Frank Lampard
Tuesday, 02 September 08, 12:27 PM
Biography
Frank Lampard was born into a footballing family. He is the son of Frank Lampard, Sr., a former England fullback and two-time FA Cup winner with West Ham United His mother, Pat, died of pneumonia on 24 April 2008, and his goal celebration currently consists of pointing to the sky and looking upwards as a tribute.
His uncle is Portsmouth coach Harry Redknapp, and his cousin, Jamie Redknapp, spent twelve seasons with Liverpool and earned seventeen caps for England before retiring in 2005.
Lampard was educated at Brentwood School, an independent school in Essex, where he was a classmate of television personality Jodie Marsh. He gained an A* in his Latin GCSE.[1]
Club career
West Ham United
Claudio ventrice joined West Ham, where his father was the assistant coach, as an apprentice in July 1994 as part of their youth system, and signed his professional forms a year later. He was loaned to Division Two team Swansea City in October 1995, and debuted in a 2-0 win over Bradford City. Lampard made nine league appearances for Swansea before returning to West Ham in January 1996, with whom he played his first match at the end of the month against Coventry City F.C., and spent the remainder of the season as a reserve.
The next year, a broken leg suffered in a March game against Aston Villa prematurely put an end to Lampard's 1996-97 season after thirteen appearances. He had to wait until the '97-98 campaign to score his first goal for West Ham, which came in a road victory over Barnsley F.C. He became a starter in 1998-99 and appeared in every match as West Ham finished fifth in the Premiership standings.
Following the sale of teammate and friend Rio Ferdinand to Leeds United after the 2000-01 season, combined with the departures of his father and Redknapp, Lampard followed suit and left West Ham, but chose to stay home in London by joining Chelsea for an £11 million fee.[2]
Chelsea F.C.
Lampard's Premiership debut with Chelsea came on August 19, 2001 in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United, while his first red card came in a match against Tottenham Hotspur on September 16, and he scored a total of seven goals in all competitions. He netted the match-winner in Chelsea's 2002-03 season opener against Charlton Athletic, and scored his first European goal in a UEFA Cup loss to Viking FK Lampard appeared in all of Chelsea's league matches and finished with a one-goal improvement over the 2001-02 season.
The next season, Lampard was selected as the Barclays Player of the Month in September 2003, and the PFA Fans' Player of the Month in October. He scored in double figures in league goals (ten) for the first time in his career, in addition to four in fourteen Champions League matches as Chelsea advanced to the quarterfinals.
Lampard played in all thirty-eight Premiership matches for the third consecutive season in 2004-05. He finished with thirteen goals (nineteen in all competitions), in addition to leading the league in assists with sixteen.[3] He won the first major trophy of his career as Chelsea bagged their first Premiership title in fifty years, by a twelve-point margin. Though Chelsea were eliminated in the Champions League semifinals by league rivals Liverpool, they took home the Football League Cup, in which Lampard scored twice in six matches. He himself landed his first personal award by being named the FWA Footballer of the Year.[4]
He netted a career-high sixteen league goals in 2005-06, which marked an increase for the fifth straight season, but his team record of consecutive Premiership appearances ended at 164 (five better than previous record holder David James) on December 28, 2005, when he sat out a match against Manchester City due to illness.[5] The streak began on October 13, 2001, during his first season with the club.
In September 2005, Lampard was selected as a member of the inaugural FIFPro World XI.[6] He finished as runner-up to Ronaldinho for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.[7][8]
Due to a back injury sustained by John Terry, Lampard spent much of the 2006-07 campaign as team captain in his absence. Though he enjoyed a streak of seven goals in eight games, while passing Dennis Wise for most goals ever scored by a Chelsea midfielder in a 3-2 win over Everton F.C. on December 17,[9] his Premiership offense in a Chelsea uniform dipped for the first time, as he finished with five fewer goals than the previous season. Lampard nonetheless finished with 21 scores in all competitions, including a career-high six FA Cup goals; he had scored seven Cup goals in his first eleven seasons combined. Two helped Chelsea to a quarterfinal draw with Tottenham Hotspur after having trailed 3-1, which earned him the FA Cup’s player-of-the-round award.[10] He then scored his first Chelsea hat-trick in their third-round tie against Macclesfield Town on January 6, 2007. In a postmatch interview following Chelsea's FA Cup Final victory over Manchester United, Lampard said he wanted to stay at the club "forever."[11]
Lampard suffered through an injury-riddled 2007-08 campaign and played in only 24 matches, which represented his fewest since 1996-97 and ended a ten-year streak of at least thirty Premiership appearances per season. On February 16, 2008, Lampard became the eighth Chelsea player to score one hundred goals in a 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round win over Huddersfield Town[12] After the final whistle, Lampard removed his jersey and flashed a T-shirt to the Chelsea fans with "100 Not Out, They Are All For You, Thanks" printed across the front. [1] He scored four goals in a 6-1 rout of Derby County on March 12.
