sábado, 14 de febrero de 2015

A Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player John Terry

A Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player John Terry

His full name is John George Terry. He was born in London, England on 7 December 1980. Terry is a professional soccer player of England. His playing position in the field is as a centre back. In the Premier League, he is the captain of Chelsea club. Terry is considered as one of the best defenders in European soccer. And in the 2005 UEFA Champions League, he was chosen as best defender. From August 2006 until February 2010, He was captain of the England national football side as well.

In August Terry was established as the England captain, and will captain England in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. But On 5 February 2010, following accusations about Terry's personal life, Fabio Capello publicized that Terry was detached as the captain of the England side. Terry was substituted by associate defender Rio Ferdinand.

During his career as a professional soccer player, Terry won many honors. Some of them are UEFA Champions League (Runner-up: 2008), Premier League (Champion: 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2009-2010, and Runner-up: 2003-04, 2006-07, 2007-08), FA Cup (Winner: 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, and Runner-up: 2002), Football League Cup (Winner: 2005, 2007, and Runner-up: 2008), FA Community Shield (Winner: 2005, 2009, and Runner-up: 2006, 2010).

As individual honor, he won PFA Player of the Year (2004-2005), FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament (2006), FIFPro World XI (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), UEFA Club Football Awards (2005, 2008, 2009), UEFA Team of the Year (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009), and Chelsea Player of the Year (2001, 2006).

To know about famous soccer players of French, you can visit http://french-soccer-players.blogspot.com/

viernes, 13 de febrero de 2015

A Football Genius - Robert Prosinecki

A Football Genius - Robert Prosinecki

If you're a footy fan you've probably heard of this legendary midfielder, former member of Croatian national team. Robert Prosinecki was born in 1969. in Germany's Schwenningen, where his parents were working. He came in Croatia at early age and started playing for Dinamo Zagreb, but coach Miroslav Blazevic dismissed him saying his (in)famous sentence: 'If this lad becomes a real football player, I'll eat my coaching diploma.'

I'm not sure if his diploma still remained in one piece, but Prosinecki then signed for Red Star Belgrade and made his debut in young national team of Yugoslavia. In fact, in 1987. Robi or Zuti ('the yellow one', due to his blonde hair) came to the world's attention at the World Youth Championship in Chile where he was named player of the tournament!

Who would thought this midfielder would become the only player in World Cup history to score for two different national teams? In Italy 1990., Prosinecki scored one goal for Yugoslavia in a group match against United Arab Emirates. As Yugoslavia fell apart soon after that, Robi became prominent member of Croatian national team. Eight years later, during FIFA World Cup finals in France he scored 2 goals, in a group match against Jamaica and in the third place match against the Netherlands. The second goal included his famous technique, that fooled opponent players completely.

Croatia won third place that year (with striker Davor Suker as Golden Boot winner), but among many Croats there's a still regret for what might have happened if only coach Blazevic didn't leave Prosinecki on a bench during semi-final match against France, which Croatia lost 1:2.

However, the 3rd place in a World Cup will forever remain the crown of his career, but let's not forget he also won European Cup with Red Star Belgrade in 1991., and played for Spain's big two clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona. In Portsmouth, where he played only in season 2001/2002., Robi is even now held as a hero and his nickname was 'Croatian Magician'.

I met this football genius about 10 years ago, you never guess where - at the art gallery! No, he didn't become a painter, but he opened exhibition of painting as a special guest. Calm and down-to-earth, he gave autographs afterwards and took pictures with his fans.

Robert Prosinecki ended his playing career in 2004., but his famous dribblings, passes and goals are already part of greatest moments in football history.

If you found this article useful, take a look at the page where you can find more about other sports stars http://atouchofirishintheglobalvillage.blogspot.com/.

jueves, 12 de febrero de 2015

World Cup Soccer - Group A. An Overview Of The World Cup Football Tournament In Germany

World Cup Soccer - Group A. An Overview Of  The World Cup Football Tournament In Germany

World Cup group A places the home nation Germany against Costa Rica, Ecuador & Poland in a relatively easy group from which they should comfortably qualify.

Although the German team is not thought to be up to the standard of their previous victorious teams, bookmakers currently have them as joint second favourites behind Brazil, and they must be respected as possible winners on home soil.
It is difficult to see any of their three opponents being able to challenge them as Group A winners and it would appear that Costa Rica, Ecuador & Poland are competing for a chance to qualify in second spot.

History tells us that when the competition is played in Europe, the European nations tend to outperform the sides visiting from other continents. This coupled with Poland's impressive qualification from a difficult European qualifying stage must make the Poles most likely to progress along with the Germans. For the Poles, who will have an army of travelling supporters, the first game will be massively important, and a win over Ecuador in that game should ease their passage to the second stage.

Ecuador are a talented but temperamental outfit who must be respected, because on a good day they can match most national sides. Germany 2006 is only the second finals they have reached and they will be keen to add to their single victory from Japan 2002. Discipline may be a factor for Ecuador, and the strict refereeing of the Finals may not suit them.

Costa Rica will most probably be the groups whipping boys, first up for them is Germany in the tournament's opening game, a game they can't really expect to gain points from. Their second game against Ecuador will be the one that decides whether or not they can progress further in the Cup, and should provide good entertainment as both sides like to attack, sometimes at the detriment to their defensive duties.

It is difficult to see any other outcome than Germany topping group A. Poland should take the second spot if successful in their first match versus Ecuador, but anything less than a win for them will give the edge to Ecuador. Costa Rica will probably sit at the foot of the table, unless they produce a couple of shocks...

Norbert Wartle is a soccer writer for Football England [http://www.football-england.com] and will be covering the matches at the Fifa World Cup - Germany 2006 [http://www.football-england.com/fifa_world_cup_2006.html].

Norbert also covers the England Football Team's [http://www.football-england.com/england_football_team_squad.html] matches.

miércoles, 11 de febrero de 2015

Soccer - The Sport That Binds The World

Soccer - The Sport That Binds The World

Soccer is famous among the layman by the name of 'Football'. The term 'Soccer' has been derived from the word 'assoc' that in turn originated from 'Association'. The game is basically about 'playing ball with the foot'.

Today, football is played at a professional level all over the world, and millions of people regularly go to football stadium to follow their favourite team, whilst billions more watch the game on television. Since, soccer evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore often claimed to be one of the most popular sports in the world.

The game of soccer, played between two teams of 11 players each, is by far the most popular sports in the world. The game is played with a ball on a rectangular grass field with a goal at each end of the field. The object of the game is to score by manoeuvring the ball into the opposing goal. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. A game is officiated by a referee, who has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees. A standard adult football match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. There is usually a 15-minute "half-time" break between halves. The end of the match is known as "full-time."

The contemporary history of soccer dates back to more than 100 years. It all began in 1863 in England, when rugby football and association football branched off on their different courses and the world's first football association was founded - The Football Association in England. Both forms of football have a common base and both have a long and intricately branched ancestral tree. After the English Football Association, the next oldest are the Scottish FA (1873), the FA of Wales (1875) and the Irish FA (1880). Strictly speaking, at the time of the first international match, England had no other partner association against which to play. The spread of soccer outside of Great Britain, mainly due to the British influence abroad, started slow, but it soon gathered momentum and spread rapidly to all parts of the world and today it is an undeniable truth that the game has die-hard fans all over the globe.

Scholars might have conflicting views on the origins of the game and the influences that certain cults may have had on its evolution, but one thing is absolute truth: football has flourished for over a thousand years in diverse rudimentary forms, in the very region which we describe as its home, England and the British Isles.

Football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). The most prestigious international football competition is the World Cup, held every four years. More than 190 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. Since 1900, Summer Olympic Games also holds a football tournamnet. After the World Cup, the most important football competitions are the continental championships, which are organised by each continental confederation and contested between national teams. These are the European Championship (UEFA), the Copa América (CONMEBOL), African Cup of Nations (CAF), the Asian Cup (AFC), the CONCACAF Gold Cup (CONCACAF) and the OFC Nations Cup (OFC).

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martes, 10 de febrero de 2015

Do Football - Soccer Players Get Paid Too Much Money?

Do Football - Soccer Players Get Paid Too Much Money?

I saw the other day a club chief executive moaning about the wages the club pays to the players at the club, I can't remember who he was but it just annoyed me. There he was smoking a big cigar, driving a brand new Bentley, doing nothing for the club, bar taking a big fat pay packet of his own while not actually getting out on the pitch and making a difference for the club.

Now don't get me wrong I think he had a point. There are players at every club that just because they are being paid at all means they are receiving too much. But it's the fact that the people that are telling us players get too much are the ones that are taking money away from the game that makes me think that maybe players are not getting paid too much.

Though having said that a lot do get riches beyond the amount their ability deserves. A few examples spring to mind immediately: Robbie Savage, OK a good player but is he really that good, that he is able to afford to drive a Ferrari? Not in my eyes he's not. He is far too busy play acting for my liking. Then there is Tim Sherwood, OK he may of won a League Championship medal while at Blackburn but was he really anything other than a good player?

Again I would say no, he was just lucky to be playing in the EPL before the big star influx raised the level of ability needed to make it. but at a time when the big money had entered the game. But in my view the biggest example of an overpaid footballer is Ian Walker, surely the worst 'keeper the EPL has seen, even when he dropped down a flight with Leicester he was no better than average.

However, when you see the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho and Pavel Nedved. These are players that make a match worth watching just to see them, it doesn't matter what team they play for it's all about them and their ability to produce magical skills that make your jaw drop in admiration.

Maybe a better answer to the question would be yes some are, but no others are not. Though of course that doesn't make for good headlines when a player signs a new contract.

Lets be honest how many Manchester United fans begrudge Roy Keane a single penny he made from the club? But that didn't stop the newspapers whining about the massive sums he was making, well so what? It is nothing compared to the sums that the likes of Martin Edwards made from Manchester United yet Edwards was not the one out on the pitch knowing that his career could be over tomorrow if he receives a bad challenge.

