Biography Of Mario Ballotelli

MARIO BALLOTELLI

Mario was born in Palermo on August 12th, 1990. In 1992, at the age of two, he begins living with his new Italian family, in Brescia, the Balotellis. Right away his new mum, dad, and older brothers and sister, give him the love and attention a son or brother deserves.
FIRST STEPS He is only five years old when he shows his desire to play football. Therefore he begins playing with a small team in his neighbourhood and later in Mompiano's parish (Brescia). Due to his exceptional technical skills he moves very soon to the Youth Team.
In 2001 he joins Lumezzane AC, a local football club. When he's 15 years old he gains his first cup with the ProTeam (Padova-Lumezzane, Stadium Euganeo, 2nd April 2006). His promotion to the senior side of the Lumezzane club is made possible by a special permission from the C-League, as in order to play with the Pros one must be at least 16 years of age. Mario is the youngest player in C-League history.
DEALS FOR HIS CONTRACT In the summer of 2006 teams from both the A and B leagues fight to get this extraordinary young talent, with terrific dribbling and acrobatic skills, as well as an extraordinary play vision and a superb right kick. Lumezzane AC signs with Fiorentina and seems unwilling to deal with anyone else. In the meantime Mario spends five days in Barcelona for a trial. FC Barcelona's managers, people with great experience of talented youth players, are positively enthusiastic about this great young player. At Camp Nou, Mario scores eight goals and gains some unforgettable memories.
His brothers, Corrado and Giovanni, owners of an export consultant company, start long and difficult deals aiming to find the most suitable team. Their objective is to find a team where Mario may continue his studies and, at the same time, grow as a complete, professional football player.
Problems arise during negotiations with foreign clubs due to Mario’s citizenship. According to the Italian law, he must wait until after his 18th birthday in order to request the Italian citizenship. He is not yet an Italian citizen, although he was born in Italy and has never left the country.
FC INTERNAZIONALE On the last valid day for contract signing, Internazionale FC offers Mario a serious project of personal and professional growth. Therefore, on 31st August 2006, Mario moves to the Moratti's team.
He plays with the Under 16 Team and becomes the unofficial leader. Creating terror for the opposite defenders, he scores an average of 19 goals in 20 plays. After four months with the Allievi Nazionali he moves to the youth team (Under-20 Primavera) and again, he cannot stop! He scores 8 goals in 11 plays! These are important scores. On 28th April 2007, playing against Genoa, he scores two goals and Internazionale pass into the quarter final (see video). On may 2007, he scores with no fear the penalty kick (on the 90 minute) in the Youth League Final in Bressanone against Sampdoria, giving FC Internazionale the "Scudetto" (see video).
DEBUT At 17 years old Mario made his First Team debut on December 17, 2007, stepping onto the field 2 minutes before the end of the Series A League Cagliari-FC Internazionale football match. It is only an appearance. The chance for playing arrives shortly thereafter on December 19, 2007, in Reggina-FC Internazionale at the Reggio Calabria’s stadium (see video).
Mario plays for 90 minutes and scores two goals. During the Christmas holidays Mario flies to Brazil, being hosted by the Mata Escura-Mata Atlantica Project in Salvador de Bahia. Immediately he makes friends, organizing football games with the kids of the Project. From the favelas of Brazil where he has spent New Year’s Eve, Mario goes to Dubai in the Emirates with the First Team of FC Internazionale. There he plays in the Dubai Cup.
ITALIAN TIM CUP With the new year, other opportunities to play in important football matches with the Series A League soon arise. In the Italian Cup, Mario plays first at San Siro stadium (FC Internazionale-Reggina), then at the Olimpico in Turin (Juventus-FC Internazionale). It is with the latter match (January 30, 2008) that the overall Italian nation discovers Mario, who scores two beautiful goals against Juventus, the second one being decisive for victory. He makes the headlines: the media talk about Mario as a 17 years old "phenomenon".
CHAMPIONSHIP Mario's contribution to the First League team becomes more and more important in the last matches of the Championship. He's the author of the winning goal in Atalanta-FC Internazionale (April 6, 0-2) and FC Internazionale-Fiorentina (April 13, 2-0). The goal he scores in Bergamo is his first in the Serie A Championship (see video), after those he scored in the Italian Cup against Reggina and Juventus. One week later, in San Siro, he celebrates with another goal in his first match as titular (see video).
Also, in Torino-FC Internazionale (April 20, 0-1) and in FC Internazionale-Cagliari (April 27, 2-1) Mario plays the titular, working for the team as a veteran football player. In the derby Milan-FC Internazionale (May 4) he steps onto the field only 25 minutes before the end of the match when the final result not looking good for his team (2-0). Then he plays titular in FC Internazionale-Siena (May 11, 2-2) where he scores the second goal with a header. In addition to the goal all the penalties and free kicks are credited to Mario (see video). On May 18th, in Parma-FC Internazionale (2-0), Mario becomes champion of Italy at 17 years old. The match is played in a heavy rainstorm, but FC Internazionale gains the "Scudetto". As usual Mario receives credit for all the free kicks and penalties which he performes superbly and professionally.

