Profile Cristian Gonzalez

Personal Information

Full name : Christian Gérard Alvaro González
Nickname : El Loco (Mad)
Date of birth : August 30, 1976 (age 34)
Place of birth : Montevideo, Uruguay
Height : 177 cm
Playing position : Central Striker
The club currently : Persib Bandung
Number : 99
Junior club
1990-1995 Defensor Sporting
Senior club
Year Club Apps (goals)
2010 - Sud America
Huracan Ctes (borrowed)
Sud America
Deportivo Maldonado
PSM Makassar
Persik Kediri
Persib Bandung (borrowed)
Persib Bandung
Persib Bandung

National Team

2010 - Indonesia

Profile

He is one of the most lethal striker in the history of Indonesian football competition. Its ability to kick, scored, positioning, vision game, and the header is the flagship. Besides his ability, he is also renowned physical specimen.

When playing in Uruguay, he was assigned as a midfielder Serang. Productivity is not good until he finally moved to Indonesia to join the PSM Makassar with Free Transfer status, and the plot as the attacker. From here he proves its quality as a powerful attacker.

In summer 2006, he was the most expensive player in the Premier League Indonesia according to the data of Indonesia to pay Rp 1.2 billion

After marriage, he had an Indonesian passport, his wife was a woman named Eva Nurida Siregar Indonesia. From his marriage, he obtained two children (Fernando and Florencia). He also has had two children, the results of a previous marriage (Amanda and Michael).
[Edit] Controversy

Cristian Gonzalez is known by his temparamental. Since the first sod in Indonesia in 2003, he had got the penalty of the Disciplinary Commission PSSI five times because of violent behavior toward opponents and the harassment of referees, but the penalties are almost never carried out effectively because the chairman of the PSSI, Nurdin Halid, who was impressed protect . Even for the case of the 5th, the National League Indonesia claims could not do anything when punishment ban of 12 months should be canceled by Nurdin Halid when the new sentence run 3 months. This was questioned several parties, including PSMS Medan stating that the PSSI has removed the element of learning and Nurdin Halid was favoritism in giving forgiveness.

Here's a list of cases Cristian Gonzalez

* Involved in a fight with fellow colleagues in Sud America, in 2000. He then removed his club management with status of Free Transfer.
* Involved in a fight with fellow colleagues at Deportivo Maldonado, in 2002. He then removed his club management with status of Free Transfer.
* In the second round of Liga Indonesia 2004, Cristian Gonzalez beat Liverpool FC manager at Fortress Stadium. He was sentenced to a year by the Disciplinary Commission of PSSI, but can graze again when the new sentence run 6 months.
* In Indonesia League finals 2006, Cristian Gonzalez gore striker PSIS Semarang, Emanuel de Porras. He was sentenced to as many as three games for it, but never performed.
* In 2007, he spat in the referee Hidayat when Persik Kediri entertained Pelita Jaya. He was sentenced to as many as three games for it, but never performed.
* In the last eight Liga Indonesia 2007, he fought with a defender Persija Jakarta, Herman Abanda. But again, acquired three-game penalty was never carried out.
* In November 2008, the Disciplinary Commission PSSI sentenced her 1-year ban for hitting defender PSMS Medan, Erwinsyah Hasibuan. He mengajukkan PSSI appeal to the Appeal Commission, but the appeal was rejected, and the Appeals Commission participated strengthen sanctions given by the Disciplinary Commission. However, in February 2009 he declared should play for Persib Bandung after PSSI chairman Nurdin Halid give forgiveness.

Career Club

Sud America

Joined Sud America, a club in Uruguay, Montevidio, in 1995. In a period of 28 months, he only appeared once and did not score a goal.

Huracan Ctes

Sud America lent to Huracan Ctes on loan. He appears 3 times and not scoring goals.

Sud America

Back to Sud America after the loan long enough, he finally some time believed to be the starter. He appeared 12 times and scored 1 goal.

Deportivo Maldonado

In 2000, with Free Transfer status, he is anchored to his new club, Deportivo Maldonado. Here he appeared 22 times and scored 1 goal.

PSM Makassar

In 2003, he joined the PSM Makassar with the status of Free Transfer. In that season he scored 27 goals and PSM Makassar Indonesia won the second league. The following year he was subjected to suspension by the PSSI during the season and fined Rp 20 million for hitting one of the officers Liverpool FC during competition.

Persik Kediri

Free from suspension, he joined and became champions Persik Kediri Indonesia League in 2006. In 2008 he was sentenced to suspension from Komdis after an unsportsmanlike act. The financial crisis experienced by Persik Kediri make Peach management should be to rationalize salary. Gonzalez is one of the few players who do not agree Peach those decisions.

Persib Bandung (loan)

On January 30, 2009, Bandung Persib management announced that it has hired Christian who received remission of the Chairman of the PSSI, Nurdin Halid. Christian contracted in status as a player on loan from Persik Kediri and will be paid 60 million rupiah per month by Persib Bandung.

He debuted as a starter in Super League when Persib entertain Indonesia Persipura in a match that ended 1-1 thanks to goals that are also printed by him. He played 16 times in the League and scored 14 goals, making Gonzalez as top scorer in Super League with Boaz Solossa with 28 goals.

Persib Bandung

After his loan spell at Persib Bandung and his contract runs out at Persik Kediri, he directly contracted by Persib Bandung as a player and equipment. In the pre-season 2009-10, he scored a goal for Persib in East Java Governor Cup.

Profile Andrés Iniesta

Personal information

Full name : Andrés Iniesta Luján
Date of birth : 11 May 1984
Place of birth : Fuentealbilla, Spain
Height : 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position : Midfielder / Winger
Current club : Barcelona
Number : 8
Youth career
1994–1996 Albacete
1996–2001 Barcelona
Senior career*
2001–2003 Barcelona B
2002– Barcelona
National team‡
2000–2001 Spain U15
2000–2001 Spain U16
2001–2002 Spain U17
2001–2002 Spain U18
2001–2002 Spain U19
2003–2004 Spain U20
2003–2006 Spain U21
2006– Spain

Club career
Early career

At the age of 12, Iniesta started to attract attention from many clubs around Spain for his dazzling performances in his native Fuentealbilla, Albacete.He was noted for his "outrageous dribbling ability" and vision on the ball that belied his age. He was set to join Real Madrid's youth academy around this time, when he – like most other prospective youth players at the time – was shifted to Madrid's red light district by the club for his place of permanent residence. Upon learning this, his parents decided to turn down the opportunity to join the club. Iniesta then travelled to Barcelona with his parents and looked at the FC Barcelona youth school, La Masia; the trip resulted in Iniesta's enrolment in the Barça youth ranks. Like fellow La Masia graduate Cesc Fàbregas, Iniesta originally started as a defensive midfielder but his balance, close control and skill on the ball saw him make progress as an attacking midfielder. He was shy and often homesick at La Masia.

He captained the Barcelona U-15 team to victory in the Nike Premier Cup of 1999, scoring the winning goal in the last minute of the final, and being named player of the tournament. The then first-team captain, and idol of Iniesta's, Josep Guardiola presented him with the trophy.[Guardiola gave Iniesta a signed photograph dedicated to "the best player I've ever seen", and it was around this time that he reportedly said to Barcelona midfielder and then-rising star Xavi that, "You will retire me, but Iniesta will retire us both."As a manager, Guardiola would make Xavi and Iniesta the heart of his treble-winning Barcelona side of 2009, almost a decade exactly after his famous prediction. Following his performances in the Premier Cup for Barcelona, he starred at national youth level for Spain's U-16 and U-19 teams, as well as being one of the stand-out performers in the 2003 edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, earning a place in the team of the tournament in the process.

Louis van Gaal handed Iniesta his first-team debut on 29 October 2002, a UEFA Champions League game against Club Brugge. His early appearances were impressive enough for there to be calls from some sections of the Spanish press for Iniesta to replace Juan Roman Riquelme in the Barcelona first team. He appeared 11 times in the league in 2003–04, mostly as a deputy for Camp Nou favourite Ronaldinho, scoring once as Barça sealed second place behind Valencia.

2004–2008

In the 2004–05 season Iniesta successfully secured a permanent slot in the first team and figured in 37 of 38 league games — more than any other player. He displayed an unselfish attitude by regularly aiding forwards Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho but performed poorly in front of goal — denied by the woodwork on several occasions, he found the net just twice.
Andrés Iniesta with Barcelona in 2006.

Iniesta's improvement as a player continued in the 2005–06 season, and because of the absence of Xavi due to injury, he was given regular starts in midfield. The increased playing time offered to him at the highest level gave him the opportunity to blossom into a superb midfielder. His contribution to the team was praised by manager Frank Rijkaard as Barcelona won a league and Champions League double.

