Profile and Career John George Terry is Center Back from Chelsea

Profil 


John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League. He is also captain of the England national football team, having been reinstated in March 2011 after previously holding the post from August 2006 until February 2010.

Terry was voted best defender in the UEFA Champions League in both 2005 and 2008,[dubious – discuss] the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005, and was included in the FIFPro World XI for four consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2008. He was also named in the all-star squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the only English player to make the team. He wears the number 26 shirt for Chelsea.

Terry is Chelsea's most successful captain, having led them to three Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups since 2004. He is one of five players to have made over 450 appearances for Chelsea and is also the club's all-time highest scoring defender. In 2007, he became the first captain to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium in Chelsea's 1–0 win over Manchester United, and also the first player to score a full international goal there, scoring a header in England's 1–1 draw with Brazil.

Terry was born in Barking, east London, and attended Eastbury Comprehensive School. Terry played initially for Senrab, a side that featured many future stars of the English game, including current Premier League players Sol Campbell, Jermain Defoe, Bobby Zamora, Ledley King and Jlloyd Samuel.[12] As a boy he initially was part of West Ham United's youth system, joining them as a midfielder in 1991.[13]  He moved to Chelsea at 14, playing for the club's youth and reserve teams. It was due to a shortage of central defenders that he was moved to centre-back, the position he plays today.

Career Of Terry
Terry made his Chelsea debut on 28 October 1998 as a late substitute in a League Cup tie with Aston Villa; his first start came later that season in an FA Cup third round match, a 2–0 win over Oldham Athletic. He spent a brief period on loan with Nottingham Forest in 2000 to build up his first team experience and was subject to interest from both David Platt and Huddersfield Town manager Steve Bruce.
In 2002 Terry was involved in an incident at a West London nightclub with Chelsea team mate Jody Morris and Wimbledon's Des Byrne. He was charged with assault and affray, but later cleared. During the affair, he was given a temporary ban from the England national side by the FA. Previously, along with Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Eiður Guðjohnsen and former team-mate Frank Sinclair, in September 2001 Terry was fined two weeks wages by Chelsea after drunkenly harassing grieving American tourists in the immediate aftermath of the 11 September attacks.



During his early days at Chelsea, Terry shared a flat with Andrew Crofts.First-team regular

Terry began to establish himself in the Chelsea first team from the 2000–01 season, making 23 starts, and was voted the club's player of the year..  He continued his progress during 2001–02, becoming a regular in the defence alongside club captain and French international Marcel Desailly. On 5 December 2001 he captained Chelsea for the first time, in a League match against Charlton Athletic. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final, following wins against London rivals West Ham and Tottenham in the fourth and six rounds respectively, and Fulham in the semi-final – where Terry scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory. A virus denied Terry a place in the starting line-up for the final, although he came on as a second-half substitute as Chelsea lost 2–0 to Arsenal. In season 2003–04, his performances led to him being handed the captain's armband by manager Claudio Ranieri, when Desailly was out of the side. He played well in the absence of the French international, forming a strong defensive partnership with William Gallas.

Profile and Career of Frank James Lampard

Profile and Career of Frank James Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side.[4]  He is considered to be one of the best English footballers of his time, and is widely regarded to be one of the best midfield players of his generation.

Lampard began his career at West Ham United, his father Frank Lampard, Sr.'s former club. He had secured a place in the first team by the 1997–98 season, and the following year helped the team finish 5th in the Premier League, their highest-ever Premier League placing. In 2001, he moved to rival London club Chelsea for £11 million.

From his debut onwards he was ever-present in the Chelsea first team, setting a record 164 consecutive Premier League appearances. He established himself as a prolific scorer at the West London club and was a key part of the sides which won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06 and a domestic cup double in 2007. He signed a new contract in 2008, becoming the highest paid Premier League footballer at that time,and scored in his first Champions League Final that same year. He won the FA Cup for the second time in 2009, scoring the winning goal in the final. On 23 December 2009, he was named the Premier League's Player of the decade by official statistics.In the 2009–10 season, Lampard won the Premier League title and FA Cup (domestic cup double) and also had his most prolific season with Chelsea, scoring 22 league goals and 17 league assists.

A three-time Chelsea Player of the Year, he is the club's third all-time goalscorer with 175 goals in all competitions, including over 100 league goals – the most in the club's history for a midfielder. Lampard is also the highest goalscoring midfielder in Premier League history (143 league goals) and second in the Premier League's all-time assists table with 88 assists. He has had over 1400 successful passes and 10 or more assists every season. In 2005, Lampard was voted second place in both the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year and the 2005 Ballon d'Or.

Internationally, Lampard has been capped 86 times by England since making his debut in October 1999, and has scored 22 goals. He was voted England Player of the Year for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005. He played in Euro 2004, where he was named in the team of the tournament after scoring three goals in four games. He was top scorer for England in their successful 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals, and played in the 2006 World Cup. He is England's most prolific penalty taker ever with 7 goals, surpassing the previous record holders, Ron Flowers and Alan Shearer.

He was named the 49th highest earning sportsman in the world in June 2011.

 International career

Lampard was first spotted by England U-21 manager Peter Taylor, and his under-21 debut came on 13 November 1997 in a match against Greece. He played for the under-21 side from November 1997 to June 2000, and scored nine goals, a mark bettered only by Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers.

Lampard earned his first cap for England on 10 October 1999 in a 2–1 friendly win over Belgium, and scored his first goal on 20 August 2003 in a 3–1 win over Croatia.
Euro 2004

He was bypassed for Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, and had to wait until Euro 2004 to participate in his first international competition. England reached the quarter-finals with Lampard netting three goals in four matches. He scored against France and Croatia in the group stages, and in the quarter-final he equalised for England in the 112th minute against Portugal, bringing the scoreline to 2–2 but England lost on penalties. He was named in the team of the tournament by UEFA.Post Euro 2004

He became a regular in the squad following the retirement of Paul Scholes, and was voted England Player of the Year by fans in 2004 and 2005. He was England's top-scorer in their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with 5 goals. He scored two crucial goals in the qualifiers, the first against Austria in a 1-0 win, and the second, the winning goal against Poland.Lampard taking a penalty in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in March 2011
2006 World Cup

In England's first game of the tournament vs Paraguay, Lampard was named Man of the Match as England won 1-0.[76] Though Lampard played every minute of England's 2006 World Cup matches, he went scoreless as England were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal on penalties, and he was one of the three England players who missed their penalties, alongside Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.[2010 World Cup and disallowed goal

In the round-of-16 match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Germany in the first half, Lampard had a shot at goal that bounced off the crossbar and from TV replays was clearly seen to cross the goal line. If counted, it would have tied the game 2–2. However, neither the referee nor the linesman saw it as a goal, and play was continued. In the second-half, Lampard hit the cross-bar again, with a 30 yard free-kick. The final score was a 4–1 win for Germany, eliminating England from the tournament.
As England exited the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Lampard had already achieved the record of having made 37 shots on goal without scoring in a World Cup tournament, more than any other player since 1966.
2007-2011

He scored in a 2–1 loss to Germany in a friendly at the new Wembley in 2007.[80] 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,[81] and finished with one goal (in a 3–2 loss to Croatia on 21 November) as England failed to qualify for the tournament. He scored his first international goal in two years in a 4–0 win over Slovakia in March 2009, and also created another for Wayne Rooney. Lampard's goal was the 500th England goal scored at Wembley On 9 September 2009, Lampard struck twice in England's 5–1 win against Croatia which secured their place at 2010 World Cup. On 8 February 2011, it was announced that Lampard would captain the national team against Denmark in a friendly played the next day after both Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard were absent through injury.[84] In the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Lampard netted two goals for England, both penalties. The first against Wales in a 2-0 win, and the latter vs Switzerland in a 2-2 draw, making Lampard England's most prolific penalty taker ever.Personal life

Lampard attended Brentwood School between 1989 and 1994, finishing with eleven GCSEs, including an A* in Latin.
His father is Frank Lampard senior, the former West Ham United player and assistant manager who was still associated with the club when Lampard junior was playing for them. His mother Pat died in April 2008 aged 58 as a result of pneumonia. Lampard's uncle is Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp and his cousin is Redknapp's son Jamie Redknapp.

In 2000, Lampard, Ferdinand and Kieron Dyer appeared on a sex video that was filmed at the holiday resort of Ayia Napa in Cyprus. Channel 4 aired a brief clip as part of their 2004 documentary Sex, Footballers and Videotape, claiming it was used to "remind the viewer that this is based on real life." On 23 September 2001, Lampard, along with three other Chelsea players was fined two weeks wages by the club for his behaviour whilst on a drinking binge on 12 September. Lampard and the others had abused grieving American tourists at a Heathrow hotel, just 24 hours after the September 11 attacks. A hotel manager stated "they were utterly disgusting. They just didn't seem to care about what had happened".[90]

It was reported that Lampard showed an unusually high IQ score during neurological research carried out by the Chelsea doctor, Bryan English. English stated that "Frank Lampard scored one of the highest set of marks ever recorded by the company doing the tests".[
Lampard has stated in 2007 that he is a supporter of the Conservative Party.
He was selected by EA Sports as one of the three football stars on the cover of the FIFA 10 football game pack globally, along with Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney.Relationships

Lampard lives in Surrey and London. He has two daughters with his former fiancee, Spanish model Elen Rivas, Luna (born 22 August 2005) and Isla (born 20 May 2007). His autobiography, Totally Frank, was published in August 2006. In mid-February 2009, it was reported that Lampard and Rivas had split in November 2008 after seven years together, with Rivas taking between £1 million to £12.5 million in settlement fees from Lampard's estimated £32 million net worth.

