Gary Cahill - The Next Star In Britannia !

 

Gary James Cahill (born 19 December 1985 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire) is an English footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Bolton Wanderers and the England national football team.

Cahill was born in Sheffield and started playing for the AFC Dronfield youth set-up in Derbyshire, where he played well, was scouted by various club's and subsequently joined the Aston Villa Academy. In 2004, he joined Burnley on a season-long loan and won Burnley's Player Of The Year Award and Young Player Of The Year Award. After performing for Burnley, Cahill made his debut for Aston Villa and broke-through to the first-team. Cahill joined Sheffield United on a three month loan deal, which led to speculation of him leaving Villa. On 30 January 2008, he signed for Bolton Wanderers for a fee believed to be in the region of £5 million on a 3-and-a-half deal contract. Cahill performed for Bolton though the year's, cementing a place in the first-team. At the begining of the 2011-12 season, Bolton manager Owen Coyle confirmed that Cahill will not be signing a new contract as his contract was due to expire at the at the end of the season. This led to speculation that Bolton will sell Cahill instead of letting him leave for free. In late December 2011, Bolton confirmed that they had begun talks with Chelsea over the potential sale of Cahill in the 2012 Winter transfer window.

Cahill is an Engish international. He was eligible to play for either England or Republic of Ireland, but chose to play for England. On 6 February 2007, he made his under-21 debut for England coming on as a substitute at first game at the new Wembley Stadium against Spain. On 4 June 2009, Cahill was called up to the England squad for the match against Kazakhstan. However, he only made his debut on 3 September 2010, when he came on as a second half substitute for Michael Dawson against Bulgaria, in a 4–0 win. On 29 March 2011, Cahill made his first start for the national team against Ghana in a friendly that ended 1–1. Cahill scored his first international goal in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria, which ended a 3-0 victory for England.

Early Career

Cahill began his career with AFC Dronfield, a Sunday League team in Derbyshire, where he played until he was 15. During his time there, he was scouted by a number of clubs, including Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Aston Villa – whom he signed for as a member of the club's Academy."All my friends played for the local side, AFC Dronfield, so I went along and started playing centre half and in centre midfield for them," said Cahill in an interview with the Manchester Evening News.

Aston Villa

Cahill previously played for Burnley on loan and during his spell, which began in November 2004, he was handed the accolades of Burnley's Player Of The Year and Young Player Of The Year and scored once in the league against Stoke City.

He made his Aston Villa debut as a substitute in the 5–0 defeat at Arsenal and impressed on his first start in the local derby game against West Bromwich Albion at Villa Park on 9 April 2006.

Just a week later he scored his first goal; an overhead kick against rivals Birmingham City. Villa went on to win the match 3–1.

Cahill started the following season injured, but took advantage of an injury to Martin Laursen later in the season to force his way into the first team. He made several appearances for Villa during the 2006–07 season.

On 19 September 2007, Cahill joined Sheffield United on a three month loan deal. He made his debut in a 3–2 away defeat at Crystal Palace a few days later. Cahill scored his first goal for Sheffield United in a 1–0 win at Stoke City on 10 November 2007. Under the terms of his loan agreement, Cahill returned to Villa Park in mid December 2007 having played sixteen games and scoring two goals.

Speculation surrounded Cahill's future in the January 2008 transfer window with Villa's city rivals Birmingham City. Bolton Wanderers and Turkish club Beşiktaş J.K. all reportedly showing an interest.

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers scout Colin Harvey was impressed by Cahill and on 30 January 2008, Cahill joined Bolton Wanderers on a three-and-a-half year deal. On 2 February 2008 Cahill made his league debut for Bolton in their 2–0 victory over Reading. Cahill has since become a firm favourite at the Reebok Stadium and won the "Best Newcomer" award at the end of the season. In July 2008, he was handed the number 5 shirt by manager Gary Megson, which was previously worn by Abdoulaye Méïté. On 5 October 2008, Cahill scored his first Bolton goal in a 3–1 victory at West Ham United. In August 2009, 18 months after joining Bolton , Cahill signed a new three year contract with the club.

Cahill suffered a blood clot in his left arm after a training injury which forced him to pull out of the home game against Fulham on 6 February 2010 and he spent the weekend in hospital. The treatment for the ailment meant that he could not play for a number of months.Cahill nonetheless cemented his place at the heart of the Bolton defence in the 2010–11 season, in the process making 36 Premier League appearances and scoring three goals, all of which came at home, at the Reebok Stadium. On 13 August 2011, he scored on the opening day of the 2011–12 season against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road in a 4–0 victory from 25 yards out in the 45th minute.

During December 2011, before the January transfer window, Bolton manager Owen Coyle admitted that Cahill may be sold as his contract will expire at the end of the 2011-12 season. Coyle said: "If he [Cahill] does move, there is no doubt there will be top clubs clamouring for Gary." This led much speculation that Cahill could move to the "Big English Clubs", like Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur, who all showed interest. On 23 December 2011, Coyle confirmed that they opened talk's with Chelsea about a possible transfer, as he said, "Regarding Gary Cahill, there has been dialogue between ourselves and Chelsea,".

International Career

Cahill was one of a number of uncapped players in Stuart Pearce's first squad as England U21 coach. He was not chosen to start the match, on 6 February 2007, against Spain. His first under-21 cap for England was the first game at the new Wembley Stadium, where he partnered Anton Ferdinand at the centre of the England defence. His final of four caps came in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, where he made one appearance. Cahill was called up to the England squad for the match against Kazakhstan on 4 June 2009 following the withdrawal of Rio Ferdinand, but had to wait over a year for his first cap, until he came on as a second half substitute for Michael Dawson on 3 September 2010 against Bulgaria, in a 4–0 win, at Wembley Stadium.In doing so, he became the first Bolton Wanderers player to play for England since Michael Ricketts in 2002.  On 29 March 2011, Cahill made his first start for the national team against Ghana in a friendly that ended 1–1.

Until he played for England he was also eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland through an Irish grandparent. However, his manager at Bolton and former Ireland international, Owen Coyle has said that Cahill only wanted to represent England. 
On 2 September 2011, in his first competitive start, Cahill scored his first international goal for England against Bulgaria in the qualifying rounds of the 2012 Euro tournament in the 13th minute. In netting the opening goal, Cahill became the first Bolton Wanderers player to score for England since Ray Parry against Northern Ireland in 1959.

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Gervinho - The Next Emmanuel Adebayor

 












Gervais Yao Kouassi (born 27 May 1987), more commonly known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forward or as a winger for English Premier League club Arsenal.

Youth Career

Gervinho was born in Anyama.He began his career in the famed ASEC Abidjan youth academy, where he spent five years. At ASEC Abidjian, he was given the Brazilian style nickname "Gervinho", derived from his first name Gervais.
Following this, he moved to Ivorian Deuxieme Division Zone Four side Toumodi F.C., where he turned professional.

Beveren

Gervinho played for two seasons at Belgian side Beveren, where he made 61 appearances for the club and scored 14 goals.

