columbian league, scoring 267 goals in 294 games over his four year spell there. His impressive record attracted the attention of the Spanish teams and soon a transfer was being discussed. Ramon Trias Fargas, son of a Millonarios shareholder, was trying to source Di Stefano for Barcelona. The Barcelona chief scout then inadvertently threw a spanner in the works by introducing his Columbian friend, Joan Busquets. Busquets was director of CF Santa Fe, one of Millonarios' main rivals, and allegedly tried to sabotage the move. Busquets put pressure on Millonarios to accept less than Di Stefano was worth, despite the player also owing his old club money. Fargas claimed that the Barcelona president Cerreto had allowed him $20,000 for the move, but then dropped the figure to $10,000 plus the player's debts to Millonarios.

The debacle continued when Di Stefano signed a deal to transfer to Barcelona from River Plate. FIFA had authorised the move, but it was blocked by the Spanish League, as they said both Millonarios and River Plate had to be in agreement. In a bizarre twist of fate, Di Stefano eventually signed to Real Madrid on his arrival in Spain, owing to the infighting within the Barcelona camp.
The confusion did not stop there. The Spanish government first issued a ban on foreign players in the league, and then went on to announce that Barcelona and Madrid had agreed to share Di Stefano for four seasons. The idea of him alternating between the two clubs angered fans so much that Carreto was forced to resign. Barcelona accepted a figure of four million pesetas to allow Di Stefano to play exclusively for Madrid, a decision that they claim was made under pressure from Franco, the Fascist leader. The situation clearly took its toll on Di Stefano and he played uncharacteristically poorly for his first few games with the club.
It did not take long for Di Stefano to overcome his poor start and he scored in the majority of his matches in the first season. He went from strength to strength at the club and also for the Spanish national team whom he represented on 31 occasions. He is perhaps most famous for his performance in the European Cup, where he scored four goals in four consecutive winning finals, and then a hat trick in the fifth.
Sadly he did not get a chance to make such a name for himself in the World Cup. Argentina did not compete when he represented them in 1950 and 1954. Di Stefano was granted Spanish citizenship in 1956, but Spain failed to qualify in the following World Cup. Four years later injury prevented him from competing in the championship proper, after scoring in the qualifiers.
Di Stefano took up various coaching roles after retiring. He led his old club River Plate and Boca Juniors to title victories. In 1982 to 1984 he took up the position of manager with another of his old sides, Real Madrid. Despite suffering a heart attack in 2005, he played in an inaugural match between Real Madrid and Stades De Reims. Real Madrid won the rematch of the 1956 European Cup Final.
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Jürgen Klinsmann

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Born in Göppingen in 1964, Jürgen Klinsmann will go down as one of the best German strikers of the modern era. “The Golden Bomber”, a nickname which derives from his blonde hair and predatory goal scoring nature, enjoyed an illustrious playing career which stretched across Europe. He played for many famous clubs, scoring 232 goals in the process.
He is particularly well thought of amongst the faithful at Tottenham Hotspur, where he had two spells, in which he became famous for the ‘Klinsmann Dive’, a celebration which he pioneered as he celebrated his first goal for the club against Sheffield Wednesday. He recently managed the German national team to an unexpected third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup. He subsequently resigned in July 2006 and since then has been linked with various managerial posts such as Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and LA Galaxy. It remains to be seen where the German’s next adventure will begin.
Klinsmann’s first involvement in football came when he was just eight years old. During his youth, he played in every position, including goalkeeper. It wasn’t until he turned seventeen that he signed a professional contract with Stuttgarter Kickers, a second division club at the time, in Germany.
In 1984, he joined another Stuttgart club, the more celebrated VfB Stuttgart. It was here where Klinsmann started to make a name for himself as a prolific goal scorer, as he scored 79 goals in 156 appearances. In 1988, he was topscorer of the Bundesliga and was voted “German Player of the Year”. This form brought him to the attention of many leading European clubs. As a result, in the summer of 1989, it was Internazionale who sealed the sought after signature of this highly rated German striker. He joined fellow countrymen Lothar Matthäus and Andreas Brehme in a team that easily won the Serie A title in their maiden season at the club. After scoring 40 goals in 123 appearances for the Milan club, Klinsmann moved to France in 1992 to play for AS Monaco. He had now established himself as one of the finest strikers in world football, but didn’t win a major trophy in the two years he was at the French club.
His journey through Europe continued, and White Hart Lane was his next destination when he signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 1994. Upon his arrival in England, he was not very popular amongst the English press. This was not only because his German side had knocked England out of the 1990 World Cup, but also because he came with the reputation as a diver. However, Klinsmann was soon one of the favourites amongst the press, after he made fun of himself by diving across the pitch to celebrate his first goal for the club against Sheffield Wednesday. Here is is some YouTube action of that goal. This act endeared him not only to the press, but the British public in general. Klinsmann went on the win the 1995 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year. His passion and spirit shown whilst on the pitch, along with his goals, has made him one of the true greats at Tottenham Hotspur.