Biography Of Javier Hernandez

JAVIER HERNANDEZ

Javier Hernandez Balcazar is a Mexican footballer who is also called the popularly as Chicharito or by his name Javier Hernandez. He currently plays for English Premier League side Manchester United. He is regarded as one of the exceptional talent to come from Mexico in recent years. Aged only 23, Javier Hernandez has already played in some of the most high-profile matches.
Javier Hernandez started out his career with Chivas Coras, which is a Mexican club that is quite popular across the world. He initially started out playing for the lower division team of Chivas and soon made the grade into the first team. His debut for Chivas came in the match against Necaxa in 2006, which Chivas managed to win quite handsomely. Javier Hernandez came on as a substitute during the match and ended up scoring Chivas’ fourth goal. Even though it was his first goal in more than seven appearances, his talent did not go unnoticed amongst the top scouts who were watching the game.
Javier Hernandez began appearing frequently for the first team of Chivas in the 2008 season. His performances improved dramatically in the 2009 season when he scored a lot of goals. These performances attracted the attention of some of the top clubs across Europe like Manchester United and Real Madrid. However, Manchester United decided to wait for another year before signing Javier Hernandez. The decision proved to be highly crucial in the development of the player, who again showed impressive performances in the 2010 season.
His major move to Europe came when C.D. Guadalajara officially accepted a bid from Manchester United. Even though the transfer fee was undisclosed at the time, it was later revealed that Javier Hernandez was signed for £8 million. Many questioned Manchester United’s decision to spend such a lot of money on a player who has been proven in the big stage. However, Manchester United’s faith in the player was richly rewarded in the 2010-2012 season. Javier Hernandez made his Manchester United debut in the FA Community Shield match against Chelsea, and scored in his first ever match for the club.
Javier Hernandez did not get first team opportunities straightaway due to the impressive performances of Dimitar Berbatov. However, as Berbatov’s form dropped during the middle stages of the Premier League season, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson kept his faith on Javier Hernandez to restore his club’s advantage in the title race. Javier Hernandez repaid that faith brilliantly by forming a great partnership with Wayne Rooney to help United coast to the title.
Javier Hernandez played a crucial role in Manchester United winning the title. He scored a total of 13 goals in 27 appearances in the League alone for the Red Devils. Overall, he made 45 appearances and scored 20 goals in the process. He made his debut for the national team in 2009, and has so far represented the team in 29 appearances. Even more impressive is the 21 goals that he has scored in these matches internationally.

Biography Of Dimitar Berbatov

DIMITAR BERBATOV

Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov was born on 30 January 1981 and is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United. He is captain of the Bulgarian national football team.
Berbatov was born in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. His father was a professional footballer with local outfit Pirin Blagoevgrad, and his mother Margarita was a professional handball player. As a youngster, Berbatov supported AC Milan and modelled himself on Marco van Basten until the 1996 UEFA European Championship 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. Outside of football, he lists his hobbies as drawing and basketball.
Berbatov's career began at the Pirin Blagoevgrad club, and continued until he was spotted by legendary scout and coach Dimitar Penev.
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 in the Bulgarian A PFG between 1998 and January 2001 making his debut as an 18-year-old in the 1998–99 season.
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.
In 2001–02 Leverkusen were runners-up in the 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.
In May 2006, Berbatov joined Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €16m, (£10.9 million) making him the most expensive Bulgarian player in history.
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.
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.

Biography Of Nicolas Anelka

NICOLAS ANELKA

Nicolas Sebastien Anelka is a French international footballer who plays in the Barclays Premier League for Chelsea FC. After conversion to Islam, Anelka changed his name to Abdul-Salam Bilal. Nicolas Anelka first broke through into the scene with Arsenal, who signed him from Paris St Germain. He began his youth career with Trappes Saint-Quentin and was famously part of the Clairefontaine academy before being involved in the Paris St Germain youth academy.
Arsene Wenger spotted the youngster, who was known for his exceptional pace. Arsenal decided to take the gamble in buying the youngster, but played a relatively low fee of just £500,000 in 1997. Anelka’s first goal came in the match against Manchester United, but he found first-team opportunities limited in his first season with Arsenal. However, an injury to first-team player Ian Wright provided Anelka with the opportunity to impress Arsene Wenger. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, as he scored 17 goals from 35 appearances.
It brought him to the attention of Spanish side Real Madrid who decided to pay a whopping £22 million in 1999. This transfer fee also made Anelka a record signing for Real Madrid. Even though he started extremely well, he soon found opportunities limited and did not settle well in his new surroundings. As a result, Real Madrid decided to send him back to Paris St Germain in order to help his confidence. He spent two seasons with PSG, who had bought him for £20 million.
After failing to settle in France, Anelka was loaned to English Premier League club Liverpool. It proved to be a success for both club and player, but Liverpool did not show any interest in signing the player on a permanent deal. As a result, Anelka decided to leave for Manchester City in a £13 million deal. He spent three seasons with City, the most memorable of which came in 2003-04 when he scored 24 goals from 43 appearances.
After spending three seasons with City, Anelka was on the move once again, with Turkish club Fenerbahce deciding to sign the player for £7 million. However, he spent only one season with Fenerbahce before returning to Bolton for £8 million. This proved to be a major decision on the career of the player, but he stayed only for two more seasons with Bolton before moving to Chelsea in a £15 million deal.
So far, he has made the most appearances in his career for Chelsea – 125. In total, clubs have spent a whopping £90 million on Anelka, putting him at the top of the pile when it came to the total transfer fees paid.
Anelka made his international debut for France in 1998 and officially retired in 2010. He had made 69 appearances and scored 14 goals. Over the years, Anelka has won the Premier League and the Champions League in his club career, while the European championships is the most prominent trophy he has won internationally. Anelka has also won the Barclays Golden Boot in the 2008-09 season.

Biography Of Thierry Henry

THIERRY HENRY

Thierry Daniel Henry born on 17 August 1977 is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.
Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne (a suburb of Paris) where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and signed instantly, making his professional debut in 1994. Good form led to an international call-up in 1998, after which he signed for the Serie A defending champions Juventus. He had a disappointing season playing on the wing, before joining Arsenal for £10.5 million in 1999.
It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer. Despite initially struggling in the Premier League, he emerged as Arsenal's top goal-scorer for almost every season of his tenure there. Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 226 goals in all competitions.

Biography Of John Terry

JOHN TERRY

John Terry was born on 7th December, 1980.

John Terry grew up in Barking, East London and before he was scouted by Chelsea he played in the Sunday league team Senrab FC which contained future stars such as Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky, Ledley King and J Lloyd Samuel.



