Star Players World Cup 2010

Players World Cup 2010

The world football championship world cup 2010 will be the biggest meeting of the world's best footballers this year. Despite the absence of players like Andrey Arshavin, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Niko Kranjcar, Arda Turan, Robbie Keane the list of names participating is more than impressive. Find our subjective assortment of players below. We selected a number of impressive strikers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers - a list that makes a fan's mouth watering.

Players Profile:

Kaka

Name: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Nationality: Brazilian
Date and Place of Birth: April 22, 1982 in Brasilia, Brazil
Position: Midfielder
Current Club: Real Madrid (La Liga)
Previous Clubs: Sao Paulo (2001-2003), AC Milan (2003-2009)
International Career: 2002 to present

Kaka got his nickname from his younger brother who could not pronone ‘Ricardo’. Kaka is a common term of endearment of ‘Ricardo’ in Brazil. He went on to become dear not only to Brazilians, but to the whole of football loving world.

A scintillating midfielder, Kaka now plays for Brazil and the Spanish football giant Real Madrid, who acquired him for a fabulous 70 million Euro from AC Milan. The fleet footed player has an uncanny knack to evade the tackler and provide defense splitting passes and take long range shots at the goal very often with a positive result. No wonder Kaka won the FIFA World Player award in 2007 and was again short listed in 2008.

Kaka was born in Brasilia and his family moved to Sao Paulo when he was seven. His career as a footballer started the Sao Paulo FC at the tender age of eight. And he signed his first contract with them at the age of 15.

However, at the age of 18, Kaka suffered a career-threatening spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident. But he made full recovery and made his senior debut in January 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances and also led Sao Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo championship. Kaka scored two goals in two minutes in the final.

He was included in the victorious Brazil World Cup squad of 2002, although his debut against Bolivia lasted only 25 minutes. It is no surprise that he was not allowed much time with the likes of Ronaldinho and Rivaldo bursting with energy for Brazil.

But his international career had taken off and the steady European interest in Kaka culminated in his signing with AC Milan in 2003. he was in the starting eleven within a month and scored 10 goals in 30 appearances. Despite Milan losing the 2004-05 Champions League final to Liverpool, Kaka was voted the best midfielder of the tournament.

Even though a midfielder, he would suddenly go on a goal scoring spree. His first hat-trick was in the second half of a match against Chievo in 2005-06. The next season, he scored his first hat-trick in the Champions League against the Belgian side Anderlecht. Not just that, he finished the top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals.

Kaka has almost become a ‘permanent’ member of the Brazilian team and has scored 23 goals in 62 internationals by the end of 2008. He was the Man of the Match in his first FIFA World Cup Finals in 2006 and scored his first goal against Croatia in Brazil’s 1-0 win. After injuries and exhaustion, Kaka participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament and was also named Man of the Match in the finals against United States.

Whenever Kaka has played, or almost always, Brazil has come out on the top.

Yoann Gourcuff

Date of Birth: July 11 1986
Height: 1.86m
Position: Midfielder
Club: Bordeaux

Gourcuff, the reigning Ligue 1 Player of the Year operates mainly as an attacking midfielder, but can also be utilized as a withdrawn striker.

Gourcuff signed his first professional contract in November 2003 with Staid Rennias and was promoted to the first team for the latter part of the 2003–04 season. Wearing the number 10 shirt, he appeared in 36 matches in 2005-06 scoring six goals, which included his first ever league goal against Monaco in a 2–0 win.

He quickly became a favorite among supporters and his achievements soon led to interest from clubs abroad, which resulted in a move to AC Milan. But Gourcuff was unable to break into the starting eleven. This resulted in the player being sent on loan to his current club Bordeaux. Following a successful season, in which he earned several club and individuals honours, Gourcuff signed with Bordeaux permanently.

2009-10 season is proving to be quite eventful forYoann. He began the season claiming his 4th silverware with Bordeaux on 25 July 2009, winning the 2009 Trophée des Champions title in a 2–0 victory over Guingamp. He was the Man of the Match. Two weeks later, he scored a brace in the club's opening match of the league season against Lens, in a 4-1 win. On 23 August, he scored another set of goals, this time against Nice in a 4–0 victory. In the UEFA Champions League, Gourcuff assisted on Bordeaux's only goal in their opening 1–1 draw against Juventus scored by Jaroslav Plašil. He missed two matches due to injury, both of which ended in defeats for his club. He returned to the team for Bordeaux's back-to-back matches with Bayern Munich. In the first match, which Bordeaux won 2–1, Gourcuff missed a penalty. However in the second match, he made amends scoring the winning goal in their 2–0 victory. Bordeaux remained undefeated in the group stage.

He was declared the French Player of the Year for 2009 by magazine France Football beating out the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Hugo Lloris, Thierry Henry, and Franck Ribry

Gourcuff made his debut for France on 11 August 2008 in a friendly against Sweden He scored his first goal for the country 11 October 2008 against Romania in a 2010 World Cup qualification match. The long ranger that he unleashed from almost 30 yards out drew the match at 2–2 ensuring France's positioning in the group.

The 2010 World cup will be a testing ground for Gourcuff. The expectations from him are very high as is evident from his playing style and ability being compared to French legend Zinedine Zidane.

Pato

Name: Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva
Nationality: Brazilian
Date and Place of Birth: September 2, 1989 in Pato Branco, Brazil.
Position: Striker
Current Club: AC Milan (Serie A)
Previous Clubs: Internacional (2006-2007)
International Career: 2008 to present.

Pato or ‘The Duck’ is known for his quick pace, skilful dribbling and powerful shots. He is regarded as one of the finest young talent in the world.

Overcoming a health crisis when he was 11, Pato joined Internacional at the age of 17. he scored a goal and helped to set up three more in his debut game for the club against Palmeiras. Very soon he was being compared with the Brazilian legend Ronaldo.

Pato was included in the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup held in Japan and he scored the first goal for Internacional in the tournament against African Club champions Al-Ahly. His club ultimately one the FIFA championship.

Ac Milan signed him up in 2007, but could not play immediately as only those who are 18 or above could participate in senior level tournament. He scored for Milan on his debut against Dynamo Kiev in a friendly. He again scored in his debut Serie A match against Napoli which Milan won 5-2. Pato finished 2007-08 season with 9 goals in 20 appearances. He was the top scorer for Milan in 2008-09 with 18 goald.

Pato commenced the 2009-10 season with a bang netting a brace against Seina. In October 2009, he scored two second half goals against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

His splendid performance resulted in his grabbing the 2009 Serie A Young Footballer of the Year award.

Pato’s first appearance for Brazil was in the 2007 South American Youth Championship. Keeping up his tradition of scoring in debut games, Pato moved the nets of Sweden in 2008, in his first appearance for the senior team. He thus also broke Pele’s record by becoming the youngest scorer in a FIFA game. He was only 17 years and 102 days old.

Pato is married to the Brazilian actress Sthefany Brito.

The 2010 World Cup will be his debut Cup and Pato is in roaring form.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Name: Cristiano Ronaldo
Born: Funchal, Portugal
Nationality: Portugal
Position: Winger Forward
Date of Birth: 5/2/1985
Height: 1.86m
Current Club: Real Madrid

Ronaldo has the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after moving to Real Madrid from Manchester United in June 2009. The deal was worth £80 million.

Starting with Nacional at the age of 10, Ronaldo joined Sporting CP and became the first ever to play for Sporting's U-16, U-17, U-18, B-team, and first team, all within one season. He was noticed by the Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in a match in Lisbon. Ronaldo signed for £12.24 million after the 2002–03 season and became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player. In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards and in April, he completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year.