After only one season in London, he joined Bayern Munich where he again continued his goal ratio of one in every two matches, scoring 31 goals in 65 appearances. He then played eight games for Serie A side Sampdoria in Italy, before returning to Spurs in 1998 on loan, where he saved them from relegation – scoring nine goals in just fifteen appearances. It was during his second spell at Spurs that Klinsmann decided to retire from playing professional football after the 1998 World Cup. However, he was persuaded to come out of retirement in 2003 when he played under a stage name, Jay Goppingen, for Orange County Blue Star in the American Premier Development League. The 39-year-old still had a taste for goals, scoring five in just eight outings.
Klinsmann’s onternational career was also successful. He was first called up for Germany duty in 1987, after which he accumulated 108 caps, along with 47 goals.
He achieved many International landmarks whilst playing for his country. He became the first player ever to score at least three goals in each of three World Cups. He has now been joined by Ronaldo of Brazil in that elite group. However, Klinsmann still remains second all time in World Cup goals scored by a German with 11, and only Gerd Muller has scored more. He is joint fifth in the overall rankings, in which Ronaldo tops with fifteen goals.
Klinsmann played in three European Championships, reached the final in 1992, and went one better when he won a winners medal in Euro ‘96 in England. He also played in three World Cups in the 90s. He achieved the ultimate prize when the West German side won the World Cup in 1990, in which he scored three goals. His greatest performance at a World Cup came in USA for the 1994 World Cup, where he scored five goals. Klinsmann also has a bronze Olympic medal to his name, and has scored eight goals to go with his fourteen Olympic caps for his country.
Klinsmann’s first job outside his professional playing career was with a sports marketing consultancy based in the United States, where he became vice-president. He was heavily involved in Major League Soccer as part of the Los Angeles Galaxy team. He then returned to Germany in 2004 to take charge of the national team, and succeeded former team mate and strike partner Rudi Völler.
Klinsmann’s first and only task as manager of the Germany team was to bring success in a World Cup which they hosted in 2006. Klinsmann brought a much-needed freshness to the International set-up and placed huge emphasis on youth in his squads. Players were no longer picked because of who they were, but instead on current form and merit. The clearest example of this was when Klinsmann dropped Oliver Kahn, and made Jens Lehmann the new number one goalkeeper after his excellent season with Arsenal.
Klinsmann’s arrival as manager of the national team was not greeted with too much praise from the German public or press. In the build up to the World Cup, his German team were humiliated by Italy, losing 4-1. Klinsmann also commuted to Germany from the United States, something which was very much frowned upon by the German public.
However, Germany’s performance under Klinsmann in the 2006 World Cup hushed his critics. Germany won all three group stage games against Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador with ease. Then, a 2-0 victory against Sweden in the first knockout stage set up a mouth watering tie against much favoured Argentina in the quarter finals.
After an equalising goal from striker Miroslav Klose, the match went to penalties. Germany won 4-2 with help from Lehmann and his infamous note, which contained information on all the Argentinian spot-kickers. The nation was now behind Klinsmann but Germany’s heroics sadly ended there, as they crashed out of the competition after losing 2-0 in extra time to eventual winners Italy. They did, however, defeat Portugal 3-1 in the third and fourth playoff match. After this victory, there was a huge parade in Berlin where Klinsmann and his young squad were treated to an emphatic reaction from the public. Even Franz Beckenbauer, a previous critic of Klinsmann, announced that he wanted to keep Klinsmann as the coach. The new attacking style of play that Klinsmann created was now accepted by the German public, as they felt that national pride had been restored. To cap it all off, Klinsmann was even referred to as “Kaiser”, meaning “emperor”, a word which is normally set aside for German footballing greats such as Beckenbauer.
Despite all the support, Klinsmann stepped down as coach because of family reasons.
Jürgen Klinsmann has now proved himself as both a player, and as a manager. The future for the German can only be a bright one. Whenever a top managerial vacancy arises, he seems to be one of the first names to be put into the hat. Where his next destination is, only he knows. But, whatever his choice, it will most likely be the right one for him and his team.
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Gheorghe Hagi

Posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2012 by

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.

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Michel Platini

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Michel Platini is arguably the greatest French footballer to have ever lived. A devastating free kick specialist and generally a remarkable technician, he deployed vision and strength from the midfield for both club and country.
At the highest point of his career, he captained France to their victory in the 1984 European Championships, which was held on home soil. That year, he was the best player and top goalscorer in the Championships and also picked up the World Player of the Year gong.
During his football career Platini achieved considerable international status and went on to coach the national team for four years before being appointed President of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), a position to which he was elected this year.
Career Highlights
Michel Platini led a very distinguished club career, alongside his captaincy at an international level. However, his club career was slow at first despite an explosive entrance into the reserve team, scoring a hat-trick on his debut. On 3rd May 1973 Platini finally made his first team debut, after a lengthy period of injury. But the following season he was injured again with a fractured arm, ruling him out for the entire season. Nancy were relegated from the first division that same season - hardly an auspicious beginning!
The following season, however, his career really began to take off as he was fundamental in propelling Nancy back into Ligue 1, scoring 17 goals, mostly using his trademark free kick. Platini finally signed a full contract with Nancy in 1976, following his participation in the Montreal Olympic games. Two years later, Platini captained his team to victory in the French Cup against Nice, scoring the only goal in the final.

Following the World Cup in Argentina, his contract with Nancy expired and although they did not want to let him go, it appeared Platini had already set his mind on a move. In 1979 he signed for Saint Etienne.
Platini lasted a total of 3 years at Saint Etienne, winning the league title finally in 1981. European success, however, was not to be his with the club, despite spearheading some thumping victories in the UEFA Cup over two successive seasons; 6-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in 1979-80 and trouncing Hamburg 5-0 the following year. In 1982 Platini's international profile had reached a high point and he was signed to Juventus, where he would spend the rest of his career.
Platini's time at Juventus was hugely successful. The Frenchman was central to the team's victorious streak during the 1980s and the list of his personal achievements during those five years is almost endless. Although experiencing a difficult introduction in the Italian football regime, being initially hounded by the press, Platini inspired Juventus to the Italian cup victory that first season and helped them to the European Cup final, which they unfortunately lost 1-0 to Hamburg. Juventus then went on to win the 1984 and 1986 Italian Championship with Platini being the playmaker and midfield engine.
After winning the European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup in 1984, the pinnacle came when he finally was able to put his hands around the European Cup in 1985 followed by the 1985 World Club Championship. Consistently impressive during these golden years, he was Serie A top scorer for three consecutive seasons (1982-83, 1983-84 and 1984-85). Perhaps even more impressively, he was crowned European Footballer of the Year awards 3 years running (1983-85).
As well as a star-studded club career, Platini also hit real highs on an international stage with France. His international career really began when he participated for the national side in the Olympic Games in 1976 and was an inspiration in an impressive 4-0 victory over a full international Romanian side. Shortly after, he was called up to the French national squad.
France secured their place in the 1978 World Cup to be held in Argentina with a 3-1 win over Bulgaria, a game in which Platini scored a 25 yard screamer and was pivotal to the victory. However, France were drawn with Italy and home team Argentina in the group round and did not progress to the second stage.
He was soon made captain of the French squad and led them to the World Cup in Spain in 1982. Unexpectedly to most, France reached the semi-finals of that competition and were faced with a robust West Germany team. The semi-final encounter proved to be one of the most exciting games in the history of the World Cup, a thrilling 3-3 deadlock after extra time, the game went to penalties, but West Germany won 5-4.
France and Platini bounced back in 1984 by winning the European Championships on home soil. Platini himself was on fire during the tournament, scoring two hat-tricks, one against Belgium and the other against Yugoslavia. In the semi-finals he destroyed Portugal by scoring a goal in the last minute of extra time to take France to the final. Faced by Spain in the final, Platini scored the first goal from a free kick and France sealed the victory with a goal late on from Bruno Bellone.
Platini just about made it to the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico but was plagued by injury and played, although reportedly with considerable pain. France attained 3rd place in the tournament and Platini remained pivotal, scoring important goals against Italy and, most notably, against Brazil in the quarter finals, on his birthday.
He retired from international football on April 29th 1987 in a European Championship qualifier against Iceland, shortly before announcing his complete retirement football. In his international career, Platini scored 41 goals for his country, then a record.
Since retirement Michel François Platini has built a career in football coaching and the international administrative arena. He was coach of the French national side between 1988-92, a largely unsuccessful period for France considering their failure to qualify for the 1990 World Cup and then early exit from the 1992 European Championships in Sweden. Although Platini himself was not at all entirely to blame, he stepped down as coach following the 1992 tournament.
He began to make positive moves into the administrative side of international football when he was made head of the organizing committee for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After climbing through the ranks at UEFA, he finally ran for the presidency last year and defeated Lennart Johannson who had held the post for the previous 16 years by 27 votes to 23.
Platini is clearly an intelligent and charismatic individual to build a successful career with FIFA and UEFA. However, it is reported that he also has a prankster sense of humour. When playing for France in international competitions for example, it was said that he used to squeeze tubes of toothpaste into other players beds as a practical joke. More remarkable still, when outside the stadium he would set off fire crackers then fall on the floor, "playing dead" to scare the wits out of fans near to the incident. Platini is now a hugely important figure in football and remains one of the great ambassadors of a French footballing tradition.