John Terry played for Chelsea's youth and reserve teams before making his first team debut in October, 1998.

Under Claudio Ranieri in the 2003/04 season when Chelsea's captain Marcel Desailly was injured, John Terry was made captain for a few games.

The year after, when Jose Mourinho was put in charge and following Desailly's retirement, John Terry was made the long term Chelsea captain.

Following John Terry's strong form in the 2004/05 season, in which he scored 8 goals, he was given PFA Player of the Year award and was later placed in the World XI at the FIFPro awards.

In the 2005/6 season John Terry was voted Best Defender in the Champions League after his controlled performances at the back and his four goals in the competition.

Along with Lampard, Cech and Makalele, Terry was regarded as the 'spine' of the Chelsea team.

John Terry made his England debut against Serbia and Montenegro in June 2003 and he made a huge impact at Euro 2004 after he replaced Rio Ferdinand due to his 8 month ban.

John Terry established himself in the England team and Sven-Goran Eriksson started to select him ahead of Sol Campbell.

In August 2006, Erikkson's successor, Steve McClaren named John Terry as the new England captain to take over from David Beckham.

John Terry's 2006 / 2007 season was hit by injury. John Terry sustained damaged ankle ligaments in the Champions League tie at Porto, and on his first game back had to be rushed to hospital after receiving a blow to the head during the Carling Cup final. Although he lost consciousness, the injury was not as bad as it first appeared and within hours John Terry was released from hospital.

At the end of the 2007/8 season, Chelsea captained by John Terry found themselves within one kick of the Champions League. Having drawn with Manchester United after extra time, Chelsea took the lead on penalties and John Terry had potentially the deciding penalty, however he slipped and failed to score and Manchester United went on to take the title. Ironically John Terry had played excellently during the match itself.

On 5 February 2010, John Terry was removed from captaining England following allegations he had an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of Wayne Bridge.

He regained the England captaincy, only to find it taken from him once more, when the FA took it from him, whilst he was due to face a trial over allegations he had racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.

Biography Of Frank Lampard

FRANK LAMPARD

Frank Lampard was born in Romford, Essex on the 20th of June 1978. He came from a very football orientated family, with his father, uncle and cousins all heavily involved within the game. He spent most of his early years playing football in his local park, garden and sea coast while on summer holiday’s with the rest of his family. Frank Lampard has always been seen as a very determined individual, and that characteristic was associated with him from an early age. It earned him a place in Heath Park’s youth team. Lampard then went on to have trials for Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham - Frank followed his heart and signed a youth contract with the Hammers in 1994.
He was at West Ham for a year before he made the difficult decision to go out on loan to Swansea in 1995. Frank Lampard was a very family orientated man, however, he was determined to improve himself as a footballer and that’s what this move did for him. Although the training facilities at Swansea were of a considerably lower standard, Frank built up his strength and came back to Upton Park ready to fight for a first team place. It wasn’t until the 1998-99 season where he finally established himself as a regular first team player for West Ham. Frank Lampard appeared in every match that season for West Ham and he significantly helped his team push for a fifth place finish in the league. This though, attracted many of the key West Ham players to bigger clubs, Rio Ferdinand was first to leave Upton Park in 2000-01 from West Ham’s promising batch of youngsters. This, along with the fact that his uncle and father had quit their jobs as manager and assistant respectively meant a transfer to Chelsea Football Club in 2001 for a reported fee of £11 million pounds.
Ranieri, the Chelsea manager at the time, was a keen fan of Lampard’s style and he was immediately drafted into first team action. He made his debut on the 19th of August against Newcastle United. Frank Lampard then went on to appear in every league match for the Blues that season, netting a total of 8 goals. He was starting to create a name for himself as a goal scoring midfielder and Chelsea supporters were excited about the prospect of Frank Lampard playing in a blue shirt for seasons to come. Frank continued to steadily improve while playing for Chelsea, and for the first time in his career he finished the 2002-03 season with 10 goals to his name. By this time, Frank Lampard was already a regular in the England shirt and his scoring-form for Chelsea also carried over to England as he netted his first goal for Engand on the 20th of August 2003 against Croatia.
It was in the summer of 2003, when one of the richest men in the world, Roman Abramovich, bought Chelsea Football Club. It meant Lampard could finally show his true potential. He was at a side filled with quality players, and from that moment, he’s never been given a chance to look back. In the 2004-05 season, Lampard scored 19 goals in all competitions, followed by hitting the 20 mark the season after. Lampard was at his peak, and was picking up many personal trophies to prove this: Runner up in the World Player of the Year 2005 to an unstoppable Ronaldinho and the FWA player of the year. Lampard continued to make great progress at club and international level and it was in the 2007-08 campaign where he reached a major goal scoring land mark for Chelsea - 100 club goals. An extraordinary achievement for a central midfielder. He was given much world wide recognition for such an achievement.
Lampard has come along way from playing in his back garden with his father, and although now in his thirties, he still plays at the highest level of football and is recognised as one of the best midfielders in the world.

