Biography Of Iker Casillas

IKER CASILLAS

Iker Casillas Fernandez (born May 20, 1981 in Mastoles, Madrid) is a Spanish football goalkeeper. He is currently the first choice goalkeeper for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. He is also the first vice-captain of Spain.
Still only a youngster in goalkeeping terms, Iker Casillas has nonetheless gained a huge reputation in European football. A shot-stopper par excellence, the Real Madrid player is gradually developing the commanding presence in his area which could yet see him become an all-time great.
Because he was too young to have a driver’s license, Casillas was the only Madrid player to use public transport to get to training sessions in the 1999/00 season.
He is currently dating Spanish model Eva Gonzalez. She comes from Seville and has appeared in TV programmes and done numerous photo shoots for magazines. She was recently voted the prettiest footballers’ partner in Spain.
Born in Madrid in 1981, Casillas’ entire career has been spent with his hometown club Real Madrid, which he joined as an eight-year old. He first hit the limelight at 17 when he was pulled out of a high school art class to be told he would be on the bench for a Champions League match. His breakthrough came during the 1999-2000 season, when he replaced the injured Bodo Illgner and played in Madrid’s UEFA Champions League triumph in an all-Spanish final against Valencia CF where his senior team mates Raúl González, Fernando Morientes and Steve McManaman scored in a 3-0 win.
Loss of form subsequently allowed Ceasar Sanchez to take the starting position as goalkeeper, but Casillas reclaimed the limelight after coming on as substitute for the veteran in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayer Leverkusen and preserving Madrid’s 2-1 lead with a series of fine saves.Casillas came on to replace the injured Cesar with 22 minutes remaining at Hampden Park and produced a series of outstanding saves to ensure Real held on to their lead. At one point Leverkusen appeared to be queuing up to score but Casillas was at his best, his efforts to deny Yildiray Basturk and Dimitar Berbatov particularly brilliant.
Again the Real Madrid first choice in the 2002-03 season, an injury-free season saw Casillas play in 15 of his side’s Champions League games as well as all 38 Primera Division matches as Madrid reclaimed the Spanish championship. In the 2003-04 season, Casillas was virtually ever-present as Madrid relinquished their crown and lost the Spanish Cup final, missing just one league game.
Despite Casillas’ stellar performances every week, Real Madrid suffered two trophyless seasons in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. Although Casillas was widely considered the team’s most consistent performer during this lean patch, there was much gossip and speculation regarding a possible transfer to another club. Manchester United was the name that regularly cropped up in newspapers. It was speculated that Casillas was unhappy with his salary, which was paltry in comparison to the amounts earned by some of the team’s bigger stars. However, the saga ended when the player signed a contract extension on the November 30, 2005, tying him to the club till 2011.
Casillas was a member of the Spanish teams which won the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup and FIFA World Youth Championship in 1999. Following his full international debut against Sweden, Casillas was an unused substitute at Euro 2000.
He was the first choice goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in South Korea and Japan later that year, and enjoyed hero status after Spain knocked out the Republic of Ireland in a penalty shoot-out to advance to the quarter-finals. Before the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he was almost unknown to most football fans because he was only a substitute player. After the FIFA World Cup and his performances against the Republic of Ireland and South Korea, he was finally the leading goal keeper in the national team.
Casillas played in all eight Group 6 fixtures during Euro 2004 qualifying, conceding just four goals. He then kept goal in both legs of the play-off victory against Norway, keeping a clean sheet in Oslo. He then backstopped his country at the Euro 2004 finals.
Casillas was his country’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Biography Of Edwin Van Der Sar