The 2006–07 season saw Iniesta's profile continue to rise and earned plaudits for his willingness to play in any position for his team. On 22 August 2006 Andres lifted the Joan Gamper Trophy as the captain of the team after defeating German side Bayern Munich 4–0. He played for the first time as a left wing-forward for Barcelona in two Champions League matches against Levski Sofia, finding the net twice. In the first knock out stage of the same competition, he played at central midfield against Liverpool. Despite being moved around the pitch by manager Frank Rijkaard, the 2006–07 season remains Iniesta's highest scoring thus far.

His current contract with Barcelona ends in June 2014. On 19 July 2007, he was linked with a move to rivals Real Madrid, with reports in newspapers suggesting Real was prepared to pay €60 million for him, which would trigger his release clause. Iniesta disregarded the rumours and reiterated his desire to remain with Barça by saying: "I can’t do anything about it but I’d like to insist once again that I want to stay here. When I say I want to retire in Barça, I say it with all my heart." Iniesta's release clause has since been raised to €150 million, to dissuade possible suitors.

According to the Spanish football magazine Don Balón, a member of European Sports Magazines, Iniesta has been one of the most consistent performers in the last two seasons of Primera Division, placing fifth in 2006–07, and fourth in 2007–08 on their annual rating system Ranking Don Balón. He also placed 9th in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year voting, gaining 37 total points.[16] Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Xavi also featured in the top ten.

2008–09
Andrés Iniesta in Joan Gamper Cup.

On 24 September 2008, Andrés Iniesta was chosen as one of the new Barcelona captains, with the former vice-captain Ronaldinho departing for Milan. According to local newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, Iniesta will be the Barça fourth-choice captain, behind fellow Spaniards, Carles Puyol (1st-choice), Xavi (second-choice), and Víctor Valdés (third-choice). This new achievement by Iniesta has been welcomed by all Culés worldwide, and, especially, by the pro-Barcelona press throughout Spain. In mid November 2008, Iniesta suffered a leg injury and was expected to return to action in six weeks. Iniesta, however, did not want to come back until he was 100 percent and finally returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a 65th minute substitute against Mallorca. After only 10 minutes he scored a crucial goal and completed a Barcelona comeback in front of the Camp Nou. His performances in the 2008–09 season have been highly lauded, receiving standing ovations both in Barcelona at the Camp Nou, as well as from rival supporters in away matches.

On 5 February, Iniesta made his 250th appearance for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey match against Mallorca. Iniesta once again got injured in Barcelona's home match against Málaga, but returned to action for the first leg Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich, which Barcelona won 4–0.

"I knew I would play injured and do more damage. For 17 days, all I thought about was the final in Rome and winning, even knowing that I would do more damage. I'd repeat it, for sure. I love this club and my profession and I wanted to win. If we had lost [the final] that would have been a total disaster."
Andrés Iniesta, September 2009.

Former teammate Samuel Eto'o described Iniesta as being "the best player in the world; whenever Iniesta is on the pitch, he creates a spectacle."

On 6 May 2009, Iniesta scored one of the most important goals of his career in Barcelona's semi-final against Chelsea. In the third minute of injury time, Iniesta powered home from outside the penalty box to the top corner of the net with four minutes remaining to draw the game, and secure the tie on away goals. This goal sent Barcelona through to the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against defending champions Manchester United, in which he had a very influential role (providing the assist for the first goal scored by Samuel Eto'o) as his team went on to win 2–0. After the game, Wayne Rooney described Iniesta as the best player in the world. Don Balón rated him as the most consistent performer in the 2008–09 La Liga season, ahead of team-mates Xavi and Lionel Messi. Iniesta suffered a small tear in his thigh prior to the final but played through the pain, aggravating the injury.
[
2009–10
Andrés Iniesta with Barcelona against Rubin Kazan during the 2009/10 season.

On 18 October, Iniesta was included in a list of 30 candidates for the prestigious Ballon d'Or, given to the top player of the year in Europe, along with teammates Xavi, Thierry Henry, Yaya Touré, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Lionel Messi and ex-teammate and current Internazionale striker Samuel Eto'o. Andrés was one of five nominations for the World Player of the Year award alongside teammates Lionel Messi, and Xavi Hernandez. Proud of the nomination, he commented that "the fans of the team who have always been there to support our team-mates also deserve to be recognised". The ceremony was held in Zürich and teammate Lionel Messi took home the award. Iniesta placed fifth with 134 votes. He scored his first goal for the season against Racing Santander in a 4–0 win. Iniesta's 2009–10 season was largely disrupted by recurrent injuries. He missed pre-season fitness training due to the thigh tear suffered in the 2009 Champions League final and this meant that despite featuring in almost as many matches as the previous season, he did so mostly as a substitute, starting only 20 games throughout. Nevetheless, Barcelona once again won the La Liga title securing a record 99 points. His season came to an end after he aggravated a previous calf injury during training.

2010–11

After being given extended rest by Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque following the World Cup, Iniesta returned to Barcelona for a pre-season medical on 9 August 2010. Speaking to Barcelona's website, he said of the message dedicated to Dani Jarque revealed during his goal celebration in the World Cup final: "I did it because I felt it deeply. It showed that what is more important than rivalry, your team or your colours is to be human and a good person. I am delighted because it was the most important moment in my career." Asked about the recurrent injuries that plagued his 2009/10 season, he said: "It was hard, but I will start with more desire than ever."

Iniesta scored his first goal of the season for Barcelona during the opening La Liga fixture against Racing Santander, lobbing the ball into the net from a distance of 30 yards.[29] He received standing ovations from away fans at El Sardinero and the Vicente Calderón in appreciation of his World Cup-winning exploits whilst with the Spanish national team.

International career
Andrés Iniesta playing for Spain during Euro 2008

Iniesta burst on to the international scene in 2001, helping Spain win the UEFA European Under-16 Championship, and was in the squad that claimed the UEFA European Under-19 Championship the following year. Since then, he became a regular choice for the then youth coach Juan Santisteban. In 2003 he formed part of the Spanish side that reached the FIFA World Youth Championship final in the United Arab Emirates, and was named in the FIFA all-star team. During his spell with the Spain U21s side, Iniesta was named captain on several occasions.

Originally a fringe player, he was called up to represent Spain at the World Cup 2006 on 15 May 2006, much to the surprise of many. Iniesta won his first cap for Spain when he was brought on at half-time in a friendly against Russia on 27 May 2006.

He scored his first goal for Spain in a friendly against England on 7 February 2007. His long range effort, hitting the underside of the crossbar on the way in, gave Spain the lead on 63 minutes. Iniesta proceeded to play a pivotal part in Spain's qualification for Euro 2008 by scoring goals against the likes of Sweden and by assisting the strikers. Iniesta usually played in the middle of the pitch, but he was also trusted with roles further up the pitch when Spain was away from home, most notably in the game against Denmark where he was given an advanced left wing position.

Iniesta was selected in Spain's squad for UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Though a stomach virus somewhat hampered his performances in the group stages, he still played an integral part in the midfield. He played in the first two of Spain's group stage matches and proved an important part of the team providing a particularly notable pass for David Villa's second goal against Russia. He was not rested, unlike most of Spain's regulars, for the final group game against Greece (which Spain won 2–1 thanks to a fantastic volley from Rubén de la Red and a late winner from Daniel Güiza), and returned for the quarter final as Spain beat Italy on Penalties. Iniesta was substituted before the penalty shoot out itself. In the semi-final against Russia he played the entire 90 minutes and produced a quality cross which Xavi converted to open the scoring. The Technical Study Group named him the Man of the Match. He played the full duration of the final in Spain's 1–0 win over Germany. Iniesta was named in the Team of the Tournament alongside fellow Spain midfielders Xavi and Marcos Senna and 6 other teammates.

Iniesta did not participate in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa due to a thigh muscle injury.

He was called for the 2010 World Cup, and scored the second goal in a 2–1 win against Chile. He was also named man of the match. For his excellent performances in helping Spain reach the final of the tournament, Iniesta was shortlisted for the Golden Ball award.He scored the winning goal in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final against Netherlands in the 116th minute, removing his jersey during his celebration to reveal an inscription on his undershirt reading "Dani Jarque: siempre con nosotros", which translates to "Dani Jarque: always with us," in tribute of former Spain youth teammate and RCD Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque, who passed away of a heart attack in August 2009. He won the man of the match award for his performance which sent Spain to their first ever World Cup win.

