Andrés Iniesta

Andrés Iniesta

Andrés Iniesta Luján Was born 11 May 1984 in Fuentealbilla, Albacete, Castile-La Mancha). He is a Spanish football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Barcelona. His willingness to play anywhere on the pitch, coupled with a natural humility, has earned him the sobriquet El Ilusionista, El Anti-Galáctico and most recently San Andrés or Don Andrés from the Catalan press. After the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney asserted that he believed the midfielder to be the best in the world.


Personal information

Full name Andrés Iniesta Lujan
Date of birth 11 May 1984 (1984-05-11) (age 25)
Place of birth Fuentealbilla, Spain
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position Midfielder / Winger

Club information

Current club Barcelona
Number 8

Youth career

1994–1996 Albacete
1996–2000 Barcelona

Senior career*

Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2000–2003 Barcelona B 54 (6)
2002– Barcelona 184 (16)

National team‡

2000 Spain U15 2 (0)
2000–2001 Spain U16 7 (1)
2001 Spain U17 4 (0)
2001–2002 Spain U19 7 (1)
2003 Spain U20 7 (3)
2003–2006 Spain U21 18 (6)
2006– Spain 37 (6)

Early career

Initially, the 12-year-old Iniesta's parents travelled to Barcelona and took a look at the Barcelona youth school, La Masia. The trip resulted in Iniesta's enrollment in the Barça youth ranks. Like fellow La Masia graduate Cesc Fàbregas, Iniesta originally started as a defensive midfielder but his balance, close control and skill on the ball saw him make progress as an attacking midfielder. From that moment on he worked his way up the club ranks. Louis van Gaal handed him his debut on 29 October 2002, a UEFA Champions League game against Club Brugge He appeared 11 times in the league in 2003–04, mostly as a deputy for Camp Nou favourite Ronaldinho, scoring once as Barça sealed second place behind Valencia.

2004–2007

In the 2004–05 season Iniesta successfully secured a permanent slot in the first team and figured in 37 of 38 league games — more than any other player. He displayed an unselfish attitude by regularly aiding forwards Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho but performed poorly in front of goal — denied by the woodwork on several occasions, he found the net just twice.

Iniesta's improvement as a player continued in the 2005–06 season, and because of the absence of Xavi due to injury, he was given regular starts in midfield. The increased playing time offered to him at the highest level gave him the opportunity to blossom into a superb midfielder. His contribution to the team was praised by manager Frank Rijkaard as Barcelona won a league and Champions League double.


2008-2009 season in barcelona

On 24 September 2008, Andrés Iniesta was chosen as one of the new Barcelona captains, with the former vice-captain Ronaldinho departing for AC Milan. According to local newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, Iniesta will be the Barça fourth-choice captain, behind fellow Spaniards, Carles Puyol (1st-choice), Xavi (second-choice), and Víctor Valdés (third-choice). This new achievement by Iniesta has been welcomed by all Culés worldwide, and, especially, by the pro-Barcelona press throughout Spain. In mid November 2008, Iniesta suffered a leg injury and was expected to return to action in 6 weeks. Iniesta, however, did not want to come back until he was 100 percent and finally returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a 65th minute substitute against Mallorca. After only 10 minutes he scored a crucial goal and completed a Barcelona comeback in front of the Camp Nou.

His performances in the 2008–09 season have been highly lauded, receiving standing ovations both in Barcelona at the Camp Nou, as well as from rival supporters in away matches.On 5 February, Iniesta made his 250th appearance for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey match against Mallorca. Iniesta once again got injured in Barcelona's home match against Málaga, but returned to action for the first leg Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich, which Barcelona won 4–0.

His current contract with Barcelona ends in June 2014. On July 19 2007, he was linked with a move to rivals Real Madrid, with reports in newspapers suggesting Real was prepared to pay €60 million for him,[12] which would trigger his release clause. Iniesta disregarded the rumours and reiterated his desire to remain with Barça by saying "I can’t do anything about it but I’d like to insist once again that I want to stay here. When I say I want to retire in Barça, I say it with all my heart."Iniesta's release clause has since been raised to €150 million, to dissuade possible suitors.

Former teammate Samuel Eto'o described Iniesta as being 'the best player in the world; whenever Iniesta is on the pitch he creates a spectacle’.
On 6 May 2009, Iniesta scored the equalizing goal of Barcelona's semi-final against Chelsea, in the third minute of injury time; this goal sent Barcelona through to the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against defending champions Manchester United,in which he had a very influential role (providing the assist for the first goal scored by Samuel Eto'o) as his team went on to win 2–0. After the game, Wayne Rooney described Iniesta as the best player in the world.[4] Don Balón rated him as the most consistent performer in the 2008-09 La Liga season, ahead of team-mates Xavi and Lionel Messi. Iniesta suffered a small tear in his thigh prior to the final but played through the pain, aggravating the injury.


