Jumat, 15 April 2011

Cristiano Ronaldo

Football Players
dribbling skills...more power shooting.....


Cristiano Ronaldo
 


Birthday: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Place of Birth: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight:
Position: Right/Centre/Left Midfielder, Forward
Nicknames: Ronaldo, CR7, Ronnie, Rocket Ronaldo
Wife/Girlfriend: irina shayk
Lives in: madrid

Club information

Current club:
Real Madrid (2009 - ….)  

Previous clubs:
Sporting CP (2003-2005), Manchester United (2005-2009)

National team:
Portugal (2003- )        

Youth clubs:
CF Andorinha (2001–2003)
CD Nacional
Sporting CP

Club Football

Cristiano Ronaldo is the guy who charges the hopes of winning the Euro 2008 for the Portugal National Football Team. With his awesome speed and powerful kick and with great skill, Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world, making a great forward line in Manchester United with Wayne Rooney. Early in his career he was considered a troublemaker, but recently he’s grown up and is becoming one of the most respected players in the world. In 2007, he was chosen third best player in the world by FIFA and second best by France Football.

Sporting Lisbon In the 2002/2003 season, Ronaldo played 25 games for the club, scoring 3 goals. IN the inaugural match of the new José Alvalade stadium (Sporting’s stadium that was renovated for Euro 2004), Ronaldo played a terrific match against Manchester United. With this great performance, the United’s players asked Sir Alex Ferguson to sign the Portuguese guy to substitute for the superstar David Beckham on the team.
Manchester United In 2003, Ronaldo signed a contract with Manchester United, where he made United’s fans quickly forget David Beckham. With a great squad, Chelsea started it’s dynasty in England, winning the Premier League in that year. But Ronaldo was known as a great revelation with the jersey number 7. This number is magical for the Manchester side - three of the main legends in the history of the club had the number 7 in the back (George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham).
After a not so brilliant start, Ronaldo started little by little to honor the number 7. He scored goal number 1000 in Premiership for Manchester United in 2005. In 2006, he scored in the Carling Cup Final and helped to win the trophy. But it was finally last season the World could see what this Portuguese boy could do. Cristiano Ronaldo finally won a Premiership title with the Red Devils. Elected the best player in England on the 2006/2007 season, Cristiano Ronaldo was the “key” for the Manchester United’s championship after four years and finishing Chelsea’s dynasty. Besides, he took the United to the semis of UEFA Champions League, when a painful loss to Milan ended the dream of the third title of the League.
Along with Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo is part of one of the most deadly offensive lines in the world. 

International Football 

Portugal National Football Team Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for the Portuguese National Football Team in 2003, against Kazakhstan. But his great year was 2004. He played home the Euro 2004 and scored twice in their way to the final. Portugal lost to Greece but Cristiano Ronaldo appeared as a strong player. He went also for the Summer Olympic Games in Athens that year. Cristiano finished the FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifiers second highest scorer in the European zone, with 7 goals. In the World Cup, however, he didn’t play at his best although Portugal made the semifinals. He scored just once.
During the qualifiers for Euro 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 8 goals.




source : oleole.com

Cesc Fabregas


Football Players
dribbling skills...more power shooting.....


Cesc Fabregas


Birthday: 1987/05/04
Full name: Francesc Fabregas Soler
Place of Birth: Arenys de Mar, Spain
Height: 5ft9
Weight: 70kg
Position: Central Midfielder
Nickname(s): Cesc
Wife / girlfriend: Carla
Lives in: London 

Club information

Current club: Arsenal FC
Previous clubs:
National team: Spain
Youth clubs: FC Barcelona 

About Cesc

Cesc Fabregas is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Arsenal in the English Premier League and he also plays for the Spanish National team. Fàbregas started his career as a youth player with FC Barcelona but was signed by Arsenal in September 2003.

Born in the neighbourhood of Arenys de Mar, in the heart of Catalonia, Spain. Cesc's football career started with Spanish giants, FC Barcelona. His exceptional performance for Barcelona B Team earned a call up with the Spain U17 team. He traveled with the team to the FIFA U17 Championships in 2003 where he was named best player as well as top goal scorer, even though his team finished second to Brazil.

Club Football 

FC Barcelona
Fabregas started playing club football at Barcelona. In his youth career, he mostly played as a defensive midfielder, yet he managed to score 30 goals in one season. Before Fabregas signed a professional contract with Barcelona, Arsenal signed him. 