Ronaldo is one of the most unpredictable set-piece exponents in the game. He is fast and cunning, has tantalizing footwork and the thunderous dipping, swerving shot is his trade mark.

Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table. In 2007-08 he scored 42 goals in 49 appearances in all tournaments and this is a stupendous record.

Ronaldo did not score in his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1-0 win over Shamrock Rovers. He scored his first goal came a week later on a penalty in Madrid's 4-2 LDU Quito. He is having a rather patchy time with Real Madrid troubled by injuries.

Ronaldo first played for Portugal in a 1-0 victory against Kazakhstan in August 2003. He was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup (2006) qualification in the European zone with seven goals, and scored his first and only World Cup goal against Iran converting a penalty .

Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany.

Currently he is the captain of the Portuguese team. Sir Alex Ferguson said about him in July 2009: “He is easily the best player in the world. He is better than Kaka and better than Messi.”

Xavi Hernandez

Name: Xavier Hernández Creus
Date and Place of Birth: January 25, 1980
Birthplace: Terrassa, Spain
Nationality: Spainish
Height: 1.75 m
Weight: 68 kgs
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Previous club: Barcelona

Xavi, the master playmaker is a product of Barcelona’s youth system. He has spent al his football life at Camp Nou since the age of 11. Xavi progressed through the youth and reserve teams and earned a first team debut in 1998, in the Super Cup final against Mallorca.

The 2008-09 season had been a fantastic period for Xavi as well as his club FC Barcelona. He scored the 4th goal in the 4-1 win in the Copa del Rey 2008-09 final against Athletic Bilbao. He assisted in four goals in the 6-2 thrashing of Real Madrid in La Liga. Barcelona went on to win the league. Xavi helped his club win the Champions League defeating Manchester United in the final assisting the second goal. He was voted “Champions League Best Midfielder”.

2009-10 is Xavi’s 12th season with Barca and has made 522 appearances for the club. He is bound to overtake Migueli who made 548 appearances.

Xavi extended his contract with Barça during 2008–09. He will now be with the Spanish major till 2014. He will be earning €7.5 million a year as per the new contract. Xavi will now be one of the highest paid in Barcelona.

His international career took off in style in 1999 World Youth Championship scoring two goals and Spain won the trophy. Xavi made his senior debut just one year later in 2000 against Nethelands and has remained a permanent feature of the Spanish team ever since. So far he has been capped 80 times for Spain.

Didier Drogba

Name: Didier Drogba
Nationality: Ivorian
Date of Birth: 11/03/1978
Height: 1.89m
Weight: 91kg
Position: Striker
Previous Clubs: Marseille, Guingamp
Current Club: Chelsea

Didier Drogba, the scintillating striker is the envy of every football coach. Drogba excels with his pace, accuracy and set-piece execution. More than everything, he has the uncanny knack to be there at the rival goal post, when the opportunity is there.

Drogba currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Ivory Coast national football team. He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's 8th highest goal scorer of all time.

After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut at the age of 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans.He signed his first professional contract at 21 but it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realised his potential, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 1 for Guingamp. During the same season he made his first international appearance for Ivory Coast in September and scored his first international goal the following February. He moved to Olympique de Marseille in 2003 and finished as the third highest scorer in the league with 19 goals and making it to the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

But he really bloomed as a star striker only after reaching Chelsea in July 2004. Drogba scored 16 goals in 40 games for Chelsea in his first season: 10 in the Premiership, five in the Champions League and one in the League Cup final.

Next season, Chelsea retained the league title and Drogba played a major role in this back to back victory. He finished with 16 goals for the season, 12 in the league, two in the Community Shield, one in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup

2006-07 was a great season for Drogba, scoring 33 goals, more than the previous two seasons at Chelsea put together. And despite injuries and on field controversies, Drogba became Chelsea's top scorer in Champions League, including the two goals he scored in the semifinal against Liverpool taking his tally to 17, in 2007-08.

Haunted by injuries and difference of opinion with Scolari, the then Chelsea coach, 2008-09 was the worst year for Drogba. However Scolari was sacked and Drogba was back in action and also regained his touch, scoring four goals in five games after Hiddink took over.

The current season is proving to be a successful one for Drogba. He scored his 100th goal for Chelsea in October 2009 and has so far scored 10 goals, despite being away for one month to lead Ivory Coast in the African Nations cup.

Drogba helped Ivory Coast qualify for its first ever World Cup, held in Germany in 2006. He is the leading scorer for the Cote d'Ivoire team. His first cap came on 8 September 2002 against South Africa and he scored his first goal on 11 February 2003 against Cameroon in a 3–0 victory. He scored nine goals in eight qualifying games—one of the best records in international football.

On 11 June 2006, Drogba scored the first World Cup goal of his career and of his country's history in the opening game against Argentina, but his team lost 2–1. Even though, not much is expected from Ivory Coast in the 2010 Cup, Drogba is bound to be a point of attraction for his fans across the world.

Fernando Torres

Full Name: Fernando José Torres Sanz
Date of Birth: March 20, 1984 (age 25)
Place of Birth: Madrid, Spain
Height: 1.86 m
Nickname: El Nino (The Kid), The Eagle
Position: Striker
Current club: Liverpool

Atletico Madrid, the first club for Torres sent an under-15 team to compete in the Nike Cup. Atletico won the tournament and Torres was voted the best player in Europe for the age group. There has not been a looking back for Torres ever after.

He moved on to Liverpool in 2007 and that meant more exposure to European football. His first appearance in the Champions League saw Liverpool defeating Toulouse 1-0. Torres scored his first Premier League goal against Chelsea and his first hat-trick against Reading in the League Cup. He went on to score hat-tricks against Middlesbrough and Westham. In all he scored 29 goals that season eclipsing the record of Michael Owen for Liverpool.

The year also saw him being short listed for the Players’ Player of the Year award, which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2008-09, Torres was short listed for the FIFA World Player of the Year and came out third behind Ronaldo and Messi.

He has been in excellent touch in the current season too, being named Player of the Month for September 2009.

Torres made his first appearance for Spain in 2003. He scored seven goals in 11 appearances in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. And in the first ever appearance in the Cup finals, he scored three goals to top the table for Spain along with Villa.

Michael Essien

Name: Michael Eissien
Nationality: Ghanaian
Date of Birth: 03/12/1982
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 83.35kg
Position: Midfielder
Previous Clubs: Lyon, Bastia
Current Club: Chelsea

Nicknamed ‘the bison’ for his tough tackling style, boundless energy and physical presence on the pitch, Eissien is an all-round midfielder who can play multiple midfield roles ie, defensively and offensively. He can turn a game on its head with his tantalising runs and dribbles when the need arises. Eissien has also scored important, breath-taking goals for his club as well as his country.

Eissien’s break through to high level football was the chance he got to play in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand. In July 2000, Essien was signed by French club Bastia. In the 2002–03 season, he helped Bastia to qualify for the UEFA Cup, scoring six goals that season. From there he moved on to Lyon and finally landed in July 2005.

He made his Chelsea debut as a second half substitute against Arsenal on August 21, 2005. Eissien soon cemented his place in José Mourinho's side, starting in 31 domestic league games, and 11 appearances in the other cup competitions.

Essien was nominated for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Award where he placed 22nd. He was nominated for the 2006 Ballon d'Or. He was voted as the Best African Footballer of the Year in 2006, a feat he achieved in 2005 as well. Eissien also won the 2006 BBC African footballer of the year award.