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Bobby Charlton

Posted on Friday, July 27, 2012 by

Bobby Charlton was perhaps the most famous Englishman of his age. He survived the Munich Air Disaster of 1958 to become the most recognizable face of legendary Manchester United and England squads, including the England team that won the World Cup in 1966. Now knighted, Sir Bobby Charlton remains known today as a technically superb player and a true gentleman.
Robert Charlton was born in Ashington, Northumberland in 1937. His four uncles Stan, Jack, George and Jimmy, his mother’s cousin, Jackie Milburn, and his brother Jack were all professional football players, so it was little surprise that Bobby became a footballer himself. He was scouted and played for England schoolboys and Manchester United’s youth team at the age of 15, and played his first match for the senior team in 1956, after spells training as an engineer and doing National Service in nearby Shrewsbury.
Charlton joined a rolling squad known as the Busby Babes, on account of their being an unusually youthful and prodigiously talented squad under legendary manager Matt Busby. However, in 1958, after two seasons securing his position in the team, Charlton’s life was to be dramatically affected by the events succeeding a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade. On February 6, the team was due to fly back from Munich in order to reach England in time to fulfill their league games. The weather was horrendous and the plane had difficulty taking off, but after a number of checks were carried out, the team got back on board. The plane had barely taken off when the wing and tail caught fire after hitting some obstacles on the ascent, and it crash-landed. 23 of the 44 footballers, journalists and crew members on board were killed, including Tommy Taylor and David Pegg, with whom Charlton and his team mate Dennis Viollet had swapped seats.

Charlton suffered cuts to his head and severe shock. He was the first to leave hospital and became, at the age of 20, something of a veteran of United’s decimated team. Unsurprisingly, United failed to do very well that season, but Busby built up another team with new players including George Best, with Charlton a stalwart. The psychological repercussions were harder to gauge and repair, and the crash remains one of the defining events of Charlton’s life according to the man himself.
However, his career continued to flourish and Bobby would eventually join his brother Jack in England's squad for the 1966 World Cup, reaching and competing in the final against West Germany. Although neither Charlton scored, England won 4-2 in the tense, uneven match, and Bobby had taken part in English football’s greatest triumph to date.
The culmination of his club career came in 1968, when Charlton and United went on to win the European Cup that had destroyed the Busby Babes. In 1969 he was awarded the OBE and in 1970, after earning his 100th cap for England, he was selected for the World Cup squad, where he played his last game for the national side. Sadly, Charlton’s later years at club level were marred by long-running feuds with his United teammates. Finally, he retired in 1973.
Charlton met his wife Norma at a dry cleaners in Manchester and they married in 1961. They have two daughters, Suzanne and Andrea. He has avoided the controversial love life that dogged many footballers of his generation, but tabloids speculated instead on cracks in his relationship with his brother Jack. Bobby has admitted that their relationship is strained, citing the conflict between his loyalties to his wife and his mother as key.
Like many footballers, Charlton has become something of a polymath in his retirement. Initially taking semi-retirement as a player-manager at Preston, he went on to manage Wigan Athletic. However, today’s football fans recognize him largely as a sometime BBC pundit and as a member of Manchester United’s board of directors. He has also made money from advertising, from international footballing schools and DVDs and other enterprises.
Bobby Charlton was awarded the CBE in 1973 and was knighted in 1994. He continues to be an active member of the footballing community on a number of boards, helping promote sport at home and abroad, and as a commentator figure in the media. 

