- published: 28 Sep 2009
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- author: flimper1
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Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area (
/ˈɔːklənd/, AWK-lənd), in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with 1,377,200 residents, 31 percent of the country's population. Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world. In Māori Auckland's names are Tāmaki Makaurau, and the transliterated version of Auckland, Ākarana.
The 2011 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Auckland 3rd equal place in the world on its list, while the Economist's World's Most Livable Cities index of 2011 ranked Auckland in 9th place. In 2010, Auckland was classified as a Beta World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory by Loughborough University.
Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the east, the low Hunua Ranges to the south-east, the Manukau Harbour to the south-west, and the Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and north-west. The central part of the urban area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the few cities in the world to have harbours on two separate major bodies of water.
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Cagliari
Cagliari (Italian: [ˈkaʎʎari] (
listen); Sardinian: Casteddu; Latin: Caralis) is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships (metropolitan area): Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu Sant'Elena.
An ancient city with a long history, Cagliari has seen the rule of several civilizations. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia (which in the 1861 became the Kingdom of Italy) from 1324 to 1720 and from 1798 to 1815. Seat of the important University of Cagliari and the Primate Roman Catholic archdiocese of Sardinia, the city is an important regional cultural, educational, political and artistic centre, known for its diverse Art Nouveau architecture and several monuments. It is also Sardinia's economic and industrial hub, having one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean sea, an international airport, and the 28th highest income rate in Italy, comparable to several Northern cities, such as Turin, Vicenza and Genoa.
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Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( /ˈkoʊpənheɪɡən/ or /ˈkoʊpənhɑːɡən/; Danish: København pronounced [kʰøb̥m̩ˈhɑʊ̯ˀn] ( listen), Latin: Hafnia) is the capital of Denmark and its most populous city, with an urban population of 1,213,822 (as of 1 January 2012 (2012 -01-01)[update]) and a metropolitan population of 1,935,746 (as of 1 April 2012 (2012 -04-01)[update]). With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region. Within this region, Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö are growing into a combined metropolitan area. Copenhagen is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager.
First documented in the 11th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the beginning of the 15th century. During the 17th century, under the reign of Christian IV, it became a significant regional centre.
Copenhagen is a major regional centre of culture, business, media, and science, as indicated by several international surveys and rankings (see International rankings below). Life science, information technology and shipping are important sectors, and research & development plays a major role in the city's economy. Its strategic location and excellent infrastructure, with the largest airport in Scandinavia,Kastrup, located 14 minutes by train from the city centre, have made it a regional hub and a popular location for regional headquarters and conventions.
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England
England
i/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.
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Evington
Coordinates: 52°37′16″N 1°04′19″W / 52.621°N 1.072°W / 52.621; -1.072
Evington is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. It used to be a small village centred around Main Street and the Anglican church of St Denys but was close enough to Leicester to become one of the outer suburbs in the 1930s. Today, the ward comprises the historical village of Evington, as well as the modern ex-council estates of Rowlatts Hill and Goodwood.
The name Evington comes from the Anglo-Saxon name Aefa's Tun. After the Norman conquest the land was given to Hugh de Grentesmesnil. The first known spelling Evington was of Walter de Evington 1259 who leased a carucate of land at the village of Evington - about 100 acres (0.40 km2). The parish of Evington was originally quite large and included the areas now known as North Evington and Evington Valley. These were annexed by the borough of Leicester in 1892, and are not generally considered part of Evington.
In 1935, the boundaries of Leicester (by this point a city), were expanded again, including nearly all of the remaining parish of Evington, except for a small part which went to Oadby. The modern ward does include the large 1950s development based at Downing Drive and Spencefield Lane.
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Japan
Japan
i/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nihon or Nippon; formally 日本国 
Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, literally the State of Japan) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other nations followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament called the Diet.
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Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the federal capital and most populous city in Malaysia. The city covers an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 1.6 million as of 2012.Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the country, in terms of population and economy.
Kuala Lumpur is the seat of the Parliament of Malaysia. The city was once home to the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, but they were moved to Putrajaya in early 1999. Some sections of the judiciary still remains in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The official residence of the Malaysian King, the Istana Negara, is also situated in Kuala Lumpur. Rated as an alpha world city, Kuala Lumpur is the cultural, financial and economic centre of Malaysia due to its position as the capital as well as being a key city. Kuala Lumpur was ranked 48th among global cities by Foreign Policy's 2010 Global Cities Index and was ranked 67th among global cities for economic and social innovation by the 2thinknow Innovation Cities Index in 2010.
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Leicester
Coordinates: 52°38′03″N 1°08′19″W / 52.63422°N 1.13852°W / 52.63422; -1.13852
Leicester (/lɛstər/ LESS-tər pronunciation (help·info)) is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest. In 2010, the population of the Leicester unitary authority was estimated at 306,600, the second highest in the region, whilst 441,213 people lived in the wider Leicester Urban Area in 2006, making Leicester the tenth most populous settlement in the United Kingdom and the UK's fourteenth largest urban area. It is the largest city in the East Midlands yet has the second largest urban area in the region behind Nottingham Urban Area. Eurostat's Larger Urban Zone listed the population of the area at 772,400 people as of 2004.
Ancient Roman pavements and baths remain in Leicester from its early settlement as Ratae Corieltauvorum, a Roman military outpost in a region inhabited by the Celtic Corieltauvi tribe. Following the demise of Roman society the early medieval Ratae Corieltauvorum is shrouded in obscurity, but when the settlement was captured by the Danes it became one of five fortified towns important to the Danelaw. The name "Leicester" is thought to derive from the words castra of the "Ligore", meaning camp of the dwellers on the (river) Legro. Leicester appears in the Domesday Book as "Ledecestre". Leicester continued to grow throughout the Early Modern period as a market town, although it was the Industrial Revolution that facilitated a process of rapid unplanned urbanisation in the area.
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Leicester Market
Leicester Market is a market in The City of Leicester, England, on Market Place just south of the clock tower.
It is open Monday to Saturday and has over 270 stalls. It is around 800 years old but was moved to the current site around 700 years ago. It is the largest outdoor covered market in Europe.[citation needed]
The outdoor market sells a wide variety of goods, particularly fruit and vegetables, but also flowers, clothes, second-hand-books, bric-a-brac and jewellery. It also has a number of permanent units, containing clothes, cosmetics, fabrics, greetings cards, a cafe and pet products.
The indoor market (1973) is a multi-level building containing the fish market and delicatessen, as well as stalls selling clothes, haberdashery, footwear, jewellery, gemstones, and confectionery.
In the centre of the market stands the Leicester Corn Exchange (1850), originally built as a trading centre, but now serving as a bar/restaurant. A statue of John Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland stands close to the Corn Exchange.
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Madrid
Madrid (English /məˈdrɪd/, Spanish: [ma'ðrid]) is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third largest in the European Union after London and Paris. The city spans a total of 604.3 km2 (233.3 sq mi).
The city is located on the Manzanares river in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid (which comprises the city of Madrid, its conurbation and extended suburbs and villages); this community is bordered by the autonomous communities of Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha. As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political centre of Spain. The current mayor is Ana Botella from the People's Party (PP).
Madrid urban agglomeration has the 3rd largest GDP in the European Union and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, environment, media, fashion, science, culture, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities. Due to its economic output, high standard of living, and market size, Madrid is considered the major financial centre of Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula; it hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the major Spanish companies, such as Telefónica, Iberia or Repsol. Madrid is the most touristic city of Spain, the fourth-most touristic of the continent, and is the 10th most livable city in the world according to Monocle magazine, in its 2010 index. Madrid also ranks among the 12 greenest European cities in 2010. Madrid is currently a Candidate City for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
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Mexico
Mexico (i/ˈmɛksɨkoʊ/; Spanish: México, IPA: [ˈmexiko] ( listen)), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (help·info)), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States of America; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost two million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the thirteenth largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of over 113 million, it is the eleventh most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.
In Pre-Columbian Mexico many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory from its base in México-Tenochtitlan, which was administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This territory would eventually become Mexico as the colony's independence was recognized in 1821. The post-independence period was characterized by economic instability, the Mexican-American War and territorial cession to the United States, a civil war, two empires and a domestic dictatorship. The latter led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time that an opposition party won the presidency from the Institutional Revolutionary Party.
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Mexico City
Mexico City ( /ˈmɛksɨkoʊ ˈsɪti/; Spanish: Ciudad de México [sjuˈðað ðe ˈmexiko], also known as México D.F., or simply D.F.) is the Federal District (Distrito Federal), capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole. Mexico City is the country's largest city as well as its most important political, cultural, educational and financial center.
As an "alpha" global city Mexico City is one of the most important financial centers in North America. It is located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 ft). The city consists of sixteen boroughs.
The 2009 estimated population for the city proper was around 8.84 million people, and has a land area of 1,485 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to the most recent definition agreed upon by the federal and state governments, the Mexico City metropolitan area population is 21.2 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere and the fifth largest agglomeration in the world.
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Monterrey
Monterrey (Spanish pronunciation: [monteˈrei] ( listen)), is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the base of many significant international corporations. It is Mexico's second richest city, and the world's 63rd richest, with an economy that had a 2008 GDP of USD $102 billion. Monterrey is one of Mexico's most developed cities, with the highest per capita income in the nation, and is regarded as a highly developed city. Although rich in history and culture, Monterrey is often regarded as the most "Americanized" city in the entire country, even above the cities along the U.S-Mexico border.
Monterrey as an important industrial and business center hosts an array of Mexican companies, including Pemex, Lanix Electronics, CEMEX, Vitro, Zonda Telecom, Mercedes-Benz Mexico, OXXO, Mastretta, BMW de Mexico, Mabe Grupo Bimbo, DINA S.A., Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery (Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma), formerly fully owned by FEMSA now jointly owned with Heineken and Alestra Telecommunications. Monterrey is also home to international companies such as Sony, Toshiba, Carrier, Whirlpool, Samsung, Toyota, Daewoo, Ericsson, Nokia, Dell, Boeing, HTC, General Electric, Gamesa, LG, SAS Institute and Teleperformance, among others.
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Moscow
Moscow ( /ˈmɒskaʊ/ or /ˈmɒskoʊ/; Russian: Москва́, tr. Moskva; IPA: [mɐˈskva] (
listen)) is the capital and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural and scientific center of Russia and the continent. Moscow is the northernmost megacity on Earth, the most populous city in Europe, and the 6th largest city proper in the world. Its population, according to the results of the 2010 Census, is 11,503,501. Based on Forbes 2011, Moscow has the largest community of billionaires in the world.
Moscow is situated on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District of European Russia. In the course of its history the city has served as the capital of a progression of states, from the medieval Grand Duchy of Moscow and the subsequent Tsardom of Russia to the Soviet Union. Moscow is the site of the Moscow Kremlin, an ancient fortress that is today the residence of the Russian President and of the executive branch of the Government of Russia. The Kremlin is also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city. Both chambers of the Russian parliament (the State Duma and the Federation Council) also sit in Moscow.
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Naples
Coordinates: 40°50′42″N 14°15′30″E / 40.845°N 14.25833°E / 40.845; 14.25833
Naples (Italian: Napoli [ˈnaːpoli] ( listen), Neapolitan: Napule; Latin: Neapolis; Ancient Greek: Νεάπολις, meaning "new city") is the capital of Campania and the third-largest city in Italy, after Rome and Milan. As of 2012[update], around 960,000 people live within the city's administrative limits. The wider Naples urban area, covering 777 km2 (300 sq mi), has a population of over 3 million, and is the 10th-most populous urban area in the European Union. Between 4.1 and 4.4 million people live in the overall Naples metropolitan area, one of the largest European cities on the Mediterranean Sea.
Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Greek settlements were established on the island of Megaride in the Gulf of Naples as early as the 9th century BC. A larger mainland colony – initially known as Parthenope (Παρθενόπη) – developed around the 7th century BC, and was refounded as Neápolis (Νεάπολις) in the 5th century BC. Naples became a lynchpin of Magna Graecia and played a key role in the merging of Greek culture into Roman society, eventually becoming a cultural centre of the Roman Republic. Naples remained influential after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, serving as the capital city of the Kingdom of Naples between 1282 and 1816. Thereafter, in union with Sicily, it became the capital of the Two Sicilies until the unification of Italy in 1861. During the Neapolitan War of 1815, Naples strongly promoted Italian unification.
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Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann pronounced [ˈt̪ˠuəʃcəɾˠt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ] ( listen), Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann or Norlin Airlan) is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. As of 2001, its population was 1,685,000, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland is largely self-governing. According to the agreement, Northern Ireland co-operates with the rest of Ireland – from which it was partitioned in 1921 — on some policy areas, while other areas are reserved for the Government of the United Kingdom, though the Republic of Ireland "may put forward views and proposals".
Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter inter-communal conflict — the Troubles — which was caused by divisions between nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain as a part of the United Kingdom, and generally see themselves as British, while nationalists wish for it to be politically reunited with the rest of Ireland, independent of British rule, and generally see themselves as Irish. Additionally, people from both sides of the community may describe themselves as Northern Irish. Since 1998, most of the paramilitary groups involved in the Troubles have ceased their armed campaigns.
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Parken Stadium
Coordinates: 55°42′08.89″N 12°34′19.93″E / 55.7024694°N 12.5722028°E / 55.7024694; 12.5722028
Parken Stadium (English: the Park) is a football stadium in the Indre Østerbro (Inner Østerbro) district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from 1990–1992. It currently has a capacity of 38,065 for football games, and is the home ground of F.C. Københaven and the Danish national football team. The capacity for concerts exceeds the capacity for matches – the stadium can hold as many as 50,000 people with an end-stage setup and 55,000 with a center-stage setup.
Parken was built on the site of former Denmark national stadium, Idrætsparken, from 1990 to 1992. The last national team match in Idrætsparken was a 0–2 Euro 1992 qualification loss to Yugoslavia on November 14, 1990, and on September 9, 1992 Parken was opened with a 1–2 defeat in a friendly game against Germany.
The stadium was rebuilt by investors Baltica Finans A/S in turn of the guarantee from the Danish Football Association, that all national matches would be played at Parken for 15 years. The re-construction, tore down and re-built three of the original four stands, cost 640 million Danish kroner.
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Poznań
Poznań [ˈpɔznaɲ] ( listen) (Latin: Posnania; German: Posen; Yiddish: פוזנא or פּױזן Poyzn) is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be the first capital of the kingdom of Poland.
Poznań is now Poland's fifth largest city. It is the historical capital of the Wielkopolska ("Greater Poland") region, and is currently the administrative capital of the province called Greater Poland Voivodeship.