Biography Of Samuel Eto'o

SAMUEL ETO'O

Samuel Eto'o Fils (born March 10, 1981 in Nkon, Cameroon) is a football striker, who currently plays for FC Barcelona. He was named African Footballer of the Year in 2003 and 2004.
Prior to joining Barcelona in 2004, Eto'o spent most of his career on the books of Real Madrid, although he only played in three league games in his six years under contract. Instead, the last four and a half of those years were spent on loan with Real Mallorca. In 2003 he and his teammates lifted the King's Cup after defeating Recreativo de Huelva.
At the age of 17, Eto'o was the youngest player at the 1998 World Cup when he suited for Cameroon against Italy. He then played in the 2002 edition. Eto'o won three major tournaments with his country: the 2000 and 2002 African Nations Cups, as well as the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
His signing with FC Barcelona was very controversial as Real Madrid owned half of his contract and had preference over his signing. However, he was turned down by chairman Florentino Pérez, who argued that he already had the best two strikers in the league (Ronaldo and Raúl) and that there was no place for another non-European Union player. The contract release was signed after paying 24 million euros, of which half was for Mallorca. Samuel Eto'o has proven to be a great aquisition, helping Barcelona to the 2004/2005 Spanish La Liga title and being the team's top scorer with a final figure of 24 goals, just one short of top scorer Diego Forlán.
When he was 15, Eto'o signed with Real Madrid and flew over. However, when he arrived on Madrid airport, nobody received him. In his desperation, young Samuel walked over to the first African he encountered. That man took pity on him and took him to the Real Madrid grounds. Eto'o has stated that he would gladly thank this man, but that he neither has his name or contacts.

Biography Of Didier Drogba

DIDIER DROGBA

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (born March 11, 1978 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire) is a footballer from Côte d'Ivoire who currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League. Drogba is the current African Footballer of the Year. He was the Premier League top scorer in 2006-2007 with 20 goals.
Born in Abidjan on 11 March 1978, Didier Drogba spent his childhood in his home country Côte d'Ivoire and his adopted France. ‘Tito’ as he was known to friends and family, first left the country of his birth at the age of five. He headed for Brest in Brittany, where his uncle, Michel Goba, was a professional footballer. Drogba spent three years there with his uncle, living in Brest, Angoulême and Dunkerque, before returning home.
Following a downturn in economic conditions, he returned to live with his uncle in Dunkerque, though he continued to move around France as a youngster. It was at this time that he began to play football. In 1991 his parents also travelled to France, first to Vannes and then in 1993 settling at Antony in the Paris suburbs, at which point the 15-year-old Drogba rejoined his family. He signed for local club Levallois, where he rose through the ranks, playing for them in National 2, the fourth French level, aged 18.
Signing for Chelsea in July 2004, Drogba adapted well to the FA Premier League, scoring in his third game for the club with a thunderous header against Crystal Palace. His season was interrupted when he pulled a stomach muscle against Liverpool, which kept him out of action for over two months. Despite this he enjoyed the second best goals-to-minutes ratio in the Premier League, Thierry Henry being the only player to better him in this respect. He scored 16 goals in 40 games for Chelsea in his first season (10 in the Premiership, 5 in the Champions League, 1 in the Carling Cup final), but was criticized for being inconsistent.
The season proved very successful for Chelsea as they won the Premiership, only their second English top-flight championship and their first in 50 years, and the Carling Cup, with Drogba scoring in extra time in a 3-2 final win against Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium. He played an important part in his team's run to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where he scored a brace against ex-club Marseille's arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain and another two goals in both legs of the quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
In March 2007, Drogba's younger brother Joёl attempted to break into English football, with a trial at League 1 club Leyton Orient. However, the trial proved unsuccessful.
His transfer from Olympique de Marseille to Chelsea in July 2004 is one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents Pinhas Zahavi and Barry Silkman.
Drogba continued his rich vein of form from the 2006-07 campaign into the following season. Whilst injury saw him miss the Community Shield match against Premier League champions Manchester United, as well as Chelsea's first league match of the season against Birmingham City. He scored his first goal of the season in a win against Reading and also set-up Frank Lampard's equalising goal. Against Portsmouth F.C., he set up Frank Lampard for the only and the winning goal of the game. He also scored the winning goal in Chelsea's fine 2-1 over Valencia at the Mestalla in the Champion's League. Drogba was reported to be in tears when former manager Jose Mourinho came to Chelsea's training ground one last time to say goodbye to his players after he left by 'mutual consent'.
On 28 September 2007, it was reported that Didier Drogba could be in line for a shock return against Fulham F.C., a game in which he was subsequently sent off for two bookable offences. He received a one match domestic ban for this dismissal and missed Chelsea's Premier League match against Bolton on 07 October 2007 as a result.
Drogba is a Côte d'Ivoire international and helped the team qualify for its first ever World Cup Finals, held in Germany in 2006. His first cap came on September 8, 2002 against South Africa (0-0). He scored his first goal with "The Elephants" the February 11, 2003 in Cameroon (victory 3-0). He scored nine goals in eight qualifying games - statistically one of the best records in international football. In February 2005 he was voted runner-up to Samuel Eto'o in the African Footballer of the Year awards. He has scored 27 times in 41 caps, as of August 21, 2007. It is considered probable that he holds the all-time goalscoring record for Côte d'Ivoire, but due to uncertainty surrounding other players' statistics, this cannot be confirmed.
In February 2006, Drogba captained Côte d'Ivoire to their second African Cup of Nations final, scoring the only goal in their semi-final match with Nigeria and putting away the deciding spot-kick in their record-tying 12-11 penalty shootout quarter-final win over Cameroon. However, they lost in the final to Egypt 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw, with Drogba's shot being stopped by Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary in a penalty shoot-out.