Chelsea fans voted Essien as Chelsea Player of the Year for his contributions in the 2006–07 season, becoming the first African to receive the honour. His last minute dramatic goal against Arsenal, which fetched Chelsea a crucial draw, was voted as Chelsea Goal of the Season for 2006–07.

On May 6 2009, Essien scored a stunning left-footed volley in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona, a tie which Chelsea ultimately lost due to the away goal rule. The goal was later voted 2008-09 goal of the season by the Chelsea fans.

He is in sparkling form current season too, scoring three excellent goals in the league.

Eissien made his debut for Ghana in the 2002 African Nations Cup against Morocco in January, 2002. He was part of the team that represented Ghana at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Essien played in Ghana's 0–2 defeat to Italy, their 2–0 victory over the Czech Republic, and the 2–1 victory over the United States, and helped Ghana become the only African team to reach the second round of the 2006 World Cup.

In the 2008 African Cup of Nations Essien turned in another brilliant performance, taking the team to the semifinals with his power-packed performances. In the quarter-final against Nigeria, when team captain John Mensah was dismissed for a professional foul, Essien took over the captaincy for the rest of the game and eventually won 2-1.

Wayne Rooney

Name: Wayne Rooney
Nationality: English
Date and Place of Birth: October 24, 1985 in Liverpool, England
Position: Striker
Current Club: Manchester United (Premier League).
Previous Clubs: Everton (2002-2004)
International Career: 2003 to present

Once the baby of the England team, now the 24yr old Rooney is its backbone. Rooney was taken in by Everton on school boy terms when he was just 10. In October 2002, he scored a match winning goal against the reigning champion Arsenal to become the youngest player (16 yrs 360 days) till then to score a premier league goal.

In 2004 he left Everton to join Manchester United, a move which generated much heat and controversies. But Everton was richer by 25.6 million pounds, which United paid for Rooney.

Rooney made his United debut in a Champions League group game against Fenerbahce, bagging a hat-trick. Even though Manchester United could manage only a third place in the Premier League, Rooney was the top scorer with 7 goals. He was honoured with the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

In the 2005-06 season, Rooney’s goals went up to 16 and the United improved its position to second place. In 2006-07, he scored 23 in all competitions and 14 league goals including a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers. It was also Rooney’s first league title winning year. United repeated the performance in 2007-08 and 2008-09, with Rooney scoring 12 goals in each season.

Rooney continues to be in great form in the current season too and on 31 January 2010, he scored his 100th premier league goal in a 3-1 win over Arsenal. Incidentally, his first goal too was against Arsenal. Rooney has already scored 20 goals this season.

Wayne Rooney made his international debut for England in a friendly against Australia in February 2003 when he was only 17. His first tournament action was in Euro 2004, when he twice moved the net of Switzerland. But Rooney was injured in the quarter final match against Portugal and England crashed out of the tournament. Rooney is injury prone and has had to miss several vital games in his career.

Rooney married Coleen his girl friend for six years, in 2008. in 2006, he was awarded 100,000 pounds in libel damages from The Sun and News of the World. Both of the tabloids had claimed that Rooney had assaulted Coleen in a night club. He donated the money to charity. In November 2009, a son was born to the couple, Kai Wayne Rooney.

It is often observed that England’s fortunes are closely interlinked to the ups and downs of Rooney, the ace footballer.

Samuel Eto'o

Name: Samuel Eto’o
Birth Place: Nkon, Cameroon
Date of Birth: 10th March 1981
Height: 180cm
Weight: 75kg
Position: Striker
Previous Clubs: Barcelona
Current Club: Inter Milan

Scoring over 100 goals in five seasons with FC Barcelona, and the record holder in number of appearances by an African player in La Liga, Samuel Eto’o has established himself at the top of the game with his combination of pace and deadly accuracy in front of goal.

After a brief stint with Real Madrid, he went to Mallorca on loan and scored 6 goals in 11 appearances. This performance motivated Eto’o to switch over on a permanent basis. In his second season, he scored 11 goals and became the darling of the fans with his thrilling skills. Eto'o departed Mallorca as the club's all-time leading domestic league scorer (54 goals) when he signed for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2004.

With Barca, he was an immediate success and became the top scorer in the league with goals in the 2005-06 season. Eto'o also contributed six goals during Barcelona's run to the 2005–06 Champions League title and was awarded with the UEFA Best Forward of the Year award for his accomplishments in the European campaign. Eto'o also won an historic third consecutive African Player of the Year award that season.

Plagued by injuries, 2007-08 season began badly for Eto’o. He finished with a total of 16 league goals in 18 appearances for the season. 2008-09 was a far better year, with Eto’o scoring 30 goals and the La Liga. He also scored in the Champions League final against Manchester United to win the title.

In July 2009, Eto’o joined Inter Milan in exchange of Ibrahimović. He was unphased by comparisons with Ibrahimović and is going strong scoring goals for his new club befitting a true professional.

Eto'o earned his first cap with Cameroon at age 14, in a 5–0 friendly loss to Costa Rica. In 1998, he was the youngest participant in the 1998 World Cup when he appeared in a 3–0 group stage loss to Italy, at the age of 17 years and three months. Eto'o scored his sole goal of the 2002 World Cup when he netted the game-winner against Saudi Arabia.

Thereafter he has been a permanent feature of the Cameroon team. In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, he became the top scorer with 5 goals just like in the 2006 tournament. He was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament; and is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the African Nations Cup, with 18 goals.

Presently, Eto’o is the captain of the Cameroon team.

Lionel Messi

Name: Lionel Messi
Full Name: Lionel Andrés Messi
Nick Name: Leo, La Pulga
Nationality: Argentinian
Date of Birth: 24/06/1987
Place of Birth: Santa Fe, Argentina
Height: 1.69 m
Weight: 67 kg
Position: Forward
Club: FC Barcelona (Spain)

Lionel Messi is often referred to in the media as "the new Diego Maradona". Born in Rosario in Argentina, Mesi’s family moved to Barcelona in Spain under strange circumstances. Messi started playing football at a very early age for his hometown club, Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as his parents were unable to pay for treatment in Argentina. Carles Rexach the sporting director of Barcelona had been made aware of his talent and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial. Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain His family moved to Europe and he started in the club's youth teams.

Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. In 2005-06 he netted six goals in 17 appearances and scored one Champions League goal. Next year Messi established himself as a regular first time player scoring 14 goals in 26 matches. After an injury which sidelined him for three months, Messi roared back into the thick of things scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barclona a 3-3 draw, the last equalizer coming in injury time.


In the 2007-08 season Messi scored 5 goals in a week taking Barcelona to the top four in La Liga. In the next season, Messi was rewarded with the number 10 jersey, following the departure of Ronaldinho from Barca. On 1 October, in a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi scored two goals during the last seven minutes, after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, to turn the score from 1–0 to a 1–2 victory for Barcelona. He came second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year.

2009 was a fantastic year for Messi starting with a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid. He scored profusely to take his team to the top honours in Copa Del Rey. This was followed by winning La Liga and the icing in the cake was the Champions League victory scoring a goal in the final. He also became the top scorer in the tournament with nine goals. It was the first time a Spanish club won all these three trophies. Messi rounded off the year winning 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year.

Messi has commenced 2010 too with a bang, netting a hattrick against CD Tenerife. On 17th January, Messi scored his 100th goal for Barcelona in the 4-0 victory over Seville.

He first played for Argentina in 2004 in an under-20 against Paraguay. He was a member of the team that won the 2005 World Youth Championship. Messi won there, both the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe.