2009-Present

Iniesta made his first start of the 2009-10 season in a 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv.
On the 18 of October Iniesta was confirmed on as being included in a list of 30 candidates for Don Balón along with Xavi Hernandez, Toure Yaya, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi and exBarcelona player Samuel Eto'o

international career

Iniesta burst on to the international scene in 2001, helping Spain win the UEFA European Under-16 Championship, and was in the squad that claimed the UEFA European Under-19 Championship the following year. Since then, he became a regular choice for the then youth coach Juan Santisteban. In 2003 he formed part of the Spanish side that reached the FIFA World Youth Championship final in the United Arab Emirates, and was named in the FIFA all-star team. During his spell with the Spain U21s side, Iniesta was named captain on several occasions.
He scored his first goal for Spain in a friendly against England on 7 February 2007. His long range effort, hitting the underside of the crossbar on the way in, gave Spain the lead on 63 minutes. Iniesta proceeded to play a pivotal part in Spain's qualification for Euro 2008 by scoring goals against the likes of Sweden and by assisting the strikers. Iniesta usually played in the middle of the pitch, but he was also trusted with roles further up the pitch when Spain was away from home, most notably in the game against Denmark where he was given an advanced left wing position.

Iniesta was selected in Spain's squad for UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Though a stomach bug somewhat hampered his performances, he still played an integral part in the midfield. He played in the first two of Spain's group stage matches and proved an important part of the team providing a particularly notable pass for David Villa's second goal against Russia.

He was not rested, unlike most of Spain's regulars, for the final group game against Greece (which Spain won 2-1 thanks to a fantastic volley from Rubén de la Red and a late winner from Daniel Güiza), and returned for the quarter final as Spain beat Italy on Penalties. Iniesta was substituted before the penalties as in his other starts.

In the semi-final against Russia he played the entire 90 minutes and produced a quality cross which Xavi converted to open the scoring. The Technical Study Group named him the Man of the Match.[19] He played the full duration of the final in Spain's 1–0 win over Germany. Iniesta was named in the Team of the Tournament alongside fellow Spain midfielders Xavi, Cesc Fàbregas and Marcos Senna and 5 other teammates.

Iniesta did not participate in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa due to a thigh muscle injury.

Honours

Barcelona

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

Spain

* 2008 UEFA European Championship
* 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship
* 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
* 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up

Individual

* Euro 2008 Team of the tournament
* Don Balón Award for Best Spanish Player of the Year : 2009
* Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano Runner-up : 2009

Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov

Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United in the Premier League and the Bulgarian national team.[3][4] He has won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award five times, equalling the number of wins by Hristo Stoichkov. He is distinctive for his skilful, seemingly effortless style of play, which has earned him praise but also a perception as being "lazy".

Born in Blagoevgrad, Berbatov began his football career with his local club, Pirin Blagoevgrad, but joined CSKA Sofia as a 17-year-old in 1998. In January 2001, he was signed by Bayer Leverkusen, and 18 months later, he played in his first UEFA Champions League final, coming on as a substitute for Thomas Brdaric in the 2002 final against Real Madrid. After five-and-a-half years with Leverkusen, he was signed by Tottenham Hotspur, before joining Manchester United two years later. He played in his second Champions League final in 2009, competing against Barcelona.

Biography

Berbatov's father, Ivan, was a professional footballer with local outfit Pirin Blagoevgrad, and his mother, Margarita, was a professional handball player.As a youngster, Berbatov supported Milan and modelled himself on Marco van Basten, until Euro '96 in England, when the then fifteen year old discovered a new role model in Alan Shearer, formerly of Newcastle United, even sleeping in a Newcastle shirt. His mother later spoke of Dimitar's dream of playing for Newcastle one day.Berbatov learned the English language by watching the "Godfather" films.Outside of football, he lists his hobbies as drawing and basketball.

Berbatov is a sponsor of children's charities in his native Bulgaria, supporting five care homes.He also has plans to open a football academy in his hometown.



Personal information

Full name Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov
Date of birth 30 January 1981 (1981-01-30) (age 28)
Place of birth Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position Striker

Club information

Current club Manchester United
Number 9

Youth career

Pirin Blagoevgrad

Senior career*

Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1998–2001 CSKA Sofia 50 (25)
2001–2006 Bayer Leverkusen 154 (69)
2006–2008 Tottenham Hotspur 70 (27)
2008– Manchester United 40 (12)

National team‡

1999– Bulgaria 73 (46)


Club career

Early career

Berbatov's career began at the Pirin Blagoevgrad club, and continued until he was spotted by legendary scout and coach Dimitar Penev.

