Name: Steven George Gerrard

Date of Birth: 30 th May, 1980

Hometown: Whiston, England

Height: 6′

Nationality: English

Current Club: Liverpool FC

Playing Position: Midfielder

Life before Professional Football

Steven Gerrard, the hero of Liverpool, was born on 30 th May, 1980. Gerrard started his football career at a very early age, signifying his passion towards the game. He played for the local team Whiston Juniors and his skills and acrobatics were noticed by many. He began his football at the age of nine. He joined the Reds as a schoolboy and played for them till the age of 16. At 14, he had trials with various clubs, including Manchester United. He signed a professional contract with Liverpool on 5th November, 1997. From then, began the heroics of the great English player.

International Career

Gerrard could not make a lot of name in the International Arena. He was successful but frequent ups and downs in his performance did not give him all the fame.

He started his International career on 31st May, 2000 against Ukraine. He was picked in the squad for the Euro 2000. England were unsuccessful in that tournament, losing to Germany. Gerrard, however made only one appearance.

Steven Gerrard scored his first International Goal against Germany in September, 2001, which England won by a 5-1 margin. Gerrard did not take part in the 2002 Fifa World Cup due to severe injuries and was pulled out of the qualified England.

The 2004 European Football Championship was a light of success for Steven Gerrard. Gerrard scored a great goal against Switzerland at the group stage. Nevertheless, England lost to Portugal in the next round.

Gerrard was a part of the England’s squad in the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany, although many rumors of him being injured were in the picture. He ruled out all these reports and was fit to play his first group match in the Fifa World Cup 2006. he played against Paraguay in England’s first group match and was on the successful end, winning 1-0. He scored twice in England’s group stage and was considered one of the best mid=-fielders at that time. He scored one of his goals with the trademark Gerrard stroke, which was a long range in swinger. This was against Trinidad and Tobago. England moved on to the second round of the Cup. Gerrard again was spectacular in the match against Sweden, where he found the net with a powerful header. Gerrard finished the tournament as England’s top scorer, scoring two goals.

Steven Gerrard was also considered as the strongest candidate to take the position of England’s National Side, which was preceded by David Beckam, but the post was given to Chelsea’s captain, John Terry with Gerrard being next in command.

Club Career

Gerrard has an outstanding club career. He served only one club since his introduction to Professional Football, Liverpool FC. He made his debut for the Liverpool team, also known as the Reds, on 29th November, 1998, against Blackburn Rovers. Gerrard played 13 games for Liverpool that season in the UEFA Cup.

The 1999-2000 season was a booster for the great long distance striker. This was the first stage when he was given first preference as a first 11. He was a midfielder along with Redknapp. He scored his first senior goal in a 4-1 victory against Sheffield United. The rest of the season was a gloomy one for Gerrard. He faced many injuries which included his groin and his back. He got 4 surgeries and was cured of the problems.

The 2000-01 season of Liverpool was a successful one, thanks to the great midfielder. He scored many goals including a goal in the final of the UEFA Cup against Alaves. His team got the “treble” this year. They won the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and the Champions League. In the 2001-2002 season, he managed to boost Liverpool up to the second place in Premier League.

In 2003, Gerrard was chosen the captain of the League, replacing Sami Hyppia. Nevertheless, the team ended the season with no trophies. The team management was held responsible. However, this resulted the resignation of team’s manager Houllier, which resulted in the signing up of Rafael Banetiz. There were speculations that with the resignation of the manager, Gerrard would also leave the League, but Benetiz was able to convince him.

The 2004-05 season was a winning one for Steven Gerrard. He came out a successful captain winning the Champions League in this season. And again in the 2005-06 season, he won his team a FA Cup trophy, where he scored 23 goals in 53 games.

He scored 75 goals for Liverpool in 385 appearances.