Sometimes I think its just jealousy that creates these headlines about overpaid players, or maybe its just a complete lack of anything interesting to write that leads to it? Either way I would rather they gave both sides of the story before whinging about it. I mean how about a list of the directors and shareholders of a club and how much they took in wages, bonuses and dividends? So that we can have a reference point to compare player's wages to. I would especially like to know how much the likes of Peter Ridsdale made from Leeds.

To my mind the only way forward is to take clubs back into the hands of the fans, like Wimbledon AFC and FC United. Let's have all their finances completely transparent, and get rid of agent's involvement in transfers. Surely the PFA could offer that as one of their services to their union members, after all they certainly have the money. Surely all clubs need to do transfers between themselves is a solicitor, a representative and an FA, UEFA or FIFA or whoever representative to make sure it is all legal and above board.

I know this will never happen as too many people are busy creaming off money from the game to line their own pockets. But at the end of the day it should be about the fans - the players should all be on performance based contracts so they can earn massive amounts but only if the club does well and the ticket prices should be as low as possible so that as many fans as possible can afford to go.

Still this will never happen because too many people would lose out and at the end of the day football is no longer a sport it is a business and that will unfortunately never change.

The author is Tris Burke, the manager of http://www.football-rumours.com A large, frequently updated football / soccer web site dealing with all facets of the game.

Ronaldinho the Soccer Player

Ronaldinho the Soccer Player

As the soccer world cup approaches every fan is looking forward to watching the genius knowns as Ronaldinho the soccer player.

Every young boy dreams to be as good as Ronaldinho the soccer player. Ronaldinho is the best player in the world and plays soccer with a smile on his face !

Ronaldinho the soccer player is known as the best soccer player in the world. Ronaldinho video clips and soccer tricks are being sent online as soccer fans marvel at his skills.

History of Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho the soccer player became known as " little Ronaldo " in Portuguese in order to distinguish himself from the other famous Brazilian, Ronaldo. Ronaldinho's real name is actually Ronaldo de Assis Moreira and he is widely known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho in his native Brazil.

In his childhood Ronaldinho the soccer player was a star at Futsol and beach soccer and he then moved onto Brazilian club Gremio before moving to Paris SG.

His performance as part of the winning Brazil World cup squad in 2002 attracted the interest of bigger clubs and he moved on to FC Barcelona for £18 million.

Ronaldinho Profile

Club Awards

Spanish La Liga: 2004-05 , 2005-06

Champions League 2005-06

Spanish Super Cup: 2005-06 with Barcelona

International Awards

Under-17 World Cup 1996-97

Copa America: 1998-99 2004-05

FIFA World Cup: 2002

Confederations Cup: 2004-05

Ronaldinho has also won many individual awards including World player of the year and European footballer of the year.

When you watch Ronaldinho movie and video clips you will be amazed at the skill, even his official adverts for Nike are a joy to watch !

Some soccer players earn the respect of opposition fans and Ronaldinho scored two brilliant individual goals for Barcelona away to their closest rivals Real Madrid and the Madrid fans saluted Ronaldinho with a standing ovation despite Real Madrid suffering a 3-0 defeat.

The profile of Ronaldinho is impressive and there is no doubt that Ronaldinho the soccer player will be regarded as one of the greatest ever.

---------------------------------------------------

Kevin McNally offers soccer tips and tricks at World Cup Soccer [http://www.worldcupsoccerfacts.info]

domingo, 8 de febrero de 2015

Famous Women Soccer Players - The Famous Mia Hamm

Famous Women Soccer Players - The Famous Mia Hamm

One of the famous women soccer players is Mia Hamm, who had been a member of the women's national team of the United States. During her professional career, she was the only player who scored 158 international goals.

Because of her excellent performance with the sport, she has been recognized twice as FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. She was acknowledged as a role model for women engaged with the sport. She is also included among the 125 best living players of FIFA. Because of her contribution as one of the top players in the country, she was inducted by the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007. In following year, she was again inducted by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Her career with the sport started when she was 15 years old when she joined the U.S. National Team which she was the youngest among all players of the team. At the age of 19, she was able to win the World Cup Championship which makes her the youngest women in America to win the title.

With Hamm's exemplary kills, she was able to break the international goal record with 108 goals on May 22, 1999 during the match against the Brazilian team held in Orlando.

Mia Hamm is a true champion, a great inspiration to the many women athletes in the all over the world. A true icon who have brought honor for the country and a dedicated his career to the fullest making her as one of the most famous women soccer players.

Watch Videos about famous women soccer players.

Peter Rufai - Nigeria's Best Goalkeeper

Peter Rufai - Nigeria's Best Goalkeeper

The history of Nigeria's football will not be complete without mentioning the contribution of goalkeeper Peter Rufai. The 47 years old former Stationary Stores of Lagos shot stopper made history in 1986 when he became the first Nigerian goalkeeper to move out of the shore of the country in pursuit of his professional career. He was signed by AS Dragon F.C of Benin Republic.

The quiet spoken Rufai is vastly traveled having played for Belgian club sides- Lokeren and Beveren before making a surprise move to Go Ahead Eagles of Holland in the 1993-1994 where he got selected to feature for Nigeria at the 1994 African Nations Cup hosted by Tunisia. He helped Nigeria lift the coveted trophy for a second time after defeat of Zambia in the final.

His performance at the African Nations Cup earned him a subsequent call-up to the Nigeria squad that played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup hosted by the United States of America. As both captain and goalkeeper of the team, he succeeded in ensuring Nigeria gave a commanding performance at her first World Cup outing. The team got to the round of 16, before succumbing to the more experienced Italians who were inspired by Roberto Baggio. The match eventually ended 2-1 in favor of the Italians.

Peter Rufai who was fondly called "Dodo Mayana" by his teeming supporters, returned to man the post for the Super Eagles in 1998 FIFA World Cup hosted by Spain. He could not however help the team scale through the round of 16, as they were battered by Denmark in a one-sided encounter played at the Stade de France. Dodo Mayana watched helplessly as the Danes put four goals behind him.

That match was incidentally his very last international outing for the senior National team before he eventually called it quit. His best ever performance were in the color of Spanish La Liga side- Deportivo La Coruna, where he made a name for himself despite been a back-up to Cameroonian goalkeeper- Jacques Songo'o for two consecutive seasons.

Peter Rufai presently lives in Nigeria, where he organizes football clinics in selected cities to help discover talented goalkeepers. He will be best remembered as one of the best goalkeepers Nigeria ever had, having earned the respect of fellow players and the Confederation of African Football who named him the 10th best CAF Best Goalkeeper of the century. It is noteworthy to mention that Rufai is the only Nigerian Goalkeeper so mentioned by the African Football body.

Clement Sadjere is an Author, a motivational speaker and an information product sales/ marketing expert. He can be reached via telephone on +2348052790262

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viernes, 6 de febrero de 2015

Laws of Football - Summary of the Basic Rules

Laws of Football - Summary of the Basic Rules

The following is a very simple summary of the key laws of the game of football, hopefully written in an easy-to-understand way.

The Pitch

The playing area ('pitch') must be rectangular and be between 90m (100yds) and 120m (130yds) long and between 45m (50yds) and 90m (100yds) wide. The end lines are called goal lines and the side lines are called touch lines.

The Ball

The ball must be spherical with a circumference of between 68cm (27in) and 70cm (28in) and a weight between 410gm (14oz) and 450gm (16oz).

Teams / Players

A match ('game') consists of 2 teams, each with no more than 11 players - including a goalkeeper ('goalie') - and no less than 7 players.

Player's Kit

Basic kit consists of a shirt, shorts, socks, shinguards and boots/shoes. Goalkeepers must wear colours different from other players - including their own side - and match officials.

Match Officials

Each match is controlled by a referee supported by 2 assistant referees. He stops the game by means of a whistle for any infringement. He also acts as timekeeper. The assistant referees indicate by flag when the ball is out of play. They also flag when they see infringements that the referee may not have seen.

Game Duration

A game consists of 2 halves of 45 minutes each, with an interval (half-time) of a maximum of 15 minutes. The referee may add on additional time at the end of each half to compensate for time lost through injuries, substitutions and players' deliberate 'time-wasting.'

Starting the Game

A coin is tossed to decide which team gets to choose which goal to attack. The losing team gets to take the kick-off to start the game. The teams change ends for the second half. A kick-off is also used after a goal is scored.

Ball Out of Play

A ball is out of play ('out') when the whole ball has crossed the goal line or touch line.

Goals

A goal has been scored when the whole ball has crossed the goal-line between the goal-posts. The team scoring the most goals wins. If both teams score the same number of goals - or neither team scores - the game is drawn.

Offside Rule

A player is penalized for offside if at the instant the ball was played by a team mate, the player was actively involved in the play and did not have 2 opposing players between him/her and the opposition's goal line. The player is not in an offside position if he/she is in his/her own half, or, is level with the second last opponent, or, receives the ball from a goal kick, corner kick or throw-in. An indirect free kick is awarded for offside.

Free Kicks and Penalty Kicks

There are 'direct' and 'indirect' free kicks. These are just some of the offences for which a direct free kick is awarded:- hitting, kicking; tripping; pushing; deliberate hand ball; etc. Similarly for an indirect free kick we have:- dangerous play; impeding an opponent ('obstruction'); a goalie holding the ball for more than 6 seconds; a goalie handling the ball after it has been passed to him by a team mate, etc.

At the subsequent free kick, all opposition players must be a minimum of 9.15m (10yds) from where the ball is placed. A penalty kick is awarded for any infringement which takes place inside the penalty area for which a direct free kick would normally have been awarded if it had occurred outside the area.

Goal Kicks

Awarded to the defending team when the whole of the ball crosses the defending team's goal line - not between the goal posts because that is a goal - after having been last touched by an attacking player.

Corner Kicks

Awarded to the attacking team when the whole of the ball crosses the defending team's goal line - not between the goal posts because that is a goal - after having been last touched by a defending player.

