Bojan Krkić Pérez - The Young Man With Big Talent !

 

















Bojan Krkić Pérez (Serbian: Бојан Кркић Перез; pronounced Boyan Krkich Perez; born 28 August 1990) known as just Bojan, is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a forward or winger for Italian Serie A club Roma.

Early Years

Born in Linyola, Lleida, Catalonia, to a Serbian father (Bojan Krkić Sr.) who was a professional footballer for the Serbian side Red Star Belgrade and a Spanish mother (Maria Lluïsa Pérez), Bojan played for FC Barcelona's youth teams from 1999 to 2006. A quick striker with quite notable dribbling skills, it was reported that he scored over 500 goals for the youth teams in five and a half years. He then played the 2006–07 season with the FC Barcelona B team until he signed a professional contract with the Barcelona A team upon turning 17. Bojan played his first match with Barcelona on 24 April 2007, scoring a goal in a friendly match against Egyptian giants Al-Ahly.

Barcelona

On 16 September 2007 (at 17 years and 19 days), Bojan made his official debut for Barcelona against CA Osasuna, replacing Giovani dos Santos in the 78th minute and breaking Lionel Messi's record of the youngest Barcelona player to feature in a La Liga match. Three days later, he made his UEFA Champions League debut against Olympique Lyonnais, coming on at the 88th minute for Messi. He was, at the time, the youngest Barcelona player ever to feature in a Champions League game, at 17 years and 22 days.He made his second Champions League appearance on 2 October, coming on at the 81st minute for Ronaldinho against VfB Stuttgart. On 20 October 2007 (at 17 years and 53 days), Bojan made his first league start for Barcelona away to Villarreal CF and scored in the 25th minute. It was his first goal for the club's first team and it made him the youngest ever goalscorer for Barcelona in a league match.

Bojan scored his first ever Champions League goal on 1 April 2008 (at 17 years and 217 days) against Schalke 04, netting the only goal in the first (away) leg of the quarter-finals, making him the first person born in the 1990s to score in the Champions League and the second youngest player ever, behind Ghanaian forward Peter Ofori-Quaye, then playing for Olympiacos, who scored at the age of 17 years and 195 days.Bojan finished the season with a record of 10 goals, breaking Raúl's record of most goals scored in a debut season.

On the first day of the La Liga campaign against Sporting de Gijón, Bojan scored a header in the 18th minute courtesy of a flick from Seydou Keita. Barcelona went on to win the game by a scoreline of 3-0. On 10 November, he scored twice in the second leg of the Copa del Rey against Cultural Leonesa, helping his team to a 5-0 victory. Coming off the bench as a late substitute for Andrés Iniesta, Bojan scored his first and only Champions League goal of the season against VfB Stuttgart. He began finding the net more often towards the end of the season; 7 of his 8 league goals for the season came from the last 12 games.

Bojan took the number 9 shirt after Zlatan Ibrahimović moved on loan to A.C. Milan. The season saw Bojan find himself behind Lionel Messi, Pedro Rodríguez and David Villa in the pecking order. In the match against AD Ceuta in the Copa del Rey, Bojan captained Barcelona for the first time in an official match. He came off of the bench against UD Almería to score the sixth and eighth goal in an 8-0 win and later came on against Real Madrid in El Clásico to set up the fifth goal in a 5-0 win for Jeffrén Suárez. In a La Liga match against Real Sociedad, Bojan again came off the bench to score the fifth goal in 5-0 win. He scored a crucial league goal from a Daniel Alves assist for Barcelona against Sevilla in a 1-1 draw. He marked his 100th league appearance for the Catalan club with a goal against Getafe CF.

Roma

On 22 July 2011 Roma bought Bojan for a fee of €12 million. The sale includes a buyback clause that is optional next season (2012 for €17m) and mandatory after the second season (2013 for €13m). However Roma can stop Barcelona from re-signing him if they pay an additional €28 million. He made his unofficial debut on 3 August 2011 against Vasas in Budapest He scored his first goal from an assist from Daniele De Rossi for the Giallorossi by scoring the opening goal against Atalanta on 1 October 2011. He scored his 2nd goal against Milan. Roma lost that game 2:3. On October 5, he opened the scoring against Novara,from an assist from Miralem Pjanic. Roma won 0:2.

Spanish National Team

He was called up by the Serbian national team and team manager Radomir Antić but declined because of his wish to play for La Furia Roja (the Red Fury), which he considered the only national colours that he would have on his jersey.