Since October 2009, Lampard has been in a relationship with Christine Bleakley. On 15 June 2011, Lampard's engagement to Christine Bleakley was announced by his agent.
On 24 April 2009, Lampard was involved in a radio confrontation with James O'Brien on the London radio station LBC 97.3. Newspapers had reported that following Lampard's split from Rivas their children were living with her in a small flat while Lampard had converted their family home into a bachelor pad. Lampard phoned-in, objecting to criticism, and asserting that he had fought "tooth and nail" to keep his family together.

Profile and Career of Petr Čech (Chelsea)

Profile and Career of Petr Čech  (Chelsea)
Petr Čech (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpɛtr̩ ˈtʃɛx] ( listen)) (born 20 May 1982) is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Czech Republic as a goalkeeper, for whom he has played since July 2004. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals. Čech also received the individual award of Best Goalkeeper in the 2004/2005, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons of the UEFA Champions League. In addition, he was named in the FIFPro and UEFA Champions League teams of the season in 2006.

He currently holds the Premier League record for fewest appearances required to reach 100 clean sheets, having done so in 180 league appearances. He also holds a Czech professional league record of not conceding a goal in 855 competitive minutes (he previously held a record for the most clean sheets accomplished in a single Premier League season (25), set during Chelsea’s 2004–05 title-winning campaign). He also has a club record at his former team Sparta Prague, having gone 928 minutes unbeaten in all competitions in 2001–2002, when his unbeaten run in Czech league competition was combined with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. During the 2004–05 season, Čech went 1,025 minutes without conceding a goal — a Premier League record until it was surpassed by Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United on 27 January 2009. Čech also won the Barclays Golden Gloves in both the 2004/2005 and 2009/2010 seasons.
He was recognised by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics as one of Five World's Best Goalkeepers in 2010, along with Iker Casillas, Júlio César, Manuel Neuer, and Maarten Stekelenburg.
Petr Čech is widely regarded as one of the world's best goalkeepers.

Čech made his comeback against Liverpool on 20 January 2007, which they eventually lost 2–0, wearing a rugby style headguard, which he continued to wear in every game. The headguard was made by Canterbury of New Zealand, a company that specializes in protective rugby gear, and includes extra plastic polymer foam protection to cover the areas of his skull weakened by the collision. Čech’s use of the scrum cap caused initial friction with Chelsea’s apparel manufacturer Adidas, which were not pleased by a Chelsea player apparently advertising for another company, but the controversy quickly blew over when the competitor's logo was removed. Adidas then went on to develop a scrum cap of their own which carries the '3 stripes' logo and is designed specifically for Čech.

Since the injury, Čech has continued to wear the scrum cap owing to the weaker than normal bone structure in his skull.

Although Chelsea lost Čech's comeback match 2–0, he then went approximately 810 minutes of Premier League play without conceding a goal. On 11 April 2007, Čech was awarded the FA Premier League Player of the Month award for the first time in his career in recognition of the eight successive league clean sheets he had kept. He also was the first goalkeeper to receive the award since Tim Flowers in 2000.[30] This run was ended during a 4–1 Chelsea victory over West Ham United on 18 April 2007 when Carlos Tévez scored against him.

Čech also kept a clean sheet for Chelsea in the 2007 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. He shared with United’s Edwin van der Sar the honour of being the first goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet over 90 minutes in a competitive fixture, but became the first goalkeeper to end a competitive game unbeaten, at the new Wembley Stadium, as Chelsea beat United 1–0 to win the FA Cup

2007–08 season

Čech’s 2007–08 season got off to a rough start with Chelsea conceding 2 goals against Birmingham City on the first match of the season. Despite the setback, Chelsea managed to win 3–2 and set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home.
On 7 November 2007, Čech suffered an ankle injury in the 0–0 Champions League Match at Schalke 04. This sidelined him for a few weeks before badly bruising his hip against Blackburn on 23 December 2007.

Chelsea suffered their first major blow when they lost the Carling Cup Final to Tottenham Hotspur, with Čech parrying the ball onto Jonathan Woodgate’s head for the winner. He played in several games until the eve of Chelsea’s home Champions League tie with Greek champions Olympiacos when he injured his ankle in training. In the weeks that followed, Čech missed key games of Chelsea’s campaign including the Arsenal London derby and the Champions League quarter-final first and second legs.

On 7 April 2008 it was announced that Čech had undergone emergency surgery on his chin and lips following an accidental collision with Tal Ben Haim during training. He had 50 stitches put on his mouth and chin, having missed 22 games this season due to injuries, Čech said he hoped to get back on the field within a few weeks. He returned to action on 14 April, in a home match against Wigan, which Chelsea drew 1–1. He appeared in the Champions league final against Manchester United, where Chelsea lost on penalties.

2008–09 season
Čech training with Chelsea

Čech started off the 2008–09 season in stunning form, with Chelsea conceding only seven goals in 17 games, keeping 11 clean sheets; ten of which with Čech in goal. In November 2008, Chelsea beat Sunderland 5–0 at Stamford Bridge, a result that gave Čech a century of Chelsea clean sheets. Čech kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory over Juventus in the Champions League on his 200th appearance for the club, and he also starred in a crucial 1–0 victory away at Villa Park against Aston Villa, making good saves from Gabriel Agbonlahor and Gareth Barry to second Chelsea third in the Premier League. The following week, Čech helped Chelsea go second in the table after his side beat Wigan at Stamford Bridge 2–1, with Čech saving from Paul Scharner in the first half. Successive clean sheets by Čech in Chelsea's wins against Portsmouth and Coventry have seen his side consolidate their position in the Premier League whilst progressing into the FA Cup semi-finals. Čech also made crucial saves from Dirk Kuyt and Xabi Alonso as Chelsea beat Liverpool 3–1 at Anfield in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals.

In a crucial Premier League game in April 2009, with Chelsea seemingly cruising against Bolton Wanderers 4–0, manager Guus Hiddink took off both Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard only for Bolton to score three late goals which questioned the Chelsea defence, and in particular Čech. However Čech responded when he saved a penalty from Mark Noble in Chelsea's 1–0 win at the Boleyn Ground against West Ham. He also kept a clean sheet in the next game against Barcelona during the Champions League semifinal first leg match. Following a 3–2 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Čech and Chelsea finished the season with the joint-tightest defence in the Premier League along with Manchester United; conceding just 24 goals over the course of the season. Despite conceding the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, Čech helped Chelsea's 2009 FA Cup Final triumph over Everton. Chelsea won 2–1, earning the Czech his seventh trophy at the club.

Former coach Luiz Felipe Scolari accused Čech, Michael Ballack and Drogba of causing his sacking, saying that they "did not accept my training methods or my demands". Scolari also claimed that it stemmed from a row between him and the Czech goalkeeper over the latter's alleged insistence on being given a personal coach. Čech denied the claims saying that he was "disappointed with [Scolari] because never in my life have I had a personal goalkeeping coach".

2009–10 season

Čech began the 09–10 season in winning form with Chelsea, beating Manchester United in the Community Shield final at Wembley. With the game tied 2–2 at the end of normal time, Čech saved penalties from Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra. Čech kept goal for Chelsea in the six match winning run that opened their season and placed them on top of the Premier League. However,on September 26, 2009, Čech was sent off and at the same time conceded the winning penalty for tripping Wigan Athletic forward Hugo Rodallega, in the defeat that broke the run and conceded the lead in the league to Manchester United for the time being. On 27 February 2010, Cech picked up an injury in the Champions League clash against Inter. On the 13th of April against Bolton, Čech kept his 100th clean sheet for Chelsea. Since then Petr has shown many key and solid performances in the last few games remaining in the Premier League. He made a fantastic save against Wigan's Victor Moses that sealed the Golden Glove award for Petr Cech this season. He concluded his season by saving a penalty against Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, ensuring that the Blues went on to retain the Cup and achieve their first domestic double.

Čech in season 2010/2011

Čech suffered a calf injury in Chelsea's pre-season, a recurrence of an injury suffered against Inter Milan the previous season. A spokesman for Chelsea confirmed: "Petr will be out for around a month after scans showed a tear in his right calf. He is expected to miss the rest of the pre-season campaign." Čech subsequently missed the following three weeks, including Chelsea's 3–1 loss to Manchester United in the Community Shield. He returned on August 14 and kept a clean sheet as Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion 6–0, which the Czech making a good save from Graham Dorrans' deflected effort. Cech then made a series of excellent saves from Andrei Arshavin in a 2–0 win over Arsenal , before keeping a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw at Villa Park. Čech managed to recover from conceding many goals and losing matches when Chelsea came back to win a UEFA Champion's League match against MSK Zilina 2–1. On March 7 Čech made his 300th Chelsea appearance against Premier League side Blackpool which Chelsea went onto win 3–1. On May 19th Cech was awarded the Chelsea F.C. Player of the Year for the first time. More than 28,000 fans voted for the award, which was handed over by manager Carlo Ancelotti.