Style of play

Beyond his raw talent that was spotted at a young age by FC Barcelona's scouts, it was his great versatility, work ethic and inventiveness that allowed him to stake a claim on a first-team place at the age of 18. Vicente del Bosque described him as "the complete footballer. He can attack and defend, he creates and scores", and Frank Rijkaard said "I played him as a false winger, central midfielder, deep midfielder and just behind the striker and he was always excellent."He was used initially as a wide-forward in the absence of Juan Roman Riquelme and Ronaldinho by Louis van Gaal and Rijkaard respectively, but made his name as a world-class player in central midfield alongside or in lieu of Xavi, at both club and international level. As FIFA.com says, "It is in this position that his direct style and quick feet can be used to full effect, with the ball seeming glued to his toes as he races into threatening positions."Much like other Barcelona youth products such as Guardiola, Xavi and Iván de la Peña, Iniesta relies on exceptional creative passing, intuition and inventiveness to control the midfield and dictate the ebb and flow of play.Iniesta has been praised for his understanding and interplay with Xavi; former Barcelona teammate Giovanni van Bronckhorst saying "They have a special relationship, they always have, they just seem to know where the other one is".During his maturation as a player, he has gained a reputation for playing a part in important goals for club and country, specifically playing a leading role in both the 2006 and 2009 UEFA Champions League finals, as well as the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final and 2008–09 UEFA Champions League and Euro 2008 semi-finals.

Profile Fabio Quagliarella

Personal information

Full Name : Fabio Quagliarella
Date of birth : January 31, 1983
Place of birth : Castellammare di Stabia, Italy
Height : 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position : Striker
Current club : Juventus
(on loan from Napoli)
Number : 18
Youth career :
1994–2000 Torino
Senior career :
2000–2005 Torino
2002 → Fiorentina (loan)
2003–2004 → Chieti (loan)
2005–2009 Udinese
2005–2006 → Ascoli (co-ownership)
2006–2007 → Sampdoria (co-ownership)
2009– Napoli
2010– → Juventus (loan)
National team :
2000–2001 Italy U-17
2001 Italy U-19
2002–2004 Italy U-20
2004 Italy U-21
2007– Italy

Club career

Early career

Quagliarella started his career at Torino. He made his Serie A debut against Piacenza Calcio on 14 May 2000 and later made four appearances at Serie A 2001-02 season.

He was then sent on loan to lower division clubs Florentia Viola, at that time in Serie C2, and then Chieti. He returned to Torino in 2004, and scored eight goals in Serie B, plus one goal against Ascoli in the promotion playoff's first legs. But financial problems forced Torino to stay in Serie B, which allowed players to leave for free.

Udinese

Quagliarella joined Udinese on summer 2005, and the club sold half of the registration rights to newly promoted Ascoli, as part of a loan deal.

Quagliarella stayed at Ascoli for just a season, then was loaned to Sampdoria by the transfer of the Ascoli's half of the registration rights. During his time with the blucerchiati, Quagliarella scored 13 goals in the 2006–2007 season, plus one goal in seven matches in the 2006–07 Coppa Italia.

On 21 June 2007, Udinese took the full ownership of the player from Sampdoria by blind auction between the two clubs. On 5 July 2007, a 4-way swap was formed, which saw Quagliarella replaced Vincenzo Iaquinta (left on 19 June), and Sampdoria signed Andrea Caracciolo to replace Quagliarella on 22 June and Palermo signed Fabrizio Miccoli from Juventus on 5 July. He signed an improved contract along with Handanovič and Gyan due to expire on June 30, 2012. He played as a regular for the whole 2007–08 season, scoring a total 12 goals and achieving a place in the Italian squad for the Euro 2008 competition.

Napoli

On 1 June 2009, Quagliarella signed a five year deal with hometown club Napoli.

Juventus

On August 27, 2010, Quagliarella signed for Juventus on loan for a fee of €4.5 million and the Bianconeri will have the option to sign him permanently for €10.5m, paid over three years.

International career

Following his impressive performances with Sampdoria in 2006–07, Quagliarella was called up to the Azzurri squad for a friendly against Romania in February. However, it was delayed by the match cancellation due to fan riots in Serie A that weekend.

Later he played for the Azzurri in March for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Scotland, and made his debut as a substitute, replacing Luca Toni in the final minutes. In Kaunas on 6 June 2007, on his first start for Italy, he scored his first two goals for them in a 2–0 win over Lithuania in a vital Euro 2008 qualifier. On 6 February, he scored Italy's third goal in their 3–1 triumph over Portugal in an international friendly in Zurich. In June 2010 he scored a header against Switzerland in Italy's final friendly before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

He was included in the Italian Euro 2008 squad and the Italian 2010 World Cup squad. During the second half of the 3-2 defeat to Slovakia in a Group F game at South Africa World Cup 2010, he executed a beautiful 25 yard chip to bring the score to 3-2. This match was also incidentally his 21st cap for Italy, having scored 5 goals for them since making his national team debut back in 2007

Profile Nemanja Vidic

Personal information

Full name : Nemanja Vidić
Date of birth : October 21, 1981
Place of birth : Titovo Užice, SFR Yugoslavia
Height : 6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)
Playing position : Centre back
Current club : Manchester United
Number : 15
Youth career :
1989–1993 Jedinstvo Užice
1994–1996 Sloboda Užice
1996–2000 Red Star Belgrade
Senior career :
2000–2004 Red Star Belgrade
2000–2001 → Spartak Subotica (loan)
2004–2006 Spartak Moscow
2006– Manchester United
National team :
2002– Serbia

Club career : Early years

Nemanja Vidić was born to Dragoljub, a now-retired copper factory worker, and Zora, a bank clerk. Vidić took up football at seven years of age, alongside his older brother Dušan, with local side Jedinstvo Užice. He progressed quickly, and moved to Sloboda Užice at the age of 12.

Red Star and Spartak Moscow

Two and a half years later, before his 15th birthday, Red Star Belgrade signed Vidić to their youth system. He started his senior career on a season-long loan deal at Spartak Subotica in 2000. He moved back to Red Star Belgrade after the loan deal ended, playing regularly in the top-flight Yugoslav League with coach Zoran Filipović. He won the 2001–02 Yugoslav Cup with Red Star. Vidić quickly gained the captain's armband, and during his three years as captain, he scored 12 goals in 67 matches, and ended his Red Star Belgrade career on a high note by leading the club to a domestic double. He won the 2004 Serbia and Montenegro League and Serbia and Montenegro Cup trophies with Red Star Belgrade, and in July 2004, he joined Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow. The details of the transfer were not revealed although it was reported that Vidić became the most expensive defender in the history of the Russian Premier League.

Manchester United

After playing two seasons at Spartak Moscow, Vidić signed for Manchester United for a reported fee of around £7 million on 5 January 2006; two and a half years after Manchester United's reported interest in him. On this occasion Manchester beat out stiff competition for Vidić's signature as his transfer to ACF Fiorentina had already been agreed with the club's sporting director Pantaleo Corvino. Since Fiorentina had to wait in order to complete the signing due to not having any free non-EU spots on its roster at the moment, United stepped in and got Vidić in the meantime. He was assigned the number 15 shirt and on 25 January 2006 he made his debut for Manchester United as a substitute for Ruud van Nistelrooy in the dying minutes of a 2–1 win in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Blackburn Rovers. On 16 February 2006, Vidić won his first trophy with United, coming on in the 83rd minute for Wes Brown in the 2006 Carling Cup final win against Wigan Athletic.

During the 2006–07 Premier league season, Vidić formed a partnership with Rio Ferdinand in the centre of defence, which has since become one of the most prominent partnerships in English football, and has become an established first team player. In his first full season playing for Manchester United, he made 25 appearances in the Premier League and ended the season winning his first league medal.

Vidić scored his first ever goal for Manchester United on 14 October 2006 against Wigan Athletic; United won 3–1. He scored his second goal in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 4 November, his first goal at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium. He scored his first Champions League goal for Manchester United against Benfica on 6 December in the group stages, a match which Manchester United won 3–1.

On 8 November 2007, Vidić signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at Manchester United until 2012. At the end of the 2007–08 season, he earned his second consecutive Premier League medal.[18] He was also a part of the squad which won the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final versus Chelsea—his first European medal. During United's 2007–08 season, he made 32 league appearances and scored one goal.

During the 2008–09 season, Vidić has been a pivotal part of the United defence in the absence of a number of other defenders during various parts of the season. He started every match in the British Football League-record run of 14 consecutive clean sheets in Premier League matches. Towards the end of the 2008–09 season, Vidić was shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award, along with another four Manchester United players; he was considered the favourite to receive the accolade that was later awarded to his team-mate Ryan Giggs.Vidić was later named as the Manchester United fans' player of the year and players' player of the year, taking over from Cristiano Ronaldo, who won both awards in 2007–08.

Praised for his aggressive no-nonsense defensive style by Manutd.com by his Manchester United teammates, he is highly regarded for bravery. Because of this, he enjoys a cult status among United faithful and is often compared to former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce for having similar characteristics.

On 25 October 2009, Vidić was again sent off against Liverpool in a 2–0 defeat, marking the third consecutive game against their fiercest rivals in which he had been shown a red card. However, on 21 March 2010 he managed to play a full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win against Liverpool at Old Trafford and again on 19 September 2010 this time a 3–2 victory.