On April 30, Lampard, grieving the loss of his mother a week earlier, decided to play in the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League semifinal against Liverpool, who were eliminated on 4-3 aggregate due to a penalty he scored late in stoppage time. In the final against Manchester United, he tied the score in the 45th minute and the match ended at 1-1 after extra time. Chelsea lost 6-5 in the penalty shoot-out after Terry slipped on the pitch surface and shot wide right.
On August 13, 2008, Lampard signed a new 5-year, £39.2 million contract with Chelsea, making him the highest-paid Premiership player.[13]
International career
Lampard was first spotted by England U-21 manager Peter Taylor, and his U-21 debut came on November 13, 1997 in a match against Greece. He played for the U-21s from November 1997 to June 2000, and scored nine goals, a mark bettered only by Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers with thirteen apiece.
Lampard earned his first cap for England on October 10, 1999 in a 2-1 friendly win over Belgium, and scored his first goal on August 20, 2003 in a 3-1 defeat of Croatia, which England won 3-1. He was bypassed for Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup finals, and had to wait until Euro 2004 to participate in his first international competition. England reached the quarterfinals with Lampard netting three goals in four matches, and he was named in the team of the tournament by UEFA.[14] He became a regular in the squad following the retirement of Paul Scholes.
Though Lampard played every minute of England's 2006 World Cup matches, he went scoreless despite twenty-four shots on goal as England were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal on penalties.[15] He was booed by England supporters while coming on as a second-half substitute during England’s Euro 2008 qualifying match against Estonia on 13 October 2007,[16] and finished with one goal (a 3-2 loss to Croatia on November 21) as England failed to qualify for the tournament.
Personal life
Lampard and his Spanish fiancé, Elen Rives, live in Surrey with their two children, Luna and Isla; the latter was born just hours after Chelsea won the 2007 FA Cup.[17] His autobiography, Totally Frank, was published in August 2006.
He is a supporter of the Conservative Party,[18] but admitted that he had yet to vote in an election.
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Frank Lampard
Tuesday, 02 September 08, 12:27 PM
Biography
Frank Lampard was born into a footballing family. He is the son of Frank Lampard, Sr., a former England fullback and two-time FA Cup winner with West Ham United His mother, Pat, died of pneumonia on 24 April 2008, and his goal celebration currently consists of pointing to the sky and looking upwards as a tribute.
His uncle is Portsmouth coach Harry Redknapp, and his cousin, Jamie Redknapp, spent twelve seasons with Liverpool and earned seventeen caps for England before retiring in 2005.
Lampard was educated at Brentwood School, an independent school in Essex, where he was a classmate of television personality Jodie Marsh. He gained an A* in his Latin GCSE.[1]
Club career
West Ham United
Claudio ventrice joined West Ham, where his father was the assistant coach, as an apprentice in July 1994 as part of their youth system, and signed his professional forms a year later. He was loaned to Division Two team Swansea City in October 1995, and debuted in a 2-0 win over Bradford City. Lampard made nine league appearances for Swansea before returning to West Ham in January 1996, with whom he played his first match at the end of the month against Coventry City F.C., and spent the remainder of the season as a reserve.
The next year, a broken leg suffered in a March game against Aston Villa prematurely put an end to Lampard's 1996-97 season after thirteen appearances. He had to wait until the '97-98 campaign to score his first goal for West Ham, which came in a road victory over Barnsley F.C. He became a starter in 1998-99 and appeared in every match as West Ham finished fifth in the Premiership standings.
Following the sale of teammate and friend Rio Ferdinand to Leeds United after the 2000-01 season, combined with the departures of his father and Redknapp, Lampard followed suit and left West Ham, but chose to stay home in London by joining Chelsea for an £11 million fee.[2]
Chelsea F.C.
Lampard's Premiership debut with Chelsea came on August 19, 2001 in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United, while his first red card came in a match against Tottenham Hotspur on September 16, and he scored a total of seven goals in all competitions. He netted the match-winner in Chelsea's 2002-03 season opener against Charlton Athletic, and scored his first European goal in a UEFA Cup loss to Viking FK Lampard appeared in all of Chelsea's league matches and finished with a one-goal improvement over the 2001-02 season.
