Famous Football Players

There are those who know that the best player in the world over the past year is neither Portuguese nor Argentinian, but the schoolboyish Spaniard from Albacete - Andres Iniesta. Wayne Rooney who saw Iniesta's virtuoso performance in the Champions League final in 2009, is one of them.

Iniesta gives the term "attacking midfielder" a whole new meaning. A player who uses his feet with the dexterity of a hockey stick, seems to always have time and space in the middle of the football pitch. Known as El Illusionista (the illusionist), he does his work quietly but of late, his work has been noticed across the world.

He came into the first team in the 04-05 season but really established himself in the League and Champions League winning team of 05-06 under Rijkaard. Alongside Xavi, Iniesta has formed the most formidable midfield partnership for both club and country and their telepathic understanding is as key a part of both their games.

Iniesta stole the limelight in the Champions League, 2009, as deep into injury time, seconds from possible elimination, he scored the goal that took Barcelona into the final, where he proved to be unplayable.

When Iniesta was making his initial bow for the Barca youth team, Pep Guardiola, a senior player is reported to have told Xavi, then a youngstar, "you will retire me, but this kid will retire us all!"

Inista is a key part of the National team, where again Spain have an embarrassment of riches. Iniesta forms the brightest of the Spanish jewels in midfield and his style brings to life the famous Spanish tiki-take style of short passing play. Though he has just 6 goals to his name, he was key to Spains Euro 2008 triumph. Look out for his impact on the 2010 world cup.

Club Captain for Arsenal from the early age of 21, Fabregas has been a footballing prodigy - the embodiment of Wenger's philosophies, from the time he came to the London club.

Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16. Following injuries to key midfielders in the 2004?05 season, he established himself as Arsenal's starting central midfielder and playmaker. He went on to break several of the club's records, earning a reputation as one of the best young players for his position of his generation.

Fabregas' style of play is reminiscent of Platini rather than Patrick Vieira. He is not a physically dominant player but when required he has a burst of pace. His greatest asset, though, is his vision and reading of the game. This manifests in 2 key ways.

The first is his passing. Fabregas is one of the most consistent deliverers of the killer pass - the one that sets up a goal. Time after time, you see Fabregas sliding the ball through the smallest of gaps for an inch perfect pass for one of the front running forwards.

The second happy manifestation of Fabregas's game awareness is his ability to be at the right place at the right time. Especially, Platini like, to ghost into the opposition penalty box from the midfield to score. It's commonly understood in football that a midfielder making a well timed run into the box is one of the harder things to defend against. Fabregas seems to do this with stealth and that makes him even harder to mark.

Despite setting the stands alive for his club, Fabregas has not found it easy to become first choice starting midfielder for his country. Such is the richness of Spanish football at present, Fabregas must make way for Xavi and Iniesta in the middle of the park. Nonetheless, he has made regular appearances for Spain and was a part of the Euro 2008 winning team. He played in the 2006 world cup and will definitely have a role to play in the World Cup 2010.

Very few footballers have polarized opinion in the noughties as much as Cristiano Ronaldo. Reviled for his histrionics, his tendency to "dive", his occasional petulance, and made the pantomime villain for England's exit from World Cup 2006. Ronaldo was probably most hated (and admired) by Man United's rivals who have had to watch him singlehandedly destroy his teams in many a game. But on the other side, few can question his position as one of the top 5 footballers on the planet, as a committed professional who has worked his socks off for his success and an increasingly consummate media man.

Ronaldo's debut for Manchester United, after his £12 million transfer from Sporting Lisbon, in a 4-1 win against Bolton Wanderers will be remembered by many, as breathtaking 30 minutes that drew instant comparisons with George Best and a sign of great things to come. Alongside Rooney, over the next 6 years, Ronaldo grew faster, stronger and more deadly in front of goal to become a near unstoppable footballing machine, notching up 44 goals in a single season in 2007-08, and helping Man United to three Premier League and one Champions League titles. His turning point in this journey was as much the World Cup 06 event after which he became public enemy #1 everywhere in England except for at Old Trafford. That he was able to use this collective hatred as a motivating force says much about his character.