Le Mans

At the end of the 2006–07 season Gervinho moved to French Ligue 1 side Le Mans, where he played alongside Ivorian international midfielder Romaric. He scored two goals in his debut season in Ligue 1, with one of them coming against AS Nancy. Gervinho scored 9 times in 59 Ligue 1 appearances over 2 seasons with the French side.

Lille

On 21 July 2009, Gervinho joined Lille for a reported fee of about €6 million (8.5 million USD) on a three year contract. Gervinho scored 13 times in 32 appearances in his debut season for the club. His first goal for Lille came in a 3-2 victory away to US Boulogne on 4 October 2009.

Gervinho had an even more successful second season with Lille. He scored 18 goals in all competitions, 15 in Ligue 1,to help Lille win the Ligue 1 for the first time in 56 years. His side were also crowned Coupe de France champions, with Gervinho scoring a goal in the 2-0 semi-final victory over Nice on 20 April. At the end of the season, Gervinho was linked with clubs like Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain, Atletico Madrid and Newcastle United.

Arsenal

On 12 July 2011 Gervinho completed a transfer from Lille to Arsenal for a fee believed to be around £10.8 million. He made his debut in a pre-season friendly match against 1. FC Köln, in which he scored a brace within the first 15 minutes. He was sent off on his Premier League debut against Newcastle United for slapping Joey Barton. The game finished 0–0. This resulted in a standard three-match ban for violent conduct. Alan Pardew (manager of Newcastle United) accused Gervinho of diving when Cheick Tioté challenge inside the box.He scored his first league goal in a 4–3 loss to Blackburn Rovers. On 23 October 2011 Gervinho followed this up by contributing to all three goals in Arsenal's 3–1 win over Stoke City, scoring the first and assisting both of Robin van Persie's goals. He then scored his third goal for Arsenal on 3rd December 2011, in a 0-4 win at Wigan Athletic, scoring the third goal of the match in a comfortable victory.

International Career

Gervinho captained Côte d'Ivoire at U21 level. He was named in the Ivorian senior squad for the first time for the friendlies against Angola and Qatar in November 2007, and was picked for the Ivorian squad for their 2008 African Cup of Nations campaign in Ghana where he was given the number 10 shirt. He made his competitive debut for the Ivorian club during the 2008 Nations Cup where he made two substitute appearances.

He represented his country at the 2008 Olympic tournament where he was captain. After Côte d'Ivoire lost to Argentina in the first match, Gervinho scored one goal and set up two others in a 3–2 victory over Serbia.

On 15 January 2010, Gervinho scored his third international goal in the African Nations Cup group stage game against Ghana. He made a total of three appearances in the tournament, scoring once.

Gervinho made only three appearances, all as a substitute, in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup but still scored twice. On 15 June 2010, he played his first match in a World Cup. He played 82 minutes in Côte d'Ivoire's opening match in Group G against Portugal, which ended 0–0. In total he made three appearances in the World Cup.

Style Of Play

Gervinho often starts out from either sides of the wings, more often on the left, and takes a more attacking role than a typical midfielder, and not quite as a general attacker. He is considered a very direct player. Gervinho possesses decent dribbling skills which, coupled with short burst of acceleration, meant he could get past opposing defenders sometimes and trying to cut into the penalty area to get shots at goal or killer balls to a striking partner. In a 4-4-2 formation, Gervinho can take on a little more central role, but he has been utilised on either sides of the wings in 4-3-3 formations at both his previous and current club, Gervinho is favoured on the wing because of his speed.

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Eden Hazard - The Next Star In The Next Season ?

 

Eden Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian international footballer who currently plays for French club Lille in Ligue 1 and the Belgium national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger. Hazard is known for his creativity, speed, and technical ability and is described as a "fearless, explosive attacking midfielder who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble". He has also been described as "a defender's nightmare" and has earned critical acclaim for his playing style, which has led to the media, coaches, and players drawing comparisons to FIFA World Player of the Year winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Hazard is the son of former Belgian football players Carine and Thierry Hazard and began his football career in Belgium playing for local clubs Royal Stade Brainois and Tubize. In 2005, he moved to France joining first division club Lille. Hazard spent two years in the club's academy and, at the age of 16, made his professional debut in November 2007. In his first full season as a starter, he won the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year award becoming the first non-French player to win the award. In the 2009–10 season, Hazard captured the award again becoming the first player to win the award twice. He was also named to the league's Team of the Year. Since making his debut in 2007, Hazard has become an integral part of the club under manager Rudi Garcia racking up over 160 appearances. In the 2010–11 season, he was a part of the Lille team that won the league and cup double and, as a result of his performances, was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player to win the award.

Hazard is a Belgium international, having represented his nation at under-17 and under-19 level. Prior to starring for the senior team, he played on the under-17 team that qualified for the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Hazard made his senior international debut in November 2008, at the age of 17 years and 316 days, in a friendly match against Luxembourg. Nearly three years after his debut, Hazard scored his first international goal against Kazakhstan in October 2011.

Lille

Hazard joined Lille in 2005 and spent two years developing in the club's local sports school, due to its youth academy in Luchin not being in operation at that time. On 28 May 2007, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three year deal with Lille. At the start of the 2007–08 season, at the age of 16, Hazard was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, though he still played with Lille's under-18 team in its league and the Coupe Gambardella. Hazard made his amateur debut on 1 September 2007 in a league match against Racing Club de France appearing as a second half substitute in a 3–1 defeat. He made his first start a week later in the team's 1–0 defeat to Lesquin.

After spending the majority of October and the early part of November playing with the club's under-18 team, on 14 November, due to several players being on international duty, Hazard was called up to the senior team by manager Claude Puel to participate in a friendly match against Belgian club Bruges on 16 November. He appeared as a substitute in the match and, as a result of his performance, was included in the 18-man squad to face Nancy in a league match on 24 November. Hazard, subsequently, made his professional debut in the match coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute. Hazard returned to the club's reserve team and spent December playing with the squad. Following the winter break, Hazard returned to the first team in January and made substitute appearances in three league matches against Metz, Sochaux, and Paris Saint-Germain. Following the match against Paris Saint-Germain, he was demoted back to amateur level where he played concurrently with the reserve team in the fourth division and the under-18 team in the Coupe Gambardella. On 17 May 2008, he scored his first amateur goal in a 3–2 victory over Vitré. Hazard finished his amateur career with 11 appearances and one goal, helping the reserve team finished in fifth place, which was first among professional clubs' reserve teams playing in the group.

Hazard began the 2010–11 campaign as a starter featuring in Lille's first six league matches of the season, as well as matches in the UEFA Europa League. On 29 August 2010, he scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Nice. In late September, Hazard began to struggle with inconsistency and was benched by Garcia in an effort to "allow him (Hazard) to breathe and learn that his performances were insufficient".Hazard, subsequently, appeared as a substitute in the team's 2–1 defeat to Portuguese club Sporting in the Europa League and as a substitute in the next three league matches against Toulouse, Montpellier, and Lyon. Hazard later admitted that his first bout of inconsistency affected him stating "The first two months were a bit tough. I wouldn’t say that I began doubting my abilities, but I definitely went through a really patchy spell".