Poznań is an important centre of trade, industry, and education, and hosts regular international trade fairs. It was the host city for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2008, a key stage in the creation of a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. Poznań was a candidate city for European Capital of Culture in 2016. Poznań is currently bidding to host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. The local football team has been responsible for the spread of the eponymous goal celebration to Manchester City and to a lesser extent throughout the United Kingdom. Poznań is one of the host cities for UEFA Euro 2012.
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Rheinstadion
The Rheinstadion was a multi-purpose stadium, in Düsseldorf, Germany. The stadium was built, near the Rhine, in 1926 and held 55,900 people, at the end of its life.
It was the home ground for Fortuna Düsseldorf from 1953–1970 and 1972–2002. It was used during the 1988 European Championships. In 1995, the Rhein Fire, of the World League of American Football became tenants in their inaugural season.
Metallica performed at the stadium during their Nowhere Else to Roam Tour on May 20, 1993, with The Cult & Suicidal Tendencies as their opening act.
It was demolished in the summer of 2002, after the World Bowl championship game, to be replaced by the Esprit Arena in 2005.
Coordinates: 51°15′37″N 6°44′03″E / 51.26028°N 6.73417°E / 51.26028; 6.73417
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Stadio San Paolo
Stadio San Paolo is a multi-purpose stadium in the western suburb of Fuorigrotta in Naples, Italy, and is the third largest football stadium in Italy after the San Siro and Stadio Olimpico. For the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, it hosted the football preliminaries. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home of Napoli. The stadium was built in 1959 and underwent extensive renovations in 1989 for the 1990 World Cup. The present capacity of the San Paolo is 60,240.
The stadium is probably most famous for hosting the 1990 World Cup semi-final between Italy and Argentina. Considered to be the most intriguing match of that World Cup, Diego Maradona asked for the Napoli fans to cheer for Argentina. The Napoli tifosi responded by hanging a flag in their "curva" of the stadium saying "Maradona, Naples loves you, but Italy is our homeland". It was touching for Maradona as Napoli was the only stadium during that World Cup that the Argentinian national anthem was not jeered. The match finished 1–1 after extra time. A penalty shoot out ensued with Maradona fittingly scoring the winning penalty for Argentina.
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Stadio Sant'Elia
Stadio Comunale Sant'Elia is a football stadium in Cagliari, Italy. It is best known for having been the former home of Cagliari Calcio. The stadium has a capacity of 23,486. It hosted three matches in the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Its construction began in 1970, following Cagliari Calcio's first and so far only Scudetto, thus taking the place of the old Amsicora Stadium.
The stadium could accommodate up to about 60,000 spectators (the record attendance being approximately 70,000, was recorded against Saint Etienne). The stadium subsequently underwent major changes and restructuring for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The maximum capacity of Sant'Elia was reduced to 39,905 spectators.
The Sant'Elia was also used for sporting events outside football such as the Terra Sarda athletics meet.
Before the 2002–03 season, also due to the reduced number of fans following the poor form of the team, long reduced to yo-yoing between Serie A and B, the stadium was restructured again. Over the athletics track, a new stand was built, behind the goals so as to reduce the distance between the terrace and the playing field, with the central terraces remaining intact. The new format of the stadium, which almost halved its maximum capacity to 23,486 seats, came under harsh criticism.
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Stadion Miejski
Stadion Miejski ("City Stadium" or "Municipal Stadium") may refer to various stadiums in Poland, including:
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Stadium Merdeka
Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium) is a sports stadium, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was initially erected for Malaysia's declaration of independence on 31 August 1957.
The stadium, operated by Perbadanan Stadium Merdeka, was a venue for many major sporting events prior to its handover to the private company, such as the 1977 Southeast Asian Games and the annual Merdeka Football Tournament (Pesta Bola Merdeka). It also hosted the fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Bugner on July 1, 1975. It was also used as the venue for concerts.
The Stadium Negara and the Chin Woo Stadium are located nearby.
Stadium Merdeka was constructed from 25 September 1956 to 21 August 1957. It was the site of one of Malaysia's most historically significant events. On 31 August 1957, power was transferred from the British Empire to the newly independent Malayan government. Tens of thousands of people crowded into the stadium, which was built specifically for this occasion. While the stadium is an important part of Malaysia's history, it was almost demolished in the late 1990s.
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Turin
Turin (Italian: Torino, pronounced [toˈriːno] ( listen); Piedmontese: Turin, pronounced [tyˈɾiŋ]; Latin: Augusta Taurinorum) is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 (November 2008) while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The Turin metropolitan area is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 2.2 million.
The city has a rich culture and history, and is known for its numerous art galleries, restaurants, churches, palaces, opera houses, piazzas, parks, gardens, theatres, libraries, museums and other venues. Turin is well known for its baroque, rococo, neo-classical, and Art Nouveau architecture. Much of the city's public squares, castles, gardens and elegant palazzi such as Palazzo Madama, were built in the 16th and 18th century, after the capital of the Duchy of Savoy (later Kingdom of Sardinia) was moved to Turin from Chambery( nowadays France) as part of the urban expansion.
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Aaron Lennon
Aaron Justin Lennon (born 16 April 1987) is an English footballer who plays as a right winger for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and the England national team.
Lennon is mixed race coming from a English Jamaican father and English Irish mother. He has one older brother and a younger sister and brother. He attended City of Leeds high school, but then attended Boston Spa School due to the fact that the school was closer to Thorp Arch (training ground) so it was easier for him to focus on both GCSEs and his football career. He was first spotted by scouts when he was eight years old; his older brother Anthony played for Manchester United's youth team.
In 2001, Lennon became a member of the Leeds United Academy. Two years later he began his professional career at Leeds United, where he became the youngest player to appear in the Premier League at the age of 16 years and 129 days, coming off the bench at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur in a 2–1 loss in August 2003.
In 2001, he set a record as the youngest player ever to have his boots sponsored when he signed up with Adidas at the age of just 14. Lennon scored his only goal for Leeds against Sunderland on Boxing Day 2004 during a 3–2 win. Lennon had been a regular on the bench up until that point, but when John Oster was sacked Lennon took his place and never looked back and became a regular starter after that point. His pace and skills on the wing excited Leeds fans, and he was one of the star performers in Leeds' first season in the Championship under the management of Kevin Blackwell with his performances earning rave reviews.
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Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles (born 21 March 1967) is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for ITV Sport presenting football coverage.
His journalistic training and love of football resulted in the development of a career in two streams of broadcasting when he was at the BBC: fronting general and notably business programmes such as The One Show, Working Lunch and The Money Programme; and sports programmes like Match of the Day 2. His radio programme Chiles on Saturday for Radio 5 Live was awarded the sports category Gold Medal at the Sony Radio Academy Awards in 2002.
Chiles was born in Quinton, Birmingham, to an English father and Croatian mother, and moved a few miles away to Hagley, Worcestershire at age four. A feature of his presentations is his Birmingham accent. He also speaks Croatian, despite having a self-confessed imperfect understanding of the language's verbs, declensions, and cases. Chiles started his education at Haybridge High School, and then worked in his father's scaffolding business, before graduating with a degree in English literature from the University of London (studying at Westfield College, now part of Queen Mary, University of London).
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Alan Hansen
Alan David Hansen (born 13 June 1955 in Sauchie, Clackmannanshire, Scotland) is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland. In 1990 he became the first outfield player to win English league titles in three different decades. As a pundit, Hansen has acquired a reputation for his critical and analytical approach to the game, particularly in regard to defending.
Hansen's grandfather Frederik Hansen (1912–1999) was Danish and was a distant relative of professional golfer Søren Hansen. Alan attended Lornshill Academy. Hansen received a permanent scar to his forehead from running into a plate-glass panel, aged 15. The glass was in a brand-new youth club which Hansen attended. During his 2 hour hospital stay he had 27 stitches in his head. He sued the education authority and won the case.
Alan Hansen played his early football (along with his brother John) at the Scottish Junior league (Scottish equivalent of non league in England, one level below senior) club, Sauchie Juniors.
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Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL (born 13 August 1970) is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team. He is considered by some as one of England's best strikers, being both Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer. After retiring as a player in 2006, Shearer worked as a television pundit for the BBC. In 2009 he briefly left his BBC role to become Newcastle United's manager in the last eight games of their 2008–09 season, in an unsuccessful attempt to save them from relegation.
A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, Shearer made his professional debut with English top-flight club Southampton in 1988, scoring a hat-trick in the process. During several years on the south coast, he became known for his classic style of play, strength and goalscoring ability; he soon received an international call-up along with a transfer to Blackburn Rovers in 1992. Shearer established himself as a player in northern England; he became a regular in the England squad, and his 34-goal tally helped Blackburn secure the Premier League title in 1994–95. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. The 1995–96 season saw Shearer make his first Champions League appearances and finish as the top scorer in the Premier League with 31 goals. He was also top scorer at Euro 1996 with England, scoring five goals, and in the 1996–97 Premier League, with 25 goals. He scored 283 league goals in his career, including a record 260 in the Premier League, and a total of 422 in all competitions including international at all levels. Shearer has amassed a goals to game ratio of 0.667 throughout his career at every level.
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Albert Shepherd
Albert Shepherd (10 September 1885 – 8 November 1929) was an English footballer. He played centre forward for Newcastle United between 1908 to 1914.
Born in Great Lever, Bolton, Lancashire, England, Shepherd had already scored 90 goals in 123 games for his home town club Bolton Wanderers when Newcastle United paid the then record fee of £800 for his services. (Other sources say £850 and £1000). He made his debut for Newcastle in a 4-0 away win at Nottingham Forest a game in which he scored his first goal for his new club. The following week he made his home debut against fierce rivals Sunderland. At half time the score was 1-1 with Shepherd having scored Newcastle's goal from a penalty but in the second half Sunderland scored 8 more goals without reply and won the game 9-1. This still stands as Newcastle's biggest ever home defeat. Undaunted, both Newcastle and Shepherd went on to have a fine season in which the club won the First Division Championship and Shepherd ended the season as Newcastle's top scorer with 15 league and cup goals. Shepherd was known for having a ferocious shot which on some occasions even carried the goalkeeper over the line as well as the ball. He was also noted for being a very charismatic and playful character. At half time in an away match at Notts County with the score at 0-0 he asked the Newcastle officials if he could leave the field of play early so as to catch a train to Bolton to visit his family. Newcastles' then Chairman Joe Bell, himself a popular and jovial character, told Shepherd that if he scored four goals he could leave as soon as he liked. Shepherd duly scored four goals in the second half and according to the sports writer Arthur Appleton, "developed a sudden limp" and asked the referee if he could leave the field of play. Shepherd was allowed to leave and soon after caught his train to Bolton on time. (Arthur Appleton "The Hotbed of Soccer")
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Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero (Italian pronunciation: [alesˈsandro del ˈpjɛːro]) Ufficiale OMRI (born 9 November 1974 in Conegliano, Veneto) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Juventus. He will be a free agent from 30 June 2012. Del Piero was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. Del Piero was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses, and advertising revenue.
Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability.http://www.channel4. May com/sport/football_italia/sep3q.html Del Piero usually plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "trequartista" position. Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching." His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded. Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special "Del Piero Zone"("Gol alla Del Piero"), approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal.
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Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish football manager and former player who has managed Manchester United since 1986. His tenure has seen the club go through an era of success and dominance both in England and in Europe, giving Ferguson a reputation as one of the most admired and respected managers in the history of the game.
Ferguson previously managed East Stirlingshire and St. Mirren, before a highly successful period as manager of Aberdeen. After a brief stint as manager of the Scotland national team following the death of Jock Stein, he was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986.
With 25 years as manager of Manchester United, he is the longest serving manager in their history after overtaking Sir Matt Busby's record on 19 December 2010. His tenure is also the longest of all the current League managers. During this time, Ferguson has won many awards and holds many records including winning Manager of the Year most times in British football history. In 2008, he became the third British manager to win the European Cup on more than one occasion.
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Andreas Brehme
Andreas "Andy" Brehme (born 9 November 1960 in Hamburg) is a German football coach and former football defender. He is best known for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina on a 85th minute penalty kick.
He is considered to be one of the greatest free-kick takers and crossers of all time. Brehme's special skill was the fact that he was one of the few players in the world who could play with both feet equally well, making him very valuable as an outfield player. He was well known for taking penalties (although not exclusively) with his right foot and taking free kicks and corners with his left foot. It's believed that Brehme felt his right foot was more accurate than his left, but his left was harder. This was shown when, in the 1990 World Cup final, Brehme took the spot kick that won West Germany the trophy, with his right foot, but four years earlier in 1986 Brehme scored in the quarter final penalty shootout against Mexico, with a left foot piledriver.
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Andrés Romero
For the Chilean footballer with the same name see Andrés Romero (footballer)
Andrés Fabián Romero (born 8 May 1981) is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the PGA Tour and European Tour.
Romero was born in Tucumán. He won his European Tour card by finishing 14th on the Challenge Tour rankings in 2005. He had a successful rookie season highlighted by a tied second finish at the Scottish Open and a tied eighth finish in The Open Championship, and finished placed 35th on the Order of Merit.
In the 2007 Open Championship, Romero placed third, behind Sergio García and Pádraig Harrington, making ten birdies on the last day of play. He briefly led the field by two strokes, but made a double bogey on the 17th hole and a bogey on the 18th to miss a play-off by one shot. The following week he won his first European Tour event at the Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe. Romero finished the season in the top ten of the Order of Merit, in seventh position.
In July 2006, Romero broke into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time and he reached a new best of 29th after his Players Championship of Europe win. The next week a top-10 finish in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational took him into the top 25.
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Andy McEvoy
Andy McEvoy (15 July 1938 – 7 May 1994 in Bray) was an Irish professional football player.
A native of Dublin, Andy McEvoy played for Bray Wanderers before joining Blackburn Rovers in October 1956.
He marked his English First Division debut by scoring twice against Luton Town in 1959 and two years later made his debut for the Republic of Ireland national football team against Scotland.
McEvoy didn't play in Blackburn’s FA Cup final defeat by Wolves in 1960.
In the 1963-64 season, he was the First Division’s leading scorer with 32 goals and at the end of the 1964-65 campaign he shared the same title with Jimmy Greaves with 29 goals.
Blackburn were relegated in 1966 and after one season in Division Two, he returned to Ireland to join Limerick F.C. and won an FAI Cup medal with them in 1971.
He won his 17th and last cap for the Republic of Ireland against Czechoslovakia in 1967 and scored six goals for his country.
Later he managed Bray Wanderers and played a major role in the club’s accession to the League of Ireland.
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Andy Sinton
Andrew "Andy" Sinton (born 19 March 1966 in Cramlington, Northumberland) is an English former professional footballer and current manager of A.F.C. Telford United. During his playing career he notably played for Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham Hotspur having also earned 12 caps playing as an international footballer for England.