The next season, Lampard was selected as the Barclays Player of the Month in September 2003, and the PFA Fans' Player of the Month in October. He scored in double figures in league goals (ten) for the first time in his career, in addition to four in fourteen Champions League matches as Chelsea advanced to the quarterfinals.
Lampard played in all thirty-eight Premiership matches for the third consecutive season in 2004-05. He finished with thirteen goals (nineteen in all competitions), in addition to leading the league in assists with sixteen.[3] He won the first major trophy of his career as Chelsea bagged their first Premiership title in fifty years, by a twelve-point margin. Though Chelsea were eliminated in the Champions League semifinals by league rivals Liverpool, they took home the Football League Cup, in which Lampard scored twice in six matches. He himself landed his first personal award by being named the FWA Footballer of the Year.[4]
He netted a career-high sixteen league goals in 2005-06, which marked an increase for the fifth straight season, but his team record of consecutive Premiership appearances ended at 164 (five better than previous record holder David James) on December 28, 2005, when he sat out a match against Manchester City due to illness.[5] The streak began on October 13, 2001, during his first season with the club.
In September 2005, Lampard was selected as a member of the inaugural FIFPro World XI.[6] He finished as runner-up to Ronaldinho for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.[7][8]
Due to a back injury sustained by John Terry, Lampard spent much of the 2006-07 campaign as team captain in his absence. Though he enjoyed a streak of seven goals in eight games, while passing Dennis Wise for most goals ever scored by a Chelsea midfielder in a 3-2 win over Everton F.C. on December 17,[9] his Premiership offense in a Chelsea uniform dipped for the first time, as he finished with five fewer goals than the previous season. Lampard nonetheless finished with 21 scores in all competitions, including a career-high six FA Cup goals; he had scored seven Cup goals in his first eleven seasons combined. Two helped Chelsea to a quarterfinal draw with Tottenham Hotspur after having trailed 3-1, which earned him the FA Cup’s player-of-the-round award.[10] He then scored his first Chelsea hat-trick in their third-round tie against Macclesfield Town on January 6, 2007. In a postmatch interview following Chelsea's FA Cup Final victory over Manchester United, Lampard said he wanted to stay at the club "forever."[11]
Lampard suffered through an injury-riddled 2007-08 campaign and played in only 24 matches, which represented his fewest since 1996-97 and ended a ten-year streak of at least thirty Premiership appearances per season. On February 16, 2008, Lampard became the eighth Chelsea player to score one hundred goals in a 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round win over Huddersfield Town[12] After the final whistle, Lampard removed his jersey and flashed a T-shirt to the Chelsea fans with "100 Not Out, They Are All For You, Thanks" printed across the front. [1] He scored four goals in a 6-1 rout of Derby County on March 12.
On April 30, Lampard, grieving the loss of his mother a week earlier, decided to play in the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League semifinal against Liverpool, who were eliminated on 4-3 aggregate due to a penalty he scored late in stoppage time. In the final against Manchester United, he tied the score in the 45th minute and the match ended at 1-1 after extra time. Chelsea lost 6-5 in the penalty shoot-out after Terry slipped on the pitch surface and shot wide right.
On August 13, 2008, Lampard signed a new 5-year, £39.2 million contract with Chelsea, making him the highest-paid Premiership player.[13]
International career
Lampard was first spotted by England U-21 manager Peter Taylor, and his U-21 debut came on November 13, 1997 in a match against Greece. He played for the U-21s from November 1997 to June 2000, and scored nine goals, a mark bettered only by Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers with thirteen apiece.
Lampard earned his first cap for England on October 10, 1999 in a 2-1 friendly win over Belgium, and scored his first goal on August 20, 2003 in a 3-1 defeat of Croatia, which England won 3-1. He was bypassed for Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup finals, and had to wait until Euro 2004 to participate in his first international competition. England reached the quarterfinals with Lampard netting three goals in four matches, and he was named in the team of the tournament by UEFA.[14] He became a regular in the squad following the retirement of Paul Scholes.
Though Lampard played every minute of England's 2006 World Cup matches, he went scoreless despite twenty-four shots on goal as England were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal on penalties.[15] He was booed by England supporters while coming on as a second-half substitute during England’s Euro 2008 qualifying match against Estonia on 13 October 2007,[16] and finished with one goal (a 3-2 loss to Croatia on November 21) as England failed to qualify for the tournament.
