Fábio Coentrão - The Man With Great Hair Style.

 









Fábio Alexandre da Silva Coentrão (born 11 March 1988) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Real Madrid in Spain, and the Portuguese national team.
Mainly a left back, he can also operate as a left winger, and occasionally as a central midfielder.

Club Career

Rio Ave

Coentrão joined hometown Rio Ave F.C. in 2004 at the age of 16, playing three first division games in the following season for a northern side that would be relegated from the top division. In 2006–07, he established himself as first-choice, as Rio Ave barely missed promotion back and had a good run in the Cup of Portugal, ended by Sporting Clube de Portugal with a 2–1 win in Lisbon, with Coentrão scoring Rio Ave's goal, from 30 metres out; whilst playing for the Vila do Conde team, he earned the nickname "Figo das Caxinas."

After that season, where he was voted the divisions' Breakthrough Player of the Year, many clubs showed interest in Coentrão, most notably Sporting Clube de Portugal and S.L. Benfica, with Coentrão choosing the Encarnados (reds) on July 2007. His playing style was likened to that of Arjen Robben by World Soccer Magazine in their 50 World Talents 2007 issue.

Benfica

On 1 January 2008, having received insignificant playing opportunities at Benfica, Coentrão joined Madeira's C.D. Nacional, loaned until the season's end. On 3 May, he scored twice in a 3–0 away success against already crowned league champions F.C. Porto.

Coentrão came close to signing with Eredivisie's Feyenoord during the 2008 off-season, with reports of a one-year loan deal being announced on the Internet. Two days later, however, he joined Real Zaragoza, freshly relegated into Spain's second level. After almost no appearances during the campaign, however, Coentrão returned to Portugal and Rio Ave in January 2009, still owned by Benfica. On 15 February, he scored after an individual effort, albeit in a 1–3 loss at Porto.

In the 2009 summer, Coentrão extended his contract with Benfica until 2015, with a release clause of €30 million. On 2 December, having played some matches for Benfica as a left defender, he scored his first goal in European competition, against FC BATE Borisov of Belarus in a 2–1 away win for the UEFA Europa League group stage.

On 10 February 2010, Benfica sold 20% of Coentrão's economic rights on any future transfer to a third party owner, Benfica Stars Fund, along with other teammates. He was tagged at €15 million, with the fund paying €3 million; During that season, he had a breakthrough year, appearing in a total of 43 official games (2,851 minutes), as the club won the league and the Portuguese League Cup; he ended the season in style, as he was voted Portuguese League Breakthrough Player of the Year.

On 27 September 2010, fully established with both his club and the national team, 22-year old Coentrão extended his contract with Benfica until 2016. On 2 November, he scored his first career brace, helping to a 4–3 home win against Olympique Lyonnais, for the season's UEFA Champions League group stage. In a 67-minute fast break, he combined with Carlos Martins to make it 4–0 for the hosts.

Real Madrid

On 5 July 2011, after extensive negotiations, Benfica and Real Madrid reached an agreement in principle over the transfer of Coentrão, who signed a six-year contract the same day, for €30m. Central defender Ezequiel Garay went in the other direction as part of the deal. Coentrão made his Real Madrid debut in a pre-season friendly against L.A. Galaxy on 16 July 2011, creating an assist for Karim Benzema and also receiving Man of the match honors. His first two official games were against FC Barcelona for the season's Spanish Supercup: in the first leg, he replaced Sami Khedira in the second half of a 2–2 home draw and played as a central midfielder, and he started as left-back in the second match, a 2–3 loss at the Camp Nou.

Coentrão made his La Liga debut on 28 August 2011 against former club Zaragoza, appearing as a central midfielder in a 6–0 away win (90 minutes played).

International Career

An international for Portugal at youth level, Coentrão was voted MVP in the 2007 Madeira Cup for the U-20s, also being crowned the competition's topscorer. Subsequently, he represented the nation in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and, also during that year, made his U-21 debuts.

After consistent performances at Benfica, although he started rarely in the early 2009–10, Coentrão earned his first senior call-up in November 2009, for the decisive 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification playoffs against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and made his debut in the first leg on 14 November, at the Estádio da Luz, playing the second half of the 1–0 win.
Coentrão was chosen for Carlos Queiroz's squad of 23 for the final stages in South Africa, starting as left back ahead of another adapted player, Duda. He played in all the matches in Portugal's eventual round of 16 exit.
On 10 August 2011, Coentrão scored his first international goal, netting through a rare header in a 5–0 win with Luxembourg.
 

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Andre Villas Boas - The Special One Part Two ?

   

Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas, usually known as André Villas-Boas (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈdɾɛ ˈvilɐʃ ˈboɐʃ]; born 17 October 1977), is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Chelsea. Prior to his appointment at Chelsea, he spent nine months as manager of Académica de Coimbra and then a year as manager of Porto.