Sinton was a schoolboy footballer, playing for the England Under 15 team. He signed for Cambridge United on leaving school, and made his debut aged 16 years 228 days in November 1982. He is the youngest player to play a league game for Cambridge, and is the only product of the club's youth team to become a full England international. Andy was the outstanding player in a poor Cambridge side, which suffered successive relegations in 1983-84 and 1984-85.
He was signed by Brentford F.C. in 1985 for just £25,000. He was signed for QPR by Trevor Francis in 1989 for £350,000 and went on to play 160 league games scoring 22 goals including the first goal in the notable 4-1 QPR victory at Old Trafford in 1992. Sinton played for QPR in the first year of the Premiership (1992) before moving to Sheffield Wednesday for a then club record £2.75million in August 1993.
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Andy Townsend
Andrew "Andy" David Townsend (born 23 July 1963) is a former professional footballer, who played in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland and is now a television and radio pundit.
Starting his career at Welling United and then Weymouth, Townsend came to prominence at age 21 when he signed with Southampton. In 1988 he moved on to Norwich City, before joining Chelsea two years later. In 1993 he signed with Aston Villa and enjoyed four successful years before his transfer to Middlesbrough. His final club was West Bromwich Albion, where he retired in 2000.
Following his retirement as a player he became a football pundit, most notably with ITV Sport.
Townsend was born in Maidstone, Kent, but grew up in Bexley, where he attended Upton Primary School in Bexleyheath, followed by Bexleyheath School.
He began his playing career in August 1980 with Welling United in the Athenian League, while working as a computer operator for Greenwich Borough Council in south-east London. After making 105 appearances for Welling, he was signed by Weymouth in March 1984 for £13,500.
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Austin Healey
Austin Sean Healey (born 26 October 1973 in Wallasey, Cheshire) is a former English rugby union player, who played as a utility back for Leicester Tigers, and has represented the England national rugby union team and the British Lions.
He has 51 England caps and 2 Lions caps. He has played for England at scrum half, fly-half, fullback and wing, and has often been used as a replacement (or substitute) because of his versatility. He is a famously competitive and "outspoken" character, gaining the nickname "The Leicester Lip".
In 2008, he took part in Strictly Come Dancing (Series 6) which started on the 20th September. He made it to the quarter-finals, with dance partner Erin Boag.
Healey revealed on Strictly Come Dancing that he has four daughters; Ellie-Mae born 2001, Daisy in 2003, and twins, Betsy and Bibi-dee (named after his late mother), born early 2008.
He was educated at St Anselm's College, Birkenhead (Edmund Rice Trust) and at Leeds Polytechnic. He went to Bidston Avenue Primary school in Birkenhead.
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Barry Davies
Barry George Davies MBE (born 24 October 1937 in London, England) is a British sports commentator and television presenter. He has covered a wide range of sports in a long career, primarily for the BBC.
Although best-known for his football commentary, Davies has commentated on numerous other sports, including badminton, beach volleyball, cycling, ice hockey, ice skating, tennis, gymnastics, hockey and athletics, and primarily in the BBC's Olympics coverage, where he twice (Sydney 2000 & Athens 2004) commentated on the opening and closing ceremonies of the Summer Games. He was also the 'Voice of the Boat Race' in years between 1993 and 2004, until the BBC lost the rights to cover the event, and the presenter of Maestro in the 1980s, a series of interviews with retired sporting legends.
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Bert Freeman
Bertram Clewley Freeman (1 October 1885 – 11 August 1955) was an English footballer who was one of the most prolific goal-scorers of his time, playing at centre forward for Woolwich Arsenal, Everton, Burnley and Wigan Borough. He was also an England international, scoring three goals in five appearances, and won the FA Cup with Burnley in 1914.
Freeman was born in Handsworth, Birmingham and attended Gower Street School in Aston, where he started to make a name for himself as a prolific goal-scorer. He ended his schooldays with two games in which he scored seven and nine times respectively.
After moving to Gower Street Old Boys at the age of 16, he then moved on to Aston Manor where he was spotted by Aston Villa, for whom he signed professionally in April 1904. At 5 ft 8 in he was not the biggest of forwards and he failed to make an impact at Villa Park, and was never selected for the first-team before he was transferred to Woolwich Arsenal in November 1905.
Freeman scored on his Arsenal debut on 25 November 1905 away to Nottingham Forest, scoring Arsenal's only goal in a 3–1 defeat. In his first season he scored twelve goals in 21 games. He also helped the club reach the FA Cup semi-final with two goals against Manchester United in Round Four, helping the club reach the semi-finals, where they lost to Newcastle United 2–0.
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Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road. He has also been included in the Football League 100 Legends and is a member of the English Football Hall of Fame. Bremner was voted Footballer Of the Year in 1970, and was also voted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame as one of its first inductees in 2004,. He is on the Scotland national football team roll of honour due to having won more than 50 caps for Scotland.
Bremner, a diminutive but hard midfield player, was scouted by Leeds while playing schoolboy football in Scotland and signed for the Elland Road club in 1959, the day after his 17th birthday. He was brought up in the Raploch area of Stirling where he attended the Catholic junior school, St. Mary's. He had previously been rejected by Arsenal and Chelsea for being too small, as he was only 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) tall.
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Billy Garraty
William "Billy" Garraty (6 October 1878 – 6 May 1931) was a football (soccer) player in the early years of professional football in England, who played for Aston Villa from Aug. 1897 - Sept. 1908. Before playing for Villa he played for Aston Shakespeare (see the official Billy Garraty website)
Garraty made his league debut for Villa during the 1897/98 season but made just one other appearance that year and remained a bit part player as Villa won the title the following year. Billy Garraty became a first team regular in the 1899/1900 season as Villa retained their title thanks to his 27 league goals which is still today, the 2nd highest total in one season for the Villains second only to the great Pongo Waring.
Garraty went on to make 224 league appearances for the Villains, scoring 96 league goals, as well as helping his side to FA Cup success in the 1905 FA Cup Final with his Man of the Match display. During his time at Villa Billy was regarded as one of the great utility players of the game despite his ability to score goals. Without doubt Billy would have scored a greater number of goals for Villa had he played as an out and out striker.
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Bob Latchford
Robert Dennis "Bob" Latchford (born 18 January 1951) is an English former association footballer who played as a centre forward. He made more than 500 appearances in the Football League, playing for Birmingham City, Everton, Swansea and Coventry City in the First Division, and won 12 full caps for England.
Latchford was the complete centre-forward: good in the air and on the ground. Despite his size - 6 feet (1,83m) tall - he was very fast over short distances, making him a great 'poacher' of goals and he also scored with some great diving headers.
Latchford was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham. He was transferred from Birmingham City to Everton for £350,000, a British transfer record at the time (Howard Kendall and Archie Styles were transferred to Birmingham City as part of the same deal, with Birmingham being paid just £80,000). At Everton, Latchford was the top scorer for six successive seasons. He scored 30 goals in the 1977–78 season, winning a £10,000 prize offered by a national newspaper for the first footballer to reach that number in a single season. During the mid-seventies, Latchford was widely considered as one of the top English forwards of his generation. He earned his first full cap for England in a World Cup qualifier against Italy in 1977. In April 2006 a book was published telling the story of his 1977/78 season. Co-written with journalist Martin O'Boyle, the book supports Everton's former players charity.
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Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) is an English former professional football player, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. A member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts and passing abilities from midfield and his ferocious long-range shot. He was also well known for his fitness and stamina, allowing him to dominate the pitch. His elder brother Jack, who was also in the World Cup-winning team, is an ex-defender for Leeds United and manager.
He began to play for Manchester United's first team in 1956, and over the next two seasons gained a regular place in the team, during which time he survived the Munich air disaster of 1958 after being rescued by Harry Gregg. After helping United to win the Football League in 1965, he won a World Cup medal with England in 1966 and another Football League title with United the following year. In 1968, he captained the Manchester United team that won the European Cup, scoring two goals in the final to help his team be the first English side to win the competition. He has scored more goals for England and United than any other player. Charlton held the record for most appearances for Manchester United (758), but this was surpassed by Ryan Giggs on 21 May 2008 (the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final). Charlton also held the club record for most league appearances (606) until this too was overtaken by Ryan Giggs on 6 March 2011.
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Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and was cited by Pelé as the greatest defender that he had ever played against.
He won a total of 108 caps for the England team, which at the time of his international retirement in 1973 was a national record. This record was later broken by 125-cap goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Moore's total of 108 caps continued as a record for outfield players until 28 March 2009, when David Beckham gained his 109th cap. However, unlike Beckham, Moore played every minute of every one of his caps.
Moore attended Westbury Primary School and Tom Hood School, Leyton.
He played for both schools.
Moore joined West Ham United as a player in 1956 and, after advancing through their youth set-up, he played his first game on 8 September 1958 against Manchester United. In putting on the number six shirt, he replaced his mentor Malcolm Allison, who was suffering from tuberculosis.
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Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE (18 February 1933 – 31 July 2009) was an English footballer and manager, who managed seven European clubs and the England national team during his career.
His professional playing career as an inside-forward spanned nearly 20 years, during which he played for three clubs: Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, and, briefly, Vancouver Royals. He also made 20 appearances for England, scoring four goals.
After his playing career he found success as both a club and international manager, winning league championships in both the Netherlands and Portugal, earning trophies in England and Spain, and taking England to the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup. His last management role was as a mentor to the manager of the Irish national football team.
Robson was created a Knight Bachelor in 2002, was inducted as a member of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003, and was the honorary president of Ipswich Town. From 1991 onwards he suffered recurrent medical problems with cancer, and in March 2008, put his name and efforts into the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, a cancer research charity. In August 2008, his lung cancer was confirmed to be terminal; he said: "My condition is described as static and has not altered since my last bout of chemotherapy...I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute". He died just under a year later.
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Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker (born 22 November 1967) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17. Becker also won five major indoor championships titles including three ATP Masters World Tour Finals (played eight finals, second all-time to Ivan Lendl, who played nine) and one WCT Finals and one Grand Slam Cup. He also won five Masters 1000 series titles and eight Championship Series titles. Tennis Magazine put Becker in 18th place on its list of the 40 greatest tennis players from 1965 to 2005.
Becker was born in Leimen, West Germany, the only son of Elvira (née Pisch), who was raised in Czechoslovakia. His parents were Catholic, and part of his mother's family were Jewish. His father Karl-Heinz, an architect, founded the tennis centre (Tennis-Club Blau-Weiß 1964 Leimen e. V.) in Leimen, where Becker learned the game.
Becker turned professional in 1984, under the guidance of Romanian-born coach, Günther Bosch, and with Ion Ţiriac as manager and won his first professional doubles title that year in Munich. As a West German teenager, Becker won his first top-level singles title in June 1985 at Queen's Club and two weeks later on 7 July, became the first unseeded player and the first German to win the Wimbledon singles title, defeating Kevin Curren in four sets. At the time, he was the youngest ever male Grand Slam singles champion at &1000000000000001700000017 years, &10000000000000227000000227 days (a record later broken by Michael Chang in 1989, who won the French Open when he was &1000000000000001700000017 years, &10000000000000110000000110 days). Two months after his triumph, Becker became the youngest winner of the Cincinnati Open.
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Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and a former player. He played in midfield for West Bromwich Albion in the late 70s before moving to Manchester United in 1981 where he became the longest serving captain in the club's history. He was the manager of Sheffield United, being relieved of his first team duties at the club in February 2008. The following month, Robson returned to Manchester United as an ambassador for the club.
Born in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, Robson began his playing career at West Bromwich Albion, before moving on to Manchester United, whom he captained to three FA Cups and a European Cup Winners' Cup. He also won two FA Premiership winners medals. Towards the end of his playing career he moved into management as player-manager with Middlesbrough. Robson had a good goal-scoring record; terrific anticipation, movement, timing on and off the ball; was fiercely competitive and brave; possessed high levels of stamina; tackled, passed well and was also a good header of the ball.[citation needed] He represented England on 90 occasions, making him the sixth most capped England player of all-time, and has the eleventh highest goalscoring tally with 26. Robson captained his country 65 times, with only Bobby Moore and Billy Wright having captained England on more occasions. Robson is also known by the nicknames "Robbo" and "Captain Marvel". Bobby Robson stated that after Kevin Beattie, Robson was, along with Alan Shearer, the best British player he ever worked with. In August 2011, Robson was voted as the greatest ever Manchester United player from a poll of ex Manchester United Players as part of a new book, 19, released to celebrate their 19th league title win.
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Carlton Palmer
Carlton Lloyd Palmer (born 5 December 1965 in Rowley Regis) is an English former professional footballer, manager and football television pundit.
As a player he was a defender and midfielder from 1984 to 2005, playing in the Premier League for Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Coventry City. He also played for West Bromwich Albion, Watford and Dublin City. He was capped 18 times by England, and went into management in 2001 when he was appointed player/manager of Stockport County, later holding the same position at Mansfield Town from 2004 to 2005.
Palmer started his career at West Bromwich Albion, joining as an apprentice in July 1983 before turning professional in December 1984. He made his league debut in September 1985, as a substitute against Newcastle United. He earned a move to Sheffield Wednesday in February 1989 for £750,000, where he made his name in the Premiership. This led to him being bought by Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson for £2.6 million in June 1994.
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Charlie Buchan
Charles "Charlie" Murray Buchan (22 September 1891 – 25 June 1960) was an English football player and writer.
Buchan's playing career started with Arsenal (then Woolwich Arsenal) before he moved to Leyton, and then onto a prolific fourteen-year period with Sunderland: he was Sunderland's leading scorer for seven of his nine seasons with the club, and remains the club's all-time record League goalscorer. He won the Football League First Division with Sunderland in 1913 and was a losing finalist in the 1913 FA Cup Final. During his period with Sunderland Buchan served with the Sherwood Foresters after the outbreak of the First World War, being awarded the Military Medal.
He re-joined Arsenal in 1925 and was a losing finalist again in Arsenal's first FA Cup final in 1927. Buchan was responsible, along with Herbert Chapman for Arsenal's adoption of the WM formation which eventually brought Arsenal significant success in the 1930s. He was capped six times by the England national football team, scoring four goals.
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Charlie Wayman
Charles Wayman (16 May 1922 – 26 February 2006) was an English footballer.
Wayman, who was born in Chilton, Bishop Auckland, was a prolific centre-forward in the first decade after the Second World War. Newcastle United signed him from Spennymoor United in September 1941, while he was working as a miner at Chilton Colliery. He later formed a great partnership with Ted Bates at Southampton. In total, he played for five Football League clubs between 1941 and 1958. A knee injury forced his retirement from league football. He later coached Evenwood Town and became a sales manager for the Scottish and Newcastle brewery.