EDWIN VAN DER SAR

Edwin Van der Sar was born on October 29,1970 in Voorhout,Netherlands.He is a Dutch retired footballer.He played for Club like Ajax,Juventus,Fulham,and Manchester United as a Goalkeeper.He is one of the greatest player in the history of International team of Netherlands.Currently he is interested in coaching.He moved to Italian club named Juventus and then went to England.He won UEFA Champions League while staying in Ajax in 1995 and Manchester United in 2008.He was one of the finest great footballer in the world.In UEFA mathces he named as Man of the match.He winner of UEFA Cup in 1992.After that he scored many goals,won gold medals and trophies.He also made some records in the history.He has won biggest titles like Best European Goalkeeper and UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year 2009.He started his career from a hometown club named Foreholte and after that he moved to VV Noordwijk.In 1999,He got fame in Manchester United and named the best goalkeeper.In 2001 Edwin Van der Sar signed a 4 years contract with Fulham.In 2005 he signed for Manchester United.The team manager Sir Alex Ferguson really appreciated his work and skills.He impressed manager with his brilliant performance.In a Radio interview Edwin Van der Sar announced and talked about his retirement from International Football Euro 2008.His wife name is Annemarie Van Kesteren.The get married at the Beurs Van Berlage in Amsterdam on 2006.They have two children.The son name is Joe and daughter name is Lynn.

Biography Of Nemanja Vidic

NEMANJA VIDIC

Nemanja Vidic is a defender for Serbia and Manchester United in the English Premier League.  He is a no-nonsense central defender who seems to emerge from each thunderous tackle unscathed.  Nemanja is hard but fair when he tackles, and has the perfect combination of being able to read the game well and being comfortable on the ball.  Vidic is also a notable threat with his aerial ability from set-plays, and has scored some important goals for the Reds over the years.
Nemanja Vidic was born on 21st October 1981 in Uzice in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia.  This town has since come to be recognised as part of Serbia.  Vidic had one older brother, who he played football with everyday after school, and was renowned for never backing out of a challenge even at a young age.  At the age of 15 he was scouted and signed up by Red Star Belgrade, who had the facilities and coaches to help Nemanja take the step to the next level.
Vidic signed professional forms on his eighteenth birthday, but he was still some way off the Red Star Belgrade first-team.  A year on loan at Spartak Subotica gave him some first-team experience, and he was thrown into the first-team for Red Star in August 2001, when he was 20 years old.
Vidic’s uncompromising attitude made him an ideal leader on the pitch – someone willing to be the first to get a challenge in – so Nemanja was made captain.  He had success in the Serbian SuperLiga and Serbian Cup, leading Red Star to a memorable double in 2003/04 before he was sold to Russian club Spartak Moscow for a fee of around £3m.
Vidic played for just over a year in the Russian league, playing the last few months of the 2004 season (and collecting the Serbian ‘Overseas Player of the Year’ in the process), and the entire domestic Russian 2005 season, helping Spartak to make the Champions League because of a top-two finish for the first time in their recent history.
At the end of the Russian season, Spartak Moscow received a bid of around £7m, which was too much for them to turn down.  Nemanja Vidic joined up with Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the January 2006 transfer window, and took some time to adapt to the pace and skill of the English Premiership.  Indeed, Vidic had such a torrid time in his first few months that he considered returning to Russia, though thankfully he decided to hold out on making a decision until the next season.
Nemanja Vidic took a first-team spot ahead of Mikael Silvestre and Wes Brown, and started to form a fantastic partnership with Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the Manchester United defence.  In his first full season at the club Vidic helped United to win the league title, nodding in 3 important goals on the way.  The fans were starting to realise that this ruthless defending ‘machine’ was a key player for their team.
The Premier League and Champions League double-winning season of 07/08 saw him named in the UEFA ‘Team of the Season’.  Vidic has refused to be complacent since his successes, and dedicates each match to his former team-mate and best-friend who was involved in a fatal accident when Vidic was his flat-mate at Red Star Belgrade.
Vidic is starting to be recognised as one of the very best defenders around, and was short listed for the 2008 FIFPro Award as well as the prestigious Ballon D’or.  He remains an outside bet to win the 2009 PFA ‘Player of the Season’ because of his consistency and professionalism.
Nemanja Vidic made his debut for the Serbia and Montenegro national side on 12 October 2002, aged 21.  Serbia took on Yugoslavia’s history and achievements because it held the capital city.  Vidic was an integral member of Serbia & Montenegro’s ‘fantastic four’ defence which conceded just one goal in the run up to the 2006 World Cup.  Vidic was suspended for the first game of the Finals tournament and then injured his knee, which mean he played none of Serbia & Montenegro’s matches.
After the World Cup, Serbia and Montenegro spit, with Vidic continuing to represent Serbia, though narrowly failing to qualify for Euro 2008.