On 7 October, Belgium national team manager Georges Leekens, citing Hazard's recent spell on the bench at Lille, said that the player needed to work harder, both physically and mentally, to regain his past year's form. The team's assistant coach, Marc Wilmots, also stated that Hazard often displayed a lazy mentality while training with the national team. Garcia responded to Leekens comments the following day stating that he thought they were "excessive" and that "Eden is only 19 years old" and can still "make more progress in all areas." Following Belgium's match against Kazakhstan, in which Hazard failed to start or even appear on the substitute's bench, Leekens responded to Garcia's comments declaring that he would stand by his previous comments and that players must think about the team and not themselves. Hazard, himself, later reflected on Leekens and Garcia comments in February 2011 stating "I learned a lot during those few weeks, mentally speaking. And since then things have got better. The national side has had a fair bit to do with that – I get a lot out of being a part of it".

Following the international break, Hazard recaptured his scoring form netting the final goal in Lille's 4–1 victory over Caen in the Coupe de la Ligue on 27 October. Ten days later, he scored his second league goal of the season in a 3–1 win against the league table leaders Brest. On 21 November, Hazard assisted on both Lille's goals in a 2–1 win over Monaco. The victory continued the club's domestic unbeaten streak, which led to Lille topping the league table following an emphatic 6–3 victory against Lorient on 5 December. At the turn of the calendar year, Hazard scored in the team's first match against amateur club Forbach in the Coupe de France. Lille won the match 3–1. In the team's following match, he assisted on goals scored by Moussa Sow and Gervinho in a 2–0 league victory over Nice. On 19 January, Hazard scored the second goal in a 3–0 victory over Nancy. On 4 March, Lille officials confirmed that Hazard had added an extra year to his contract. The new deal ties him to the club until 2015. In his first match after the news, Hazard scored the opening goal in Lille's 2–1 away win over title rivals Marseille. The goal was scored on a left-footed shot from almost 35 metres (38 yd) out and was clocked at 95 kilometres per hour (59 mph).

On 2 April, Hazard capped his 100th league appearance with Lille by scoring the second goal in a 3–1 win over Caen. The goal tied his career-high for goals in a season and also moved Lille eight points clear at the top of the league table. For his performances in the month of March, Hazard was named the UNFP Player of the Month for the second time in his career. On 19 April, after appearing as a first half substitute, he scored the opening goal in Lille's 2–0 Coupe de France semi-final victory over Nice. The victory inserted the club into the 2011 Coupe de France Final; the club's first appearance in the competition's final since 1955. On 7 May, Hazard converted a game-winning free-kick goal in the team's 1–0 win over Nancy. Three days later, he was nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season. In the Coupe de France final, Hazard played 89 minutes as Lille defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 at the Stade de France. A week later, Lille clinched the Ligue 1 title by drawing 2–2 away to Paris Saint-Germain, achieving the club's first league championship since the 1953–54 season and the club's first double since the 1945–46 season. The domestic cup and league title were the first two honours in Hazard's career. On the day after Lille won the league, Hazard was named the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year becoming the youngest player ever to win the award. He was also rewarded with a place in the organization's Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Hazard switched to the number 10 shirt. In Lille's first competitive match of the season against Marseille in the 2011 Trophée des Champions, Hazard scored the team's second goal, which put Lille up 2–0. Marseille would later come back to win the match 5–4. On 20 August, in the team's third league match of the season, Hazard assisted on Lille's opening goal, scored by Benoît Pedretti, in a 2–1 win over Caen.A month later on 10 September, he scored two goals in a 3–1 away victory against Saint-Étienne. Fours days after, Hazard made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 2–2 group stage draw with Russian club CSKA Moscow. In the team's next league match following his Champions League debut, he converted a penalty in a 2–2 draw with Sochaux.days after, Hazard scored the equalizing goal in a 1–1 draw against Bordeaux. Against Turkish outfit Trabzonspor on 27 September, he assisted on Lille's only goal, scored by Moussa Sow, in a 1–1 draw. After going over two months without scoring a league goal, on 3 December, Hazard came on as a substitute and scored the match-winning goal in a win over Ajaccio converting a penalty—described as a "Antonín Panenka-style chipped penalty". Two days later, Hazard was among several players nominated for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Team of the Year for the 2011 calendar year.In Lille's final match before the winter break, Hazard tied his career-high for league goals in a season by scoring the team's third goal in a 4–4 draw with Nice. After scoring the goal, Hazard celebrated by paying tribute to Molami Bokoto, a former Lille youth academy prlayer who had passed away a day prior.

International Career

Although Hazard is still eligible to represent Belgium on youth level, on 18 November 2008, he was called up to the Belgium senior team, for the first time, by manager René Vandereycken for the team's match against Luxembourg. He made his highly anticipated debut in that match coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute for Wesley Sonck. On his debut, Hazard became the eighth youngest player in Belgian football history at 17 years and 316 days to play for the national team. On 12 August 2009, after three consecutive substitute appearances with the team, he made his first start under coach Franky Vercauteren in the team's 3–1 friendly loss to the Czech Republic. Following the resignation of Vercauteren, he was replaced with manager Dick Advocaat. Under Advocaat, Hazard became a starter in the team and, on 14 November 2009, played a full match for the first time in his international career. In the match, which was played against Hungary, Hazard assisted on two goals in a 3–0 win.

Advocaat was replaced as manager in May 2010 with Georges Leekens. After featuring as a starter in Leekens first three matches in charge, Hazard began appearing as a substitute for Belgium during the 2010–11 season. Leekens justified his benching of Hazard citing the players' domestic performance, which had been underwhelming at the time, while also admitting that Hazard displayed a lack of desire in training with the national team and often neglected his defensive duties during international matches. After appearing as a substitute in two straight matches, Hazard returned to the starting lineup for the team's November 2010 friendly match against Russia. In the match, which Belgium won 2–0, Hazard assisted on the team's opening goal scored by Romelu Lukaku. After featuring as a starter in the team's 1–1 draw with Finland in February 2011, Hazard was relegated back to the substitute's bench for the team's important March 2011 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches as Leekens preferred Nacer Chadli and Moussa Dembélé on the wings. In the team's 29 March qualifier against Azerbaijan, he appeared as a second-half substitute and assisted on the team's final goal in a 4–1 win. Following the matches, French media began questioning why Hazard was struggling to be appreciated in his home country, while, at the same time, was being praised in France.Marc Wilmots, assistant coach of the national team, responded to the media reports stating "Some people only see Eden's qualities" and "the French press are sometimes blinded by his moments of magic".

In Belgium's next competitive match against Turkey on 3 June 2011, Hazard started the match, but was substituted out after 60 minutes. Disappointed with his performance and substitution, the midfielder retired to the locker room and was later spotted on television outside the stadium with his family eating a hamburger while the match was still ongoing. Following the episode, which has become known as Burgergate in Belgium, Hazard apologized for the defection, while Leekens attributed Hazard's response to the substitution as "a young player making a mistake". On 4 August, Leekens announced that Hazard would be disciplined for his actions during the Turkey match and, as a result, would miss the team's 10 August friendly match against Slovenia, as well as the team's Euro qualifying return match against Azerbaijan on 2 September and friendly against the United States four days later. On 9 August, Hazard's management group issued a press release to the Belgian media. The release detailed Hazard's actions during the Turkey match, criticized the player's three-match suspension, as well as questioned Leekens constant criticism of Hazard. On 25 August, it was announced that Leekens had lifted Hazard's suspension and the midfielder was subsequently named in the team to play the September fixtures. Leekens decided to lift the suspension after having a meeting with Hazard that was organized by the player's agent.

