All about Soccer Players

Unquestionably and undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world is soccer. Soccer is a sport that is viewed by literally billions of people every year and those people continue to tune in every year to see more and more of the world’s greatest sport. Fans usually participate in watching soccer from inside the stadiums, some of which are truly incredible works of architecture, some of which many have even been built using Texas coatings and Texas scaffolding. Amongst the thousands of stadiums in the world there are a few that specifically stick out as being amazing places of history and tradition where fans have gathered for years upon years.

One of the most famous stadiums in the world right now is Wembley Stadium in London, England. Wembley is famous because it is the official home of the England national team, known by their nickname the Three Lions. The current Wembley, however, is not the original and most famous one. The original Wembley Stadium was incredibly iconic, known around the world as the home of football, with its beautiful twin white towers on both sides of the entrance. But, the old one had to be torn down in the year 2000 due to the fact that it was very old, having been built in 1923 and it was decided that it would cost less to build a new one than to upkeep the old one. Although the fans have not necessarily warmed up to the new version yet, certainly as memories are made by the team in the stadium it will be received better.

Another of the most famous stadiums in the world is the Nou Camp in Barcelona. To fully understand the importance of this stadium, people must realize the history and importance of Barcelona football club. Some people in the Catalan region in which Barcelona sits are known to support Barcelona because they support Catalan independence and a new country away from Spain. Needless to say, when Barcelona FC plays at home there is a crazy and frenzied atmosphere. The other part of the importance of the stadium is that it is currently the largest stadium on the European continent, seating a maximum of 98,787 people. The stadium has also hosted a few different European Cup finals, further cementing its legacy as one of the world’s greatest stadiums.

Lastly, there is a stadium in South America that is one of the most famous in the world. The stadium is called the Maracana and is located in Brazil, and is the official home of the Brazilian national team. Having won five World Cups, more than any other country in the world, the stadium has certainly seen its fair share of excitement of the years. It seats 90,000 and is the biggest stadium on the South American continent. Furthermore, when the World Cup is hosted in Brazil in 2014 the arena will serve as the host for the final, typically meaning that it is the most important stadium in its country.

Architecture is important to the structural integrity of buildings and there are numerous methods that can be used to make sure that buildings stay intact for many years.

Connor R. Sullivan recently worked with a Texas coatings firm as new developments occur regularly in this field. He studied the work of a Texas scaffolding company when he went out for bids on a new project.

Throughout time, the Holland national soccer team gave out some truly outstanding players, most of them surpassing the status of Holland soccer stars and becoming famous on an international level. Here is an overview of Holland’s all-time soccer stars that includes players such as Dennis Bergkamp, Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard or Marco Van Basten, players that have changed the way the game is played and marked their name in the international hall of fame. But enough blabber, let’s get down to business:

Holland Soccer Stars – Johan Cruyff

Cruyff is considered THE most important Dutch soccer player of all times and he gained legendary status wherever he played, be it for Ajax Amsterdam, FC Barcelona or even Feyenoord. Cruyff is also considered third in a list of the best all times soccer players, following Pele and Maradona closely (some even say he was over Maradona, as Maradona had feats of brilliance combined with poor games, whereas Cruyff kept a high standard for himself all throughout his career). He redefined modern soccer as we know it with his game style and vision on the pitch and many football specialists agree that Johan Cruyff was one of the smartest and most calculated players ever to feel the grass of a soccer stadium.

Holland Soccer Stars – Ruud Gullit

Gullit was one of the most important Holland soccer stars during the 80s and 90s and he was amongst the first to define the “complete midfielder”. That meant that he could play almost any position in midfield his coach would place him in, from a defensive role to a supporting playmaker or an attacking midfielder. Together with Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, he succeeded in bringing Holland their first international cup ever, winning the 1988 European Championship.

Holland Soccer Stars – Frank Rijkaard

Together with Gullit and van Basten, Rijkaard formed an internationally renowned midfield triangle for both his club, AC Milan and his national side. Based on this triangle, AC Milan had a tremendously successful period, winning the European Cup (today’s Champions League) twice and the Serie A championship on two editions. The same success soon came on at national level as well, as Holland won the 1988 European Championship with a team based on the three magnificent players. Although Frank Rijkaard didn’t stand out as much as Ruud Gullit or van Basten, since he had a more defensive role in the squad, but playing alongside his two “side-kicks” he would form an unstoppable midfield for any team.

Holland Soccer Stars – Marco Van Basten

Although no one can reach Johan Cruyff’s throne as the most important Holland soccer star of all time, van Basten came close enough and definitely closer than anyone else could. His tremendous career at Ajax and AC Milan as well as his goals for the Holland national soccer team made a lot of people see Cruyff’s successor in van Basten. Unfortunately, after several successful seasons with AC Milan and winning the European Championship with his home country in 1988, van Basten suffered a career-ending injury at one of his ankles, when he was just age 30.

Holland Soccer Stars – Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp was part of a particular group of strikers: those guys that seem harmless 85 minutes of the match, only to blast the other team into oblivion for the remaining 5. Bergkamp will probably remain known in the history book of soccer by three things: his fear of flight that didn’t allow him to join overseas matches, his incredible goals (fewer than many other strikers, but definitely more artful) and his loyalty for English side Arsenal London, for whom Bergkamp played for 11 seasons.