Throw-Ins

Awarded to a team when the whole ball crosses a touch line after having been touched by a member of the opposing team.

The above should be sufficient for folks, new to football / soccer, to be able to follow and enjoy this fabulous game. Good spectating!

John Salter is the Editor of ClanFootball.com. For free soccer news, scores, league tables, soccer video skills, articles and free online games, please go to http://www.clanfootball.com now.

A Look at Ronaldinho

A Look at Ronaldinho

For any soccer fan who loves a champion, Ronaldinho is their Brazilian God. He not only has become one of the best soccer players in the world, but he has proven to have enough talent to last a lifetime. This winner stunned critics, as he recently won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2004. Although he had a tough time growing up, the soccer player has pushed all boundaries and has finally been able to live his dream.

Born and raised in Brazil, Ronaldinho grew up in a poor community. Although this was a struggle, his family stayed strong and began playing soccer as a pastime. Surprisingly, Ronaldinho's father and brother began playing on an amateur team, which may have driven his son to pursue the sport further. Even though his other siblings were amazing players, Ronaldinho had the same undying passion. Luckily, his father was able to see a potential that no one else took notice of. Ronaldinho not only had the talent, but he had the motivation to go the extra mile. As a result, Ronaldinho was on the path to fame and glory.

Unfortunately, the path to fame and glory began short. Ronaldinho's father drowned in a swimming accident when Ronaldinho was just beginning his ambition. However, his memory would continue to live on, and push the future soccer player to achieve his accomplishments.

The first big accomplishment for Ronaldinho was in 1997, when he scored over 15 goals for Brazil's Under 17 Championship. From then on, dozens of prominent teams were dying to sign him. Although hundreds of generous offers were given to Ronaldinho, he did not feel like it was his time to move on. Finally, in 20001, he signed with PSG.

During this time, he moved to PSG's location to begin playing European football. However, his new chapter was only causing negative tidal waves. PSG's manager, Luis Fernandez, claimed that Ronaldinho was too wrapped up in the club life. With drinking and other interruptions, PSG felt that he was not focusing on what was supposed to be important to him. Fortunately, in 2002, he was able to show them that he was far from oblivious. Ronaldinho impressed thousands as he did very well in the 2002 World Cup. Unfortunately, Ronaldinho wanted to move on, and start another chapter in his life.

After being offered 31 million dollars, Ronaldinho began playing with Barcelona. The champion impressed sports fans immediately, after he took Barcelona to the #2 spot in the Spanish league. Since then, Ronaldinho has been awarded the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award. Through dedication and hard work, Ronaldinho was able to break all barriers. With his father's memory and words of wisdom in hand, the infamous soccer player was talented enough to become one of the greatest players in history. Although he is now a millionaire, Ronaldinho still doesn't feel like he is the best player out there. He is simply the same boy he always was - ready to work hard and play even harder.

Visit www.ronaldinho.cc for more on Ronaldinho

jueves, 5 de febrero de 2015

Simple Theory for Soccer Betting

Simple Theory for Soccer Betting

Why is soccer betting popular?

If we were to compare other sports with soccer, soccer has the highest occurrences for weak team to beat a strong team down especially in English Premier League. Let's turn back the clock; can any of you recall the UEFA Championship final?? Clashed between Man.Utd and Bayern Munich in 1999 where Man.Utd successfully won Bayern Munich by 2 goals during 2 minutes injury time. For those who bet on Bayern Munich, how hard for punters to accept this, unfortunately this is the FACT. Well, as you can see, this is the most interesting part in soccer betting. There is a saying, "a football is round, therefore it might have unpredictable ending".

What is the simple theory in betting world?

Everything in the world is sharing the same natural concept and also follows the same trend. There is no exception for soccer betting. The theory is simple. When a graph makes an incline, of course the line will keep climbing and stop at a stage. No matter how high it reaches or how low it drops, there is always a stop to it. I would confidently say that only in minor cases, the graph will move up and down continuously within a short period of time. As example, you could notice that most market share will always have gradual incline and then follow by long dropping line repeatedly. You could also notice that the rich gets richer and poor gets poorer. In sports betting, I believe some of you did experience before winning streaks which you kept winning non-stop even though you simply put your bet. In contrast when encounter down period, even if you work hard to make analysis or follow the bet of your lucky friends but finally lose too. Why? The only answer is natural concept and trend. We must agree and follow the trend.

How betting trend works in soccer betting?

The rule of thumb is do not be stubborn to confidently place bets on teams that continuously lost and have the thinking that they would make a come back. This is totally wrong. Maybe you will win at the end by follow this type of betting strategy but how much capital you need to have and how much you need to lose before you can win the bet. Based on the trend concept, if a team is keep losing, the graph for them is dropping, we should bet against them until the graph reach a pit stop. In contrast, if a team turnover from lose to win, we should start chase the team to win until stop stage. How simple is it? Win keeps winning and lose keeps losing.

Which team to bet from among of uncountable matches?

When using the trend concept in soccer betting, it is safer if we use it to bet on strong team and only focus on climbing graph. Meanwhile, we put our bet only on strong team when they are in win stage. The reason to choose strong team is they need points to secure their position at the top of the league table. In addition, strong team with higher strength could easily win if victory is a must.

The last but not the least, I am sure you will have doubts on my simple theory - trend. I could tell you that my theory has been proven. I have been using the betting strategy for 2 consecutive years and it really works for me. From my bet statistics, it hits more than 75% accuracy.

Best regards,

Joseph Linhard
(Soccer Statistics Net)

http://www.soccerstat.net - provide soccer statistics based on Asian Handicaps and Fixed Odds for European major leagues, cups and World Cup, with tips and soccer team statistics.

http://www.soccerstat.net/summary.jsp - Your first place to start before you place your bet.

email: soccerstat@soccerstat.net

Famous Soccer Players and Their Nicknames!

Famous Soccer Players and Their Nicknames!

Perhaps the most popular of all football monikers is Pele or the Black Pearl, as the greatest footballer of all times, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is known. Winner of three FIFA World Cups, he was latter dubbed O Rei (The King) for this outstanding achievements. Pele was a name the legend picked up in school, though even he wasn't too clear as to how he got the name! Whatever you call him, he will always be remembered as the ultimate when it comes to football.

If Pele was The King, Germany's Franz Beckenbauer was The Emperor (Der Kaiser). He dominated world football wearing the number 5 soccer shirt in 1974 and later went on to become the national team's coach. His teammate was another legend, Gerd Muller, who gained a formidable reputation as The Bomber for his goal scoring capacity - 365 in 427 Bundesliga matches and 68 in 62 international matches!

Carrying on with titles both royal and military, Hungarian Ferenc Puskas, was referred to as The Galloping Major! It was the player's actual rank as well as his nickname in the Hungarian army team. This three time UEFA Cup winner with Real Madrid was also dubbed the Cañoncito (Little Cannon) by adoring fans. And then, of course, there was Eric 'The King' Cantona and 'Guv'nor' Paul Ince, who became the first black player to captain England's national team. Brazilian Adriano Leite Ribeiro, was fondly called L'Imperatore (The Emperor) and even 'The Bulldozer' at different points of his prolific career!

Moving on to names more 'beastly', who can forget Brazil's Edmundo, who came to be known as 'O Animal' after his exploits on the pitch! Years before him, the dazzling dribbler Garrincha was dubbed Little Bird, and ended his career as The Joy of the People or Alegria do Povo.

Argentinean legend, Maradona, who made the number 10 soccer shirt a much sought after inheritance, began with the nickname Fluffy due to his untidy mop! Thankfully, he didn't get stuck with the sobriquet, and moved on to an extremely flattering one - The Golden Child or El Pibe de Oro. But when it comes to Diego Maradona can that be enough! He became the only player in the world whose body part has been given a nickname - The Hand of God - after his infamous goal during the 1986 FIFA World Cup!

One of the most interesting pet names by far has to be The Baby Faced Assassin! Norwegian footballer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, spent his best years at Manchester United, where he scored 126 goals, earning him a reputation as The Baby Faced Assassin for his lethal goal scoring skills, matched with his misleading 'babe in the woods' look!

These diminutives have become so popular, that most fans don't even know their favorite players actual names! Actually, their real names are nothing short of confusing. As a diehard football fan would you know Ricardo Leite is our very own Kaka? Didn't think so! Guess that's why these nicknames have stuck on the players soccer team shirts... Thank God for that!

Browse through Custom Soccer Uniforms extensive collection of soccer kits.

martes, 3 de febrero de 2015

Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - Dino Zoff

Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - Dino Zoff

Dino Zoff was born February 28, 1942 in Mariano Del Friuli, Italy. He is one of Italian famous soccer players and the oldest ever winner of the World Cup as a captain of the Italian national team in Spain. His position was a goalkeeper. For the Azzurri, Zoff is second simply to Paolo Maldini in number of appearances with 112 caps. Most of his career Zoff expended at Juventus.

Dino Zoff was part of four FIFA World Cup(TM) teams, playing in three and emerging a champion at Spain 1982, won 111 caps and holds the record of 1,142 minutes with no conceding a goal.

Dino Zoff made his International first appearance for Italy, while playing at the quarterfinal of 1968 European championships against Bulgaria. He assisted Italy to win the European championship beating Yugoslavia in the replay of final. At 1970 World cup, he had tangential part in the Italian squad.

However, in 1982 world cup, Zoff took the centre stage because he captained Italy. At the age of 40, he led Italy to an astonishing world cup win. In that tournament he won the honor for the best goalkeeper. In 1983 Dino Zoff refrained from international football.

Zoff was a goalkeeper of exceptional aptitude and has a position in the record of the sport among the very best in this role, being chosen the 3rd greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS behind Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks. Following a retirement as a soccer player, Zoff went on to become coach for a number of Italian clubs and the national team.