Career Highlights:

For Liverpool

Winner

* FA Cup: 2000-01, 2005-06
* League Cup: 2000-01, 2002-03
* UEFA Champions League: 2004-05
* UEFA Cup: 2000-01
* Community Shield: 2001, 2006
* European Super Cup: 2001

Runners Up

* FIFA Club World Championship: 2005
* League Cup: 2004-05
* Charity Shield: 2002
* FA Premier League: 2001-02
* UEFA Champions League: 2006-07

Personal

• 2007 Received a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on the Queen’s New
Year’s Honour List

• 2006 PFA Player of the Year

• 2004-05 UEFA Champions’ League Most Valuable Player

• 2001 PFA Young Player of the Year

Name: Zinedine Yazid Zidane

Famous As: Zizou

Date of Birth: 23 rd June, 1972

Hometown: Marseille, France

Height: 6′ 1″

Nationality: French National

Current Club: Real Madrid (retd.)

Playing Position: Attacking Midfielder

Life before Football

Zinedine Zidane, a prominent name in the history of Football, was given birth on 23rd June 1972 in the city of Marseille, France. He was the fifth child of the family. He belonged to a Muslim Family of the Algerian Kabyle Berber ethnic origin. He got married to a Christian woman, Véronique Zidane, in the year 1993 and since then he was indulged in promoting racial and religious tolerance espeially among the young. Even before entering the field of football, he as a staunch follower of the game and used to take part in indoor football activities. At the age of 14, Zidane left and participated in the league championship for first year junior selection, where AS Cannes’ recruiter, Jean Varraud, observed his game play and talent very closely. This was hence the start of an era in Zidane’s long journey for the game they call “The Global Game.”

International Career

Zidane earned his first cap for the National French Soccer Team on 17 th August, 1994 against the Czech Republic. He scored two goals in that game and refused the team with an upsetting defeat. He earned a name for himself and after getting a head start, a very promising and talented player could easily be viewed in the near future for the wellbeing of the French Football.

Zidane was also a part of the winning French Team 1998 Fifa World Cup. He was not only a part of the team, but lead the team to victories against first Italy in Quarter-finals and then Brazil in the Final where he twice headed the ball which ended up at the back of the net. France won the match, adding the trophy of the Fifa World Cup 1998. Given his contributions to the game, Zidane was named the Fifa Player of the Year and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1998.

In Euro 2000, Zidane again inspired many by his great unique skills, and helped his team reach the final of the cup. France went on to win the tournament by defeating Italy in the final. It was Zidane again who brought this light in the history of French Football who scored many important goals in the quarter final and the semi final against Spain and Portugal respectively.

The 2002 Fifa World Cup was a dark patch in the life of the great Frenchman. He faced a severe thigh injury which prevented him from playing the first two games of the World Cup. Without Zidane’s imagination and visualization France looked like they were heading nowhere. Zidane came back from his injury just in time to play in the last game for France in that world cup, save for anyone who had seen his performance previously it was quite evident that he was not playing his game and hence France was out and over of the World Cup in the first round.

In Euro 2004, Zidane again led the team strongly paving way for France to reach the quarter-finals. They were defeated by Greece, who went on to win the Cup. This defeat led to the retirement of Zidane from the International arena. He announced his retirement on August 12, 2004.

Almost a year later, Zidane announced that he wanted to play again for the National Team and represented them in the upcoming Fifa World Cup, 2006. The Frenchmen scored significant goals in the Cup, making way for the French Team to reach the final. He scored a goal in the 91 st minute against Spain in the pre quarter final stage of the World Cup which made their way to the Quarter Final. On 9 th July, 2006 Zidane played his last match for the French National Team, and it couldn’t get any more imperative for Zidane. The stage was set for the final of the World Cup. The career of the great French men ended in a disaster (Materazzi Zidane) when he was shown a red card for head-butting the Italian Materazzi, getting the game into disrepute.

Zinedine Zidane, a tireless flashy attacking midfielder with unique dribbling skills, is often considered to be the best football player ever to play the game and perhaps one of the most talented players of all time. He has been given the nicknames of “magician” and “genius” for the great skills he was gifted with. Even with time as his enemy, the legacy of Zinedine Zidane will remain intact for the great contributions made by the “Magician” for Soccer.

Club Career

Zidane played his first club game representing the Cannes in 1986. He remained with the team for four years. He showed great character and determination and then played for the team and scored his first goal on February 8th, 1991. This made his way to the UEFA Cup where he again represented Cannes. After that, Zidane spent four years with FC Girondins de Bordeaux, leading them to victory in the 1995 Intertoto Cup and to a 2nd place in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup tournament.