His brother, Frank, was also a professional footballer.
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Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland "Chris" Waddle (born 14 December 1960 in Felling, Tyne and Wear) is a former footballer from England. During his professional career he played for clubs including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday in England, and Olympique de Marseille in France. Waddle earnt 62 caps for the England national football team between 1985 and 1991, and was a member of England's squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where he missed a penalty in England's shoot-out defeat to Germany in the semi-finals.
Waddle currently works as a co-commentator for ESPN's Premier League football coverage, and for BBC 5 Live.
Waddle began his footballing career with Pelaw Juniors, moving on to Whitehouse SC, Mount Pleasant SC, HMH Printing, Pelaw SC, Leam Lane SC and Clarke Chapman before joining Tow Law Town before the start of the 1978-79 season. He worked during the day at Skipton Financial Services.[citation needed]
While working in food processing, Waddle had unsuccessful trials with Sunderland and Coventry City. He joined Newcastle United in July 1980 for £1,000.
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Chris Woods
Christopher 'Chris' Charles Eric Woods (born 14 November 1959 in Swineshead, Lincolnshire) is a former England international football goalkeeper, who played in the Football League and Premier League for Downham Market, Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, Southampton and Burnley, in the Scottish Football League for Rangers, and in Major League Soccer for the Colorado Rapids. He now works as a goalkeeping coach at Everton and United States.
Woods was Peter Shilton's long-time understudy in the England team in the mid to late 1980s, finally claiming the number one shirt for himself in the early 1990s. In all, he managed to accrue 43 caps in an eight year international career.
Woods showed promise at an early age, and his association with Downham Market began at an early age when he signed for the youth team in 1972.
Woods was a confident, brave, and agile goalkeeper, and his association with Shilton began at an early age when he signed for Nottingham Forest as an apprentice in 1976. Over the next three years he never made an appearance for Forest as they won promotion from the Football League Second Division in 1977 - Shilton had yet to arrive at this time - and then won the Football League First Division title straightaway. Shilton came to the club in September 1977 and did not miss a match.
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Colin Todd
Colin Todd (born 12 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, Everton, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Luton Town, and also played in the North American Soccer League for the Vancouver Whitecaps. He won two Football League titles with Derby County during the 1970s, and won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1975. He was capped by England on 27 occasions.
He has managed English league clubs Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers, Swindon Town, Derby County, Bradford City, Darlington and Danish Superliga side Randers FC. He took Bolton Wanderers to the Division One title with 98 points and 100 goals, although he was unable to establish them in the Premier League.
The young Todd had opportunities to sign for Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, but chose Sunderland "because of their tradition for youth". He played a major part in the Sunderland youth team's 1967 victory in the FA Youth Cup, led by coach Brian Clough. By then Todd was already a first-team regular. He made his debut as substitute for Charlie Hurley in a 1–1 draw away against Chelsea in the First Division on 10 September 1966, and by mid-season had established himself in the starting eleven. He missed only three league games in the next three seasons, at the end of which Sunderland were relegated from the top flight. After 191 appearances and three goals in all competitions for Sunderland, Todd rejoined Clough at Derby County in February 1971.
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Dan Walker
Dan Meirion Walker is an English sports journalist. He is the current presenter of Football Focus, the BBC's Saturday lunchtime football show. He has also been seen presenting sport on the BBC News Channel and BBC Network News, as well as regularly reporting for Score, Football Focus and Match of the Day.
He was born on the 19th March, 1977 in Crawley, West Sussex and earned an honours degree in History at the University of Sheffield, before continuing to attain an MA in Journalism at the same institution.
Walker's first foray into broadcasting was co-presenting two shows on the University of Sheffield's Sure FM student radio station - the midweek sports-themed evening show and 'Dan & Edd In The Afternoon', for which he and co-presenter Ed Hoyland were nominated for a BBC Radio One Student Radio award.
Gained as the prize for winning a competition for young sports commentators, Dan's professional broadcasting career started with work experience at Sheffield's Hallam FM, working with presenters such as Emma Scott, Anthony Gay, Daryl Denham and Scottie McClue. In 1999 Walker moved to a full-time career with a 4 year stint as a sports presenter and commentator for Manchester's Key 103 radio. In his time at Key 103 he presented the regular midweek sports show (often broadcasting from UEFA Champions League matches at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground, and also appeared as the resident sports correspondent for Mike Toolan's breakfast show.
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Danielle Lineker
Danielle Maria Lineker (née Bux), (born 15 June 1979) is a Welsh model, television personality and actress. She is married to former English footballer Gary Lineker.
Born in Cardiff to Kim and Roy Bux (of Anglo Indian descent), who divorced while she was young. Then later her mother, three half-siblings and stepfather, Alex Mohamed, in Butetown, Cardiff. She attended Cantonian High School in Fairwater where she sat 8 GCSEs and 3 A-levels.
Lineker started modelling (working as Danielle Bux) at the age of 18 after winning a place in the Miss Hawaiian Tropic contest in Las Vegas, USA. She became a model and has since modelled for various brands, including La Senza, and appeared on the cover of various magazines including Maxim and Fabulous.
Bux assisted Sir Trevor McDonald onstage at the 2008 National TV Awards.
She finished in third place in the 2009 series of ITV's Hell's Kitchen. and in June and July 2009 she was a guest panellist on ITVs Loose Women.
Billed as Danielle Lineker, she made her stage debut in Calendar Girls at the Bristol Hippodrome, beginning 26 January 2011.
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Danny Blanchflower
Robert Dennis "Danny" Blanchflower (10 February 1926 – 9 December 1993) was a former Northern Ireland international footballer and football manager, and journalist who captained Tottenham Hotspur F.C. during its double-winning season of 1961. He was ranked as the greatest player in Spurs history by The Times in 2009. He is remembered as one of the great tacticians in the history of the game, renowned for his passing, and as an outstanding right-half.
Blanchflower was born on 10 February 1926 in the Bloomfield district of Belfast. His mother had played as a centre-forward on a women's football team. He was educated at Ravenscroft public elementary school and was awarded a scholarship to Belfast College of Technology. His younger brother, Jackie, played for Manchester United, and was one of the survivors of the Munich air disaster.
He left early to become an apprentice electrician at Gallaher's cigarette factory in Belfast. He also joined the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) and in 1943 lied about his age in order to join the RAF. As a trainee navigator he was sent on a course to St Andrews University (where he acquired a lifelong love of golf) and in the spring of 1945 was posted to Canada for further training. By 1946, aged 20, he was back in Belfast, back at Gallaher's, and building a reputation as an outstanding footballer.
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Darren Anderton
Darren Robert Anderton (born 3 March 1972 in Southampton) is a retired English footballer who spent most of his career with Tottenham Hotspur as a midfielder. He played 30 times for the England national football team, scoring 7 goals.
Anderton started his career in the Southampton Tyro League and played for Itchen Saints during a successful period for the side. His potential was evident and he was soon scouted and playing youth football at professional clubs. Renowned as a player of huge potential, Anderton's career has been constantly frustrated by injury earning him the nickname "Sicknote" which was coined by Portsmouth goalkeeper Andy Gosney.
Anderton was signed as an apprentice by Portsmouth manager Alan Ball, coming to prominence at 18 when he scored at Anfield in an FA Youth Cup match against Liverpool which ended 2–2. His first team debut came against Cardiff City in the second round of the Rumbelows Cup in October 1990 as a substitute for youth team colleague Darryl Powell. Anderton made his full league debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 0–0 draw, making 20 appearances in the 1990–91 season. Under new manager Jim Smith, Anderton became a regular in the attacking side of the 1991–92 season, scoring his first club goal in the season opener against Blackburn Rovers. His performances soon drew the attention of bigger clubs and after an impressive FA Cup run, during which he scored in a semi-final clash with Liverpool, he joined Tottenham Hotspur for £1.75 million in 1992.
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Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, (born 20 March 1959 in Willesden, London) is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan Athletic. He is best remembered for his part in Wimbledon's 1988 shock FA Cup victory, during which he was the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final. His nickname was 'Lurch' due to his resemblance to the butler in the TV show The Addams Family. He made two appearances for the England national football team.
He entered the Football League in 1979 at the age of 20 when Wimbledon, newly promoted to the Third Division, signed him from non league Edgware Town. He made his debut for them against Blackpool on 12 January 1980 and played once again that season, in which Wimbledon were relegated. He became a regular player the following campaign when they were promoted and stayed loyal to the club even when they were relegated again in 1982, being a key player in the side that won the Fourth Division title in 1983, won promotion from the Third Division a year later, and completed a four-season rise to the First Division in 1986 when they gained promotion from the Second Division in only their ninth season as a Football League team.
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Dave Halliday
David "Dave" Halliday (11 December 1897–1970) was a Scottish footballing prolific goalscorer and trophy winning manager. His 38 goals in 1923-24 made him top scorer in Scotland's top flight that season and 43 goals in 1928–29 gave him the same distinction in England's top flight that season. He scored 376 senior goals as well as scoring at two then non-league clubs. As a manager only Halliday and Alex Ferguson have guided Aberdeen to be Scottish champions.
Dave Halliday was born in Dumfries and started in local schools football where he featured on the left wing. He attended Noblehill Primary School before attending Dumfries Academy. Halliday then trained as a motor mechanic with car manufacturer Arrol-Johnston and played for the works team, one of three clubs who merged to form Queen of the South in 1919. However despite having played in the trial matches arranged in the formation of the new club Halliday did not join Queens until 17 January 1920. Between playing for Arrol-Johnston and Queens, Halliday had a brief spell with Tayleurians. After joining Queens until the end of the season in May 1920 Halliday played 19 games.
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Dave Watson
David "Dave" Watson (born 20 November 1961 in Liverpool, Merseyside) is an English former professional footballer and Youth Team Coach at Premier League side Newcastle United.
As a player he was a defender from 1980 to 2001. He played his entire career for Norwich City and Everton. He also made 12 appearances for the English national team.
Watson played for the Liverpool reserves before joining Norwich City for £50,000 on 29 November 1980. He made his league debut in the local derby against Ipswich Town on Boxing Day that year. He played 18 league games in the 1980–81 First Division campaign and scored three goals, but was unable to prevent the Canaries from sliding into the Second Division.
Over the next five years, Watson was rarely absent from the Norwich side and helped them win promotion from the Second Division in the 1981–82 season. He eventually made 256 appearances for Norwich, and as club captain lifted the Milk Cup in 1985. They went down to the Second Division that year, but won promotion the following year as champions.
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David Batty
David Batty (born 2 December 1968 in Leeds, West Yorkshire) is an English retired professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder.
He is most famous for playing for Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, also being capped for the England national football team, and representing the nation at UEFA Euro 1992 and the 1998 World Cup.
Batty made his debut for Leeds in November 1987 as an 18-year-old during a 4–2 win over Swindon Town, and quickly earned a reputation as a fiercely competitive midfielder in the mould of Leeds legend Billy Bremner. Perceived to be a bit lightweight, to build up Batty's strength Bremner would call him into his office every morning to drink sherry with a raw egg stirred into it. Batty was a key member of the Leeds team that won promotion from the second division in 1989–90, and a member of a midfield which included Gary Speed, Gary McAllister and Gordon Strachan, when Leeds won the first division championship in 1991–92. As a tireless and sometimes ruthless forager of the ball there were few equals, but there was more to his game than simply breaking up opposition attacks; having won the ball, his distribution was excellent, making him the springboard for many counter attacks. If there was one aspect missing from his game it was the lack of goals, as evidenced by the affectionate cries of "shoot" from Leeds fans whenever Batty received the ball anywhere within the opponents half.
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David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English association footballer who plays for Los Angeles Galaxy. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player.
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons, clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, signing a five-year contract with them on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010. On 20 November 2011, he joined an elite group of players to have won three league titles in three different countries, when Los Angeles won their third MLS Cup.
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David Ginola
David Desire Marc Ginola (English pronunciation: /ˈdʒɪnəlɑː/) (born 25 January 1967) is a French former international football player who has also worked as an actor and model.
Ginola was born in Gassin, Var. He played football for ten seasons in his native France before moving to England in 1995, when he signed for Newcastle United. He stayed in the country until retiring seven years later, having also turned out for Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton. Since his retirement from the game in 2002 he has become involved in several new pursuits, including acting.
Ginola played at club level for Toulon (1985–88), Racing Levallois 92 (1988–90), Brest (1990–92), Paris Saint-Germain (1992–95), Newcastle United (1995–97), Tottenham Hotspur (1997–2000), Aston Villa (2000–2002) and Everton (2002).
Ginola made his first senior appearance for Sporting Toulon as an eighteen year-old in a 1985 2–0 victory away at Metz. He played fourteen times in his first season, and by 1986 he was a regular in the Toulon line-up.
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David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE (born 1 April 1957) is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test matches, scoring 8,231 runs. He is thus one of the most capped and highest scoring players in his country's history. He is also one of England's most capped One Day International players, with 114 matches.
Gower led England during the 1985 Ashes series against Australia, and his team was victorious, however two 5-0 whitewashes at the hands of the West Indies (in 1984 and 1985–86) reflected poorly on his captaincy, and Gower was replaced in 1986. Gower was briefly reinstated for the 1989 Ashes series, before being replaced as captain by Graham Gooch. The strained relationship between the pair contributed to Gower's complete retirement in 1993. Nevertheless, he ended with an impressive record in first-class cricket, having accumulated 26,339 runs at 40.08, and 53 centuries. His Test match tally includes the world record feat of 119 consecutive innings without registering a duck. Following his retirement, Gower became a successful cricket commentator, and on 16 July 2009, was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
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David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE (born 19 September 1963 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire) is an English former football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury. He was awarded the MBE in 1997 for services to the sport.
The peak of his career was during his period as Arsenal and England goalkeeper in the 1990s and early 2000s; during his time at Arsenal he won many medals including three league championships (1991, 1998, 2002), four FA Cups (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994. During this time he also played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and Euro 96 and Euro 2000, and is England's second-most capped goalkeeper with 75 caps, after Peter Shilton.
Seaman's career highs came in his successful performance in UEFA Euro 96 and in Arsenal's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Premier League and FA Cup (including a superb save from Paul Peschisolido for Sheffield United in the FA Cup 2002–03) campaigns in the mid-90s and early-2000s. Notable lows came with two costly errors, both from long-range efforts — conceding a last-minute goal in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final to Nayim and conceding to a Ronaldinho free-kick in the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.
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Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdɛnɪs ˈbɛrχkɑmp] ( listen); born 10 May 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer who is the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. Originally a wide midfielder and subsequently a main striker, he was deployed as a second striker, where he remained throughout his playing career. Bergkamp has been described by Jan Mulder as having "the finest technique" of any Dutch international and a "dream for a striker" by teammate Thierry Henry.