Arsenal
At the young age of 16, Cesc left his homeland and moved to London in a transfer deal worth £2.25m. He became Arsenal's youngest ever player when he made his debut in a League Cup match which the Gunners won on penalties after drawing 1-1. In his next appearance, he went onto break another record, he scored in Arsenal's 5-1 hammering of Wolves. The goal made him Arsenal's youngest ever goalscorer.
Cesc in his debut against Rotherham United
The following season saw the Spaniard make a proper breakthrough into the first-team, when he was selected to appear in Gunner's Charity Shield match against fierce rivals, Manchester United. They won 3-1. From there, he didn't look back, as he started filing in for the skipper, Patrick Vieira, the Gunners started the season on fire.
Cesc went on to score his first Premiership goal in a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers. Unfortunately Cesc lost his place to Patrick Vieira but was only relegated to the bench from which he came on often as a substitute.
As the season went on, Fabregas was in and out of the starting line-up, he did though start in Arsenal's 4-5 win at North London rivals Spurs.
As the Premiership season came to a close, the young Spaniard scored his third goal of the season, when his side beat Liverpool 3-1 at home in the Premiership, however, Arsenal could only finish second to champions Chelsea.
The season ended with FA Cup glory for Cesc and his team-mates as Manchester United were beaten on penalties.
In the summer, Patrick Vieira left for Juventus which left a massive hole for Cesc to fill. ut season 2005/06 started brightly for the Spaniard with a goal in the FA Community Shield, sadly a brace by Didier Drogba saw Chelsea steal a win.
From there, Arsenal's start to the season was erratic, especially after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea. There were other losses too away at Middlesbrogh and West Bromwich Albion. There were fine moments, like the 2-1 win at Ajax in the Champions' League.
Later in the season, Cesc recieved his first red card in the 1-0 defeat to Everton. Cesc played a major part in Arsenal knocking out Real Madrid from the Champions League. He assisted Henry's memorable goal in Madrid and there was more joy when he was picked for the Spanish National Team . Cesc continued to shine in the Champions League as he outshined ex-Arsenal team mate, Patrick Vieira by getting a goal as well as an assistant against Juventus. The win sent the Gunners to the final in Paris where they had to play Cesc's former team, FC Barcelona. The Gunners were defeated 2-1.
Cesc celebrating a goal in 2006
The 2006–07 season was another learning curve for Fabregas. The club again failed to secure any major honours and was defeated by city rivals Chelsea in the League Cup final. However, Fabregas emerged as one of the key creative players for the team, playing in every single league game. Despite having 6 years left on his contract, Arsenal offered him an eight year deal which he signed in October 2006. He kick started Arsenal's UEFA Champions League 2006-07 campaign when he scored a brace in a 3–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in a qualifier match. He ended the season with 13 assists which was the 2nd highest in the league. He won Arsenal's Player of the season award with 60% of the votes. 
Following the departure of the club's captain and all-time top goalscorer, Thierry Henry to Barcelona. Cesc Fabregas knew immediately he would have to step up as the club's most important player. He started the season on fire, chalking up goals and assists. He won the League's player of the month award in September.
Cesc given the Premier League Player of the Month award for September 2007.
He led Arsenal to the top of the table and they stayed there till March 2008. Fabregas was instrumental in the Gunner's unforgettable victory at the San Siro, the midfielder scored a wonderful long range goal late in the game to send the Gunners into the Quarter Finals. However Arsenal lost to Liverpool and a poor run of games in the league resulted in the Gunners slipping out of the title race into 3rd place. Another trophyless season for the Spaniard. 




source: oleole.com

Wayne Rooney


Football Players
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Wayne Rooney
Birthday: 1985/10/24
Full name: Wayne Mark Rooney
Place of Birth: Liverpool, England
Height: 1.78 m – 5ft 10 in
Weight: 75.36kg
Position: Offensive Midfielder, Second Forward
Nickname(s): Rooney, Roonaldo, Shrek
Wife / girlfriend: Coleen McLoughlin
Lives in: Cheshire, Greater Manchester, England
Club information Current club: Manchester United FC (2004-)
Previous clubs: Everton FC (2002-2004)
National team: England
Youth clubs:

The striker for both Manchester United and the England national football team, Wayne Rooney is one of the most exciting prospects of modern football. Rooney began playing for Everton's youth under-19 squad in 2000, gaining widespread notoriety during the 2002 FA Youth Cup when he scored eight goals in eight games. He made his professional debut with Everton in 2004 and was considered their biggest signing of that year. Two years later, Rooney transferred to Manchester United for a reported £49 million, turning him into one of the most expensive players in the country.
Rooney joined the English national team at 17 and went on to become the youngest player to ever represent his country. He then became England's youngest ever goalscorer when he scored against Macedonia during a Euro 2004 qualifier. Despite his success, Wayne Rooney is in danger of being known as much for his temper, as his ability to play football. He picked up 12 yellow cards during the 2003-2004 season, and was lucky in one match not to be removed from the game. He faced similar trouble in 2006 when he picked up a pre-season red card that caused him to miss three matches and severely impacted his level of play for the rest of the season. His frequent on-field tantrums have also caused the English Schools' Football Association to drop him from a guest appearance claiming he was not a good role model for young players. 

Club Football  

Everton As he grew as a player, and moved from Everton youth, to its first team in the Premiership, history was in the making. On October19, 2002, Rooney made history in the Premiership. In a match with Everton against Arsenal, he scored a last minute goal, winning the match for his squad. With that goal, his popularity took of, because of a young lad, the Arsenal’s thirty game wining street hit brick wall. With that goal he also became the youngest player ever to score in the Premiership. He was just 16, days away from his 17th birthday. James Milner soon took the youngest goal scorer place being 16 and 357 days, as opposed to Rooney’s 16 years and 360 days. Soon after, James Vaughan took the reign just a few days younger, and still holds the record today. Just a few months later, with his name in all the papers, and skill to defend it, he became a celebrity. He was crowned BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year, for 2002.
With Everton he had no set contract, due to his age. He would have to wait till he was seventeen to create a contract, and continue playing for £80 a week, and continued living in his family’s home. He continued to play with Everton until 2004. In his last year at Everton he would join the national team, and look to higher pay and bigger clubs. On 26 December 2002 he "achieved" the record of becoming the youngest player ever to be sent off in a Premiership game. This is also his only standing record in the Everton books. 

Manchester United
In September 2004, Rooney no longer bore his Blue jersey with the number 18, he wore the big bold Red jerseys of Manchester with a new number, 8. His debut game, on September 28, 2004 proved to be a spectacle. Rooney scored a hat trick against Fenerbahce, giving Manchester a 6-2 win. In 2006’s English Cup, Rooney scored two goals in the final of the match against Wigan Athletic, leading to a 4-0 victory to win the cup. He received the Winners Medal, the first of his professional career and given the award of Man of the Match, due to his spectacular performance in the final. That October, in a match against Copenhagen, he wore the Captain armband, showing his leadership on and off the field. On November 26, 2006 he signed a two-year extension to his contract which was originally bolted until 2010. The quickly build up contract, secures Manchester as Rooney’s home until 2012. Both were confident and excited about the decision. The development of the man Sir Alex Ferguson, coach of Mancheter, describes as “the best young player I have seen in my time.”
The 2006-2007 season proved to be a little more rough for Rooney, as he went on a ten game drought, scoring no goals. Finally, it seemed to all come back, in a match against Bolton ,where Rooney not only scored a goal, he concluded the game with a hat trick. During the FA cup match against Portsmouth, Rooney secured further his importance as an asset to Manchester. With the game at a tie, Rooney entered as a substitute, and pounded in two goals. In the derby against Bolton, it was Rooney that scored two or Manchester’s four goals, clinching another victory. In the Champions league 2007, Rooney scored to clinch a 2-1 victory against AS Roma, on April 4, 2007. Then in the semi-final Manchester took out A.C. Milan 3-2, and in true Rooney fashion he scored two of those goals. Although Manchester did not win the Champions league, Rooney’s all star scoring capabilities and drives into the net, could not be forgotten. By that April, he had scored 23 goals with Manchester in tournaments during 2006-2007, and was side by side with his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, for the record.
Rooney’s Red jersey soon was altered as he was taking over the #10 jersey, worn by Ruud van Nistelrooy after he left for Real Madrid. It was also formally Denis Law’s number, who wore it in his glory years with Manchester. Law, a Scottish striker, presented Rooney with the jersey.
At the commencement of the 2008-2009 year, Rooney’s career was halted, by none other than an injury. It seems only physical restrictions could stop the striker with a foot of steel. It was August 12, 2007 in the opening game against Reading, he was injured with a hairline fracture to a metatarsal in his foot. With an expected recovery time of two months, Manchester would have to alter its attack, but Sir Alex Ferguson, would announce he would only be sidelined for a few weeks. With a little over a month of rest for his fracture, Rooney was back on the field, scoring a goal on October 2, 2007 against AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League. Rooney was back, and scoring unstoppable goals.
But, yet again injury came back to slow him down. In November, with an ankle injury during training, Rooney was forced to let his ankle heal, missing an international match against Croatia and three league matches. His recovery, expected at a month, was cut short, as Rooney as back on the training field in 2 weeks. On December 3, he nearly played a full match, hustling for 70 minutes. 