If you want to get some biographies on soccer players, please visit my site on Famous Soccer Players [http://famoussoccerplayers.org/] or Italian Soccer Players

lunes, 2 de febrero de 2015

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Hottest Soccer Player in the Circuit

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Hottest Soccer Player in the Circuit

Cristiano Ronaldo, was born on 5 February 1985 in San Antonia, Madeira. He is a Portuguese soccer player who plays in the winger position and is known for his ability to score goals using both his right and left foot. Cristiano Ronaldo holds another distinction and that is of being the most expensive player in soccer history. He was transferred from Manchester United to Real Madrid for £80 million (US$132m/EUR94m).

Cristiano Ronaldo started playing soccer at the age of eight and started off with an amateur team called Andorinha. He signed up with a local club called Nacional in 1995 and went on to win the title. Following this, he joined a 3-day soccer trial with Sporting Clube de Portugal and was later signed on for an undisclosed sum. Cristiano Ronaldo went on to join other youth players of Sporting who he had trained with at the Alcochete at Sproting's football academy. Ronaldo achieved the distinction of being the only Sporting player to have played for the U-16, U-17, U-18, B-team, and first team of the club in the same season. He ended up scoring two goals on his debut with Sporting against Moreirense during the UEFA Under-17 Championships.

Cristiano Ronaldo was spotted at the age of 16 by Ex-Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier but at that time Liverpool declined because they felt he was too young. Later on in 2003, he caught the attention of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson while playing for Sporting. Sporting defeated Manchester United 3-1 in Lisbon.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first ever Portuguese player in the Manchester United team. He was signed on after the 2002-03 season for £12.24 million and he scored his first goal as a United player against Portsmouth in November 2003. He was also responsible for scoring the 1000th premier league goal for Manchester United in October 2005 against Middlesbrough. In 2005, Ronaldo was voted as the FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year.

Cristiano Ronaldo earned his first Portugal team cap against Kazakhstan in August 2003 as they went on to win the match 1-0. He made it to the Euro 2004 in spite of their loss to Greece in the finals. Ronaldo was able to score only 2 goals in the Euro 2004 championship. The same year, he went on to represent Portugal in the 2004 Summer Olympics and was considered to be the second-highest scorer in the FIFA World Cup qualification stage of the European zone.

In the 2006-07 season, Ronaldo won consecutive "Barclays Player of the Month" award and thus became the third player in Premier League Championship history to have achieved it. In the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Cristiano Ronaldo scored eight goals for Portugal but finished the tournament with only one goal. In total, Ronaldo has appeared in 336 matches playing for Sporting CP, Manchester United, and Real Madrid and has scored 136 goals. He has also published an autobiography titled "Moments"

Kelly Hunter owns and operates [http://www.soccer-training-equipment.org] and writes about Soccer Training Equipment [http://www.soccer-training-equipment.org]

domingo, 1 de febrero de 2015

Football Players - Born in One Country and Playing For Another

Football Players - Born in One Country and Playing For Another

If in some cases these players have an emotional connection to the country for which they became naturalized, in other cases that no longer happens.

At a time when it is quite normal for football clubs to field foreign football players, clubs like Athletic Bilbao from Spain and Hrvatski Dragovoljac in Croatia, go against the grain in their insistence on fielding only local players.

However, when it comes to most national teams, the acceptance of foreign players is viewed differently, when they include players that can only be described as nationals in a very loose sense.

Yet this is not a recent trend and in fact the practice had been going on prior to World War II as is the case of the German team that absorbed the best Austrian players and even forced Ernst Wilimowski of Poland into its squad during the occupation of Poland.

Before the 1934 World Cup, Italy naturalized a number of fantastic South Americans of Italian descent, like Demaria, Orsi, Monti, and Guaita who helped the "azzurri" win the World Cup against Czechoslovakia.

Ferenc Puskas became a Spanish citizen after the bloody Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. Spain also gave passports to another Hungarian Ladislav Kubala, as well as the Argentinian national Alfredo Di Stefano who was of Italian descent. More recently, Donato Silva of Brazil represented the Spaniards.

Picking naturalized players for national teams knows no borders.

The World Cup 2010 in South Africa will have many players that were born in one country but chose to represent another. In many cases they came from former colonies, a situation quite common in the French team that won their only world title with the precious help of players born in former French territories.

Would "Les Bleus" have been so successful without great African players like Zinedine Zidane (Algeria), Patrick Vieira (Senegal) or Marcel Desailly (Ghana), Caribbean Islands reinforcements like Lilian Thuram and Thierry Henry (Guadalupe) or Christian Karembeu (New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean) as well as Robert Pires (Portugal) David Trezeguet (Argentina), Youri Djorkaeff and Alain Boghossian, both from Armenia? It looked more like a World XI team that brought the World Cup and European Championships trophy home, to France. Michele Platini one of the best French players of all time was Italian.

Germany soon filled the absence of Klinsmann, Bierhoff and Kirsten when they retired. Players like Rink and Cacao (Brazil), Bobic (Slovenia), Dundee (South Africa), Neuville (Switzerland), Asamoah (Ghana), Mehmet Scholl (Turkey) Kurany (Brazil) as well as Littbarski, Klose and Podolski (from Poland). Poland's national team has also adopted Emanuel Olisadebe of Nigeria.

Holland started using many fantastic players like Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Ruud Gullit, Patrick Kluivert, Frank Rijkaard, Pierre van Hooijdonk and Aaron Winter just to name some of the best, all from Surinam, a former Dutch colony in South America. Philip Cocu was French but played for the Orange team.

Despite being a recurrent process, FIFA has been battling to reverse the growing trend of naturalized players. Some measures however, have been taken to change things in the right direction.

FIFA has increased from two to five years the time required in which the player must live in a country, before beginning the process of naturalization. There is also the requirement that the player had never represented his nation of origin, including at youth level.

Some of these players will participate in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. You can read the Full article about the Naturalized football players here [http://2010-southafrica.com/news-of-interest/born-in-one-country-and-playing-for-another/].

Gil Santos is the author and the owner of a Soccer website that provides news and information about South Africa and the 2010 World Cup [http://www.2010-southafrica.com]

sábado, 31 de enero de 2015

The Queen of Soccer - Mia Hamm Biography

The Queen of Soccer - Mia Hamm Biography

Women's soccer never would have been the same if Mia Hamm hadn't started up soccer when she was little. She had such an impact in the women's soccer world that she is often thought to mean as much for it as Pele or Cruyff meant for men's soccer. But before being a great soccer player and athlete that broke down almost every possible record at her level, Mia Hamm is a great person and I'd like you to meet the human behind the soccer god in this Mia Hamm biography.

Mia Hamm as a Child

If you're like me, you're probably wondering how and when did Mia Hamm start playing soccer and what events drove her to become a super star of women's soccer. Mia Hamm's childhood circled around sports and athleticism and as her brother recalled, she was faster and more athletic than most of the boys on the block, so she was able to play competitively with and against them.

After taking up youth soccer training at her school's football team when she was only 12 years old, she learned the basics of soccer and started enjoying the sport more and more. Little did she know that three years later, when she was just 15, she would be called up for the United States national women's soccer team, becoming the youngest player ever to play for her country at that level (one of her first broken records).

That was kind of a weird situation, since Mia Hamm was a soccer player for her national squad but didn't have a fully professional playing contract with a club. But after seeing her performances, the North Carolina Tar Heels quickly signed her and they made quite a deal, since Mia Hamm stayed with the club for 4 seasons, scoring over 100 goals during her time here.

Mia Hamm's Accomplishments

Probably one of Mia Hamm's most important accomplishments is that she managed to bring women's soccer to a level close to what men are playing. She is one of the two women named in Pele's "List of 125 Best Soccer Players of All Times" and she is a symbol of women's sports throughout the World.

She also holds two FIFA World Player of the Year awards, which she got in 2001 (the first year the trophy was given) and 2002. Unfortunately, she would have gotten a lot more of these awards, but with the World Player of the Year awards being granted for women when Mia Hamm was already nearing the end of her career, she didn't really have a chance to widen her trophy room.

In numbers, Mia Hamm was the United States top goal scorer, with 158 goals in 275 matches, a remarkable record that will probably dust and rust before it is beaten. She scored more goals than any man or woman for her national team, although many soccer specialists will agree that the level of women's soccer is still in an early grade and cannot be compared to men's soccer yet.

She won the Women's World Cup twice, in 1991 and 1999 and also put the US national team through a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in 1996. All these titles, records and awards make Mia Hamm one of the most important players in women's soccer and the fact that Pele considered to put her on the same list as legendary male players such as Maradona, Cruyff, Platini or Beckenbauer says a lot about the influence she had in the game.

Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of a Soccer Fans website that provides information on various topics related to soccer such as the history of soccer, rules, famous soccer players real time news, statistics, and training guides.

6 Reasons Why Pele Was Better Than Maradona

6 Reasons Why Pele Was Better Than Maradona

Prelude

The Pele versus Maradona debate has been on for some time. The intensity of the debate is such that it generates at least 50,000 online search queries per month.

Acting as the backdrop for what in all actuality is an over - hyped debate is the apparent rivalry that has developed between the two legends concerned, who now seem to be aiming at proving their superiority one over the other long after they might still have had a genuine opportunity to do so where it matters most, on the field of play.

The exaggerated profile of Pele vs Maradona stems to a large extent from the unwillingness of soccer opinion leaders (both real and self deluded) to kill the matter naturally by respecting facts that would give each of these two tremendous athletes their due respect without calling for unavoidably subjective comparisons.

In a field comprising only the likes of Di Stefano, George Best, Cruyff, Platini and so on, to be considered one of the best 2 of all time one has effectively become immortal in history of the sport. Indeed, the physical and tactical barriers that today's, and surely tomorrow's football puts in the way of attempts at super - exceptional individual football performances means that probably no player will come close to appearing as individually outstanding as Edson Arantes De Nascimento and Diego Armando Maradona were each able to. Today's football makes it so near impossible for an exceptional individual playing for an ordinary team to overcome an exceptional team made up of ordinary individuals. The experience of Lionel Messi, currently recognized by FIFA as the best footballer in the world, playing against a Jose Mourinho inspired Inter Milan, is the nearest example to note. It appears that for even the very talented footballers to shine in today's football, they must be playing for above average teams. That neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo has so far been able to achieve great success with their national teams is another pointer.