 2011-12 season

Cech started the opening game of Chelsea`s 2011-12 season away to Stoke City, which ended 0–0. On the 18th August 2011 Cech was ruled out for up to four weeks after he sustained a knee injury in training.. He made his return 3 weeks later against Sunderland. Petr cechs performance during the match was top notch. Resulting in Chelsea winning 1-2. He kept a clean sheet in Chelsea's first Champions League match of the season in a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

 International career

Čech began his career in the U16s, working his way up each age group level before making his senior debut in February 2002. He first came to prominence as a twenty-year-old at the 2002 U-21 European Championships when his penalty shoot-out heroics in the final against France earned the Czech Republic their first title at youth level. He was part of the Czech Euro 2004 team. Some stunning saves helped his team progress as far as the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Greece on the golden goal rule. He was named in the all-star team as best goalkeeper at the tournament.

The Czech Republic qualified for the 2006 World Cup, held in Germany, and were placed in Group E, alongside Ghana, Italy and the United States. The Czech Republic was placed third by the end of the group stages, and with one win against the United States, winning by 3–0, and two losses against Ghana and Italy, the score 2–0 in both games, the Czech Republic did not advance to the second round.

On 17 October 2007, Čech was captain of the Czech Republic team for their Euro 2008 Group D qualifier against Germany. He kept a clean sheet and the Czechs defeated Germany 3–0 away to book their place for the finals in Austria and Switzerland. In the last group game of the final tournament, Čech was beaten three times in the final 15 minutes as Turkey overcame a two-goal deficit to knock the Czechs out. Čech had a cross slip through his hands, allowing Nihat to score the second (and equalizing) goal.
After the blunder against Turkey, he took full responsibility for his team's exit from the UEFA Euro 2008 and actually considered retiring but then he was talked out of it and he stated that he wants to keep representing the Czech Republic "for many years to come" and also stated that he wants to repay his mistake and confidence that all the Czech Republic's players have in him.

Profile and Career of Abidal

Profile and Career of  Abidal 


Abidal was trained at Lyon-Duchère, a team playing in the suburbs of Lyon. He started his professional career with Monaco on 16 September 2000, where he made 25 first-team appearances. He moved to Lille where he was reunited with his former manager Claude Puel and earned 62 first-team appearances. At the end of 2004, he returned to his native region by joining Lyon, which had just won its second successive Ligue 1 championship. During his time in France he was considered "one of the best fullbacks in the Ligue 1", self confidence of this title was shown when Lyon played Manchester United: "As a defender, my aim is to infuriate the opponent," Abidal explained. "I want him to be so sick of the sight of me that he has to move somewhere else on the pitch to get away."[In the Lyon defence, he played alongside other French internationals (Grégory Coupet, François Clerc, and Anthony Réveillère) and two Brazilian internationals (Cris and Caçapa).

On 17 January 2007, Abidal scored the first goal of his career in a 1–0 Lyon victory over Le Mans on a 2006–07 Coupe de la Ligue semi–final match. Later the same year on 30 June, Abidal moved to FC Barcelona for €9 million, after repeatedly stating that he would not return to training if he did not get the move, signing a four-year contract and taking the number 22 jersey, as the number 20 he wore at Lyon was already taken by Deco. Barça president Joan Laporta also mentioned that Abidal's contract would contain a €90 million release clause, and that Lyon would receive an extra €500,000 if Barcelona win the Champions League in any of the next four seasons.

Abidal missed the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, played against Manchester United, due to picking up a red card in the semi-final against Chelsea. The referee deemed Abidal to have fouled fellow French International Nicolas Anelka, and denying a goal scoring opportunity, although video evidence suggests that any contact was minimal. Abidal was again questionably sent off in the next match he played, a league tie with Villareal. The ensuing suspension meant that he missed the Copa del Rey final; Barcelona won with a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao.

He continued to be first choice left back during Pep Guardiola's second season in charge, despite the arrival of Maxwell.

On 5 January 2011, Abidal scored his first goal with Barcelona at the San Mamés Stadium in a Copa del Rey match vs Athletic Bilbao. His goal meant that Barcelona could advance to the quarter-final due to the away goal rule.

 International career

Abidal has earned 55 caps with the French national team, having earned his debut cap on 18 August 2004. Despite numerous injuries and disagreements with FIFA in the past few seasons, Abidal played on the French team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, starting at left back and playing every minute of the tournament with the exception of France's match against Togo, from which he was suspended after earning two yellow cards over the previous two games. Mikaël Silvestre filled Abidal's left back slot for that game. When France and Italy were forced into a penalty shootout in the Final, he was placed third in France's five shooters and scored, but since it was a penalty shootout, it is not recognised as a goal, and Abidal has yet to score for France properly.

He went on to become France coach Raymond Domenech's top choice for left-back in nearly every UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier. Abidal was chosen as centre back in their final group match of Euro 2008 against Italy, but he conceded a penalty and was sent off in the first half; France lost the match 2–0 and were eliminated from the tournament. He played the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a centre back.

Fernando José Torres Sanz Career and Profile

 Fernando José Torres Sanz (Spanish pronunciation: [ferˈnando ˈtores]; born 20 March 1984), nicknamed El Niño (The Kid in Spanish), is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker.

Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth system to the first team squad. He made his first team debut in 2001 and finished his career with the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances. Prior to his La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Premier League club Liverpool in 2007 after signing for a club record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool's first player, since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season, to score more than 20 league goals in a season. Torres became the fastest player in Liverpool history to score 50 league goals after scoring against Aston Villa in December 2009. He left the club in January 2011 to join Chelsea for a record British transfer fee of £50 million, which also made him the most expensive Spanish player in history.

Torres is a Spanish international and made his debut for the country against Portugal in 2003. He has since participated in four major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Torres did not score at Euro 2004, but netted three at the 2006 World Cup. He scored twice at UEFA Euro 2008, including the winning goal for Spain in their 1–0 win over Germany in the final. He won the 2010 World Cup with Spain, but did not score any goals during the tournament.
fter progressing through the ranks, Torres won his first important youth title in 1998.[9] Atlético sent an under-15 team to compete in the Nike Cup, in Spain and Europe, to play against youth teams from other clubs; Atlético won the tournament.[9][10] He was later voted the best player in Europe for the age group.In 1999, at the age of 15, Torres signed his first professional contract with Atlético.[He spent his first year playing in the youth team and moved onto the participating in the Honor Division when he was 16.[11] The 2000–01 season had started badly, as Torres suffered from a cracked shinbone which kept him out until DecemberTorres trained with the first team to get prepared for pre-season, but eventually made his debut for the team on 27 May 2001, at Vicente Calderón, against CD Leganés.A week later, he scored his first goal for the club against Albacete Balompié and the season finished with Atlético narrowly missing out on promotion to La Liga.[11] Atlético were promoted to La Liga at the end of the 2001–02 season, although Torres did not perform well in the season, as he netted only six times in 36 appearances in the Segunda División. Torres' first season in La Liga, 2002–03, was better, however, as he scored 13 goals in 29 appearances, with Atlético finishing in 11th place In the 2003–04 season, his second in La Liga, Torres made further strides, scoring 19 league goals in 35 appearances,[meaning he finished as joint third highest scorer in the league.At the age of 19, Torres was named Atlético's captain.Atlético narrowly missed out on qualification for the UEFA Cup, but by finishing in seventh place in the 2003–04 season, they qualified for the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, giving Torres a first taste of a competition at the European level. He scored two goals in the two fourth round matches against OFK Beograd, with one coming in each leg. Atlético reached the Final, but lost 3–1 on a penalty shootout to Villarreal CF following a 2–2 draw on aggregate. FA Premier League champions Chelsea were believed to be interested in signing Torres in 2005, but Atlético president Enrique Cerezo said that they had "no chance" of signing him. Cerezo later said in January 2006 that the club were willing to listen to offers for Torres, and Torres claimed Newcastle United had made a bid to sign him in March.
Torres arguing with the referee during a match with Atlético Madrid in 2006

He stated after the 2006 FIFA World Cup that he had turned down an offer to join Chelsea at the end of the 2005–06 season.Torres scored 14 league goals in the 2006–07 season. The English media reported that he was the main transfer target of Liverpool,[] but Cerezo stated "We've received no offer from Liverpool or any other club or player".[ However, a few days later, new reports suggested Atlético had agreed a deal with Liverpool for Torres; the fee was rumored to be £25 million with Luis García moving to Atletico in a separate transfer deal.] On 30 June, Atlético announced a deal to sign Diego Forlán from Villarreal, in what was seen as a move to replace Torres before his departure became official.On 2 July, it was reported that Torres had cut short a vacation to fly back to Madrid to finalise the move to Liverpool.[ The following day, Torres passed a medical for Liverpool's Melwood training ground. He held a press conference in Madrid on 4 July to bid farewell to the Atlético fans, before completing his move to Liverpool on a six-year contract. The transfer fee was the highest in Liverpool's history. In March 2008, manager Rafael Benítez stated in an interview with The Times that Torres was acquired for around £20 million, although this figure takes into account García's move to Atlético.
Liverpool
2007–08 season
Torres playing for Liverpool against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008, during which match he scored a hat-trick