International Football 
England When Rooney debuted on the International scene, in a friendly against Australia, on February 12, 2003, he was the youngest player to ever grace the field with England’s national team. He was 17, and the previous player to hold this place, was James F.M. Prinsep, on April 5, 1879. Let’s just say, it had been a while, it took over a century for someone with the caliber of Rooney to come along. Soon a younger lad, Theo Walcott, in 2006, took the record playing with England in a match against Hungary at the age of 16. Rooney still does hold the prestige of being the youngest ever England goal scorer, at 17 years old and 31 days.
The Euro 2004, was a platform for Rooney’s success’. During that run in Portugal he scored two goals while playing Switzerland. This made him, at the moment the youngest player to ever score in the UEFA European Football Championships. Johan Von Lanthen, broke the record a few days later, playing with Switzerland. The English did not get further than the quarter finals in the Euro 2004 Tournament, losing in penalty kicks. Rooney was also injured in this game.
Once again, in the Premier League game, playing with Manchester United against Chelsea, in April 2006, Rooney was injured. It proved to be more than a slight injury, he had broken his metatarsal due to a dangerous tackle with Chelsea’s Paulo Ferreira. With the FIFA World Cup 2006 approaching quickly, he worked to heal quickly and with the help of a pure oxygen tent. The English National Team needed Rooney, he had grown to be a key defining player, and a favorite of the fans. The Nation watched and read about Rooney’s recovery. They were excited and in awe when they saw him enter a world cup group match against Trinidad and Tobago, as a sub in the 82nd minute. He then started the next group match against Sweden, although it was difficult to catch up with the pace of the game, coming off a serious injury. The aggressive Rooney was quite visible when he fouled Ricardo Carvalho in the quarter final match, resulting in a Red Card. England did not fall far behind, being eliminated from the tournament in penalty kicks, as Rooney shot sailed past the goal and missed the net.
Controversy and Red Cards Rooney began his international career at 17, a ripe age while standing next to older men, who had been playing for years. Although he is a quiet lad, his aggressiveness and frustration cannot be camouflaged on the field. He often let his temperamental nature get the best of him. It began in September 2002 where he was red carded while playing for Everton. Then in September 2005 while playing a frustrating match against Northern Ireland. With no goal for England throughout the first half, Rooney lost his composure and exploded angrily. When former England captain David Beckham attempted to calm him down, he simply angrily attacked him as well.
Soon after, while in Spain for the United Champions League Rooney was dismissed in a match against Villareal. Referee Kim Milton Nielsen handed a yellow card to Rooney in the 63rd minute and then a red due to Rooney ironically applauding the official after being shown a yellow card.
Due to this ill behavior he has vowed to control his aggressive temper, his club and English National Team managers have also made clear they are defending him. These managers often bring up his youth and attempt to defend his behavior based on this. His red card count did drop in the 2005-2006 season with England, but was struck by an occurrence in the FIFA 2006 World Cup, where after a tangle with Ricardo Carvalho resulted in much more. As referee Horacio Elizondo stood close by, the ball was being chased down by the two players Carvalho fell to the floor, and Rooney turned looking for the ball and forcefully appeared to stomp on Carvalho in the groin. Then, Cristiano Ronaldo Rooney’s Manchester United Teammate, but that day a Portuguese player and his competitor, stepped in to demand that Rooney’s play was a foul. A frustrated Rooney then pushed Ronaldo and the referee pulled out a red card. The referee reassured everyone that later that the card was given due to the violent foul and had nothing to do with the scuffle between Rooney and Ronaldo. Elizondo stated, “For me it was a clear red card, so I didn't react to the Portuguese players. There was pushing and shoving on both sides but for me it wasn't a reason to caution anybody.'’ Controversy over the foul heightened when media pundits found more reason to investigate. They found that Ronaldo had whispered something into Rooney’s ear, right before the match kick off on the field. Many believe it was simply a friendly gesture, being they were teammates on Manchester.
Then, also caught on film, is Ronaldo winking at his team bench the minute after Rooney had been sent off. It was speculated someone, specifically Ronaldo had been attempting to aggravate the young player, knowing his history. The English Striker followed up in a press conference on July 3rd, informing the public he held no angst against Ronaldo, and insists he did not deliberately stamp on Portugal's Carvalho in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final and was shocked by the red card. The FIFA disciplinary committee, meant to follow up incidents like this, investigated Rooney’s ejection and banned him from playing two competitive international matches and a monetary fine of $4,085. His violent conduct resulted in doubling the normal one game suspension and will result suspension for the first two of twelve qualifying matches for England, in the 2008 European Championship. 
In August of 2006, fresh from the Red Card of the World Cup, Rooney was again sent off in a match with Manchester United against FC Porto, during the Amsterdam Tournament. He elbowed defender Pepe, and was immediately handed red card, as well as three match domestic suspension handed to him by the Football Association. Rooney attempted to fight this accusation and punishment, as a pre season match red card had never resulted in this action by the FA, but the suspension was left as stated.
From the field to the public, Rooney added to some controversy. It was said, but never reported by police, that during that September Rooney was dining at a Manchester United Restaurant with his fiancée Coleen McLoughlin. According to british media, Michael Gray a Blackburn Rover’s player was making sexually explicit comments to Rooney’s wife. Frustrated and defensive Rooney allegedly punched Gray.
In April 2006 When tabloids claimed he had assaulted his fiancée, he fought back knowing it was untrue, and received £100,000 from The Sun and News of he World, which he donated to charity. 