Biography Of Fabio Cannavaro

FABIO CANNAVARO

A Fabio Cannavaro biography has many highlights, but it is not complete unless you include the 2006/2007 season, the best season in his career. It was back in 1972 that Franz Beckenbauer won the Golden Ball award, being the first defender in history to ever receive this trophy.
Outside of earlier win by Lev Yashin, who played as a goalkeeper, only strikers or attacking midfielders managed to get hold of this prestigious trophy. After Beckenbauer won it, many thought it was an extraordinary exception and the new age of soccer, where strikers are the big heroes, will never see another defender win it.
34 years have passed since then and the above mentioned "prophecy" was true, until Fabio Cannavaro had to say something about it…But before going so far with this Fabio Cannavaro biography, let’s take a quick peek at his career.
Being born in Naples, Fabio Cannavaro was a huge fan of locals SSC Napoli, which were at the top of their game when Fabio was growing up. With Diego Maradona and Ciro Ferrara in the team, Napoli won the league title (the Scudetto) and determined the young Cannavaro to take up soccer at the club's youth team. He spent some time close to his favorite stars, beinga ball boy for the team in home matches.
However in just a couple of years, young footballer Fabio Cannavaro's dream came true: he was selected for the first squad, given a professional contract and was able to play alongside some of his childhood heroes, who were now long standing veterans in the team.
On March 7th 1993, he played his first match in a league that will not forget him too soon, Serie A. The coincidence is that his debut was made on one of the stadiums that will mark his entire career, Juventus' Delle Alpi. However, losing some of their stars, including Maradona, made Napoli sink in the table and in desperate need of funds, they had to sell Fabio Cannavaro to rivals AC Parma.
At Parma, Fabio Cannavaro found an excellent environment for a defender, as Parma was always considered a tough nut to crack due to their solid defenses over time.
On this particular occasion, Parma's defense consisted of Gianluigi Buffon in the goal and Fabio Cannavaro and Frenchman Lilliam Thuram in the center. All three players will soon prove their world class status, as they will be crowned World Champions in the following years.
With Fabio Cannavaro in the team and coach Carlo Ancelotti on the bench, Parma had two miraculous seasons, having their best league table finish ever in 1997-1998 (second place, 1 point behind champions Juventus) and winning the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia next year.
Their success sparked the interest of major Italian clubs, with coach Carlo Ancelotti moving to Milan, Thuram and Buffon moving to Juventus and Fabio Cannavaro being signed by Internazionale Milano, in what was then a shocking fee for a defender, 32 million euros.
A Fabio Cannavaro Biography cannot skip the important period the player spent at the nerrazzuri club, but Inter was definitely not his career's apogee.
It wasn't the best period for Inter, as they didn't manage to win any titles or important trophies in the two years spent by Fabio Cannavaro with the club (in 2002/2003 Inter finished second in the league, while in 2003/2004 they finished fourth).
Being a trophy-hungry personality, Fabio Cannavaro agreed to a move to rivals Juventus, especially since he would rejoin the majestic defensive trio from Parma, together with Thuram and Buffon.
During the Juventus period, Fabio Cannavaro had some huge satisfactions but he also suffered one of his biggest career shocks.
Winning the title with Juventus in 2005 and 2006 finally acknowledged him as a champion, also winning another prestigious Italian award, the "Oscar del Calcio: Migliore difensore", an award given to the best defender in the Italian league each year and an award Fabio was runner-up for 3 consecutive years.
Coped with the league successes, Fabio Cannavaro also had a dream come true with his national team, as Italy marched on to win the 2006 World Cup, in a memorable final against France, where Fabio and his Juventus colleague Buffon had to confront ex trio component Lilliam Thuram.
An enormously solid performance at the World Cup and the great run with Juventus in the league had Fabio Cannavaro nominated to the Golden Ball award, being considered a serious competitor for Golden Ball favorite Zinedine Zidane.
Many say that if it wasn't for Zidane's headbutt in the last minutes of the World Cup final and his sending off in the last match of his career, Fabio Cannavaro would have lost the Golden Ball, but as things developed, the trophy ended up in his hands and with this, in the hands of the second defender in history, after Franz Beckenbauer (who won it twice, in 1972 and 1976).
However, Cannavaro couldn't enjoy his impressive success in 2006 for too long, as the Calciopoli scandal was sparked, with Juventus being sent in the second division and deducted 9 points. Being at an age and professional level where he couldn't allow a complete downfall and also being a very trophy-hungry footballer, Fabio Cannavaro signed for Real Madrid, following Juventus coach Fabio Capello and his team mate Emerson.