Torres made his competitive debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa in a 2–1 win on 11 August 2007.He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League four days later in a 1–0 victory over Toulouse, after coming on as a 79th minute substitute. His first Premier League goal came on his Anfield debut on 19 August, in the 16th minute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea.[28] His first hat-trick came in a 4–2 victory over Reading in the League Cup in September, with all of his goals coming in the second half] His first goals in the Champions League came on his third appearance in the competition as Liverpool beat Porto 4–1, as he scored twice.[
He was named Premier League Player of the Month for February,during which he scored four goals in four appearances, including a hat-trick against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008.This hat-trick and another in a 4–0 victory over West Ham United on 5 March 2008 meant he became the first Liverpool player since Jack Balmer in November 1946 to score a hat-trick in successive home matches.Later in March, after he scored a 47th minute header against Reading at Anfield, becoming the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season campaign to score 20 league goals in a season. In April, he scored another Champions League goal, this time against Arsenal in the quarter-final second leg, as Liverpool advanced to the semi-final.This goal took him onto 29 goals for the 2007–08 season in all competition eclipsing Michael Owen's personal record for goals in a season. On 11 April 2008, it was announced Torres had made a six man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. The Spanish international was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, which was won by Cesc Fàbregas of Arsenal and was named in the PFA Team of the Year.In May, he finished second to Ronaldo for the FWA Footballer of the Year award.
On 4 May 2008, Torres scored a 57th minute winner against Manchester City, which equalled the consecutive Anfield league goal record of eight games set by Roger Hunt. After scoring his 24th league goal in the final game of the season, a 2–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur, he set a new record for the most prolific foreign goal scorer ever in a debut season in England, eclipsing Ruud van Nistelrooy's 23 goals.He ended the season in joint second place with Emmanuel Adebayor in the race for the Premier League golden boot.Torres was subject to media speculation that Chelsea were willing to pay £50 million to sign him but Torres responded by saying it would be "many years" before he left Liverpool Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks also negated the idea of a transfer, saying he would not allow Torres to leave the club at any price.2008–09 season

Torres made a promising start to the 2008–09 Premier League season, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Sunderland. He suffered what was later confirmed as a hamstring tear in a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa, which would keep him out for two to three weeks.Torres made his return in a 2–1 victory against Marseille in the Champions League and went on to score two goals in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 27 September to give Liverpool a 2–0 win. He followed this up with another two goals the following weekend against Manchester City in a 3–2 win away at the City of Manchester Stadium as Liverpool came back from a two goal deficit.The first of these was the thousandth Liverpool goal to be scored in the Premier League. Torres picked up a hamstring injury during a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, meaning he was likely to miss three games for Liverpool.] On 22 October, Liverpool played Torres' former club Atlético in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderón, but his injury meant he missed out on the game.The Atlético president, Enrique Cerezo, had given him a VIP invitation to watch the game, but he declined this to recover his rehabilitation from injury in Merseyside. He was named in the FIFPro World XI team for the 2007–08 season on 27 October.
Torres during Liverpool's 3–2 victory against Manchester City on 5 October 2008, in which he scored two goals

Torres made his return for Liverpool after coming on as a 72nd minute substitute in a 3–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion (West Brom). He said he would be interested in returning to former club Atlético eventually, saying "I don't know if I will retire there, but I would like to go back and finish some things that are left to do." He was ruled out of action for two to three weeks following Liverpool's 1–0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League in November, where he picked up a hamstring strain, which was later extended to at least four weeks by specialists. He was named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in December,and eventually came in third place behind Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Torres returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a substitute with a goal in the 2–0 win over Preston North End; his first in the FA Cup. He scored two late goals for Liverpool to secure a 2–0 victory over Chelsea on 1 February.[Despite having spent a year and a half at the club, Torres was chosen as number 50 in The Times's list of "The 50 greatest Liverpool players", reinforcing the impact he had made at Liverpool in such a short period of time.
Torres faced his old rivals Real Madrid on 10 March in the Champions League last 16 and due to an ankle injury, he had a painkilling injecting before the game to enable him to play. He scored the first goal of the game, which ended as a 4–0 victory, meaning Liverpool progressed to the quarter-finals 5–0 on aggregate. Four days later he lined up against Manchester United at Old Trafford and he scored the equaliser in a game that finished as a 4–1 victory He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second season running in April 2009.[68] Torres scored his 50th goal for Liverpool on 24 May against Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 2008–09 season, which was his 84th appearance2009–10 season

Following the end of the season, he agreed a new contract with Liverpool,[ which he signed on 14 August. By signing this contract, Liverpool increased his wage to £110,000 a week and included the option of a one-year extension after its expiry in 2013. Torres scored two goals in a 3–2 win over West Ham United on 19 September 2009, a result that took Liverpool to third in the Premier League. A week later he scored his first hat-trick of the 2009–10 Premier League season in a 6–1 victory over Hull City at Anfield He was named Premier League Player of the Month for September, after scoring five goals during the month and becoming the Premier League's top goalscorer.[ On 25 October, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 victory for Liverpool over Manchester United,after which Benítez praised Torres' performance, saying "We were waiting for that final pass. When it came we knew he would score."Torres was named in the FIFPro World XI for the second successive season in December. His stoppage-time winning goal against Aston Villa on 29 December 2009 made him the fastest Liverpool player ever to score 50 league goals. He was substituted on 65 minutes in a 1–1 draw with Birmingham City on 4 April 2010, which Benítez justified by saying Torres was "exhausted".Torres made his last appearance of the season scoring twice in a 4–1 victory over S.L. Benfica on in the UEFA Cup 8 April,[ and it was announced on 18 April that he would miss the rest of the season to undergo knee surgery.[] This meant that Torres finished the season with 22 goals in 32 games in all competitions, finishing as Liverpool's top scorer for the second tim] His surname was the most popular name to feature on replica Premier League shirts sold across the world in the 2009–10 season.[
2010–11 season
Torres playing for Liverpool in 2010

Following his appointment as Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson stated Torres would not be sold by the club, saying "He is not for sale and we don't welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him."[84] Hodgson dismissed reports Torres was set to leave Liverpool by saying "He has told us that he is looking forward to Monday, to getting back to work and looking forward to playing for Liverpool next season. That is what I know so other reports, I would suggest, are erroneous. Torres stated his commitment to Liverpool on 3 August, saying "My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed."[ He made his first appearance of the 2010–11 season in the opening game, a 1–1 draw with Arsenal on 14 August, entering the game as a substitute in the 74th minute.[] He scored his first goal of the season with the winner in a 1–0 victory over West Brom on 29 August,] which was his 50th goal in all competitions to be scored at Anfield. Torres scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Blackburn Rovers on 24 October, which was his first goal since August.He followed this up by scoring both goals in Liverpool's 2–0 win over Chelsea on 7 November.[ On 1 January 2011, Torres scored the equaliser in a 2–1 win against Bolton Wanderers.[ He scored his final goal for Liverpool in a 3–0 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 22 January.
Chelsea

On 27 January, Torres was the subject of a £40 million bid from Chelsea, which was rejected by Liverpool.[] He subsequently handed in an official transfer request to Liverpool the next day, which was rejected.] Torres completed his move to Chelsea on a five-and-a-half year contract on 31 January for an undisclosed fee reported to be £50 million, which set a new record for a British transfer and made him the fourth most expensive footballer in history.[] He made his debut on 6 February in a 1–0 defeat to former club Liverpool.] On 23 April, Torres scored his first goal for Chelsea against West Ham United in a 3–0 victory, which ended a run of 903 minutes of football without a goal.
2011–12 season

Torres got the 2011–12 season underway with a Man of the Match performance away against Stoke City; the match ended 0–0. He scored his second goal at Chelsea, and his first of the season, on 18 September 2011, during an away game against Manchester United, when Chelsea was 3-0 down in the first half of the game, he scored one minute into the second half with a cheeky chip over goal keeper David De Gea. But was in-vein, when he missed an open net, with the match ending 3–1. He scored his second goal of the season against Swansea City in a 4–1 victory.However, 10 minutes after his goal, a two-footed challenge on Mark Gower resulted in his first red card in the Premier League.

International career

In February 2001, Torres won the Algarve Tournament with the Spain national under-16 team.[The under-16s took part in the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in May, which they also won, with Torres scoring the only goal in the Final, as well as finishing as the tournament's leading scorer, and was also named the player of the tournament.] In September 2001, Torres represented the under-17 team at the 2001 FIFA Under-17 World Championship, but the team failed to progress through the group stage.In July 2002, he won the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship with the under-19 team and was again the only goalscorer in the Final. Also, he finished as top scorer and was named player of the tournament.“     We complement each other very well. We get on well on the pitch and very well off it too. We're a good partnership. We both chase down defenders, put pressure on and fight to create chances for each other.     ”

—David Villa, speaking about Torres

Torres made his debut for the senior Spanish national team on 6 September 2003 in a friendly against Portugal.[12] His first goal for Spain came against Italy on 28 April 2004.[] He was selected for the Spanish squad for UEFA Euro 2004. After appearing as a late substitute in Spain's first two group games, he started for the deciding game against Portugal. Spain were losing 1–0 and, towards the end of the game, he hit the post.Torres celebrating victory with Spain at UEFA Euro 2008