On 1 February 2008, Bojan was included in Luis Aragonés' squad for the friendly against France on 6 February 2008. Should he have featured in that match, Bojan would have made history by becoming the youngest player ever to represent Spain at 17 years, 5 months and 9 days, eclipsing Ángel Zubieta's record of 17 years and 9 months, which has stood for over 70 years. However, Bojan fell ill and could not play.
On 17 May 2008, it was revealed that Bojan had been left out of Spain's 23-man squad for Euro 2008, after having talked to Luis Aragonés asking if he could be left out of the team on personal grounds, and also citing fatigue.
He made his debut on 10 September 2008 (at 18 years and 13 days) under Vicente del Bosque against Armenia, where he came on during the last ten minutes for Santi Cazorla and played on the right wing

Catalonian National Team

Bojan made his official debut with Catalonia in the friendly match against the Basque Country on 29 December 2007 in Bilbao; he scored the Catalan goal in the 1–1 draw. He also scored a year later on 29 December 2008 in the 2–1 win over Colombia and in the 4–2 win against Argentina in 22 December 2009. He scored twice and also provided two assists in a 4–0 win against Honduras on 29 December 2010.

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Jonathan Grant "Jonny" Evans - Young Man And Clever Boy

Jonathan Grant "Jonny" Evans (born 2 January 1988) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Manchester United and Northern Ireland. Evans was born in Belfast and started his career at Greenisland FC, where he was spotted by Manchester United scouts. He progressed through Manchester United's football Academy to play in several foreign tours in the summer of 2006. He then went on loan to Royal Antwerp and had two spells with Sunderland. He made his Manchester United first team debut in the 2007–08 League Cup, becoming a regular first-team squad member the following season. While playing for United, he has been their only Northern Irish first team player.

Career

Evans was scouted while playing for Greenisland FC, the same club that his brother, Corry, and Craig Cathcart played for before moving to Manchester United. At the age of nine, he was invited to attend the Manchester United Centre of Excellence in Belfast, before being invited for a trial in Manchester a year later. Rule changes within The Football Association at the time meant that clubs were limited to players who lived within an hour and a half of the club, so Evans' opportunities were limited. However, the Evans family soon relocated to Manchester, allowing Jonny to train with Manchester United full-time. Evans progressed through Manchester United's Academy, featuring in two of the club's three games during the 2006 summer tour of South Africa, as well as domestic friendlies against Celtic and Preston North End. Evans also made a surprise appearance in the Amsterdam Tournament against Ajax. Evans spent the first half of the 2006–07 season on loan at Manchester United's Belgian feeder club Royal Antwerp, alongside fellow youngsters Darron Gibson, Danny Simpson and Fraizer Campbell.

Sunderland Loans

In December 2006, Evans agreed to join Sunderland on loan until the end of the 2006–07 season, with Manchester United and Antwerp team-mate Danny Simpson joining on a similar deal in the January transfer window. The pair helped Sunderland clinch the Football League Championship title, with Evans winning the club's "Youth Player of the Year" award at the end of the season. Although manager Roy Keane was hopeful of re-signing Evans on loan following promotion to the Premier League, it was confirmed in June 2007 that Evans would be staying at Manchester United to push for a place in the first team.

On 4 January 2008, Evans rejoined Sunderland on loan for the second time, and was immediately drafted into the first team squad. Evans played the 90 minutes in his first game, losing 3–0 to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup. Evans was criticised for granting Wigan the second goal of the game, for which he lost the ball on the edge of his own box, resulting in a deflected own goal by Paul McShane.His half-season with Sunderland was generally successful, however, and the team avoided relegation.

Manchester United

Evans made his Manchester United debut on 26 September 2007 against Coventry City in the Football League Cup. Unfortunately, his debut ended in a 2–0 defeat. He then appeared as a late substitute for Gerard Piqué in a UEFA Champions League match at home to Dynamo Kyiv on 7 November 2007 to secure Manchester United's qualification to the knockout stage of the competition. He subsequently made his first Champions League start on 12 December 2007 against Roma.

Evans made his league debut for United against Chelsea on 21 September 2008, filling in for Nemanja Vidić who was unavailable due to suspension. The game ended 1–1. In December 2008, Evans made two substitute appearances for Manchester United at the FIFA Club World Cup, including one in the final after Nemanja Vidić was sent off shortly after half time. Evans continued to deputise throughout the rest of the season, appearing in a number of league games and in the League Cup final.