His move to Madrid for £80 million may have been questioned by many Manchester United fans, but it was a dream that Ronaldo had always publicly expressed and something that he holds dear personally as a dream his late father also always dreamed hoped for. Sir Alex also suggested that 6 years is an optimal period for foreigners in English football and did not stand in his way, save to delay his departure by a season. At Madrid, Ronaldo has continued his form - becoming the first player ever to score in each of his first 4 games for the Spanish giants. Despite suffering an injury that kept him out for 8 weeks, he has 7 goals in his first 8 La Liga games, and 6 goals in 4 Champions League games, for Madrid. Real Madrid's record with and without Ronaldo in the team this season looks dramatically different.

It's hard to hate Ronaldo. He says all the right things. He is gracious in his praise of Messi, admitting honestly that he does not know Messi personally. He is generous in his appreciation of Barcelona and their team ethic. He is aware of the needs of the team and his role in it. He is willing to take on more responsibility and be the go-to person for his team mates and manager. He is effusive in his praise of his Manchester United team mates, manager and his experience. He's honest about his dislike of refereeing in the UK which he feels does not protect players enough. And his performances are unquestionably brilliant most of the time.

At the same time, it's hard to truly love Ronaldo - he tends to make football a individual sport. He has his eye on individual honours, he is conscious of his looks and loves the spotlight. He is very smooth - too smooth perhaps - with the media and he seems to play the world as he plays the game. With courage, skill but also with a bag of tricks.

A player whose greatness has been recognized much more over the second half of his career, Beckham is a colossus of the game and another example of the simplicity of the game.

David Beckham off the pitch is non-confrontational. When he speaks, he appears under-whelming, average, under-interesting and some might even say under-intelligent. Everything he does, on the other hand, reeks of ambition, drive, focus, intelligence, courage and nonconformism.

A player who has played with distinction in 3 of the toughest leagues in the world, for 3 of the greatest teams in the world (Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan), Beckham has certainly earned his place at the top table of football.

Beckham's footballing credentials are very simple. He is a master of the freekick and crossing from the right. That's really it. As George Best once described him, "He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right." Yet, Beckham has proven that if you can do these simple things better than anybody else in the world, you can go far.

Till date, there is no player who can cross or deliver a freekick or corner with the consistency of David Beckham. He is the footballing equivalent of Glen Magrath. Beckhams footballing success and his good looks and celebrity marriage have made him a global icon and one of the richest sports people in history. He has inspired movies (Bend It Like Beckham), and used to win the 2012 Olympics for Britain. He is mobbed and adored all over the world, and is the face of many a brand.

When Beckham joined Madrid, some of the players saw him as a marketing machine. But over the next 4 years, he proved that he was a footballer first. He even had Capello do a u-turn after the Italian left him out of the team, but had to call him back to help win the La Liga.

His move to La Galaxy was seen as cashing out by many, but he continues to play for AC Milan where he is admired and respected by fans and players alike. And two-time runner up for FIFA footballer of the year is not an accolade lightly given.

Beckham undertakes a punishing schedule by playing in the US for LA Galaxy till their season finishes in winter, before moving to Milan, where he will play till June, in the hope of making the team for the World Cup 2010. He has been doing this for the past 2 years, moving from league to league to keep playing at the top level, and flying back as required for the qualification games.

He is already the most capped outfield player of all time, for England, ahead of Sir Bobby Charlton. But his journey has been a tough one. Famously sent off against Argentina he was identified as the national villain and endured abuse everywhere he went for 4 years. It was only when his goal against Greece ensured qualification for the next world cup that his rehabilitation into public affection was completed.

Beckham may not start every game in the 2010 world cup, but if he makes it there and Capello needs to introduce some magic to win or save a game, don't be surprised if the man he sends on, is one David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE.