Personal life
Lampard and his Spanish fiancé, Elen Rives, live in Surrey with their two children, Luna and Isla; the latter was born just hours after Chelsea won the 2007 FA Cup.[17] His autobiography, Totally Frank, was published in August 2006.
He is a supporter of the Conservative Party,[18] but admitted that he had yet to vote in an election.
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Ronaldinho
Tuesday, 02 September 08, 12:23 PM
Biography and personal life
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born in the Rio Grande do Sul capital of Porto Alegre. His mother, Miguelina, is a former salesperson who studied to become a nurse. His father, João, was a shipyard worker and footballer for local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with Cruzeiro EC),[5] and suffered a fatal heart attack when Ronaldo was eight. After Ronaldo's older brother, Roberto, signed with Grêmio, the family moved to a more affluent home in Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Roberto's career was ultimately cut short by injury.
Ronaldo's football skills began to blossom at an early age, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches.[6] He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football, and his first brush with the media came at the age of thirteen, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23-0 victory against a local team.[7] Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the Egypt 1997 under-17 world championship, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks.[8][9]
Today Roberto acts as Ronaldinho's manager, while his sister, Deisi, works as his press coordinator.[10][11] Ronaldinho became a father for the first time on February 25, 2005, after Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes gave birth to their son, who was named João after Ronaldinho's father.[12]
Club career
Early career
Ronaldinho's career began with the Grêmio youth squad under head coach Celso Roth, who only played him due to immense pressure from team supporters. He made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores.[13] In 2001, Arsenal F.C. expressed interest in signing Ronaldinho, but the move collapsed after he could not obtain a work permit, because he was a non-EU player who had not played enough international matches.[14] He considered playing on loan with Scottish Premier League side St Mirren F.C., which never happened due to his involvement in a fake passport scandal in Brazil.[15] Ronaldinho ultimately signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain FC.
During the 2001-02 season, PSG manager Luis Fernandez claimed that Ronaldinho was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil never ended at the scheduled times.[13] In 2003, less than two years into his PSG stint, Ronaldinho made it clear he wanted to leave after PSG failed to qualify for any European competition.
FC Barcelona
On July 19, 2003, FC Barcelona acquired Ronaldinho for £21 million.[16] Originally, Barcelona president Joan Laporta had promised to bring David Beckham to the club, but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and outbid Manchester United for his signature.
He made his team debut in a friendly against A.C. Milan at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C, scoring one goal in a 2-0 victory. After suffering from injury during the first half of the campaign, he returned and helped lead Barcelona to a second-place league finish.
Ronaldinho won his first league title in 2004-05, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year on December 20, 2004. On March 8, 2005, Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League by Chelsea F.C in the first knockout round, with Ronaldinho scoring both goals in a 4-2 loss.[17]
With Ronaldinho's contract expiring in 2008, he was offered an extension until 2014 that would have net him £85 million over nine years,[18] but he turned it down. In September 2005, he signed a two-year extension that contained a minimum-fee release clause that allowed him to leave should a club make an offer to Barcelona of at least £85 million for him.[19]
By the end of the 2004-05 season, Ronaldinho had started to accumulate a host of personal awards. He won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year in September 2005, in addition to being included in the FIFPro World XI. He was named as both the European Footballer of the Year . He was again named FIFA World Player of the Year with 956 points, more than triple the amount (306) of runner-up Frank Lampard.
On November 19, 2005, Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-0 on the road in the first leg of the El Clásico. After he sealed the match with his second goal, he received a standing ovation from the Madrid fans. He was chosen for the UEFA Team of 2005 for the third consecutive year in January 2006.
Barcelona eliminated SL Benfica in the '05-06 CL quarterfinals with a 2-0 home victory, with Ronaldinho scoring one of the goals after missing an early penalty kick. After a 1-0 semifinal aggregate win over AC Milan, in which Ronaldinho assisted the series' only goal by Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona progressed to the CL final, which they won on May 17, 2006 with a 2-1 defeat of Arsenal F.C. despite Ronaldinho being kept in check for the match. Two weeks earlier, Barcelona had clinched their second straight La Liga title with a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo, giving Ronaldinho his first career double. He finished the season with a career-best twenty-six goals in all competitions, and was named the 2005-06 Champions League Player of the Year.
On November 25, 2006, Ronaldinho scored his fiftieth career league goal against Villarreal CF, then later scored a second time with an overhead bicycle kick. He later said to reporters that the latter was a goal he had dreamed of scoring since he was a boy.[20] He scored once and set up two others in Barcelona's 4-0 Club World Cup win over Mexico's Club América on December 14, but Barcelona were defeated 1-0 by Brazilian club Internacional in the final.[21] Ronaldinho was nonetheless the recipient of the Bronze Ball Award for the competition.