At the beginning of the 2010–11 football season, Evans became a regular fixture in the United team, partnering Nemanja Vidić in the centre of defence in the absence of the injured Rio Ferdinand. On 19 March 2011, Evans injured Bolton Wanderers and USA international Stuart Holden with a tackle which left Holden out for six months. Evans was given a straight red card however, Manchester United went on to win the game 1–0 with a Dimitar Berbatov goal.Before the start of the 2011-12 season, Evans was handed the No. 6 shirt after Wes Brown's departure to Sunderland AFC. Evans wore the new shirt number for the first time when coming on as a second half subsititute in the opening league game at West Bromwich Albion on 14 August 2011. On 23 October 2011, Evans was sent off against Manchester City at Old Trafford with United losing 1-0 at the time. The game eventually finished in a 6-1 defeat. Evans made his 100th appearance for Manchester United on the 30 November 2011 in a shock 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup. After Nemanja Vidic was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, Evans stepped into central defence to partner Rio Ferdinand, starting in a 4-1 home win against Wolves. Evans has never scored for Manchester United but came close to ending his duck on 18 December 2011 in a Premier League match against Queens Park Rangers when he twice headed against the woodwork in a 2-0 win.

International

Despite having not yet made his senior debut for Manchester United, Evans was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the first time in September 2006, making his debut in the memorable 3–2 victory over Spain. Evans has since retained his place in the squad.

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Chris Smalling - Young And Have Talent

 

Christopher Lloyd "Chris" Smalling (born 22 November 1989) is an English footballer who plays as a centre back for Manchester United and the England national team.

During his youth, Smalling played for the Millwall academy before joining local non-league side Maidstone United. He was selected for the Kent Schools Under 16 squad in 2005 before progressing to the Under 18's in 2007, and his performances for Kent Schools resulted in him being selected to play for the England Schools Under-18 squad in 2008. During this time Smalling had also established himself in the Maidstone United first team, and his impressive displays for club and country led to him signing a two year deal with Middlesbrough in May 2008.

Barely a month after signing for Middlesbrough however, Smalling had his contract with the club terminated after raising concerns with home sickness. Shortly after, in June 2008, he signed for Premier League side Fulham. He made his professional debut with them in May 2009 in the final game of the 2008–09 season and helped them reach the 2010 Europa League final the following season.

In January 2010, Smalling signed a pre-contract agreement with Manchester United and joined them officially on 1 July. He made his competitive debut in the 2010 Community Shield victory over Chelsea which earned him his first career medal. Since his debut, he has gone on to make more than 30 appearances for the club and established himself as first-choice backup to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić and has also become a contender for the right back position.

Smalling has represented England at various levels and is currently a member of the England senior squad. He played for the England Schools Under-18 team in early 2008 before making his debut for the Under-20 side and the Under-21 side in 2009. He made his debut for the England senior squad in the 3-0 win over Bulgaria on 2 September 2011.

Early life and Maidstone United

Born in Greenwich, London, Smalling started playing football at the age of nine for Walderslade Boys. After a short spell at Millwall's academy, a sixteen-year-old Smalling joined Maidstone United's youth set-up and continued his education at Chatham Grammar School for Boys.

After rising through Maidstone's youth and reserve team set-up under the tutelage of coaches Peter Nott and Tony Cornwell, Smalling made his first team debut for 'The Stones' on 11 April 2007 in a 4–1 loss against Tonbridge Angels in the Kent Senior Cup. After making further appearances in the FA Trophy and Isthmian League Cup, December 2007 saw Smalling made his league debut for the club playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw against Harlow Town. Smalling impressed and quickly established himself as a vital part of Maidstone's backline, however injury and international duty restricted him to making only 11 more appearances for the Kent side. Smalling scored one goal for Maidstone, netting in a 4–2 win at East Thurrock United on 24 March 2008, a game which was also his last for the club.

Fulham

After attracting strong interest from Fulham, Gillingham, Charlton Athletic and Reading, Smalling signed for Middlesbrough on a two-year deal on 30 April 2008. However soon after his contract with Boro was cancelled with Smalling concerned about homesickness, and in June 2008 he signed for Premier League side Fulham. Smalling was not on a contract at Maidstone (as it would have prohibited him from playing for England Schoolboys), and as such the Isthmian League club were not entitled to a fee for the player, however Fulham struck a deal which saw Maidstone given £10,000 upon the transfer and £10,000 for every ten league games he played. He was made captain of the club's Development Squad by manager Billy McKinlay.

On 24 May 2009, Smalling made his Premier League debut for Fulham, replacing Aaron Hughes in the 77th minute in the final game of the 2008–09 season in a 2–0 home loss to Everton Smalling made his first start for Fulham in on 17 September, in an away tie with CSKA Sofia in the UEFA Europa League with the match ending 1–1. On 28 December, Smalling made his first league start for Fulham, in a 2–1 loss against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Fulham's final game of 2009 and scored a decisive own goal in the 75th minute of the match.