Arguably the African player of the decade, Drogba burst onto the English game under Mourinho's regime at Chelsea. Battering ram for Chelsea and captain of Ivory Coast, Drogba is never far from controversy.

Already at 8th highest for all time Chelsea goals, he is the top scoring foreigner for the London club. He is both a great goal-scorer and a scorer of great goals. He has scored decisive goals in cup final games - the 2007 FA Cup and the Carling (League) Cup 2005 and 2007. With 68 goals, he is always on the shortlist to be the leading EPL goal-scorer over the past 5 years.

Drogba has been the front man who uses strength, power and pace, alongside a ferocious shot and great guile to terrorise defences. Capable of scoring from 2 yards as well as from 30, he has a good work ethic on the field and will often be found in his own box, defending corners. His trademark trick is to receive the ball facing his own goal, with the opposition defender on his back, holding ball, turning, or playing another player in. His link up play with Lampard, Anelka and Malouda has been excellent, though he has had a few disagreements with Ballack.

Drogba started his career at Le Mans. Then earned some frame for scoring 17 goals in 34 games for Guingamp. In 2003, he moved to Olympique de Marseille for £3.3 million, and his 19 goals earned him a £24 million move to Chelsea.

Definitely the greatest Ivorian footballer, he is captain of his country and scored Ivory coast's first ever goal in a World Cup tournament in 2006. He was African footballer of the year in 2006. 41 goals in 60 games for his country is also a stunning return for the Chelsea front man.

Away from the pitch, Drogba is known for his charity work and was appointed by the United Nations Development Programme as a Goodwill Ambassador in 2007. He has three children with his Malian wife, Alla.

On the pitch, however, Drogba has always courted controversy. He admitted that he occasionally dived, after being accused of being a serial diver. He had on-field pantomime spats with the equally volatile Jens Lehmann of Arsenal. He was banned for 4 games in the Champions league after swearing into the camera after the infamous game against Barcelona, in the semifinals. Love him or hate him, you cannot ignore Drogba.

El Nino - or the kid - as Torres is known, as an astonishing scoring record for Liverpool. 60 goals in a hundred games for Liverpool puts him at a higher scoring rate than Liverpool legends Michael Owen or Ian Rush. Even more impressively he averages almost a goal a game at home. His tally of 30 goals in his first season in English football suggested that Benitez had made brilliant decision to bring him to Liverpool.

When Torres was 7 he was playing as a goalkeeper, following his brothers footsteps. This was soon to change, of course. By 2001, at the age of 16, he joined Atletico Madrid, where he was to stay for the next 6 years. He scored 82 goals in 214 games for the "other" team in Madrid.

Torres has always been a player with promise, but it took a move to Liverpool for that to become a reality. He has become tougher and stronger at Anfield and now rates among the top 5 strikers in the world.

In the national team, Torres has to play second fiddle to David Villa but he has still scored 23 goals in 68 games for Spain. He scored 3 goals in World Cup 06 and the winning goal in the Euro 2008 finals. He is expected to play a key part in Spains 2010 campaign in South Africa as they start as one of the tournament favourites.

Torres' partnership with Steven Gerrard has been the highlight of Liverpool's football over the past 2 years. And many a great victory has been built around the G&T axis. Torres's acceleration and speed has troubled the worlds best defenders, and he needs just a yard of space to rocket past an opponent. His eye for goal is deadly as well, and he has a great scoring record both with his feet and his head.

Known as a down to earth guy, he has a great rapport with the Anfield fans, and has surprised people on occasion with his normal lifestyle. On one occasion he flew economy class with his girlfriend from Spain back to England.

One of the personal highlights of his career at Anfield was the demolition of Real Madrid - something he had never been able to do while at Atletico. Although the Liverpool fans will hold him in higher esteem for his unplayable status against Manchester United.

