Monday, January 23, 2023
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu]) or Ronaldinho Gaúcho,[2] is a Brazilian footballer. His main playing position is as an attacking midfielderor forward. He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2004 and 2005. Renowned for his technique, tricks, dribbling, overhead kicks, no-look passes and free kicks, Ronaldinho is regarded to be one of the best players of his generation.[3][4]
"Ronaldinho", the diminutive and term of endearment for "Ronaldo", is accompanied in Brazilian usage by the nickname "Gaúcho" (since he hails from southern Brazil), in order to distinguish him from fellow footballer and countryman Ronaldo, who was known as "Ronaldinho" in Brazil beforehand. Ronaldo went by his first name upon his move to Europe, thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop the "Gaúcho" and go by the name Ronaldinho abroad.
Ronaldinho has played 97 matches and scored 33 goals for the Brazil national football team. He was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup winning team in Korea/Japan, starring alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo in an attacking trio, and was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.
At club level, Ronaldinho played first for the Brazilian club Grêmio before spending the bulk of his career with European clubs Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, and Milan. He then returned to Brazil to play for Flamengoand Atlético Mineiro before moving to Mexico to play for Querétaro. With Barcelona, he won La Liga twice, theUEFA Champions League in 2006, and accumulated numerous individual awards, including the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005. Ronaldinho was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living players compiled by Pelé, and to the FIFPro World XI from 2005–2007.
Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑrjən ˈrɔbə(n)] (
listen); born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch professional footballerwho plays for German club Bayern Munich and is the captain of the Netherlands national team. Robben has appeared at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships, and the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. He is a forward who usually plays as a left or right sided winger. Robben is known for his dribbling skills, speed, crossing ability and his accurate left foot long-range shots from the right wing.
listen); born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch professional footballerwho plays for German club Bayern Munich and is the captain of the Netherlands national team. Robben has appeared at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships, and the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. He is a forward who usually plays as a left or right sided winger. Robben is known for his dribbling skills, speed, crossing ability and his accurate left foot long-range shots from the right wing.
Robben first came to prominence with Groningen, for whom he was player of the year for the 2000–01 Eredivisieseason. Two years later he signed for PSV, where he became the Netherlands' Young Player of the Year and won an Eredivisie title.[3] The following season Robben's signature was pursued by leading English clubs, and after protracted transfer negotiations he joined Chelsea in 2004.
Robben's Chelsea debut was delayed through injury, but upon returning to fitness he helped Chelsea bring home two consecutive Premier League titles, and was the FA Premier League Player of the Month in November 2005.[4][5]After a third season in England which was punctuated by injury, Robben moved to Spanish club Real Madrid for €35 million. In August 2009, Robben transferred to Bayern Munich for a fee of around €25 million,[6] scoring two goals on his debut. In his first season in Munich, Bayern won the league title, Robben's fifth league title in eight years, and Robben scored the winning goal in the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final. After his first season with Bayern, Robben was also named Footballer of the Year in Germany.[7]
In 2014, Robben was ranked the fourth-best footballer in the world by The Guardian.[8]
Luis Suárez
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (American Spanish: [ˈlwis ˈswaɾes]; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professionalfootballer who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Uruguay national team as a striker. In July 2014, he moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for a fee reported by the English press in the region of £75 million (€94 million), while Barcelona claim a fee of £65 million (€81 million), making him the third-most expensive player in football history.[2][3]The transfer took place after he had won the European Golden Shoe in the previous season with Liverpool.[4] Suárez is widely regarded to be one of the best strikers in the world.[5][6][7][8]
Suárez began his career as a youth player for Nacional in 2003. He signed for Groningen in the Netherlands in 2006 and transferred to Ajax in 2007. In 2010 he helped Ajax win the KNVB Cup while becoming the league's top scorer with 35 goals in 33 games. He was also named Dutch Footballer of the Year, scoring 49 goals in all competitions. In the2010–11 season, he scored his 100th Ajax goal, joining a group of players including Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten. In January 2011, Suárez transferred to English Premier League club Liverpool for €26.5 million (£22.8 million). In February 2012, Suárez won the Football League Cup with the club. In April 2014, he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. As the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals he won thePremier League Golden Boot, and shared the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo. In his first season at Barcelona he helped the club win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.
With 43 goals in 82 games for Uruguay, Suárez is the all-time record goalscorer for his national team. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa he played an important role in Uruguay's fourth-place finish, scoring three goals, and also blocked an extra time goalbound header with his hands during the quarter-final against Ghana. At the 2011 Copa América, Suárez scored four goals for Uruguay as they won a record fifteenth Copa América, and he was namedPlayer of the Tournament.[9] At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Suárez scored his 40th international goal.