The son of an electrician, Bergkamp was born in Amsterdam and played as an amateur in the lower leagues. He was spotted by Ajax at the age of 11 and made his professional debut in 1986. Good form led to an international call-up a year later, attracting the attention of several European clubs. Bergkamp signed for Italian club Internazionale in 1993 where he had two disappointing seasons, before joining Arsenal in 1995. It was at Arsenal where Bergkamp rejuvenated his career, helping the club to win three Premier League titles, four FA Cup trophies and reach the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final, which marked his last appearance as a player. With the Netherlands national team, Bergkamp surpassed Faas Wilkes's record to become the Netherlands' top goalscorer of all time in 1998, later surpassed by Patrick Kluivert.
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Dennis Viollet
Dennis Sydney Viollet (20 September 1933 – 6 March 1999) was an English footballer best remembered for his time with Manchester United in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Viollet joined Manchester United on 1 September 1949. He came through the junior ranks at United and turned professional in 1950. His first game for the club came against arch-rivals Newcastle United on 11 April 1953. He is generally considered as one of the most underrated strikers of all time.
He was a striker, along with Tommy Taylor for the Busby Babes of the 1950s. He was a survivor of the Munich air disaster. Viollet was a big part of the two championships that were won by United in 1956 and 1957. Dennis scored 178 goals in 291 games for United. He was a lightning quick player, who combined well with Taylor's height to form a terrific strike force. One of his finest games came on 26 September 1956, in United's European Cup preliminary round second leg tie against Belgian champions Anderlecht, in which he scored four goals in a 10-0 win at Old Trafford.
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Dennis Westcott
Dennis Westcott (July 2, 1917 in Wallasey, Lancashire – 13 July 1960) was an English footballer, who played for New Brighton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Chesterfield as a striker.
Westcott started his career at Everton, but was released. He then joined nearby New Brighton of the Third Division (North). In 1937 he had a trial with West Ham, but was rejected. Instead, Wolverhampton Wanderers signed him, giving him a debut against Grimsby in an FA Cup tie. Wescott scored one of the goals as Wolves won 6-2. In his first full season with Wolves he scored 22 goals, making him the club's top scorer. The following season he scored 43 goals in 43 appearances, setting a club record which stood for 50 years until it was broken by Steve Bull. Westcott played in the 1939 FA Cup Final, but Wolves were beaten 4-1 by Portsmouth.
In 1939 competitive football was then suspended due to World War II, depriving Westcott of several years in his prime. During the war he played four wartime internationals for England. When competitive football resumed in 1946, Westcott continued his goalscoring exploits, setting another club record with 38 goals in the 1946-47 season which made him topscorer in the league. In 1948 he was released by Wolves, and signed for Blackburn Rovers in the Second Division. At Blackburn he scored 37 goals in 63 appearances. He then signed for Manchester City, where he scored 36 goals in 72 appearances, finishing as the club's top scorer in each of the two full seasons he played. He then moved to Chesterfield, and finished his career with Stafford Rangers.
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Derek Kevan
Derek Tennyson Kevan (born 6 March 1935, Ripon) is a retired English footballer. He played for West Bromwich Albion as an attacker. He earned 14 caps for the England national football team, scoring a total of eight goals, including two in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. During his Albion career, he earned the nickname "The Tank". In 1961–62 he was joint leading scorer in Division One – alongside Ray Crawford of Ipswich Town – with 33 goals.
Although everyone, including the most dedicated Albion supporter, knew he lacked finesse, Kevan made up for it with pure strength and commitment, often bulldozing his way through both First Division and international defences. Referred to as ‘The Tank’ he certainly thrilled the Baggies’ fans with his all-action style and his goalscoring ability. Kevan was the first signing made by the former Tottenham Hotspur full-back Vic Buckingham after he had taken over from Jesse Carver as manager at The Hawthorns in February 1953. Secured for what was to be prove a bargain fee of just £2,000, Kevan completed his National Service in the Army before actually bedding himself in at The Hawthorns.
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Des Walker
Desmond Sinclair "Des" Walker (born 26 November 1965 in Homerton, London) is a former England international footballer who is best remembered for his spells with Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday.
Walker, a pacy and hard-tackling central defender, was spotted playing locally in London and was signed by Forest in 1980 as an apprentice. Known for being unafraid of pitching youngsters into the first team if they were good enough, Forest manager Brian Clough, trying to build a second great side after his ageing European Cup winning team broke up, gave Walker his debut in March 1984 at the age of 18, just two months before the end of the 1983-84 First Division campaign in which Forest finished third and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Forest made progress with Walker and his fellow young graduates from the youth academy gaining ground and plaudits. Further top half-finishes in the League were followed by a run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1988 with Walker in outstanding form, to the extent that calls began to come from football observers for England coach Bobby Robson to select Walker to play for his country.
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Dickie Davis
Dickie Davis (born 22 January 1922) was a British footballer, born in Birmingham, England, who played for Sunderland and Darlington as a striker.
Davis made his debut for Sunderland on 7 December 1946 against Leeds United in a 1–1 draw at Elland Road. He finished as the Football League First Division's top scorer in the 1949–50 season with 25 goals. During his time at Roker Park spanning from 1946 to 1953, where he made 144 league appearances, scoring 73 goals. He then moved onto Darlington in 1954 and scored 32 goals in 93 league appearances in 4 seasons at Feethams. In 1957 he retired from football, aged just 35.
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Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona Franco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo maɾaˈðona]; born 30 October 1960) is a retired Argentine football player, and current manager of Al Wasl FC in Dubai. Many experts, football critics, former and current players consider Maradona the greatest football player of all time. He won FIFA Player of the Century award which was to be decided by votes on their official website, their official magazine and a grand jury.
He is the only player in football history who set world-record contract fees twice. The first, when he was transferred to Barcelona for a then world record £5m and the second, when he was transferred to Napoli for another record fee £6.9m. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys. In his international career, playing for Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals.
He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, including the 1986 tournament, where he captained Argentina and led them to their victory over West Germany in the final, winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. In that same tournament's quarterfinal round, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over England that entered football history, though for two different reasons. The first goal was via an unpenalized handball known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted "The Goal of the Century" by FIFA.com voters in 2002.
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Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov (Bulgarian: Димитър Иванов Бербатов, [diˈmitɐr bɛrˈbatɔf]); born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United. He captained the Bulgarian national team from 2006 to 2010, and is its all-time leading goalscorer and has also won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year a record seven times, surpassing the number of wins by Hristo Stoichkov.
Born in Blagoevgrad, Berbatov started out with home-town club Pirin before joining CSKA Sofia as a 17-year-old in 1998. He was signed by Bayer Leverkusen of Germany in January 2001 and played in his first Champions League final 18 months later, coming on as a substitute in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final, which Leverkusen lost 2–1 to Real Madrid. After five-and-a-half years with Leverkusen, he joined English club Tottenham Hotspur in July 2006, where he spent two years before moving to Manchester United. He played in his second Champions League final in 2009, during his side's 2–0 defeat against FC Barcelona. Berbatov is the first non-Englishman in Premier League history to have scored five goals in a single match, having done so in Manchester United's 7–1 win over Blackburn Rovers in November 2010.
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Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff (born February 28, 1942 in Mariano del Friuli) is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.
Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the history of the sport among the very best in this role, being named the 3rd greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS behind Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks. He holds the record for the longest playing time without allowing goals in international tournaments (1142 minutes) set between 1972 and 1974. With 112 caps, he is the fourth most capped player for the Azzurri. In 2004 Pelé named him as one of the 125 greatest living footballers.
After retiring as a footballer, Zoff went on to become coach for the Italian national team and several other Italian clubs.
Dino Zoff was born in Mariano del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy), and was elected in a poll by the IFFHS as the third best goalkeeper of the 20th Century - after Lev Yashin (1st) and Gordon Banks (2nd).
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Dixie Dean
William Ralph Dean (22 January 1907 – 1 March 1980), better known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player. Dean originally started his career with Birkenhead based Tranmere Rovers before moving on to Everton, the club he had supported as a child, where he became the most prolific goal-scorer in English football history. Dean played the majority of his career at Everton before injuries caught up with him and he moved on to new challenges at Notts County and Ireland's Sligo Rovers. He is best known for his exploits in 1927–28 season which saw Dean score 60 league goals.
A statue of Dean was unveiled outside Goodison Park in May 2001. A year later Dean became one of 22 players inducted into the inaugural English football hall of fame. He was the first Everton player to wear the "number 9" shirt. Dean is regarded as one of the greatest pre-war sports heroes in British culture.[citation needed]
Dean was born at 325 Laird Street in Birkenhead, Cheshire a major town on the Wirral Peninsula, on the opposite side of the River Mersey to Liverpool. Dean's family on both his mother and father's side hailed from Chester. He was the grandson of Ralph Brett, a train driver who drove the royal train during the reign of George V. Dean grew up as a supporter of Everton thanks to the efforts of his father, William Sr who once took him during the 1914–1915 title winning season.
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Dražan Jerković
Dražan Jerković (6 August 1936 – 9 December 2008) was a Croatian and Yugoslav football forward, and manager. His first name is sometimes (incorrectly) spelled "Dražen". He was born in Šibenik, Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
He played for Dinamo Zagreb (1954–65). Severe injuries forced him to retire early, at the height of his career. With Dinamo he won the league title in 1958, and league cup in 1960 and 1965. In 315 games for Dinamo, he scored 322 goals.
He played internationally for Yugoslavia between 1960 and 1964, scoring 11 goals in 21 games. He participated in Euro 1960 and World Cup 1962. He was also part of the Yugoslav squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but did not play.
In Euro 1960 he scored two goals against France in the semifinal, which Yugoslavia won (5-4). In the final, Yugoslavia lost against USSR (1-2; AET), finishing second.
In World Cup 1962 Jerković scored four goals and was, with five other players, the top goalscorer, winning the World Cup Golden Boot. Yugoslavia finished in fourth place. In the quarter-final, Yugoslavia beat Germany (1-0). In the semifinal Yugoslavia lost to Czechoslovakia (1-3), and lost to Chile for third place (0-1).
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Edgar Davids
Edgar Steven Davids (born 13 March 1973) is a retired Dutch footballer. After beginning his career with Ajax, he subsequently played in Italy for Milan and Juventus before a loan spell with Barcelona. He went on to play for Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Ajax. Having struggled with injuries for two years, Davids returned to competitive football during a brief spell with Crystal Palace before retiring at the age of 37.
He was capped 74 times by the Netherlands at international level, scoring six goals, and represented his country at the FIFA World Cup (once) and the UEFA European Football Championship (three times). His dreadlocked hair and protective goggles – which he wore due to glaucoma – made Davids one of the most recognisable players of his generation. A combative and creative midfielder, Davids was nicknamed "the Pitbull" by Louis van Gaal because of his marking ability. He was one of the players chosen by Pelé to feature in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living footballers. He was born in Suriname to an African father and Jewish mother. His cousin Lorenzo is also a footballer.
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Emile Heskey
Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978) is an English footballer who is currently a Free Agent after most recently playing for Aston Villa as a striker.
Born in Leicester, Heskey started his career with hometown club Leicester City after progressing through their youth system, making his first team debut in 1995. After winning the League Cup in 1997 and 2000 he made an £11 million move to Liverpool in 2000, which, at the time, was the record transfer fee paid by the club. At Liverpool, he won multiple honours, including the FA Cup in 2001. He moved to Birmingham City in 2004 and after their relegation from the FA Premier League signed for Wigan Athletic for a club record £5.5 million fee in 2006. He signed for Aston Villa in 2009 and was released in 2012.
Heskey was an England international at under-16, under-18, under-21, B and senior levels. He made his England debut against Hungary in a 1–1 draw in 1999. He lost his place in the squad after UEFA Euro 2004, during which he failed to shine and was the subject of much criticism. After a long lay-off from international duty, Heskey was recalled to the England squad for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers in September 2007. He retired from international football following the 2010 FIFA World Cup, having attained 62 caps and scored seven goals for his country.
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Emilio Butragueño
Emilio Butragueño Santos (born 22 July 1963 in Madrid) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.
He was best known for his spell with Real Madrid. Nicknamed El Buitre (The Vulture), he was a member of the legendary Quinta del Buitre, along with Manolo Sanchís, Rafael Martín Vázquez, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza.
Butragueño amassed La Liga totals of 341 games and 123 goals for his main club, in 12 seasons, and represented the Spanish national team in two World Cups (being the second top scorer in the 1986 edition) and as many European Championships, scoring 26 international goals for his country, a record that stood for several years.
In 1981, skilled Butragueño joined Real Madrid's youth system, and played first for its reserve side, before being given his senior debut by Alfredo Di Stéfano on 5 February 1984 against Cádiz CF. He made an instant impact, scoring twice and assisting for the third goal in a 3–2 away turnaround, after Real trailed by 0–2. On 12 December that year, he made his European competition debut, contributing to a 6–1 home triumph against R.S.C. Anderlecht for the UEFA Cup third round (after a 0–3 loss in Brussels), as the Merengues went on to win the competition.
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Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE (28 August 1947 – 9 November 2004) was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.
Emlyn Hughes, was the son of Fred Hughes, a Great Britain, Wales, Barrow, and Workington Town rugby league footballer. After being refused a trial by local side Barrow, Hughes joined Blackpool, who were then a top-flight side. He made his début for Blackpool in 1964 and played alongside the likes of Jimmy Armfield and Alan Ball. Hughes was then an inside forward, but Blackpool turned him into a left-half, and as such he made his début for them in the 1965–66 season.
In February 1967, after just 28 appearances for Blackpool, he signed for Liverpool in the February for £65,000, (based on average increases in earnings, this would be approximately £1,770,000 in 2009). Manager Bill Shankly was stopped in his car by the police as he drove Hughes to Liverpool for the first time and said: "Don't you know who I've got in this car? The captain of England!" The policeman peered through the window and said that he didn't recognise the man, to which Shankly replied: "No, but you will!" In the future Hughes did indeed go on to captain his country.
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Eric Cantona
Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (French pronunciation: [kantɔna]) (born 24 May 1966) is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in five years and two League and FA Cup Doubles.
Cantona is often regarded as having played a key role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing force and he enjoys iconic status at the club. He wore the number 7 shirt at United, which was previously worn by George Best and Bryan Robson, and subsequently worn by David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. Cantona is affectionately nicknamed by Manchester United fans as "King Eric", and was voted as Manchester United's greatest ever player by Inside United magazine. Set against his footballing achievements was a poor disciplinary record throughout his career, including a conviction for assault on a fan in 1995.
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Eric Idle
Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live, and the author of the Broadway musical Spamalot.