The subject of this article must be served with facts known to those who really know football. The facts that make Pele a more prominent super legend than Maradona must be pointed out, not to fan the flames of controversy, but because they equip soccer with the values that are necessary for it's continued dominance as the world's number one sport.

The facts now follow:

1. UNLIKE MARADONA, PELE WAS EXCELLENT BOTH OFFENSIVELY AND DEFENSIVELY!

It is confirmed that Pele was the unofficial second goalkeeper for his Club Santos whenever the first choice keeper was unavailable. In addition, those who know Pele assert that he could have excelled in any football position he chose. Pele was gifted with exceptional tackling skills for an attacking player. Pele's super fitness, particularly reflected in astounding aerial performances, certainly made him more adaptable to a defensive role than Maradona was.

Of particular note is that Pele excelled in EVERY attacking football department: Shooting (powerful, with both legs), dribbling, heading, passing, feinting.

Diego Maradona, on the other hand, was best known for his super sublime dribbling and passing skills. In is in these departments that he could lay some claim to superiority over Pele, that is, if we ignore the reality that Pele would have done a lot more dribbling if he felt that was what he needed to win matches. Pele was certainly also fantastic at dribbling and passing, but only to the extent of what was necessary to score goals.

That Pele was a two legged player would also naturally give him an edge over Maradona in the dribbling department. Pele's dribbling style was unique in that he seemed to beat players not just with his legs but with his arms which moved in a unique style by his side whenever he was trying to beat an opponent.

The facts show that Pele was a far more versatile player than Diego Maradona was.

2. PELE'S ASTONISHING GOAL SCORING STATS MARK HIM OUT AS THE GREATEST ATTACKING PLAYER OF ALL TIME.

According to FIFA.Com, Pele scored 1281 goals in 1,363 games. If, as some say, this statistic is overrated due to what they consider the low quality of some teams he played against, it should be pointed out that the amazing stats is not just about the goals scored, but the scoring rate over a high number of games. He scored at least 5 goals on at least 6 occasions, 4 goals on 30 occasions, and hat tricks on 92 occasions. If his goals statistics in the world cup matches he played are anything to go by, it is reasonable to suggest that Pele would be the all time leading world cup goal scorer were it not for the matches he missed due to injuries he sustained during the 1962 and 1966 world cups.

Diego Maradona's goal scoring stats per match simply don't match up to Pele's.

Pele is clearly the greatest goal scorer and attacking player of all time, and the stats only confirm this. An examination of his athleticism, skill, versatility, mental strength and focus could be the only rational explanation for his goal scoring rate. Indeed, a lower scoring record would simply have done him no justice whatsoever.

3. PELE WON 3 WORLD CUPS WITHOUT CONTROVERSY, UNLIKE MARADONA.

A large part of Diego Maradona's legend derives from his tremendous achievements at the 1986 world cup, where he was without doubt the leading star, both for the right and wrong reasons. Maradona's dribble run against England in 1986 in Mexico is rightly considered probably the best world cup goal of all time. His goal against Belgium in the following match is considered one of the best 5 goals ever.

All the above noted, however, and soccer being the cruel sport it sometimes is for the unlucky, Maradona came reasonably close to not having a world cup to his name.

For those who watched Argentina's quarter final match against England at that tournament, they may recall that the English team was of significant quality, possessing Gary Lineker (eventual tournament highest scorer), Peter Shilton, John Barnes, Glen Hoddle, and managed by the legendary Bobby Robson. Indeed, save for Maradona, the Argentine team were at least slightly inferior to the English. After pulling a goal back in the 80th minute through Lineker to make the score 1-2, the English were somewhat on the ascendancy.

Had Maradona's clear handball goal not been awarded earlier, the scoreline would in all probability have been 1 -1 by the end of regulation time. Afterall, in the previous match, with Maradona playing, Argentina had only been able to score one legitimate goal against Uruguay.

Had this particular England - Argentina match extended to extra time, anything could have happened. Argentina could have been unlucky not to score a second legitimate goal, while England, showing great character, which often decides matches, could have scored an odd decisive second goal or even gone on to win the tie by penalties.

In comparison, Pele's world cup victories were devoid of controversy. Though he only played two matches in the 1962 tournament, Brazil's eventual victory could hardly have been hampered by him since he had already scored once before being injured.

4. MARADONA FAILED AT 1 WORLD CUP, UNLIKE PELE.

At the 1982 World Cup, Maradona, already considered the best player in the world at the time, was unable to prove himself a Champion. While it is true that he was harshly marked throughout the tournament, he played in all the 5 games of Argentina, yet Argentina, despite being defending champions, won 2 games and lost 3. This Argentine team contained many of the players who won the previous tournament.

Maradona ended the tournament with a Red Card against Brazil. Pele, on the other hand, was clearly one of the best 3 players in the 2 world cups in which he got to play 3 matches or more.

5. AGE OF MATURITY

Whereas Maradona was not considered mature enough for the Argentine National Team at the age of 17 in 1978, Pele was considered good enough for the Brazilian team at the same age in 1958, and more than justified the chance he was given. Maradona did not actually mature as a top level player until 1986, when he was already 25 years old.

6. PELE WAS A BETTER TACTICAL OPTION

In today's football, managers prefer players who can fit into varying roles as the need of the team and the manager's strategy may require. Surely, an offensively brilliant player who can safely be deployed in a defensive role will be extremely valuable when the team needs to avoid conceding, particularly when the team is a man down.

From every indication, Pele was more of a player who could fit into the game plan of a modern tactician.

To conclude, it is obvious that many of today's younger soccer fans never watched Pele play. This is why Maradona won FIFA's internet poll for player of the century. The Internet is a medium that cannot prevent double or multiple votes by the same person. Pele, however, won a poll for Athlete of the Century by the IOC, custodian of the mighty Olympics, a competition he never participated in. The difference between the significance of the 2 awards should be quite clear to the unbiased.

Seyi Gabriel is a commentator on several topics,especially Soccer. He owns the soccer blog soccersportslife.blogspot.com

Famous Soccer Players of Brazil

Famous Soccer Players of Brazil

In countries where soccer game is so popular, you can't deny that one big reason is because of the famous soccer players they have that made it to stardom. When we talk about soccer, Brazil is always on top of everybody's answers. Many are really wondering how this country made it and how come they seemed not running out of good players.

Now, let's take a look at the Brazilian's famous soccer players and what makes them star. If you are one avid fan of soccer, you've probably heard their names so often.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or Pele
His popularity started from early age of 17. He had innumerable records and achievements to be considered as the best soccer player of all time. He used to be a striker and along with other players, he gained to win three times the World Cup one in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Manoel Francisco dos Santos, Garrincha
He is a forward in his team and known at Garrincha, which means "little bird" maybe due to his behavior brought by his difficulties in life. However, his shortcomings never really stopped him from being Brazil's second-best. He is a quick winger and a crucial passer and known by his good assists skill and controlling free kicks. He won World Cup twice, 1958 and 1962.

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, Ronaldinho
Who wouldn't have known this "World Class Superstar", Ronaldinho of the soccer world? Yes, he is the most prominent player on today's soccer. He is known for his grace in passing and dribbling plus his total control for goal. He is now still in his mid 20s and already won twice the FIFA World Player of the Year award on 2005 and 2006.

Like in other said, it looks like soccer is the Brazilian's second's religion. You ask Brazilian kids about soccer and you find them very well knowledgeable and enthusiastic and that most of them wanted to become their favorite soccer players when they grow up rather than become a doctor or engineer.

Learn more about famous soccer players.

Watch Live Soccer [http://internettvsitereviews.com/] on your PC.

jueves, 29 de enero de 2015

Where Did Soccer Originate?

Where Did Soccer Originate?

Where did soccer originate? Soccer has originated in England as early as 1800. It was originally played by the aristocrats from the high society. Since the game does not require a lot of money to play, it slowly became the game of the ordinary people.

The standard rules of the sport had been formulated by the London Football Association and it was implemented all throughout Europe. The London Football Association was founded in 1863.

In the later years different soccer teams had been organized and joined the tournaments. In line with this, more and more European countries had adopted the sport. As the number of people interested in the sport grew, tournaments had been formalized so it was accepted as a sport and was played in the 1900 Olympics.

In 1904 the Federation International de Football Association or FIFA was founded. The FIFA is governing body for international soccer tournaments. In 1930 the 1st World Cup international competition was held.

In 1913, the Americans formed their own soccer team dubbed United States Soccer Federation (USSF). American football is much preferred by the Americans than soccer. This has been one of their famous sports for a long time. They have less interest in the sport soccer.

The mindset of the Americans about the sport has changed with the inclusion of Pele the great Brazilian soccer player with the New York Cosmos team. This didn't take long because of the early retirement of Pele. Later on the Soccer League was dissolved because of its unpopularity among fans.

When the men's world cup was held in the United States in 1994, the Americans became interested in soccer. Today, Americans love soccer so much. It even leads to the formation of the Major League Soccer (MLS).

John is an avid soccer fan. Learn more about where did soccer originate.

Watch Live Soccer [http://internettvsitereviews.com/] on your PC.

martes, 27 de enero de 2015

Soccer Statistics - Importance of Soccer Statistics

Soccer Statistics - Importance of Soccer Statistics

Soccer statistics are data gathered on previous to present results of the favorite sport in the world. It consists of game results, team rankings, player rankings, scores and many statistical data related to the sport.

The information gathered are archived and posted in various sports websites, RSS feed, newsgroups forums and also published with various sports magazines to update sports fans on the latest happenings and standings. Usually, these statistics are regularly updated every month or every year.