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Eusebio de Silva Ferreira

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Eusebio de Silva Ferreira is recognised worldwide as one of the greatest African players ever to have lived. His fame is marked by the fact that he is known by anyone with an interest in football simply by his first name. He has two main nicknames, neither of which would be readily taken up by the press now. They are the Black Panther and the Black Pearl, these references to his race stemming from him being the first famous African player to represent Portugal. He is the most successful player to have come from the nation and is one of the best strikers the world has seen.
Eusebio was born on January 25th 1942 in the then Portuguese territory Laurenco Marquez (now Mapatu in Mozambique). He began his career with the team Sporting Laurenco Marquez who were a feeder team for the Portuguese team Sporting Lisbon. He was spotted by scouts for Sporting Lisbon who brought him to Portugal in 1961. His talent had already been noted by other Portuguese teams, notably Benfica. The team's coach Bela Guttmann had already flown to see Eusebio, having been tipped off about him by the Sao Paulo coach at the hairdressers.
Guttmann paid £7,500 to Sporting Lisbon for Eusebio and he made an instant impact with Lisbon's rivals Benfica. This move was not seen as particularly sporting on the side of Benfica. He was reported to have been effectively kidnapped and taken to a small fishing village in the Algarve by Benfica while the deal was being negotiated.
It did not take long for Eusebio to make his mark in the Portuguese League. He scored a hat-trick in his début for the club and Benfica finished top in the league thanks to his impressive scoring record. In 1962, his second season at the club, he led the team to victory in the European Cup. He scored two goals in the final against Real Madrid, both of which he created with little help from his team mates.
In the first decade since Eusebio joined the club, Benfica won the league every year except 1962, 1968 and 1970. Eusebio was the club's top scorer seven times in this period of glory. The team followed up their European Cup title win by coming third in the competition in 1963, 1965 and 1968. Their record in the Portuguese Cup reflected their league dominance with them winning the competition in 1962, 1964, 1969, 1970 and 1972.
Eusebio played for Portugal from the time he moved to the country. By the time of the 1966 World Cup he had established himself as the focus of the team's strike force. It was in this tournament that he became recognised as a world-class player. It was the first time that Portugal had ever qualified for the competition, but they ploughed through their early matches with determination and style. In the quarter finals Portugal were trailing to North Korea by three goals to nil when Eusebio stepped up to win the match for Portugal. He scored four blinding goals and Portugal managed to stay in the competition with a 5-3 win.
The four goals that he scored in the previous match were sadly only matched by four disallowed goals against England in the semi-finals. It was a closely contested match but Eusebio scored the team's only goal from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute. Eusebio left the pitch in tears but had made such an impact that he was immortalised in wax in Madame Tussauds. Portugal managed to beat the Soviet Union in the 3rd place play-offs and Eusebio finished as the top goal scorer in the tournament. This was to be the high point of Portugal's career with Eusebio up front. He only played in the qualifying stages of the following two World Cups. He still remained the top goal scorer for the team until 2005.
Having played for a few minor Portuguese teams, Eusebio moved across the Atlantic to play in the North American Soccer League. Like many players of his generation who made this transition, it proved to be a far less successful move than people had hoped. By the mid seventies Eusebio was receiving continual medical attention for his knee injuries. These marred his performance for the most part while he played for both the Toronto Metros and Las Vegas Quiksilver. In 1976 he scored in the league final for the Metros, helping them to a 3-0 win. After a brief spell with a Mexican team, Eusebio moved to the second division New Jersey's Americans. It was a sad end to his career with him playing few matches and scoring even fewer goals before his eventual retirement in 1978.

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Paul Gascoigne

Posted on Sunday, July 22, 2012 by

Paul Gascoigne commonly known as ‘Gazza’, is a legend of English football, PR nightmare and a player so popular he even had a phenomenon - 'Gazzamania' - named after him. The midfielder has oft been compared to the fated George Best for his charismatic football style, personal battles with alcoholism, colourful social activities and wife beating during the mid 1990s. He has not shied away from this area of his life and his biography Gazza: My Story and subsequent book Being Gazza: Tackling My Demons, show the man behind the football.
Paul John Gascoigne was born in Dunston, Gateshead on 27th May 1967, the son of John Gascoigne and Carol Harold. His early life was traumatic with his father moving to Germany to find work and suffering from a massive brain haemorrhage that left him incapacitated for 8 months. Growing up on the rough streets of the Tyne was never easy but the young Gazza found solace in football and proved his skills from a young age.
A regular fixture in his school team, Gazza also played at U14 level for Redheugh Boys' Club before making his debut for Gateshead Boys. It was here where the young Gazza first caught the eye of the scouts and he went on to have trials at Ipswich, Middlesbrough and Southampton while 13. However, due to his small stature, none of the clubs were prepared to offer a contract. Gazza had his last trial at Newcastle and in the summer of 1980 was signed to the schoolboy squad.
In 1983 he started playing for the youth team, managed by Colin Suggett. His debut for the first team came on April 13th 1984, against QPR. The then manager of the club - Jack Charlton - brought the young Gazza on as a substitute in the second half. However, at that stage Gazza remained first and foremost a stalwart of the Youth team and in 1984, he successfully captained the Newcastle Youth to victory in the FA Youth Cup.
The following season would see Gazza given his first start for the Magpies in the first game of the season against Southampton. Gazza went on to make a further 35 appearances during the rest of the season and scored 8 goals for the club, the first being against Oxford United in a 3-0 home victory. Gazza continued playing in a black and white shirt for a further 2 seasons and the 1987-88 season saw him awarded the Barclays Young Player of the Year.