Idle was born in South Shields, County Durham (now Tyne and Wear) in Harton Village, the son of Nora Barron (née Sanderson), a health visitor, and Ernest Idle. His father served in the Royal Air Force and survived World War II, only to be killed in a hitch-hiking accident when Idle was only two years old. His mother had difficulty coping with a full-time job and raising a child, so when Idle was seven, she enrolled him into the Royal Wolverhampton School as a boarder. At this time the school was a charitable foundation dedicated to the education and maintenance of children who had lost one or both parents. Idle is quoted as saying: "It was a physically abusive, bullying, harsh environment for a kid to grow up in. I got used to dealing with groups of boys and getting on with life in unpleasant circumstances and being smart and funny and subversive at the expense of authority. Perfect training for Python."
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Erik Thorstvedt
Erik Thorstvedt (born 28 October 1962 in Stavanger) is a former Norwegian professional football goalkeeper. He won 97 caps for the Norwegian national team, and was the starter in goal at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
He has played for Viking, Eik-Tønsberg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, IFK Göteborg and Tottenham Hotspur. He was the first Norwegian to win the FA Cup when he won it with Spurs in 1991. During his time at Tottenham Erik lived in the Hertfordshire town of Hoddesdon.
Thorstvedt retired in 1996 due to back injuries. After his career as a player, he worked as a goalkeeping coach with the Norwegian national team, and had a brief spell as Director of Football at Viking.
He has worked as an expert commentator/pundit for various TV channels, and was the TV-host on the Royal League matches shown on TVNorge. He was also the coach of Tufte IL, a team created for the reality-TV show Heia Tufte!. For his appearance in this show he was awarded the Se og Hør readers' TV personality of the year award. Now he has a football show every Monday called "Matchball Mandag" on TV2 where he and guests look at games played in the Norwegian Premier League with a humorous approach.
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Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM (Portuguese pronunciation: [ewˈzɛbiu dɐ ˈsiɫvɐ fɨˈʁɐjɾɐ]; born 25 January 1942), commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans. He helped the Portuguese national team reach third place at the 1966 World Cup, being the top goalscorer of the tournament with nine goals (six of which were scored at Goodison Park) and receiving the Bronze Ball award. He won the Ballon d'Or award in 1965 and was runner-up in 1962 and 1966. He played for Benfica for 15 years out of his 22 as a footballer, thus being mainly associated with the Portuguese club, and is the team's all-time top scorer with 638 goals scored in 614 official games. There, he won 11 Primeira Liga titles (1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73 and 1974–75), 5 Portuguese Cup titles (1961–62, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70 and 1971–72), 1 European Cup title (1961–62) and managed to help them reach three additional European Cup finals (1962–63, 1964–65 and 1967–68). He was the European Cup top scorer in 1965, 1966 and 1968. He also won the Bola de Prata (Primeira Liga top scorer award) seven times (a national record) in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970 and 1973. He was the first ever player to win the European Golden Boot award, in 1968, a feat he later replicated in 1973.
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Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈfɛrɛnt͡s ˈpuʃkaːʃ]; born Ferenc Purczeld; 1 April 1927 – 17 November 2006) was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954. He won three European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), 10 national championships (5 Hungarian & 5 Spanish Primera División) and 8 top individual scoring honors. He is regarded as the best Hungarian football player ever and one of the best football players of all time.
Puskás started his career in Hungary playing for Kispest and Budapest Honvéd. He was top scorer in the Hungarian League on four occasions, and in 1948, he was the top goal scorer in Europe. During the 1950s, he was both a prominent member and captain of the Hungarian national team, known as the Mighty Magyars. In 1958, two years after the Hungarian Revolution, he emigrated to Spain where he played for Real Madrid.
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Franco Baresi
Franco Baresi (born 8 May 1960 in Travagliato, Italy) is an Italian football youth team coach and former player. He played as a sweeper and spent his entire career with Serie A club AC Milan. Baresi was nicknamed "Piscinin", Milanese for "Little one". In 1999, Baresi was voted AC Milan Player of the Century and is widely regarded as one of the finest defenders of all time.
He is also the younger brother of Internazionale legend and current vice coach Giuseppe Baresi.
Baresi was brought by his older brother Giuseppe for a trial in Inter's youth team, but was rejected. Despite this setback, Baresi refused to give up his dream and tried out for the Milan youth team, where he was accepted.
Baresi led the Milan team and its defence for the best part of a decade. During that time, the back four consisting of him, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Mauro Tassotti gained a reputation for being of the meanest defenses in Europe. He is also one of the few players who spent his entire career at one club, AC Milan, for whom he played 719 games, scoring 33 goals. Unconventional for an Italian defender trained in the catenaccio tradition, Baresi was an attacking defender who often assisted the team in counterattacks but without neglecting his defensive duties.
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Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side. He is considered to be one of the best English footballers of his time, and is widely regarded to be one of the best midfield players of his generation. Lampard is best described as a box-to-box midfielder known for "his work-rate, range of passing and goalscoring ability."
Lampard began his career at West Ham United, for whom his father Frank Lampard, Sr. had also played. He had secured a place in the first team by the 1997–98 season, and the following year helped the team finish 5th in the Premier League, their highest-ever Premier League placing. In 2001, he moved to rival London club Chelsea for £11 million.
From his debut onwards he was ever-present in the Chelsea first team, setting a record 164 consecutive Premier League appearances. He established himself as a prolific scorer at the West London club and was a key part of the sides which won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06 and a domestic cup double in 2007. He signed a new contract in 2008, becoming the highest paid Premier League footballer at that time, and scored in his first Champions League Final that same year. He won the FA Cup for the second time in 2009, scoring the winning goal in the final. In the 2009–10 season, Lampard won the Premier League title and FA Cup (domestic cup double) and also had his most prolific season with Chelsea, scoring 22 league goals and 17 league assists. In the 2011-12 season, Lampard captained Chelsea to their first UEFA Champions League title.
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Frans Thijssen
Frans Thijssen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfrɑns ˈtɛi̯.sə(n)]) (born 23 January 1952 in Malden, Gelderland) is a former international Dutch footballer. He started his professional career in 1970 with NEC Nijmegen. In 1973 he moved to FC Twente, where the midfielder played for nearly six seasons.
Thijssen won fourteen caps for Holland between 1975 and 1981.
In 1979, he moved to England to sign for Ipswich Town, and in 1981 was voted English Footballer of the Year as he helped Ipswich Town win the UEFA Cup, scoring one goal in each of the two legs of the final. He played a big part in their run to the semi finals of the FA Cup, and they also finished second in the league that season. He helped them finished second again the following year, but a year later he departed from Portman Road after four years to sign for Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, but he was not nearly as successful at the City Ground as he had been in East Anglia, and he had left the club within months.
He also had a stint in the NASL with the Vancouver Whitecaps. In 1984 he returned to his native country, to play for Fortuna Sittard (1984–1987), FC Groningen (1987–1988) and Vitesse Arnhem (1988–1991).
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Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer [fʁants ˈbɛkənˌbaʊ̯ɐ] (born 11 September 1945 in Munich) is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser ("The Emperor") because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" (reminiscent of the Austrian emperors), and his dominance on the football pitch. He is generally regarded as the greatest German footballer of all time and one of the greatest and most decorated footballers in the history of the game. Beckenbauer was a versatile player who started out as a midfielder but made his name as a defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper or libero.
Twice selected the European Footballer of the Year, he appeared 103 times for West Germany and played in three World Cups. He lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974, and repeated the feat as a manager in 1990. With the club Bayern Munich, he won three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976, and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967. He is one of only two footballers, along with Brazil's Mário Zagallo, to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a coach. Beckenbauer is one of two players (along with Carles Puyol) to captain three European Cup winning sides. He went on to become coach and president of the institution. He is also a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
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Fred Wheldon
George Frederick Wheldon (1 November 1869 - 13 January 1924) was an English sportsman. He was sometimes known as Fred or Freddie Wheldon. In football, he was an inside-forward for England and several Football League clubs, in particular for Small Heath and Aston Villa. In cricket, he was a right-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper, who played county cricket for Worcestershire in their early seasons in the first-class game.
After retiring from sport, he became a publican in Worcester, where he died at the age of 54.
"Diamond" Freddie Wheldon, an inside-left with good footwork and an eye for goal, joined Small Heath, then playing in the Football Alliance, in February 1890. In the following six seasons he missed only one League game. In 1892-93, the inaugural season of the Football League Second Division, he scored Small Heath's first ever Football League goal, and his 25 goals in 22 appearances that season did much to help the club to the Division Championship; they failed to win promotion via the Test Match system then in operation. He scored over 20 goals again the next season, and this time the club were promoted. On Small Heath's relegation in 1895-96, Wheldon joined reigning First Division champions Aston Villa for a fee of £350.
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Gareth Bale
Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team as a winger.
Bale began his professional career at Southampton, playing at left back, earning acclaim as a free kick specialist. Since transferring to Spurs in 2007, managerial and tactical shifts have seen him transform into a more offensively-oriented player. Recently, Bale has played an integral role in Tottenham's success domestically and in the Champions League.
Bale was born in Cardiff to parents Frank, a school caretaker, and Debbie, an operations manager; he attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School at Whitchurch. He is the nephew of former Cardiff City footballer Chris Pike. It was while at this school he first came to the attention of Southampton at age nine, when he was playing in a six-a-side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service Football Club. Growing up his football hero was fellow Welshman and Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.
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Garrincha
Manuel Francisco dos Santos (October 28, 1933 – January 20, 1983), known by the nickname "Garrincha" (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡaˈʁĩʃɐ], "little bird"), was an association football right winger and forward who helped the Brazil national team win the World Cups of 1958 and 1962. He played the majority of his professional career for the Brazilian club Botafogo.
The word garrincha itself means wren. Garrincha was also known as Mané (short for Manuel) by his friends. The combined "Mané Garrincha" is common among fans in Brazil. Due to his immense popularity in Brazil, he was also called Alegria do Povo (Joy of the People) and Anjo de Pernas Tortas (Angel with Bent Legs).
Garrincha is regarded as the best dribbler in football history. In the Estádio do Maracanã the home team room is known as "Garrincha," while the visiting team room is known as "Pelé."
Garrincha was born in Pau Grande, a district of Magé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in 1933. His father was an alcoholic, drinking cachaça heavily, a problem which Garrincha would inherit. He had several birth defects: his spine was deformed, his right leg bent inwards and his left leg six centimeters shorter and curved outwards, none of which impeded his ability to play football at the highest level.
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Gary A. Stevens
Gary Andrew Stevens (born 30 March 1962) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth. He won seven caps for England.
Stevens was born in Hillingdon, Middlesex, and attended Thurston Upper School in Suffolk. He joined Brighton & Hove Albion in 1977. Stevens made his debut as a 17-year-old on 15 September 1979, in the First Division as Brighton won 2–0 at home to Ipswich Town, the club which had released him as a schoolboy. A versatile defender who could also play in midfield, he made 26 appearances in his first season, scoring once, and remained a regular in the side.
In 1983, Brighton, already relegated to the Second Division, played in the FA Cup Final for the first time in their history. Losing to Manchester United 2–1 with three minutes of normal time remaining, Stevens equalised, and teammate Gordon Smith missed an easy chance to win the game at the end of extra time, remembered for the commentator's line "And Smith must score..." Brighton lost the replay 4–0, and Stevens joined Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of "about £350,000".
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Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960), is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live. He remains England's top scorer in the FIFA World Cup finals, with ten goals.
Lineker began his football career at Leicester City and became known as a prolific goalscorer; despite failing to score in his first ten games, he finished as the First Division's joint top goalscorer in 1984–85 and earned his first England cap. He then moved to League Champions Everton where he remained a clinical finisher, scoring 40 goals in 57 games. His first team honours came at Barcelona, where he won the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989. He returned to England in 1989, joining Tottenham Hotspur, and over three seasons he scored 67 goals in 105 games and won the FA Cup. Lineker's final club was Nagoya Grampus Eight and he retired in 1994 after two seasons at the Japanese side.
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Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt MBE (born 23 August 1961 in Bristol) is an English former professional footballer who made more than 600 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, and won 16 caps for the England national team. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a versatile player who excelled also in midfield. His father is Ray Mabbutt and brother Kevin Mabbutt.
He is best remembered for his 16-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where he played from 1982 until 1998.
He became one of the best known defenders in English football in the 1980s, playing initially for Bristol Rovers before joining the first division club Tottenham Hotspur, where he became captain and won 16 caps for England, scoring against Yugoslavia in 1986.
With Spurs, he won the UEFA Cup in 1984 and the FA Cup in 1991 (as captain). In the 1987 FA Cup Final against Coventry City, Mabbutt had an eventful game where he scored Spurs' second goal to put them 2-1 up but, after Coventry had equalised to force extra time, he scored an own goal to give Coventry a 3-2 win.
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Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE (born 25 December 1964 in Newarthill, Motherwell) is a Scottish former professional footballer.
McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20. He then went on to play for Leeds United, and he later had spells at Coventry City intersected by a brief, yet triumphant, stint at Liverpool.
McAllister also represented his national side for nine years, winning 57 caps and scoring five goals. His leadership qualities were noticed, and he spent four successful years as Scotland captain in addition to two seasons as Leeds United captain. He was awarded an MBE in the 2001 New Year Honours in recognition of his contribution to football.
As his playing career drew to a close he decided to enter the managerial side of the game. He did this first during his second stay at Coventry when he was appointed manager in April 2002. He resigned a month later and did not enter management again until he returned to Elland Road in January 2008 to replace Dennis Wise.
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Gary Pallister
Gary Andrew Pallister (born 30 June 1965) is an English former professional footballer, sports television pundit and operations director of Conference National side Darlington.
As a player he was a defender from 1984 to 2001 and is most noted for his nine-year spell at Manchester United from 1989 until 1998. He also played for Middlesbrough and Darlington and was also capped 22 times by England between 1988 and 1996.
His footballing career started at non-league Billingham Town, but at the age of 19, he joined his boyhood heroes Middlesbrough as a defender, making 156 League appearances over nearly five seasons (helping them win promotion to the Football League Second Division in 1987 and First Division in 1988), with a seven-game loan spell at Darlington in 1985, before he moved to Manchester United on 29 August 1989 for £2.3 million, by which time Middlesbrough were back in the Second Division after relegation.
It was the national record for a defender at the time, as well as being the highest fee between British clubs and the second highest fee to be paid by a British club – second only to Ian Rush's return to Liverpool from Juventus a year earlier.
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Gary Stevens
Gary Michael Stevens (born in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England, 27 March 1963) is a retired English footballer who is best remembered playing in defence for a successful Everton side of the 1980s, as well as for the England national football team.