While at Porto he became the youngest manager to win a European club title. His €15 million (£13.3 million) move from Porto to Chelsea is the most expensive ever by a manager. Unusually for a manager at the top level, he has no experience as a professional player.

Early Years

Born in Porto, Villas-Boas at the age of 16 lived in the same apartment block as Sir Bobby Robson, who was then manager of FC Porto. Following a debate between the two, Robson appointed Villas-Boas to Porto's observation department. Villas-Boas has spoken fluent English since childhood, as his grandmother was from Stockport. Robson arranged for Villas-Boas to obtain the FA coaching qualification, the UEFA C coaching licence in Scotland and for him to study the training methods of Ipswich Town. He later also obtained his B licence, A licence and UEFA Pro Licence in Scotland, under the tutelage of Jim Fleeting.

Villas-Boas had a short stint as head coach of the British Virgin Islands national team at the age of 21,before he moved onto a career as an assistant coach at Porto under José Mourinho (another protégé of Robson's). As Mourinho moved clubs to Chelsea and Internazionale, Villas-Boas followed.

Académica

At the start of the 2009–10 season, Villas-Boas left Mourinho's support team to pursue a career as manager, and he soon found a job in the Primeira Liga with Académica de Coimbra, filling a vacancy created by Rogério Gonçalves' resignation in October 2009. At the time of Villas-Boas' appointment, Académica were at the bottom of the league and still without wins, but their luck started to change as he introduced a new style, leading them to a safe 11th place, ten points clear of the relegation zone. In addition to that, Académica also reached the 2009–10 Portuguese League Cup semi-finals, losing against Porto at the Estádio do Dragão with a late goal from Mariano González. His impact at Académica was immediate, not only because of solid results, but also because of the attractive football displayed by the team, which led to intense media speculation linking him with the vacant jobs at Sporting Clube de Portugal and Porto in the summer of 2010.

Porto

Villas-Boas was announced as new Porto manager on 2 June 2010. On 7 August 2010, he won his first trophy when Porto beat Benfica 2–0 in the Portuguese Supercup. He followed this with three more titles: the Portuguese Primeira Liga, the UEFA Europa League and the Portuguese Cup. Porto finished the league season undefeated, with 27 victories and 3 draws. He became the third youngest coach to win the Primeira Liga, behind Mihály Siska (1938–39), and Juca (1961–62) and the youngest manager ever to win a European competition, by winning the UEFA Europa League on 18 May 2011 at the age of 33 years and 213 days.On 21 June 2011 Villas-Boas tendered his resignation as manager of Porto.

Chelsea

Chelsea confirmed the appointment of Villas-Boas as their new manager on a three-year contract with immediate effect on 22 June 2011. They indirectly paid Porto €15 million (£13.3 million) compensation via Villas-Boas to activate his release clause and free him from his contract. On 30 July 2011, during the pre-season, Villas-Boas won his first piece of silverware with Chelsea, the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy. Villas-Boas won all of his pre-season fixtures with Chelsea, with the team conceding only one goal in all six games. On 14 August 2011, Villas-Boas had a managerial debut against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium. It was a 0–0 stalemate, with Villas-Boas commenting on Stoke's strong defence at home. Villas-Boas then won his first competitive match as Chelsea manager, defeating West Bromwich Albion 2–1 on 20 August 2011. He continued his season with a back-to-back home wins beating Norwich 3–1. On 18 September 2011, Villas-Boas's Chelsea lost to Manchester United 3–1. It was Chelsea's first defeat of the season and Villas-Boas's first defeat in 39 league matches stretching back to his spells as manager of Porto and Académica de Coimbra. On 29 October 2011, Chelsea lost their second derby under Villas-Boas in a 3–5 defeat at home to Arsenal after falling to a 1–0 defeat to QPR. Then 3 weeks later his Chelsea side lost a second successive home game in a 2–1 defeat to Liverpool.

On 27 November 2011, his Chelsea side once again lost to Liverpool in a 2–0 defeat which sent them crashing out of the Carling Cup quarter final. Chelsea followed with back to back League wins, winning 3–0 against Wolverhampton (home) and against Newcastle (away), where the referee later admitted he made a mistake in not sending David Luiz off in the 4th minute. On 6 December 2011, they won 3–0 against Valencia to advance as Group E winners to the knockout stage of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. It was the first 3 consecutive wins with the same 3–0 score for Villas-Boas, with the exception on the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool. On 12 December, Villa Boas's team won the game against the only unbeaten club in the league, Manchester City, winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Raul Meireles and Frank Lampard. It was the third consecutive win for Chelsea.