On 23 July 2010, it was reported that Vidić has extended his contract with Manchester United by agreeing to a new long-term contract, ending long-running speculation of a move to Real Madrid. The new four-year contract was signed on 20 August. Vidić scored his first goal of the season on 11 September away to Everton to put his side 2–1 up, the game ending with a dramatic finish with the final score 3–3. After captaining Manchester United for the first five matches of the 2010–11 season, Alex Ferguson later confirmed that Vidić had taken over from Gary Neville as team captain on a permanent basis, while Neville would remain as club captain. On 30 October, Vidić scored his first home goal of the season in a 2–0 league win against Tottenham Hotspur, his goal was the 1000th to be scored at Old Trafford in the Premier League. On 13 November 2010 Vidić scored his third goal of the season in a 2–2 away draw against Aston Villa in the 85th minute to grab United a point from a 2–0 deficit.

International career

A Yugoslavian youth international, he made his senior debut on 12 October 2002 against Italy in UEFA Euro 2004 qualification. Vidić was part of the Serbian and Montenegrin national team's "Famous Four" defence, alongside Mladen Krstajić, Ivica Dragutinović and Goran Gavrančić, that conceded just one goal during the ten 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, setting a new record for the fewest goals conceded. Vidić played a major part in the last qualification game, against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbia and Montenegro won 1–0 and secured qualification, despite Vidić picking up a red card five minutes before the end. Vidić missed out on Serbia and Montenegro's opening group stage match against the Netherlands through suspension from his red card in last qualifying game, and on 12 June 2006 he injured his left knee ligaments during training and he did not play any games at the 2006 World Cup. After the 2006 World Cup, Vidić went on to represent the national team, now independent as the Serbian national team. He was a regular during 2010 World Cup qualifying when fit and was instrumental as Serbia finished top of their group ahead of the likes of France and Romania with the best defensive record.

Individual honours

Vidić won Serbia's Overseas Player of the Year award for 2005, playing for Spartak Moscow, a poll of the captains of the 16 clubs in the Serbian Superliga that is organized annually (the first award was given in 1996) by daily newspaper Večernje Novosti. He was once again the recipient of the award for 2007 and 2008, this time playing for Manchester United. The executive committee of the Serbian Football Association named him Player of the year for 2005 and 2008. He was named in the 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09 PFA Premiership Team of the Season. In addition, he was shortlisted for the 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09 UEFA European Club Defender of the Year and was also shortlisted for the 2006–07 and 2007–08 FIFPro World XI player award and also for the 2008 and 2009 Ballon d'Or award. Vidić was named Premier League Player of the Month for January 2009.[56] He was also named Barclays Player of the Season for 2008–09.

Profile Mesut Ozil

Personal information

Full name : Mesut Özil
Date of birth : 15 October 1988
Place of birth : Gelsenkirchen, West Germany
Height : 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position : Attacking midfielder
Current club : Real Madrid
Number : 23
Youth career
1995–1998 Westfalia 04 Gelsenkirchen
1998–1999 Teutonia Schalke-Nord
1999–2000 Falke Gelsenkirchen
2000–2005 Rot-Weiss Essen
2005–2006 Schalke 04
Senior career :
2006–2008 Schalke 04
2008–2010 Werder Bremen
2010– Real Madrid
National team :
2006–2007 Germany U19
2007–2009 Germany U21
2009– Germany

Club career :
Gelsenkirchen and Rot-Weiss Essen

Özil began his youth career playing for various clubs in Gelsenkirchen and then played five years for Rot-Weiss Essen.

Schalke 04

In 2005, he moved to the youth department of FC Schalke 04. He was a midfielder and wore 11 as his squad number, after starting as play-maker and central attacking midfielder in the place of the suspended Lincoln in Ligapokal matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich for Schalke. On making the first team there, he was described as 'the next big thing', but he eventually fell out with club management and moved on to Werder Bremen in January 2008.

Werder Bremen

On 31 January 2008, he moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €4.3 million, signing a contract with the German club until 30 June 2011.Fresh off his fallout at Schalke 04 he stepped into the shoes of Brazilian playmaker Diego to fire the northern club to the 2009 DFB-Pokal with the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Berlin.He also excelled in Europe where he led Werder Bremen to the final of the last ever UEFA Cup, losing out to Shakhtar Donetsk.Although Bremen failed to get going in their 2008–09 Bundesliga season, eventually finishing in a disappointing 10th, Ozil managed to make a significant impact in most games and came away with a respectable three goals and 15 assists that highlighted his attacking credentials. In his second season with the club, they ended third and Özil was the big man with 17 assists.

Real Madrid

Due to his performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he ensured his place among Europe's top young talents, with Real Madrid wasting little time in signing him ahead of the 2010–11 season. On 17 August 2010 Werder Bremen announced that they had reached an agreement with Real Madrid. The transfer fee is believed to be in the region of €15mil. He made his debut on 22 August in a friendly match against Hércules, which Real Madrid won 3–1.

He then made his La Liga debut for Real Madrid as a substitute for Ángel di María in the 62nd minute against Mallorca, which Real Madrid drew 0–0. Özil made his season debut in Champions League on 15 September. He got his first assist with Real Madrid in the 74th minute against Ajax after he crossed in the ball, resulting in a Higuaín goal. Özil's performances for Real Madrid have been praised by media, fans and players.

He walked off the pitch as a second half substitute to standing ovations in his first two games as a starter at the Santiago Bernabéu. His first goal came in a league match against Deportivo La Coruña on 3 October 2010, in a 6–1 victory. Özil's first Champions League goal with Real came in the 14th minute against Milan on 19 October 2010. He scored two other goals in the league matches, one against Racing de Santander, and another from a wonderfully struck free kick which the Atlético Madrid keeper de Gea could do nothing about.

International career

In September 2006, Özil was called up for the Germany U-17 team. Özil has been a member of the German U-21 team since 2007. On 29 June 2009, Özil was the catalyst in a 4–0 win over England during the U-21 European Championship final.

He made his debut for the Germany national football team during a friendly match against Norway on 11 February 2009. He scored his first goal for the senior team in his third appearance, another friendly, against South Africa on 5 September in Leverkusen.
Mesut Özil playing for Germany

2010 World Cup

He was selected for the Germany national squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, starting in the team's first four games. He scored a left-footed half-volley from the edge of the 18 yard box against Ghana in the final group game, ensuring Germany progressed to the second round as group winners. On 27 June 2010, he played in Germany's win over England in the last 16 match, setting up the fourth goal with a cross to Thomas Müller as Germany triumphed 4–1. During the quarter-final match against Argentina he assisted the second goal for Miroslav Klose with a low cross to make it 4-0 to the Germans. Germany went on to win the match 4–0. FIFA announced him as one of the ten nominations for the Golden Ball.

Profile Xavi Hernandez

Personal information

Full name : Xavier Hernández Creus
Date of birth : 25 January 1980
Place of birth : Terrassa, Spain
Height : 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position : Midfielder
Current club : Barcelona Fc
Number : 6
Youth career :
1991–1997 Barcelona
Senior career :
1997–2000 Barcelona B
1998– Barcelona
National team :
1997 Spain U17
1997–1998 Spain U18
1999 Spain U20
1998–2001 Spain U21
2000 Spain U23
2000– Spain
2000– Catalonia

Club career :
1998–2004

Xavi is a product of Barcelona's youth system and has been a regular at Camp Nou since the age of 11. He quickly made his way through the youth and reserve teams and was a key member of Jordi Gonzalvo's FC Barcelona B team that won promotion to the Segunda División.

His progression through the teams earned him a first team debut on 18 August 1998 in the Super Cup final, in which he scored against Mallorca. His début in La Liga came against Valencia on 3 October 1998 in a 3–1 victory for Barcelona. Initially featuring intermittently both for the reserve and senior teams, Xavi scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Real Valladolid when Barcelona were 10th in the league, sparking a renaissance in form for the club. Sustained impressive performances quickly meant he become a key member of Louis van Gaal's title winning team. An injury to Pep Guardiola in the following La Liga 1999-00 season meant that Xavi became Barcelona's principal playmaker, a position he has retained ever since.
2004–2008

Since the title-winning season of 2004–05, he has been a vice-captain of the team. In the 2005–06 season, Xavi tore the ligaments in his left knee in training; he was out of action for five months, missing the majority of the playing season, but returned in April and was on the substitutes bench for the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final.
Xavi with Barcelona.
2008–present

The 2008–09 season was Xavi's best season so far, by performances and achievements. He was a main part of Barcelona's treble, performing with excellence in all three competitions: he scored the 4th goal in the 4–1 win in the Copa del Rey 2008–09 final against Athletic Bilbao, with a free kick.

In La Liga, among many fine performances, perhaps the most significant one is the 6–2 El Clásico victory vs Real Madrid on 2 May. He assisted 4 out of 6 goals (once to Puyol, once to Henry and twice to Messi), and this performance and this win definitively led to Barcelona winning the 2009 title.
Xavi (far left) with Barcelona against Real Madrid.