On 7 October 2011, nearly three years after his debut, Hazard scored his first international goal against Kazakhstan in a 4–1 victory. The victory inserted Belgium into second place position in its group in qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 with the team needing a victory over Germany on 11 October to secure a place in the qualifying playoffs. In the match against Germany, Hazard played the entire match as Belgium failed to earn a place in the European Championship losing 3–1 in Düsseldorf.

Personal Life

Hazard was born in the city of La Louvière, but was raised in Braine-le-Comte, a small town in the Wallonia region. He grew up in a family where football was dominant. His mother, Carine and father, Thierry (not to be confused with the French singer and songwriter of the same name) were both footballers in Belgium. His father spent most of his career playing at semi-professional level with R.A.A. Louviéroise in the Belgian Second Division. He played mainly as a defensive midfielder. His mother played as a striker in the Belgian Women's First Division and stopped playing when she was three months pregnant with Eden.After playing football, both parents became sports professors. Thierry retired from his position in 2009 in order to devote more time to his children.

Hazard is the second oldest of four children. He has three younger brothers all of whom play football. Thorgan, 18, currently plays for Lille's biggest rivals RC Lens. Hazard's other younger brothers are Kylian, 16, and Ethan, seven. In August 2011, Kylian joined the youth academy of Lille after a deal had been agreed to allow him to join the club when he turned 16, while Ethan remains in Belgium playing in the youth academy of Eden's former club A.F.C. Tubize. Hazard and his three brothers were raised in a comfortable environment with their parents ensuring they had whatever they needed to excel. The family lived "no more than three meters" from a football training ground and the brothers often ventured onto a training pitch through a small hole in order to hone and develop their skills. Hazard is currently in a relationship with girlfriend Natasha. On 19 December 2010, Belgian and French media announced that she had given birth to a baby boy.

Style Of Play

Hazard primarily plays as either an attacking midfielder or a winger and has been credited as being "possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now". Under Lille manager Rudi Garcia, Hazard often plays in the latter role in the team's 4–3–3 formation and regularly switches flanks due to his ability to effectively use both feet. Two of Hazard's most common exemplary traits is his pace and technical ability, which has been described as both "astonishing" and "mesmerizing", respectively. Club captain Rio Mavuba described Hazard as "a great player, with an immense talent. He’s actually not that big, but he’s so fast. He’s also very difficult to dispossess and his finishing is top notch". Hazard's pace coupled with his finishing and inability to be dispossessed easily led to his former coach Claude Puel dubbing him "little Messi", in reference to the Barcelona star. Puel's sentiments were later echoed by former Marseille manager and media personality Rolland Courbis who commented "At times it looks to me like Lionel Messi on the right-hand side".Hazard's "flair and tricky" style of play has been described as being similar to Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo; a comparison later repeated by former French international Christophe Dugarry. His vision, described as being the trait he has improved on the most, has allowed him to develop into an effective passer, which compensates for his relatively low goal-scoring output.

In Belgium, Hazard's talent and similar ascension up the country's football hierarchy has led to comparisons to former Belgian international Enzo Scifo. Both players share the same birthplace and Scifo himself spent time with Hazard while he was in Tubize admitting "Eden, you know, I've coached in Tubize. During the week, I took care of the young people at least once, and he, in those days, I immediately saw he had a secure future". However, despite the positive opinions, Hazard has endured criticism from some. His former national team coach and mentor Dick Advocaat agreed with the majority in that Hazard possessed everything required to be a world-class player; however Advocaat admitted that the attacker lacked charisma stating "I told him to have more charisma. He is a talent, but he can not be seen like that forever". In 2010, current national team manager Georges Leekens questioned Hazard's work-rate. Lille youth academy director Jean-Michel Vandamme countered both managers criticism by arguing that Hazard simply possesses an intellectual honesty that is out of the ordinary and unexpected of today's footballer declaring "He is a real competitor, not a cheat, nor a moaner, because you don’t hear him complaining when he gets fouled". Hazard's calm and cool demeanor on the field has been cited as one of his best attributes. So far in his career as a professional, in which he has accumulated over 160 appearances, Hazard has collected only 11 yellow cards.

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Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon - The Best Goalkeeper Forever !

 

Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI (born 28 January 1978 in Carrara, Italy), is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of the most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history. Buffon was declared by Pelé to be one of the 125 greatest living footballers in the world. He has been named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record eight times and he has also been named the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics) goalkeeper of the decade.

Parma

Buffon began his career with the youth system of Parma in 1991 at the age of 13. He graduated from the youth squad in 1995 and at the young age of just 17, Gianluigi made his Serie A debut for Parma in a 0–0 home draw against Milan on 19 November 1995. He went on to make 8 more first team appearances that season. In 1996, his second full season with the club, Buffon was named as the starting goalkeeper and would go on to make well over 200 appearances for his club in all competitions. In his fourth season with the club, he won the UEFA Cup. He was by this time, already considered a major prospect and in the summer of 2001, he was snatched up by Italian giants Juventus for a world-record goalkeeper's transfer fee of a reported £32.6 million, with part of the transfer fees paid via the transfer of Jonathan Bachini to Parma.

Juventus

Buffon transferred from Parma to Juventus in summer of 2001. It was rumoured that Buffon nearly signed with Roma in 2001 following his departure from Parma but then club president Franco Sensi instead opted to spend the money on Atalanta keeper Ivan Pelizzoli and Antonio Cassano. Buffon was again linked with Roma in 2006, but the goalkeeper later commented "That was never a possibility really... I don't think that Roma had the finances to make an investment of such a nature."

In his first season with Juventus, Buffon was immediately inserted into the starting eleven and appeared in 45 official matches, helping his team to the Serie A title. He totaled 47 appearances the following season, also helping Juventus to the UEFA Champions League Final, only for his team to lose in a penalty shoot-out to Milan, although they did celebrate the Scudetto that season yet again. In 2003, he received the UEFA Most Valuable Player and Best Goalkeeper awards, and was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. In his third season with the club, Buffon again was the undisputed starter making 38 appearances, and in his fourth season at Juve, he amounted for 48 more appearances as well as his third Scudetto in four years with the Turin giants.

In August 2005, during the annual Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi match against Milan, Buffon collided with Milan midfielder Kaká while chasing a loose ball, and suffered a dislocated shoulder that required surgery. His operation was successful and he returned to the pitch in November, but played only once as another injury returned him to the sidelines until January. Christian Abbiati was transferred to the club, to fill in for the injury-stricken Buffon, however he did recover in time to help lead Juventus to their second consecutive Scudetto and his fourth overall with the club.