He scored seven goals in 11 appearances in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, making him Spain's top scorer for qualification, including a vital two goals against Belgium and his first international hat-trick against San Marino.] At his first ever appearance in a FIFA World Cup finals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Torres scored the final goal in a 4–0 victory over Ukraine with a volley In the second group match, Torres scored twice against Tunisia, first in the 76th minute to take Spain 2–1 into the lead, and then again from a penalty kick in the 90th.[ With three goals, he finished the tournament as Spain's top scorer along with fellow striker David Villa.[
He was called up for Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 squad, where he set up Villa to score Spain's first goal of the tournament in the first game in the group stage against RussiaTorres came under criticism for apparently refusing to shake the hand of Spanish manager, Luis Aragonés, after being substituted. He subsequently denied being angry with the coaching, saying that he was actually "irritated with himself". He scored his first goal of the tournament in Spain's next game, a 2–1 win over Sweden. Torres scored the winner and was named the man of the match in the Final against Germany in a 1–0 victory.[ He said "It's just a dream come true. This is my first title and I hope it's the first of many. Victory in a Euro, it is almost as big as a World Cup. We are used to watching finals on television, but today we were here and we won. My job is to score goals. I want to win more titles and be the most important player in Europe and the world."He was later named as a striker along with his striking partner Villa in the Team of the Tournament.Torres celebrates with Spain after winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup at Plaza de España on 12 July 2010

Torres made his 60th appearance for Spain in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification victory over Turkey on 28 March 2009, becoming the youngest player to reach this milestone. He was named in Spain's team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in June.He scored his second hat-trick for Spain after 17 minutes into a Confederations Cup game against New Zealand on 14 June,[ thus recording the fastest hat-trick by a player for Spain. He played for Spain as they were defeated 2–0 by the United States in the semi-final
as well as the third-place play-off, which Spain won 3–2 against South Africa after extra time.
Having undergone knee surgery on 18 April 2010, and missed the end of the Premier League season, Torres' rehabilitation and fitness was closely monitored by Spain manager Vicente del Bosque.[ Although still out injured, Torres was selected for Spain's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad in May. On 8 June, Torres made his first appearance on the field in exactly two months, coming on as a substitute on 66 minutes against Poland in a pre-World Cup friendly.He came on as a substitute on 61 minutes in Spain's opening World Cup game on 16 June, a 1–0 defeat to Switzerland.He started the next two games against Honduras and Chile and although his performances in the group stage were described as below-par, he received backing from manager Vicente del Bosque.[Torres came on as a substitute on 105 minutes in the Final as Spain won the FIFA World Cup for the first time following a 1–0 victory over the Netherlands on 11 July 2010.Personal life

Torres' parents are José and Flori, and he has two older siblings, Israel (born 1977) and Maria Paz (born 1976).[He married Olalla Domínguez Liste, with whom he had been in a relationship since 2001, on 27 May 2009 in a private ceremony with just two guests at the local town hall in El Escorial, Madrid.] They had been an item for eight years and are thought to have met in the Galician seaside town of Estorde, where Torres would go on family holidays each year to escape the Spanish capital. The couple have two children, a daughter, Nora, born on 8 July 2009 at the Hospital La Rosaleda, in Santiago de Compostela, and a son, born on 6 December 2010 at Liverpool Women's Hospital, with Torres missing the Aston Villa game at Anfield
In 2009, it was reported that Torres has a personal fortune of £14 million. He features in the video for "Ya Nada Volverá A Ser Como Antes" by Spanish pop rock group El Canto del Loco, whose singer, Dani Martín, shares a strong friendship with the footballer.He makes a cameo appearance in the 2005 comedy film Torrente 3: El protectorIn 2009, he released an autobiography entitled Torres: El Niño: My Story.

Career of Edin Džeko

Career Edin Džeko

Džeko began his career at Željezničar, playing as a midfielder between 2003 and 2005, but with little success. He was widely regarded as too tall, and with poor technical abilities.Džeko's coach at the time though, Jiří Plíšek, saw his potential and when Plišek returned home to the Czech Republic, he advised FK Teplice to buy him. Željezničar accepted a bid of just €25,000 for Džeko, prompting one of the Bosnian club's directors to say, "[we] thought we won the lottery".

He had a loan spell with Ústí nad Labem in 2005, during which he scored six goals in 15 games. Later that year, he moved back to FK Teplice, playing there until 2007. With 13 goals in 30 games, he was the top scorer of the Gambrinus liga in the 2006–07 season. Due to his performances, then manager Felix Magath of VfL Wolfsburg signed him for €4 million.
[edit] Wolfsburg

After transferring to Wolfsburg, Džeko was an immediate hit, scoring five goals and recording three assists in 11 games. He was also named by Sportal as the best striker in the first half of the 2007–08 Bundesliga season. During his first season in Germany, Wolfsburg finished in fifth place, qualifying for a UEFA Cup spot for the 2008–09 season. Džeko finished the 2007–08 season with eight goals and seven assists in 17 games started.

After Wolfsburg acquired fellow Bosnian international Zvjezdan Misimović, Džeko's performance was explosive in the second season. Despite a slow first half of the season, Wolfsburg found their form and won their first Bundesliga title. In May 2009, Džeko scored a hat-trick against TSG Hoffenheim and another hat-trick against Hannover 96 just two weeks later, contributing towards a very strong finish to the 2008–09 season. He finished with a total of 26 league goals and 10 assists in 32 league matches. His goal tally was second only to teammate Grafite, with whom he formed the most successful strike duo in Bundesliga history.

In the DFB-Pokal, he scored six goals in two matches, and in the UEFA Cup, four goals and two assists in eight matches. These performances resulted in him being given the Bundesliga Players' Footballer of the Year award. Despite attracting interest from AC Milan, Džeko decided to stay, renewing his contract until June 2013.

He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on 30 September 2009 against Manchester United in a 2–1 defeat at Old Trafford. He was one of 30 players nominated for the 2009 Ballon d'Or. He was top scorer of the Bundesliga in the 2009–10 season with 22 goals scored.

On 28 August 2010, Džeko became the top league scorer in the club's history with 59 goals in 96 appearances, surpassing Diego Klimowicz who scored 57 goals in 149 games
[edit] Manchester City

After heavy speculation, Roberto Mancini, manager of Manchester City, confirmed on 3 January 2011 that a fee of £27 million (€32 million) had been agreed with Wolfsburg for Džeko, which was City's second highest transfer figure, after Robinho's £32.5 million (€42.5 million) move from Real Madrid in 2008. The transfer fee was the sixth highest in the Premier League.[16] Also, the sum broke the Bundesliga record departure transfer fee,[17] Bosnian record transfer fee, as well as that of any player from ex-Yugoslavia.[18][19][20] The previous ex-Yugoslav record stood for more than a decade – the transfer fee paid by Real Madrid to Fenerbahçe for Elvir Baljić in 1999 (€26 million).[18][21]


 2010–11 season

Following his medical exam in London he travelled to Manchester on 5 January, and on 7 January, Džeko was confirmed as a Manchester City player, joining the club on a four and a half year deal.

He made his debut for the club in a 4–3 win over Wolves on 15 January in which he set up Yaya Touré for the third goal of the match. Džeko marked his FA Cup debut on 30 January 2011 with the equalising goal in Manchester City's fourth round match against Notts County which ended in a 1–1 draw. In the replay on 20 February, Džeko again scored, helping Manchester City progress to the next round in a 5–0 romp.Džeko scored twice against Aris Thessaloniki within four and a half minutes at the City of Manchester Stadium in the second leg of the last 32 of the Europa League on 24 February 2011.

On 25 April 2011, Džeko scored his first Premier League goal with a right footed finish against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.This was the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win for Manchester City[28]

Although his form in the second half of the season in the Premier League has fluctuated, Džeko's three goals have all been important. His equaliser against Notts County to in the FA Cup forced a replay and City eventually went all the way to win the FA Cup.

The goal against Blackburn Rovers sealed a vital 1-0 victory which to all-but-secured a fourth spot in the league for Manchester City. His last goal was against Bolton Wanderers on the final day of the season and guaranteed City third spot over Arsenal and automatic qualification into the group stage of the UEFA Champion's League.

 2011–12 season

Džeko started his second season with City by scoring the team's second goal in a 2–3 defeat against rivals Manchester United in the FA Community Shield. Džeko started and scored in City's first game of 2011–12 Premier League season, a 4–0 win over Premier League newboys Swansea City. In his third English Premier League game of this season, Džeko scored four goals, completing a "perfect hat-trick" and the last goal was a left-footed strike from outside the box, against Tottenham Hotspur. In this game, Džeko broke another record by becoming the first Manchester City player to score four goals in one Premier League match. His tally of six league goals in three games won him the Premier League Player of the Month award for August.International career

Džeko's first appearance for his home country came with the Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-19 football team. He was also part of the under-21 team and played in the play-offs hosted in the Netherlands in 2007. Bosnia's first challenges in this competition were Armenia and Norway. They beat Armenia 3–2 and tied with Norway 1–1, qualifying for the playoff against the Czech Republic. In the first leg, Bosnia lost 2–1; in the second, the game ended in a 1–1 draw. Džeko scored one goal in the tournament.