Personal Life

He has been married since 2004 to Joana Teixeira, and has two daughters. Villas-Boas speaks English fluently, having been taught by his paternal grandmother Margaret Kendall, whose mother moved to Portugal from Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, to start a wine business. Her brother Douglas Kendall was a World War II hero who flew as a wing commander in the RAF. Villas-Boas' paternal great-uncle José Rui Villas-Boas was the viscount of Guilhomil, a title initially bestowed on his father José Gerado Villas-Boas by King Carlos I in 1890. Villas-Boas' brother João Luís de Pina Cabral Villas-Boas, is a Portuguese stage and television actor. He appeared as the character Criado in the lavish, costume drama Mistérios de Lisboa (Mysteries of Lisbon).

Individual Records

• Second team to win a Portuguese League Championship unbeaten, following Benfica in 1972–73, and the first in the twenty-first century.
• Club record for the most matches across all competitions unbeaten (36). This winning streak was begun by the previous coach of Porto, Jesualdo Ferreira. The previous record, 33 matches, was held by José Mourinho.
• Most wins in Europe in one season by a Portuguese club (14).
• Most points in a 30-game Portuguese league season (84 points).
• Most consecutive wins in the Portuguese league (16).
• Biggest margin over the second placed team in the league (21 points)

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Raul Meireles - Bad Boy ?

 

Raul José Trindade Meireles (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁɐˈuɫ mɐjˈɾɛl(ɨ)ʃ] Ra-Ul Mey-Re-Lesh) (born 17 March 1983) is a Portuguese footballer who currently plays for Chelsea as a midfielder in the Premier League.

Raul Meireles started his career as a trainee with Boavista but was loaned to Desportivo das Aves from Liga de Honra, where he made his professional debut. After a two-year loan spell he returned to Boavista where he made his Primeira Liga debut. By his great performances, Meireles was brought to the Portuguese powerhouse, FC Porto, winning three Primeira Liga titles in a row, adding two Portuguese Cups and three Portuguese Supercups. In 2010 he moved to Liverpool where he won the 2011 PFA Fans' Player of the Year award following a very successful first season in Premier League. On August 2011, Meireles signed for Chelsea, joining his former manager André Villas-Boas with whom he had spent a short period of time.

In international football Meireles national career began at youth level when he represented the Under-16 side at the 2000 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in Israel. In November 2006 he was called up to the senior squad for the first time. He later represented Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Porto (2004–2010)

On 7 July 2004, FC Porto signed Meireles on a five–year contract, being presented in press conference on 12 July. Wearing the #33 shirt, Meireles made his Porto debut on 22 September against União de Leiria at the Estádio do Dragão, coming off the bench in the 59th minute as they drew 1–1. On 18 February 2005, he made his first match in the starting XI, in an away league victory against Belenenses. Five days later, on 23 February, Meireles made his Champions League debut against Internazionale, playing the entire 90 minutes. During that season, he made only 13 league appearances, ten as substitute, recording no goals.In the 2005–06 season, on 19 February 2006, Meireles scored his first goal for the team in his 50th league appearance, where Porto beat Marítimo 1–0. Only three games later, on 10 March, he scored his second goal of the season in a 2–0 league victory over Vitória de Setúbal.In that campaign, he scored two goals in 18 appearances, winning his first Portuguese league title and Portuguese Cup. In the following four seasons, Meireles featured regularly in Porto's midfield. He scored his first goal in the Champions League during the 2006–07 season, on 21 February 2007, against Chelsea. He won three Portuguese League titles in a row, in 2006–07, 2007–08, and 2008–09, adding two Portuguese Cups in 2009 and 2010.

Liverpool (2010–2011)

On 29 August 2010, Meireles moved to Liverpool for a fee of €13 million, being awarded the #4 shirt, which was vacated by Alberto Aquilani, who joined Juventus in Italy on loan. The club bought the player as an instant replacement for the Argentine Javier Mascherano, who joined FC Barcelona earlier that summer. He made his Premier League debut as a substitute on 12 September 2010 in a 0–0 away draw against Birmingham City. Only four days later, he made his Europa League debut in a 4–1 victory over Steaua Bucureşti at Anfield. He was handed his first league start on 19 September in a 3–2 loss against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Meireles scored his first goal for Liverpool against Everton in a 2–2 premier league draw on 16 January 2011 in Kenny Dalglish's first home game back as manager. His second goal came six days later, with a stunning right foot volley against Wolverhampton Wanders in a 3–0 win. He scored his third goal in four games on 2 February 2011 in a 2–0 home victory against Stoke City,and then made it four in five, by scoring the victory goal at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea on 6 February. Meireles increased his goal tally for the club on 12 February by scoring against Wigan Athletic, taking his tally to five goals in six premier league matches. A couple of months after his goal streak, Meireles won the 2011 PFA Fans' Player of the Year, beating the likes of Fernando Torres, Samir Nasri, Dimitar Berbatov and David Luiz.