Biography Of Rivaldo

RIVALDO

1989 was a tragic year for Rivaldo, having lost his father to a road accident and being himself at one point unable to continue playing soccer. Fortunately, later that year, local club Paulista took him on and offered him a professional contract at age 17. He didn't get a chance at Paulista, simply because he was too fragile for professional soccer yet, so he was sold to Santa Cruz FC in 1991 where he played his first matches and scored his first professional goals.

Rivaldo's goals attracted the interest of Mogi Mirim EC, who signed him after a single season at Santa Cruz, but his big break would come in 1993, when one of Brazil's most powerful clubs, Corinthians, signed the young soccer player.
He didn't disappoint the Corinthians fans and he proved to be a decisive soccer player, Rivaldo scoring close to 20 goals in 40 matches in his first (and only) season with the club. 1993 also saw the debut of Rivaldo for Brazil's national side and he even managed to score his first goal, in a friendly against Mexico.

The next season, he found himself switching clubs again, this time for Palmeiras, who were then reigning champions in Brazil. His 2 seasons at Palmeiras were amongst the most successful in his career, Rivaldo's goal tally reaching 53 in 104 matches. This extraordinary goal/match ratio earned him a move to Europe, when Deportivo La Coruna signed him.
His only season with Deportivo was a great deal for both the player and the club. Adapting quite well for a fresh new Brazilian soccer player, Rivaldo managed to score 21 times in 41 matches, becoming the fourth league top scorer that season and making Spanish giants FC Barcelona put a $25 million offer for him on Deportivo's table. Obviously, they accepted and Rivaldo went on to play for the club that would be determinant to his career.

His 5 seasons at Barca were the peak of his career, as Rivaldo's goal tally for the club went over the 100 mark in approximately 170 matches. Winning the Spanish league twice (1998 and 1999) and the Spanish Cup and European Super Cup once (1998 both) opened Rivaldo's taste for trophies and although he did not get anymore with Barcelona, he moved to AC Milan in 2002, just in time to be crowned Champions League winner with the rosso-neri squad.
His two seasons with Milan weren't very convincing as Rivaldo was not even a first team regular anymore (he was also benched by a string of annoying injuries). In 2004, hungry for more success and a guaranteed first team place, Rivaldo moved to Greek champions Olympiacos, helping them win the league thrice, in 2005, 2006 and 2007 as well as the Cup on two occasions, in 2005 and 2006. the 2007-2008 season will find Rivaldo playing for Olympiacos' rivals, AEK Athens.