CSKA Sofia

At the age of just 17, Berbatov moved to CSKA Sofia following in the footsteps of his father, Ivan, who also played for the club as a left winger and later as a defender. He played for CSKA Sofia in the Bulgarian A PFG between 1998 and January 2001, making his debut as an 18-year-old in the 1998–99 season. He started to make his name the following year when he scored 14 goals in 27 league games and won the Bulgarian National Cup in 1999.

At the age of 18 Berbatov was kidnapped following a training session as Bulgarian gangster Georgi Iliev, who has since been killed, tried to coerce the striker to sign for his own club, Levski Kjustendil.

In June 2000 he was about to be signed by Italian Serie A side Lecce. Former U.S. Lecce Director of football Pantaleo Corvino stated in an interview that Berbatov had already underwent a medical, but when it came to signing the contract, the move collapsed, probably due to another request by the player himself.

Bayer Leverkusen

A run of nine goals in 11 games in 2000–01 was enough to persuade Bayer Leverkusen to sign Berbatov in January 2001. Berbatov had a slow start to his Leverkusen career with just 16 goals in his first 67 appearances for the club. He did however play a crucial role in the Champions League during his first season with the club scoring a memorable solo effort against Lyon with an excellent piece of skill, as well as a goal against Liverpool in the quarter finals. He also played a part in the final against Real Madrid coming on as a substitute for Thomas Brdaric after 38 minutes.

In 2001–02, Leverkusen were runners-up in the Fußball-Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. During the 2002–03 Bundesliga season, Berbatov established his place as the first-choice forward at Bayer Leverkusen, but it was not until the 2003–04 season that he really began to shine, scoring 16 goals in 24 starts. The following two seasons saw him go from strength to strength, netting another 46 goals including five in the Champions League 2004–05, raising awareness of his talent and generating interest from teams throughout Europe.


Tottenham Hotspur

Speculation surrounded a potential move in 2004 for the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year, but it was May 2006, when Berbatov finally joined Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €16m,(£10.9 million).[18] making him the most expensive Bulgarian player in history. After being granted a work permit, the transfer was completed, and Berbatov joined Tottenham on 1 July 2006. He scored two goals in two minutes in his first match, as a Tottenham player against Birmingham City in a pre-season friendly match.

Due to his highly impressive displays, especially in the latter half of the season, he won the Tottenham Hotspur player of the season award in 2006–07. Berbatov was also included in the FA Premier League's PFA Team of the Season on 21 April 2007, one of only three players in the team not to play for league winners Manchester United (the other two being Steven Gerrard and Didier Drogba). After Spurs narrowly lost to Arsenal in the North London derby on 22 December 2007, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger compared Berbatov to Thierry Henry.

His first Spurs Premier League hat-trick came on 29 December 2007 after he bagged four goals in a 6–4 win against Reading.
Berbatov played in his first cup final for Tottenham on 24 February 2008 in the Football League Cup at Wembley Stadium against Chelsea in which he scored an equalising penalty. Tottenham went on to win the game 2–1 after extra time, with Berbatov collecting his first trophy in English football. On 9 March, Berbatov scored a brace of headers in the 4–0 demolition of West Ham United.

This took his Premier League tally of goals for the season to twelve, which was equal to his 2007 league total. He ended the season with 15 league goals and an identical overall record of 23 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. He again scored Spurs' 100th goal of the season in this campaign, hitting the opener in the 1–1 draw at Wigan on 19 April.

The 2008–09 season began in circumstances when Berbatov's desires for greener pastures dominated tabloid headlines. Ongoing rumours of a substantial bid by Manchester United unsettled the striker, and despite training with Tottenham, Berbatov was dropped for the games against Sunderland.[23] and Chelsea.[24] United manager Alex Ferguson sought to quell these rumours, describing his feelings as "less optimistic" about securing new signings before the close of the transfer windows.

Manchester United

After much speculation, Berbatov completed a move to Manchester United on 1 September 2008 for a fee of around £30.75 million, with Fraizer Campbell joining Tottenham on a season-long loan as part of the deal. This came despite Tottenham accepting a bid for Berbatov from Manchester City on the same day. Berbatov's contract to United is for four years,and he wears the number 9 shirt previously worn by Louis Saha. Berbatov later insisted he never even considered a move to Manchester City.

Berbatov marked his Manchester United debut with an assist to a Carlos Tévez goal away to Liverpool but United went on to lose the game 2–1. He scored his first two goals for Manchester United in their 3–0 win away to Aalborg BK in the Champions League group stage on 30 September 2008. He scored the third goal in a 4–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion to mark his first Premier League goal as a Manchester United player.