Meireles started the 2011–12 Premier League campaign as a 75th minute substitute against Sunderland. In the following match, against Arsenal, he didn't feature in the starting eleven again, coming off the bench in the 71st minute assisting one goal. Some days later, on 31 August 2011, he submitted a written transfer request, in the last minutes of the transfer window.

Chelsea

With Chelsea in the market for a midfielder following a long term injury to Michael Essien and an unsuccessful bid to acquire Luka Modric from Spurs, on 31st August 2011, Meireles signed for Chelsea on Deadline Day , on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee reported to be in the region of £12 million. He chose the squad number 16, following in the likes of Arjen Robben and coach Roberto Di Matteo, a number he wears regularly when on international duty. Some days later, Meireles claimed that he never wanted to leave Liverpool but the chance to work with André Villas-Boas, with whom he had spent a short period of time at FC Porto, was too good to turn down. He made his debut on 10 September 2011 against Sunderland which ended in a 2-1 win for Chelsea with Meireles setting up Daniel Sturridge's goal with a fine long pass. In the following month he scored his first Chelsea goal during their UEFA Champions League group stage 5–0 victory against Racing Genk. Meireles scored his first Premier League goal for the club on 12 December in a 2-1 win over league leaders Manchester City.

Senior Team

Meireles featured regularly in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. He scored an important away goal in the 1–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the second play-off game after scraping a 1–0 win in Lisbon. Portugal won 2–0 on aggregate and qualified for the final stages in South Africa. As expected, on 10 May 2010, Meireles was named in the Portuguese squad for the 2010 World Cup. He started all of Portugal's matches at the tournament, scoring one goal in Portugal's second group stage match against North Korea in Cape Town. Portugal reached the Round of 16, where they lost 1–0 against eventual champions Spain.

Playing Style

Meireles is primarily a central midfielder, but has on occasion played at the right side of midfield at Liverpool. His versatility is marked by him playing at both a deep and attacking role in the middle of the park, having mainly played in a defensive role while at Porto. Meireles has scored several goals from distance for Porto, Liverpool and the national team and likes to use his right foot for attempts at target

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Tim Krul - The New Hero For The Magpies

 












Timothy Michael "Tim" Krul (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɪm ˈkrʏl]; born 3 April 1988) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Netherlands national team.

Newcastle United

Krul began his career at hometown club RAS and later at local Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag. He joined Premier League club Newcastle United in the summer of 2005 on a three-year deal after failing to sign professional terms. ADO demanded a compensation fee and objected with the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC). The DRC denied the claim and ADO took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The CAS ruled in February 2007 in favor of ADO ordering Newcastle to pay €220,000 as compensation for the transfer.

He played in the Under-17 European Championship for the Netherlands in Italy in May 2005 and eventually made the step up to the Dutch under-21 squad. He made his first senior appearance for Newcastle in a pre-season defeat to PSV Eindhoven on July 29, 2006.

Following the injury to Newcastle's first-choice goalkeeper, Shay Given, Krul was on the bench for a few games as back-up to second-choice Steve Harper. Krul made his Newcastle debut in the UEFA Cup game on November 2, 2006, away to Palermo. His debut was hailed by critics as he displayed his shot-stopping abilities, saving efforts from Giuseppe Biava and David Di Michele and recording a clean sheet in the process.

He injured himself in the warm up prior to the second leg tie against Palermo and then aggravated that injury in the warm up before a game against Watford. He required two cartilage operations as a result, keeping him out of action for almost 6 months. He returned to action in April 2007.

On 13 June 2007, he signed a new four year contract with Newcastle. In the same month, he was part of the Dutch Under-21 squad that won the European Championships and also qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Falkirk

On 3 August 2007, Krul joined Scottish side Falkirk on loan originally until 1 January 2008, though it was later extended until the end of the season after a number of impressive performances. The following day he made his debut for Falkirk and kept a clean sheet as the team won 4–0 against Gretna.

In the two games immediately following his debut, he conceded 4 goals against Celtic and 7 goals against Rangers at Ibrox. Krul was sent off for the first time in his professional career on 2 January 2008, after reacting badly to an opponent's challenge. Shortly afterwards he was injured, suffering a dislocated shoulder during a Scottish Cup defeat against Aberdeen, and resulting in him missing the rest of the season.

Return to Newcastle

Krul returned to Newcastle as the backup goalkeeper to first choice Steve Harper. He made his senior league debut on 8 August 2009 in the first Football League Championship game of the season away to West Bromwich Albion, coming on as a half time substitute for the injured Harper and making a string of world class saves in a 1–1 draw. Following this match, The Guardian called him "an excellent reserve goalkeeper". He later played the full Football League Cup match against Huddersfield Town, on 26 August 2009, in which Newcastle won 4–3. Krul also started the 2–0 league cup defeat to Peterborough, where despite being on the losing side he put on an impressive performance. Against Swansea City on 28 November he again came on to replace the injured Steve Harper at half time. On January 2 he played in the FA Cup Third Round tie against Plymouth Argyle, the game ending 0–0. He then played in the replay at St James' Park on January 13 and went on to win the match 3–0. Krul started his first league game for Newcastle on 2 May 2010 on the last day of the Championship campaign against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road and kept a clean sheet. In July 2010 Krul signed a new 4 year contract with Newcastle.