The 2006 World cup was not the best for Messi from the standards he had set for himself. Plagued by injury, he could score only one goal as he either remained on the bench or came in as late substitute.

However Messi was in sparkling form in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, helping Argentina win the gold. He scored two goals and assisted in three more at crucial junctures.


Andres Guardado

Full Name: Andres Guardado
Birth Place: Guadalajara
Date of Birth: September 28, 1986
Height: 1.70m
Weight: 60 kg
Position: Midfielder
Current Club: Deportivo

Guardado started playing professionally in F.C. Atlas and made his league debut in August 2005 when he was 18 years old, in a 3–2 victory over Pachuca C.F. He eventually became a very important player for Atlas, and played 64 games for the club, scoring 7 goals.

In 2007 he moved on to Deportivo La Coruna and has moved the nets of opponents 8 times.

He made his first international appearance for Mexico in a friendly match against Hungary on December 14, 2005, just four months after his first team debut for Atlas. Guardado represented his country in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played his first World Cup match against Argentina.

Guardado scored his first goal for Mexico in a friendly match against Venezuela in February 2007. In the final of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Guardado scored the opening goal against the United States. But the goal proved futile as the US lifted the trophy 2-1, coming from behind.

He has, till September 2009, scored 13 international goals including 6 in the qualification matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Guardado was also selected as the Deportivo Player of the Year for 2008 and 2009.

What sets apart this left winger is his dribbling, agility, pace and long-distance left-footed strikes.

Higuain

Full Name: Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín
Nick Name: El Pipita
Date of Birth: December 10, 1987
Place of Birth: Brest, France
Height: 1.83 m
Position: Striker
Club: Real Madrid

Powerful low drives, dribbling and devastating pace are the strengths of this France born Argentine striker. Real Madrid successfully signed Higuaín for 13 million Euros in 2007 after River Plate turned down a 10 million Euro offer for the then19-year-old striker.

Higuain’s first goal for Real Madrid was against Atletico de Madrid. But real excitement was the last minute goal he scored against RCD Espanyol when the match was tied 3-3. Higuain won the ball in a sliding tackle and slotted the ball into the net. It was a crucial victory for his club as it propelled Real Madrid to the first place overtaking arch rivals FC Barcelona and eventually to the League title.

Higuain has a knack of coming to the rescue of his team at precarious junctures. In the 2007-08 season, Real Madrid was down 0-1 against CA Osasuna. Higuain came in as a substitute in the 67th minute and he assisted the equalizer in the 88th minute. Then he struck two minutes later to clinch the La Liga title. He repeated this feat in the next game too coming late into the game and scoring with his first touch within a minute.

In the next season, 2008-09, Higuai scored in the 89th minute giving Real Madrid a victory over Valentina FC and its eighth Spercopa de Espana. He finished the season as his club’s top scorer with 24 goals.

Higuain is in devastating form in the current year too scoring 10 goals as of 10 January 2010.

His first official game for Argentina was in the 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Peru and he scored in the debut game taking the team to a 2-1 victory. Coach Maradona is bound to have many strategies with Higuain as the pivot, in the coming World Cup.

Luis Suarez

Full Name: Luis Suárez
Birth Place: Uruguay
Date of Birth: January 24, 1987
Age: 23
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 70 kg
Position: Forward
Club: AFC Ajax

Suarez has been capped 25 times for the Uruguayan national team and has scored 11 international goals. Starting as a youngster with great promise, he very soon became a much sought after professional, especially by the European clubs.

Suarez moved on to Ajax after a short stint with the Dutch club FC Groningen. He did well to end his first season (2007-08) with Ajax with 20 goals in 40 appearances.

Despite earning as many as 7 yellow cards, the 2008-09 proved to be an excellent one for Suarez as he ended the season with 22 goals from 31 games in the league, finishing second in the top-scorers table.

Suarez kicked off the current season in great style, scoring a hat-trick in only the second match of the league, against RKC Waalvijk. His goal scoring spree continued and he banged in a brace against arch rivals PSV Eindhoven.

In the play-off round first-leg of the UEFA Europa League, Suárez netted four goals in a 5–0 win over Slovan Bratislava in August 2009 and a month later, he scored four goals in a 4–0 win against VVV. On December 23rd 2009, he banged in 6 goals in a single match against the amateur team of WHC in the Dutch cup helping Ajax to win by a record margin of 14-1.

Presntly, Suarez is the captain of Ajax.

Suárez made his debut for the Uruguay on February 8, 2007 in a 3–1 win against Colombia. He has become a permanent member of the national team and scored 5 goals in the World Cup qualifiers.

Mesut Ozil

Date of Birth: 15.10.1988
Age: 21
Height: 1.82m
Nationality: Germany
Foot: Left
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Club: Werder Bremen

A German player of Turkish origins, Qzil joined the youth department of Schalke 04 when he was 17. On 31 January 2008, he moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of 4.3 million Euros and is scheduled to be there till mid 2011.

He scored his first Bundesliga goal against Karlsruhe in April 2008. Özil played 12 Bundesliga games for Werder, and set up one goal as Bremen finished second in the league.

In 2008-09, Özil paired with Brazilian playmaker Diego to give Werder a formidable midfield. But Bremen struggled in the Bundesliga and finished the season in 10th place despite three goals and 15 assists from Özil. However Özil helped Werder Bremen to reach the final of the UEFA Cup, where Bremen lost 2-1 in extra time against Shaktar Donetsk. Özil had seven assists to his credit during Bremen's run from the Champions League through to the UEFA Cup final. In the final of the German Cup, Özil scored his second goal of the competition in a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

In September 2006, Özil was included in the Germany U-17 team. He has been a member of the German U-21 team since 2007. Özil was the driving force in the 4–0 win over England during the U-21 European Championship final in June 2009

Özil’s debut for the Germany national football team was in a friendly match against Norway on 11 February 2009. His first goal for Germany came in another friendly, against South Africa on 5 September in Leverkusen. It was his third appearance for the country.

Özil’s stock is rising at a rapid rate, and this current campaign has seen the little midfield superstar take his game to a new level. In 13 matches this season, Özil has found the net on six occasions as coach Thomas Schaaf plays him in a more advance midfield role on the left where he can cause maximum damage, getting into positions behind defenders. Özil is the complete player; he has pace, an exceptional awareness of where his teammates are on the pitch, and the predatory instincts of a seasoned centre-forward.

As soon as he picks up the ball there is a sense of anticipation inside the stadium that something special is about to happen. And he is expected to sparkle in the global stage in South Africa.

Scott McDonald

Full Name: Scott McDonald
Birth Place: Melbourne, Australia
Date of Birth: August 21, 1983
Height: 1.73m
Weight: 78.09 kg
Position: Forward
Previous Club: Celtic
Current Club: Middlesbrough

McDonald’s career as a professional footballer took off only after he joined Motherwell in 2004. After a slow start, scoring only one goal during the second half of the 2003-04 he proceeded to score 15 goals in the next season.. McDonald infamously scored two late goals against Celtic at the end of season 2004/05 to deny them the Scottish Premier League Championship which was instead won by their arch-rivals Rangers. In the 2005/06 season, McDonald scored 11 goals in 35 appearances, and in the following season, scored 15 goals in 32 appearances.

McDonald moved to Celtic Park at the start of the 2007/08 season. He made his debut for Celtic in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying Round match against Spartak Moscow assisting Paul Hartley for Celtic's goal. The game finished 1-1. His first goal for the club came in the second leg of the tie at Celtic Park. He followed that up with the winning goal against AC Milan in the final minute of their UEFA Champions League clash and another last-minute winner just days later, at Gretna.