In the Year 1996, Zidane was transferred to the Italian League, Juventus F.C. He made great contributions to the club and was ranked amongst the top players.

In 2001, Zidane got transferred to the Spanish League, Real Madrid. The contract that was made for this deal was the most expensive ever in the history of Spanish Football. He scored the winning goals for the club in the Champians League final of 2001-2002.

On 7 th May 2006, Zidane played his last game for Real Madird. He was given a warm farwell and the fans waved him goodbye with tears and fond memories that they were privilidged with in the great magician of the game.

Career Highlights

With the French national team:

* FIFA World Cup
o Winner: 1998
o Appearances: 1998, 2002
* European Championship
o Winner: 2000
o Appearances: 1996, 2000, 2004

With Juventus:

* European Super Cup: 1996
* Intercontinental Cup: 1996
* Serie A champions: 1996/1997, 1997/1998
* Italian Super Cup: 1997

With Real Madrid:

* UEFA Champions League: 2001/2002

* Intercontinental Cup: 2002
* Spanish League – La Liga champions: 2002/2003

Personal honours:

* FIFA World Player of the Year: 1998, 2000, 2003

European Footballer of the Year 1998

Name: David Robert Joseph Beckam

Famous As: DB7 and Becks

Date of Birth: 2 nd May. 1975

Hometown: Leytonstone, London, England

Height: 6′

Nationality: English
Current Club: L.A. Galaxy

Playing Position: Right Wing / Center Midfielder

David Beckham news before Professional Football

David Robert B Joseph Beckam, probably the most famous football player ever, is simply a living legend. He was born on 2 nd May, 1975 in Leytonstone, London. He was a regular player of the great game since childhood. His parents were a diehard fans of Manchester United, an English league. He inherited this love and passion for Manchester United and started building high aims. He used to play for the local team Ridgeway Rovers and was also one of the exceptionally talented group of young players who won the FA Youth Cup in May, 1992, in which his goal added the icing on the cake.

International Career

David Beckam played for the first time for his country on 1 st September, 1996 in a World Cup Qualifying match against Moldova. He was part of the English National Team in all the games of the 1998 Fifa World Cup. He also appeared in the World Cup Finals in France. He got his first goal for the National Side against Columbia which was a result of his outstanding set-piece techniques. England although got eliminated in the pre quarter finals stage.

In Euro 2000, he was a target of immense criticism by the English Fans. In 2000, Beckam was promoted to lead the English Team which was followed by the resignation of England manager Kevin Keegan, who was later succeeded by Sven-Goran Ericksson.

He helped England to qualify for the 2002 World Cup Finals. The match against Greece gave him great respect and dignity. He made his trademark free-kick goal to save the exit for the English from the World Cup. The World Cup 2002, again was a consoleing shoulder for the injured beckam who managed to make his team qualify for the play-offs, by scoring a goal against Argentina. England were knocked out in the World Cup Quarter finals by the Brazilians.

The 2006 Fifa World Cup, again was not much of a performance booster for David Beckam. Having weapons as lethal as Beckam, Joe Cole, Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and Rooney, England were the favorites. But, the slow starts and poor finishes were common feature which led to high criticism. However, beckam had a strong hand in taking his team up till the quarter final stage. His lethal free-kicks made way for many goals in favor of the English side.

After the World Cup 2006, Beckam made the statement that he is stepping down as captain of the England Team. He was succeeded by John Terry. David Beckam did not feature in the International games after that.

David Beckam was recalled in the side in 2007 for the friendly match against Brazil and the Euro 2008 Qualifying matches which are yet to be played.

History holds the name of David Beckam very tightly in its hands, his great abilities of set-pieces, his great long balls and the great crosses have carved the name on the walls of history. Such skills have given him the name of Master of Dead Ball and rightly so. Certainly, this name will be on the hot lists for a long period of time.

Club Career

David Beckam was a Manchester United fan from a very early age. He even liked to wear the United Red Shirts whenever he accompanied his parents to Old Trafford. Alex Ferguson, manager of the Manchester United Football Club, always had great confidence in the young players. Beckam hence, was a good option. Beckam started his Mancheter United career in his childhood when he got registered to Youth Training Scheme in 1991.