On 29 October 2008, Berbatov assisted Cristiano Ronaldo to open the scoring in Man Utd's home game against West Ham United after using deft footwork to get past defender James Collins. On 17 January 2009, he scored a last-minute goal to secure a 1–0 away win over Bolton Wanderers and help Man Utd to the top of the Premier League table for the first time in the season. Alex Ferguson defended Berbatov after the Bulgarian was the subject of much criticism for a penalty miss in the FA Cup 2008–09 semi-final against Everton, with Manchester United eventually losing to Everton in the penalty shoot-out.Soon after, Berbatov scored the fifth of United's goals as they came back from 2–0 down at half-time to win 5–2 against his former team, Tottenham Hotspur on 25 April 2009.

Manchester United won the Premier League on 16 May 2009 with a 0–0 draw at home to Arsenal, to grant Berbatov his first career league title and make him the first Bulgarian to win the competition. In the same season Berbatov made 10 assists in the Premier League and finished joint second (along with Fabregas, Gerrard and Lampard) behind league leader Robin van Persie with 11.

Berbatov scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season against Wigan Athletic on 22 August 2009, scoring the second goal of a 5–0 away win. On October 3, 2009, three days after an inspiring performance against Wolfsburg in the Champions League, he produced a sublime scissor-kick finish for the first of United's two equalizers against Sunderland A.F.C.

International

Berbatov made his debut for Bulgaria in 1999. On 12 February 2000, he scored his first goal for the national side in a friendly match against Chile. On 14 October 2009, he scored a hat-trick in the 6:2 home win in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Georgia, enabling him to bring his goal tally for the national side to 46 goals, just one short of the all-time top scorer for Bulgaria Hristo Bonev. He is currently the captain of the team

HONORS

Club

CSKA Sofia

* Bulgarian Cup: 1999

Tottenham Hotspur

* Football League Cup: 2007–08

Manchester United

* Premier League: 2008–09
* FIFA Club World Cup: 2008

Individual

* Bulgarian Footballer of the Year: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
* FA Premier League Player of the Month: April 2007
* PFA Team of the Year: 2006–07

Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon (born 28 January 1978 in Carrara),is an Italian FIFA World Cup-winning goalkeeper who plays for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time

Club career

Early career

At the young age of just 17, Buffon made his Serie A debut for Parma in a 0-0 home draw against Milan on 19 November 1995. In his fourth season with the club, he won the UEFA Cup. He transferred from Parma to Juventus in 2001, for a world-record goalkeeper's fee of €51.5 million. Buffon nearly signed with Roma in 2001 following his departure from Parma, but team president Franco Sensi instead opted for Atalanta keeper Ivan Pelizzoli, who averaged less than 15 appearances in five seasons with Roma. Buffon also claimed that he wouldn't have signed with Roma had he left Juventus in 2006. "That was never a possibility really... I don’t think that Roma had the finances to make an investment of such a nature."

Personal information

Full name Gianluigi Buffon
Date of birth 28 January 1978 (1978-01-28) (age 31)
Place of birth Carrara, Italy
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information

Current club Juventus
Number 1

Youth career

1991–1995 Parma

Senior career*

Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1995–2001 Parma 168 (0)
2001– Juventus 247 (0)

National team‡

1995–1997 Italy U-21 12 (0)
1997– Italy 99 (0)


Juventus

In 2003, he received the UEFA Most Valuable Player and Best Goalkeeper awards, and was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. During the annual Luigi Berlusconi Trophy match against Milan in August 2005, Buffon collided with Milan midfielder Kaká while chasing a loose ball, and suffered a dislocated shoulder that required surgery. His operation was successful and he returned to the pitch in November, but played only once as another injury returned him to the sidelines until January. He recovered in time to help lead Juventus to their second consecutive Scudetto and his fourth overall with the club.

On 12 May 2006, Buffon, along with former Juventus goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti and many other players, were implicated as participants in illegal betting on Serie A matches while with Parma. The following day, he voluntarily allowed himself to be questioned by Turin magistrates in an attempt to clear his name. While admitting that he did bet on sports (until regulations went into effect in late 2005, banning players from doing so), he vehemently denied placing wagers on Italian football matches. Fears arose that he had jeopardized his chance of playing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but he was officially named Italy's starting goalkeeper on 15 May. The players were cleared of all charges by the FIGC on 27 June 2007.

Following Juventus' punishment in the Calciopoli scandal, rumors spread that Juventus were shopping Buffon on the transfer market as a cost-cutting measure, and many teams became interested in his services. However, no deals ever materialized as Buffon elected to remain with Juventus; his agent said, "Serie B is a division he has never won and he wants to try to do this." AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani stated in April 2007 that Buffon's decision to stay proved a catalyst in re-signing incumbent Dida,though Buffon later denied having ever been contacted by Milan.