Biography Of Andres Iniesta

ANDRES INIESTA

Andres Iniesta born on 11 May 1984 at Fuentealbilla, Spain.
Andres Iniesta is one of a long line of gifted creative midfielders to have come off the FC Barcelona production line, following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Josep Guardiola, Ivan de la Pena and Xavi.
Iniesta was spotted by Cule club scouts at the age of 12, and within months had made the move to the Catalan giants’ famed youth set-up. There, word quickly spread about a shy boy from Fuentealbilla, near the Spanish city of Albacete, with outrageous dribbling ability and a knack for eye-of-the-needle passes.
His magic also shone at youth international level, where he helped Spain to European U-16 and U-19 titles as well as to the final of the 2003 edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in UAE, his displays at the latter event earning a berth in the tournament’s best XI. Iniesta made his top-flight debut for Barcelona in October 2002, at the age of 18, and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Able to play anywhere across midfield or occupy a wide-forward berth, Iniesta is equally adept at prompting from the centre of the park as he is drifting out to the flanks, though arguably his best work is done in the hole behind the strikers. Indeed, it is in this position that his direct style and quick feet can be used to full effect, with the ball seeming glued to his toes as he races into threatening positions. A world-class creator thanks to his vision and intuition, he is not shy about firing off the odd effort at goal.
Boasting a packed medal cabinet featuring four La Liga titles, three Spanish Super Cups, one Copa del Rey, one UEFA Super Cup, two UEFA Champions League crowns and a FIFA Club World Cup, Iniesta played a full part in the six major trophies claimed by Barça during the 2009 calendar year. The diminutive schemer was also an integral figure in Spain’s triumph at UEFA EURO 2008 and, having missed last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup through injury, he will be doubly determined to leave his mark on South African soil at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Biography Of Xavi

XAVI

Xavi Hernandez born on 25 January 1980 at Terassa, Spain. Xavi Hernandez, who has pulled the strings in the centre of the field for Barcelona for a decade, was voted the best player at UEFA EURO 2008, with few disagreeing.Aside from his undoubted creative genius, the visionary Catalan is a phenomenally hard-worker who never shirks his defensive responsibilities. Able to occupy any central-midfield role, Xavi's reading of the game is allied to a powerful shot, which ensures he weighs in with his fair share of goals. Also adept at set-pieces, he has the ability to make his team-mates tick, be it at international or club level.Having come through Barcelona's fabled Can Barca during the era of Johan Cruyff and his Dream Team, Xavi has followed in the footsteps of the man who helped knit that glorious side together: current Azulgrana supremo Josep Guardiola. Indeed, it was Xavi who filled in for the injured Guardiola in 1999/00, slotting so well into the role the club had a ready-made replacement for when ‘Pep' left for Italian football. Since then, no matter who has held sway in the Barça dugout, Xavi's status as an automatic starter has remained unchanged. Whatever their various coaching philosophies, nobody has yet been able to do without his eye for a defence-splitting pass, close control in the tightest of situations and willingness to drop back and protect his back four.At the club since the age of 11, the Blaugranas are his one and only team to date, and it would appear unlikely he will stray now given his lead role in arguably Europe's finest footballing side. As far as international duty is concerned, after captaining the Spain side with won the 1999 edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Nigeria, as well as the team which finished runners-up at the Olympic Football Tournament Sydney 2000, he made his senior La Roja debut in November 2000 and has not missed a major tournament since.Xavi is a vital cog in the Spain machine or perhaps the oil that makes it run smoothly. A leader by example, who rarely loses the ball or misplaces a pass, Xavi is a midfield orchestrator par excellence with the ability not only to read the flow of a game but to dictate it in his side's favour.During the 2009-2010 season, journalists increasingly noted Xavi's contribution to the Barcelona side. For example:"Quite simply the best midfielder in modern football, and one of the greatest 'centre' midfielders of all time. It could even be argued that Xavi and Lothar Matthaus are the two best in this position in history. World class for several years now, it is the past three seasons in particular where the 30-year-old has been untouchable. Xavi’s passing is up there with Michel Platini, he creates countless goals with genius through balls while virtually never relinquishing possession."

On 3 June 2010, Spanish newspaper Marca awarded Xavi third place in the annual Trofeo Alfredo di Stefano award for the best player in La Liga, behind only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
On 9 June 2010, he signed a new 4 year contract with the club, which may be automatically renewed up to 30 June 2010 based on number of games he played.

Biography Of David Villa

DAVID VILLA

David Villa Sanchez (born December 3, 1981 in Langreo, Asturias), nicknamed El Guaje (The Kid in Asturian) is a Spanish football player, who currently plays for Valencia CF and the Spanish national side. Due to his outstanding finishing skills, pace, well-roundedness (he can score from seemingly any position with both his head and feet) and work ethic, he is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in La Liga and in the world. David Villa reputation seems to have flourished ever since his groundbreaking season with Valencia last season.
Villa is married to Patricia and has a daughter named Zaida.
David Villa started his career in 1991 with UP Langreo. In 1999 he moved to Sporting de Gijon until he was signed in La Liga by Real Zaragoza in 2003. After two very sucessfull years with Zaragoza, Villa transferred to Valencia CF in the summer of 2005 for 12million euros.
In the 2005-06 season, he was in top form for Valencia, scoring 25 goals in 35 league matches, to finish one goal behind top scorer Samuel Eto’o of FC Barcelona. He scored his first hat-trick for Valencia against Athletic Bilbao on 23 April 2006.
Villa was included in Spain’s 23 man squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and was favoured over the more established Raúl, to line up alongside Fernando Torres in the opening match with Ukraine. Villa scored twice (one a penalty) in this game, in his first World Cup finals appearance. He added one more from the penalty spot in Spain’s 1-3 defeat to France in a Round of 16 knockout match. He finished joint 2nd top goal scorer for Spain in World Cup 2006 with 3 goals.