In the summer of the '88 season Gazza agreed to sign to Spurs for £2.3million and was also awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The then manager Terry Venables displayed a vast enthusiasm for the young Geordie, seeing him as a great addition to the Spurs squad. However, the start was ominous with Gazza arriving both unfit and overweight - an early indication of the difficulties Gazza's name has become synonymous with since.
After much hard work, Venables was proved right about his young signing and his performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal has become the stuff of legend for Spurs' fans. Concerns over Gazza's health had again dominated the pre-game commentary as, following the 6th round defeat of Notts County, Gazza had undergone a hernia operation and it was doubtful whether he would be able to start against Arsenal. However, much to the joy of the Tottenham masses, Gazza proved his mettle, scoring a fabulous 35 yard free kick that screamed past David Seaman sealing victory for the Lilywhites.
In the 1991 FA Cup final Gazza was hyped-up by the occasion and some over-zealous tackling was to prove his downfall. In a late tackle against Nottingham Forest's Gary Charles, Gazza ruptured the cruciate ligaments in his right knee and his proposed transfer to Lazio had to be delayed for 12 months.
Lazio forked out £5.5million for Gazza to join and his first game was against Genoa in Rome. However, although his time at the club was heavily publicized, Gazza was plagued by injury, first breaking his cheekbone and then his leg in the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
Despite some excellent displays, Gazza is perhaps most famous during his Italian excursion for some of his high-jinks, including burping into microphones, teaching his team-mates to swear in thick Geordie accents and making his minder think that he'd killed himself.
After making just 47 appearances for the Italian club, in June 1995 Gazza announced he was joining Glasgow Rangers for £4.3million. In his first season at the club his performances were startling and he was named Scottish player of the season. However, he continued to struggle with injuries and missed several games at the start of the following season.
In 1997 he returned and Rangers went on to win their ninth league title with Gazza agreeing a new deal to stay at Ibrox until 2000. However, his time at Rangers was also a difficult period in his personal life and after marrying his wife Sheryl in 1996 he was widely lambasted for his violent behavior towards her at home and his poor conduct and irresponsible manner on the pitch.
In 1998, despite 2 years of his contract remaining, Rangers entered into discussions with Crystal Palace and proposed a £3m transfer. However, Gazza rejected the deal and elected to return to Tyneside, signing for £3m to Middlesbrough under the leadership of long-term peer Bryan Robson.
This move actually represented a downgrading from top class football for Gazza, as Middlesbrough were only a first division side. However, the 1998 season was to see 'Boro promoted to the Premiership but Gazza's performances failed to impress Robson and in 2000 he agreed to release him on a free transfer to Walter Smith at Everton, who had formerly managed Gazza at Rangers.
Walter Smith was already wise to the dangerous personality changes that Gazza was capable of and in signing him he openly admitted that he believed he was taking a risk. In order to mitigate this, he ensured that Gazza tied himself to a series of clauses to protect Everton. However, in 2000/01 Gazza ended up checking into an Arizona Rehabilitation Clinic following a lapse into alcoholism.
Gazza's performances at the club were mixed but his second season at the club saw increasing first team appearances despite suffering from a further hernia and thigh problems. However, with the departure of Walter Smith in March 2002, Gazza elected to leave the Blues to move on to Burnley for the remainder of the 2002 season.
After leaving Burnley, Gazza decided to take his talents to China and played for Gansu Tianma for a single season in the Chinese Football League. However, his time at the club was brief due to the SARS scare and he returned to be player/coach of Boston United in 2004. However, Gazza only coached the club until October 2004 and made 3 appearances for the South Lincolnshire Club before announcing his full retirement.
In 1987 Gazza, while at Newcastle, impressed the selectors enough to be included in the England U21 Squad. He went on to have brief spells in the England B team before making his full team debut against Denmark on the 14th September 1988, when he came on as a substitute.
His first goal for England came against Albania in a world cup qualifier for Italia '90 and his performance in the 4-2 victory over Czechoslovakia sealed his place in the squad. It was during the semi-final at the Delle Alpi Stadium, Turin, that the most iconic image of Gazza was beamed around the world - tears flooded down his face as England were knocked out in the semi-final penalty shoot out against long term rivals West Germany. Gazza however, proved a central figure in England's play and was named in the all-star team at the end of the tournament.
The injury problems which Gazza suffered throughout his time at Lazio compromised his ability to play for England and his next tournament of note was Euro '96 under Terry Venables. Gazza's goal against Scotland, where he chipped the ball over Colin Hendry's head before volleying it from 25 yards out past the Scottish keeper Andy Goram, is now the stuff of legend and acknowledged as one of the goals of the tournament.
England again reached the semi-finals before losing but Gazza's tenacity and footballing brilliance had again earned him the respect and love of his country. Gazza's final England performances were under the eye of Glenn Hoddle and he helped the team qualify for France 98. However, his drunken behaviour and lacklustre performances led Glenn Hoddle to leave him out of the final squad, a decision much criticized by the media and fans alike. However, the decision would mean that Gazza's England career officially came to an end with 57 caps and 10 goals being his record.
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Sir Stanley Matthews

Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2012 by

In the days of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ryan Giggs, it’s easy to forget that wingers used to be a very rare breed in the earlier days of football. The reason for the change was, in large part, due to the arrival of Sir Stanley ‘The Magician’ Matthews. He was a type of footballer who lived for the game and worked extremely hard on and off the pitch to improve his performance and fitness.
Sir Stanley Matthews was born on February 1st 1915 in Hanley near Stoke. Matthews’ raw pace and quick feet automatically got him recognised and soon he was playing games for England schoolboys. By the age of 17, he had already signed a professional contract with Stoke City and soon started matches regularly.
In his second season, he was a key player in Stoke’s midfield and was duly awarded his first cap for England in 1934 at the age of just 19. Matthews’ England debut could not have gone much better, scoring a goal in a 4-0 thrashing of Wales. In just three years, he was a regular on the right wing for England, with his worth emphasised after scoring a hat-trick against Czechoslovakia.
At only 20, Stanley Matthews was quickly becoming the biggest star in English football. His speed and constant trickery helped him to strike fear into opposition defenders. The ‘Wizard of Dribble’, as he was known, had become a dangerous weapon for both England and Stoke.
During the Second World War, league football was postponed and Matthews was sent to Blackpool to serve in the Royal Air Force. Sir Stanley continued to play friendly matches for many teams around the country such as Manchester United, Glasgow Rangers, Arsenal and Blackpool.
However, it was to Blackpool where his career would take him on a permanent basis. After 262 matches and over 50 goals at Stoke, Matthews was transferred to the Seasiders for £11,500 in 1947. In his first season with Blackpool, Matthews took part in the FA Cup final at Wembley against Manchester United but lost 4-2; however Matthews would have more chances of winning the trophy soon after.
Matthews’ good form was rewarded with a place in England’s World Cup Squad to go to Chile but he was only chosen to play one match. Nevertheless, domestically he was a mainstay for Blackpool and had helped them to another FA Cup Final against Newcastle United in 1951, only to yet again suffer defeat. At the age of 36, most people thought that this was his last chance to win an F.A. Cup medal.

However, on May 2nd 1953, Sir Stanley Matthews was to make FA Cup folklore. Playing Bolton Wanderers, Matthews’ Blackpool were 3-1 down at half time and almost certain to lose. Then, at the start of the second half Matthews dribbled past Bolton’s left back and brilliantly crossed in for Stan Mortensen to pull the score back to 3-2. Throughout the second half, Matthews continued to terrorise the Bolton defence and eventually Blackpool equalised with only a few minutes to play.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Matthews picked up the ball on Bolton’s half-way line. After beating a few players, he closed in to Bolton’s goal-line, bamboozled his opponent with his trademark trick - faking to go to the left before taking the ball past the left back - and then crossed the ball straight to Blackpool’s Bill Perry who scored the winning goal and secured a winners medal for Stanley Matthews at the age of 38. Despite a hat-trick from Stan Mortensen, this game has been dubbed as the ‘Matthews Final’ and is widely recognised as one of the greatest FA Cup finals ever.
Matthews continued his good form for Blackpool, helping them to second position in the football league in 1955 and was chosen for England’s World Cup squad in 1954. In 1956, Matthews became the first ever winner of UEFA’s European Player of the year award at 41.
Matthews was a thoroughly professional player and ahead of the game in terms of fitness. Whilst at Blackpool, he went jogging on the beach every day and never drank alcohol at all. A true testament to his fitness is the fact that he was able to play top-flight football until he was 46 and carry on playing until 50. He stayed a regular starter for England for 23 years, until he was 42. This is an achievement even today when most players retire completely at around 33 years old.
Matthews eventually re-joined Stoke City in 1961 and got them promoted from the second tier of football in his first season there. At the age of 50, a knee injury made him retire although he maintained that he could have carried on.
In April 1965, a testimonial was played for the great man in front of 35,000 people in Stoke’s Victoria Ground. This match attracted world stars of the time such as Lev Yashin and Ferenc Puskás. Later that year, he would become the first ever football player to be knighted. A true sportsman to the end, Matthews never received a yellow card in 701 games.
After retiring from football, Matthews stayed in the game, managing Port Vale for three years and Maltese side Hibernians. Finally, Sir Stanley Matthews died in 2000 at the age of 85. His funeral procession drove through Stoke’s old Victoria Ground. A statue of him has been erected outside Stoke’s new Brittania Stadium and a stand at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road has been named after him. He has even been granted his own collection of memorabilia at the National Football Museum in Preston.
To find a player in the mould of Sir Stanley is almost impossible nowadays. With all the press and media hype that surrounds today’s celebrity players such as David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, Matthews was the first real football celebrity. Unlike any other players, he was able to maintain his professionalism at all times and lived only to play the game. Matthews at the time was only earning £20 per week in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of pounds nowadays.
Sir Stanley Matthews will always be remembered as one of the best players in the history of the game, and one of its consummate gentlemen.
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Ian Edward Wright