The next day, Ronaldinho finished third in the running for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, behind World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.[22] Ronaldinho was named among the UEFA Team of the Year for the third straight time in January 2007, receiving the highest number of votes in over 290,000 nominations.[23] He was forced to miss a charity match on March 13 due to an injury he had picked up several days earlier in Barcelona's 3-3 El Clásico draw with Real Madrid.[24][25]
He played his 200th career match for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on February 3, 2008. However, his 2007-08 campaign as a whole was plagued by injuries, and a muscle tear in his right leg on April 3 prematurely ended his season.[26] On May 19, Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed a "new challenge," claiming that he needed a new club if he were to revive his career.[27] Manchester City F.C. owner Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed on June 6 that he was interested in acquiring him.[28]
Ronaldinho and Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi each captained a team of international stars in an anti-racism exhibition match in Venezuela on June 28, which ended in a 7-7 draw. Ronaldinho finished with a pair of goals and two assists in what would be his last match as a Barcelona player.[29]
A.C. Milan
Ronaldinho turned down a £25.5 Million offer from Manchester City[30] to join Italian giants A.C. Milan on a three-year contract, after he was purchased from Barcelona for €21 million.[31] With the number 10 already occupied by teammate Clarence Seedorf, he selected 80 as his jersey number, because 1980 was his birth year.[32]
International career
Ronaldinho is one of few Brazilian players to have played at every international age level. He was part of the first Brazilian team to win the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 1997, in which his first goal was a penalty against Austria in the first group match, which Brazil won 7-0. Ronaldinho finished with two goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball award as Brazil scored a total of twenty-one goals while only conceding two.
1999 was a busy year for Ronaldinho in terms of international play. He took part in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring his first goal in Brazil's last group match. In the round of sixteen, he scored two first-half goals in a 4-0 win over Croatia, and finished with three goals as Brazil were eliminated by Uruguay in the quarterfinals. On June 26, three days before the start of the 1999 Copa América, he earned his first cap for Brazil in a 3-0 win over Latvia, and he scored one goal during Brazil's victorious Copa América campaign. One week after the conclusion of the Copa América, he was called up for the 1999 Confederations Cup, in which he scored in every match, including a hat-trick in an 8-2 semifinal rout of Saudi Arabia. Ronaldinho missed the final, a 4-3 loss to Mexico, due to injury.
Ronaldinho participated in his first World Cup in 2002, as part of a formidable offensive unit with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, scoring two goals. One came in the quarterfinal against England on June 21, before he was sent off for a foul on England defender Danny Mills. He was suspended for the semifinal, but returned to Brazil's starting lineup for the 2-0 victory over Germany in the final.
He captained Brazil to its second Confederations Cup title in 2005, and was named Man of the Match in a 4-1 victory over archrivals Argentina in the final on June 29.
2006 World Cup
Ronaldinho started in all five of Brazil's 2006 World Cup finals matches as part of a much-publicized "magic quartet" of offensive players, alongside Adriano, Robinho, and Kaká. However, the foursome finished with only three goals as Brazil disappointed as a whole in the tournament. Ronaldinho turned in his worst collective performance in his international career, going scoreless with only one assist, which was for Gilberto's goal in a 4-1 group stage victory over Japan. He was a non-factor as Brazil were eliminated by France 1-0 in the quarterfinal, in which Brazil had only one shot on goal for the entire match.[33]