On 12 May 2006, Buffon, along with Juventus teammate and fellow goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti along with many other players, were implicated as participants in illegal betting on Serie  matches while with Parma. The following day, he voluntarily allowed himself to be questioned by Turin magistrates in an attempt to clear his name. While admitting that he did bet on sports (until regulations went into effect in late 2005, banning players from doing so), he vehemently denied placing wagers on Italian football matches. Fears arose that he had jeopardized his chance of playing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but he was officially named Italy's starting goalkeeper on 15 May. The players were cleared of all charges by the FIGC on 27 June 2007. Following Juventus' punishment in the Calciopoli scandal, rumours spread that Juventus were shopping Buffon on the transfer market as a cost-cutting measure, and many teams became interested in his services. However, no deals ever materialized as Buffon elected to remain with Juventus; his agent said, "Serie B is a division he has never won and he wants to try to do this." On April 2007, Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani stated that Buffon's decision to stay proved a catalyst in re-signing incumbent Dida, though Buffon later denied having ever been contacted by Milan.

After Juventus won the Cadetti and were promoted back into the top flight, Buffon signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2012.

Buffon was still in his best form for the 2007–08 Serie A season, as he helped Juventus to a third place finish as well as UEFA Champions League qualification in their first season back. In 2008–09 Serie A, Buffon was again sidelined by several injuries, having problems with his back but principally a bad groin strain and a pulled muscle. From September through January, new Juventus reserve keeper Alexander Manninger held his position between the sticks, and gained a lot of praise for his deputizing. Because of this and Juventus's poor form towards the end of the season, as Buffon was seen despondent as the team drew Lecce and Atalanta, there were further rumours that Buffon was upset and wanted to leave. He admitted he was upset but had no intentions to leave. After a discussion with management, he said he was reassured about the future of Juventus and signed a year extension to 2013. In the 2010–11 Serie A season Buffon didn't play the first half as he recovered from surgery from an injury in the World Cup, but when he came back he put in some very good performances.

International Career

Buffon was awarded his first cap for Italy on 29 October 1997, at the age of nineteen, as an injury replacement for Gianluca Pagliuca during the first leg of the '98 World Cup qualification play-off against Russia played in Moscow. Then, he was called up for the 1998 World Cup finals, but did not play a single game as Pagliuca remained first choice. Buffon became the first choice goalkeeper of the Italian national team soon after. He was the first choice goalkeeper at the Euro 2000, but he broke his hand in a friendly match against Norway just few days before the tournament started and he had his starting place taken by backup goalkeeper Francesco Toldo.

Buffon took part with the Italy squad at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.

During the 2006 World Cup finals, Buffon was in stunning form, as he conceded just two goals and kept five clean sheets, in addition to a 453-minute scoreless streak. The only goals he conceded were an own goal by teammate Cristian Zaccardo against the United States and a Zinedine Zidane penalty in the final against France, which ended 1–1 in extra-time and led to a penalty shootout in which neither Buffon nor Fabien Barthez saved a spot kick. The lone miss was David Trezeguet's effort which clanged off the bottom of the crossbar and failed to cross the line, which enabled Italy's Fabio Grosso to seal the victory for the Azzuri.Buffon received the Yashin Award for his accomplishments throughout the competition. Buffon recorded five clean sheets in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and has a career total of six.

Buffon was named Italy captain for Euro 2008 after incumbent Fabio Cannavaro was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. In the second game of the group stage against Romania on 13 June, he saved an 81st minute penalty from Adrian Mutu as the match ended 1–1 to keep Italy's hopes alive. Buffon kept a clean sheet against France in the final group game. Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals nine days later after a 4–2 penalty shootout loss to Spain in which Buffon saved one penalty.

In the 2010 World Cup, Buffon was replaced at half-time in Italy's 1–1 draw in their opening group stage match against Paraguay after he had a problem with his sciatic nerve, and did not play again in the tournament.

After the international retirement of Cannavaro, Buffon became the new captain of the national team. On 9 February 2011, after recovering from a back injury, Buffon played his first game as official captain in the friendly match against Germany played in Dortmund.

Personal Life

Gianluigi Buffon was born into an athletic family: his mother, Maria Stella, was a discus thrower; his father, Adriano, was a weightlifter; his two sisters Veronica and Guendalina played volleyball and his uncle, Dante Masocco, played basketball. Goalkeeping legend Lorenzo Buffon is a cousin of Gianluigi's grandfather.

Buffon had two sons with his long-time girlfriend Czech model Alena Šeredová: Louis Thomas (born December 28, 2007) and David Lee (born October 31, 2009). They married in June 2011. His older son is named after Thomas N'Kono, whom Buffon idolized as a youngster.

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Giorgio Chiellini - Young, Strong Man !

 

Giorgio Chiellini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒordʒo kjelˈlini]; born 14 August 1984 in Pisa) is an Italian footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He started out his career as a left back but made his name as a no-nonsense, hard tackling centre back with a penchant for heading in goals from set-pieces. A popular figure with fans, he is second vice-captain, behind Gianluigi Buffon.

Livorno

Chiellini joined the youth teams at Livorno at age six and started out as a central midfielder. As he matured, he switched to playing as a winger and finally he found his position as a left back. He played in the clubs' youth academy between 1990 and 2000, before earning first team call-ups for the 2000–2001 Serie C1 season. In his first season with the first team, Chiellini made 3 appearances and followed that up with 5 more appearances the following season. In the summer of 2002, he was signed by Juventus in co-ownership deal, for €3.1M, (who also saw Marco Amelia, moved to opposite direction, for €2.8M) however, he was loaned back to Livorno for the 2002–2003 Serie B season, after Livorno had earned promotion. In his first Serie B season, Chiellini made 6 seasonal appearances, also making his Coppa Italia debut. In his second Serie B season, Chiellini broke into the starting line-up for the club, and would go on to make 42 official appearances, also scoring 4 goals from his left wing back position. In June 2004, A.S. Livorno Calcio officially bought back Chiellini for €3M. During his 4 season spell with the clubs' first team Chiellini made 57 total appearances, scoring 4 goals, before his high-profile transfer to European giants, and Scudetto holders Juventus F.C.

Fiorentina

Chiellini was signed by Juventus FC in summer 2004, for €6.5 million, but was immediately sold in a co-ownership deal to ACF Fiorentina for €3.5 million, where he played during the 2004–2005 Serie A season. In his lone season with the Tuscan club, Chiellini was a regular in the club's starting XI, making 42 official appearances, also scoring 3 goals.

Juventus

After an excellent first season in Serie A, Chiellini was recalled for the 2005–06 season and Juventus paid €4.3 million for the rest of his contract. He became a regular under Fabio Capello and made 23 appearances in his first season with the club, also helping the club to their 29th Scudetto (which was later revoked due to Calciopoli). Following Juventus' enforced relegation due to the Calciopoli scandals, Chiellini decided to remain in Turin despite the high-profile transfers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira, Ferreira Emerson, Gianluca Zambrotta, and Fabio Cannavaro.

While in the Serie B, he started playing at centre back, partnering Nicola Legrottaglie, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Robert Kovač at various stages of the season. Juventus won promotion with the best goal difference, conceding only 30 goals and scoring over 80. He scored a rare double in a 5–1 thrashing away at Arezzo in May, a result that sealed promotion for the bianconeri mathematically.