Biography Of Ricardo Kaka

RICARDO KAKA

Ricardo Kaka was born 22 April 1982, and generally known as Kaká. He is a Brazilian soccer player who plays as midfielder and now participates for Real Madrid C.F. and the Brazilian national team.
He began his career as a soccer player at the age of eight, when he started playing for a local club. Kaká won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007 while at the Italian club.
An internet discussion forum gives details the nickname as a usually used shortened form of "Ricardo" in Portuguese. Kaká is presumed to have got his nickname for the reason that his little brother Rodrigo can not pronounce the word "Ricardo" when they were young. Rodrigo called his older brother "Caca" which the latter later altered to "Kaká.
The majority Brazilian soccer players derive from poor families and sport is one of their simply ways to get out of this state. Certainly, there are exemptions and Kaka is one of them, as he was born in a rather rich family that supported him to concentrate on both school and soccer at the same time.
Kaka made his international debut in January 2002 in opposition to Bolivia. He was a part of the national team which won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but did not see much action playing just 19 minutes of the first round game in opposition to Costa Rica.
He ended in joint tenth place in the voting for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award. More recently, he assisted Brazil qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Kaká has matured as a player and is now regarded as one of the best and famous soccer players from Brazil.
Kaká has been an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme since November 2004. He was the youngest ambassador at the time of his appointment. In 2009 he was chosen the most valuable player in Brazil's successful Confederations Cup campaign. Kaka was the Man of the Match in the final in opposition to USA as well.

Biography Of David Beckham

DAVID BECKHAM

David Beckham was born on May 2, 1975 in London, United Kingdom.
As a schoolboy, David Beckham represented the county of Essex, had trials with Leyton Orient and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence. Beckham signed for Manchester United as a trainee on 8 July 1991 and was part of United's famous 1992 Youth Cup winning side. Making his League debut at home to Leeds United in April 1995, he fully established himsel
 f the next year in United's 1995/96 Double winning season as a right midfielder after the departure of Andrei Kanchelskis.
David Beckham signed with the youth squad of Manchester United in July of 1991, at the tender age of sixteen. It took him about five years of playing with the youth squad, reserves and on loan (with Preston North End) until he got permanently established in the first Manchester United team.
However, it was that famous goal from the halfway line of the 1996/97 season at Wimbledon that pitched him into the spotlight that has only grown brighter ever since. Following that, he went on a run of amazing performances, scoring a fantastic selection of long-range goals to help United win the Premiership and himself the Young Player of the Year award. He also came second in the Player of the Year voting. This same season saw himearn his first senior cap for England, on 1 September 1996 against Moldova.
In the 1998 World Cup in France, David Beckham was included in the England squad. After being left out of the starting line-up for the first two matches, he scored a beautiful free-kick against Columbia and was hailed a national hero. No sooner than that, he became one of the most hated men in his country, when his infamous kick on Diego Simeone resulted in him being sent off. England was knocked out in the second round by Argentina, and Beckham was forced to seek shelter with his then Spice Girl wife Victoria who was touring the United States.
Yet, David Beckham fought back and proved all his critics wrong when in the first League game of the 1998/99 season against Leicester City, he curled in one of his trademark free-kicks to prevent defeat. He was an integral part of the Treble winning team and his efforts won him second place behind Rivaldo in the voting for both World and European Player of the Year.
During the 1999-2000 season, his high profile bust-up with Alex Ferguson led to speculations that he may leave the club. However, David Beckham picked up his fourth Premiership winner's medal, and was voted second best player in Europe and the World. Rivaldo of Barcelona and Brazil pipped him to both awards. David Beckham also finished runner-up in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, losing out to boxing champion Lennox Lewis
David Beckham attracted enough attention to get selected for England's World Cup team, by the 1997/8 season. At the World Cup finals David Beckam drew even more attention to himself by scoring from a free kicks against Colombia. His ejection (first of his career) in England's defeat by Argentina was later designated as the sole cause of his country's elimination.
David Beckham remained in the spotlight after marrying former Spice girl Victoria Adams in 1999. In the same year, David's career with Manchester reached its peak as his team won an unprecedented Treble of the Premiership, FA Cup and the European Cup.
Beckham performed consistently at Manchester, winning the Premiership once more in 2000/2001. The Euro 2000, however, was a disaster for both him and England. David Beckam failed to leave his mark in all of England's three matches.
David Beckham was selected as team captain at the 2002 World Cup, but still wasn't able to decide the outcome of games in the same way as did with Manchester. By 2001, controversy grew around David Beckham, overshadowing his generally solid but rarely spectacular performances on the pitch.
David Beckham's new haircuts and unverified disputes with United manager Ferguson caused far more interest to the public than his display on the field. Drawn in by the English soccer player's popularity, Spanish giant Real Madrid decided to sign him for the $40 Million.
During the summer of 2003, David Beckham moved to Spain in a transfer designed as a huge marketing scheme. Rumors claim that Real Madrid earned his transfer sum in a week of selling his official replica jersey.
As a player, David Beckham is a wide midfielder with a predominant right foot. He's extremely precise on curving the ball with the inside of his foot. That makes him very dangerous on crosses and long balls down the flank. Apart from this, he is rarely useful in defense and does not possess the quickness required for short passing in close quarters.

Biography Of Wayne Rooney

WAYNE ROONEY

Real Name: Wayne Mark Rooney
Birthday: 10/24/1985
Birthplace: Croxteth, Liverpool, England
Occupation: Sport
Sign: Scorpio

Wayne Rooney is an English footballer who currently plays for English Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.