Finally, Xavi helped Barcelona win the 2009 Champions League Final versus Manchester United, which ended 2–0, assisting the second goal by passing the ball to Leo Messi's header after 69 minutes and also nearly scored as his shot from just outside the penalty box hit the post. Xavi was voted "UEFA Champions League best midfielder" for his contribution during Barcelona's victorious 2008-09 UEFA Champions League campaign. Xavi was La Liga's highest assisting player with 20 assists. He was also the highest assisting player in the champions league with 7 assists.

Xavi is under contract to Barça until 2014 after extending his contract during the 2008–09 season. The new contract will make him one of the club's biggest earners, and entitle him to €7.5 million a year.

Xavi equaled Carles Rexach in the all-time appearances list for Barcelona when he made his 452nd appearance in his 11th season at the club on 14 February 2009. He is now second only to Migueli, who made 548 appearances. He currently tops the La Liga assists table.

During the 2009–2010 season, journalists increasingly noted Xavi's contribution to the Barcelona side. For example:

"Quite simply the best midfielder in modern football, and one of the greatest 'centre' midfielders of all time. It could even be argued that Xavi and Lothar Matthaus are the two best in this position in history. World class for several years now, it is the past three seasons in particular where the 30-year-old has been untouchable. Xavi’s passing is up there with Michel Platini, he creates countless goals with genius through balls while virtually never relinquishing possession."

In the 2009-10 season, Xavi continued his excellent form from last season. He once again topped the assists table and provided both the assists in Barcelona's 2-0 victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. He was acclaimed the 2nd best player of Barcelona in a season-long voting as Barcelona won the league title with a record 99 points. On 3 June 2010, Spanish newspaper Marca awarded Xavi third place in the annual Trofeo Alfredo di Stéfano award for the best player in La Liga, behind only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

On 9 June 2010, Xavi signed a new 4 year contract with the club, which may be automatically renewed up to 30 June 2016 based on number of games played.

International career

Xavi Hernandez's abilities on the football pitch have led his teams to numerous titles and placed him among the most decorated footballers of all time. The playmaker has won major international titles with Spain and FC Barcelona in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA World Cup. His successes on the European stage are no less estimable, with his having won the UEFA European Football Championship and complementing this achievement by twice winning the UEFA Champions League. These combined achievements have made him a winner of Europe's major titles at both international and club level. Xavi is also a 5 time Liga BBVA Champion and was a prolific star player of the Barcelona side that won the famed unprecedented Spanish treble, which culminated in a record 6 trophies, the sextuple, in one calendar year.

World Cup 2010

During the summer of 2010, Xavi's work as a playmaker was a factor in Spain's successful campaign for their first ever World Cup title. The veteran midfielder finished with a stellar 81% percent pass completion rate over the course of the tournament, completing 544 passes out of 669 passes attempted over all of Spain's 7 games. The sheer volume of Xavi's passing was impressive: among all players, even those who reached the final or the 3rd place match, Xavi led the field in passes attempted, passes completed, corners attempted (47), corners completed (26), and deliveries in the penalty area (15).[8] Xavi was the only player to have attempted over 600 passes in the tournament, and likewise the only one to have completed at least 500 passes. His total of 669 passes attempted was 104 more than the next most prolific passer in the World Cup that year, Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger. These numbers stand as a statistical testament to both Xavi's passing prowess and Spain's reliance on him to distribute the ball.

Profile Park Ji Sung

Personal information :

Full name : Park Ji-Sung
Date of birth : 25 February 1981
Place of birth : Goheung County , Jeollanam-do, South Korea
Height : 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position : Midfielder
Current club : Manchester United
Number : 13
Youth career :
1999–2000 Myongji University
Senior career :
2000–2003 Kyoto Purple Sanga
2003–2005 PSV Eindhoven
2005– Manchester United
National team :
1999–2004 Korea Republic U-23
2000– Korea Republic

Career

Early career

Park grew up in Suwon, a satellite city 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Seoul. While in high school, Park was rejected by a number of professional clubs, due to his small stature. He ended up playing for Myongji University after his high school coach strongly recommended him to the university coach. In 2000, after just a year at Myongji University, Kyoto Purple Sanga of Japan offered Park a contract and he took up the offer.

Kyoto Purple Sanga

Park signed with the Japanese club who had just been relegated to J2. In 2001, the club won the Division 2 championships and were promoted to the first division. In 2002, Park led the team to the finals of the Emperor's Cup, and scored the equaliser with a header and assisted Teruaki Kurobe's winning goal in the final match.The team went on to win the match 2–1 to become the Emperor's Cup champions for the first time in Sanga's history. He left Sanga following the World Cup and Sanga's failure to avoid relegation to J2.

PSV Eindhoven

After the World Cup, Guus Hiddink was appointed as manager of Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. In 2003, Park and South Korean teammate Lee Young-Pyo moved to PSV Eindhoven in order to play under their mentor and former national team coach. While Lee quickly became a fixture in PSV Eindhoven's starting lineup, Park struggled due to injuries.

However, by the end of 2003–04 season, Park had begun to adapt to the Netherlands, both on and off the field. In the 2004–05 season, the departure of Arjen Robben to Chelsea afforded Park more starting opportunities and he quickly proved his worth to the team. Along with Johann Vogel, DaMarcus Beasley and Dutchmen Mark van Bommel and Philip Cocu, Park formed the backbone of PSV Eindhoven's midfield play with his pace and passing. Having been a top contributor of goals and assists that season, the highlight of Park's PSV career came when he scored the first goal against Italian team A.C. Milan at the Champions League semi-finals. PSV went on to win the home leg 3–1, but their 2–0 loss during the away leg meant Milan advanced to the Champions League Final. However, thanks to these successful performances, Park was elected as one of UEFA MVP in FW section in 2005 as well as Adriano Leite Ribeiro, Samuel Eto'o, and Ronaldinho. PSV fans were so enamoured with Park that they wrote a song about him, titled "Song for Park", it was included in the PSV official album "PSV Kampioen" and repeats "Ji-Sung Park" in Dutch pronunciation the whole time.

Manchester United

In the closing months of the 2004–05 season, Park chose to join Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. Park signed for the Premier League side for £4 million,subject to a medical and work permit.

Park became the first Asian to ever captain Manchester United when he took the armband from Ryan Giggs as he replaced him during a home Champions League game against Lille on 18 October 2005.His first goal for Manchester United came on 20 December 2005, during a 3–1 win over Birmingham City in the League Cup fifth round. On 5 February 2006, Park appeared to have scored his first Premier League goal, coming against Fulham in United's 4–2 victory at Old Trafford.However the Premier League's Dubious Goals Panel later ruled that this was an "own-goal" due to a deflection off the Fulham defender Carlos Bocanegra. On 9 April 2006, Park scored his first official league goal, netting the second of a 2–0 home win over Arsenal.

In April 2007, Park was sent to America for surgery on a recurring knee injury, putting an end to his season. Although sidelined by injury for most of the season, he still played in enough matches to become the first Korean player to win the Premier League.

On 1 March 2008, Park scored his first Premiership goal of the 2007–08 season after returning from his long-term injury against Fulham. His lack of appearances had caused much controversy in Korea, but he proved his worth when he delivered an assist to Wayne Rooney in the Champions League quarter-final match against Roma. On 29 April 2008, Manchester United advanced to the Champions League Final after beating Barcelona, a game in which Park was voted Man of the Match. On 21 May, it came as a huge surprise to many that Park was excluded completely from the squad to face Chelsea in the Final. Many believed that Park's performances against Roma and Barcelona had earned him a place in the starting line-up for the game. With that omission, Park failed to become the first footballer from Asia to play in a Champions League final, as had widely been anticipated in South Korea. Later, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson stated that leaving the South Korean winger out from the 18-man squad for the Champions League final was one of the hardest decisions he had to make all throughout his managerial career.

Park after a match against Barcelona in April 2008
Early in the 2008–09 Premier League season, in an away match versus Chelsea, Park scored the only goal for United in a 1–1 draw on 21 September 2008, in a game which he also won the Man of the Match award.On 13 December 2008, he made his 100th appearance for Manchester United, starting in the match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, the game ended 0–0. Park was included in the 23-man squad for the FIFA Club World Cup held at the end of 2008. He missed the semi-final but played the full 90 minutes in the final which they won 1–0 becoming the first English side to win the competition. On 7 March 2009, Park scored his first FA Cup goal in the 4–0 quarter-final win over Fulham at Craven Cottage, he latched onto a miss placed pass by Zoltán Gera eventually slotting it into the far corner for the fourth and final goal. On 15 April 2009, Manchester United advanced to semi-finals of the Champions League by defeating Porto 3–2 on aggregate. This made Park the only Asian player to be part of UEFA Champions League semi-finals on four different occasions.