With Juventus back in Serie A, Chiellini again was a starter for the club at left back, but following injuries to Jorge Andrade and Domenico Criscito, he was shifted to centre back again. Chiellini had a tremendous season and eventually made the position his own. Alongside fellow centre-half Nicola Legrottaglie, the duo were instrumental as Juventus finished the season with the joint second-best defensive record. The surprising aspect of this is that neither were considered remotely close to pinning down a center-back position in the summer before the season, with Domenico Criscito and Jorge Andrade preferred as the starting duo. He has been a regular fixture in the Bianconeri backline since their return to Serie A and was notably named "Man of the Match" in a game against Juventus' bitter rivals Internazionale when he won a physical and heated duel with former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović, keeping the Swedish striker at bay. Chiellini extended his original contract from until 2009 to 2011 on 12 October 2006. On 27 April 2008, Chiellini scored twice for Juventus in 5–2 win over SS Lazio that confirms Bianconeri's place in Serie A top four. On 26 June 2008, Chiellini extended his contract with Juventus again until 2013.

During the 2008–09 season, Chiellini remained as first choice in central defense alongside Legrottaglie. Chiellini scored his first goal in Europe on 13 August 2008 as Juve beat Artmedia Petržalka 4–0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie. Four days later he injured his left knee again during the Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi against Milan and missed the start of the Serie A season, returning to duty in September starting in each of Juve's first three UEFA Champions League group games. At the end of the year, he was named Serie A Defender of the Year for 2008 at the annual Oscar del Calcio awards ceremony. On 10 March 2009, Chiellini was sent off for a second bookable offense during the Champions League first knockout round second leg tie at home in a tightly-contested match against Chelsea but Juventus were eliminated 3–2 on aggregate after holding the former English champions to a 2–2 draw.

An injury sustained in the win over Fiorentina on 6 March 2010 sidelined him for several important games and, in his absence, Juventus embarked on a miserable run of form, conceding 9 goals in the 4 games he missed. He marked his return by scoring the opening goal away at Napoli but was unable to prevent Juventus from succumbing to a 3–1 defeat. On 23 November 2010, Chiellini extended his contract with again until 30 June 2015 and was deservedly given a pay raise.

During the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Chiellini was mostly partnered with newly-signed youngster Leonardo Bonucci. With the arrival of fellow Italy international Andrea Barzagli in the winter transfer window, Chiellini occasionally played at left back to accommodate the Bonucci-Barzagli partnership and sometimes partnered Barzagli. Under Antonio Conte, he returned to his original position at left back due to Barzagli and Bonucci's good run of form. After struggling to re-adapt back to his former position, he grew into his role and managed to keep Paolo De Ceglie, the only other natural left back in the squad, on the bench for much of the first half of the 2011-12 season.

International Career

Chiellini made his debut for the Italian national team in November 2004 against Finland, and has since become a regular squad member. He won the European Under-19 Championship with Italy in 2003, and was also a member of the Italy team that won the bronze medals at the football tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was named in the 'UEFA Team of the tournament' of the 2007 U-21 Championships held in the Netherlands where they qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Chiellini was called up to Italy's squad for Euro 2008, and injured captain Fabio Cannavaro in a collision during a training session, that resulted in Cannavaro missing out on the tournament. He was sidelined in the opening game against the Netherlands, which Italy went on to lose 3–0. He subsequently received the nod to partner Christian Panucci at center-back from the second game onwards, cementing his place in the Azzurri defence. While he featured in the group games against Romania and France, his most impressive display was arguably to come against Spain in the quarterfinals, where he famously neutralized the threat of the Spanish attacking duo of David Villa and Fernando Torres. The game ended 0–0, with Italy eventually losing out on penalty shootouts.

During 2010 World Cup qualifying, Chiellini cemented his place as undisputed first-choice in Marcello Lippi's squad. He played the full 90 minutes in all three group matches at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup but Italy were eliminated at the group stages on goal difference.

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Radamel Falcao García Zárate - The New Diego Forlan

Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986), commonly known simply as Falcao, is a Colombian football striker who currently plays for Atlético Madrid.

He is considered to be one of the best forwards in the world, having surpassed Jürgen Klinsmann's record of 15 goals (17) in a single UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League campaign. He also played a key role in guiding Porto to a second UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League title, as well as finishing undefeated in the 2010–11 Primeira Liga season. In July of 2011, Falcao was regarded as the fifth best player in Europe during the 2010–11 season through balloting by 53 sportswriters of the UEFA member associations.

Radamel prefers to be called by his second name. He is known for having a good burst of pace and a powerful header. Falcao is a second generation footballer: his father, Radamel García, played professionally as a defender in Colombia. Falcao is named after the 1980s Brazilian and A.S. Roma legend Falcão. He is a devout Christian and leader of the Church youth groups "Locos por Jesús" and "Campeones para Cristo."

River Plate

As a youth, Falcao began playing at Fair Play, a Colombian football school. At the age of 15, Falcao was discovered by River Plate while playing for the Colombian U-17 side and was recruited to join the Argentine side's legendary youth academy and reserve system. Before signing his first professional contract with River Plate, Falcao had begun studies in journalism at the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

At 19, Falcao debuted as a starter under Reinaldo Merlo, scoring two goals in his first start for River Plate. He quickly built a reputation, scoring seven goals in his first seven starts. He would score seven goals in his 11 appearances in 2005 (four as a sub under Leo Astrada). He injured ligaments in his right knee while scoring a goal in a match against San Lorenzo. Falcao exacerbated the knee injury when he tore the anterior cruciate ligaments of the same knee during a pre-season practice in January 2006. The ACL injury subsequently caused him to miss a lot of games. Recovering from the long period of inactivity that followed, Falcao struggled to regain fitness throughout 2006 and the spring of 2007, as nagging injuries continually derailed comeback attempts. The recovery period would be the most difficult of Falcao's career, as he would score only three goals in 25 appearances in aggregate over the fall and spring of 2006–07 — 10 of these appearances being late game substitutions.

FC Porto

Falcao made an impressive start to the 2010–11 season, scoring a goal in the 2010 Portuguese SuperCup 2–0 victory over Benfica. He scored his first two league goals on the second matchday of the season against Beira-Mar on 22 August 2010. On 7 November, he scored twice (one of them an impressive backheel goal) in a 5–0 victory against the defending champions Benfica, and later, on 2 December, Falcao scored his first hat-trick for Porto against Rapid Wien during a UEFA Europa League clash, becoming the top goal scorer of the competition with seventeen goals. On 7 April 2011, Falcao scored another hat-trick in the quarter-final of the Europa League against Russian side Spartak Moscow, which was won by the Portuguese team by a score of 5–1, to bring his goal tally in the tournament to 10.
In the 2010–11 season, Porto won the league title in round 25 of the league against rivals and defending champions Benfica at the Estádio da Luz. He played a key role in that match, winning his team a penalty when the match was tied at 1–1; the penalty was scored by teammate Hulk. In the match against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League, Falcao scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in a 5–1 win. In the second leg, he scored another goal and provided another assist that took Porto to the tournament's semi-final stage. He further added to his position as top scorer in the competition by scoring four goals in the semi-final first leg against Villarreal, a game which finished 5–1 in favour of Porto.
In the UEFA Europa League final, Falcao scored the only goal of the game with a header after a cross from Fredy Guarín, giving the title to Porto. He set a new goalscoring record of 17 goals in 14 games during the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, surpassing Jürgen Klinsmann's previous record of 15 goals.
In July 2011 he extended his contract with a €45 million buy-out clause.