Most people agree that the most skillful football player on the planet currently is Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo might be a more complete athlete, but Messi's footwork and creativity leaves him in a class of his own. Winner of the Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of the year 2009, Messi continues to stun spectators and opposition teams alike with his  brilliance.

Messi's greatness lies partly in the fact that he creates and scores in equal measure. In the all conquering Barcelona team of the last year and a half, Messi, Henry and Eto'o worked interchangeably through the season to create a world record of over 100 goals. This season, with Ibrahimovic, it seems to be working just as well.

Messi is Argentinian by birth, and the comparisons to Maradona are both inevitable and well deserved. At 11 he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. River Plate was unable to sustain his treatment at $900/month. Barcelona were able and interested, and so the Messi family moved to Spain, and Messi's long-term allegience to Barcelona was assured. It was probably the best investment the club has made in the past 20 years.

Messi went on to become the youngest player to play for and score for Barcelona (though Bojan Krkic broke both records). Currently on contract till 2016, and with a 250 million Euro buyout clause, Messi is also at present the highest paid footballer in the La Liga. He has more than made up the gap left by Ronaldinho by becoming the creative force for Barcelona.

The Maradona comparison has many angles. His height, marginally more than El Diego, is a start. But his footwork and control at high-speed is the clincher, really. His goal against Valencia where he dribbled past half the team starting from the halfway line is a carbon copy of Maradona's famous feet of god goal against England. Not content with that, he went on to emulate the hand-of-god goal as well. In the penultimate game of the 06-07 season, against Espanyol, Messi scored the first of his two goals by knocking it in with his hand. Could he be more Maradona like??

Messi plays for the "team of the decade" - the all-conquering Barcelona. Which could win a lot more trophies going forward, but Messi will continue to be their most corruscating gem. His continued improvement was underscored with his headed goal in the Champions League final where he climbed high, albeit unmarked, to head over Edwin Van Der Saar to seal Barca's victory in the Champions League.

For Argentina, Messi has had a roller-coaster time. He did well in the youth team winning the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe in the World Youth Championships in 2005. His first appearance for the senior team was less auspicious - he came on in the 63rd minute and was sent off within 2 minutes. He went on to earn the #10 jersey for Argentina. In the World Cup 06, he missed the first game but played the rest till he was left out for the Semi Final against Germany, which Argentina lost. He was the star of the Copa America 07 though Argentina lost to Brazil in the final. He also led from the front in the 2008 Olympics where Argenina managed to beat Brazil in the Semis and Nigeria in the finals to win gold. In the 2010 campaign, Argentina have struggled in their qualification and Maradona has been accused of not using Messi effectively.

Messi has a girlfriend - Antonella Roccuzzo and there are plans to wed in the end of 2010.

Robinho was once haied as the next Pele or at least the next big player to roll off the Brazillian production line after Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Kaka and Ronaldinho. He hasn't exactly lived up to that promise, though Robinho was personally picked by Pelé as his heir apparent at only 15 years of age. Hewent on to lead Santos to its first Campeonato Brasileiro title since Pelé himself played for the same legendary Brazilian club.

Since then he won another title with Santos, two more with Real Madrid, one Copa América title with Brazil and two Confederations Cup, as well with Brazil. In 2009, Robinho married Vivian Guglielmetti.

A £32m transfer to Man City in 2008 has not yielded the results that either club or player might have hoped for and there are rumours that he might depart in summer 2010. But in his time in Real Madrid he combined bursts of inspirational play with stretches of mediocrity.

Ronaldinho announced himself to the world of football on the biggest stage. By beating David Seaman from 40 yards with a lobbed shot that has since been argued over (was it accidental or intentional?).

Moving to Barcelona in 2003 led to a purple patch for Ronaldinho where as the kingpin of Rijkaard's Barcelona he was unquestioned king of the footballing world. He could do anything - dribble, pass, score, take freekicks and he was always smiling!