He scored 25 goals in 36 league appearances in his first season at Celtic, and was the top goalscorer during the 2007-08 season. All tournaments put together, he had scored 31 goals including two hat-tricks.

While at Celtic, McDonald was named BBC Sportsound Player of the Year for his eight man-of-the-match performances throughout the 2006/07 season. In less than three years he had scored 65 goals for the club.

On 1 February, 2010 Celtic sold McDonald for a reported £3.5 million to Middlesbrough.

After representing Australia at U-17, U-20 and U-23 levels, McDonald made his international debut for Australia against Bahrain in February 2006 in an Asian Cup encounter. He was a starter in the Australia squad in the qualification for World Cup 2010 with a 3-0 win over Qatar in February, setting up a goal for Mark Bresciano. He has yet to score a goal at international level.

Arjen Robben

Name: Arjen Robben
Born: Netherlands
Date of Birth: 23/1/1984
Nationality: Netherlands
Position: Left midfielder
Current Club: Bayern Munich

A Dutch superstar in the making, on the foot steps of Johan Cruyff', Robben represented the Netherlands in 42 games, scoring 11 goals. Robben’s first exposure to international football was in Euro 2004 when he entered the field as a substitute by coach Dick Advocaat in the 66th minute against Czech Republic. The Netherlands were leading 2–1 then. But the Czech Republic won the game 3-2 scoring two more goals. This led to criticism of the substitution. However, Robben went on to score the deciding penalty in the shootout between the Netherlands and Sweden. It was an inspiring moment for the Dutch team as it was their first shootout win in five similar matches.

In 2006, Robben played in his first World Cup Qualifiers. He could score only two goals in six games. In the opening match against Serbia and Montenegro, Robben scored the winning goal in the 18th minute, and was named the Man of the match. He won it again in the match against Ivory Coast and became one of the eight players to have won the Man of the Match Award a second time.

Robben's skill in ball control and technical footwork has made him a valuable player and he was scooped up by Chelsea from PSV for 18 million Euros, in November 2004. He was a favourite of coach Mourinho, but his first year at the English club was plagued by injuries. However, when he was in the field, he proved to be the fulcrum around which the team progressed. In 28 matches, Robben contributed six goals as Chelsea won a second consecutive Premier League championship, the first back-to-back titles for the west London club.

He moved to Real Madrid on a five-year deal on 22 August 2007, with the transfer fee reported as €35 million. Robben proved crucial for many Real Madrid matches, making his famous runs down the left wing, and quickly became a first choice for the left midfield position.

On 28 August 2009, Robben moved to Bayern Munich for around €25 million. With the number 10 shirt on, he came in as a half-time substitute in his debut game against Wolfsburg and scored two goals to help his team into beating last season's champions.

A player who may determine the course of the 2010 Cup.

Marek Hamsik

Full Name: Marek Hamsik
Birth Place: Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Date of Birth: July 22, 1987
Height: 1.80m
Weight: 73 kg
Position: Midfielder
Club: Napoli

Hamsik is a player with keen anticipation, eye for a goal and ability to dictate play, and holds great promise for the future.

In 2002 he signed with a major Slovak team Slovan Bratislava. He moved from Slovan to Brescia in 2004. He had an impressive 2006–07 season, scoring 10 goals in 40 matches.

Hamsik moved to Napoli in June 2007. He played his first major match for Napoli against Cesena in the first round of the Italian Cup. Napoli won 4-0, Hamšík made the opening and the second goal. He scored his first goal in the Serie A on 16 September 2007 in the match against Sampdoria.

He completed his first season with Napoli as the club's top scorer, with 9 goals from 37 games. At the start of the 2008/09 season, Hamšík scored in both of Napoli's first two games and scored another 9 goals to finish as Napoli's top scorer for the second year running.

Hamsik made his debut for the Slovakia national team in February 2007 in a friendly against Poland and his second against Germany in the Euro 2008 qualification. He has been a regular member of the Slovak team since then usually playing as a left or middle attacking midfielder.

Hamsik has 8 international goals to his credit, including two in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

In 2007 he was voted second best Slovak footballer of the year and was also voted best young Slovak footballer. In 2009 too he was the choice of football pundits as the best young Slovak footballer

Gianluigi Buffon

Date of Birth: January, 28, 1978.
Place: Carrara - Italy
Height: 190 cm
Weight: 78 Kg
Zodiac: Aquarius
Nickname: Superman, Gigi
Marital Status: Single
Team: Juventus – Italy

Buffoon is considered by his fans and many experts to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. Tall and slimly built, Buffon was perhaps born to be a goalkeeper. His movements are very natural and thus the most difficult saves look easy, whether a long ranger or a shot from point-blank range. There are very few weaknesses in his game and few strikers have been able to beat him in the post. He has an uncanny ability to dismiss what has happened and to get on with the game with full concentration..

Buffon made his Serie A debut at the age of just 17 for Parma in a 0-0 home draw against Milan on 19 November 1995. In his fourth season with the club, he won the UEFA Cup. He moved from Parma to Juventus in 2001, for €51.5 million, which is a world record for a goalkeeper.

He was the recipient of; he received the UEFA Most Valuable Player and Best Goalkeeper awards in 2003. In March 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. In August 2005 Buffon dislocated his shoulder and a surgery became necessary. The injury occured during the annual Luigi Berlusconi Trophy match against Milan when Buffon collided with Milan midfielder Kaká while chasing a loose ball. He returned to active football in November, but played only once as another injury kept him out until January. On recovering, he lead Juventus to their second consecutive Scudetto and his fourth with the club.


In 2008–09, Buffon was again on the bench because of several injuries, including a bad groin strain and a pulled muscle apart from back problems. Buffon started the 2009–10 season with outstanding performances against strong sides such as Roma, Lazio, Livorno, Bulgaria, and Georgia.

Buffon came into the Italian team for the first time at the age of nineteen, in a qualifier for 1998 FIFA World Cup play-off against Russia ,as an injury replacement for Gianluca Pagliuca. Even though he was included in the 1998 World Cup squad, he did not get a chance to display his abilities. He was a member of the Italy squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the first choice goalkeeper at the Euro 2000, but broke his hand in a friendly match against Norway just eight days before the tournament. Buffon was a member of the Italian squad for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.

During the 2006 World Cup finals, Buffon was in great form as he kept five clean sheets and kept the opposition at bay for 453-minutes. The only goals conceded were an own goal from teammate Cristian Zaccardo against the United States, and a Zinedine Zidane penalty in the final against France, which ended 1-1 in extra time. In the penalty shootout, Buffon was the hero and Italy won the cup. Buffon received the Yashin Award for his performance in the competition.

Buffon was made the captain of Italy for Euro 2008 as Fabio Cannavaro was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. Even though Italy was eliminated in the quarterfinals, Buffon had a good tournament saving a penalty against Romania and keeping France goal less.

Wilson Palacios

Full Name: Wilson Palacios
Birth Place: La Ceiba, Honduras
Date of Birth: July 29, 1984
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 71 kg
Position: Midfielder
Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Palacios, along with his four brothers started his career with Club Deportivo Victoria, from which all five players were later transferred to Olimpia.

Palacios made 102 appearances and scored 32 goals for Olimpia. He went along to win five league titles with Olimpia. He is especially remembered for scoring a goal from the half-way line against Marathón in the final minutes of a game in 2006 to become champions of Honduras.

His exploits aroused tremendous interest in Europe and made his debut for Birmingham in September 2007. Palacios moved on to Wigan Athletics in January 2008 and rejoined coach Bruce who had always been his mentor. But he had become a hot property and Bruce could not keep Palacios for long at Wigan and Tottenham Hotspur picked him up in January 2009.