Atlético Madrid

On 18 August 2011, Porto announced they had agreed a fee with Atlético Madrid for the transfer of Falcao. The transfer fee was €40 million, making it the most expensive in the club's history. Falcao made his Atlético debut on September 10 away to Valencia, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 defeat. His first goal came five days later, in a Europa League win against Celtic at the Vicente Calderón. He then proceeded to score his first hat-trick for Atlético in the following league game against Racing Santander. Three days later, Falcao scored another brace in the 4–0 victory over Sporting Gijón, putting himself as the topscorer of the league with 5 goals, alongside Lionel Messi and Roberto Soldado. On 3 November, Falcao netted a goal in Atlético's 4-0 triumph over Udinese, the goal meant that Falcao had scored 19 goals in his last 18 Europa League games.

International Career

Falcao has represented Colombia at the under-17, under-20 and senior levels. He was called up to the Colombia squad for the 2011 Copa América because of his impressive form at Porto. Falcao proved his worth in their third group game against Bolivia, scoring both goals in a 2–0 win that secured passage into the quarter-finals. This being the first time Falcao has ever scored more than one goal in a game at international level. He missed a penalty kick in the 2nd half of regulation when the match was 0–0 in a loss against Peru, in the extra time, two mistakes of the Colombian goalkeeper making Colombia lose 2–0, besides the elimination of the tournament.

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Gnégnéri Yaya Touré - The Hardworker Man !

 

Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983), commonly known as Yaya Touré, is an Ivorian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Côte d'Ivoire national side. He plays with the name Touré Yaya on his jersey.

Early Career

Gnégnéri Touré Yaya joined ASEC Mimosas youth academy in 1996 on the recommendation of his long-time mentor Patrick van Reijendam. He then moved to Europe where he played for Belgian side Beveren for two-and-a-half years and later for one and a half years at Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk.

Olympiacos

Touré then moved to Olympiacos in 2005. He was nicknamed "the new Patrick Vieira" by his older brother. Before joining Olympiacos, Touré had a trial with Arsenal, starting in a match against Barnet, but subsequently manager Arsène Wenger failed to sign him. Differing reports say this was because he could not secure a work permit or because Wenger believed he was "completely average".

Monaco

After representing Côte d'Ivoire in the 2006 World Cup, Touré was signed by French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in August 2006. He played at the Stade Louis II for one season before leaving for FC Barcelona.

Barcelona

Touré joined Spanish side Barcelona for €9 million and made his official debut for the club on 26 August 2007 during the league opener against Racing de Santander. 

In the 2007 Joan Gamper Trophy match against Internazionale of Italy, Touré scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 5–0 victory. He scored his first official goal with Barcelona in a La Liga match against Athletic Club on 2 September 2007. His first goal in the Champions League for Barça was against Schalke in the 2007–08 quarter-finals. The goal proved to decide the tie and Barcelona advanced into a semi-final match-up against Manchester United, which they subsequently lost 1–0 over two legs.

During the early stages of the 2008–09 season, newly appointed manager Josep Guardiola favoured Sergio Busquets in the defensive role of Barcelona's midfield trio. In the 2009 Champions League Final, he played centre back due to injuries and suspensions of first-choice defenders, despite having only played there twice before for Barcelona. In late June 2010 Barcelona confirmed that Touré was allowed to leave the club in the summer.

Manchester City

On 2 July, Touré signed a five-year deal with Manchester City for a fee of around £24 million and was allocated squad number 42, which is the reverse of the number 24 jersey he sported at Barcelona, since Patrick Vieira had already been allocated that number. The move teamed Touré up with his elder brother Kolo, who signed for City in July 2009. On 28 July, Touré made his debut for City in a pre-season friendly against Club América, which City won 4–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw with the Mexican side. In his home debut on 7 August, in another friendly match against Valencia, he was named man of the match.

On 14 August 2010, Touré made his Premier League debut in a 0–0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. A week later, Touré impressed in the 3–0 defeat of Liverpool at Eastlands, forming a part of a three man midfield with Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong. On 19 September, Touré scored his first goal against Wigan Athletic. The goal was scored in the 70th minute and Toure was assisted by Carlos Tévez who scored in that match too. Recently, Touré has been seen to have taken up a more attacking position under Roberto Mancini and has revelled so far, setting up Tévez against Bolton Wanderers. He scored a brilliant left-footed drive against West Ham United and soon scored a second, which was later credited as an own goal because the ball rebounded off the post into Robert Green's back and bounced in. He scored his third goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a delightful counter-attack move, with Yaya making up 90 yards to latch onto the ball and fire if past the goalkeeper, with Manchester City eventually winning 4–3.Touré's fifth goal for City came on the 25 February in a Europa League game against Aris Thessaloniki, the goal was a deflected strike to make the score 3–0 to City.

On 16 April 2011, Touré scored the only goal of the game in a Man of the Match performance against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi final. Touré continued his Wembley success by scoring the only goal in his side's 1–0 win over Stoke City in the 2011 FA Cup Final, ending Manchester City's 35 year wait for a major trophy, and writing himself into Manchester City folklore in the process.  The following season began strongly as Manchester City were leading the table for the majority of the season, with Toure playing a vital part in midfield. His efforts were rewarded as he was crowned African Footballer of the Year for 2011, an impressive achievement for a midfielder, since the previous 12 awards have gone to African forwards.

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Claudio Marchisio - The Young Playmaker Of Juventus

 

Claudio Marchisio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈklaudjo marˈkizjo]; born January 19, 1986 in Turin) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. A product of the Juventus youth system, he has spent his whole career thus far at his hometown club, with the exception of a season-long loan spell at Empoli. Since the 2009-10 season, he is fourth choice captain, behind Del Piero, Buffon and Chiellini. Since making his breakthrough in the 2008–09 season, Marchisio has often been compared to former Juventus and Italy midfielder Marco Tardelli by the Italian press for his tenacious style of play and good reading of the game. A hard-tackling, versatile midfielder, he is able to play in defensive midfield or out wide but his preferred and most effective position is in the centre. Though predominantly right-footed, he possesses a powerful shot in both feet, hence his penchant for attempting shots on goal from outside the penalty box if given the chance.

Early Life

Marchisio was born in Turin and raised in Andezeno, a comune not far from the city, the youngest child in a family of Juventus fans. His family were season ticket holders and he used to be a ball boy at the Stadio Delle Alpi. As a child, he was interested in various sports and joined the youth football team at Fiat's satellite sports club Sisport where he was later scouted by Juventus youth coaches at age seven.

Juventus

While in the youth system, Marchisio played as a trequartista (second striker), modeling himself after his childhood hero Alessandro Del Piero, until he was switched to the midfield at age sixteen. During the 2004-05 and 2005–06 seasons, he was called-up to train with the first team numerous times by Fabio Capello and given a squad number. He made the bench for the game away at Cagliari but remained an unused substitute. Later that season he captained the Primavera side to their first Campionato Primavera title in twelve years and a runner-up finish at the Viareggio Tournament in his last full season with the Primavera squad.