Krul made his Premier League debut for Newcastle on 18 September 2010 against Everton at Goodison Park, coming on as a substitute in the 35th minute for the injured Steve Harper in a match that ended in a 1–0 win for The Magpies. He made his first Premier League start on 26 September against Stoke City at St James' Park. He continued playing against Manchester City in a 2–1 loss, Wigan Athletic in a 2–2 draw and in the 2–1 away win to West Ham United before starring in his first Tyne-Wear derby which Newcastle won 5–1 and in a 1–0 away win at Arsenal a week later, pulling off some good saves in the process.

Following his good performances, Alan Pardew gave him more chances in goal. He eventually became first choice and Harper was sent on loan to Brighton. He started the 2011-12 season well, keeping clean sheets in the first two matches of the season against Arsenal and Sunderland. On 3 December 2011, Krul made his 50th Newcastle appearance against Chelsea, he saved a Frank Lampard penalty and made several other impressive saves, however Newcastle still went on to lose the game 3-0.

International Career

Krul represented the Netherlands national football team at U17 level at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru. He represented the U21's at the 2008 Toulon Tournament and was a regular in the side for the 2011 European Championship qualifying campaign. On 4 June 2011, Krul made the starting eleven for the Netherlands in a friendly against Brazil, his first cap at senior level. He went on to keep a clean sheet, pulling off a string of decent saves in a 0–0 draw. He played his second match for the international team four days later against Uruguay in a 3–4 penalty shoot-out loss, after the match finished 1–1 after 90 minutes.

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Demba Ba - The New Alan Shearer

 

















Demba Ba (born 25 May 1985) is a French-born Senegalese footballer who plays as a striker for Newcastle United in the Premier League, and for the Senegal national team.

Early life

Ba was born in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, and was the sixth child of seven. He grew up in Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Seine-Maritime.

He joined a youth club in Montgaillard in 1992, he played for Port Autonome du Havre between 1998 and 2000, and then for Frileuse between 2000 and 2001.

In 2001 his family moved to Châtillon and Ba played for Montrouge. He played there until 2004, at which point he decided to concentrate on his football. He had trials with Olympique Lyonnais and then with AJ Auxerre, both of which were unsuccessful. He then left France to take part in trials at Watford and Barnsley, and was offered a one year deal at Watford. After Watford manager Ray Lewington was sacked in 2005, Ba found that he was not in the first team plans of Aidy Boothroyd, and left the club in March 2005.

1899 Hoffenheim

On 29 August 2007, he moved to 1899 Hoffenheim for €3 million. Ba was an integral part of Hoffenheim's promotion to the Bundesliga and their successful first season in the Bundesliga, where they finished seventh after leading during the Christmas break. In that season he scored 14 goals, only missing one game all season. These goals included a hat-trick in a 3–3 game against Stuttgart on 24 February 2009. In all competitions Ba scored 40 goals in 103 appearances for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. In July 2009, he was due to move to VfB Stuttgart, but the move fell through after he failed a medical. In December of that year Ba extended his contract at Hoffenheim to 2013. After signing a new contract, Ba went on to score five goals this season due to injuries and linked with other clubs. During mid season of season, Ba was linked with English clubs. Stoke City made a £5.9 million bid for Ba but the deal was off after Ba failed his medical. Stoke City manager Tony Pulis expressed disappointment over Ba not joining Stoke. Following his move to West Ham (which later Ba move to Newcastle United), Hoffenheim have insisted they made the right decision to let Ba leave in January.

West Ham United

In January 2011, Ba refused to travel to Hoffenheim's training camp as he wanted to move to West Ham United.Hoffenheim announced that Ba would be punished. However, Ba claimed that Hoffenheim had assured him that he would be allowed to leave the club under the current conditions. In January 2011 a proposed move to Stoke City fell through after Ba failed a medical. He completed his move to West Ham on 28 January, signing a three-year deal that would take him until June 2014. The transfer fee was undisclosed but was dependent upon Ba's appearances for West Ham. Ba made his West Ham and Premier League debut on 6 February coming on as a 75th minute substitute for Robbie Keane in a 1–0 home defeat by Birmingham City.His first West Ham goals came on 12 February when Ba, making his full debut, scored twice for West Ham in a 3–3 draw against West Bromwich Albion. Ba scored two goals against Wigan Athletic on 15 May 2011, giving West Ham a 2–0 lead at half-time. West Ham lost 3–2 and were relegated from the Premier League. He finished as West Ham's top scorer in the Premier League with seven goals from twelve games. He however left at the end of the season due to a release clause in his contract letting him go for free if West Ham were relegated.