He is the first child of Thomas Wayne and Jeanette Marie Rooney. He was raised in Croxteth with younger brothers Graeme and John, and all three attended De La Salle School. Wayne grew up supporting local club Everton F.C., and his childhood hero was Duncan Ferguson.
After excelling for Liverpool Schoolboys and Dynamo Brownwings, Everton signed Rooney on schoolboy terms at the age of ten. He was part of the youth squad, and after scoring in an FA Youth Cup match, he revealed a T-shirt under his jersey that read, "Once a Blue, always a Blue." Since he was underage at the time and therefore ineligible for a professional contract, he was playing for £80 a week and living with his family on one of the country's council estates.
On 19 October 2002, five days before his seventeenth birthday, Rooney scored a match-winning goal against reigning league champions Arsenal F.C.. In addition to ending Arsenal's thirty-match unbeaten run, it made Rooney the youngest goal-scorer in Premier League history, a record that has since been surpassed twice by James Milner and currently James Vaughan. He was named BBC Sports' 2002-03 Young Personality of the Year.
Rooney made his United debut on 28 September 2004 in a 6-2 Champions League group stage win over Fenerbahçe S.K., scoring a hat-trick along with an assist. One year later, he was sent off for dissent in a goalless Champions League group draw with Villarreal CF in Spain on 14 September 2005, after he sarcastically applauded referee Kim Milton Nielsen when he was booked for a foul. His first trophy with United came in the 2006 League Cup, and he was also named man of the match after scoring twice in United's 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the final.
During the first half of the 2006-07 season, Rooney ended a ten-game scoreless streak with a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers F.C., and he signed a two-year contract extension the next month that tied him to United until 2012. By the end of April, a combination of two goals in an 8-3 aggregate quarterfinal win over A.S. Roma and two more in a 3-2 semifinal first leg victory over A.C. Milan brought Rooney's total goal amount to twenty-three in all competitions and tied him with teammate Cristiano Ronaldofor the team goal-scoring lead.
On 12 August 2007, Rooney fractured his left metatarsal in United's opening-day goalless draw against Reading F.C.. He had suffered the same injury to his right foot in 2004. After being sidelined for six weeks, he returned for United's 1-0 CL group stage win over Roma on 2 October, scoring the match's only goal. However, barely a month into his return, Rooney injured his ankle during a training session on 9 November, and missed an additional two weeks. His first match back was against Fulham F.C. on 3 December, in which he played seventy minutes. Rooney missed a total of ten games and finished the 2007-08 season with eighteen goals, as United clinched both the Premiership and the Champions League, in which they defeated league rivals Chelsea F.C. in the competition's first-ever all-English final.

Biography Of Ronaldo (BRAZIL)

RONALDO

Ronaldo (birth name Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima) was born on September 18, 1976 in Bento Ribeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Driven by his childhood hero Zico, the youngster entered football early in his life and he managed to become one of the most famous footballers in the world.
By his 12th birthday he is playing in an organized youth club called Tennis Club Valqueire. With them, he played "futebol de salao" or small-sided football with a miniature ball. This is considered an important step in Ronaldo's development because playing with a smaller ball has been proven to rapidly increase foot skills. In the following few years, he takes part in various youth tournaments and begins attract
Young Luis Nazario gets his big break at the age of 17 when he is called up by Brazil's senior national team. He performs well and is selected for his country's World Cup squad. Because of his tender age, the young Fenomeno is kept as a substitute and watches the entire 1994 World Cup from the bench, as his team wins the gold.
Ronaldo's international appearances help him get noticed by European club PSV Eindhoven. With his new squad, he becomes top scorer of the Dutch league. With his growing popularity in Europe, Ronaldinho is quickly singed by Spanish giant FC Barcelona. With them, he gets global recognition by scoring numerous spectacular goals. Moving to Italian Internazionale was the next step in his career. Rona's start in the Calcio was promising, but playing against the rough Italian defenders gradually took its toll.
The year 1998 was the start of a decline in Ronaldo's career. He led his national team to a World Cup Final, but failed to deliver in the decisive match. His squad settled for silver as a wide range of speculations (from illness to black magic) were made about Ronaldo's indifferent display. By the end of 1998, Ronaldo is forced to leave the pitch after a knee injury picked up with his club. It haunted the Brazilian for a few years causing him to miss the entire 2000/1 season.
As he recovered, Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid decide to sign him. This change helped the prolific striker to resume his regular scoring.
Ronaldo also returned to the Brazilian national team, scoring two goals in the final and wining the World Cup at Korea and Japan in 2002. As a footballer, practically everything has been said about the Brazilian soccer player, because of his worldwide fame. Regardless of all the talk, he is a footballing genius with incredible skill on the ball. Before his injury, Ronaldo was a player of great speed with the ability of carrying the ball over large distances. This has changed now, as he has gained weight and lost his youthful pelt. That makes him somewhat more predictable but not in any means less dangerous. In one-on-one confrontations, he can beat any defender on Earth. On air balls, the Brazilian soccer player is relatively mediocre.
Ronaldo plays with the typical Brazilian flair because of which he is adored by many fans. In recent times, he has become more experienced and street wise.

Biography Of Rahul Dravid

RAHUL DRAVID

Rahul Sharad Dravid (born 11 January 1973) is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test and One Day International teams. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000. Dravid was also awarded the ICC Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year at the inaugural awards ceremony held in 2004. Dravid also holds the record of having taken the most number of catches in Test matches. On 9 March 2012, he announced his retirement from international cricket.

On 7 August 2011 after getting a surprise call to play in ODI series against England he declared his retirement from One Day Internationals and T20.

Popularly hailed as "The Wall of Indian cricket", Dravid is regarded by many to be one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game. Dravid holds multiple cricketing records. He is only the second player, after Sachin Tendulkar, to reach 13,000 runs in Test cricket. On 14 February 2007, he became the sixth player overall and the third Indian (after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly), to score 10,000 runs in ODI cricket in cricketing history.

He is the first and only batsman to score a century in all ten Test playing nations. With more than 200 catches, Dravid currently holds the world record for the most number of catches in Test cricket. Dravid has also been involved in more than 80 century partnerships with 18 different partners and has been involved in 19 century partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar – a world record.

On 24 November 2011, He became the second international player to reach 13,000 runs in Test Cricket only after Sachin Tendulkar. On 14 December 2011, he became the first non-Australian cricketer to address at the Bradman Oration in Canberra. Dravid has been bowled 55 times in Test cricket, going past Allan Border's previous record of 53.

On 9 March 2012, Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from international and first class cricket. Dravid made the announcement with the BCCI president, N Srinivasan and former captain Anil Kumble at a press conference in Bangalore. He is however slated to appear in the 2012 edition of the Indian Premier League as captain of the Rajasthan Royals.