There are a lot of companies and organizations responsible in gathering these soccer statistics for publication. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) were able to gather data and produced the Club World Ranking on a monthly basis. The rankings consist of one year events from continental and intercontinental from national leagues including the national cup results. Results of continental competitions are carefully evaluated depending on the importance. Only those organized competitions that are duly recognized by FIFA are included in the results of the statistics of IFFHS.

Gathering of statistics is of great importance in the sport in order to have a strong basis in identifying who among the leagues have made it on top. Leagues that were able to reach the ranks are given due recognition. The statistic results are also used by different leagues to provide them basis of their performance from the past to present so as to give them opportunities in planning and preparing for future events. These types of data become part of historical archived for the sport.

Watch Videos about soccer statistics.

lunes, 26 de enero de 2015

Soccer - The Metaphor of Life

Soccer - The Metaphor of Life

Introduction: As the FIFA 2010 has kicked off on June 11, 2010 at South Africa, there is a great feeling of euphoria and excitement all over the world about the games that encompasses the planet earth through media, news channels, news papers and Television sets. We all love football and in India too there is a great fervor among the populace to watch the game even though Indian football team has never qualified for the biggest football event of the World. We all adore our heroes, the demi-gods like Pele, Maradona, Beckham, Ronaldo, Kaka, Wayne Rooney and many others. Looking closely at the game and how the players are positioned, their role on the football stadium and the way the game proceeds, one cannot help but find a great metaphor of Life in it. That's what this article is all about. It is a humble dedication and salutation to the greatest and most popular games of the world.

The Field: Soccer game is played on a field of 90 to 120 meters length and 45 to 90 meters of width. On both sides we see the goal posts. Your team which includes 11 players will be aiming to score a goal in the opposite goal post. The opposite team would be trying to defend that and rather counter attacking your goal post to score a goal. In life to you have to have goals. Your aim is to score goals. You cannot sit passively and watch while the outside circumstances counter attack you and make one goal after the other pushing you on the back foot. You got to be proactive. You got defend sometimes but also attack. You got to know where you have to reach, where you have to score a goal. Your goals are like the lighthouse for the ship which helps them to steer on the right path. Remember we are all placed on the soccer field by the Lord Almighty. We all are players on the field, we have to play our part, and we have to be proactive and know our aims and do everything to reach our goals. Then our life becomes exciting, and then we find meaning to this life. So that's the first metaphorical lesson we glean from the soccer game. We are all players on the field of life and we have to score goals. We have to be proactive about our goals.

Positions: As the soccer games kicks off, the 11 players of a team are positioned on the field according to the various roles they play. We can learn a lot of things from the different positions they take and the various roles they play on the soccer field.

Goalie: Near the goal post is placed the goalie, who plays one of the most important role in a soccer game. He is there to defend the goals that opponent team hits in the net. Usually he has developed the special ability, alacrity and alertness to prevent the opposite team from hitting a goal in the net. He is like the compound wall around our houses that prevents trespassers. In life we have to play the role of a goalie when it comes to guarding ourselves from being hit by negative thoughts. Our minds are like the goal post. The outer circumstances, people and events can try to impregnate our minds with negative thoughts. We should play the role of a Goalie at such times and see that our minds are not invaded by the thoughts that can pull us down and demoralize us. What happens to a team whose Goalie is not able to defend the goals being put in the net. The team is weakened and its focus from scoring goals is switched to defending goals. It is demoralized and is rapidly moving toward defeat. That's exactly the picture of a person who does defend himself or herself from negative thoughts. He or she will be weakened and will divert from his or her goals of pursuing excellence and succumb to defeat in life. So playing the role of a goalie in life is very important, we should know to defend ourselves from negative thoughts.

Back positioned Players: In the game of Soccer, the Goalie is not the only one who defends the goals. There are some players positioned at the back like the Centre Fullback, Left-Right Fullback and the Wingback who also help in defending and marking and attacking the Forward players from the opposite team. The roles that these players positioned at the back play, is the role that reminds us that in life many times it is important to be on the back foot and whenever the tide is against us we should be able to keep our calm. We should not be surprised that many times there are people, circumstances and events that will seem to pressurize us and put us behind. When you venture out in the sea in a ship, you are bound to encounter storms. That's life! "Ships in the harbor are safe; but that's not what Ships are meant for." says William Shedd. Ships are supposed to go out and venture into the deep sea and fight it out against the storms that come against it. Many times we have to be players at the back, defending ourselves, our principles, our values, our faith, and our lives from being pushed behind, from getting bogged down. Many times there are people or circumstances that can force us to quit. Many students encounter failures, so do many professionals and businesspeople at such times we are tempted to give up but here the role of the players positioned at the back comes forth. We have to mark what is that is troubling us, go to the source of the trouble and defend ourselves. Many times we may have to defend ourselves from the wrong company who pulls us down, wrong habits that corrode our lives and wrong actions that reap the harvest of bad fruits. The Bible says, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him." That standard is the players who play the game of Soccer positioned at the back.

Midfielders: Now there are players also positioned at the Middle of the football pitch. Some of them are the Left and Right Midfielders, Defensive Midfielders and the Central Midfielder. These players have the duty of game-making. They sometimes defend as well as make the game and then pass it out to players positioned forward. In our lives also there is a time when we have to sit and make out a strategy so that it becomes convenient for us to reach and achieve our goals. At such times we have to be the game makers, the Midfielders. There is a lot of scope in our lives to sit and plan and organize our lives. We have to resort to things like Time Management Planning, Goal Setting and writing the mission of our lives. Many times we have to prepare ourselves by learning different skills and techniques so that it is convenient for us to move ahead to reach our goals. At such times we are playing the roles of the game-makers, we are playing the role of Midfielders. Midfielders play an important role on the field for their team, without them the players that play forward who have to score goals against the opposition would be rendered helpless. They won't have anything at their disposal to go ahead and shoot or score.

Players positioned as Forwards: Finally let us look at the players who are positioned forward on the soccer field. When the Goalie defends goals for the team, the players positioned behind defend from attackers and the midfielders make the game, the Forwards carry the ball into the opposition's net. The players who are positioned forward are Deep Lying Forward, Centre Forward and the Winger. The main role of these players is to strike. They are always on the attacking mode. Once they have the ball in their possession, they seek to put it across the Goalie of the opposition team into the net. When we also defend our lives from negative attitude and thinking, when we defend ourselves from wrong practices, principles and people, when we prepare ourselves for the opportunities that lie before us then there will come a time where our goals, our aims would be as clear as the Football goalpost and we would be in the position to hit and score. So in life we would see opportunities before us lying wide awake that would help us to hit at our goals. It is possible that you would miss many hits, you may hit and miss by a mile but you got to keep hitting back till you put the ball across the Goalie into the net. In life we encounter failures, many times we miss read opportunities, many times we commit errors but we got to get up, dust ourselves and hit again. A Japanese Proverb says, "Fall down seven times; get up eight." Scoring a goal into the net comes through immense practice and patience and we should also inculcate these two qualities when we want to reach our aims and goals in life. So it is important role that the strikers positioned forward play, for they give finishing touch to the game.

Conclusion: Friends, in the end I would like to encourage all of you to go ahead and enjoy the FIFA 2010. But I would also encourage you to look at the philosophical side of the game, the metaphor that the game of Soccer presents. May it excite and enthuse you with courage, confidence and capacity to enjoy, explore and elevate your life to the next level. May you hit and reach your goals in life, may you emerge winners and even when you feel that you have lost remember there's always next time. The next FIFA in 2014 at Brazil.

Joy be all yours.
Sohan.

sábado, 24 de enero de 2015

Pro Evolution Soccer Vs FIFA

Pro Evolution Soccer Vs FIFA

I have always been a massive Pro Evolution Soccer (Pro Ev) fan. Ever since the old days of ISS Evolution of the Sony Playstation. When I was younger though before I experienced ISS, FIFA was always the football game that mattered. FIFA 98: Road to the World Cup was fantastic, but the next couple of installments were pretty similar without evolving.

Then ISS came into my world. It was so different, you could feel the weight of a pass, the power of a shot, dribbling was more fluent and sensitive. The only downside was the fact that there wasn't any licenses and all the players had fake names..but this soon changed over the years as the popularity increased.

After many years of improvement and the further installments on next-generation consoles such as the PS2. Pro Evolution Soccer was amazing. From PES 3 to PES 6 they were unrivaled. The gameplay was fantastic, the licenses were better, the players faces and movement was uncanny...and it made my life that little bit sweeter!

However, when the PS3 and XBOX 360 came out, Konami had trouble progressing to the next generation and FIFA reclaimed the crown of the best football sim, however I stayed true to PES and always purchased it and played it religiously despite the massive errors and poor gameplay - not to mention the terrible online mode.

But this year, PES 2010 has started to climb back onto its feet - not quite to where it was on the PS2 but it is clearly making improvements which make me look forward to the next installment in autumn this year!

FIFA will have a fight on their hands I think!

http://www.eastondesign.co.uk

A Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - Wayne Rooney

A Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - Wayne Rooney

His full name is Wayne Mark Rooney. He was born Croxteth, Liverpool, England on 24 October 1985. He is a professional soccer player who plays for his national team of England and for Premier League club Manchester United. His playing position in the field is as a striker. From his early age, his aptitude on the arena was hard to overlook. In his age of 9, Rooney caught the consideration of a scout with the Everton Football Club.

During his soccer career with some clubs, Rooney played for Everton (2002-2004) with 67 appearances, and for Manchester United (2004- ) with 189 appearances. Alex Ferguson ever said about him: "I am very excited, I think we have got the best young player this country has seen in the past 30 years".