Newcastle United

On 17 June 2011, Ba signed for Newcastle United on a three-year deal. He made his Newcastle debut at home against Arsenal on 13 August 2011. This game resulted in 0–0 draw. Ba had a slow start to his Newcastle career, rumours surfaced that this was affected by his observance of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan which requires fasting during daylight hours. He scored his first goals for the Magpies on 24 September 2011 with a hat-trick against Blackburn Rovers in a 3–1 win. He scored in Newcastle's two consecutive games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur before he scored his second club hat-trick in their 3–1 away win at Stoke City. The result maintained Newcastle's unbeaten start to the league season to 10 games and took them to third place in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Manchester City and just one point behind reigning champions Manchester United.

International Career

Ba has played a total of ten games for Senegal, scoring three goals. He scored on his debut against Tanzania, in June 2007.

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Federico Macheda - The Next Antonio Cassano.

 

Federico "Kiko" Macheda (Italian pronunciation: [maˈkɛːda]; born 22 August 1991 in Rome) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Manchester United. He joined from Lazio for an undisclosed fee in September 2007.

Early career

Macheda began his football career with Lazio's youth team after being spotted at the local Atletico Prenestino club in Rome. However, due to Italian football regulations preventing under-18s from signing professional contracts, he was not permanently tied to the club, and shortly after his 16th birthday, he was signed by Manchester United of England, where regulations permit the signing of players aged 16 and up. Following his family's relocation to England, he officially joined the club as a trainee on 16 September 2007.

Manchester United

Macheda went straight into the Manchester United Under-18 side, and scored the only goal of the game on his debut, a 1–0 away win over Barnsley on 15 September 2007. In his first season with the club, he finished as the Under-18s' top scorer with a total of 12 goals in 21 appearances for the under-18s, and even made his debut for the reserves on 26 February 2008, when he came on as a 68th-minute substitute for Gerard Piqué in a 2–0 away defeat to Liverpool. On 12 May 2008, Macheda earned a Manchester Senior Cup winners' medal when he was named as an unused substitute for the 2–0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the final.

Macheda signed his first professional contract with Manchester United on his 17th birthday in August 2008.In the 2008–09 season, he continued in the under-18 side, while also making a few appearances for the reserves. Towards the end of the season, Macheda enjoyed an extended run in the reserve team, scoring eight goals in eight games, including a hat-trick in a 3–3 draw with Newcastle United on 30 March 2009,and he was rewarded by being selected for the first team for the match against Aston Villa on 5 April 2009.With United 2–1 down heading into the final third of the game, manager Alex Ferguson substituted Macheda in for Nani just after the hour mark. After Cristiano Ronaldo equalised for United in the 80th minute, Macheda won the match with a turn to evade his marker followed by a curling effort from just inside the penalty area in the third minute of injury time.

Macheda was named on the bench for United's next two games – first against Porto in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, and then against Sunderland in the league – making his second appearance for the club in the latter game. Just 46 seconds after taking to the field in place of Dimitar Berbatov,Macheda had the ball in the back of the net for the second time in his United career, deflecting a Michael Carrick shot past Craig Gordon in the Sunderland goal. With Alex Ferguson opting to rest his big-name players for the FA Cup semi-final against Everton on 19 April 2009, Macheda was handed his first start in a Manchester United shirt. However, for the first time in his United career, Macheda failed to score and was substituted for Dimitar Berbatov at the start of extra time. He started his first Premier League game in a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough on 2 May 2009; he was involved in the build-up to Park Ji-Sung's goal, but he failed to get on the scoresheet himself and was substituted ten minutes into the second half. At the end of his first season in the Manchester United first team, Macheda was named as the Jimmy Murphy Academy Player of the Year in recognition of his performances in the under-18s, the reserves and the first team.
Macheda's 2009–10 season began with appearances in the third and fourth rounds of the League Cup, against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Barnsley respectively. He made his Champions League debut against CSKA Moscow on 3 November, followed by another appearance in the 1–0 defeat to Beşiktaş on 25 November, in which he forced a save from the goalkeeper in the last minute. He came on as a substitute for Dimitar Berbatov in the League Cup fifth round on 1 December, before signing a four-year contract the next day that would tie him to the club until June 2014.
Towards the end of the year, Macheda suffered an injury that kept him out until 21 January, when he returned for a reserve match against Sunderland. However, he picked up another injury soon after, meaning that he missed out on the win over Aston Villa in the League Cup Final. He made his first Premier League appearance of the season in the 4–0 win over Bolton on 27 March, replacing Ryan Giggs in the 84th minute. With Wayne Rooney suffering ankle ligament damage against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Macheda was named on the bench for United's top-of-the-table clash at home to Chelsea on 3 April. With United 1–0 down, Macheda came on for Paul Scholes in the 72nd minute; Chelsea scored a second goal in the 79th minute, before Macheda scored a consolation goal for the home side two minutes later, although there was a suspicion of handball as he turned the ball into the net.
On 28 July 2010, Macheda scored his first goals of United's pre-season tour of North America as he netted twice in the 2010 MLS All-Star Game. The first came after just 21 seconds as he capitalised on a poor back-pass and the second came in the 13th minute with a header from a Nani corner kick. On 13 November 2010, Macheda scored his first goal of the season, netting United's first goal in a 2–2 away draw against Aston Villa.