He soon became a right hand of Alex Ferguson when spaectacualr goals boosted his career . The goals included the one which Beckam scored from nearly the halfline which was part of the media for a long long time. That goal was against Wimbledon.

The 1998/1999 season of the Red Devil’s was the highlight of Beckam’s Career. This season they won Premier League, the F.A Cup and the Champians League. Again Beckam’s spectacular crosses and Long Balls assisted United to win these tournaments. This included the equalizer against Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Champions
League.

Season 2002 was the final season in which Beckam was a part of Manchester United.

During the 11 years stint at United, Beckam made 266 appearances and scored 61 goals.

Beckam got transferred to Real Madrid on 1 st July 2003. He announced his name quite clearly in the Spanish La Liga with sales of his T-shirts going up in millions. He scored 5 times in his first 16 appearances in the club. But, Real Madrid got knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarter final stages.

The Following two seasons at Madrid were disappointing. The seasons were full of false allegations and a bunch of bookings held against the former England Captain and this was a period of struggle and hardship faced by him.

Beckam signed a five year deal with Los Angeles Galaxy on July 1 st , 2006. But before he could start off their, he held training camps with the Spanish League and also appeared in a match against Real Sociedad and scored and won.

Career Highlights

Titles with Manchester United

1992 – FA Youth Cup – Winner

1993 – FA Youth Cup – Runner-up

1996 – FA Premier League – Winner
1996 – FA Cup – Winner
1996 – FA Charity Shield – Winner

1997 – FA Premier League – Winner
1997 – FA Charity Shield – Winner

1999 – FA Premier League – Winner
1999 – FA Cup – Winner
1999 – UEFA Champions League – Winner
1999 – FA Premier League-Winner

2000 – FA Premier League-Winner

2001 – FA Premier League-Winner

2003 – FA Premier League-Winner

Titles with Real Madrid

2003 – European Super Cup

Personal Awards

1996 – August:Carling Premiership Player of the Month
1996 – Sky Sports/Panasonic Young Player of Year

1997 – PFA Young Player of the Year
1997 – Sir Matt Busby Award 1999 UEFA Best Midfielder

1999 – UEFA Most Valuable Player

2000 – World Footballer Of The Year (2nd Place)
2000 – Nation Football Awards Player Of The Year

2001 – ManUtd.com’s Player of the Season 2000/01
2001 – Western Union Most Valuable Player 2000/01
2001 – Britain’s Sportsman Of The Year 2001
2001 – BBC Sports Personality Of The Year
2001 – World Footballer Of The Year (2nd Place)
2001 – European Footballer Of The Year (4th Place)
2001 – Football365′s Readers Player Of The Year

2003 – Order Of British Empire Honour
2003 – Named in Uefa.com’s Team Of The Year 2003

Name: Ronaldo de Assís Moreira

Famous as: Ronaldinho

Date of Birth: 21 st March, 1980

Hometown: Porto Alegre, Brazil

Height: 5′ 11″

Nationality: Brazilian

Current Club: FC Barcelona

Playing Position: Attacking Midfielder

Life before Professional Football

Ronaldihno was born in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. His elder brother was a significant part of football. He used to play for Gremio, who gifted a house to him for staying at the club. Roberto could not move on with his career having faced serious injuries and now it was time for Ronaldinho to move forward. Ronaldinho started taking interest in the game and was a regular participant in beach football. It was here that his great skills were blossomed and unveiled. When he was just 13 years of age, he scored 23 goals in a match against a local team. This gave him his first appearance on Television Media. This was the beginning of the great career of Ronaldinho.

International Career

Ronaldinho stepped in the International arena on 7th March, 1995, representing Brazil against Scotland in an under 15 competition.

The next big stage where Ronaldinho took part was the Copa America 1999.He scored his first goal for the Brazilian side against Venezuela. Brazil won the Copa America 1999 tournament.

Ronaldinho was both top player and top scorer in the 1999 Fifa Federations Cup. His abilities as a world class player were visible to all. In this Cup, he also scored a hat-trick against Saudi Arabia. Brazil were runners-up in this tournament, losing to Mexico in the final.