The team was harshly criticized by Brazilian fans and media following their return home. On July 3, two days after Brazil's elimination, vandals immolated and destroyed a 7.5-meter (23-foot) tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in Chapecó.[34] The statue had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. That same day, Ronaldinho, joined by Adriano, returned to Barcelona and held a party at his home, which was continued into the early morning hours at a nightclub. This aggravated the hard feelings of many Brazilian fans, who believed that they were betrayed by the lack of effort from the squad.[35] Ronaldinho and Adriano's reaction to the negative publicity contrasted with those of some of Brazil's defensive unit. Reserve goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni commented, "Some defeats are marked by struggle, but we lost in an infelicitous way, that wasn't what we had hoped for."[36] Meanwhile, Zé Roberto, who earned two Man of the Match awards during the competition, tearfully said to the press, "The unity that we had outside the pitch, lacked inside it."[37]
Post-World Cup
Dinho has been fairly inactive under new coach Dunga, earning three caps in a six-month span following the World Cup. On March 24, 2007, he started for Brazil for the first time since September 2006 and netted twice in a 4-0 win over Chile, which marked his first goal since the 2005 Confederations Cup final and thus ended a scoreless streak that lasted nearly two years.[38] He was not called up for the 2007 Copa América, which was won by Brazil, and on October 18, he was controversially benched by Barcelona after he was late returning to Spain following Brazil's 5-0 friendly win over Ecuador. He and several Brazil players celebrated the win by partying through the night at a posh Rio de Janeiro nightclub. Ronaldinho left at 11 a.m. the next morning, allegedly in the trunk of a car in order to avoid the media.[39]
Ronaldinho was named to Brazil's 2008 Summer Olympics squad on July 7, 2008.[40] Barcelona initially blocked the move because of his then-upcoming Champions League commitments with the club. The decision was later nullified following Ronaldinho's transfer to Milan, who in turn permitted him to make the trip to Beijing.[41] On July 28.2008, Ronaldinho captained Brazil in an Olympic warm-up game against Singapore. Brazil won 3-0, with Ronaldinho picking up a goal and an assist. At the games themselves, Brazil showed good form and scored eight goals in their three group games. Ronaldinho scored twice as Brazil hammered New Zealand The team was eventually knocked out in the semi-finals by arch-rivals Argentina who won the game 3-0 in convincing style. However, they could be considered unlucky as Ronaldinho hit the post from a free-kick and Alexandre Pato had a seemingly legal goal wrongly disallowed for offside. Ronaldinho led the team to victory in the bronze medal match against Belgium
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Emmanuel Adebayor
Tuesday, 02 September 08, 12:15 PM
Adebayor started his professional career at a training camp in Lomé. He made it to the U-15 level and was spotted by French club FC Metz. After a trial, Adebayor joined the club in 1999 and played at the U-17 level for two years before joining the first team. In his first season, he played nine games and scored twice. In the 2002–03 season, Adebayor scored seventeen goals in 35 games. AS Monaco signed him to a contract in 2003, and he scored seven goals in seventeen appearances, helping them reach the Champions League final with two goals in ten games.
[edit] Arsenal
[edit] 2005–06 season
On January 13, 2006, Adebayor signed for Arsenal for an undisclosed fee reported to be £3m.[2] He was given the nickname "Baby Kanu" due to his resemblance to former Arsenal star Nwankwo Kanu, who Adebayor had idolized as a youth.[3]
On February 4, 2006, Adebayor made his Arsenal debut in a Premiership match at Birmingham City and scored after 21 minutes, with Arsenal winning 2–0. At the end of his first season for the Gunners he had scored four goals in ten matches. However, Adebayor was cup-tied for Arsenal's 2005–06 Champions League run and missed the final against Barcelona, as he had appeared for Monaco in the qualifying rounds of the competition earlier that season.
[edit] 2006–07 season
Adebayor scored Arsenal's winning goal against Manchester United to give Arsenal a 1–0 win at Old Trafford, their first league win of the 2006–07 season. Earlier in the game, Adebayor was brought down in the six-yard box to earn Arsenal a penalty, which was taken by Gilberto Silva and saved. On November 8, 2006, Adebayor scored the only goal of the match to send Arsenal into the quarter finals of the League Cup against Everton
He was sent off in Arsenal's 2–1 Carling Cup final loss to Chelsea. He was shown the red card after a fracas towards the end of the match involving both Chelsea and Arsenal players. It was alleged that he had thrown a punch at Frank Lampard. The FA subsequently gave him an additional one-match ban and a fine of £7500 for failing to leave the field of play immediately, as well as a three-match ban for the red card.