On 2 May 2009, Park verbally agreed to a new four year £50,000 a week deal at Manchester United, he stated “I have no reason to move. I play at the best club in the world.” Following this announcement Park scored his second league goal of the season, and third overall, in a 2–0 away win against Middlesbrough. On 5 May 2009, Park scored his first Champions League goal for Manchester United in the second leg of the Semi-final against Arsenal at the Emirates. He pounced on a slip by Kieran Gibbs and placed the ball over Manuel Almunia in the 8th minute, with the game ending 3–1 (4–1 on aggregate), advancing United to the Champions League Final for the second year running.Park became the first Asian player in history to play in a Champions League Final, however it would not end in victory as Barcelona were crowned European champions winning 2–0.

On 14 September 2009, Park signed a three-year contract extension with United, keeping him at the club until 2012. Ferguson said during the summer that he was always confident a deal would be done with Park, whose wages are estimated to be about £65,000 a week. On 31 January 2010, Park scored his first goal of the season, hitting United's third in a 3–1 win against Arsenal. His last goal also came against Arsenal at the Emirates in the same scoreline, coming in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, this was also the first time United had beaten Arsenal at the Emirates in the Premier League. On 10 March 2010, Park scored his first European goal of the season which was also his first for United in Europe at Old Trafford, hitting the third in a 4–0 win over A.C. Milan. This was also his second goal against A.C. Milan in the Champions League. On 21 March 2010, Park scored a crucial winner in the derby against Liverpool, turning in Darren Fletcher's right-wing cross with a close-range diving header.On 4 May 2010, Park committed himself to United by openly claiming he would like to spend the rest of career with them, saying "There is no reason to move to any other team. On 9 May 2010, Park netted on the final day of the season, scoring a close-range diving header against Stoke City to wrap up a 4–0 win. Despite United comfortably winning, they were pipped to the title by Chelsea who thumped Wigan Athletic 8–0 to claim the league by a single point.[

Park returned to the United team for the first time following the World Cup as he started against a League of Ireland XI in their final pre-season game on 4 August 2010. He marked this game with the first ever goal scored at the newly built Aviva Stadium, he then scored a second later on as United ended the game 7–1 winners. On 22 September 2010, Park netted his first goal of the 2010–11 season as he scored United's fourth of a 5–2 away win against Scunthorpe United in the 3rd round of the League Cup. He then netted in the next round of the League Cup, scoring United's second goal in a 3–2 home win over Wolves on 26 October 2010.[36] Park scored his first two league goals of the season in a 2–1 home win over Wolves on 6 November, the second a late winner in the 93rd minute.

International career

Park began his international career as a 19-year-old defensive midfielder. Park made his first appearance selection during 2000 Sydney Olympics U-23 regional qualifier. Park was on 2000 Sydney Olympic roster along with Lee Chun-Soo, and Lee Dong-Gook. Selected by then manager, Huh Jung-Moo, he was unable to improve or show potential as a future regular for Korean national team. However, when Guus Hiddink became the head coach of South Korea, Park's position was shifted to that of a winger. Since then, Park has become a versatile player able to play in a variety of positions: central, right and left midfield, as well as wing-forward.

Park scored a memorable goal during the 2002 World Cup. During the group stages South Korea had won their first game against Poland and drew against USA. In order to advance, they had to manage a draw at the least against favoured Portugal side. The game was 0–0 until the 70th minute following two red cards against Portugal, when Park scored the match winner, controlling the ball with his chest and beating Sérgio Conceição before volleying it through the legs of Portugal goalkeeper Vitor Baia and into the net with his left foot. His goal eliminated Portugal and advanced South Korea into the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time.

Park's success in the World Cup continued into the 2006 tournament. He scored the equalising goal in the second Group G Match against eventual finalists France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup[40] and was voted Man of the match. Between these two World Cup Finals, his shirt number shifted from 21 to 7, and he played in every match for South Korea.

On 11 October 2008, he captained South Korea for the first time in a friendly against Uzbekistan. Korea won 3–0. He has been the skipper for the remainder of the qualification campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was top scorer, with 5 goals. One of his goals was against Iran in Seoul, beating 2 defenders then scored with his left foot. South Korea advanced to the finals without a single defeat.

On 12 June 2010, Park netted in his third consecutive World Cup, scoring the second goal in Korea's 2-0 win over Greece in their first group match. By scoring he created history in becoming the second Asian to score in three consecutive World Cup finals and became Asia's joint all-time leading scoring in the FIFA World Cup with three goals, alongside compatriot Ahn Jung-Hwan and Sami Al-Jaber of Saudi Arabia.

Profile David Bentley

Personal information :

Full name : David Michael Bentley
Date of birth :27 August 1984
Place of birth : Peterborough, England
Height : 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position : Right winger
Current club : Tottenham Hotspur
Number : 5
Youth career
0000–1997 Wormley F.C.
1997–2002 Arsenal
Senior career :
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2002–2006 Arsenal 1 (0)
2004–2005 → Norwich City (loan)
2005–2006 → Blackburn Rovers (loan)
2006–2008 Blackburn Rovers
2008– Tottenham Hotspur
National team:
2005–2007 England U21
2007 England B
2007–present England

Club career

Arsenal

Born in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire,Bentley started his youth career at Wormley Football Club in Wormley, Hertfordshire, before moving to Arsenal at the age of 13 as a forward, occasionally playing in the hole. However, as seasons went by he found himself being used primarily in midfield, usually as a wide midfielder. He was only 16 when Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger asked him to join in training with the senior squad. By January 2003, he was handed his senior debut, coming on as a substitute for Kolo Touré in the 77th minute of a 2–0 FA Cup Third Round win over Oxford United. Bentley's first goal for Arsenal, an audacious lob in a 4–1 FA Cup win over Middlesbrough in January 2004, earned comparisons with Arsenal veteran Dennis Bergkamp. He played once in the league for Arsenal, starting against Portsmouth in May 2004.

Bentley spent the whole of the next league season on loan to Norwich City, playing 26 league games and scoring two goals against Newcastle and Southampton. His season at Carrow Road was interrupted by an injury sustained in January. He returned to the side in April 2005, coming off the bench against Manchester United and playing a key role in Norwich's 2–0 win. Despite a late run of form, the Canaries were relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the season. Bentley returned to Arsenal in the summer of 2005, but submitted a transfer request, citing his desire for first team football.In subsequent interviews, he also revealed that he was having "personal problems" at that point in his career and had lost his enjoyment for football—problems which he overcame later in his Blackburn Rovers career. He later admitted he had been addicted to gambling in the early stages of his career, reaching a peak of placing 100 bets a day. He got over his problems in 2005.

Desiring a permanent move, Bentley was linked with a number of clubs including Wolverhampton Wanderers, before being dispatched on a further season's loan to Blackburn Rovers in August 2005.

Blackburn Rovers

In January 2006, Blackburn announced they had signed Bentley on a permanent basis from Arsenal. In his first match after permanently signing for Blackburn, he scored his first senior hat trick in a 4–3 victory against Manchester United, becoming the first player in the history of the Premier League to score three goals in one game against United. Bentley went on to feature regularly for Blackburn in the 2005–06 season, and helped the club finish sixth in league standings and qualify for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup.

Bentley taking a corner for Blackburn
The 2006–07 season saw Bentley become more of a regular goalscorer for Rovers, including some stunning strikes in the Premiership. In Europe, a 25 yard volley against Salzburg in the UEFA Cup helped secure Rovers' passage into the group stage, where he also scored a last minute winner against Wisła Kraków. Bentley's club performances attracted much transfer speculation. However, on 27 February 2007, despite being linked to a move to Manchester United, he agreed to a new contract that would keep him with Blackburn until 2011. Commenting on the new deal, Rovers manager Mark Hughes described Bentley as "a great talent with a big future" while Chairman John Williams added that he "is widely regarded as one of the best young footballers in the country." Bentley ended the season with seven goals and 13 assists for Blackburn, the latter statistic also highlighting his creative importance to the team.The young midfielder was later voted by Rovers fans as the club's Player of the Year.

Bentley recorded similar statistics in the following campaign, scoring eight goals and providing 13 assists. Blackburn finished seventh in the Premier League, but did not qualify for European competition. Bentley's consistent performances for his club, however, ensured that he played in a series of post-season friendlies for England. But that was to be the Englishman's final season with the Lancashire club. Not long after the departure of manager Mark Hughes to Manchester City, Bentley reiterated his desire to join a bigger club, and Blackburn placed a valuation of the player at around £18 million.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 31 July 2008, Tottenham Hotspur announced their signing of Bentley from Blackburn Rovers for £15 million, and up to an additional £2 million payable upon future performances. Bentley made his competitive debut on 16 August 2008 away at Middlesbrough where Spurs lost 2–1. He scored his first competitive goal for Spurs in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round tie against Wisła Kraków on 18 September 2008. He then scored his first league goal for Tottenham against his old club Arsenal with a 43-yard dipping volley in a 4–4 draw on 29 October 2008. Bentley's form would suffer at Tottenham, however, and after falling down the pecking order for both club and country, he confirmed on 17 June 2009 that he was in talks to move to Aston Villa. Subsequently, it was revealed by Bentley and Aston Villa that this was untrue.