Ronaldinho appeared in his first World Cup of 2002, where he framed his name along with the two famous “Rs” of Brazil, Ronaldo and Rivaldo. He scored two goals in the World Cup, a famous one against England in the Quarter-finals. He featured in the starting line-up of Brazil in the final against Germany. Brazil were crowned champions in the 2002 World Cup Final.

The next big stage was the 2005 Confederations Cup, where he again showed his magic with his feet. He was named the captain of the team for this tournament and lead the team confidently and came out victorious. He was the Man of the Match in the Final against Argentina.

Ronaldinho appeared in his Second World Cup in 2006 in Greece. This was a gloomy period in the career of great dribbler. He showed poor performances in the first five games of the tournament. And then in the Quarter-finals, when France defeated Brazil 1-0, he failed to make an impression and couldn’t make up to the fans expectations.

Club Career

Ronaldinho started his Club Career representing club Germio in the 1998 Libertadores Cup. His great abilities of ball controlling and dribbling were soon blossomed. He earned a great name for himself and joined the International team in 1999. Great English clubs liike Arsenal, were in vain in signing up the great Brazilian.

In 2001, Ronaldinho went to play European Football. He signed up for PSG (Paris Saint Germain). After the 2002 Fifa World Cup, Ronaldinho decided to quit PSG. This created great interest in famous leagues like Manchester United and FC Barcelona, who were willing to sign him up. FC Barcelona won the race with Manchester United and Ronaldinho signed up for it in 2003.

Ronaldinho’s career in the Spanish League was full of stars and butterflies. His signing of the Barcelona team was according to the footsteps of the great Brazilian players like Romario, Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

The 2003-04 Season with Barcelona was a sparkling one. The starter against AC Milan was a great one for Ronaldinho where he scored a great goal to make the victory margin to 2-0. He took Barcelona to the Second Spot at the end of the La Liga 2003/2004 Season.

The 2005-06 Season again was a good one as proclaimed by Ronaldinho standards. He won many awards in this Season and scored many significant goals. They were crowned the La Liga Champions in 2005-06 when they won against Celta Vigo.

Barcelona became European Champions in 2006 defeating arch rivals Arsenal. Ronaldinho finished the season with 26 goals.

Career Highlights:

Club

* Rio Grande do Sul State Championship: 1999
* Spanish Liga: 2005, 2006
* Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006
* UEFA Champions League: 2006
* FIFA Club World Cup 2006: Runners-up

International

* FIFA U-17 World Cup: 1997
* Copa America: 1999
* FIFA World Cup: 2002
* Confederations Cup: 2005

Individual

* Pelé named Ronaldinho in his 125 Top Living Footballers in March 2004.
* FIFA World Player of the Year: 2004, 2005
* World Soccer Player of the Year: 2004, 2005
* European Footballer of the Year: 2005
* FIFPro World Player of the Year 2005, 2006
* FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006
* Onze d’Or: 2005
* UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005-06
* FIFA All-Star team: 2002
* FIFA World Club Cup Bronze Ball Award: 2006

Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Date of Birth: 5 th February, 1985

Hometown: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Height: 6′ 1″

Nationality: Portuguese

Current Club: Manchester United

Playing Position: Right Wing / Left Wing

Life before Professional Football

Christiano Ronaldo, the rising star of football, was born on 5 th February, 1985 to the Aveiro family. Ronaldo was a fan of football from a very early time of his life. He started kicking the ball when he was three. He started his schooling at age six, and his passion and love for the game was inevitable. By the time he was ten, he had gained enough reputation and the top two teams of Portugal, CS Marimo and Cd Nacional were both ready to accept him as a member. He joined a club named Sporting Clube de Portugal and played against Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. He impressed many with his ability to play on the wings and Alex Ferguson decided to sign him up for the League.

International Career

C Ronaldo played for the first time for the National side in August 2003 against Kazakhstan, scoring the only goal for Portugal and ending up on the losing side.

The Euro 2004, was the first ever tournament that Ronaldo took part in representing his National Team. He scored a goal in the opening match against Greece and then later scored one against the Netherlands in the Semifinals. Portugal moved on to the final thanks to the goal of Cristiano Ronaldo. They ended up as runners up to Greece.