He made his senior debut against Turkey on 2 June 2007. It was a memorable debut for the player, with a volleyed goal from the bench to the penalty area during the first half stoppage time. The goal levelled the score at 2–2 and Bosnia went on to win 3–2. He scored nine goals in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying and finished as the second best scorer in UEFA qualification, tied with England's Wayne Rooney, both behind Greek striker Theofanis Gekas' 10 goals

On 28 March 2009, Bosnian sports commentator, Marjan Mijajlović, named Džeko the Bosnian Diamond during a game versus Belgium in Genk in which he scored a remarkable goal

Career Of Pique (Barcelona)

Career Of Pique (Barcelona)


Manchester United

Piqué made his debut for Manchester United in October 2004, as a late replacement for John O'Shea in a 3–0 League Cup victory at Crewe Alexandra as a centre back. He made his full debut on 29 March 2006 against West Ham United, in a Premier League match at Old Trafford, playing at right back, as Gary Neville was unavailable through injury.
His performances, most notably in the reserve team, earned him a new contract, which he signed in February 2005 to run until the summer of 2009. On 4 August 2006, however, La Liga side Real Zaragoza secured Piqué on a season-long loan. The conditions of the loan involved Piqué having to feature in at least 20 games for the Aragonese outfit, which he did, as he made 22 first team appearances in a successful spell, alongside Argentine Gabriel Milito (who would sign with Barça for 2007–08), either as a stopper or a holding midfielder.

On 5 May 2007, it was announced that Piqué would be staying at Old Trafford for the following season. Sir Alex Ferguson had intended to assess Pique's form at La Romareda on 6 May, prior to a meeting where the two parties would discuss Pique's future prospects with the club. However, Ferguson was unable to appear on account of airline difficulties.
Piqué's return to Old Trafford saw him make nine league appearances during the 2007–08 season. He scored on his first start in the Champions League, a 4–0 home win against Dynamo Kyiv on 7 November 2007, as Piqué scored the first of Manchester United's four goals in that match.In doing so, he became the 450th player to score at least one goal for the club.His second goal for the club also came in the Champions League, in an away match to Roma on 12 December 2007.


Return to Barcelona
Gerard Piqué in action against Real Valladolid

On 27 May 2008, Piqué signed a four-year contract with Barcelona, with a €50 million buy-out clause.Barcelona paid a £5 million fee for the player. He expressed his joy at re-signing with his boyhood club, although he admitted he had enjoyed his spell at Manchester United:

    "I am very happy to be back, I didn't think I would be here again but this is very good for me. Manchester United is a great club and I enjoyed winning things. To play with world class players has helped me and now I want to continue this at Barça."

Piqué's first goal for Barcelona came in the club's 5–2 UEFA Champions League group stage win at Sporting CP on 26 November 2008. His first domestic goal for the club followed two months later, on 29 January 2009, in a Copa del Rey match against local rivals RCD Espanyol. The goal, which came from a corner kick in the 57th minute, turned out to be the game winner in a 3–2 victory for Barcelona.
On 13 May 2009, he picked up the first trophy of his Barcelona career as he helped his club to a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey final. Three days later, Barcelona clinched the league title after Real Madrid lost 3–2 to Villarreal CF, with two games left in the season.

He played against his former club Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League Final on 27 May, which Barcelona won 2–0, hence completing a historic treble. On 26 February 2010, Pique signed a contract extension that will keep him at FC Barcelona until at least the summer of 2015 On 28 April 2010, Pique scored in Barcelona's semi-final second leg against Internazionale, scoring the only Barcelona goal of the game. Barcelona lost 3–2 on aggregate.
On April 2, 2011, Pique scored the winning goal in an away La Liga match against Villarreal CF, which saw Barcelona win with 0-1, and hence continue on top of the table for the 17th consecutive week, with an 8-point difference than second-place, longtime rivals, Real Madrid.
[edit] International career
Gerard Piqué in the Palacio de la Moncloa.

Piqué was a member of the Spain under-19 side that won the 2006 U-19 European Championship in Poland. In a 2–1 final win against Scotland, Piqué put in a strong performance in defence, hitting the crossbar with a header, and also providing his team's second goal for striker Alberto Bueno.

Subsequently, he played in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting all six of Spain's matches and scoring a goal in the team's come-from-behind 4–2 victory over Brazil in the round of 16.However, Piqué missed the deciding penalty against the Czech Republic and Spain were eliminated at the quarter-final stage.

On 6 February 2009, Piqué was called up to the senior squad for the friendly against England on 11 February. He played the entire match in a 2–0 win, in Seville.
On 28 March 2009, he was called-up as a replacement for injured teammate Carles Puyol, and ended up scoring the only goal in Spain's victory in the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Turkey in Madrid, in what was only his second appearance. Four days later, he also started in Istanbul in a 2–1 win, also in the group stage. Pique was Spain's first-choice centre back playing along side Barcelona teammate Carles Puyol at the World Cup finals in South Africa, starting all seven matches as Spain won the tournament, defeating the Netherlands 1–0 in the final. In Spain's 1-0 group stage defeat to Switzerland, just before Gelson Fernandes scored the only goal of the game, Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok tumbled over Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas and accidentally kicked Piqué in the face, knocking him over and leaving him with a nasty cut beside his right eye.

Career Of Charles Puyol

 Career Of Charles Puyol.

Puyol won his first cap for Spain on 15 November 2000 against the Netherlands, and remained a regular fixture in the following years. He played for the nation at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup.
Puyol playing for Catalonia in a friendly match against Argentina at Camp Nou.

At Euro 2008, Puyol started throughout the vast majority of the competition, as the defensive backline only conceded two goals in five games, with an eventual final win against Germany. He was named in the Team of the Tournament alongside defensive partner Carlos Marchena, of Valencia CF. He started in three out of five at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and captained the team when Iker Casillas was rested for the last group stage match; as Spain finished third, he and four other teammates were named in the Team of the Tournament.

At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Puyol started every match and played almost every minute (he was substituted by Marchena in the 84th minute of the quarter-final against Paraguay[). He scored the only goal in the semifinal against Germany with a powerful header from a corner taken by Barcelona teammate Xavi, sending the national team through to their first World Cup final, and scoring his third international goal in 89 matches; in the final, he played the full 120 minutes, as Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0.

On 1 August 2010, 32-year Puyol announced that he would continue to play for the national team for at least another two years.
[edit] Playing style
Puyol in 2010

Puyol is known for his intense commitment and ruggedness as a defender. According to Barcelona's head doctor, Puyol is "the strongest, who has the quickest reactions, and who has the most explosive strength."[14] Club fans refer to him as "The Wall".[15] Miguel Ángel Nadal, who played with him for a short period of time, said, "Carles plays with maturity, has great positional sense, and above all, has pride in his shirt ."

Puyol is also known for his leadership and work ethic. He often continues training alone after the end of a team practice session or on days off. He said in 2010, "I don't have Romário's technique, [Marc] Overmars' pace or [Patrick] Kluivert's strength. But I work harder than the others. I'm like the student who is not as clever, but revises for his exams and does OK in the end." He is often described as the heart of the Barcelona team.

Fellow defender Gerard Piqué said: "He's someone who, even if you're winning 3–0 and there's a few seconds left in the game will shout at the top of his voice at you if he thinks your concentration is going."A former team-mate said, "Even four goals down he thinks we can still win",[and another described him as "a pain in the arse" but added "that's exactly what we need".

Biografi Of CarloTevez

Carlos Alberto Tévez (born Carlos Alberto Martínez on 5 February 1984)[2] is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Manchester City. He has previously played for Boca Juniors, Corinthians, West Ham United and Manchester United.

He transferred to Manchester City in the 2009 summer transfer window, becoming the first player to move between the two rival clubs since Terry Cooke in 1999. His energy and goal scoring rate has since made him an indispensable player for the club in the eyes of fellow players and media alike His importance was marked by promotion to captain at the beginning of the 2010–11 season by manager Roberto Mancini. In 2011, Tévez sought a transfer away from Manchester citing family reasons and Sergio Agüero was drafted in as a replacement. However he remains a City player after his family moved back to Manchester with manager Roberto Mancini believing Tévez will stay for the foreseeable future.
His career has been dogged by a long-standing affair with Media Sports Investments, the company which owned the rights of Tévez,and several other players and coaches.This eventually resulted in West Ham United being fined over issues regarding third-party ownership.[He has made 59 appearances for the Argentina national team, scoring 13 goals.

Career

Boca Juniors

Tévez joined Boca Juniors at the age of sixteen, and made his senior debut on 21 October 2001 against Talleres de Córdoba. He opted not to take part in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship with Argentina, and committed to playing in the 2003 Intercontinental Cup instead. After winning the Copa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in 2003, he departed the club after the 2005 season.[citation needed]
Corinthians

In January 2005, Tévez transferred to Corinthians for £13.7 million (15 million euro), and signed a five-year, £6.85 million contract following the Brazilian club's deal with Media Sports Investments. The deal was the biggest transfer ever in South American football.[23] Tévez captained the squad to the 2005 Campeonato Brasileiro, and he was named the league's best player by the Brazilian Football Confederation, becoming the first non-Brazilian player to win the award since 1976.
West Ham United

On 23 August 2006, Sky Sports reported that Tévez was refusing to play for Corinthians.Tévez confirmed on his website on 31 August that both he and Javier Mascherano were signing for West Ham United on permanent deals for undisclosed fees. Media reports speculated that other Premier League clubs turned down the opportunity of signing Tévez and Mascherano because of stipulations put in place by Media Sports Investments, who owned both players' rights
Tévez presenting a commemorative jersey to Brazilian president Lula.

Tévez made his West Ham debut coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 home draw with Aston Villa on 10 September 2006.[28] After this game though, West Ham went on a nine-game winless streak (one draw and eight defeats), which included seven consecutive matches without scoring. This winless run also included going out of both the UEFA Cup and Carling Cup. In November of the same season, Tévez left the ground early after being substituted and throwing a mini tantrum during a league match against Sheffield United, and as punishment, his teammates decided that Tévez had to donate half of a week's wages to charity and train in a Brazil jersey. Tévez refused to wear the shirt, saying, "I played in Brazil and have a great respect for Brazil and Brazilians but I'm Argentine and won't wear that shirt.