After Juventus won the Cadetti and were promoted back into the top flight, Buffon signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2012.
In 2008–09, Buffon was again sidelined by several injuries, having problems with his back but principally a bad groin strain and a pulled muscle. From September-January, Alexander Manninger, Juventus' reserve goalie, held his position between the sticks, and gained a lot of praise for his deputizing.[8] Because of this and Juve's poor form towards the end of the season, as Buffon was seen despondent as the team drew Lecce and Atalanta, there were further rumors that Buffon was upset and wanted to leave.[9] He admitted he was upset but had no intentions to leave. After a discussion with management, he said he was reassured about the future of Juventus and signed a year extension to 2013.

Buffon started out 2009–10 brilliantly, making a string of unbelievable saves against Roma, Lazio, Livorno, Bulgaria, and Georgia leading commentators to sing his praises as once again, the number one goalkeeper in the world.

Honours

Parma

* UEFA Cup: 1999
* Coppa Italia 1999
* Supercoppa Italiana: 1999

Juventus

* Serie A: 2001–02, 2002–03
* Supercoppa Italiana: 2002, 2003
* Serie B: 2006–07
* UEFA Champions League: 2003 Runner-up

International

* UEFA Under-21 European Championship: 1996
* FIFA World Cup: 2006

Individual

* Bravo Award: 1999
* UEFA Champions League Most Valuable PlayerEarly career

Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero


Alessandro Del Piero, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMR (born November 9, 1974 in Conegliano Veneto) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus. Due to his great ability and record number of appearances and goals, he is fondly referred to as "The Old Master" and "Il Padrino".

Del Piero was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. Brazilian star Ronaldinho proclaimed that Del Piero is his idol. Del Piero was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue.Currently, Del Piero is still the highest earning Italian Player.

Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability.
Del Piero usually plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "trequartista" position. Although he is not very tall, Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching." His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded. Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special "Del Piero Zone", approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal.

In terms of goalscoring, Del Piero holds the all-time record at Juventus. On April 6, 2008, Alessandro Del Piero became the all-time highest-capped Juventus player, ahead of Juve legend Gaetano Scirea. He is in sixth place in the UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer records. Within the Italian national team, he is currently joint fourth with Roberto Baggio in the all-time scoring records.

Personal information

Full name Alessandro Del Piero
Date of birth November 9, 1974 (1974-11-09) (age 34)
Place of birth Conegliano Veneto (TV), Italy
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position Second striker

Club information

Current club Juventus
Number 10

Youth career

1981–1988 San Vendemiano
1988–1991 Padova

Senior career*

Years Team Apps (Gls)†
1991–1993 Padova 014 00(1)
1993– Juventus 0435 0(188)

National team‡

1993–1996 Italy U-21 012 0(3)
1995–2008 Italy 091 0(27)

early career

Juventus

In 1993, he transferred to Juventus, and has been there ever since. Del Piero made his Serie A debut against Foggia in September 1993, scored his first goal in his next game against Reggiana after appearing as a substitute, and then grabbed a hat-trick against Parma on his first start. Juventus claimed their first Scudetto in eight years in his first season and success continued to follow. With the Turin club, he won the Serie A championship seven times (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006), the Champions League (1996), and the Intercontinental Cup (1996). His best season was in 1997-98, when he scored 21 goals in Serie A and finished top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals, which included a peach of a freekick against Monaco in the semi finals. His goal in the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final was unable to prevent Juventus from going down 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund.

Del Piero struggled for form at the beginning of the 1998-99 season, whilst doping allegations were aimed at Juventus (they were later found innocent). In October he picked up a serious knee injury in the 2-2 draw with Udinese. This kept him out of action for the remainder of the season. Juventus struggled without him and limped home to a lowly 6th place in the league.

On November 5, 2008, Juventus and Real Madrid squared off at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League. The Italians won 2–0 (their first away win against Madrid since 1962), and Del Piero was a key performer, scoring both the goals and being praised by both Claudio Ranieri and Madrid coach Bernd Schuster.Upon his late substitution, he received a standing ovation from both sections of the crowd, an honor bestowed only on other stalwarts like Ronaldinho and Diego Maradona.

Winning the Capocannoniere for the season 2007-08 enured that Alessandro became only the second Italian ever to win consecutive Capocannoniere titles in two different leagues - former Juventus and 1982 FIFA World Cup hero Paolo Rossi being the other one (coincidentally Rossi too won the Capocannoniere titles like Alessandro first in Serie B and then in Serie A). On July 26, 2008, Del Piero was awarded the Scirea Award.

During the 2008-2009 summer pre-season, Juventus played Hamburger SV and Arsenal F.C. in the Emirates Cup, and played a friendly versus Manchester United at Old Trafford. Juventus' coach Claudio Ranieri remarked that Del Piero would have as good a season, or an even better one, than the previous term. In August 2008, Del Piero announced that he would try to keep playing professional football with Juve until he is 40 years old.