Fifa World Cup 2006 was another highlight of Ronaldo’s career. He scored his first World Cup goal against Iran. He was named the captain of the International Side for the friendly match against Brazil on February 6 th , 2007. In the World Cup, Portugal reached the semi-final stage but lost to France.
Club Career

Ronaldo’s club career started for Sporting Clube de Portugal. He made his debut for Sporting against Moreirense, where he scored two goals. He then featured in the under 17 UEFA Championship.

Impressing Alex Ferguson with his exceptional dribbling and crossing capabilities, he was given the opportunity to join the club in 2003. He was the replacement of David Beckam, who departed from Manchester to play for the Spanish Real Madrid. He made his debut for Manshester United again Bolton Wanderes, which the team won with a 4-0 margin. He scored 8 goals for his Club in the first season he played.

In the 2005 season, Ronaldo again made great milestones which added to his fame. He scored United’s 1000th Premiership goal against Middlesbrough. He gained great respect and honor from the English fans who chanted slogans like “there is only one Ronaldo”.

By 2006, Ronaldo had become one of the most influential players for Manchester United. He great dribbling abilities were unlike any great player of the game and were far from ordinary.

Statistics show that Ronaldo has made 190 appearances for Manchester United and has scored 50 goals.

Career Highlights

Awards with Manchester United

FA Premier League 2006-2007

FA Cup 2004

Football League Cup 2006

Individual Awards

PFA Player of the year 2007

PFA Young Player of the year 2007

PFA Fan’s Player of the Year 2007

PFA Premiership Team of the Year 2005-2006 ; 2006-2007

Barclays Player of the Season 2006-2007

Barclays Player of the Month November 2006 and December 2006

PFA Fan’s Player of the Month October 2006 and February 2007

FifPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, 2006

Portuguese Sports Personality 2006

Portuguese Footballer of the Year 2007

Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2006-2007

Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year: 2006-2007

Special Achievements

* One of only two players to have won both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards in the same year, the other being Andy Gray in 1977.

* Also won the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award, becoming the first player to win all three Professional Footballers Association awards in one season.

* Only the third player in Premiership history to win back-to-back Barclays Player of the Month awards, and the first since the 1995-1996 season.

* Holds the Premiership record for most goals scored in one season by a midfielder, having scored 17 times during the 2006-2007 Premiership campaign.

* One of only two players to feature in the PFA Premiership Team of the Year for both the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons, the other being Steven Gerrard.

Name: Diego Armando Maradona

Famous As: Master of Rabona

Date of Birth: 30 th October, 1960

Hometown: Villa Fiorito, Argentina

Height: 5′ 5″

Nationality: Argentine

Current Club: Retired (last played for Boca
Juniors)

Playing Position: Attacking Midfielder

Life before Professional Football

Diego Maradona, one of the most famous and exceptional players ever to be a part of football, was born in southern town of Villa Fiorito in the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires. His family was also passionate towards football. Two of his brothers were professional football players. He showed great skill and proficiency with the football and was also a part of and entertainment sessions held in between half times. At that time, he was only 12 years old. People were not aware of this great Master and they were also not aware of the thrill that the young boy will bring to the game
of Football.

International Career

Maradona initiated his International Career, representing Argentina against Hungary, when he was only 16years of age.

The first Fifa World Cup that Maradona was apart of was the World Cup of 1982. They were the defending champions but could not have great success. They were eliminated in the Second Round of the Cup against the champions Italy. Maradona was a constant feature of the team and played in all the games. He scored two goals in that tournament, both against Hungary.

The 1986 Fifa World Cup was the second in which Maradona took part in. He was the captain of the National Side. The team won the World Cup, defeating West Germany in the final. Maradona was the star of the tournament. He was there in every match, not even substituted once and impressed crowds with his great dribbling abilities. This was the tournament in which Maradona scored the great goal which was later termed as “Goal off the Wrist” by the media who saw the videos of the goal on recorded telecasts. Maradona later on admitted that he hit the ball with the hand purposely. Maradona was the highlight of the World Cup scoring several great technical goals which added to his
legendry. He also scored the winning goal in the final of the World Cup against West Germany and Argentina won by a close 3-2 margin. He lifted the World Cup and totally deserved to lift it.