Manchester United

On 27 January 2010, Manchester United announced that they had signed Smalling, for an undisclosed fee, with the player staying at Fulham for the remainder of the 2009–10 season before joining United for the beginning 2010–11 campaign. The transfer officially went through on 1 July. He made his Manchester United debut in a 3–1 friendly win over Celtic on 16 July and conceded a penalty which led to Celtic's goal. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 friendly defeat against Chivas Guadalajara on 30 July, heading in a corner from Darron Gibson. Smalling scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season in the 2011 Community Shield against United's local rivals Manchester City, volleying home an Ashley Young free kick from close range to reduce the deficit to 2–1. Manchester United went on to win the game 3–2 and take the shield. The new season also saw Smalling adapt to a new role, as early injuries to Nemanja Vidić, Rio Ferdinand and Rafael allowed Smalling, Jonny Evans and new signing Phil Jones to replace them. Evans and Jones played as central defenders whereas Smalling was deployed as a right full back. Smalling scored his first ever Premier League goal against title rivals Chelsea at Old Trafford on the 18th September 2011, rising unmarked to place a header into the far corner to open the scoring, in a game United went on to win 3-1.

International career

England Youth Teams

At the age of 17 and studying for his A Levels, Smalling was selected to represent his county (Kent), and the Kent Schools' Football Association then nominated him for trials for the England Schoolboy international squad. His trial was successful, and Smalling was selected to represent England Schools against Australia in January 2008. England won 2-0, and Smalling went on to play for England in the Centenary Shield, playing all four matches which including 1–0 victory against Wales Schools in which he scored the only goal.

Smalling made his debut for the England Under–20 team 31 March 2009, playing 45 minutes in a 1–1 draw against Italy at Loftus Road. On 11 August, four months after his Under-20 debut, he made his debut for the Under–21 squad in a friendly fixture against the Netherlands, coming on as a substitute in the 58th minute of a 0–0 away draw. On 14 November, Smalling made first start for the Under-21's in a 2011 U21 European Championship qualifier against Portugal at Wembley Stadium in a 1–0 win. He scored his first goal for the Under–21's on 8 October 2010 against Romania in England's 2011 U21 European Championship play-off first leg, converting from inside the area after an assist from Danny Sturridge. The goal, scored in the 83rd minute, proved to be the winner as England won 2–1.

England Senior Team

On 13 November 2010, Smalling was called up to the England senior squad for the first time for their friendly against France on 17 November; however, he was an unused substitute in the 1–2 loss. He made his senior debut in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria on 2 September 2011 in which he played at right back.

 

 

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Miloš Krasić - The New Pavel Nedved

Miloš Krasić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Красић; born 1 November 1984) is a Serbian professional football winger who plays for Juventus and the Serbian national team.Krasić is a right-sided midfielder/winger, noted for his powerful dribbling technique and speed. He has earned comparisons with former Juventus great, Pavel Nedvěd.

Early years

After starting out with the hometown side FK Rudar, Krasić was noticed by FK Vojvodina in 1999 and he made a switch northwards at age 14. He spent the next four-and-a-half seasons in Novi Sad, where he further raised his level and became the team captain.

CSKA Moscow

FK Vojvodina and CSKA Moscow were in negotiations over Krasić's transfer since January 2004, but the deal stalled. The player himself even made several unsuccessful trips to Moscow Finally, during the summer of 2004, the deal was completed and the winger was on his way to Russia. He featured in three games during the club's UEFA Cup 2004–05-winning run, including a cameo appearance in the final. He also helped them win the Russian title in 2005 and 2006, the Russian Cup in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009, and the Russian Super Cup in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

Juventus

After much speculation in the summer of 2010, Juventus and CSKA Moscow agreed on a fee for Krasić reported to be in the range of about €15 million. Krasić officially became a Juventus player on 21 August and was given the #27 shirt. Krasić was instrumental in his home début against Sampdoria, assisting a goal and creating many chances. The game ended 3–3. In his second away game in the Serie A, against Udinese, Krasić proved once again instrumental in their 4–0 victory, assisting Fabio Quagliarella and Claudio Marchisio for a goal each. Krasić scored his first Juventus goals against Cagliari on 26 September 2010, netting a hat-trick. He scored his first European goal for Juventus, helping his side salvage a point against Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg in the Group A tie of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, in a match that finished 1–1. On 26 October, he was given a two-match ban after diving, although successfully winning a penalty (the penalty was then missed), during the league match against Bologna. Krasić scored a goal in a 2–0 away win over Genoa after Eduardo put a ball in his own net in the 18th minute. On 12 December, in the game against Lazio, Krasić scored a very late, match-winning goal in which his attempted cross deflected off Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and into the net. The match ended immediately after the goal in a 2–1 victory for Juventus. He scored a screamer which guided the Bianconeri to a 2–1 victory against Brescia. He managed to score another screamer against Roma, in which the match ended 2-0. He scored his first goal of the 2011/2012 Serie A season against Catania Calcio.