With his national team, he made his first appearance in 2003. And at UEFA Euro 2004, Rooney became the competition's youngest goals corer for a short time. Rooney is regularly chosen for the England side and also attributed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Some of his honors with club of Manchester United are Premier League (2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009), League Cup (2005-2006, 2009-2010), FA Community Shield (2007, 2010), UEFA Champions League (2007-2008), FIFA Club World Cup (2008). And as individual player, he won BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year (2002), Bravo Award (2003), UEFA Euro 2004, FIFPro World Young Player of the Year (2004-2005), Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (2005-2006, 2009-2010), FWA Footballer of the Year (2009-2010), PFA Players' Player of the Year (2009-2010), PFA Young Player of the Year (2004-2005, 2005-2006), PFA Fans' Player of the Year (2005-2006, 2009-2010), PFA Premier League Team of the Year (2005-2006, 2009-2010), FA Premier League Player of the Month (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010), Barclays Player of the Season (2009-2010), FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball (2008), and England Player of the Year (2008, 2009).

To know about famous soccer players of French, you can visit http://french-soccer-players.blogspot.com/

jueves, 22 de enero de 2015

10 Players Who Failed To Reach Their Full Potential

10 Players Who Failed To Reach Their Full Potential

Playing football in today's game is incredibly demanding. Yes, they may get paid millions and millions playing their favourite sport week in, week out, which most of us would happily do for free, yet many would argue it doesn't come without difficulty. The constant media surrounding players can take its toll, where even the smallest step out of line can be blown way up in a player's face. With the constant temptation that must surround them, be it wanting to live a 'normal' life (wanting to have a drink and go out clubbing) or the 'perks' of being rich and famous (the women, lads... ?) a God given talent is not enough to secure your place in history as a top player. Of course, it helps, but it is also necessary to work incredibly hard at training, stay out of the headlines for the wrong reasons, and have a bit of luck.

Yet sometimes, a player who seems to show so much promise fails to reach his potential. Could it be the pitfalls of living the footballer lifestyle that takes them off the rails? Were they unlucky with injuries that blighted their career? Or was it just too much, too soon; being built too high up a pedestal they were never going to reach. Of course, the saying goes that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. So why do some players fade so much, when their star seemed destined to shine so bright? The Football Writer has picked his top 10 players who have failed to truly fulfil their potential...

10. Kerlon, 24, Brazil (currently playing for Brazilian side Nacional-NS).
Brazilians are famed for their flashy technique and dribbling ability, something which certainly wasn't lacked by Kerlon. An incredible natural talent, he became famous all across the world as millions watched on Youtube his unbelievable 'seal dribble'; bouncing the ball on his head repeatedly while running down the pitch. This would often force opposition players to foul him and become frustrated, which although must have been difficult for himself, could only be of benefit to the team.

Perhaps inevitably due to his trademark dribble he picked up a serious knee injury which limited his appearances. A transfer to Inter Milan via Chievo had Kerlon seemingly destined for a career at the top, yet he continued to suffer from knee injuries which prevented him from making an impact. A loan move to Ajax to gain first team fitness and experience in Europe was tarnished by another knee injury, before he escaped his Italian hell with successive loans and an eventual permanent move back to Brazil. He ended four years in Serie A with only four appearances, all for Chievo. Now featuring for Brazilian side Nacional-NS, one can only wonder just how good he could have been had he been able to replicate his early natural ability onto the European stage, yet this is a tale of injuries really getting the better of a player before he'd been given the chance to start.

9. Michael Owen, 32, England (currently a free agent having been released by Manchester United).
Having successfully graduated through their youth system and making his debut for Liverpool (in which he scored) on the penultimate game of the 96-97 season, Owen's first season in the Premier League saw him named the PFA Young Player of the Year, finishing joint top goalscorer in the league with 18 goals. Enthusiastic, pacy and a knack for hitting the back of the net, Owen announced himself as a world class 'wonderkid' with a brilliant solo goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup.

Owen continued this excellence by being Liverpool's top scorer for every season that followed until leaving for Real Madrid, and thus began his downfall. Failing to start with a bang meant he regularly had to settle for a place on the bench, and so he ended his single season with a move to Newcastle in order to gain match fitness in time for the World Cup in 2006. While he began to get back on track, a serious knee injury at said World Cup gave him a huge setback. It seems that since that injury he has lost some of his pace that was so devastating and such a huge part of the way he plays. Several other injuries and setbacks began to blight his career and so it was a surprise when he was signed by Sir Alex at Manchester United. Yet just five league goals in his three seasons at the club before his release show just how far he has fallen since his Liverpool days. Not only has he lost some of his brilliance he had as a youngster, he is now far too unreliable due to injuries (this was indicative from his pay-as-you-play deal he signed for the Red Devils). In a time when England could really have done with a world class striker to win their first tournament since 1966, Owen's ill fated career is a sorry sight to behold, and shows just how much of a difference a few unlucky years can have on a whole life.

8. Denilson, 34, Brazil (retired).
When a club really breaks the bank to sign a player, you expect something in return. So when a club smashes the world transfer fee? Despite the extortionate amounts paid, Cristiano Ronaldo's £80m transfer to Real Madrid can be classed as value for money, while I doubt there is a Newcastle fan who would regret Alan Shearer's 1995 cost of £15m. Zidane, Ronaldo (the Brazilian one), Maradona and Cruyff are also amongst those who hold a world transfer record. And while these players all lived up to their pricetag, Denilson will surely go down in history as the most expensive flop ever signed.

After impressing at club level, Denilson enjoyed a successful start to his national career, winning both the Copa America and Confederations Cup in 1997, before playing in every game for the 1998 World Cup runners up. This prompted Real Betis to surprisingly smash the world record transfer fee, overtaking the previous record holder (his international compatriot Ronaldo) and becoming the first player to surpass the £20m mark. Unfortunately for Betis fans, that is as high as it got with regards to Denilson's career. After two uninspired seasons which saw the club relegated, Denilson, after a brief return to his homeland on loan, became a bit part player in his remaining five years, never shining even close to how bright he was supposed to. Following a solitary season in France, Denilson continued this disappointment as he travelled the globe, unimpressively it must be said, before his retirement in 2010.

If you can look past his 'record fee failure' nametag he will forever live with, Denilson does boast the unbelievable strike rate of a goal every 45 minutes for Vietnamese side Xi Mang Hai Phong. It's just as shame he only ever played one half of football for the club...

7. Gianluigi Lentini, 43, Italy (retired).
From one world record transfer to another yet upon slightly different circumstances in the shape of Gianluigi Lentini. Lentini was an up and coming winger, whose talented displays whilst playing for Torino earned him his Italy debut at the age of 21. His efforts caught the eye of the prestigious AC Milan, who were somewhat in the process of undergoing a new era and saw this enthusiastic youngster as part of their rebuilding process. A £13m transfer ensued, giving him the highest transfer fee the world had seen. Despite playing well and picking up a Serie A title in his first season he was unable to truly break out as a star player and justify his hefty price tag, yet unlike other failed stars, there became a vital moment in his life that prevented him from doing

so. At the age of 24, Lentini was involved in a car crash which left him not only battling to save his career, but his life. 2 days in a coma ensued having suffered a fractured skull and a damaged eye socket and, although he did make a full recovery off the field, he never quite did on it. Despite picking up two more Scudetto's and a Champions League, Lentini was never able to make out on his young promise and, after four years in Milan, was sold for just £2m.Lentini's career continued with relative personal success wherever he went, despite not being at the same level he would've hoped to be at. Credit must be given to the fact that he continued playing until the age of 40; it shows that he just wanted to play the sport he loves, regardless of 'what-might-have-beens'. But you can't help but wonder what might have been.

6. Javier Saviola, 30, Argentina (currently playing for Portuguese side Benfica).
It's not that Saviola has been a flop, or even a bad player. In fact, he's pretty good, in which his career has seen him play at Barcelona, Monaco, Sevilla, Real Madrid and now Benfica since leaving River Plate as a youngster. It was just that he was supposed to be so damn amazing that it is frustrating he is not currently partnering his compatriot Messi for the 'best in the world' tag, and that is what puts him on this list.

My earliest memory of Saviola is from the 2000-2001 edition of the Championship Manager series in which this 18 year old was easily one of the most talented players in the game, with incredible potential. This genuine ability led to a £15m transfer to Spanish giants Barcelona, where he scored 17 goals in his first La Liga season, becoming their top scorer and the league's third. Yet perhaps Saviola was a victim of circumstance. Despite scoring nearly a goal every two games for the club, he was deemed surplus to requirements with the recent arrivals of Ronaldinho, Larsson, Eto'o and an up and coming Messi and subsequently shipped out on loan to Monaco and Sevilla.

Continued effective displays eventually saw Real Madrid snap him up, but he struggled to fit into the team and left for Portugal after two seasons, where he is enjoying a successful time with Benfica. Yet like I said at the beginning, although he has always played well whichever club he has turned out for, he was supposed to be one of the best ever. After all, Pelé named him on his FIFA 100 list at the age of 22. Perhaps the gods decided it wasn't fair for Argentina to have two 'out of this world' players at the same time and, after flipping a coin, decided to wait for Messi instead.

5. Paul Gascoigne, 45, England (retired).
'Gazza', as he is affectionately known, is one of the greatest players to pull on a shirt for England. A technically brilliant midfielder, Gascoigne was something different who played with amazing results. He played his best football in his early years at Newcastle and Tottenham, with the great Sir Alex admitting that failure to capture the '88 Young Player of the Year has been his biggest disappointment of his managerial career; high praise indeed. Yet never being far from controversy, his career was marred and overshadowed by some infamous incidents; driving a tractor into the dressing room, the Euro '96 dentist chair, and 'f*ck off, Norway' amongst many.

Gazza was unfortunate with injuries meaning that his only real success after leaving Tottenham was in the SPL with Rangers; certainly not as high a standard that he should've been playing at. But these injuries did take their toll on him, as personal problems with alcoholism further disrupted his career until he retired in 2004 (some personal problems have continued past his footballing career).

I don't really feel like I have written all that much about Gascoigne on the pitch as I have with the other players in this list, but for anyone who has watched him in his early career will know just how good he was. Along with his undoubted passion; the image of Gascoigne crying after his booking in the 1990 World Cup semi final which would've ruled him out of the final is iconic (perhaps second only to that Vinnie Jones picture) - Gazza was one of the most technically brilliant players England has ever produced and should've been so much more, but injuries on the field and personal problems off of it got the better of him.