Famously in that time, Barcelona beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu and the packed stadium, which started the game by booing the Catalan team gave Ronaldinho and his team a standing ovation - almost unheard of in footballing history.

Ronaldinho, Portuguese for "Little Ronaldo," is known in Brazil by the nickname "Gaúcho," in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo, who was already called "Ronaldinho" in Brazil. Ronaldo simply went by his first name upon his move to Europe, thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop the "Gaúcho" and remain simply as Ronaldinho.
Prior to his move to Milan, he played for Paris Saint-Germain, and FC Barcelona, with whom he won his first Champions League in 2006. He became a Spanish citizen in January 2007

Ronaldinho lived an expansive lifestyle and this ultimately led to his drop in form and fitness and he was a mere shadow in the 2006 world up where Brazil underperformed. He has been rediscovering his career in AC Milan from 2008.

Ronaldinho was earmarked as David Beckham's successor at Manchester United but Juan Laporta used him as an election promise and ultimately outbid United to land the Brazillian.

He was world player of the year in 2005, 2006 and European Player of the Year in 2005. Lets hope there is a last hurrah to Ronaldinho's career.

22 years, 800 plus games, the most decorated player of all time in the English game, the only player to have scored in every League season and the only player to have scored in 14 consecutive Champions League seasons. Winner of 2 Champions Leagues, 11 premier leagues, PFA Player of the Year 2009 and the BBC Sports Personality of the year 2009. This is Ryan Giggs.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who famously recruited Giggs by going to his house on his 14th birthday said "He looked as relaxed and natural on the park as a dog chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind." on watching Ryan Giggs at his trial game in 1986.

Giggs speed and his ability to change direction while sprinting to go past an opposition player with ease, even today, marks him as a great player. According to Steve Bruce, his erstwhile team-mate "When Ryan ran, he ran like the wind. You couldn't hear him he was that light on his feet"

Many players have the one performance that defines them in immortality - and for Giggs it was THAT goal in the 1999 FA Cup semifinal replay against Arsenal when he intercepted a pass on the midfield and dribbled past a host of Arsenal players to score. Coming at a time when United were down to 10 men, it proved to be a key step in winning the treble.

Giggs has no red cards in his long club career. A mention in Simpsons, an OBE for services to football and his work for UNICEF and campaigning against Landmines, are some of his other achievements.

Giggs' longevity is also due to the level of discipline and his controlled lifestyle. He had to give up driving sports model cars because they were damaging for his hamstring. Even more creditable given that Giggs was the pinup boy of United when Beckham was still plying his trade on loan to Preston. He had an exuberent lifestyle and was very fond of racing cars.

George Best, is supposed to have said to Bobby Charlton "One day they might even say that I was another Ryan Giggs" and "Giggs will tear you apart again" was one of the most popular terrace chants based on the cult Joy Division song.

Giggs retired from international football in 2007 after making his 64th appearance for Wales in order to prolong his club career. One of the criticisms levelled against him is that he didn't turn up for enough friendlies in his Welsh career, or inspire Wales to a World Cup appearance.

A popular Ryan Giggs myth is that he chose to play for Wales over England - he couldn't have played for England contrary to popular belief. He was only in the English schools squad because of his studying in England. His father was a Rugby player who played in England. According to Wikipedia, Giggs' grandfather was from Sierra Leone.

Sir Alex sums up Ryan Gigg's contribution to Manchester United - 'Whatever the club has paid me in my time as manager was justified at a stroke by securing Ryan as a player for the club'.

Known as Stevie-G and as the heart-beat of Liverpool FC, Gerrard has been a one-man rescue act for Liverpool for a whole generation. A star in the famous turnaround at Istanbul 2005, where Liverpool came back from 3-0 down in the first half to equalize and win against AC Milan in the Champions League final, Gerrards career is littered with such match winning performances.

In the 2007 FA Cup final, Liverpool was losing the game against with seconds to go when a rocket from Gerrard's foot brought them back on level. Liverpool went on to win that game as well.