International Career

Krasić has been an important part of Serbia and Montenegro under-21 squad on the last two European U-21 championships, as well as at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

He was in the team that finished as runners-up in the 2004 European under-21 Championship in Germany, but did not play in any games. Two months later, he was part of the Serbia and Montenegro squad at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In May 2006, Krasić was playing a leading role for Serbia and Montenegro in the 2006 European under-21 Championship in 2007 against Kazakhstan. He also played in the match against Portugal on 28 March at the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. He was an important player for the Serbian senior squad in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. He scored one goal in the match against Lithuania, another in the game against Austria, and set up three in the game against Romania, which sealed qualification.

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Alessandro Matri - The Next Generation Of Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Matri (born 19 August 1984) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team.

 Early career

Born in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Lombardy, a comune 30 km away from Milan, Matri started his career at Milan and made his debut on 24 May 2004 against Piacenza Calcio as a starter as Milan had rested most of their starting eleven. Matri partnered with Michele Piccolo and replaced by Roberto Bortolotto in the 71st minute but he did not score. In the next season, he played all the time at Primavera (U20) Team and has not played in the first team. In the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons, he left on loan to Prato (along with Piccolo) and Lumezzane, played 64 Serie C1 matches.

Rimini

In 2006–07 season, Matri was loaned to Rimini, Serie B team. Here he partnered with the more experienced Ricchiuti, Jeda and Moscardelli (all destined for playing in Serie A) therefore he sometimes started from the bench. During his stay in Rimini, Matri scored 4 goals in Serie B, all of them between March and April of 2007. He also scored a goal in Coppa Italia.

Cagliari

In June 2007, as part of David Suazo's deal to Milan, he left for Cagliari in co-ownership deal, for €2 million. (Suazo eventually joined city rival Internazionale.) He partnered with Robert Acquafresca, which Internazionale sent him to the Sardinia as part of Suazo's deal. The young strikers scored 16 goals for the team, ahead of midfielders Pasquale Foggia and Daniele Conti (both five goals). Their replacement, Jeda and Joaquín Larrivey, scored three goals in half season and one goal in the full season, respectively. In June 2008, Cagliari bought the another half of the player's registration rights for another €2 million.

In the next season, Matri became the third choice striker, as Jeda and Acquafresca were in better form throughout the season. He did score, however, six goals in 31 matches, but only 11 of them as a starter.

After the exit of Acquafresca, Matri became the other half of a starting pair along with Jeda, with new signing Nenê, the 2008–09 Portuguese Liga top-scorer, played as a substitute. He was the team's top scorer, having scored 12 league goals, ahead Nenê (seven goals) and Jeda (six goals). At the start of the 2010–11 Serie A season, he was re-united with Acquafresca as he re-joined Cagliari. Matri, Acquafresca, and Nenê scored 11 goals in 22 games, three goals in 21 games (only 11 starts), and four times in 20 games (14 starts) in the league, respectively, before Matri's departure.

Juventus

On 31 January 2011, in the final hours of the January transfer window, Matri moved to Juventus until the end of the season in loan deal that saw the remaining half of Lorenzo Ariaudo's registration rights, worth €2.5 million, being acquired to Cagliari; Juventus will also have an option to permanently acquire the player at the end of the season for €15.5 million in three installments. The acquisition was a consequence of Juventus' striking vacancies caused by a out-of-season injury to fellow on-loan striker Fabio Quagliarella and the loan of Amauri to Parma.

Matri made his Juventus debut only two days later, playing in a league game against Palermo, ended in a 2–1 win for the Sicilian opponents. On 5 February, Matri scored his first two goals for Juventus on his return to Cagliari, when he latched onto a Miloš Krasić pass and drove into the near corner for the first, and volleyed again for the second, choosing not to celebrate on both occasions. Matri scored his third goal for Juventus in the classic Derby d'Italia, scoring a header and defeating Internazionale 1–0. He wasn't able to score in the three upcoming matches against Lecce, Bologna, and Milan. In the next match, he scored another brace, although Juventus managed to secure only one point on a 2-2 away draw match against newly-promoted Cesena. On 4 April, Matri scored his sixth goal for Juventus against Roma, which ended in a 2–0 victory for Juventus.The next match, he again scored one goal, helping the Bianconeri obtain the full three points against Genoa. On the 22nd of June, Matri officially signed for Juventus on a permanent deal which will see the player sign for € 15.5 payable over 3 years. Matri signed the contract which will tie him to Juventus until 2015.