He made his Tottenham debut in a 3–2 defeat to Bolton Wanderers on 31 January, and assisted with the second goal. His marvellous performance in his second match, against local rivals Arsenal, earned him the man of the match award. Since then he has had some excellent performances in the Spurs midfield.

Palacios has played 63 matches with Honduras where he has converted 4 goals since 2003. It is not as much as the number of goals he has scored but his sheer presence in the team and his never say die attitude that makes him the most valued player for Honduras. The football mad Honduras owes a lot to Palacios for qualifying for only the second time for the World Cup.

Karim Benzema

Name: Karim Benzema.
Date of Birth: December 19, 1987
Height: 1.83 m
Weight: 73 kg
Position: Striker
Club: Real Madrid

Benzema, of Algerian origins, spent his early years in the youth academy at Lyon and played for France in UEFA Euro 2008. He was the top goal scorer in Ligue 1 for the 2007–08 season and he had been a professional just three seasons. As a result he won many awards and a new contract. He is now one of the highest-paid footballers in France.

In the 2007–08 season, Benzema, was given the prestigious number 10 jersey and became the spearhead of the attack. Alain Perrin , the new manager planned a special role for Benzema and he sparkled with 31 goals in 51 games. He was the top scorer of the league with 20 goals, netted four in the UEFA Champions League, one goal in the Coupe de la Ligue, and had a tally of six in six Coupe de France games taking Lyon to their first ever double victory. He dazzled with sterling performances that season including a hat trick against Metz, an goal in the 90th minute against Saint-Étienne from a free kick to equalise, and another against Lens. Fans nominated this as the goal of the season.

Benzema scored twice against Rangers in the Champions League, at Ibrox Park in the last group match. The 3–0 victory took Lyon to the knockout round. Lyon faced Manchester United in the knockout round and Benzema maintained his fabulous form scoring a scorching left-footer in the 54th minute. The match concluded in a 1–1 draw and United finally won the tie 1–2 on aggregate. However, there was all round praise for Benzema especially from Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager.

In 2008-09, Benzema scored 17 goals and revealed excellent form, despite some mid-season hiccups.

Benzema played in his first game for France against Austria in March 2007, scoring the match winner in a 1–0 victory. His next goals was a brace in a match against the Faroe Islands, when France won 6–0.

He was called up to play for France at Euro 2008. France’s Euro 2008 campaign began with a 0–0 draw against Romania, a dismal start. Benzema was not in great touch and was taken off in the second half. He was excluded in their next game; a 1–4 lose to the Netherlands. In the last game of the group, Benzema featured in the starting lineup, but

France lost 2-0 to Italy.

Benzema is now the proud owner of number ten jersey for France. In 2010, Benzema has played in 16 games as of now, out of which he was in the start up for 11 and scored 5 goals.

Mikel

Full Name: Mikel John Obi
Nationality: Nigerian
Date of Birth: 22/04/1987
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 86 kg
Position: Midfielder
Previous Club: Lyn Oslo
Current Club: Chelsea

Mikel started playing top-flight football for Plateau United at the age of 15, and by 2003, was in the headlines for his performance at the FIFA Under-17 World Championships held in Finland. After a brief spell in South Africa with Ajax Cape Town, Mikel gained global recognition in 2005 by starring at the FIFA World Youth Championship where Nigeria made it to the final but lost to Argentina 2–1. he won the Silver Ball after being voted the tournament's second best player.

At the age of 18, in April 2005, Mikel became the central piece of a raging controversy between Manchester United and Chelsea, the two top EPL clubs. Finally Chelsea coughed up 16 million pounds, 12 to Manchester United and 4 to Lyn Oslo, Mikel’s previous club and settled the war.

Mikel made his debut for Chelsea in a Champions League match against Levski Sofia and was instrumental in Didier Drogba scoring the winning goal. But he was found to be lax in discipline and was fined on three separate occasions by Chelsea for turning up late to training.

After improved punctuality and showings at training sessions, Mikel earned a recall for Chelsea's Champions League group away game against Werder Bremen on November 23, 2006. Mikel scored his first goal for Chelsea in their 6–1 FA Cup victory over Macclesfield Town in January 2007. On 22 July, 2009 Mikel signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea.

Mikel made his debut for Nigeria's senior team in August 2005, when he came on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 friendly win over Libya. He was in the squad for the 2006 African Cup of Nations. In Nigeria's first group game, against Ghana, Mikel was an unused substitute. However, he was introduced into the second game, against Zimbabwe, early in the second half. Within ten minutes of coming on, he had supplied both the corner that resulted in Christian Obodo heading the game's opening goal, and scored Nigeria's second goal. He made his first international start in Nigeria's final group game, a 2–1 victory over Senegal.

During the 2008 African Nations Cup in Ghana, he scored 1 goal and registered one assist, both against Benin Republic, to help Nigeria qualify for the quarterfinals.

Volatile by nature, he has been at the receiving end throughout his career for off field actions and for questioning those in authority. But it is to be noted that heis a sparkling footballer, one on the field with a ball to kick.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo, the Portugal footballer with the fleeting feet is in great form currently and has scored record number of goals for his club Manchester United in the English Premier League. At barely ten years of age Ronaldo had obtained a reputation for his outstanding soccer prowess in Portugal and moved onto the bigger club of Sporting ready to develop his career. At Sporting Ronaldo received a first-class instruction and began to hone his natural skills. He made his debut against Moreirense and scored two goals proving that he was capable of playing at the highest standards at a young age.

In 2003 he was noticed by Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United, when Sporting beat the Manchester based club in the inaugural match in the Alvalade XXI stadium. To Ferguson it seemed he would be the perfect replacement for David Beckham who had departed Old Trafford for Real Madrid. Sir Alex got his wish and signed Ronaldo for a fee of £12.24 million and the Portuguese youngster made his Premier League debut against Bolton Wanderers wearing the number seven shirt made famous by the likes of David Beckham, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and George Best. In 2005 he was named FIFA Pro Special Young Player of the Year enjoying the special honour of being the recipient of the only award that was voted for by the fans. Ronaldo continued his high standard in 2006 lifting the same award. Ronaldo has become one of the most creative and influential players at Manchester United and has matured into a player with outstanding ability.

Ronaldo plays for Portugal and played in the 2006 World Cup. Ronaldo scored a total of 8 goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. Portugal's hopes are on him in the Euro Cup.

Nani

Nani, whose full name is actually Luis Carlos Almedia Da Cunha Nani made his debut for the Sporting first team in the 2005-06 season, in which he made 32 appearances and scored five goals. In the 2006-07 season, he was again a regular, making 29 appearances for the first team and scoring five goals. He also played three games in the Portuguese Cup, which Sporting won, as well as six Champions League matches, scoring one goal. Later on Nani moved to Manchester United. He made his debut in the international scene in 2006 against Denmark and imposed his mark on the game scoring a goal to cap off an impressive performance. Despite the major media hype Nani is still a young player with an unproven record. Many commentators believe if Nani can link up with Ronaldo in midfield successfully they will have the ability to destroy the defences of any of the European teams.


Arjen Robben
 
Arjen Robben has stamped his authority as one of the most exciting and talented wingers in European football today. Born in 1984 Robben's natural flair and ability was evident from an early age gaining him interest from local Dutch football clubs. FC Groningen signed Robben in 2000 and he quickly established himself as a valuable and integral fixture in the team. At FC Groningen Robben was able to shape and hone his already prevalent talent and was duly rewarded when he was named player of the year at only his first season with the club.