source : oleole.com

Rabu, 13 April 2011

Fernando Torres

Football Players
dribbling skills...more power shooting.....


Fernando Torres


Birthday: 1984/03/20
Full name: Fernando José Torres Sanz
Place of Birth: Fuenlabrada, Spain
Height: 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 78 kg (172 lbs)
Position: Striker
Nickname(s): 'El Niño' (The Kid)
Wife / girlfriend: Ollala
Lives in: London, UK
Club information
Current club: Chealsea ( 2011 - )
Previous clubs: Liverpool FC (2000- 2011)
Atletico Madrid (1995-2000)
National team: Spain
Youth clubs: Parque 84,
Mario’s Holland 
Fernando José Torres Sanz, also known as Fernando Torres or “El Niño” (“The Kid”) is a Spanish soccer player who has emerged as an early starter at age 17 and currently plays for Liverpool Football Club in England. He was born in the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, in a large suburban city called Fuenlabrada. At age 17, Torres became the youngest player to wear Atletico Madrid’s uniform and became the team’s captain only two years later. In “La Liga” (one of the best football leagues in the world), he scored 75 goals and prior to that, appeared 40 times and scored 7 goals in the Spanish Second Division.
Fernando Torres’ passion for Atletico Madrid started early. His grandfather was an Atletico’s supporter, although he wasn’t very passionate about soccer in general. That led to Torres’ to immediately become an Atletico’s lover as well. Torres excels due to his agility, strength and precision in his strikes, helped by his strong build and 6”1’ height. After his deal with Atletico Madrid, other major English teams like Chelsea and Manchester United speculated his acquisition but “The Kid” preferred to stick with the tradition of Liverpool, where he currently plays as a striker, wearing shirt number 9.