Sampdoria loan

On 8 January 2011, Sampdoria confirmed Macheda has joined on loan until the end of the season. He was seen as a temporary replacement of the void left by Antonio Cassano who joined Milan. Macheda made his debut for Sampdoria on 9 January in a 2–1 home victory over Roma. On 19 January, Macheda scored his first and only Sampdoria goal on his first start for the club as he opened the scoring in their Coppa Italia tie against Udinese. Sampdoria won 5–4 in a penalty shootout as the game ended 2–2 after extra-time.

Return to Manchester United

Macheda returned to Manchester United at the end of the season having made 14 appearances in Sampdoria's unsuccessful battle against relegation. Upon his return, he expressed his wish to continue his football education in England, saying "For a youngster, England is a better place to play." Macheda then scored two goals against the New England Revolution in the first game of Manchester United's 2011 tour of the United States.. Macheda played his first game of the 2011–12 season in Manchester United's 3–0 win over Leeds United in the League Cup. He scored another goal, from the penalty spot, in United's 1-2 loss to Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the 2011–12 Football League Cup.
 

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Daniel Sturridge - The Next Jermain Defoe

  

 

Daniel Andre Sturridge (born 1 September 1989) is an English footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He is primarily a forward, but has been used as a right winger for Chelsea. This gives him the opportunity to cut inside and take shots with his left foot.

Sturridge was born in Birmingham, where he joined Aston Villa, before joining Coventry City in 2002. He then signed for Manchester City a year later. He continued his development at City and played in two FA Youth Cup finals. He made his first team debut in the 2007-08 season, becoming the only player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in the same season. He left City in 2009 and signed for Chelsea, where he was unable to make the immediate impact he made at City and was subsequently loaned to Bolton Wanderers for the second half of the 2010–11 season. After showing an improvement at Bolton, scoring 8 goals in 12 appearances, Sturridge returned to the Chelsea squad for the 2011-12 season, under new Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas. He continued to perform for Chelsea and made a first-team breakthrough in the first half of the 2011-12 season.

Sturridge has represented England at under-16, under-17, Under-18, under-19, Under-20, under-21 and senior levels. He made 15 appearances and scored four goals for the under-21 side. He made his debut for England against Sweden on 15 November 2011.

Sturridge comes from a footballing family as he is the nephew of former football strikers Simon Sturridge and Dean Sturridge.

Manchester City

   From the start of the 2006–07 season, Sturridge began to train with the City first team. A hat-trick in a reserve match was rewarded by a place on the substitutes' bench for the senior side's match with Reading in February 2007. He duly made his debut from the bench, replacing Georgios Samaras for the final quarter-hour. He made a second substitute appearance a month later, but then suffered a hip injury which sidelined him for the remainder of 2007.

He scored his first goal for City on 27 January 2008 in an FA Cup match against Sheffield United, followed three days later by his first league goal on his full debut, against Derby County. However, first team opportunities were sporadic, so Sturridge continued to play for the youth team in the FA Youth Cup. City again reached the final, with Sturridge the leading scorer in the competition. This time City won the final, with Sturridge scoring in the first leg. In the 2007–08 season, Sturridge became the only player ever to score in the Youth FA Cup, the FA Cup and the Premier League in the same season.

As of 1 May 2009, after 16 appearances in the 2008–09 Premier League season, Sturridge had scored four goals and provided three assists. At the end of the 2008–09 season, the Manchester City fans voted Sturridge as the Manchester City Young Player of the Season, in which he dedicated the award to his family and his uncle Dean.

Chelsea

   With Sturridge's contract at Manchester City expired, he signed for Chelsea on a four-year contract on 3 July 2009. As Sturridge is under the age of 24, and the two sides were unable to agree a deal, the fee for Sturridge was decided by a tribunal. The Professional Football Compensation Committee decided on 14 January 2010, that Chelsea would pay an initial fee of £3.5 million with additional payments of £500,000 after each of 10, 20, 30 and 40 first-team competitive appearances. There will also be a further payment of £1 million if the player makes a full international appearance, and Manchester City will receive 15 percent of any sell-on fee if Sturridge is transferred.