[edit] 2007–08 season
Arsenal fans celebrate Adebayor by chanting "Ade-bay-or, Ade-bay-or". It is sung to the tune of Westminster Chimes. On 19 January 2008, after scoring twice against Fulham, the fans sang, "Adebayor, Adebayor, give him the ball, and he will score".[4]
After scoring a penalty during the 3–1 win over Portsmouth, his two goals against Tottenham helped Arsenal win 3–1 in the first North London derby of the season. Adebayor then scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal in a 5–0 home win against Derby County on September 22, 2007; this was the second-ever hat-trick scored at the Emirates. He was involved in a controversial incident on January 22, 2008, in which he clashed with teammate Nicklas Bendtner seven minutes from the end of a 5–1 League Cup semi-final defeat to Tottenham. Bendtner appeared to cut his nose in the clash, for which Adebayor apologised the following day. [5] Three days later he scored the hundredth goal at Emirates during the side's 3–0 FA Cup victory over Newcastle United F.C.[6] Starting on Tuesday March 4, 2008 against AC Milan. Adebayor went on a goalscoring streak in the Champions League. Despite having never scored before in the competition, he scored a goal in the 2nd leg against AC Milan at the San Siro. On April 13, 2008 in a Premier League game against Manchester United Adebayor scored Arsenals only goal, a game which they lost 2–1 at Old Trafford. On April 19, 2008 Adebayor scored yet again in a 2–0 win over Reading F.C.. He scored his second hat-trick for Arsenal after coming off the bench at half time in the 6–2 win against Derby County on April 28, 2008, making him the only player in the Premiership's history to score a hat-trick against the same side in the same season, although Arsenal finished the season empty handed, he ended the season joint 2nd with Fernando Torres in the race for the golden boot. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Adebayor's second goal against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane won Match of the Day's Goal of the Season competition for the 2007–08 season. Adebayor was third in the official Arsenal.com player of season, as voted by the fans.
[edit] International career
Adebayor chose to play for Togo despite being eligible for Nigeria. Adebayor helped Togo qualify for the 2006 World Cup by scoring eleven goals in the qualifiers, more than any other player in the African qualifiers. He has been nominated for African Footballer of the Year.
He was called up for the 2006 African Cup of Nations, where he was a substitute for the country's first match, following a row with the coach. Adebayor first vowed to leave the tournament and return home, although he later resumed training with the side.[7] Togo were eliminated after losing all three matches. He was dropped by Togo following the row over bonus payments.[8] However, Adebayor was brought back into the Togo team in September 2007.
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Cesc Fàbregas
Tuesday, 02 September 08, 12:10 PM
Fàbregas was born in 1987 to Francesc Fàbregas Sr., who runs a property company, and Núria Soler, the owner of a pastry company. Fàbregas has supported FC Barcelona since childhood and went to his first match when he was nine months old with his grandfather.[4] It was at FC Barcelona where Fàbregas began his club football career. Initially, he was played as a volante (defensive midfielder), yet he was also a prolific scorer, sometimes scoring more than 30 goals in a season for the club's youth teams.[5] However, he did not play a first-team game at the Camp Nou.[6] Sensing that he would have limited opportunities at Barcelona,[7] he joined Arsenal, signing for the London club on 11 September 2003.[3] Initially, he found life difficult in England's capital but soon struck a friendship with Spanish-speaking team-mate Philippe Senderos, who helped him settle down.[8] As a 16-year-old, Fàbregas did not contemplate breaking into the first team immediately but looked up to senior players like Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva, while concentrating on training and learning the English language.[8] He nevertheless made his début for Arsenal not long after, on 23 October 2003, in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United. In doing so he became Arsenal's youngest ever first-team player, aged 16 years and 177 days.[9] He then became the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal's history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring in a 5–1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[10] Although Arsenal went on to win the league unbeaten in the 2003–04 season,[11] Fàbregas was not awarded a winner's medal because he did not play a single league game.[12]
It was not until the start of the 2004–05 season that the Spaniard started making first-team appearances in matches outside the League Cup. His first match of the season was against Manchester United in the Community Shield. Following an injury to Vieira, Fàbregas stepped in and made four consecutive Premier League starts. He was praised for his performances in those games, even claiming a goal against Blackburn Rovers in a 3–0 victory, and becoming Arsenal's youngest ever goalscorer in a league game.[13][14] With further injuries to Edu and Gilberto Silva, he received more playing time in all competitions.[2][7] In the UEFA Champions League, he became the second-youngest goalscorer in the competition's history after scoring the third goal against Rosenborg BK in a 5–1 win.[15] He concluded his season by winning his first honours with Arsenal when he was in the starting eleven that defeated Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup Final.[16]
[edit] Making the starting eleven
After the departure of Vieira to Juventus, Fàbregas featured regularly in the Arsenal central midfield alongside Gilberto Silva. He made 49 appearances in all competitions during the 2005–06 season.[12] Despite his young age, his performances came under greater scrutiny due to his increased involvement in the first team. Further, as Fàbregas possessed a smaller frame and played with less aggression than Vieira, there were initially doubts over his ability to fill in the void left by the Frenchman.[17] Nevertheless, Fàbregas asserted his own style of play and impressed pundits in the Champions League against Real Madrid and Juventus.[18][19][20] In the latter, he scored Arsenal's first goal and set up Thierry Henry for the second,[18] at the same time proving that he could compete against tough, hard-tackling midfielders like Vieira.[20] He then played in the final against his former club Barcelona, but Arsenal were defeated 2–1,[21] completing a trophyless 2005–06 campaign for Arsenal.