Born in March 20, 1984(1985-02-05) in Fuenlabrada, a suburban city outside of Madrid, Spain, Fernando Torres (aka “El Niño”) was inspired by his grandfather’s devotion to Atletico Madrid Team. Although his grandfather was not a big football fan, he religiously supported “Atleti” and wanted to pas his devotion to his children and grandchildren. Being part of a soccer-crazy neighbourhood, The Kid joined his first team “Parque 84” at age 5.
clubs such as Manchester United, Barcelona, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Juventus. Later that year, he was awarded the title of Best European Player for his age group. In 1999, Torre’s childhood dreams became reality when he signed his first contract with Atletico Madrid.
With a broken leg just in the start of the 2000-01 season, Fernando Torres had the chance to prove again his will power and strength. After the broken leg healed, “The Kid” became unstoppable:
He helped his under-16 team win the Algarve Tournament and the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship and joined Atletico’s senior team by the end of that same year. His first appearance in the senior team was on May 27, at El Calderón, against Leganés but it was only a week later when he scored his first goal in a game against Albacete Balompié.
Atletico’s return to La Liga was not the best in 2001-02 and Torres scored only 6 times in 36 games and also did not have the best luck in the 2001 FIFA Under-17 World Championship, scoring only one goal in three games, which was not enough to push the team to the next group’s stage. However, later that season El Nino won the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship and although scoring only once in the final match, he won the award of the Tournament's Leading Scorer (4 goals in 4 matches) and Best Player. In 2003, with Atletico in a much better position, Torres was crowned the team’s captain at age 19. He led his team to almost victory in the Intertoto Cup, getting him started in the European Club Tournaments. They lost in the penalties to the Villarreal.
Liverpool
Although Torres was part of Spain’s National Team in the 2006 World Cup, speculations were raised from all parts about his possible transfer, since his team could not secure an automatic UEFA Cup spot. The major European teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea were all part of the gossip involving his transfer, heavily projected in the English and Spanish media. Gossip that made Atletico’s President Enrique Cerezo to publish a public statement saying “"We've received no offer from Liverpool or any other club or player."
But everything seemed to indicate that Torres was indeed being transferred somewhere, especially with rumours that Luis Garcia would move in the opposite direction and that Diego Forlan was to join Atletico, supposedly to replace Torres as a captain.
On July 3rd of 2007, Fernando Torres passed a medical for Liverpool and on July 4th, both players and team held a press conference and bid farewell to Atletico’s fans. It was Liverpool’s record deal sign, at 20 million Euro, for a 6 year deal. Torres has stated that he intends to play for Liverpool for the entire period, although it’s widely reported that his pay check dropped from 130.000 Euro in Spain to about 90.00 Euro in Liverpool.
International Football
Spain Torres was the star of his national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and scored the final goal against Ukraine in a 4 to 0 win and also score against Tunisia in the 31st minute of the 2nd round to lead at 2-1 and again at the very end of the game.
Torres was a huge influence in EURO 2008, where he was involved in the action in each match, and in the final match scored the winning goal. Spain beat Germany 1-0 on Torres' goal, a shot that he lifted over German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann and put into the corner of the net. Torres was the only striker for Spain who had a 4-5-1 formation, but that worked and Spain earned the title of best team in Europe. 


 source : oleole.com

Selasa, 12 April 2011

Lionel Messi

Football Players
dribbling skills...more power shooting.....




Lionel Messi

Profile :

Full name : Luis Lionel Andrés Messi
Birth day : June 24, 1987
Birthplace : Rosario, Argentina
Nationality : Argentinian
Other nationality : Spanish
EU passport : Yes
Height : 169 cm
Weight : 67 kg
Club : FC Barcelona
Position : Forward
Debut : 17 November 2003



Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football (soccer) player.

Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1). 



With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve team players were called upon, and Messi became a regular feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old.

He was offered the chance to play for the Spain national football team, but declined, prefering to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in a U-20 friendly match against Paraguay.
Lionel Messi wearing FC Barcelona's colorsIn June 2005 he starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship played in The Netherlands. Messi picked up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel has already drawn comparisons with Diego Maradona, arguably the best football player of all time.

On September 25, 2005 Messi obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled up all of their quota of non-EU players.

Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski

In September 2005, Messi was given an improved and extended contract until 2014.



International Football

Argentina Under-20
In June 2004, he got his chance, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005 he was part of the team that won the Under-20 World Cup in Holland. He also won the prize for best player of the tournament and became top-scorer.

Argentina National Team
On August 4, 2005, José Pekerman called Messi up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his debut on August 17, 2005 against Hungary, but it was a forgettable occasion. He was substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off after just 40 seconds, because the referee, Markus Merk, found he had elbowed defender Vilmos Vanczák, who was tugging Messi's shirt, and left the pitch in tears. The decision was contentious. Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated. Messi then had his first international start on September 3 in Argentina's 0-1 World Cup qualifier away loss against Paraguay. Ahead of the match he had said "This is a re-début. The first one was a bit short."

Copa America 2007
Messi played his first game in Copa America on 29 June, 2007, when Argentina defeated United States 4-1 in the first game. In this game, Messi showed his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker Hernán Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.
His second game was against Colombia, in which he caused a penalty that Crespo converted to tie the game at 1-1. He also played part in Argentina's second goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to score from a freekick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3-1. The final score of the game was 4-2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.
In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with 0-0. In the 79th minute he created a goal for Javier Mascherano. In the quarterfinals, as Argentina faced Peru, Riquelme made a pass to Messi and the latter scored the second goal for Argentina, which advanced to the semifinals after a 4-0 win.
In the semi finals against Mexico, Messi scored when he spotted the Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez off of his line and chipped the ball into the goal. The goal ultimately helped his team to a 3-0 victory and earned them a place in the final against Brazil, which Argentina subsequently lost 3-0.




source: wikipedia.org - GNU Free Documentation License