On September 17, 2008 Juventus returned to the Champions League after two seasons. Alessandro marked their return with a brilliant match-winning free-kick goal 38 metres away against FC Zenit St. Petersburg in Turin (1-0).[31] On October 21, he scored a wonderful first-time strike from distance as Juve defeated Real Madrid CF in Turin.

In the return match on the 5th of November, he was again the match winner for Juventus as he scored both goals at the Santiago Bernabéu against Real Madrid, becoming the first Juve player to have scored two exquisite goals in the same match at this ground to secure Juventus' qualification for last 16 of UEFA Champions League. Near the end of the match, he was substituted and was given a standing ovation by the whole crowd, including applauses off the field by Madrid fans.However, Juventus' 2009 UEFA Champions League campaign ended in disappointment as they were eliminated by Chelsea in the 2nd round. Despite converting a penalty in the second leg in Turin, Del Piero was unable to prevent Juventus from losing 3-2 on aggregate.

On 17th July 2009, Alex extended his contract with Juventus by 1 more year until June 30, 2011 in Pinzolo while training for pre-season, thus practically ensuring that he would retire at the club with which he started his professional career. . During his renewal, he said “I am happy at Juventus and we are competitive. I want to keep playing for as long as I can and I’m certain that for at least two more years I will be at the top level.

International career

Del Piero is currently Italy's fourth all-time leading scorer. His tournament debut was Euro 96, but made his only appearance in the first half of a match against Russia before being substituted at halftime. Del Piero competed with fan favorite Roberto Baggio for a spot on the 1998 FIFA World Cup final roster while struggling to recover from injury suffered during the 1998 Champions League final with Juventus. He also missed two guilt-edged chances in Italy's 2-1 loss to France in the Euro 2000 final.

He returned to the international scene in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, after a season in Serie A in which Juventus won the Scudetto. Del Piero scored the decisive goal against Hungary, which sealed the Azzurri's qualification for the finals. He instantly scored with a header against Mexico after coming on as a substitute, a goal which saved Italy from the ignominy of a first round exit. The goal sent Italy through to the second round, where they were eliminated due to a golden goal in a controversial match against S. Korea

Honours

Juventus F.C.

* Serie A: 1994-95, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2002-03
* Coppa Italia: 1994-95
* Supercoppa Italiana: 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003
* Serie B: 2006-07
* UEFA Champions League: 1995-96
* UEFA Super Cup: 1996
* UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999
* Intercontinental Cup: 1996

Juventus Youth Team

* Torneo di Viareggio: 1994

Italy National Football Team

* UEFA Under-21 European Championship 2: 1994, 1996
* FIFA World Cup 1: 2006

Individual

* Bravo Award: 1996
* Italian Footballer of the Year: 1998, 2008
* ESM Team of the Year: 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98
* Intercontinental Cup Man of the match: 1996
* UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 1997, 1998
* FIFA 100
* Coppa Italia Top Scorer: 2006
* Golden Foot: 2007
* Serie B Top Scorer: 2007
* Serie A Top Scorer: 2008
* Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2008
* USSI Silver Ball (Serie A Fair Play Award): 2008-09
* UEFA Champions League 10-Year Jubilee Poll - Best Attacker
* Juventus All-Time top scorer
* All-Time Juventus appearances leader

PAUL SCHOLES

Paul Aaron Scholes

Paul Aaron Scholes is an English football player who currently plays for Manchester United.He is a one club man, having spent his entire professional career with a single club. Scholes represented the England national team from 1997 to 2004, participating in the 1998 and 2002 World Cup, as well as UEFA Euro 2000 and UEFA Euro 2004. He is one of only four players to make over 600 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United.


Personal information

Full name Paul Aaron Scholes
Date of birth 16 November 1974 (1974-11-16) (age 34)
Place of birth Salford, Greater Manchester, England
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information

Current club Manchester United
Number 18

Youth career

1991–1994 Manchester United

Senior career*

Years Club Apps† (Gls)†
1994– Manchester United 421 (98)

National team

1997–2004 England 66 (14)

Scholes was born in Salford and grew up as an Oldham Athletic supporter, but has trained with Manchester United since the age of 14.[1] He then later joined as a trainee upon leaving the Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School, Middleton, Greater Manchester in the summer of 1991. In his final term at school, he was selected to represent Great Britain National Schools in football.

Scholes was not a member of Manchester United's 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning squad that included future senior teammates David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, but he was part of the youth team that reached the final in the following season, alongside Phil Neville .Scholes turned professional on 23 July 1993, but did not make his breakthrough into the senior squad until the 1994–95 season, when he made seventeen league appearances and scored five goals. His debut came on 21 September 1994, where he scored twice in a 2–1 victory over Port Vale F.C. in the Football League Cup. Scholes came on as a substitute in the 1995 FA Cup final against Everton, which United lost 1–0.