Robben's steady progression at Groningen soon attracted interest from major clubs and PSV Eindhoven soon snapped up the youthful maestro for the start of the 2002-03 season. Robben again showed his class at PSV Eindhoven and in his first season as the club was named joint player of the year along with team mate Mateja Kezman. Robben's silky skills and deadly attacking abilities directly contributed to PSV Eindhoven's success in lifting the Eredivisie title. Despite enjoying success at PSV, Robben decided to sign for Chelsea. But he then moved on to Spanish side Real Madrid for the start of the 2007-08 season.

Robben is a regular player for the Dutch national team and was an integral member of the squad that participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Robben has played in 27 games for the Netherlands, scoring 8 goals. The first international experience of Robben's career came in Euro 2004. In the tournament, it was Robben who scored the deciding penalty in the shootout between Holland and Sweden, which ensured that at the fifth attempt, the Dutch finally won a penalty shootout. Robben played in his first World Cup Qualifiers in 2006. In six games for the Netherlands, Robben scored two goals. The Netherlands qualified for the World Cup in 2006 and in Holland's opening match against Serbia and Montenegro, Robben scored the winning goal in the 18th minute, and was named the Man of the Match.

Wesley Sneijder

24 year old Wesley Sneijder is the product of the world-renowned AFC Ajax youth system. Wesley Sneijder's route into the famous Dutch club started down the A2 in Utrecht. Spotted at an early age Sneijder's was soon directed onto a path that his coaches hoped would lead to a professional career. But they may not have thought that here's a star. After enhancing his ball skills and knowledge of the game, Sneijder progressed to the next stage in the Ajax development process by regularly featuring in mini-games and eventually full games. All of this happened before he was a teenager.

Initially ear-marked for a potential wide position, Sneijder's innate ability on the ball changed the perception of him as a winger to a possible central-midfielder. As is widely-known, Ajax youth players are taught the fundamentals of a variety of positions and young Sneijder was no different. Some accounts have him appearing as a full-back in various tournaments but his real position by now had already been allocated as an advanced one of three midfielders in a typical Dutch 4-3-3 formation. However, a mature Sneijder has been pushed into a full-back cum wing-back role on occasions for club and country and has done well when asked.

The Dutch made his senior bow in a 2-0 win at SC Excelsior on 22 December 2002 and the rest as they say is history. Sneijder's significant step-up into the Ajax first-team at the young age of 18 was mainly due to one man, Danny Blind. Luckily for him, the Amsterdam legend was in charge of the Ajax youth set-up during Sneijder's rise to prominence, and throughout his development remained a firm believer in the youngster's ability. Sneijder has attributed his success to Blind for strengthening his positional sense in-order to become a more affective midfielder. It was Blind also, that pushed then Ajax manager Ronald Koeman into starting the youngster when the first-team had been depleted through injury.

Cesc Fabregas

Fabregas is often compared to the French master Platini for his style of play and also for his goal scoring abilities. He is an exciting midfield maestro who is one of the most promising young players in current European football. He joined English Premier League side Arsenal in 2003.At Arsenal Fabregas was given the chance to develop his overall game and was soon pushing his way into the first team slowly becoming an integral member of the midfield. Fabregas was establishing himself as one of the most talented and technically gifted midfielders playing in the Premiership and was compared to Portugal's and Manchester United's star player Cristiano Ronaldo. Since the departure of Patrick Viera to Juventus Fabregas has excelled in marshalling the midfield and has proven he can be a tough tackler as well as a skilful playmaker. He was named Arsenal's player of the Season in 2007.

Fabregas plays for the Spanish national team and has become a regular member of the squad. Fàbregas' international career had already begun at the youth level. At the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship held in Finland, he finished as top scorer of the tournament despite playing in midfield, and was voted Player of the Tournament. Spain finished runners-up in the tournament to Brazil.

Fàbregas became the youngest player capped for Spain in 70 years, when he played in a friendly against the Ivory Coast. He received favourable reviews for his début, and was involved in the build-up to Spain's first goal in the 3-2 victory over the Ivorians. Fabregas was part of the Spanish squad that participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was also one of the nominees for the the Gillette Young Player of the World Cup.

David Villa

Currently playing for La Liga footballing giants Valencia, David Villa Sanchez made his first professional debut for Sporting de Gijon during the 2000-01 and since that date he has never looked back. By the next season Villa was a firm fixture in the first team and his prolific scoring ability was rewarded with a high profile move to La Liga team Real Zaragoza in the summer of 2003.

His promising and strong performances earned him a call up to the Spanish national side and in the summer of 2005 Villa joined Valencia for the sum of £8.2 million. In his first season he proved that the club had made the right decision in signing him when he scored 25 goals and was the second highest goal scorer in La Liga closely losing out on the top spot to Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona. His sparkling form continued into the 2006-07 season as he formed a lethal partnership with former Liverpool and Real Madrid forward Fernando Morientes. This partnership was so successful that Villa and Morientes ousted fan's favourites Fernando Torres and Raul from the forward positions in the Spanish national side.

David Villa has secured a firm place in the Spanish national team and was included in the squad that travelled to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in France. Villa made his national debut in 2005 in a match between Spain and San Marino which Spain won 5-0. Villa made his first World Cup finals appearance scoring twice against Ukraine. He added one more from the penalty spot in Spain's 1-3 defeat to France in a Round of 16 knock-out match. He finished joint top goal scorer for Spain along with Fernando Torres in World Cup 2006 with 3 goals.

After the World Cup, Villa continued to be Spain's first choice striker, starting all 11 international matches during 2006-07 season. He also scored an impressive 8 goals from those matches and currently Spain's top scorer in Euro 2008 qualifying with 7 goals.

Michael Ballack

German Michael Ballack began his football career at the young age of just seven, with BSG Motor. He trained with this team and eventually entered their youth team in 1983. Having impressed in the first season, he went on to score a massive 57 goals in 16 games in his third season. Ballack then moved on to a bigger club, Karl-Marx Stadt, which later became Chemitz FC. During this period, he was nurtured by coaches Juergen Haeuberer and Eberhard Schuster. He had a superb run with the under-19 championship of the federal state.

Ballack signed his first professional contract in 1995, which earned him the nickname ‘Little Kaiser’. However, he hit a bad patch and made only 15 appearances in his first season as a professional and Chemnitz was relegated to the regional third division.

In 1996, Ballack made his debut for the German under-21 team. It was then a successful season for Ballack and he became a regular in the Chemnitz team. He eventually attracted the attention of Kaiserslautern, who signed him on in 1997. Ballack made 16 appearances for the side in his first season for the club. Ballack also made history by helping the team become the first ever newly promoted team to win the Bundesliga.

The 1998-99 season saw Ballack becoming a regular with the club, steering it to the Champion’s League quarter finals. Two months after making his full international debut, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen. He went on to become the core of this team, protecting the back four, and marshalling the midfield. The season though ended on a sour note with the team, needing just a draw in their final game to secure a title, seeing a self goal from Ballack thus losing the title. In 2001-02, Leverkusen finished second again and lost out in the finals of both the Champions' League and German Cup. In 2002, Ballack was named German Footballer of the Year. But soon after, his team lost against Brazil in the 2002 World Cup final.

In the same year, Ballack signed up with Bayern Munich in a deal worth 12.9 million Euros. He helped the team win the Bundesliga and scored twice in a German Cup final, winning it 3-1. In his four years with Bayern, he won three league and cup doubles, scoring 44 goals in 107 matches. During this period, he was named German Footballer of the Year two more times.