The form of Aaron Lennon meant that Bentley has mostly been used as a substitute for the start 2009–10 season, although he did score a free kick in Tottenham's 9–1 victory over Wigan Athletic, with the ball then going in off the back of Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland. He also scored the second goal from a free kick in a 2–0 home win over Fulham on 26 January 2010. In June 2010, while in Marbella David Bentley confirmed that he would stay at Tottenham Hotspur unless told otherwise.

International career

Bentley has played for the England under-15 and under-16 teams, captained the England under-18 team and played for the England under-21 team. He recorded eight caps and four goals with the Under-21 team,[24] He was the first Englishman to score at the new Wembley Stadium in a game against the Italy under-21 team on 24 March 2007.

In May 2007, following an impressive 2006–07 season for Blackburn, Bentley was called up for the England B international at Turf Moor for a match against Albania. After naming him as a starter, England manager Steve McClaren said Bentley had the potential to become England's "new David Beckham". In that match, Bentley provided the cross for Stewart Downing's first goal and was involved in the buildup to Stewart Downing's second in the 3–1 victory for England. He received the Man of the Match award for his performance. The next day, he was named in McClaren's 26-man full England squad for the friendly match against Brazil and the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia.

In June 2007, Bentley was called up to the England under-21 squad for the European under-21 Championships in the Netherlands. However, he pulled out of the squad citing fatigue, and England under-21 manager Stuart Pearce questioned the midfielder's commitment to the national squad. This withdrawal led to Bentley being excluded in the senior England squad for the friendly against Germany, but he was selected for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia. He made his senior debut when he came on as a substitute for Shaun Wright-Phillips against Israel, but was jeered by some of the fans due to his previous refusal to play for the under-21 squad.

Bentley started for England for the first time in the friendly against Switzerland on 6 February 2008.

Profile Roman Pavlyuchenko

Personal information :

Full name : Roman Anatolevich Pavlyuchenko
Date of birth : 15 December 1981
Place of birth : Mostovskoy, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height : 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Playing position : Striker
Current club : Tottenham Hotspur
Number : 9
Senior career :
1998–1999 Dynamo Stavropol
2000–2002 Rotor
2003–2008 Spartak Moscow
2008– Tottenham Hotspur - sekarang
National team :
2003– Russia

Club career :

Spartak Moscow

Pavlyuchenko moved to Spartak Moscow in the spring of 2003. During his time at Spartak, Pavlyuchenko was the club's most prolific goalscorer, scoring 89 goals in 187 games. His goalscoring, together with his loyalty to the rhombik (the club's emblem), earned him much respect and appreciation from the "Army of Red-White Fans".

Tottenham Hotspur

In September 2008, Pavlyuchenko signed for Tottenham Hotspur[2] for a reported fee of £14 million. Pavlyuchenko made his debut for the Spurs on 15 September against Aston Villa. He scored his first goal on 24 September 2008, in the 2–1 League Cup 3rd round win against Newcastle United. Pavlyuchenko went on to score his first league goal for the club in the 2–0 victory against Bolton Wanderers on 26 October 2008. He has scored in every English domestic cup competition game he has played in, except for the 2009 Football League Cup Final. In the 2009–10 season Pavlyuchenko was fourth choice striker for Tottenham with Harry Redknapp preferring Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe to the Russian. Although not given much of an opportunity from manager Harry Redknapp, Pavlyuchenko has been a fan favourite at White Hart Lane with support on internet forums as well as social sites such as Facebook, with supporter groups gaining popularity such as . Such wide support may have been the only factor which kept Pavlyuchenko at Tottenham in January 2010 when he was linked with a move away from the club.

Pavlyuchenko came on as a substitute on 21 February against Wigan and scored a close range finish to make the score 2–0, his first league goal of the season. He also added a second from a very tight angle during injury time to make it 3–0. He made only his second start of the season on 24 February and scored twice in the FA Cup 5th Round replay against Bolton Wanderers, which Tottenham won 4–0. Manager Harry Redknapp has since gone on to say that the Russian striker has taken his opportunity and may well see further first team action. Pavlyuchenko continued his good form with another goal against Everton on the 28 February, and another two goals against Blackburn Rovers on 13 March. He also scored a goal in the quarter-final replay against Fulham at White Hart Lane on 24 March. On 17 August, he scored a very important goal against BSC Young Boys in the Champions League, despite being behind 3-0 at one point, a goal from Sebastian Bassong pulled it back to 3-1, before Pavlyuchenko made it 3-2. In the second leg Tottenham won 4-0 at home, meaning that they would progress into the Champions League group stages. Pavlyuchenko's promising form in this tournament continued with two second-half penalty strikes against FC Twente in Tottenham's second group match followed by a decisive third goal as Spurs beat champions Inter Milan on Matchday 4. On November 4 Pavlyuchenko scored a brilliant volley against in the 4-2 loss against Bolton Wanderers, following this the next weekend with another in a home win against Blackburn Rovers.

International career

In 2003, Pavlyuchenko was first called into the Russian national team and since 2005 has been consistently earning caps at the national level.

Euro 2008

Roman Pavlyuchenko was in the spotlight when he scored both goals in Russia's 2–1 victory in a crucial Euro 2008 qualification match against England.[8] He was named in Guus Hiddink's 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2008.

He scored a late consolation goal in Russia's loss to Spain in their opening match of the campaign and the first goal in Russia's third match of the tournament against Sweden to send Russia through at Sweden's expense. He was declared man of the match after the 1–0 game with Greece, although he did not score in the game, and then scored the first goal of the match in Russia's 3–1 quarter final victory over the Netherlands. After the tournament ended, he was named in the 23-man Team of the Tournament.

Profile Michael Essien

Personal information :

Full name : Michael Kojo Essien
Date of birth : 3 December 1982
Place of birth : Accra, Ghana
Height : 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position : Midfielder
Current club : Chelsea
Number : 5
Youth career :
1999–2000 Liberty Professionals
Senior career :
2000–2003 Bastia
2003–2005 Lyon
2005– Chelsea - sekarang
National team :
2002– Ghana

Club career

Bastia

In July 2000, Essien was signed by French first division club Bastia and made his debut for the club on 30 September 2000 in a league match against Metz appearing as a substitute for captain Laurent Casanova. Essien did not immediately command a consistent place in the team, being deployed in various positions in the back four. He ultimately finished the 2000–01 campaign with only 13 league appearances and one goal, which came in the return leg against Metz in a 3–2 defeat. The following season, Essien was given an opportunity by manager Robert Nouzaret to play in central midfield and flourished in this new role. Essien formed midfield partnerships with Nicolas Dieuze and Cyril Jeunechamp and scored vital goals in victories over Nantes, Lorient, and Guingamp. On 12 January 2002, Essien scored the equalizing goal against Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome to even the match at 2–2. He also scored a goal in the Coupe de la Ligue against Le Mans. Future Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba converted a goal for Le Mans in the match.

In the 2002–03 season, Essien developed into an undisputed starter under new manager Gérard Gili. However, his tenacious and physical style of play also began to take form as he collected a staggering 12 yellow cards in league play. He opened the new campaign by scoring on his season debut against Lens in a 1–1 draw and converted five more league goals, which included one in a surprising 2–0 victory over the defending champions Lyon. Following the campaign, in which Bastia finished mid-table for the third consecutive season, Essien drew interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon, and Marseille.

Olympique Lyonnais

Paris Saint-Germain made Bastia the best offer and it was accepted, but Essien rejected PSG's contract offer, and instead agreed terms with the two-time defending champions Lyon, who paid Bastia €7.8 million for the transfer. Upon his arrival, Essien was assigned the number 4 shirt and inserted into the box-to-box midfield, which allowed him the freedom to protect and assist playmaker Juninho Pernambucano while defensive midfielders Edmilson and Mahamadou Diarra assisted the defense and directed the distribution. He made his club debut in the team's 2003 Trophée des champions match against Auxerre on 27 July 2003. In just the 5th minute of play, Essien scored his first goal for the club. Four minutes later, Diarra netted a goal. Lyon won the match 2–1 giving Essien his first club honour as a player.[20] In just the third match of the campaign, Essien scored his first league goal for the club in a 3–1 victory over Monaco.[21] He featured regularly for the rest of the campaign making 33 more league appearances and scoring two more goals against Bordeaux and Rennes, respectively. On 23 May 2004, Lyon sealed their third consecutive league title by defeated Lille 3–0 at the Stade Gerland. Essien appeared as a substitute in the match. In the UEFA Champions League, Essien appeared in eight of the ten matches Lyon contested and the club was ultimately eliminated by Portuguese club and the eventual champions Porto.