After being included in the preseason friendlies, Marchisio was promoted to the first team permanently following Juventus' relegation to Serie B due to the Calciopoli scandal and given the number 15 shirt. On 19 August 2006, he made his first team debut in the Coppa Italia third round, coming on as a late substitute for Matteo Paro in a 3–0 win over A.C. Martina. In September, he captained the Primavera team for the last time in the Supercoppa Primavera, thrashing old rivals Internazionale 5–1. He then made his league debut on 28 October against Frosinone as a late substitute for David Trézéguet and made his first start in the following match against Brescia. As the season progressed he established himself in Didier Deschamps' side and ended the season as first-choice central midfielder. He capped a fine season with an assist for Del Piero's match opener in the 5-1 thrashing of Arezzo, a result which secured immediate promotion to Serie A mathematically.

Loan At Empoli

On 25 July 2007, Marchisio was loaned out to Empoli for the 2007–08 season with good friend and fellow youth product Sebastian Giovinco to gain first-team experience. He made his Serie A debut on 26 August against Fiorentina and European debut the following month in the UEFA Cup against FC Zürich. Although he did not score any goals, he tallied two vital assists and was a regular starter when available for the Tuscan club. Unfortunately, Empoli were unable to avoid relegation and he was recalled to Turin by the recently-appointed manager Claudio Ranieri.

Return To Juventus And Breakthrough

After his good performances for Empoli, Marchisio returned to Juventus for the 2008–09 campaign and made an impressive Champions League debut, playing the full 90 minutes against Artmedia Petržalka in the Champions League third qualifying round second leg. In November, former Milan and Fiorentina striker Stefano Borgonovo wrote about him on La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Marchisio has everything needed to play at the highest level...has personality, reminds me of the great Marco Tardelli." Under Ranieri, he eventually established himself as first-choice due to injuries and lackluster performances from other midfielders. He further established himself in the starting eleven after a man-of-the-match game against Milan in pouring rain, that earned him rave reviews from the media. He quickly became a firm favourite amongst the Bianconeri fans and they voted him as their December player of the month on the club website. Five days after his 23rd birthday, he scored his first Serie A goal, the match-winner against Fiorentina. Less than a week later, he was rewarded with an improved five-year contract extension. His season was interrupted by a series of minor injuries in April which resulted in him being sidelined for almost a month, and he returned to the starting eleven for the penultimate matchday away at Siena, marking it with a goal and an assist for captain Alessandro Del Piero's second goal of the match in a 3–0 win and then setting up Vincenzo Iaquinta's opener in a 2–0 home win against Lazio, a result that ensured a second-place finish for the Bianconieri. When the season ended, he was continuously linked with various clubs but director of sport Alessio Secco ended all speculation by listing him as one of the "untouchable" players. His good performances did not go unnoticed by national team coach Marcello Lippi, who later handed him his senior international debut.

2009-10 Season And Beyond

Marchisio continued to be first choice under Ciro Ferrara and later Alberto Zaccheroni mainly due to his versatility and consistency in midfield. During the beginning of the 2009–10 season, he had a good run of form, winning Man of the Match awards in four consecutive matches and being voted player of the month for September by registered members on the club website but picked up a knee injury in the loss to Palermo at the beginning of October. After surgery, he was sidelined for one and half months and made his comeback as a last minute substitute in the Champions League group stage tie away at Girondins Bordeaux on 25 November. On 5 December 2009, he scored the winner in a 2–1 home win over Inter in the Derby d'Italia where he showed incredible composure to drag the ball with both feet before dinking it over the stranded Júlio César. Three days later, he set up David Trézéguet to score the opening goal of the game in the decisive Champions League 4–1 home loss against Bayern Munich. At the end of the year, he was voted Juventus player of the year for 2009 by fans on the club website. In the Europa League round of 16 tie against Fulham on 11 March 2010, he captained the team for the first time when Trézéguet handed him the captain's armband after being substituted at the 62nd minute as vice-captains Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini missed the match through injury and Del Piero remained an unused substitute. He scored an equalizer against Catania on the second-last away matchday to keep Juventus in an Europa League spot and, despite Juventus' dismal season, was one of the few players to escape the mass criticism from the press.

Despite a disappointing World Cup campaign, Marchisio began the season as first-choice under new manager Luigi Delneri. After a slow start to the season, he began to thrive in his role as a wide midfielder. In September he marked his 100th appearance in a Juventus shirt with a goal against Udinese Calcio in a 4-0 win. He started his first match as captain against Roma in April. On 17 May 2011, Juventus announced that Marchisio had signed a new improved 5-year contract. His goal against Udinese in January was voted Goal of the Season by fans on fansite vecchiasignora.com.

Marchisio started the 2011-12 season well by scoring Juve's final goal in the opening match 4-1 win over Parma. Under former Juventus legend Antonio Conte, he was played alongside new signings Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo to great effect. He scored a late double to break the deadlock in the 2-0 win at home against Milan, the first time he has ever scored more than one goal in a match. On 20 November, he scored in his second consecutive league game and surpassed his personal season record of 4 goals by scoring the last goal to seal 3-0 win over Palermo. He scored his first Coppa Italia goal, the match winning goal against Bologna to send Juve to the quarterfinals.

International Career

Marchisio was initially called up in early May to the Italy U-21 squad for the 2007 European Championships but eventually withdrew due to injury. He made his U-21 debut in June 2007, the group opening game of the 2009 European Championship qualifying but his debut ended rather unfortunately as he was injured in a collision barely ten minutes into the match while attempting an effort on goal, although the shot would lead to Robert Acquafresca's opener seconds later. Eventually he became first-choice during the latter stages of the campaign. He scored a 30-yard volley at the 2008 Toulon Tournament against Turkey in a 2–1 win and was called-up to the Olympics that summer but he was forced to return home due to an injury. In May 2009, Pierluigi Casiraghi named him in the final squad for the 2009 U-21 European Championship. At the tournament, he started every game and, despite missing the semifinal loss to Germany through suspension, was one of several Azzurrini stars tipped to make the senior squad.

On 12 August 2009 Marchisio made his senior debut, starting in the friendly against Switzerland that ended goalless and was praised by Marcello Lippi during the post-match interview. Lippi later revealed that he had intended to call Marchisio up earlier but agreed to leave the youngster to Casiraghi's U-21 squad until to the end of the European Championships. Marchisio played his first competitive match for the Azzurri in the World Cup qualifer against Bulgaria in his home stadium and became a first-choice pick for Lippi's squad.However he was forced to withdraw from the remaining qualifying matches against Ireland and Cyprus after being diagnosed with a knee meniscus injury that required surgery. He was named in the 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup but had a relatively uneventful tournament due to Lippi's preference for playing him in an unfamiliar playmaker role.
Marchisio scored his first ever international goal in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Serbia on 7 October 2011 barely a minute after kick-off. It was the 250th goal scored by a Juventus player for the Italy national team.

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