Biography Of Carlos Tevez

CARLOS TEVEZ

Carlos Alberto Tévez made his name with Argentine giants Boca Juniors, and Manchester United. He is currently playing for United, on a two-year loan from Media Sports Investments.
He is regarded as one of the most promising prospects to come out of Argentina and has been labelled as the "New Maradona".
Tévez's full name is Carlos Alberto Martínez. He was raised in Ejército de Los Andes, where he got the nickname of Apache. His parents changed his surname to his mothers during a conflict between his junior club All Boys and Boca Juniors.
Tévez has a distinctive burn mark from his right ear, down his neck to his chest. This occurred when he was ten months old while he was exploring his mother’s kitchen floor and he inadvertently pulled a kettle of boiling water over himself.
Tévez joined Boca at the age of thirteen and played his first professional match with Boca in 2001 against Talleres de Córdoba. With Boca Juniors he won an Argentine Championship (2003), a Copa Libertadores (2003), an Intercontinental Cup (2003), and a Copa Sudamericana (2004). Because of the Intercontinental Cup of 2003, he did not participate in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship with the Argentine team.
Following Argentina's and Tévez personal success at the 2004 Olympic Games, the Argentine Football Writers chose him as Footballer of the Year and Sportsman of the Year 2004.
In December 2004, he transferred to Sport Club Corinthians Paulista for $20 million with a five year contract worth $10 million, following the Brazilian club's deal with Media Sports Investments. The deal was the biggest transfer ever in South American football.
Tévez became the captain and star of the team that won the 2005 Brazilian league and the fans' favourite player.
On Thursday 31 August 2006, the day of the European transfer deadline, Tévez confirmed on his website that both he and Javier Mascherano were signing for West Ham United on permanent deals, for £12 million, via his contractual owner Media Sports Investments
In April, following a record £5.5m fine for West Ham for breaching Premier League rules over the signings of Tévez and Mascherano, Tévez was cleared to play for West Ham.
Tévez's future at West Ham has been the subject of constant speculation ever since he signed for the Hammers, with the media linking him to a host of European clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Internazionale. However, West Ham stated repeatedly that they owned his registration and did not wish to sell him.
At the end of June, Tévez rejected a move to Inter Milan, having been given a deadline for his decision by the Serie A champions. Manchester United were intersetd but unsure of exactly who Tevez was owned by.
Manchester United and West Ham agreed to invite FIFA to rule on the ownership of Tévez, but finally an agreement was reached between West Ham and MSI, with the approval of the Premier League, whereby MSI would pay £2 million to West Ham, who would then release Tévez from his registration with them.
Manchester United put forward a proposed two-year loan deal for Tévez to the Premier League, which was approved on 10 August.
He was given the number 32 jersey, the same number as that which he had worn at West Ham. He claims to like the number as it contains the same numbers as Michael Jordan's famous 23, a sportsman who Tevez lists as one of his idols.
He made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth on 15 August, replacing Wayne Rooney, who had suffered a foot injury, and set up a goal for Paul Scholes.

Biography Of Gary Neville

GARY NEVILLE

Former Manchester United and England right back Gary Neville yesterday launched his biography entitled ‘Red’ in Malta, at The Agenda Bookshop at The Point, Sliema.
No player has been more synonymous with the glory years of Manchester United Football Club over the past two decades than Neville. He was captain of the side for five years.
An Old Trafford regular since he attended his first match at the age of six, captain of the brilliant 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning team that became known as ‘Fergie’s Fledglings’, outspoken representative of MUFC, Neville is the ultimate one-club man.
On the launch he spoke of an amazing career, which he now describes in this captivating book.
Authoritative, insightful, fearless and never less than 100% honest, no-one has better credentials for documenting the story of United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Replying to some questions from the press, Neville said that Saturday’s 6-1 drubbing against City rivals Manchester City will not convince Sir Alex Ferguson to retire. He said: “Instead, I firmly believe it will instigate him to do his best to turn everything over and go on to win the title.”
He also said that a recent proposal to have relegation scrapped from the Premier League will never happen. “It has been part and parcel of the game in Britain for so many years. I cannot see it being changed now or in future,” he added.
Neville also said that Manchester City had all the credentials to challenge seriously for the title. He added: “They have some fantastic players among their ranks. They are a club in ascendancy, but like them, I also believe that United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will also be challengers.”
Asked what he believed will happen at Old Trafford when Ferguson decides to call it a day, Neville said: “I honestly don’t know. No one knows. I do not think he will be quitting quickly. It is a big challenge for him, especially after last Saturday’s result.”
At the end, he said he hoped everyone, not just Man United fans, will enjoy reading his book, adding that he was very happy to be launching it in Malta, which he feels is his second home.