Biography Of Brett Lee

BRETT LEE

Brett Lee was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia on 8th November 1976. Lee was introduced to Soccer and basketball during his initial years. Although he was interested in all sports, he showed great interest in playing cricket and was a peak performer in the school. And his talent was noticed by his seniors in the game. After Glenn McGrath had announced his retirement from bowling, he got a chance to prove his worth. Brett was looking for an opportunity and this was the right time for him to show his talents with bowling. He then went ahead and headed the Australian bowling attack in 2007-08 and his grasp of the game is well recognized and appreciated by people. Ever since then, he has been delivering his most promising bowling attack.

Brett Lee is an athletic fielder and very useful batsman whose batting average exceeds 20 in Test cricket series. Brett was awarded Australia's Best Test Player of the Year and also the Allan Border Medal In February 2008. To his record, he has achieved nine five wicket innings. He took his career best of 8 wickets for 110 runs against team West Indies series in Antigua in 2008. Brett Lee took his 300th wicket on 22 November, 2008, which was another milestone. Lee was also honoured with the Sir Donald Bradman Young Player of the Year Award during the Allan Border Medal award ceremony in the year 2000. He was runner up at the Cleo Magazine's Annual Bachelor of the Year competition held in 2000.
Apart from Cricket, Brett Lee is very keen about music and performs sometimes in a band. He sang his first music album in India with Bollywood singing legend, Asha Bhosle. Their song 'You're the One' was well received by the music lovers and the album ruled the charts for a long time.
Brett Lee family went through a shocking period when Brett Lee divorce news with his podiatrist wife Liz Kemp was announced. The couple have a son Preston from their marriage. The news about Brett Lee divorce was spread and media got anxious about this.
Brett Lee is a very hard-working sportsman with a never-give-up attitude which shows in his game. There were many setbacks during the tenure of his career due to several injuries, but he always hits back by giving his best shot.

Biography Of Fernando Torres

FERNANDO TORRES

Fernando Torres, nicknamed El Nino, was born on 20 March 1984 in Madrid, Spain.
In July 2007, Fernando Torres was transferred to Liverpool from Atletico Madrid for £20 million.
Torres had been with Atletico Madrid since childhood. Not only did he become, in May 2001, the youngest player to play for Atletico, but he was made captain at just 19.
Fernando Torres made his international debut for Spain in September 2003 against Portugal.
He missed a penalty but went on to score some crucial goals for Spain including the winner in the Euro 2008 final.
Torres made his debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa on August 11, 2007.
From the start, Torres proved successful for Liverpool, with several pundits commenting on his impressive partnership with Steven Gerrard.
Fernando Torres went on to score the most Premier league goals by a foreign player with 24 in his debut 2007-2008 season.
The season finished just before Torres joined Spain's World Cup winning team.
Pedro Calvo, who coached Torres at Atletico Madrid's youth academy, gave the BBC an insight into Fernando Torres.
In August 2009, the official Liverpool website reported that Fernando Torres had signed a deal that included an option to extend his stay at Liverpool for a further year to 2014.
On 29 December 2009, in a game against Aston Villa, Fernando Torres scored his 50th league goal for Liverpool in his 72nd Premier League game. It was a record for lowest number of appearances to get to 50 goals for the club.
In 2010 Torres was part of Spain's World Cup winning squad and came on as a substitute in extra time in Spain's 1-0 defeat of Holland in the final.
On 31 January 2011, Fernando Torres was transferred from Liverpool to Chelsea for a record transfer fee paid by a British club, believed to be worth £50m. At the time Torres became the fourth most expensive transfer in world football behind Cristiano Ronaldo (80m), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (56.5m) and Kaka (56m).
Initially disappointing, there were signs that towards the end of the 2011/12 season Torres was starting to show a return to form, and in the summer of 2012, he was an integral part of the Spain squad which won Euro 2012. In spite of not being a regular in the starting line-up, he nevertheless won the Golden Boot.

Biography Of Ronaldinho

RONALDINHO

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira is a famous Brazilian football player who is better known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho. His name Ronaldinho was used to distinguish him from a fellow Brazilian football celebrity whose name is also Ronaldo. Gaúcho was used when the existing Ronaldo was also known as Ronaldinho.
He was born on March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He is the youngest among the three siblings. Miguelina, his mother, was a sales woman who soon decided to take up nursing. João, his father was a worker in the shipyard and a football player for Cruzeiro. He died due to a heart attack when Ronaldinho was at the age of 8. Ronaldinho's brother Roberto was also a professional football player for Grêmio. But his career ended too soon due to his injuries. And now he manages Ronaldinho. His sister, Deisi, is his press manager.
During Ronaldinho's childhood days, his interest in football was already evident. He started playing futsal and beach football which later lead into his passion for a more established football game. His character as a football player developed in his early years.
His career as a skilled football player started when he joined the youth team in Porto Alegre club Grêmio. His extraordinary ball control and capability to score was rapidly displayed which lead him to fame. Many clubs from all over the world attempted to get him to be part of their teams. Eventually Ronaldinho signed a 5-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain which he joined at the start of the new season.
During his years with PSG, there were still much larger offers from different clubs, but he opted to stay with the team. But after some time he decided to leave the team after their many unsuccessful attempts to qualify for any European competitions. This caused a bidding war among the many clubs. Finally, the bidding ended up with FC Barcelona as the winning club for Ronaldinho's services. They acquired him for £18 million. He was a very high paid player in Barcelona. He has had his terrible times in his career but his many achievements was far more overflowing than that. He had also joined the Brazilian National team.
Ronaldinho is one of the most successful football players in the world. He had so many achievements in his arena which includes the FIFA World Player of the Year wherein he was awarded in 2 consecutive years (2004-2005), the European Footballer of the Year award and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award which was also awarded to him in 2 successive years (2005-2006).