On 6 January 2007, Tévez made his first start for West Ham under the new management of Alan Curbishley in a 3–0 FA Cup third round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored his first West Ham goal and assisted two others on 4 March 2007 in a 4–3 home defeat to Tottenham. In April, after West Ham were fined a record £5.5 million for breaching Premier League rules over the signings of Tévez and Mascherano, Tévez was cleared to play for West Ham by the Premier League after changes were made to a third party agreement related to him.hat same month, Tévez was named the club's Hammer of the Year.

In relegation-threatened West Ham's final league match of the season against Manchester United on 13 May, Tévez scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory securing the Hammers' stay in the top flight for the next season.
2007 transfer saga

At the end of June 2007, Tévez rejected a move to Internazionale,[34] and his agent, Kia Joorabchian, stated that he was in discussions to stay with West Ham, as the player had settled into the Premier League and wanted to remain in England. Tévez replied that he would not make a decision until the Copa América wrapped up in July.

On 5 July, the Daily Mail reported that Tévez had agreed to join Manchester United in a deal worth £20 million, which was subject to an appeal from West Ham;[35] West Ham said in turn that they would block any transfer unless they received a majority of the transfer fee.[36] The next day, West Ham released a statement that Tévez was under contract until June 2010, in addition to denying having held negotiations with any other club Joorabchian contradicted the claim by saying that West Ham had indeed given permission to United to engage in talks

Manchester United and West Ham sought FIFA's assistance to rule on Tévez's ownership, but on 24 July, FIFA suggested that the case be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Joorabchian intervened by issuing West Ham with a High Court writ "...to compel West Ham to release the registration of Carlos Tévez in accordance with contracts entered into between the partieHowever, the case never made it to court as the Premier League approved an agreement between West Ham and MSI, in which MSI would pay £2 million to West Ham, who in turn released Tévez from his contract.
Manchester United
Tévez playing for Manchester United

Manchester United put forward a proposed two-year loan deal for Tévez, which was approved on 10 August 2007.[42] He made his debut on 15 August when he started in place of the injured Wayne Rooney in a 1–1 draw against Portsmouth.[43] On 23 September, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 home victory against Chelsea. In November, United manager Alex Ferguson confirmed that the club wanted to sign Tévez permanently. "He'll get me fifteen goals this season, and what's more, they'll be important goals."[44] Tévez was greeted with an ovation and singing of "There's Only One Carlos Tévez" from the West Ham supporters upon his return to Upton Park for an away match (lost by Manchester United) on 29 December. He returned the gesture by repeatedly crossing his arms in front of his chest, in reference to the hammers on the West Ham team crest.[45]

Tévez scored a total of five goals during Manchester United's successful 2007–08 Champions League campaign.[citation needed] He also scored the first penalty in the shootout against Chelsea in the final,[citation needed] which Manchester United won 6–5 after the match had ended 1–1 after extra time.[46]

He scored his first league goal of the 2008–09 season on 13 September 2008 in a 2–1 away defeat to Liverpool, and his first hat-trick came on 3 December 2008, when he scored a quartet of goals in United's 5–3 League Cup win over Blackburn Rovers in the fifth round.[47][48] His first Champions League goal of the season, against Aalborg BK on 10 December, was the fastest goal scored in the tournament for 2008–09 at two minutes and 41 seconds.[49]

On 21 December, Tévez started for United in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup final, which United won 1–0 over Ecuadorean club LDU Quito, but he was substituted in the 51st minute for Jonny Evans after Nemanja Vidić was sent off.
Tévez (right) with Cristiano Ronaldo.

On 10 May 2009, Tévez was reported as saying that he believed his time at Manchester United would come to an end that summer and he expressed his dissatisfaction at not having been offered a permanent contract with the club and having been dropped from the team despite, in his opinion, not having played badly. Despite this outburst, Tévez was named in Manchester United's starting XI for the derby match against Manchester City later that day, before scoring the second of United's two goals on the stroke of half-time, which prompted chants of "Fergie, sign him up" from some of the club's fans. After the match, manager Alex Ferguson refused to be drawn on the subject of Tévez's future with the club, saying "I didn't read any of the papers. He's a Manchester United player."[50]

The following game for Manchester United was away at Wigan Athletic. Tévez did not start the game, but came off the bench on 58 minutes and scored the equaliser three minutes later with a flamboyant back-heeled finish. His introduction immediately improved the team's play and Michael Carrick scored the winner on 86 minutes. After the game, to the relief of most United fans, Alex Ferguson announced that the club had commenced talks to sign Tévez on a permanent deal. This news came on the same day as claims in The Sun that United lawyers were looking into the possibility of a Bosman-type case, which would allow Tévez to be signed for free.[51] Tévez started the next game against Arsenal, but was substituted by Park Ji-Sung in the 66th minute. As he left the field, the Manchester United supporters applauded him, in his last game at Old Trafford for Manchester United. United chief executive David Gill suggested that Tévez's future would be resolved by early June 2009.[52] Although United agreed to meet the option fee of £25.5 million and offered Tévez a five-year contract that would have made him one of the club's top earners, Tévez's advisors informed the club that he no longer wished to play for Manchester United. Nevertheless, reports also emerged that Tévez had ruled out signing for Liverpool, given the implications of a Manchester United player moving to join their north-west rivals.[53]
Manchester City
The 'Welcome to Manchester' billboard of Tévez. The billboard was located at the top of Deansgate.

After protracted negotiations, Tévez signed a five-year contract with Manchester United's cross-town rivals, Manchester City, after a medical on 14 July 2009.[54] On 12 September, it was claimed that the transfer fee was £47 million, a British transfer record,[55] but this was later denied by both Manchester City and Media Sports Investments. Tévez was given the number 32 shirt, just as he was at Manchester United and West Ham. In signing for Manchester City, Tévez became the first player to move between the two Manchester clubs since Terry Cooke moved from United to City in 1999. After signing Tévez, Manchester City erected a blue 'Welcome to Manchester' billboard with Tévez in the background. The billboard was located at the top of Deansgate in Manchester city centre, which leads to Salford and Trafford, where Old Trafford is.

He made his City debut coming off the bench against Blackburn Rovers in a 2–0 away win. He scored his first goal for the club on 27 August 2009 against Crystal Palace in the 2nd round of the Carling Cup, heading in City's second goal in a 2–0 victory.

During September 2009, Tévez suffered a knee injury whilst on international duty with Argentina, which would keep him out for two to three weeks, forcing him to miss the match against Arsenal. It was also thought that Tévez would miss the Manchester derby the following weekend, but he recovered in time to play in the match. He set up his side's first goal for Gareth Barry, but City ended up losing 4–3.
Tévez in action for Manchester City

Tévez scored his first and second Premier League goals for the club during a 3–1 win over his former club, West Ham United prompting City fans to imitate the chant 'Fergie sign him up'. Later that week, he scored the third goal in Manchester City's 5–1 win over Scunthorpe United in the Carling Cup and three weeks later, he scored his third successive cup goal in the quarter-finals against Arsena The following week he scored the winner in a 2–1 win over Chelsea. One week later he scored twice, with an impressive brace, in a 3–3 draw with Bolton Wanderers. His next two goals came against Sunderland and Stoke City, scoring six goals in as many matches. On 28 December he continued his goal scoring run, scoring two against Wolverhampton Wanderers, making it nine goals in seven games for the striker.[citation needed] Tévez netted his first Premier League hat-trick for Manchester City on 11 January 2010 in a 4–1 home win over Blackburn Rovers,coincidentally on the same night he received his first ever Premier League Player of the Month award for December 2009.

On 19 January 2010, Tévez spear headed City's attack as the club defeated former club and cross city rivals Manchester United in the first leg of the League Cup semi final at the City of Manchester Stadium. Despite United taking a 1–0 lead, Tévez hit the equaliser in from the penalty spot before heading the winner in the 65th minute. The game also involved a slagging match between Tévez and former team mate Gary Neville, which saw Tévez goading Neville and the travelling United fans whilst celebrating his first goal.On 27 February 2010 Tévez scored two goals against Chelsea in a 4–2 away win over the league leaders,[citation needed] following his return from compassionate leave in Argentina.[citation needed] On 29 March 2010, Tévez scored his second Premier League hat-trick for Manchester City against Wigan in a 3–0 victory.[69] This therefore brought his self record breaking[clarification needed] goal scoring tally for a single season to a total of 19 in the Premier League and 25 in all competitions. His 20th goal of the season came in a 6–1 win over Burnley.[citation needed] At the end of his first year at Manchester City, he was given two club awards, the Etihad Player of the Year award and the Players' Player of the Year award.[

On 18 August 2010, he was made Club Captain by manager Roberto Mancini, replacing defender Kolo Toure Tévez continued his scoring form in the league from the 2009/10 in the 2010–11 season with two goals in the 3–0, defeating of Liverpool.Against Wigan Athletic, Tévez scored a goal in a 2–0 win.[He also continued his goal scoring record against Chelsea with a solo effort taking his tally against it to six goals in five games, and leading to a 1–0 win.[74] He scored a penalty in a 2–1 home win against Newcastle, and followed up with two more goals against Blackpool FC in a 3–2 Away win.