In 1995–96, after Mark Hughes moved to Chelsea, Scholes had even more first-team opportunities. He stood in for the suspended Eric Cantona as Andrew Cole's strike partner for the first two months of the campaign. Scholes scored fourteen goals in all competitions as United became the first English team to win the double twice. He picked up another Premier League winners medal in 1996–97, but was restricted to three goals in sixteen league games.

Scholes moved to the midfielder and forward attack positions in the 1997–98 after Roy Keane suffered a knee injury in late September and did not play again that season. United finished the season without a major trophy, only the second time in the 1990s that this happened.

In 1998–99, Scholes was a key player in Manchester United's Premier League title, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League Treble success. He scored one of Manchester United's two goals against Newcastle in the FA Cup final. He also scored an away goal against Internazionale in the CL quarter-final, but was ruled out of the final victory over FC Bayern Munich through suspension.

Scholes was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in September 2008. In a December 2008 interview with The Daily Mirror, he said he planned to retire from football completely in two years. "I think I've got two years left at the most I'm looking forward to finishing and everything that goes with it."

On 24 January 2009, Scholes scored his first goal of the season against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup. His shot from out-side the box in the 34th minute deflected in off Tom Huddlestone to bring the game to 1–1, while United would go on to win 2–1. On 18 February, Scholes scored his first Premier League goal in over a year in a 3–0 win over Fulham, a swerving volley that hit Mark Schwarzer and rebounded in. On 22 April, he made his 600th appearance for Manchester United in a 2–0 win over Portsmouth.

On 15 September 2009, Scholes scored his first Champions League goal since netting the winner against Barcelona in the semi-final a year and a half ago. He netted the solitary goal in the 77th minute away to Besiktas, giving Manchester United a winning start to their 2009-10 European campaign.

International career

Scholes made his international debut against South Africa in 1997 in a 2–1 friendly win at Old Trafford, and was included in the England squad for the 1998 World Cup. England were grouped with Colombia, Tunisia and Romania. During England's first World Cup group match against Tunisia, Scholes sealed a 2–0 victory with a goal late in the game. Picking up a pass from Paul Ince just outside the Tunisian area, Scholes pushed the ball slightly to his right and hit a shot with his right foot which curled into the top right-hand corner of Tunisian keeper Chokri El Ouaer's net.
His international career continued after England's elimination from the World Cup by Argentina on penalties in the first knock-out round. On 27 March 1999, Scholes managed a hat-trick for England in a game against Poland. In addition, Scholes scored both goals in England's 2-0 win at Hampden Park over Scotland in the Euro 2000 play-off first leg, sealing a 2-1 aggregate win and qualification for the finals tournament. In a qualifier against Sweden that June, Scholes became the first and last England player to be sent off in an international match at the now-demolished Wembley Stadium.

With the turn of the century, Scholes became a prominent player in England's midfield, becoming a first-choice selection for the 2002 World Cup. However, after the tournament, Scholes saw his opportunities in the national team decline due to Shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifven-Göran Eriksson playing him out of position on the left midfield to accommodate the pairing of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in central midfield.[20] Scholes announced his retirement from international football in August 2004, citing his family life and his club career with Manchester United as being more important.[21] He has turned down the opportunity to come out of retirement and reclaim his position in the England squad under former manager Steve McClaren

Honours

Club

Manchester United

* Premier League (9): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
* FA Cup (3): 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
* Football League Cup (1): 2008–09
* FA Community Shield (4): 1996, 1997, 2003, 2008
* UEFA Champions League (2): 1998–99, 2007–08
* Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
* FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual

* Barclays Premier League Player of the Month (3): January 2003, December 2003, October 2006
* PFA Team of the Year (2): 2002–03, 2006–07
* English Football Hall of Fame: 2008

peter cech

Petr Cech


Petr Cech (born 20 May 1982 in Plzen, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) is a Czech international football goalkeeper who is currently contracted to English Premier League football club Chelsea, for whom he has played since July 2004. Petr Cech has previously played for Viktoria Plzen, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals. Cech also received the individual award of Best Goalkeeper in the 2004/2005, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons of the UEFA Champions League. In addition, he was named in the FIFPro and UEFA Champions League teams of the season in 2006.

He currently holds one record: a Czech professional league record of not conceding a goal in 855 competitive minutes (he previously held a record for the most clean sheets accomplished in a single Premier League season (25), set during Chelsea’s 2004–05 title-winning campaign). He also has a club record at his former team Sparta Praha, having gone 928 minutes unbeaten in all competitions in 2001–2002, when his unbeaten run in Czech league competition was combined with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. During the 2004–05 season, Cech went 1,025 minutes without conceding a goal - a former Premier League record until Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United broke it on 27 January 2009.