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If you had told the 21 year old Ian Wright in 1985 that he would become one of the greatest ever English goal-scorers, a household name, and be awarded an MBE he would probably have given you the same look of contempt he gave to many a referee over the years and return to plastering walls.
Ian Edward Wright was born on the 3rd November 1963 in Woolwich, London. He quickly developed a love of football and was impressive for his school and local youth teams. However, in his late teens he had unsuccessful trials with Brighton and Southend and began to give up on his dream of being a professional footballer. He looked set for a full-time job as a plasterer in London, whilst playing non-league football.
It was during his spell at Dulwich Hamlet FC that he was spotted by Crystal Palace scout Peter Prentice and was invited for a trial at Selhurst Park, where he impressed rookie manager Steve Coppell. Wright was soon a regular in the Palace first team and finished second top scorer in his first season with 9 goals.
Wright’s career took another leap forward in the summer of 1986 with the arrival of Mark Bright from Leicester City. The two of them formed a formidable striking partnership and were the main factor in Palace’s forthcoming success.
After two seasons of consolidation, followed by narrowly missing out on a playoff spot in 1988, Palace managed to reach the playoffs in 1989. Wright was Palace’s top scorer in the 1987-88 season with 23 league goals and followed this with 33 in the promotion season, as he was voted the club’s player of the year.
Within five years, Wright had gone from playing on a park to playing in the country's top flight. Despite an injury blighted season, he notched 13 goals in Palace’s first campaign in the First Division and his return from a broken shin helped the team avoid relegation.
Wright capped the season with two goals after coming on from the substitutes bench in a 3-3 draw in the 1990 FA Cup final against Manchester Utd. Palace sadly lost the replay 1-0.
The next season was Palace’s most successful in recent memory as the club finished third in the league and won the Zenith Data Systems Cup. Wright scored 25 goals, including two in the ZDS cup final against Everton. He also made his debut for England in February 1991 as Graham Taylor started him in a friendly against Cameroon

Wright continued his form into the next season and, after 5 goals in 8 games, was signed for Arsenal by George Graham for a club record £2.5 million. He had scored 117 goals in 277 games for Palace, making him their most prolific post-war striker, but it was at Highbury that he was to have his best years.
Wright made an incredible start to his Arsenal career. He followed up a debut goal against Leicester in the League Cup with a hatrick in his league debut against Southampton. He was awarded the 1992 Golden Boot, after scoring 31 goals in all competitions for Palace and Arsenal.
Despite this, he was not included in Graham Taylor’s England squad for the 1992 European Championships, as Alan Smith, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Nigel Clough were preferred.
In the 1992-93, the club moved into the newly formed Premier League and Graham opted for more defensive tactics in this season, with the team relying almost totally on Wright to score their goals. Arsenal finished 10th in the inaugural Premier League season and were the lowest scoring club in the whole league.
They managed a meagre 40 goals in 42 games, with Wright getting 17 of them. But Arsenal faired much better in the cup competitions, winning both the League Cup and the FA Cup. These were the first major trophies for Wright, who repeated his feat of 1990 by scoring in the FA cup final and then again in the replay as Arsenal beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1.
The next season brought a further 22 Premier League goals for Wright. These included two hatricks in consecutive away matches against Ipswich and Southampton. He helped Arsenal to fourth in the Premier League and the 1994 Cup Winner’s Cup, although he was suspended for the final in which they beat favourites Parma 1-0. This was the only European medal Wright won during his career.
Wright’s international career also began to blossom as he scored a late equaliser against Poland and then four goals in a 7-1 win over San Marino. However, that summer, Graham Taylor was replaced by Terry Venables, who dropped him from the squad in October 1994.
The 1994-95 season was a tempestuous one for Arsenal, as they recorded their lowest Premier League finish of 12th position. In February 1995, George Graham was sacked after it was discovered he had accepted illegal payments for players. These difficulties did not affect Wright, however, as the striker scored over 25 goals.
He also notched a goal in every round but the final, as Arsenal were runners up in the 1995 Cup Winner's Cup due to a last minute wonder-goal from Real Zaragoza’s Nayim. Wright also bagged his 100th goal for Arsenal that season, ironically against Crystal Palace.
Wright’s Arsenal career faltered somewhat under the management of Bruce Rioch. Despite forging an impressive strike partnership at the start of the 1995/96 season with Dennis Bergkamp, Wright did not get on with the new manager and handed in a transfer request, which he later retracted. Although not playing every game, he still managed 15 Premier League goals as the club finished fifth.
In August 1996, Rioch left the club after a dispute with the board and Arsene Wenger eventually took over. Wright felt much more comfortable under the Frenchman’s management and, despite now being in his mid-thirties, proved he was still one of the most deadly strikers in the league, scoring 28 Premier League goals that season.
Wright was one of the first black players, after John Barnes, to be a huge superstar in the English game. Inevitably he had to deal with racist abuse at certain points in his career. In February 1996, he was embroiled in controversy after a two-footed tackle on Peter Schmeichel in a game against Manchester United.
This challenge sparked the first of many disputes between an incensed Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. The two players were involved in several confrontations throughout the game and, after the final whistle, Wright accused the Dane of racially abusing him in that game and others. The case was eventually dropped and the two seem to have reconciled, as in recent years they have appeared on Match Of The Day together.
The 1997-98 season was Wright’s last for Arsenal. It also brought him his first league winners medal, as the club went on to win the Premier League and FA Cup double. He started the season brilliantly with six goals in his first seven games, including a hatrick in a 4-1 demolition of Bolton. It was during this game that he broke Cliff Bastin’s record of 178 goals for Arsenal.
Wright had prepared a t-shirt with '179 - Just Done It' written on it and when he scored his first he took off the Arsenal shirt to reveal it, only to discover that he had only equalled the record! Undeterred, Wright went on to score again just five minutes later and repeated the celebration.
An unfortunate hamstring injury sustained in January 1998 meant he missed most of the second half of the season and was only an unused substitute at Wembley for the FA Cup victory over Newcastle. Wright scored 11 goals that season, with his last for Arsenal coming in a 2-1 win over West Ham at Upton Park. He was to join the Hammers the following summer for £500,000.
Ian Wright scored 185 goals for Arsenal in 288 games in all competitions. His record has recently been beaten by Thierry Henry but he is still regarded as a hero by Arsenal fans. Wright was Arsenal’s top scorer in his first six seasons with the club, scoring over 30 goals in five of them.
His England career was rejuvenated after the arrival of Glen Hoddle. In November 1996, Wright was drafted back into the squad after two years of being in the international wilderness. He scored a brace in a thrashing of Moldova and the opening goal in England’s 2-0 win over Italy in Le Tournai in 1997.
Most people consider his battling performance to be his best in an England shirt, as he lead the line in the 0-0 draw in Italy which sent England through to the 1998 World Cup. However, a re-occurrence of his groin injury kept him out of the World Cup finals.
Wright played 33 times for his country and scored nine goals. His last game, and Hoddle’s, was a friendly against the Czech Republic at Wembley in November 1999. Remarkably, he never played in a major international tournament.
Post-Arsenal, the remainder of Wright’s career was fairly nomadic. After scoring nine goals in his first season for West Ham, he struggled to get into the team the following season and had spells at Nottingham Forest, Celtic and Burnley before retiring in the summer of 2000 aged 37.
Wright is now the patriarch of a famous footballing family, as his adopted son Shaun Wright Phillips plays for Chelsea and England, and his son Bradley Wright-Phillips plays for Southampton in the Football League Championship. He also has sons in the Reading and Charlton youth academies respectively.
After his retirement from football, Wright has become something of a celebrity. He is a regular pundit for England matches on Match Of The Day, where he has gained popularity for his straight-forward talking style and unerring patriotism.
He also has a show on TalkSport radio and has appeared on popular programmes such as Top Gear, Big Brother Celebrity Hijack and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. He also fronted a campaign to tackle child obesity and is a patron of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust.
Wright’s professional career spanned 15 years, during which he made 526 appearances scoring 313 goals. In 2000 he was given an MBE for Services to Football. He has a Premier League winners medal, two FA cups, a League Cup and a Cup Winners Cup. Any follower of English football during the nineties will remember him for his explosive pace, cheeky and petulant attitude, dogged determination and, above all, his steely composure in front of goal.
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Luis Arturo Hernández