International Career

Matri earned his first call up for the Italian national team for a friendly match against Germany that took place on 9 February 2011. On 29 March, he made his debut in the friendly game against Ukraine played in Kiev, where he scored his first goal for Italy in the 81st minute, in a match which Italy won 2–0.

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Fabio Quagliarella - The New Star Of Nerazzuri

Fabio Quagliarella (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfabjo kwaʎʎaˈrɛlla]) (born 31 January 1983) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus. He is known for scoring incredible goals from unconventional angles that often catch the goalkeeper by surprise.

Early Career

Quagliarella began his career at Torino, where he grew up in their youth sector. He made his Serie A debut for Torino against Piacenza on May 14, 2000, and later made four appearances in the following Serie A 2001-02 season. In 2002 and 2003, he was sent on loan to lower division clubs Florentia Viola, at that time in Serie C2, and then Chieti. He returned to Torino in 2004, and scored seven goals in Serie B, plus one goal against Ascoli in the promotion playoff's first legs. However, financial problems forced Torino to stay in Serie B, which allowed Quagliarella to leave the club on a free transfer.

Udinese, Ascoli, Sampdoria

Quagliarella signed with Udinese in summer 2005. However, Udinese immediately sold half of his registration rights to newly promoted Ascoli as part of a co-ownership deal. Quagliarella stayed at Ascoli for just one season, scoring just 3 times in 33 Serie A appearances, and his rights were bought back in full by Udinese in June 2006.

On July 7, 2006, Udinese sold co-ownership of Quagliarella, along with Mirko Pieri, to Sampdoria in exchange for the transfer of Salvatore Foti During the 2006–2007 season with the blucerchiati, Quagliarella scored 13 goals in league play and earned attention worldwide due to the spectacular nature of many of his goals. His breakout season at Sampdoria led to a call-up to the Italian national team and numerous rumors of a high-profile transfer abroad.

Following his breakout 2006-07 season, Quagliarella was wanted by both Udinese and Sampdoria. The two clubs were been unable to comes to terms on his co-ownership deal and went to a blind auction on June 21, 2007. In the auction, Sampdoria bid €6.5 million, but were outbid by Udinese who paid €7.3 million to reclaim full ownership of Quagliarella. At Udinese, Quagliarella started the 2007–08 season slowly, scoring just once in the season's first 11 games. However, he soon found his footing at the club, forming a dangerous strike partnership with Antonio Di Natale and scoring a total of 12 goals in the 2007-08 season  This led to Quagliarella securing a place in the Italian squad for the Euro 2008 competition. Fabio continued his goal scoring at Udinese in the 2008–09 season, reaching 21 goals in all competitions, including 8 goals in the UEFA Cup where Udinese reached the quarter-finals.

Napoli

On June 1 2009, Quagliarella moved to his hometown club Napoli for a transfer fee of €18 million where he signed a 5 year deal.At Napoli, he was partnered with Ezequiel Lavezzi and attacking midfielder Marek Hamšík, and managed to score 11 goals in Serie A helping Napoli qualified to 2010–11 UEFA Europa League with a 6th place finish in the league. He played his last match for Napoli in Europa League, in a 1-0 win over IF Elfsborg. He was a unused bench in the second leg, which Walter Mazzarri used new signing Edinson Cavani partnered with Lavezzi, who the former scored a brace to make the team qualified.

Juventus

On 27 August 2010, Quagliarella signed for Juventus on loan for a fee of €4.5 million with the Bianconeri having the option to sign him permanently for €10.5m, paid over three years. Before the winter break, he was the team's top scorer with 9 league goals in 17 appearances. However, he was injured on 6 January 2011 (right knee anterior cruciate ligament), in the first match after the winter break, losing to Parma 1–4. He would miss the rest of season He was unable to play for Juventus in the Europa League, as he had already appeared against IF Elfsborg for Napoli earlier in the competition. On 22 June 2011 Quagliarella signed a 3 year deal to stay with Juventus for €10.5m, effectively cost Juve €15 million, €3million lesser than Napoli paid two years ago, but in accounting, gained €600,000 in 2010–11 fiscal result. (€15M minus contract residual value €14.4M [€18 million times 4 remain years over 5 years]).

International Career

Following his impressive performances with Sampdoria in 2006–07, Quagliarella was called up to the Azzurri squad for a friendly against Romania in February. However, it was delayed by the match cancellation due to fan riots in Serie A that weekend.