A hard-tackling right full back, Stevens advanced through Everton's youth ranks as manager Howard Kendall steadily built a new young side to rival their great foes Liverpool, who were winning trophies and dominating the English game while Everton had been without a domestic honour since 1970.
Stevens made his Everton debut in 1982 and settled into the senior game quickly during the second half of the 1981–82 season as Kendall's otherwise ageing side struggled to make an impact on their rivals and on the top flight in general during the first couple of years after Kendall's appointment in 1981. However, with a few astute signings and one or two more graduates from the ranks, Everton reached the FA Cup final in 1984, having already lost to their great rivals in the League Cup final earlier in the season.
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George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. In 1968 he won the European Cup with United, and was named the European Footballer of the Year and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year. He is described by the national team's governing body, the Irish Football Association, as the "greatest player to ever pull on the green shirt of Northern Ireland".
Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Best began his club career in England with Manchester United, who had spotted his talent at the age of 15. He went on to see success with United scoring 179 goals from 470 appearances over 11 years. His playing style combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders. Best unexpectedly quit United relatively early in 1974 at age 27, but returned to football for a number of clubs around the world in short spells, until finally retiring in 1983, age 37. In international football, he was an automatic choice when fit, being capped 37 times and scoring nine goals from 1964 to 1977, although the team's performance never allowed his talent to be displayed in the finals of a European Championship or World Cup.
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George Holley
George Holley (20 November 1885 – 27 August 1942) was an English professional footballer who spent most of his career as an inside forward with Sunderland, helping them claim the Football League title in 1913. He was also joint top scorer in the First Division in 1911–12 and represented England ten times, scoring eight goals.
Holley was born in Seaham, County Durham and played local football for three different Seaham clubs: Seaham Athletic, Seaham Villa and Wearside League champions Seaham White Star before joining Sunderland in November 1904. Initially, Holley played in the reserves where he was a regular goal-scorer, although he made a scoring debut in the First Division on 27 December 1904 away to Sheffield Wednesday. Following the transfer of Alf Common to Middlesbrough in February 1905, Holley became a first team regular.
In his first few seasons at Roker Park he was over-shadowed as a goal-scorer by Arthur Bridgett, but in 1907–08 he was the club's top-scorer with 24 league goals. On 5 December 1908, Holley scored a hat-trick in a 9–1 victory at St James' Park over bitter local rivals Newcastle United, with the other goals coming from Billy Hogg (another hat-trick), Bridgett (two) and Jackie Mordue. Sunderland finished the 1908–09 season in third place, with Newcastle champions.
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George Robledo
Jorge "George" Robledo Oliver (14 April 1926 – 1 April 1989) was a Chilean professional football player. He played as a striker, and is most notable for his time spent with Newcastle United.
Robledo was born in Iquique, Chile to a Chilean father and an English mother. He emigrated with his family to Brampton, Yorkshire in 1932, at the age of five, due to the instability in Chile at the time [3]. Robledo started his footballing career at Huddersfield Town, playing as a part-time amateur while he earned his money coal mining, though he never managed to break into the first team. He was able to give up the coal mining when he moved to Second Division Barnsley during World War II. First Division Newcastle United signed him on January 27, 1949 for a fee of £26,500. The fee included his brother Ted; Newcastle were only interested in buying George but he refused to move without his brother.
Robledo's league debut for Newcastle came in the 2–0 victory away to Charlton Athletic on February 5, while his first league goal came a month later in the derby match against Sunderland at St James' Park. Newcastle came out of the match 2-1 winners, with Robledo's goal separating the sides, helping to quickly make him a fan favourite. The other Newcastle goal scorer was Jackie Milburn, marking the start of one of the great striking partnerships in Newcastle United's history. Robledo went on to score 5 more goals in the last 12 games of the season.
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Gheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈɡe̯orɡe ˈhad͡ʒi] ( listen); born 5 February 1965 in Săcele) is a former Romanian footballer. He was one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian footballer of all time.Galatasaray fans called him 'Commandante' (The Commander) and the Romanians called him 'Regele' (The King).
Nicknamed "The Maradona of the Carpathians", he is considered a hero in his homeland. He has won his country's "Player of the Year" award six times, and is regarded as one of the best football players of the 20th century.
He played for the Romanian national team in three World Cups in 1990, 1994 and 1998, as well as in three European Football Championships in 1984, 1996 and 2000. He won a total of 125 caps for Romania, being ranked second after Dorinel Munteanu, and scored 35 goals, being ranked first.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Romania by the Romanian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. Hagi is one of the few footballers to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
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Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola, OBE,Ufficiale OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [dʒanˈfranko ˈdzɔla]; born 5 July 1966 in Oliena, Italy) is a retired Italian footballer and manager, who most recently managed West Ham United from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21 under Pierluigi Casiraghi. He spent the first decade of his career playing in Italy, most notably with Napoli, alongside Diego Maradona and Careca, and at Parma, before moving to English side Chelsea, where he was voted Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1997 and Chelsea's greatest ever player. He was capped 35 times for Italy.
Zola signed his first professional contract with Sardinian team Nuorese in 1984. In 1986, he moved to Torres from Sassari, the oldest club in Sardinia, where he spent three seasons. In 1989, he signed for Napoli in Serie A. The young and talented Zola scored two goals as understudy to Diego Maradona as Napoli won the Serie A title in 1990. Maradona would prove to be a big influence on Zola's career. The two would spend hours practising free kicks together after training and Zola later said that "I learned everything from Diego. I used to spy on him every time he trained and learned how to curl a free-kick just like him." He helped Napoli to win the Supercoppa Italiana in 1991 and he made his debut for the Italian national side under coach Arrigo Sacchi in the same year, winning his first cap against Norway in November. In 1993, Zola left Napoli and joined fellow Serie A side Parma. He won the UEFA Cup with Parma and the Italian Cup in 1995. It was with the blue and yellow club that he cemented his reputation as a creative player. Ironically, manager Carlo Ancelotti came to see Zola as a "square peg" unable to fit into his rigid system. Zola was played out of position and ultimately made available for transfer and moved to Chelsea.
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Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE (born 30 December 1937) is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin (1st) and ahead of Dino Zoff (3rd).
Banks was a member of the England national team that won the 1966 World Cup. In March 2004 Pelé listed Banks as one of the 125 greatest living footballers. His most famous moment occurred in the 1970 World Cup against Brazil, where he pulled off a stunning save from a goalbound header from Pelé, which is often regarded as arguably the greatest save ever. Banks' consistent performances in goal led to the re-wording of a common English idiom to "Safe as the Banks of England".
Banks, born in Sheffield, was a careful student of goalkeepers during childhood. Banks played in local colliery football as a boy and was offered an apprenticeship by Chesterfield after initially going to work as a coal bagger and then as a bricklayer on leaving school. After performances in the youth and A teams gained him promotion to the reserves, Banks was posted to Germany with the Royal Signals on National service, winning the Rhine Cup with his regimental team. On his return he was offered a full-time contract by the Chesterfield manager, Teddy Davison.
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Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato (born 8 April 1950 in Malbork) is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, a repeat of the Poles' impressive finish in 1974 in Germany. He is the only Polish player ever to win the Golden boot at a World Cup.
He is best known for his pace.
From 2001 to 2005 Lato, as a member of Democratic Left Alliance, was a senator in Poland. On October 30, 2008 he was elected President of Polish FA.
For Poland, Lato has been capped a record 104 times between 1971 and 1984; he scored 45 goals, which is second-best in national history behind Włodzimierz Lubański. Other than the 1974 World Cup, where he scored seven goals, he also participated in the 1978 and 1982 tournaments. In the 1974 World Cup, he won the Golden Shoe after scoring 7 goals throughout the tournament. In a difficult Group 4, the Poles made an early impression, defeating Argentina by a score of 3–2, with two goals from Lato, the first being scored after just seven minutes of play. Buoyed by that success, Poland then posted the tournament's second largest win with a 7–0 defeat of Haiti (the largest being Yugoslavia's 9–0 demolition of Zaire), with Lato weighing in with another two strikes. In the second round, the Stal Mielec-based striker was even more instrumental, scoring winning goals against Group B rivals Sweden (1–0) and Yugoslavia (2–1). And while even Lato was powerless to prevent an agonising 1–0 defeat by Germany in Frankfurt the in-form marksman was able to propel his team to third place courtesy of the only goal in the play-off victory over Brazil. He was then known as Poland's favorite player. While playing for Poland, he helped them win several titles.
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Guillermo Stábile
Guillermo Stábile (17 January 1905 — 26 December 1966) was an Argentine footballer and manager. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and France. He was the top-scorer of the first 1930 World Cup. As manager, he led Argentina to victory at six South American Championships and the suburban Buenos Aires side Racing Club to three league titles.
Stábile was born in Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires. He began his career with local club Sportivo Metán and from 1920, with Huracán. 1924 he progressed to the first team which played in Argentinas top league, which then still had amateur status. He started out on the right wing but soon evolved as the centre forward of the standard formation. Stábile won many competitions with Huracán, most notably the championships of 1925 and 1928 and the regional trophy Copa Dr. Carlos Ibarguren in 1925.
After capturing the world's attention with his impressive feats in the First World Cup, he was signed by Genoa. He instantly became a fan favourite at Genoa, chalking up a hat-trick on his debut against rivals Bologna. He stayed with the Genoan club for five years, playing 41 games and scoring 16 goals.
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Harry Kewell
Harold "Harry" Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays as a midfielder for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Internationally he has received 55 caps, and scored 16 goals, while playing for the Australian national team. An exceptional dribbler on the wing, also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder and as a second striker, he is often regarded within the media as "Australia's finest football export", despite his career being blighted with injury.
Kewell scored a goal against Croatia which took Australia through to the knockout stages of the 2006 World Cup, the Australian national team's second World Cup. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Australian Professional Footballers' Association. Kewell also has a British passport through his father's heritage. Former Middlesbrough midfielder-turned pundit Robbie Mustoe named Kewell as one of the greatest players he had played against but questioned his consistency after his initial injuries. Former German international Michael Ballack has also highlighted Kewell's ability and inconsistency.
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Hernán Crespo
Hernán Jorge Crespo (born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine footballer who is currently out of contract. Crespo has scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 18 years. His honors include an Olympic Games silver medal, a Copa Libertadores, an English Premier League title and three Scudettos. He was topscorer in the 2000–01 Serie A with 26 goals, while playing for Lazio. Crespo once held the world record in transfer fee, when he was bought by Lazio from Parma in July 2000.
Crespo made his debut with River Plate during the 1993–94 season, scoring 13 goals in 25 league appearances as River Plate won the Apertura league title. In 1996, Crespo helped River win the Copa Libertadores, scoring twice in the home leg of the final in Buenos Aires.
Crespo left River Plate for Parma on 14 August 1996 after he won the silver medal with Argentina at the 1996 Summer Olympics and finished as the top scorer with six goals. He failed to score in his first six months at the club and was routinely booed with head coach Carlo Ancelotti coming in for much criticism for keeping faith with the selection of Crespo. His faith was, however, vindicated: the young Argentine went on to score 12 times in 27 matches in his first Serie A season and Parma finished runners-up to Juventus. The turning point was the standing applause he received for his brace against Calcio in March 1997. Parma won the 1998–99 Italian Cup and he scored the opening goal in Parma's 3–0 UEFA Cup final victory over Olympique de Marseille. He had scored 80 goals in four seasons.
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Hidetoshi Nakata
Hidetoshi Nakata, Cavaliere OSSI (中田 英寿, Nakata Hidetoshi?, born January 22, 1977 in Yamanashi Prefecture), is a retired Japanese football player. He was one of the most famous Asian footballers of his generation.
Nakata began his professional career in 1995 and won the Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year award in 1997 and 1998, the Scudetto with A.S. Roma in 2001, played for Japan in three FIFA World Cup tournaments (1998, 2002 and 2006) and played in the Olympics twice (1996 and 2000). In 2005, he was made the Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, one of Italy's highest honors, for improving the country's image overseas. Nakata has also been involved in fashion, regularly attending runway shows and wearing designer clothing.
Nakata announced his retirement at age 29 on July 3, 2006 after a ten-year career that included seven seasons in the Italian Serie A and a season in the English Premier League. In March 2004, Pelé named Nakata in his FIFA 100, a list of the top living footballers at the time.
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Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born July 11, 1958), popularly nicknamed Pentapichichi, or Hugol, is a Mexican football coach and former striker. He played for four European clubs, including Real Madrid. He was also a member of the Mexico national team, and participated in three World Cups. He is currently manager of Pachuca of the Primera División de México.
As a coach, he won two championships as head coach of the club Pumas de la UNAM and briefly with Club Necaxa, both teams in the Mexican Primera División. He also had a sixteen-month stint with the Mexican national team, but was fired on March 31, 2008. Hugo Sanchez has signed up to start coaching again, now in Europe, for UD Almería [1] from the Spanish First Division starting December 29, in an attempt to save the team from descending to the 2nd Division by the Summer. He has succeeded in keeping UD Almeria free from relegation from La Liga for the 2009–2010 season.
In 1999, the IFFHS voted him the 26th best footballer of the 20th century, and the best footballer from the CONCACAF region.
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Ian Callaghan
Ian Robert Callaghan MBE (born 10 April 1942 in Toxteth, Liverpool) is a former Liverpool footballer who holds the record for most appearances for the club.
A Liverpool supporter as a child, Callaghan joined the club as an apprentice on 28 March 1960 and made his debut on 16 April in a 4-0 win against Bristol Rovers at Anfield.
A right-winger, Callaghan was a regular in the team from 1961 onwards. The club was promoted from the Second Division as champions in 1962 under the management of Bill Shankly, having spent spent eight years in the second tier and coming close to promotion on occasion under both Shankly and previous manager Phil Taylor. Callaghan appeared twenty three times that season and also managed to score his first goal for the club which came in the 56th minute of the game against Preston North End at Deepdale on 4 November 1961.
Callaghan became a major part of the side which finished 8th in their first season back in Division One. The following year, 1963-64, Liverpool won the League championship by four points over north-west rivals Manchester United and five over Merseyside rivals and reigning league champions Everton.
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Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, (born 20 October 1961 in Flint) is a Welsh former footballer. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Wrexham and Sydney Olympic. Rush made 73 appearances for the Wales national football team and he remains the record goalscorer for Wales with 28 goals between 1980 and 1996.
Since retiring as a player in 1999, Rush has had a stint as manager of Chester City (2004–05), and has worked as a television football pundit. He was also very well known for his moustache.
Rush's reputation was enhanced by scoring for Chester in a shock 2–0 FA Cup third round win at Second Division giants Newcastle United in January 1980, with Chester equalling their best run by reaching the last 16 where they narrowly lost to Ipswich Town two rounds later. His last game for Chester was a 2–1 win over Southend United at Sealand Road on 26 April 1980 in which he did not score.