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 Portugese 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

The sport of soccer, known as football to most of the world, has produced some great soccer players over the past years. Perhaps the most famous of all is Pelé, who amazed the world with his incredible ability to maneuver the ball in a way it hadn’t been done before. Pelé retired more than twenty five years ago but he is still a household name on the lips of soccer players and fans around the world. His story of rising from poverty in Brazil to soccer superstar is a source of inspiration for young soccer players everywhere.

Another soccer great is Pavel Nedved. Pavel is well known both in his homeland of the Czech Republic and around the world as one of the youngest soccer players of all time to make a lasting impression. Pavel played for Sparta in the 1990’s and scored many goals for the team from 1992 to 1995.

The world has seen many players who have been the focus of extreme soccer skills, but none so well known as Zinedine Zidane. Zidane was born in Algeria in 1972 and after struggling in school for several years he decided that soccer was his main interest. He was spotted at the age of sixteen by a soccer scout and very quickly found himself in Cannes. Shortly after that Zidane was playing for the French Division, scoring goal after goal and becoming the star of the team.

Today one of the most popular soccer players is David Beckham, who is the star of Great Britain when it comes to the game. At sixteen Beckham was playing for Manchester United team and was already attracting the attention of soccer scouts around the world. Beckham’s incredible talent found him on England’s World Cup Team in 1997. His handsome looks and boyish attitude make him one of Britain’s favorite celebrities.

The world of soccer continues to give us up and coming stars, but none can ever rival the status that the above players have earned.

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
Find out more at http://www.best-in-soccer.com

Welcome to Argentina- A Country in South America!

Soccer

Did you know- From the start of the event, Argentina was not the favorite, but against all odds, the national team, host-country, won the FIFA 1978 World Cup in Buenos Aires, an international tournament which was closely followed by the whole world, from Uganda and Paraguay to Andorra and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The South American nation earned the global title at the expense of Holland and Brazil. Today Argentina is mainly viewed as a soccer-loving nation. In the next decades, Argentina won many international titles, including two Olympic titles (Athens’ 04 & Beijing ‘08), six Youth World Cups and one FIFA World Cup ( Mexico City’86). Today the national squad is one of the favorites to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Africa.

Cinematography

Did you know- On March 24, 1986, Argentina’s movie “The Official Story” made history when was named the Best Foreign-Language Film at the Annual Academy Awards. Movies from an unprecedented number of countries participated, including Hungary (”Colonel Redl”), Yugoslavia (” When Father Was Away on Business”), and France (”Three Men and a Cardle”). Since then, the event was the most successful for Argentina and Latin America. Before 1986, this Spanish-speaking nation had received two Academy Award nominations for “The Truce” (1974) and “Camila” (1984).

Location

Did you know- Argentina is located in South America. Its bordering neighbors include: Chile to the west, Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast. In the other hand, it covers 1,068,300 square miles (2,779,221 km) and is the second largest nation in South America, after Brazil. Mountains, valleys and plains cover the country. It is home to Aconcagua, highest peak in the Americas. Economically, Argentina is very rich in natural resources. Buenos Aires is the capital of the nation. In recent years, Argentina is gaining a reputation for its rich natural beauty and culture. Taking full advantage of that, it has become one of the most visited nations in South America.

Nobel Prize in Medicine

Did you know- Bernardo A. Houssay shared a 1947 Nobel Prize for Medicine, along with Carl F. Cori and Gerty T. Cori.

Iguazu Waterfalls

Did you know- Iguazu Waterfalls (shared with Brazil ) is Argentina’s most noteworthy scenery.

Eva Peron

Did you know- Zapiola, 25 km away from Buenos Aires, provided the setting for the 1996 movie “Evita”, which won an Academy Award for Best original Song (”You Must Love Me”).

Ballet

Did you know- Paloma Herrera was one of Latin America’s well-known ballet dancers in the past century. She began to establish herself as one of the leading dancers of her generation when she studied at the English National Ballet in London.

Tennis

Did you know- Argentina’s athlete Guillermo Vilas was the country’s most famous tennis player until 2009 when his countrymen Juan Martin del Potro won the US Open. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mr Vilas enjoyed a brief period of celebrity -along with Susana Gimenez, Mario Kempes, Diego Armando Maradona, Silvana Suarez and Carlos Reutemann– during which he made several appearances on television and was pursued by international reporters. Vilas hails from Buenos Aires.

UN

Did you know- Historically, Argentina was one of the first members of the United Nations and then was elected to a non-permanent seat in UN Security Council (1948-49).

Norma Aleandro

Did you know- Norma Aleandro is a multi-talented actress in Latin America. Aleandro’s prestige took a quantum leap when the country’s movie “The Official Story” won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in the mid-1980s. She played “Alicia Marnet de Ibañez in the film “The Official Story”. She hails from Buenos Aires.

OAS

Did you know- By the 70s, Alejandro Orfila was elected General Secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS), the major international organization in the Americas.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women’s rights, among them “History of the Women in America” and “Famous Americans.”

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