In December 2010, despite his agent recently asking the club to renegotiate and improve his contract,Tévez handed the club a written transfer request, citing family reasons and a breakdown in "relationship with certain executives and individuals at the club".The transfer request was rejected by the club with a senior club official describing Tévez's reasons for wanting to leave as "ludicrous and nonsensical" whilst the club also stated that the player would not be sold in the January transfer window and will seek compensation for breach of contract from his agent if he retires or refuses to play. In the week following Tévez's transfer request, manager Roberto Mancini believed Tévez would stay at the club after some convincing, as did fellow compatriot at City and close friend Pablo Zabaleta, and club's Football Administration Officer, Brian Marwood.

On 20 December 2010, Tévez withdrew his transfer request and expressed his 'absolute commitment' to Manchester City following clear-the-air talks.[83] On 26 December 2010 Tévez scored twice as City won 3-1 away at Newcastle United.[84] Further goals against Leicester City, Wolves, West Brom, Birmingham City and Notts County took him to 50 goals for his club. The mere 73 games played to reach this figure made him the second fastest player in City's history to reach that figure, short of former player Derek Kevan's 64 game record.

After missing the 1-0 FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium due to a hamstring injury, Tévez returned to captain City on 14 May 2011 in the historic final victory over Stoke City.[86] Two days later, admist rumours of his departue to Italy in the summer, he announced his desire to stay at Eastlands if his family issues could be resolved However, on 8 June, he told an Argentine chat show host that he "would not even return there on vacation".

Due to his commitments to the national team in the summer, Tévez was not on the bench for City in the first league game of the season against Swansea City. Tévez made his first appearance of the season in City's second game of the season against Bolton Wanderers coming on in the 68th minute for fellow Argentine Sergio Agüero. Although losing the captains armband to Vincent Kompany, Tévez stated in an interview that he has had a complete turn around on his stance on Manchester and that he is not moving, "I'm happy at City and I'm not moving from there". Tévez started his first game of the season against Wigan Athletic in which Tévez missed a penalty that was won by David Silva but played well in the game which ended 3–0 to City with Agüero scoring a hat trick. On the 14th of September Tévez made an appearance in City's first ever Champions League game against Napoli coming on as a second half substitute for Edin Džeko which ended 1–1.

On 27 September 2011, Tévez was named as a second-half substitute for City's game at Bayern Munich. Mancini claims that Tévez refused to come on as a substitute in the second half, when City was 2–0 down to the German club, although Tévez denies this and calls it a misunderstanding Tévez' actions received widespread condemnation from various pundits and commentators,with Mancini claiming Tévez was "finished" with him, and that he would never play for the club again. Tévez was then suspended by Manchester City for a maximum period of two weeks as the club began an investigation into whether he refused to come on as a substitute.[ Following discussions with Roberto Mancini, Sheikh Mansour has authorised the placing of Tévez on gardening leave where the Argentinian will be paid in full but instructed to stay away from the Manchester City training ground. The club will hold his registration until 2014 unless a suitor can be found. This will mean that he will be unable to play any club football unless Manchester City agree to sell him, and the only football that he could play would be international fixtures for the Argentine national team
International career
Tévez at the 2010 World Cup.

Tévez first came into prominence with Argentina while playing in the FIFA U-17 World Championship. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he won the gold medal and scored eight goals (including the winner in the final) in six matches to be the top scorer of the competition. He was the world's second-highest goalscorer of 2004 in overall international competition with sixteen goals, one fewer than Iran forward Ali Daei.

Tévez was called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, and scored his only goal of the tournament in Argentina's 6–0 group stage thrashing of Serbia and Montenegro on 16 June. However, he was sent off twice in a three-game stretch during 2010 World Cup qualifying, once against Colombia on 21 November 2007 after he kicked fullback Rubén Darío Bustos in the 24th minuteand then on 9 September 2008 after a late tackle on defender Darío Verón that earned him a red card in the 31st minute of a 1–1 draw with Paraguay after he had been booked earlier. Tévez later apologised for the inciden In the last 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa, Tévez scored two goals against Mexico. His first goal was a header and he scored in controversial style as the assisted pass by Lionel Messi was offside but the linesman didn't call it. Tévez scored his second goal of the game with a powerful shot from outside the box.[

Iker Casillas Fernández . Player of Spain Profile

Iker Casillas Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈikeɾ kaˈsiʎas feɾˈnandeθ]; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both. In 2008 he led the Spanish national team to their first European Championship in 44 years, and in 2010, to win the World Cup, being also named the tournament's best goalkeeper.

Since his early professional years as a teenager, Casillas has been recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, being nominated for the European Footballer of the Year award twice, ranking fourth overall in 2008 and continuing to be the highest-ranked goalkeeper again in 2009. At the end of 2009 he was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time. As of July 2010 Casillas is one of a very select group of players who have won all major club and national championship titles. In 2010, he was awarded with the Sports Prince of Asturias Award. On 19 October 2010, Casillas became the most capped goalkeeper of all time in the UEFA Champions League.

International career

Iker Casillas Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈikeɾ kaˈsiʎas feɾˈnandeθ]; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both. In 2008 he led the Spanish national team to their first European Championship in 44 years, and in 2010, to win the World Cup, being also named the tournament's best goalkeeper.

Since his early professional years as a teenager, Casillas has been recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, being nominated for the European Footballer of the Year award twice, ranking fourth overall in 2008 and continuing to be the highest-ranked goalkeeper again in 2009. At the end of 2009 he was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time. As of July 2010 Casillas is one of a very select group of players who have won all major club and national championship titles. In 2010, he was awarded with the Sports Prince of Asturias Award. On 19 October 2010, Casillas became the most capped goalkeeper of all time in the UEFA Champions League.

Casillas is currently the second-most capped goalkeeper in the history of the Spanish national team, behind Andoni Zubizarreta, who appeared in 126 matches. Following his full international debut at the senior level on 3 June 2000 against Sweden (at 19 years and 14 days), Casillas was an unused substitute at Euro 2000. He was part of the roster for the 2002 World Cup, initially as the understudy to Santiago Cañizares. Coincidentally, Casillas became the first-choice goalkeeper when Cañizares had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury from a freak accident. At 21, he was one of the youngest first-choice goalkeepers in the tournament. He played an instrumental role in Spanish progression when he saved two penalties in the shoot-out during the round of 16 match against the Republic of Ireland, earning him the nickname "The Saint". One of his saves during the quarterfinals versus South Korea during the 2002 FIFA World Cup was rated by FIFA as one of the top 10 saves of all time.

Casillas played in all eight Group six fixtures during Euro 2004 qualifying, conceding just four goals. He kept a clean sheet in the second leg victory of the playoff against Norway which ended 3–0 in Oslo, and started all of Spain's Euro 2004 matches. He was the first choice for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, captaining the team twice, but could not prevent La Roja from losing 3–1 to a Zidane-inspired France in the Round of 16.

With the exclusion of his Real Madrid teammate Raúl from the squad for Euro 2008, Casillas was given the captain's armband. He started the first two Group D games against Russia and Sweden before being rested in place of second-choice goalkeeper Pepe Reina for Spain's group stage elimination of Greece. Casillas saved two penalties from Antonio Di Natale and Daniele De Rossi as Spain eliminated Italy in the quarterfinals with a 4–2 shootout win following a goalless draw on 22 June. Spain later went on to win the competition with a 1–0 win over Germany in the final on 29 June; Casillas kept clean sheets for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final matches, with Sweden's first round goal by Zlatan Ibrahimović being the last one scored against him. On 29 June 2008 Casillas became the first goalkeeper-captain to lift the UEFA European Championship trophy when Spain beat Germany 1–0 in the final.
n October 2008, Casillas and deputy in goal Pepe Reina broke the national record for the longest time spent without conceding a goal. The pair went unbeaten for 710 minutes, longer than Spain's longest-serving gloveman Andoni Zubizarreta and Paco Buyo. Wesley Sonck of Belgium ended their goalless streak when he scored against them a 2010 World Cup qualifying match.

Casillas was the highest ranked goalkeeper (4th place) in the 2008 Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and national teammate Fernando Torres. Also in 2008 Casillas was named the world's best goalkeeperby the IFFHS.He also came in third place in the best goalkeepers of all time ranking; beating Oliver Kahn.
On 5 September 2009, after a 5–0 win over Belgium in a qualifying match for the World Cup, Casillas equalled Andoni Zubizarreta's national record of 56 clean sheets, and during the Spanish team's next match against Estonia on 9 September 2009, he surpassed Zubizarreta as the record holder for the most Spanish international clean sheets (this being achieved in Casillas' 98th appearance for the national team, while Zubizarreta made 126 before his retirement). Two months later, Casillas made his 100th appearance for the Spanish squad in the friendly win over Argentina, making him only the third player in history of Spanish football to ever reach this far internationally. Only Andoni Zubizarreta, on 126, now stands ahead of him.

On 11 July 2010, he captained Spain to their first ever World Cup title with a 1–0 win against the Netherlands. In doing so he became the third ever goalkeeper to captain a World Cup winning side (along with Gianpiero Combi in 1934 and Dino Zoff in 1982). He was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper and awarded the Golden Glove. In the course of the finals in South Africa he kept five clean sheets, conceded two goals, and saved a penalty in the quarter final against Paraguay. In the final, he made two crucial stops from Netherlands' Arjen Robben with the score at 0–0 after the Dutchman had passed all the defenders.