The third World Cup in which Maradona featured in was the 1990 Fifa World Cup. Argentina was again lead by the great legendry Maradona. Although he could  not perform to his standards due to an ankle injury, but still he was able to bag along the team into the Final of the World Cup which however Argentina lost 1-0 to arch rivals West Germany.

The fourth and final World Cup in which Maradona was ingredient of was the 1994 Fifa World Cup. Again he was able to capture the headlines but this time not with his great skills, but by failing a drug test and being sent home only after playing two games. He managed to score a goal against Greece but that could not help him neither his team in the long term of the tournament.

Club Career

Maradona made his Club Debut representing Argentinos Juniors on 20th October, 1976. He played there for five years and in 1981 , he joined the club named Boca juniors. After the 1982 World Cup, Maradona got transferred to FC Barcelona. He did had a poor trip to Barcelona as he experience severe illness due to hepatitis.

Having had a poor and disruptive trip to Barcelona, he signed up for Napoli. Here he gained great fame and honour and was a star to many of his fans. In his presence, Napoli won their Italian Championship, Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup and Italian Super Cup. He left Napoli in 1992 an went to Sevilla FC and then rejoined the Boca Juniors in 1995 till retirement.

Career Highlights:

Club Highlights

* 1981 Argentine league (Boca Juniors)
* 1983 Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
* 1987 Italian league (SSC Napoli)
* 1987 Italian Cup (SSC Napoli)
* 1988 Italian top-scorer (SSC Napoli)
* 1989 UEFA Cup (SSC Napoli)
* 1990 Italian league (SSC Napoli)
* 1991 Italian Super Cup (SSC Napoli)

International

* 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship: Winner
* 1986 FIFA World Cup: Winner
* 1990 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up
* 1993 Artemio Franchi Trophy: Winner

Individual Awards

* 1979 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup
* 1979, 1980, 1981 Argentine league Top Scorer
* 1979-1981, 1986 Argentine Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year
* 1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992 South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas)
* 1986 Argentine Sports Writers’ Sportsman of the Year
* 1986 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup
* 1986-1987 Best Footballer in the World (Once)
* 1986 World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine)
* 1996 Golden Ball for services to football (France Football)
* 1999 Argentine Sports Writers’ Sportsman of the Century
* 2000 “FIFA best football player of the century”, people’s choice.
* 2002 “FIFA Goal of the Century” (1986 (2-1) v. England; second goal)
* 2005 Argentine Senate “Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” recognition for lifetime achievement.

Name: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite

Famous As: Kak á

Date of Birth: 22 nd April, 1982

Hometown: Brasilia, Brazil

Height: 6′ 1″

Nationality: Brazilian

Current Club: AC Milan

Playing Position: Attacking Midfielder

Life before Professional Football

Ricardo Kaká, another promising youngster, was born on 22 nd Arpril, 1982. Kaká is the nickname given to Ricardo. This name was given to him by his brother Rodrigo, who used to call him “caca” because of his inability to pronounce Ricardo. He is now often called “Ricky Kaká” by the European Media. Kaká is a member of an association called Atletas de Crist, meaning Athletes of Christ. He is still very much into religion and sees faith to be the decided of fate. He sometimes wears shirts entitled “I belong to Jesus” and “God is Faithful”.

International Career

Kaká started his International Career representing Brazil in January , 2002 against Bolivia. He only contributed to his team for 19 minutes in the Fifa World Cup 2002 and all of this was in the first round match against Costa Rica.

In 2003, Kaká was the captain of the Brazilian side in the Gold Cup tournament. Brazil were able to reach the final but could not win it. Kaká scored his second best lot of three goals. Kaká was again a member of the Brazilian side in the 2005 Federations Cup. He scored the only goal in the 4-1 defeat against Afghanistan with one of his greatest shots on goal, hitting it the right corner of the goal. His efforts and skills took him upto tenth place for the 2004 Fifa World Player of the Year.

Kaká played for the first time for his National side in a World Cup finals in 2006. here he featured Brazil’s first match agaisnt Croatia in their 1-0 victory. He could not continue the good form and Brazil were elminated from the quarterfinals stage by the hands of the French. Despite his poor form, he was always the member of the first 11
of the Brazilian team.