In 2006, Ballack signed up for Chelsea on a free transfer.

Samir Nasri

Nasri aged just 20, is often referred to as the "new Zinedine Zidane".
He is a French attacking midfielder of Algerian kabyle origin. He has been described as a pacey and flamboyant player who possesses tremendous dribbling skills. He has been involved in the French national set up for a long time, progressing through the Under-16s, 17s, 18s, 19s and 21s. He was also playing for the young Marseille team who win the France championship. In the 2006/2007 season the youngster scored his first goal of the year in the Championnat on April 29, 2007, very late into the season. On this day he started the match against Sochaux and helped his team to a 4-2 victory.

He won his promotion to the full national squad in 2007, to which he has been called up three times. Nasri scored his first senior international goal in his third appearance for the senior team in a 1-0 win for France against Georgia on June 6, 2007 in a EURO 2008 qualifier.He received his first cap for France on March 28, 2007 against Austria, in a home friendly match at the age of 19. He delivered a free kick low into the box, and fellow debutant Karim Benzema scored the only goal of the match.

Franck Ribery

Named French football player of the year 2007, Ribery currently plays for FC Bayern München. He has built up a reputation as a skilled attacking midfielder well known for pace and mazy dribbling runs.On May 27, 2006, he made his French senior national team debut in a 1-0 victory over Mexico at the Stade de France. He began the match and was substituted for David Trezeguet in the 74th minute.

On June 12, 2006, he was named in the starting lineup of the French team for their opener in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Switzerland. His first international goal proved to be a crucial one, levelling France at 1-1 with Spain in the 41st minute of their knockout round match after rounding the Spanish keeper, Iker Casillas. Though Spain were the favourites, France went on to win that game 3-1 to book a quarter-final slot against Brazil.Upon facing Brazil on July 1, 2006, Ribéry was substituted in the 75th minute of the 1-0 victory. He also played in the World Cup final defeat to Italy where he went close with a low shot in the first half of extra-time. Ribery's fans have nicknamed him as "Ferrari".

Gennaro Gattuso

Gennaro Ivan Gattuso, more commonly referred to as simply "Gattuso", has succeeded in establishing himself as one of the strongest midfielders in European football. Gattuso began his professional career at Italian club side Perugia but then shifted to Rangers FC to play football in the Scottish Premier League.

Gattuso's time at Rangers was an unpleasant one as he struggled to play regular first team football in his favoured central midfield role. After only one year at Rangers Gattuso was transferred to Salernitana where he impressed with strong, defensive and commanding performances. Gattuso's were recognised by Italian giants AC Milan and the young pocket dynamo signed for the club in 1999. At AC Milan Gattuso has flourished making the defensive midfield role his own and becoming an integral member of the first team. Gattuso is well known for his high work ethic coupled with a natural instinct to challenge strongly for every ball thereby earning him the respect of his team mates and football commentators alike. At AC Milan Gattuso has received the chance to showcase his talents on the European stage in the Champions League, lifting the trophy on two occasions.

Gattuso plays for the Italian national side and was a member of the team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup playing an instrumental role in Italy's overall performance in the tournament. He has been capped over fifty times for his country and played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup, the Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, being one of the key players for the Italian team, winning the Man of the Match award in the 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage match against Ukraine

Luca Toni

Luca Toni is an experienced Italian footballer, who took his own time for settling down, playing for no less than ten clubs. He possesses a distinct flair for scoring goals with pinpoint accuracy. His long illustrious career began at Modena in 1994 and from this date Toni has succeeded in playing successfully at different clubs most notably at Palermo and Fiorentina.

Luca Toni joined Palermo in 2003 when they were playing in Serie B and was one of the major factors in Palermo lifting the Serie B title and leading the club back to Serie A after a thirty year absence. In the course of the season Toni netted thirty goals for Palermo and his strong performances earned him a call up to the Italian national side. Toni's impressive form continued for Palermo in Serie A as his goald scoring ability led the club to their first ever UEFA Cup qualification place.

Toni's impressive strong performances earned him a move to Fiorentina in 2005 and he continued to excel at the highest level of Italian football leading Fiorentina to Champion's League qualification

Luca Toni's ability to score was prevalent in the 2005-06 season as the Italian maestro netted thirty one goals and in doing so was awarded the European Golden Boot. Toni stayed at Fiorentina for another season despite the disappointment of the match fixing scandal before he moved to Bayern Munich in May 2007 signing a four year contract.

Luca Toni plays for the Italian national side and has held the distinct honour of captaining the side when fellow team mate Fabio Cannavaro was out injured. Toni was part of the Italian squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup and scored two goals in the competition. Toni scored two goals in Italy's 2-0 win over Scotland in a EURO 2008 qualifier. Toni struck in the first minute of a 2-1 qualifier win over Scotland at Hampden Park, which secured Italy's place at the final stages. Four days later, he scored the second goal against the Faroe Islands, as Italy closed with a 3-1 win.

Fanis Gekas

Greek fans call him the "Greek god". The dashing forward currently plays for German side Bayer Leverkusen. He has been very successful in the last few years, being top goalscorer of the Greek League (17 goals) in 2005 and runner-up in 2006 (15 goals), and top scorer of the German Bundesliga in 2007 (20 goals). Gekas' salary at Bayer Leverkusen is estimated to be €2 million a year, four times what he earned at VfL Bochum. Gekas' first game for Bayer Leverkusen was a friendly which Bayer won 15-1; Gekas scored 7 of those 15. However despite a promising start and being the top scorer for Bayer Leverkusen and second highest scorer in the whole League this season, Gekas has been consistently dropped by coach Michael Skibbe making mostly sub appearances.

Gekas has also won 14 caps of the Greek National Team. He has been described as a prolific forward with a vision for goal. Gekas got his first hat-trick for the National Team with 3 goals against Malta.

Philippe Senderos

This 23-year-old Swiss defender moved from Servette to Arsenal in 2003. There are high expectations on these young shoulders. He captained the under-17 European Champions and has been a regular in the under-21 international side. Senderos has represented the country at every level from Under-15s upwards. He broke into the Servette side at the age of 16 and captained the Swiss under-17s to the European Championships in 2001-02.

At Arsenal,in the summer of 2006, Senderos was handed the number 6 jersey, formerly worn by then captain Tony Adams. However, Senderos was unable to start the 2006–07 season after the shoulder injury he incurred in the World Cup that summer. He captained the Arsenal squad for the first time on August 2, 2007, in their 2-1 friendly win against Lazio in the Amsterdam Tournament.

Senderos scored his first Premiership 2007/08 goal against Sunderland A.F.C. on 7 October 2007 at the Emirates Stadium. He also scored his second against Blackburn Rovers on 11 February 2008. He was named as the Man Of The Match after the game.

Senderos became a major force in the Arsenal's Champions League run, which included a record-breaking run of ten clean sheets. He was injured however, for the final in Paris, which Arsenal lost 2–1 to FC Barcelona; coincidentally, Campbell started the match in his stead and managed to score the first goal.

He made his full international début on March 26, 2005 in Switzerland's 0–0 draw against France in Paris. After playing a big part in Switzerland's successful qualifying campaign, he was named in their FIFA World Cup 2006 squad. For this defender, the 2006 World Cup was quite a learning curve. He still has a scar over his eyebrow, which he got scoring an important goal against South Korea that clinched the Swiss team’s passage through to the knockout stages. Senderos returned from the championship with a shoulder injury that kept him on the sidelines for a few months. But once back to good health, he racked up 25 appearances and deputized well for William Gallas when the Frenchman was injured.