In his final season at Lyon, Essien appeared in all but one league match as Lyon were crowned champions for the fourth straight season. The match he missed was as a result of a red card endured in the previous league match. Essien also scored three goals and collected 11 yellow cards, tied for second-worst in the league. His performances in the league resulted in him being voted the 2005 Player of the Year by France's National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP). His honour started a record streak of UNFP Player of the Year awards for Lyon players with the streak coming to an end in 2008 following Karim Benzema's victory. He was also nominated for the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year Award. He placed 22nd in 2005.

Chelsea

Essien training for Chelsea
On August 14, 2005, Lyon and Chelsea agreed a £26 million fee for the Ghanaian, finally ending one of the longest-running transfer sagas.At the time, the fee made Essien Chelsea's most expensive signing of all time, beating the £24 million they paid for Didier Drogba the previous summer. The transfer went through on August 19. The transfer came under scrutiny in the Stevens inquiry report, which expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents Pinhas Zahavi and Barry Silkman.

He made his debut as a second half substitute against Arsenal on August 21, 2005, wearing the number 5 on his shirt. The game ended with a 1–0 victory to Chelsea. He made an assist in his full debut against West Bromwich Albion, and he replaced the injured Claude Makélélé in the defensive midfield role against Sunderland in the 2–0 win on September 10, 2005. He soon cemented his place in José Mourinho's side, starting in 31 domestic league games, and 11 appearances in the other cup competitions.

On December 15, 2005, he was handed a two-match ban by UEFA for a controversial tackle on Dietmar Hamann, which resulted in his suspension from Chelsea's UEFA Champions League second round tie with eventual European champions Barcelona. Essien apologised to Hamann for the challenge – stating while he desires to be perceived as a player who "unsettles" opponents, he was not a malicious or an unsporting player. Hamann publicly accepted Essien's apology. In January 2006, Essien was himself stretchered off the field, after a challenge from West Ham United's captain Nigel Reo-Coker, and was sidelined for three weeks.

Essien scored his first goal for Chelsea from a sublime through ball from Timothy Aldridge on March 11, 2006, in a 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. His second goal came on April 17, 2006, against Everton with a powerful strike after an assertive burst through the defensive line. Essien ended his maiden season in England with two goals, both in the Premier League.

Essien was nominated for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Award on October 12, 2006 where he placed 22nd. One week later, he was nominated for the 2006 Ballon d'Or. He was voted as the Best African Footballer of the Year in 2006,[33] a feat he achieved in 2005 as well. He won the 2006 BBC African footballer of the year award.

The following season Essien scored several important goals including his first UEFA Champions League goal for Chelsea in a 2–0 victory over Werder Bremen of Germany on September 12, 2006. Later in the competition, Essien scored a late winner in the quarter-final second leg against Valencia at the Mestalla to send Chelsea through to the semi-finals with a 2–1 victory on the night, and 3–2 win on aggregate.It was his first match back in the team after several weeks out with a knee injury. Essien also scored a stunning late equaliser at home against Arsenal on 10 December 2006, as the game was going to end Chelsea's long unbeaten run.

On May 15, 2007, Chelsea fans voted Essien as Chelsea Player of the Year for his contributions in the 2006–07 season, becoming the first African to receive the honour. His late dramatic equalising goal against Arsenal was also voted as Chelsea Goal of the Season for 2006–07.

On August 13, 2007, Essien grabbed the winner with his first goal of the 2007–08 Premier League campaign, as Chelsea defeated Birmingham City, to set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home – eclipsing Liverpool's previous top-flight record of 63 set between 1978 and 1981.

On October 10, 2007, he was nominated for the prestigious 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Award for the third consecutive year and on October 21, 2007 Essien was also nominated for the 2007 Ballon d'Or Award for the third consecutive year as well. He was voted 15th Best Player in the World at the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Awards. On December 12, 2007, Essien was nominated for the 2007 African Footballer of the Year a third consecutive time he had been nominated. He was Runner-up to that year's winner Frédéric Kanouté.

On July 22, 2008, Essien signed a new five-year deal with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2013.

It was feared Essien would miss the 2008–09 season after sustaining anterior cruciate ligament damage on September 5 whilst playing for Ghana. However, on March 7, 2009, he came on as a substitute in the second half of the FA Cup game against Coventry City. In his second game back from the knee injury, just before half time, Essien scored to give Chelsea a vital away-goal versus Juventus in the Champions League round of 16. Chelsea went on the draw the match 2–2 and through to the quarter-finals 3–2 on aggregate. He made his first league start from injury against Manchester City, and scored the only goal in the match.

On May 6, 2009, Essien scored a stunning left-footed volley in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona, a tie which Chelsea ultimately lost due to the away goal rule. The goal was later voted 2008–09 goal of the season by the Chelsea fans.

In the 2009–2010 season Essien put in an excellent performance against Blackburn on 24 October 2009 and scored his first goal of the season with a swerving 35-yard shot on 52 minutes. He scored his first brace for Chelsea against Wolves with a header and a low shot from outside the box, and came close to completing his first hat-trick for the club with a flurry of second half shots, one of which was tipped onto the bar by Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Essien was injured on international duty during the 2010 African Nations Cup and missed the rest of the English domestic season. On 4 June 2010, Essien signed a two-year extension to his existing contract that will keep him at the club until 2015. Essien returned to action on 17 July 2010 in friendly against Crystal Palace. Essien scored the only goal of the match to give Chelsea the win.

2010-11 season Essien playing for Chelsea against Spartak Moscow in October 2010 Essien has so far started and played in nine games out of nine, against Manchester United in the 2010 Community Shield at Wembley in a 3-1 defeat, vs. West Bromwich Albion on 14 August in a 6-0 victory at Stamford Bridge, against Wigan Athletic on 21 August in another 6-0 win at the DW Stadium, and vs. Stoke City in a 2-0 victory at the Britannia Stadium. He also scored 2 goals against West Ham United in a 3-1 win on 11 September at Upton Park. Essien also scored the opening goal of Chelsea's Champions League campaign against MSK Zilina, in the group stages, in a 4-1 victory on 15 September, in the 13th minute of the first half. On 28 September, he started for Chelsea, in their second Champions League group game vs. Olympique Marseille, and helped win a vital penalty, after he crossed in a ball and it hit the defender's hands by accident and Nicolas Anelka put away the resulting spot kick in the 28th minute. He also scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Fulham which gave Chelsea a 4 point lead in the League. However he was later sent off for a two footed challenge. There is some debate as to whether Essien touched the player and if it was malicious. Chelsea are set to appeal.

International career

Essien's International career started with the Ghana U-17 National team, the Black Starlets, when he played in the 1999 FIFA U-17 Championship in New Zealand and won the Bronze medal. In 2001, even though he was one of the youngest players in the tournament, Essien took part in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with the Black Satellites in Argentina. The Satellites finished runners-up to hosts Argentina. His exceptional performances captured the attention of many and was widely tipped to be one of Africa's next rising stars. He made his competitive senior debut in the 2002 African Nations Cup against Morocco on 21 January 2002. but had played for Ghana in a Pre-Tournament friendly against Egypt on January 4, 2002.[46]

On May 16, 2006, Essien was selected to be part of the team that represented Ghana at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played in midfield with team captain Stephen Appiah formerly of Fenerbahçe and Sulley Ali Muntari of Internazionale. Essien played in Ghana's 0–2 defeat to Italy, their 2–0 victory over the Czech Republic, and the 2–1 victory over the United States, and helped Ghana become the only African team to reach the second round of the 2006 World Cup. However, Essien was suspended for Ghana's second round match against Brazil and could only watch as Ghana lost 0–3. Upon the team's return to Ghana, Essien said that the team had gained invaluable experience and will be aiming to make the next finals, which will be held in Africa for the first time in the tournament's history at South Africa 2010.

In the 2008 African Cup of Nations Essien turned in another brilliant performance, driving the team to the semi finals with his power-packed performances. In the quarter-final against Nigeria, when team captain John Mensah was dismissed on the stroke of the hour for a professional foul on Nigeria's Peter Odemwingie, Essien took over the captaincy for the rest of the game and eventually won 2–1. He was voted as an All-Star Player during the 2008 African Cup of Nations Tournament in Ghana. The Team of the Tournament was decided by the Technical Study Group (TSG) after careful observations of all the tournament's matches.

During an international match played against Libya on September 5, 2008 Essien ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament playing for Ghana in the World Cup qualification stage and was out of action for 6 months, missing the majority of the 2008–09 season, before returning on March 4 to play for Chelsea Reserves against Aston Villa Reserves. He scored the last goal in the 4–3 loss. He still managed to take part in 10 of Ghana's 11 qualification matches, clocking up more than 800 minutes of game time, as Ghana finished at the top of their group and have automically sealed a spot at the World Cup. It was announced on 27 May 2010, that Essien would miss the World Cup after he was told that he would not fully recover from his knee injury until the end of July 2010. Since then, Essien has announced that he will be standing down from the Ghanaian national side for the near future in order to focus on his career with Chelsea, having suffered two significant injuries whilst playing for Ghana in recent years.