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Luis Arturo "El Matador" Hernández Carreón (born December 22, 1968 in Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico) is a Mexican football striker, the fourth highest goalscorer of all-time for the Mexican national football team, and their highest goalscorer in World Cups. Hernández played with teams in Mexico, Argentina and the United States.
In Mexico, Hernández played with a number of clubs, including Queretaro FC, Cruz Azul, CF Monterrey, Necaxa, Club América, UANL Tigres, CD Veracruz, and Jaguares de Chiapas, and was twice named Mexico's Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998. He also played in Mérida Argentina, when he was signed by South American club Boca Juniors after his brilliant performance in the 1997 Copa America, but he failed to break into the starting line-up and spent the rest of his time on the bench. Returning to Mexico bitterly disappointed, he played with Necaxa and later on with UANL Tigres. It was with these two clubs, that he displayed his stupendous form, scoring 9 goals in 12 matches with Necaxa and 38 goals in 64 games with Tigres. He also became the only player to score goals in the Clásico Regiomontano with both teams from Monterrey.

After a few seasons with Tigres without qualifying to playoffs, Hernández ventured into the United States, in 2000 and signed with Major League Soccer giants Los Angeles Galaxy, thought they landed a coup when they paid the Mexican striker a reported sum of US$ 4,000,000.00 to play with the club. Expected to easily tear the league apart, Hernández was generally considered a disappointment in two seasons with the Los Angeles club. Despite registering 17 goals in 40 games of the regular season and playoff games, the desired rise of attendance was not seen at all. Hernández returned to Mexico in 2002 to play two more seasons with
several clubs, including Club América, C.D. Veracruz and Jaguares de Chiapas, before retiring in 2004.
Known for his long blond hair, number 15 jersey and nickname of El Matador, Hernández had his first international cap against Uruguay on February 1, 1995. Hernández scored his first international goal on November 16, 1995 against Yugoslavia. Hernández gained notability during the Copa América 1997, where he scored six goals and became the tournament's leading goal scorer. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he finished among the competition's top scorers with four goals, and became the first Mexican player to score more than two goals in World Cup history. The 35 goals he scored for Mexico puts him behind Carlos Hermosillo to trail Cuauhtémoc Blanco (39 goals) and Jared Borgetti (46 goals) as the nation's 3rd highest all-time leading goalscorer.

Hernández also played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, albeit as a substitute in three games, and failed to score. Hernández made his last international cap on June 17, 2002 against the United States.
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David Seaman

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David Andrew Seaman MBE (born 19 September 1963 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire) is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury. He was awarded the MBE in 1997 for services to the sport.

The peak of his career was during his period as Arsenal and England goalkeeper in the 1990s and early 2000s; during his time at Arsenal he won many medals including three league championships (1991, 1998, 2002), four FA Cups (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994. During this time he also played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and Euro 96 and Euro 2000, and is England's second-most capped goalkeeper with 75 caps, after Peter Shilton.

Seaman's career highs came in his successful performance in UEFA Euro 96 and in Arsenal's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Premier League and FA Cup (including a superb save from Paul Peschisolido in the FA Cup 2002–03) campaigns in the mid-90s and early-2000s. Notable lows came with two costly errors, both from long-range efforts — conceding a last-minute goal in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final to Nayim and conceding to a Ronaldinho free-kick in the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.
Seaman is left-handed, but throws the football with his right arm[8] and kicks with his right foot.
Seaman was brought up in Rotherham where he attended Kimberworth Comprehensive School. He began his career at Leeds United, the club he supported as a boy. However (much to his disappointment), he was not wanted by then-manager Eddie Gray, who had been his favourite player. Seaman went to Division 4 club Peterborough United for a £4,000 fee in August 1982 , where he began to make a name for himself.