Later he played for the Azzurri in March for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Scotland, and made his debut as a substitute, replacing Luca Toni in the final minutes. In Kaunas on 6 June 2007, on his first start for Italy, he scored his first two goals for them in a 2–0 win over Lithuania in a vital Euro 2008 qualifier. On 6 February, he scored Italy's third goal in their 3–1 triumph over Portugal in an international friendly in Zurich. In June 2010 he scored a header against Switzerland in Italy's final friendly before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

He was included in the Italian Euro 2008 squad and the Italian 2010 World Cup squad. During the second half of the 3–2 defeat to Slovakia in a Group F game at South Africa World Cup 2010, he executed a beautiful 25 yard chip to bring the score to 3–2. Coach Marcello Lippi had only given him 45 minutes in one of Italy's most shameful world cup knockouts, in which Fabio managed to give teammate Antonio Di Natale a rebound goal, have a volley cleared off the line by Slovak defender Martin Škrtel, have an equalizing goal controversially ruled offside, and score the aforementioned wonder goal. This match was also incidentally his 21st cap for Italy, having scored 5 goals for them since making his national team debut back in 2007.

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Iker Casillas - The Real Legend.

 

Iker Casillas Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈikeɾ kaˈsiʎas feɾˈnandeθ]; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both. In 2008 he led the Spanish national team to their first European Championship in 44 years, and in 2010, to win the World Cup, being also named the tournament's best goalkeeper.

Since his early professional years as a teenager, Casillas has been recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, being nominated for the European Footballer of the Year award twice, ranking fourth overall in 2008 and continuing to be the highest-ranked goalkeeper again in 2009. At the end of 2009 he was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time. As of 2011 Casillas is one of a very select group of players who have won all major club and national championship titles. In 2010, he was awarded with the Sports Prince of Asturias Award. On 19 October 2010, Casillas became the most capped goalkeeper of all time in the UEFA Champions League and in November 2011, he became the most capped player of all time for the Spanish national team.

Early life

Casillas was born on 20 May 1981 in Móstoles, Community of Madrid to José Luis Casillas, a civil servant in the Ministry of Education, and María del Carmen Fernández González, a hairdresser. Both his parents had emigrated from their home town of Navalacruz, Ávila. When Iker was a child, he lived for some years in the Basque Country, but he has always considered Madrid to be his hometown. Casillas has a brother, seven years younger, named Unai, who currently plays as a central midfielder for CD Móstoles.As a young child, one weekend Casillas forgot to post his father’s football predictions on the weekend his father had correctly predicted all 14 results. The family lost out on an estimated €1m.

Real Madrid

Casillas had started in the junior squad of Real Madrid's youth system during the 1990–91 season. On 27 November 1997 at age 16 he was first called up to the first team to face Rosenborg in Champions League, but it wasn't until the 1998–99 season that he debuted in the senior side, substituting Bodo Illgner. By the next season, he relegated Illgner to the bench and became first-choice. In 2000, he became the youngest ever goalkeeper to play in a Champions League final when Real Madrid defeated Valencia 3–0, just four days after his nineteenth birthday.
Casillas lost his place in the side to backup César Sánchez after a patch of bad form during the 2001–02 campaign, but redeemed himself when Sánchez suffered an injury in the last minutes of 2002 Champions League final match. Casillas came on and pulled off several brilliant saves to deny a rampant Bayer Leverkusen the Champions League crown. Real Madrid won 2–1 and Casillas has maintained the number 1 shirt ever since.
The 2007–08 season was a fruitful season for Casillas as he helped Real Madrid reclaim their 31st La Liga title and conceded only 32 goals in 36 matches to claim the Zamora Trophy. On 14 February 2008, he and then club captain Raúl González were awarded a contract for life. Casillas signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2017, with an automatic extension if he plays 30 competitive matches during the final season of the contract and a buy-out clause of £113 million. His performances earned him a spot in the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time.
In February 2009, Casillas equalled Paco Buyo's record of 454 matches played (for a goalkeeper) and has since surpassed it to become Real Madrid's most-capped goalkeeper of all time at only twenty-seven years old. During the 2009 summer transfer window, some Spanish media reported that Manchester City had launched a record £129 million bid for the goalkeeper. However the club denied the allegations saying that no such offer had been made. Manchester United had been rumoured to have enquired about him, but no price was announced. He had been linked with other Premier League clubs before but Casillas himself stated that he "had no intention of leaving" his boyhood club.
During the 2009–10 season on 4 October in a game against Sevilla, Casillas made an extraordinary save; he ran from one side of his goal to the other and denied Diego Perotti in a one-on-one close range encounter. After the match, he received praise from fellow Spanish goalkeepers and England goalkeeping legend Gordon Banks, who stated "Casillas' reflexes are incredible. If he continues to play this well he will become one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the game." Europa Press reported that Casillas was the 2nd most popular Spanish sportsman on the internet throughout 2010. The study performed by company Vipnet360 examined the web presence on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