Personal information

Date of birth 20 May 1982 (1982-05-20) (age 27)
Place of birth Plzeň, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information

Current club Chelsea
Number 1

Youth career

1989–1999 Plzeň

Senior career*

Years Team Apps (Gls)†
1999–2001 Blšany 027 (0)
2001–2002 Sparta Prague 027 (0)
2002–2004 Rennes 070 (0)
2004– Chelsea 158 (0)

National team‡

2001–2002 Czech Republic U21 015 (0)
2002– Czech Republic 067 (0)

Club career

Early Career

Cech started playing football at age 7 in his native town. As a young boy, he played for Viktoria Plzen and he first started as a striker due to him being tall at an early age. Cech started as a goal keeper in training, goalkeeper coaches took note of his ablities. By age 14, Petr Cech grew from 180 cm to 196 cm. This drew him attention, not because of his height, but his talent as a goalkeeper.

Chelsea

It was Claudio Ranieri, then manager of Chelsea, who decided that Cech was his choice as understudy to Carlo Cudicini.After the original bid was rejected,Rennes accepted a second in February. Cech agreed a summer move to Chelsea for £7 million, signing a five-year contract, to commence in July 2004. This transfer meant that he had cost more than every other Chelsea goalkeeper in history put together. Cech’s transfer from Rennes was one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents Pini Zahavi and Barry Silkman.

When he arrived at Chelsea, Carlo Cudicini was Chelsea's established first choice, but after Cudicini suffered a pre-season elbow injury, Cech was promoted into the starting spot, which he kept into the new season. He kept a clean sheet in his Premier League debut in a 1-0 victory over Manchester United.


2009-10 season

Cech began the 09-10 season in winning form with Chelsea, beating Manchester United in the Community Shield final at Wembley. With the game tied 2-2 at the end of normal time, Cech saved penalties from Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra. Cech kept goal for Chelsea in the six match winning run that opened their season and placed them on top of the Premier League. However,on September 26th, 2009, Cech was sent off and at the same time conceded the winning penalty for tripping Wigan Athletic midfielder Hugo Rodallega, in the defeat that broke the run and conceded the lead in the league to Manchester United which Chelsea took back after beating Liverpool F.C. 2-0 with HIlario making a few stellar saves.


International career

Cech began his career in the U15s, working his way up each age group level before making his senior debut in February 2002. He was part of the Czech Euro 2004 team. Some stunning saves helped his team progress as far as the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Greece on the silver goal rule. He was named in the all-star team as best goalkeeper at the tournament.

The Czech Republic qualified for the 2006 World Cup, held in Germany, and were placed in Group E, alongside Ghana, Italy and the United States. The Czech Republic was placed third by the end of the group stages, and with one win against the United States, winning by 3–0, and two losses against Ghana and Italy, the score 2–0 in both games, the Czech Republic did not advance to the second round.

On 17 October 2007, Cech was captain of the Czech Republic team for their Euro 2008 Group D qualifier against Germany. He kept a clean sheet and the Czechs defeated Germany 3–0 away to book their place for the finals in Austria and Switzerland. In the last group game of the final tournament, Cech was beaten three times in the final 15 minutes as Turkey overcame a two-goal deficit to knock the Czechs out. Cech had a cross slip through his hands, allowing Nihat to score the second (and equalizing) goal.

After the blunder against Turkey, he took full responsibility of his team's exit from the UEFA Euro 2008 and actually considered retiring but then he was talked out of it and he stated that he wants to keep representing the Czech Republic "for many years to come" and also stated that he wants to repay his mistake and confidence that all the Czech Republic's players have in him.

Rennes

* Coupe Gambardella : 2003

Chelsea

* FA Premier League: 2004-05, 2005-06
* FA Cup: 2007, 2009
* FA Community Shield: 2005, 2009
* Football League Cup: 2005, 2007
* World Football Challenge: 2009

International

* 2002 UEFA U21 Championship

Individual

* Best Goalkeeper of French League: 2003-04
* PFA Team of the Year: 2005
* IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: 2005, 2007, 2008
* Barclays Golden Glove: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07
* FA Premier League Player of the Month: December 2005, March 2007
* UEFA Club Football Awards: Best Goalkeeper: 2005, 2007,[43] 2008
* Czech Player of the Year: 2002, 2005, 2007
* UEFA Best European Goalkeeper: 2005, 2007, 2008
* UEFA Club Football Awards Best Goalkeeper:2003, 2005, 2007, 2008
* ESM Team of the Year: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08
* World Football Challenge: 2009