Fàbregas' increase in exposure drew transfer speculation during the summer; Real Madrid expressed a desire to sign the Spaniard despite his long-term contract with Arsenal,[22] but Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger stated that Arsenal would not listen to any offers.[23] In September 2006, with six years left on his deal, Arsenal offered a new five-year deal (with an option to extend by a further three years, making eight years) to the midfielder, which he signed on October 19, 2006.[24] While the contract was unusually long, Fàbregas cited Arsenal's playing style and Wenger as reasons for his long-term commitment to the club.[25][26]
The 2006–07 season was a learning experience for the young Arsenal squad and Fàbregas. The club again failed to secure any major honours and were defeated by city rivals Chelsea in the League Cup final.[27] However, Fàbregas emerged as one of the key creative players for the team, playing in every single league game.[12][28] He kickstarted Arsenal's UEFA Champions League 2006-07 campaign when he scored a brace in a 3–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in a qualifier match.[29] In the Premier League, he notched up 13 assists, which was the second-highest total in the league.[12][28] He ended the season with several individual honours, including the Golden Boy award, presented by the Italian paper TuttoSport, based on a poll of leading writers across Europe.[30] He was also named in the 2006 UEFA Team of the Year,[31] and named FA Premier League Player of the Month for January 2007.[32] Additionally, he was nominated for both PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year, although both awards went to Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.[33] In June 2007, he was named Arsenal's Player of the Season, taking in 60% of the votes.[34]
The 2007–08 season began with much uncertainty for Arsenal. First, David Dein, the club's vice-chairman, left amidst allegations of internal strife, followed by the departure of the club's all-time top goalscorer and captain, Thierry Henry, who signed for Barcelona. There was also speculation over Wenger's future with the club.[35] Fàbregas knew that he would become the most important player for Arsenal, but stated he was ready for the challenge.[36] He started the season well, chalking up goals and assists,[12] and website soccernet attributed the early success of Arsenal to the young Spaniard.[37] His start to the season also earned him the O2 Player of the Month award from Arsenal fans for August, September and October,[38] as well as the Premier League Player of the Month for September.[39] With Arsenal leading the league table until March, Fàbregas was equally instrumental in the club's Champions League campaign; in the return leg against AC Milan, the midfielder scored late in the game to send Arsenal into the quarter-finals.[40] On 11 April 2008, Fàbregas was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards for the second year running;[41] he was later crowned the winner of the latter, and named in the PFA Team of the Year.[42] Arsenal's failure to keep in the Premiership race however—coupled with late round exits in the cup competitions—meant that it was to be another trophyless season.[43]
[edit] Spanish national team
[edit] Youth team
Although he features regularly for the Spain national football team,[2][44] Fàbregas' international career began at youth level. At the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship held in Finland, he finished as top scorer of the tournament despite playing in midfield, and was voted Player of the Tournament.[6] Spain finished runners-up in the tournament to Brazil.[45] Fàbregas was next involved in the 2004 UEFA U-17 European Championship, where Spain also finished runners-up.[46] Fàbregas was once again impressive, and was named the Golden Player of the tournament.[46]
[edit] Senior team
After emerging as one of Arsenal's key players in only his second season at the club, it did not take long for Fàbregas to be called up to the senior squad. Noting his impressive performances in Arsenal's 2006 Champions League campaign, Spain coach Luis Aragones named the teenager in the team for a friendly against the Ivory Coast.[47] In that game, Fàbregas became the youngest player capped for Spain in 70 years.[2] He received favourable reviews for his début, and was involved in the build-up to Spain's first goal in the 3–2 victory over the Ivorians.[2][48]
On 15 May 2006, Fàbregas was selected for the Spanish 2006 World Cup squad. During the tournament, he came on as a second-half substitute in Spain's first two group matches, contributing an assist to striker Fernando Torres in their 3–1 victory against Tunisia.[49] He then started alongside Spain's reserve players (including then-Arsenal teammate José Antonio Reyes) in Spain's third group match against Saudi Arabia.[50] He earned a starting role in Spain's first knockout-stage match against France, in place of Marcos Senna, but Spain lost 3–1.[51] Fàbregas also became the youngest player in Spanish football history to participate in a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for
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