4. Ronaldinho, 32, Brazil (currently playing for Brazilian side Atlético Mineiro)
'A Champions League and World Cup winner? A multiple time member of the FIFPro World XI? A two time FIFA World Player of the Year? Why oh why have you included Ronaldinho in this list!?' Let me explain before jumping to criticism. I agree that Ronaldinho was an absolutely class act, and one of the most talented footballers the world has ever seen, but this is an article not about bad footballers, but about those who failed to fulfil their full potential, and I believe that is the case.

Ronaldinho first came to media attention at the age of 13, when his local team won 23-0; he scored all 23 goals. After a successful start to his career at Gremio, he was able to translate his ability into the French league and on the European stage with Paris Saint-Germain, yet his first announcement to the world for many will be that goal past David Seaman in the World Cup and his subsequent sending off. Albeit with a little controversy off the pitch with his passion for the Parisian nightlife, Ronaldinho was fast becoming one of the most sought after players in the world.

Then Barcelona president Joan Laporta has fierce rivals to thank for being able to bring Ronaldinho to the Nou Camp (he had originally promised to sign David Beckham, but following his move to the Bernabeu, targeted Ronaldinho instead) and he quickly turned into a magnificent capture for the club. Scoring regularly was a bonus to his dazzling skills, such as his patented 'elastico', he displayed week in, week out; at times he was almost unplayable. Renowned as the world's best, perhaps the highlight of his career was receiving a standing ovation at the Bernabeu after his incredible display in a 3-0 victory; not something that happens to just anyone. Yet this really is where this 'unbelievable' Ronaldinho's story ends.
In his fifth season at Barcelona, where playing time was unfortunately plagued by injuries, he announced he wanted a new challenge and, at the end of the season, was shipped to Milan. Many will praise Guardiola that selling the talisman was the reason behind Lionel Messi's emergence as a legend, avoiding him the temptation for the party lifestyle. Yet although Ronaldinho continued to play well at Milan, and since back home in Brazil, he has never reached the dizzy heights he achieved during his five years in Spain. Is it because of his party lifestyle, or did he get lazy? Or did he simply, as he said, fancy a change, and that he for some reason hasn't been able to produce in his later years elsewhere? We'll never know, but you can't help but wonder what Ronaldinho would be like today if he had stayed at Barcelona. Placed in today's Barcelona side with Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, you can't help but believe the same gradual downfall would have happened. Ronaldinho's career, for me, began to unravel at the age of 28. Four years on, for a man with all his talent, he should still be playing at the top.

3. Adriano, 30, Brazil (currently a free agent having been released by Corinthians).
What ever happened to Adriano? Let's go back to the beginning of his career, where after just a season and a half in the first team for Flamengo, Inter Milan picked up the promising striker and brought him to Serie A. After a brief loan stint with Fiorentina, Adriano began lighting up the league playing for Parma (who had agreed a co-ownership deal with Inter) scoring over a goal every two games. Inter Milan, seeing a world class player in the making, brought him back to the San Siro in 2004, and the 22 year old became their star striker. The gold Nike boots he wore emphasised that he was joining the elite, with comparisons being made to a young Ronaldo thanks to his power, pace, incredible technique and ability to find the back of the net with ease. Adriano was set to become the best of his generation, and Inter tied him down to a new, bumper contract in September 2005. And this is where we can now ask; what ever happened to Adriano?

Seemingly content that his talent alone would get him by, sweetened with his hefty contract, Adriano began to disappoint on the field with a string of poor performances. Questions were raised about his personal life, where he seemed partial to the nightlife, concerns about his weight and his work ethic; skipping training was one of the final straws at Inter. He was sent back to Brazil to regain fitness and form, and while this idea started promisingly, it ended in a return to Italy to avoid unsettling the Sao Paulo team, according to the sporting director.

Eventually leaving Inter Milan saw Adriano begin to get his career back on track at his first club, Flamengo, where he did enough to convince Roma to give him a second chance in Serie A. Unfortunately for Roma, the only noticeable thing he did in his seven months stint was to pick up his third Bidone d'Oro (the 'Golden Bin' awarded to the worst player in Serie A). Bear in mind no other player has won it more than once; that takes some beating. Admittedly he suffered injuries at both Roma and then Corinthians, whom he joined from Roma, yet the same concerns from his Inter Milan days arose and left no option but for the latter to terminate his contract after a year.

A 30 year old, over weight footballer who shows little effort for the clubs he plays for as he enjoys the party lifestyle. Who would want to sign him now? And yet he so easily could still be on top of the world, in his prime, after an illustrious career wherever in the world he wanted to play.

2. Freddy Adu, 23, USA (currently playing for Philadelphia Union).
It's quite hard to believe that Freddy Adu, who first shot to worldwide fame over eight years ago, is still only 23 years old. And thus of all the players on this list, he still has the greatest chance to fulfil that early promise he showed during the remainder of his career. Whether or not he will is another question.

Adu is most definitely the victim of too much, too soon. Hugely impressive as a youngster, he became the youngest American athlete in over 100 years to sign a professional contract in any team sport, was the number one draft pick in the 2004 MLS Draft and made his MLS debut; all at the tender age of 14. In any European league in the world this would not happen, but it can be argued that the bosses of the MLS saw an opportunity to exploit a youngster as a marketing gimmick; boost the popularity of the league by getting him to perform rather than to learn how to play.

Appearing in an advert with Pelé aside, while Adu performed considerably for a child amongst men, the hype that had surrounded him meant that nothing less than excellence would be considered good enough, and thus he didn't make quite the impact that was expected of him. Yet a move to Real Salt Lake at 17 showed that, although he wasn't yet at the standard of the Brazilian icon, he was nonetheless an exciting talent. This was proved after an impressive showing at the under-20 World Cup, before he was eventually taken to Europe with Portuguese giants Benfica. With his first start for the national team following shortly after, Adu looked back on track to become that much heralded star. Unfortunately, things didn't quite turn out that way.

After failing to take Europe by storm as was hoped, his misery was compounded with a series of loan spells at increasingly obscure clubs, trying to find some form to add to his undoubted talent; but he never did. Yet a surprise call up to the national side for the 2011 Gold Cup saw Adu perform admirably, and he soon after returned to his country to sign for Philadelphia Union.

For the first time in several years, he seems to be getting fairly regular game time at a respectable level, along with some enjoyable performances, and people are beginning to talk about him again in the States. And so as I said at the beginning, perhaps he can still make a name for himself; time is on his side. But for now he will still be known as one of the youngest 'wonderkids' who had it all far too soon. Expected for greatness, but nearly washed up before he left his teens.

1. Nii Lamptey, 37, Ghana (retired).
Uhm, who? Many of you might have said this when reading that Nii Lamptey is number one on this list of players who failed to reach their full potential, so I guess that response justifies this position. Indeed, I had never heard of him until reading an article several years ago about his unfortunate career. Before Adu was a 13 year old sensation, there was Lamptey, who looked destined for greatness.

With undoubted quality, he came to the world's attention in 1989 at the under-16 World Championship with some mesmerising displays. Making the step up to the under-17 World Championship in 1991, he won the player of the tournament ahead of a young Juan Sebastian Veron and Alessandro del Piero, of Argentina and Italy respectively. But perhaps the highlight over these achievements was to be named as the successor to the great Pelé, by none other than the man himself. Pelé naming his own successor who was non-Brazilian? That just confirmed the height of his ability.
After being sought after by many clubs, he signed his first professional contract with Anderlecht after leaving Ghana, and began to sparkle in the league. Despite an injury, his incredible performances convinced PSV to take him for a season on loan as a replacement for Barcelona bound Romario. Some big boots to fill, but fill them he did as he continued expertly and became their joint top scorer for the season. However, after PSV failed to match Anderlecht's asking price, Aston Villa swooped in and signed the talented Ghanaian, who was still only 19 at the time. Yet this unfortunately became the beginning of his downfall. Along with the demands from the national team, who saw Lamptey as their future but were still unhappy about him leaving the country at such a young age, he struggled to adapt to the physical nature of the English game before failing to renew his work permit at Coventry, having played just 16 games during his two years in England. Travelling around the globe, he plied his trade in Italy, Argentina, Turkey, Portugal, Germany, China and Dubai before returning to Ghana, a broken man with a broken career.

What is so sad about Nii Lamptey's career however is the battles that he had to deal with alongside the pressures of expectation from being named Pelé's successor. Abusive parents who divorced at eight, he was beaten by his alcoholic father and moved to Muslim accommodation, converting from Christianity. He then had to sneak out of the country to obtain his first professional contract after his passport was confiscated by the Ghanaian FA in a bid to keep the squad together, who then made it difficult for him when he was selected for the national team (Lamptey believes witch doctors were punishing him for deserting the country). His agent cheated him out of thousands, if not millions, from contracts and signing on fees, while his marriage was frowned upon by his parents. The death of his father, an incident at the 1996 African Cup of Nations after his semi final sending off that all but sealed his exile from the national team, and the death of not one but two of his children all sums up a heartbreaking life Lamptey has had to suffer.

Nii Lamptey should have been a star. Individually he could have been up there with Pelé, Maradona, Di Stefano, Cruyff. And from a wider view, he could have helped spark African football. But unfortunately with all the difficulties he faced, it all crumbled down before him. From the man himself: "I know if people had left me alone, the way God created me and wanted me to be, for sure I should have been playing for Madrid... Sometimes I will be in my room and I will cry... that thing has been taken away from you. It's really, really painful."

So there you have it, the Football Writer's top 10 unfulfilled talents in world football. Do you agree with the selections, or is there anyone in particular you feel I have missed out on?

I hope you have enjoyed reading this and, if you have done, please share this article with others who you also think will enjoy it. My Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/thefootballwriter where I will post before here, so get yourself onto the page and have a look! If I can get more likes on the page, I can spend more time working on articles so that they are more regular (have spent a good few days perfecting this piece!) Thank you!