Just over two years later, in October 1984, Second Division Birmingham City paid £100,000 for Seaman's services. They ended up winning promotion at the end of that season, but were relegated again at the end of the following season. Seaman was not to follow them back to Division Two, however.


In August 1986, Seaman moved to Queens Park Rangers for £225,000. Playing in a higher profile club on a plastic pitch, he earned his first England cap, which came under Bobby Robson in a friendly against Saudi Arabia in November 1988. Whilst at Q.P.R., Seaman was coached by Arsenal double-winner (of 1971) Bob Wilson, who was to work with him for more than a decade.
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Location: Arsenal, San Antonio, TX, USA
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Giuseppe "Beppe" Signori

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Giuseppe "Beppe" Signori (born 17 February 1968 in Alzano Lombardo, Province of Bergamo) is a retired Italian football striker, one of the top scorers in Serie A history and widely regarded as one of the best football players to have never received a winners medal in competitive football. He was a fast, left footed striker who was prolific goalscorer. During the early part of his career he was used as a left winger, where his accurate crossing and pace were put to good use.

Signori used to squeeze his feet into boots that were too small for him, claiming that this improved his touch and accuracy on the ball. He was also known for his unique style of taking penalty kicks. He would stand next to the ball (without taking any run-up) and shoot.
As a youngster Signori played in the youth system of Internazionale, but was eventually released after being told by the club that he was too small to succeed as a professional. He went on to make his pro debut for Leffe (1984–86), followed by Piacenza (1986–87 and 1988–89), Trento (1987–88), Foggia (1989–92), Lazio (1992–97), Sampdoria (January–June 1998) and Bologna (1998–2004). He then spent two short periods abroad: first in Greece in 2004 with Iraklis Thessaloniki; and then in October 2005 he signed a one-year contract with Hungarian team MFC Sopron.
Signori led Serie A in goals three times, in 1993, 1994, and 1996 (the last title shared with Igor Protti). Overall, he scored 188 goals in Italy's top division, the eighth all-time in league history. Now he is one of suspects in a new betting scandal code named "last bet".

Signori was not able fully to translate his success to the national level, partly due to differences between him and national coach Arrigo Sacchi, who preferred to play him in the midfield. He played for the national side 28 times, scoring seven goals. The only major tournament Signori played in was the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where he set up two crucial goals that allowed Italy to advance.
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Location: Palermo, Italy
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George Best

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George Best was born in Belfast on 22nd May 1946. He grew up on the Cregagh estate and played football for both Cregagh Boys Club and Lisnasharragh Intermediate School.
He was spotted by Bob Bishop, one of United's top scouts and joined Manchester United's ground staff in August 1961. Despite a spell of homesickness he signed as an amateur and joined the Manchester Ship Canal Company as a clerk. He turned professional on his 17th birthday in May 1963.
His debut in the league was against West Bromwich Albion on 14th September 1963 and he scored his first goal in only his second appearance in a 5-1 victory over Burnley on 28th December 1963. He won his first Northern Ireland cap in a 3-2 victory over Wales, after only 15 League matches.
He won a F.A. Youth Cup winners' plaque in 1964, scoring one of United's goals in their 5-2 aggregate victory over Swindon Town. In 1965 he won a Championship medal adding a second in 1967. Best gave United an extra-time lead in the European Champions Cup Final in 1968, United eventually defeating Benfica 4-1.
He already had a reputation to Benfica having been responsible for their first ever home defeat in European competition back in 1965 at the quarter-final stage of the European Champions Cup.
George Best made 361 League appearances for Manchester United scoring 136 goals. He also holds the record for the most goals by a United player in a single match (not including wartime), six versus Northampton Town, F.A. Cup fifth round on 8th February 1970. United won the match 8-2. He won a total of 37 Northern Ireland caps, 32 of which whilst at United.

In November 1972 he received IRA death threats with the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland and this forced him to withdraw from a Northern Ireland versus Spain match
Together with Mike Summerbee of Manchester City, George Best opened a number of fashion boutiques in Manchester in 1966 and 1967. He also opened a travel agency and a couple of nightclubs, Slack Alice's and Oscar's. Unfortunately Best's talents were more notable on the pitch as the businesses had little success.
Tensions came to light during the 1970's between Old Trafford and best and the pressures of superstardom took their toll. During the late 1960's Best had been receiving 10,000 fan-mail letters every week, and employed 3 full-time staff to answer the letters.
In 1972 he announced his retirement and ran off to Marbella, Spain, deserting United and latter day Beckham's move was almost a parody.
Best returned to Manchester United in September 1973 but finally broke both Tommy Docherty's and Manchester United's patience when he failed to turn up for training in January 1974. His final League match for United had been in a disappointing 0-3 defeat against Queens Park Rangers on New Year's Day 1974.
Since leaving Old Trafford his clubs have been almost too numerous to mention but have included amongst others, Dunstable Town (1974), Stockport County (1975), Cork Celtic (1975), Fulham (1976-77), Hibernian (1979-80), Bournemouth (1983) and Brisbane Lions of Australia (1983).
He has also played in the short lived North American Soccer League for L.A. Aztecs (1976-78), Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1978-79) and San Jose Earthquakes (1980-81). He has also made numerous guest appearances for teams in friendly, charity and testimonial matches.
On 3rd October 1981, George Best was called up to play for Northern Ireland against Scotland at the age of 35. George Best, at his peak, was probably the most natural and greatest talent the British Isles have ever produced.
He had speed, balance, vision, superb close control and the ability to create chances and score from seemingly impossible situations. The Brazilian legend, Pele, remarked that George Best was 'The best player in the world'.
Since retiring from playing Best has continued to attract headlines about his private life. He has also had to fight the demons that haunt him and have nearly cost him his life and he has overcome alcoholism and slipped back, but he has still retained the legendary status and respect as one of the most influential players to come out of Manchester United.
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About me

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name: Williem Haterulez
hobby : blogging, gmbling, watching football

email me here : iskawulandari2gmail.com
Facebook         : Cemink's Voices
Twitter             : Williem Haterulez

i am the  one seeing the world from the deflected area of most...
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