International Career

Casillas debuted for the national team in the U–17 level. At age 16, he was the youngest player in the Spanish squad that placed third at the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt. He was later made captain of the U-17's. Two years later, he went on to win the FIFA World Youth Championship and the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup that same year. Initially second-choice, he soon worked his way up to first-choice and eventually earned his first senior cap following some brilliant performances at club level. Casillas is currently the most capped player in the history of the Spanish national team. Following his full international debut at the senior level on 3 June 2000 against Sweden (at 19 years and 14 days), Casillas was an unused substitute at Euro 2000. He was part of the roster for the 2002 World Cup, initially as the understudy to Santiago Cañizares. Coincidentally, Casillas became the first-choice goalkeeper when Cañizares had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury from a freak accident. At 21, he was one of the youngest first-choice goalkeepers in the tournament. He played an instrumental role in Spanish progression when he saved two penalties in the shoot-out during the round of 16 match against the Republic of Ireland, earning him the nickname "The Saint". One of his saves during the quarterfinals versus South Korea during the 2002 FIFA World Cup was rated by FIFA as one of the top 10 saves of all time. Casillas played in all eight Group six fixtures during Euro 2004 qualifying, conceding just four goals. He kept a clean sheet in the second leg victory of the playoff against Norway which ended 3–0 in Oslo, and started all of Spain's Euro 2004 matches. He was the first choice for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, captaining the team twice, but could not prevent La Roja from losing 3–1 to a Zidane-inspired France in the Round of 16.
With the exclusion of his Real Madrid teammate Raúl from the squad for Euro 2008, Casillas was given the captain's armband. He started the first two Group D games against Russia and Sweden before being rested in place of second-choice goalkeeper Pepe Reina for Spain's group stage elimination of Greece. Casillas saved two penalties from Antonio Di Natale and Daniele De Rossi as Spain eliminated Italy in the quarterfinals with a 4–2 shootout win following a goalless draw on 22 June. Spain later went on to win the competition with a 1–0 win over Germany in the final on 29 June; Casillas kept clean sheets for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final matches, with Sweden's first round goal by Zlatan Ibrahimović being the last one scored against him. On 29 June 2008 Casillas became the first goalkeeper-captain to lift the UEFA European Championship trophy when Spain beat Germany 1–0 in the final. In October 2008, Casillas and deputy in goal Pepe Reina broke the national record for the longest time spent without conceding a goal. The pair went unbeaten for 710 minutes, longer than Spain's longest-serving goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta and Paco Buyo. Wesley Sonck of Belgium ended their goalless streak when he scored against them a 2010 World Cup qualifying match.
Casillas was the highest ranked goalkeeper (4th place) in the 2008 Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and national teammate Fernando Torres. Also in 2008 Casillas was named the world's best goalkeeperby the IFFHS. He also came in third place in the best goalkeepers of all time ranking; beating Oliver Kahn.
On 5 September 2009, after a 5–0 win over Belgium in a qualifying match for the World Cup, Casillas equalled Andoni Zubizarreta's national record of 56 clean sheets, and during the Spanish team's next match against Estonia on 9 September 2009, he surpassed Zubizarreta as the record holder for the most Spanish international clean sheets (this being achieved in Casillas' 98th appearance for the national team, while Zubizarreta made 126 before his retirement). Two months later, Casillas made his 100th appearance for the Spanish squad in the friendly win over Argentina, making him only the third player in history of Spanish football to ever reach this far internationally. Only Andoni Zubizarreta, on 126, now stands ahead of him.
On 11 July 2010, he captained Spain to their first ever World Cup title with a 1–0 win against the Netherlands. In doing so he became the third ever goalkeeper to captain a World Cup winning side (along with Gianpiero Combi in 1934 and Dino Zoff in 1982). He was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper and awarded the Golden Glove. In the course of the finals in South Africa he kept five clean sheets, conceded two goals, and saved a penalty in the quarter final against Paraguay. In the final, he made two crucial stops from Netherlands' Arjen Robben with the score at 0–0 after the Dutchman had passed all the defenders.
On 15 November 2011, Casillas became Spain's most capped player, breaking Andoni Zubizarreta's record after starting for Spain in their 2–2 draw against Costa Rica.

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