His first goal for Chelsea was on his debut, a friendly match against Seattle Sounders on 18 July 2009, in the twelfth minute of the match he scored the first goal. Chelsea won the match 2–0. Sturridge played his second game for Chelsea against former Chelsea manager José Mourinho's Internazionale, during which he won a penalty that player Frank Lampard scored from. He made his Premier League debut for Chelsea on 18 August 2009 against Sunderland, coming on for Didier Drogba. On 16 September 2009, Sturridge scored a hat-trick in a reserve game against Ipswich Town. On 28 October 2009, he made his first start for the club in a League Cup win against Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge.

On 20 December, Sturridge came on as a substitute at half time against West Ham United and won Chelsea a controversial penalty which Lampard converted. He made his first start in the Premier League for Chelsea away against Birmingham City on Boxing day. He scored his first two goals for Chelsea against Watford in the FA Cup third round on 3 January 2010. He continued to show his ability with a real poachers effort in a 2–0 victory in the FA Cup against Preston North End, scoring his third goal for Chelsea in January. On 13 February 2010, he netted again against Cardiff City, as Chelsea won 4–1. He became the only player to score in the third, fourth and fifth round of the FA Cup that season. Daniel is one of only five English forwards to have played in the Champions League that season (the others being Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Matt Derbyshire).

Sturridge scored his first League goal for Chelsea on 25 April 2010, in a 7–0 victory over Stoke City at Stamford Bridge, by latching onto a through ball, before rounding the goalkeeper, Asmir Begovic, and slotting the ball home.

During the 2010 FA Cup Final he came on as a 90th minute substitute for Chelsea, as they won 1–0 against Portsmouth. Sturridge finished the 2009–10 FA Cup campaign as the leading scorer for Chelsea with four goals.

The pre-season prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, Sturridge was given chances to prove himself by new manager André Villas-Boas and impressed, scoring an impressive solo effort against Hong Kong club Kitchee SC and then scoring a brace against Scottish giants Rangers. Chelsea chairman, Bruce Buck later confirmed that if Sturridge had not impressed in the pre-season, he would have probably gone out on loan again.

Having received a red card in the final game for Bolton, Sturridge was suspended for the first three competitive matches in the 2011–12 season for Chelsea. Despite rumours linking him with a move away on deadline day, Sturridge remained in West London, with strong support from Villas-Boas, by saying 'he would have been playing if he was not suspended from last season'. During his comeback from suspension, in the fixture against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Sturridge started and scored with a back-heel in the 50th minute to put Chelsea up 2-0. Chelsea went on to win the match 2-1 Sturridge returned to the Reebok Stadium on 2 October 2011. He scored twice within the first 30 minutes, the first a header after 90 seconds from a corner and the second a long shot from outside the box, which the goal keeper Ádám Bogdán made an error of saving. He also made an assist to Frank Lampard's goal in the 15th minute of the match, which ended 5-1. On 15 October 2011, he scored against Everton in a 3-1 win, giving him four league goals in four games. Sturridge came on as a substitute in the Carling Cup match against Everton on the 90 minute, in which he scored a 116th minute winner, which saw Chelsea win 2-1 in extra time, to put them in the last eight. Sturridge scored his seventh goal in the Premier League season, in a 3-0 victory for Chelsea against Newcastle. On 13 December 2011, during the fixture against Sturridge former club Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, Sturridge provided an assist for Raul Meireles goal in the 34th minute. The match ended a 2-1 victory, when Frank Lampard scored a late penalty after Joleon Lescott handled Sturridge's shot in the penalty area.

International Career

   Sturridge has represented England at, under-16, under-17, Under-18, under-19, Under-20 and under-21 levels. Most notably he scored at the European Under-17 Championship in the final against Italy, twice against Holland for the Under 18 side in 2007, he netted again in the Under-19 European Championships against Holland. He scored the only goal for England U-21 in a 1–1 draw against Greece U-21 in Greece and scored his second U-21 goal in the 1–0 win over Portugal. He was named in the England Under-21 squad for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. On 6 November 2011, Sturridge was handed his maiden England call-up by being named in the England squad by  for the friendlies against Spain and Sweden, after excelling for Chelsea. He was an unused substitute in a 1-0 victory against Spain, but Fabio Capello insisted that Sturridge would play against Sweden the following Tuesday and did, As he made his debut coming on as a second half substitute for Theo Walcott.

Style Of Play

 

Sturridge is known for his pace, dribbling ability, powerful long shots and being predominantly left-footed. He has been compared to Brazilian striker Hulk by Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas. Villas-Boas said: “Daniel offers me a few of the characteristics I had with Hulk when I was with him in Porto." He went onto say: "He is an extremely quick player, and he has technique at pace.

 

 

 

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