Gerrard has spent his whole life at Liverpool, despite interests in recent years from Chelsea and Real Madrid. A commitment that can not be overestimated. At a time when Liverpool have always had to play second fiddle to Manchester United, the hated rivals, Gerrard has spent a lifetime trying to correct the balance. It's fair to say that Steven Gerrard could play for any team in the world.

Interestingly enough, he started his career as a defender - a wing back. It was manager Gerard Houllier who converted him to the marauding midfielder the world knows today. Most easily identified by his all action style of leadership on the pitch, Gerrard can be found almost anywhere on the pitch in a game.

In recent seasons, his partnership with Torres has been the axis of Liverpool's form and success. He has over 500 appearances for Liverpool with over 120 goals. But dig a little deeper and you'll find that a very signficant proportion of those goals are critical ones - goals that won, saved or changed matches.

Gerrard is married to Alex Curran, a fashion journalist. He was awarded the OBE (Order of The British Empire) by the Queen in 2007.

"Wayne Rooney ... remember the name" screamed Clive Tyldseley in 2002, when 16 year old Rooney, a late substitute at Everton's Goodison Park, cut in from the left and blasted a shot from outside the box past David Seaman in the Arsenal goal to win the game for Everton. Tyldesley needn't have bothered. Rooney would make his name known over and over again in spectacular fashion.

The archeypical tyro, Rooney grew up playing football in a Croxteth council estate, in Liverpool and his early talent was spotted by many. Once he had announced himself in the Premier League, it became apparent that he needed to move to a big club. Newcastle made a surprise offer and Manchester United had to move quickly to secure his services.

Wayne Rooney is to football what Sachin Tendulkar is to cricket. Rooney can play in any position on the pitch. He can attack, defend, play wide, play central and loves to be involved. Rooney is arguably the most natural and complete footballer in the world today. Rooney's Manchester United career has been studded with some astonishing goals and performances. His volley against Newcastle was the goal of the year in 2006 and his Champions League debut was marked with a hat-trick. But Rooney is more than a striker - he has a great eye for a pass, good vision, a tremendous work ethic and is capable of very subtle play as well.

Over the past 3 seasons, Rooney had to change his game to play a supporting role in the Cristiano Ronaldo show. Often, especially in away games in the Champions League, he played on the left in a 3 man attack, often falling back to help the defence. A team man to the core, Rooney has never complained about this. He has a preference for the main striking role, though and this season is looking to grow back into that role. Clearly a man who thrives on confidence, he tends to score in spurts, and then goes a few games without a goal.

Rooney has been England's talisman as well and under Fabio Capello, has rediscovered a rich vein of scoring. His 9 goals in England's World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign tell their own story, along with a couple more in friendlies. Rooney's fortunes have been intricately connected with England's as his sending off against Portugal marked the end of England's campaign in the World Cup, 2006. His metatarsal break suffered against the same opponents in Euro 2004 also ended England's run in that tournament. A lionhearted presence on the field, he has been given run of the pitch by Capello and is revelling in the role.

Rooney's undoing in the past is his bad temper - he was sent off in a key Champions League game for sarcastically clapping the referee for being given a yellow card. He has on numerous occasions been sent off for dissent or bad behaviour, rather than footballing fouls. Usually, when the team are not performing well, Rooney tends to get frustrated and loses his cool. This is something most opposition teams know and target. Both Ferguson and Capello have worked with Rooney over the years to control his outbursts and Rooney himself has matured greatly.

Wayne Rooney married his childhood sweetheart Coleen McLoughlin in June 2008 and his son Kai was born in November 2009. Rooney lives in a £24 million mansion and has signed the most lucrative sports book contract in history, with Harper Collins. The 5 book deal comes with a £ 5m advance plus royalties. His younger brother, John, plays for League 2 side Macclesfield Town. Though Manchester United need to rebuild after losing Ronaldo and Tevez, Wayne's World is still looking good.