Kaká refused to play in the Copa America 2007, because of the hectic schedules of Serie A and the Champions League. Kaká however played in the friendly match against Brazil on June 1 st and was in the field for 70 minutes.

Club Career

Kaká started his club career by first registerign to the Club named Sau Paulo FC, in 2000, when he was 17 years of age. He made his Debut in January 2001, and then moved on very comprehensively. He went on to score 12 goals in 27 appreances. He even got the oppurtunity to lead the Club in the Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship. His great performances in this season attracted many European managers.

He stepped his first in AC Milan in the year 2003. His great performances got him into the favourites of the team and very soon, he became a regular member of the starting lineup. He made his Serie A debut against A.C. Ancona. He scored heavily in that season, 10 times finding the back of the net in 30 appearances. Milan went on to win the European Super Cup that season.

The 2004-2005 reason gave great respect and confidence to the young Brazilian. He was a regular member in the attacking midfield region. He made great assissts and also scored 7 goals in 36 appearances, which made Milan runnersup to Juventus.

One of the main strikers of Milan, Shevchenko departed to Chelsea for the 2006-2007 season. This layed the spotlight on the young Brazilian, Kaká. he now swticed between midfield and the striker position. He was named the highest scorer in this season, scoring ten magnificent goals. One of the greatest achievements of Kaká were helping Milan out in the Champions League semifinal against Manchester United. He scored two great goals in the second leg of the match, when they were 3-2 behind on aggregate.

He got appreciation from the Manchester United’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson who called him “One of the best players in the world”. Kaká was in the starting lineup against Liverpool in the final of the League which Milan won by a 2-1 margin.

Career Highlights

For AC Milan

* Torneio Rio-São Paulo 2001
* Supercampeonato Paulista 2002
* European Super Cup: 2003
* Serie A: 2004
* Italian Super Cup: 2004
* UEFA Champions League 2004-05: Runners-up
* FIFA World Cup: 2002
* 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup: Runners-up
* Confederations Cup: 2005
* UEFA Champions League:2006-2007

Personal Awards

* Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball; Best Player Of Brazilian League), 2002
* 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI
* UEFA Club Football Awards 2004-05, Best Midfielder
* Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year 2004, 2006
* Serie A Footballer of the Year 2004
* UEFA Team of the Year 2006
* FIFPro World XI 2006
* UEFA Champions League Top scorer: 2006-2007
* UEFA Champions League Fans Player of the season: 2006-2007
* Kicker Best player in the world: 2006-2007

Pele:

Pele is most famous among all the soccer players of the world. He is an amazing player known for his fantastic ability to control the ball. He was the first player who changed the level of game. Although he was retired 25 years ago, Pele is still well-known and invited to major soccer tournaments as a guest of honor. His rising as an international } player from the condition of poverty is still the source of inspiration for all the soccer players. He is not only the ideal player for Brazilian footballers but also for the football players around the world.

Pavel Nedved

Pavel Nevdad is another famous soccer player. He is very famous as the youngest soccer player and achieved many landmarks in the history of the game. His name became famous not only in the Czech Republic but also around the world as the top football player of his time. In 1990’s Pavel played for Sparta in given some wonderful performances that are still fresh in the mind of football fans.

Zinedine Zidane:

Zinedine Zidane is another famous sportsperson of football. He was born in the North African country of Algeria in 1972. Zidane started taking interest in soccer in the earlier age and by the age of sixteen he was recognized as a very good soccer player. Zidane started playing for Cannes and later moved to the French division. He became the superstar of his time because of his incredible goal scoring ability during the 1998 World Cup.

David Beckham:

David Beckham is the famous soccer player at present, representing England in international matches. Beckham started playing for Manchester United at the age of sixteen. Beckham played the first football world cup in 1998. He amazed the football fans of the world by his fantastic performance. His attractive look of this footballer also made him a top celebrity of Britain.

The world of soccer is full of exciting events. It has brought many incredible players to be viewed by millions. The landmark performance achieved by the above mentioned players is still a source of inspiration and challenge for the upcoming generation of soccer players.