Suárez has been the source of much controversy throughout his career.[10][11][12] As well as his 2010 World Cup goal-line handball, he has also bitten three opponents, the latest being Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup,[13][14][15][16] has been accused of and admitted to diving,[17][18] and the English Football Association found himguilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra,[19] a decision Suárez disputes.[20]
Gareth Bale
Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Real Madridand the Wales national team. Renowned for his ball striking from distance, his swerving free-kicks,[3] and his ability to get past defenders with pace, Bale has received plaudits from his peers, who have described him as a footballer with "tremendous speed, great crossing ability, a great left foot and exceptional physical qualities".[4][5]
He began his professional career at Southampton, playing at left-back and earning acclaim as a free kickspecialist. Bale moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007, for an eventual £7 million fee. During his time at Spurs, managerial and tactical shifts saw him transform into a more offensive player. From the 2009–10 season, Under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, Bale became an integral part of the team, rising to international attention during the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League.[6][7][8] In 2011 and 2013 he was named PFA Players' Player of the Year, and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year. In 2013 he was also named PFA Young Player of the Year and theFWA Footballer of the Year.
On 1 September 2013, Bale was transferred to Spanish team Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee. The Spanish press and Real Madrid TV reported £77 million (€91 million), while the English press reported a world record transfer fee of £85.3 million (€100 million), which would be above Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer record fee of £80 million (€94 million).[9][10][11][12][13][14] He played an integral role in his first season at Real Madrid, helping the club to win the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League, scoring in both finals. The following season he won the UEFA Super Cup and scored in a third major final to help the club win the FIFA Club World Cup.
Bale made his senior international debut for Wales in May 2006, becoming the youngest player at that point to represent the nation. He has since earned over 50 caps and scored 19 international goals, making him Wales' joint fifth-highest scorer of all time. He was the top goalscorer for Wales in their successful qualifying campaign forUEFA Euro 2016, scoring seven goals.[15]
Marco Reus
Marco Reus (German pronunciation: [ˈmaɐ̯koː ˈʁɔʏ̯s]; born 31 May 1989) is a German professional footballerwho plays as an attacking midfielder, winger or striker for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team. Reus is known for his versatility, speed and technique.[3]
Reus spent his youth career at Borussia Dortmund, prior to leaving for Rot Weiss Ahlen. He has played for three clubs in his senior career, most notably—and with the most influence—in Borussia Mönchengladbachof the Bundesliga.[4] Reus plays primarily as a left attacker for BVB; however, he is capable of playing on the right also and through the middle, due to his ability to closely control the ball with both feet.[citation needed]2012 was his most successful season when, scoring 18 and assisting eight, he helped Borussia Mönchengladbach secure a place in the following season's UEFA Champions League. Reus agreed a move to his home club Borussia Dortmund at the end of that season. Reus wears number 11 for Dortmund.
With Dortmund, Reus won the 2013 DFL-Supercup. Reus was the Footballer of the Year in Germany in 2012 and was on the UEFA Team of the Year in 2013. Franz Beckenbauer spoke about Reus, along withMario Götze, saying, "...as a classic duo there is nobody better than the prolific Reus and Götze."[5] In 2013, Reus was ranked as the fourth best footballer in Europe by Bloomberg.[6]
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɛrt lɛvanˈdɔfskʲi] ( listen); born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for German club Bayern Munich, and captains the Poland national team.
listen); born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for German club Bayern Munich, and captains the Poland national team.
After being the top scorer in the third and second tiers of Polish football with Znicz Pruszków, he moved to top-flight Lech Poznań, and was the top scorer in the league as they won the 2009–10 Ekstraklasa. In 2010, he transferred to Borussia Dortmund for a reported €4.5 million, where he won honours including two consecutiveBundesliga titles. Before the start of the 2014 season, he moved to their rivals Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga in his first campaign. He has totalled over 100 goals in Germany's top division, and reached the century mark quicker than any other overseas player.
A full international for Poland since 2008, Lewandowski has earned 70 caps and was a member of their team atEuro 2012. With 32 goals, he ranks joint fifth among their top scorers of all time. On 22 September 2015, while playing for Bayern Munich, Lewandowski scored five goals against Wolfsburg in nine minutes, the fastest in any major European football league since records have been kept.[2]
Paul Pogba
Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays for Italian club Juventusand the France national team. He operates primarily as a central midfielder and is comfortable at playing both in attack and defence.[3]
Pogba was described by his former club Manchester United as a "powerful, skilful, and creative" player who has "an eye for goal and a penchant for the spectacular."[4] In Italy, he gained the nicknames Il Polpo Paul ("Paul the Octopus") for his long legs that look like tentacles during tackling or running[5] and "Pogboom" for his explosive style and energy on the pitch.[6] These characteristics have led him to be compared with former France international Patrick Vieira.[7] He received the Golden Boy award for 2013, given to the best under-21 player in Europe, followed by the Bravo Award in 2014, awarded to the best under-23 player who has participated in European competitions.[8]
Pogba played internationally for France with the national youth football team, representing his nation at all levels for which he was eligible. With the under-16 team, he captained his nation to victories at the Aegean Cup and the Tournoi du Val-de-Marne and, at under-17 level, played at the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. At under-20 level, he captained his nation to victory at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and took home the Best Player award for his performances during the tournament. He made his debut for the senior French national team on 22 March 2013 in a 3–1 win against Georgia, and scored his first World Cup goal on 30 June 2014 against Nigeria; he was awarded the Best Young Player Award for his performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, after reaching the quarter-final.[9]
In January 2014, Pogba was named by The Guardian as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe.[10]
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
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