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Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a former English professional footballer turned television and radio personality and currently part-time first-team coach of Milton Keynes Dons
Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major domestic trophies, and the European Cup Winners Cup. He played 581 league games, scoring 387 goals for seven clubs in Scotland and England and earned 33 caps for the English national team.
He also played in the Premier League for West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, the Scottish Premier League for Celtic and the Football League for Burnley.
After retiring from the game he has been active in the media, usually in football related TV and radio shows. His son, Bradley and stepson, Shaun are both professional footballers.
Wright came to professional football relatively late. Despite having had trials at Southend United and Brighton during his teens, he was unable to attract sufficient interest to win a professional contract offer. Reverting to playing for amateur and non-league teams, he was left disillusioned about his chances of a career as a professional footballer.
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Iván Zamorano
Iván Luis Zamorano Zamora (born January 18, 1967 in Santiago) is a retired Chilean football striker. Along with Marcelo Salas and Elias Figueroa he is regarded as one of Chile's most recognized footballers.
He was a member of the Chilean national team and played in the 1998 World Cup. He played for several clubs, notably Spanish clubs Sevilla and Real Madrid C.F. as well as Italian club Internazionale. He won the 1994-95 La Liga title and was the season's top scorer with Real Madrid. He also won the UEFA Cup with Internazionale.
In 2004, Zamorano was selected among the FIFA 100, a list of the best living football players in the world compiled by Pelé.
Zamorano started his career at the club Trasandino then he moved to Cobresal in Chile in 1985. In 1988, he moved to Europe to Swiss team FC St. Gallen, scoring 34 goals in 56 matches in three seasons. In 1991 Zamorano debuted in the Spanish Primera División with Sevilla, where he would play 59 matches and score 21 goals before he was sold to Real Madrid for $5 million.
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Jack Bowers
John William Anslow "Jack" Bowers (22 February 1908 – 4 July 1970) was an English footballer, who was twice the top scorer in the Football League and made three appearances for England.
Bowers was born in Low Santon, near Scunthorpe and, after playing for Scunthorpe works side Appleby Works, started his professional career with Scunthorpe & Lindsey United in December 1927. Five months later, he was transferred to Derby County, where he was to remain until 1936.
He was signed for Derby County by manager George Jobey on 5 May 1928, on the same day as future England international Jack Barker. He made his debut in a 2–1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Baseball Ground on 2 February 1929 and celebrated his first appearance by scoring.
It was not until the 1930–31 season that Bowers was to become a regular selection at centre forward after the transfer of Harry Bedford to Newcastle United. His first match in this season came against Arsenal, which launched Bowers on the way to breaking the club's goal-scoring record. Having sat out the first nine matches of the season, Bowers scored 37 goals in the remaining 33 matches, including four in one game against Chelsea when the Rams beat the Londoners 6–2. He scored 15 goals in a run of six consecutive matches in January and February 1931. This magnificent spell of goal-scoring was the main reason why Derby reached sixth place and, for most of the season, were sitting on the edge of the leading pack. Bowers holds Derby County's record for the number of League goals in a season (37), although this was equalled by Ray Straw in the Third Division North campaign of 1956–57.
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Jack Southworth
John (Jack) Southworth (born in Blackburn on 11 December 1866, died 16 October 1956), was a footballer who played in the early days of professional football for Blackburn Rovers and Everton as well as being capped three times for England. He was the top scorer in the Football League in 1890–91 and 1893–94.
He began his football career at the age of 12 when he helped form a junior club named Inkerman Rangers. He later played for Brookhouse Perseverance, which was a nursery side for Blackburn Olympic. Southworth was promoted to the Olympic second team in 1883–84. His ability was quickly recognized by the committee at Olympic and he was made captain of the second team and first reserve when there was a vacancy in the first team. It was at this time that he rejected the first approach by Blackburn Rovers to join them.
Whilst guesting in a match for Accrington he received a serious knee injury which threatened his career. Having lost some of his mobility he turned his hand to goalkeeping and became the first team goalkeeper with Blackburn Olympic. After playing on the losing side in the final of the Lancashire Cup against Blackburn Rovers in 1885, he received a serious injury to his other knee again whilst playing as a guest, this time for Vale of Lune. The following year he signed professional terms with Chester despite his knee problems. At recently formed Chester, he scored their first ever goal against their local rivals Wrexham Olympic in 1886.
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Jack Walker
Jack Walker (19 May 1929 – 17 August 2000) was a British industrialist and businessman, from Blackburn, Lancashire. Walker invested tens of millions of pounds in Blackburn Rovers Football Club after amassing a personal fortune of £600 million. He moved to St Helier, Jersey to become a tax exile in 1974. He also funded the Jersey Rugby Club and First Tower Football Club
The youngest of three children, he was born into a working class family in Blackburn and left school at 13. After leaving school Walker worked as a sheet metal worker and a conscript craftsman in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers before taking over the family business with his brother, Fred Walker after the death of their father in 1951. Together, they transformed Walkersteel from a back-street scrap metal business started by their father after the war into a steel stockholding concern. By 1990 they had built up the business so successfully that it had become the largest steel stockholder in Britain, employing 3,400 people at 50 sites. In 1956 the turnover was £46,000. In 1988 the business was making an annual profit of £48m. The Walker brothers bought GKN and then sold it to British Steel for a reported £360m, the highest price ever paid for a private company at the time.
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Javier Saviola
Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández (born 11 December 1981) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a striker.
Known for his speed, he represented both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid during his career (amongst others), and was named, as the youngest player, to Pelé's FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers. Due to his Spanish ancestors, he also holds Spanish nationality since 2004.
An Argentine international in the 2000s, Saviola represented the country at the 2006 World Cup and the 2004 Copa América.
Nicknamed El Conejo (The Rabbit), Buenos Aires-born Saviola made his debut for Club Atlético River Plate at the age of 16, and went on to be a prolific goalscorer for the club.
He helped River to the 1999 Apertura and 2000 Clausura championships, and earned the 1999 South American Footballer of the Year award. Still only 18, he gained a reputation as a phenomenal prospect.
In 2001, aged 19, Saviola moved abroad to play for FC Barcelona in a £15 million transfer. He obtained Spanish citizenship shortly after, thereby not being restricted by the Spanish league maximum on the number of non-European Union citizens allowed in each club. Under coach Louis van Gaal, he scored 17 goals in his first season, finishing third best scorer in La Liga.
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Jay-Jay Okocha
Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha (born 14 August 1973 in Enugu) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. Okocha is due to play in the newly formed Indian Soccer League in March 2012 and is up for auction for £351,000. He is known for his stepovers, skill, technique, and being 'so good that they named him twice' (a line immortalised in a terrace chant while Okocha played for Bolton Wanderers). While playing at Süper Lig team Fenerbahçe, he became a Turkish citizen as "Muhammet Yavuz".
Okocha's "Jay-Jay" name was actually passed down from his older brother James, who started playing football first. His immediate older brother Emmanuel was also called Emma Jay-jay, but the name stuck with Augustine. Okocha first began playing football on the street just like many other football stars, usually with a makeshift ball. Jay Jay Okocha was born in Enugu, Nigeria to Mr. & Mrs Okocha of Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Nigeria. In an interview with BBC Sport he said "as far as I can remember, we used to play with anything, with any round thing we could find, and whenever we managed to get hold of a ball, that was a bonus! I mean it was amazing!" Known for making the move,"Sombrero Flick." In 1990 he joined Enugu Rangers. In his time at the club he produced many spectacular displays including one where he rounded off and scored a goal, against experienced Nigerian goalkeeper William Okpara in a match against BCC Lions. Later he travelled to Germany to meet a friend, where he was asked to train with his team after impressing in training, and landed a deal with German Third Division side Borussia Neunkirchen.
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Jeff Astle
Jeffrey "Jeff" Astle (13 May 1942 – 19 January 2002) was an English footballer. He played 361 games for West Bromwich Albion, scoring 174 goals, and was one of the most iconic players in the history of the club. He also won five caps for England, but did not score any goals. He was an iconic figure among Albion fans, who nicknamed him "The King".
Born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire (in the same street, or so he claimed, as D. H. Lawrence), Astle turned professional with Notts County F.C. when he was 17. His style was that of a classic centre forward; he was a protegé of the great Tommy Lawton. In 1964 he signed for West Brom for a fee of £25,000. Of his 174 goals for the Baggies, the most notable was probably the only goal in the 1968 FA Cup final, with which he completed the feat of scoring in every round of the competition.
Two years later, Astle scored in Albion's 2-1 defeat by Manchester City in the League Cup final, becoming the first player to score in the finals of both of the major English cup competitions at Wembley. He had already scored in the first leg of the 1966 League Cup Final four years previously, however that was at West Ham United's Boleyn Ground.
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Jermain Defoe
Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team.
Defoe began his career with Charlton Athletic, joining their youth team at age fourteen, before moving to West Ham United aged sixteen, and rising through the ranks. He made his professional debut for West Ham in 2000, and after a season-long loan spell at Bournemouth during the 2000–01 season, established himself in the West Ham lineup. A move to Tottenham in 2004 soon followed, and Defoe also spent a year at Portsmouth after he was deemed surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane. He has since returned to Tottenham in the January 2009 transfer window. Defoe made his England debut in 2004 and as of March 2011, has made 46 appearances, scoring 15 goals.
Defoe is widely considered as one of the most clinical finishers in England, with an exceptional scoring rate, especially in cup competitions, scoring 40 goals in 63 games.
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Jimmy Adamson
James "Jimmy" Adamson (4 April 1929 – 8 November 2011) was an English professional footballer and football manager. He was born in Ashington, Northumberland. He made 476 appearances for Burnley ranking him sixth in their all-time appearance list.
Adamson, a right-half, joined Burnley in January 1947 after playing non-league football in his native Ashington and working as a miner. His early career was interrupted by National Service, which he completed with the Royal Air Force, meaning his debut had to wait until February 1951, when Burnley played away to Bolton Wanderers. He played once for the England B team, but never made the full England side.
He was an ever-present as Burnley won the 1959-60 Football League Championship and captained the side to the 1962 FA Cup Final which they lost against Tottenham Hotspur. He was also named Footballer of the Year in 1962.
Adamson formed a midfield partnership with inside-forward Jimmy McIlroy, around which much of Burnley's creative play was centred.
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Jimmy Glazzard
Jim Glazzard (born 23 April 1923 in Normanton, Yorkshire - 1995) was a professional footballer, who spent most of his career at Huddersfield Town, where he became a fans' favourite. After playing as an amateur for Altofts Colliery he signed for the club in October 1943 and played his first game for the first team in the Wartime League (North) in the same month. His first game after the resumption of the Football League was in August 1946 and his last was in April 1956. Apart from one season (1952–53) Huddersfield were in the First Division of the Football League throughout this period.
After being used in various positions in midfield and attack he settled into his most effective position, at centre forward. Although of relatively slight build compared to, say, Nat Lofthouse he was top scorer for the club on six occasions and joint top scorer in the First Division with 29 goals in 1953-54. He was an outstanding header of the ball and his most memorable achievement was heading four goals [1] in an 8-2 victory over Everton in April 1953, all four coming from crosses from the left wing by Vic Metcalfe.
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Jimmy Greaves
James Peter "Jimmy" Greaves (born 20 February 1940 in Manor Park, East Ham, England) is an English former football player, England's third highest international goalscorer, the highest goalscorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspur football club, the highest goalscorer in the history of English top flight football and more recently a television pundit - famous for his trademark catchphrase it's a funny old game. He is considered to be one of the finest goalscorers of his generation.[citation needed]
Greaves scored on his debut for Chelsea in 1957. He finished as top League goalscorer twice whilst at Chelsea, in 1959 and 1961, and his 41 league goals in the 1960-61 season remains a club record. However, they did not win any major trophies while he was playing for them.
In 1960 he became the youngest player to score 100 league goals in English football, at the age of 20 years 290 days.
He briefly joined the Italian side A.C. Milan in 1961, after reportedly turning down a huge offer from Newcastle United and scored ten goals in 10 games, but he failed to settle and left after only a few months. Bill Nicholson then signed him for Tottenham Hotspur for £99,999. The unusual fee was intended to relieve Greaves of the pressure of being the first £100,000 player. Greaves however has rejected this, claiming Nicholson did not want to be the first manager to sign a player for £100,000. [3]
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Jimmy Settle
Jimmy Settle was an English professional footballer. A fast-paced inside or outside right, he could have chosen sprinting if he had not taken up football.
Settle played for Bolton and Bury before joining Everton in 1899, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1906. Settle was Football League Division One's leading goalscorer for the 1901-02 season with 18 goals, the lowest of the highest totals achieved in the English top-flight to date. In 1908 Settle was sold to Stockport County, his final club before retiring from football.
Settle represented England 6 times between 1899 and 1903, playing in the British Home Championship against the other Home Nations, scoring 6 times, including a hat-trick against Ireland in February 1899. Settle scored England's only goal in the match against Scotland in April 1902 which was expunged from the records and replayed as a result of the Ibrox disaster which occurred during the game. Settle's goal in this match is not included in his international record.
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Jimmy Trotter
Jimmy Trotter was a football player and, later, manager.
Trotter's playing career began with Bury from where he joined The Wednesday in 1923. He scored 108 times, including five in one game against Portsmouth, in 150 league matches before joining Torquay United in 1930. During his tenure in The Wednesday he was the leading goalscorer of the Second Division in the season 1925–26 and in the First Division in the season 1926–27. During both seasons he scored 37 goals in the league.
Trotter scored 26 goals in his first season at Plainmoor before losing his place due to a knee injury. He moved to Watford in the 1932–33 season but retired as a player after only a few games.
Trotter had originally joined Charlton as a trainer twenty two years earlier under Jimmy Seed, but after Seed's sacking he was appointed manager in 1956, although he was unable to prevent relegation that season in 1957. In the following season saw the extraordinary match against Huddersfield Town F.C. at The Valley on 21 December 1957. Charlton played most of the match with 10 men after their captain Derek Ufton was injured, and Huddersfield were leading 5–1 with just 27 minutes remaining. At that point, Johnny Summers began an extraordinary passage of play in which he scored five goals and assisted with two others to allow Charlton to win 7–6. Huddersfield become the first, and still the only, team to score six goals in an English Football League match - or indeed any other professional football match - and still be on the losing side. Trotter came close to taking the Addicks back into the top flight that season, but lost 4–3 to Blackburn Rovers on the final day of the season, when a draw would have seen Charlton promoted.
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Joe Mercer
Joseph 'Joe' Mercer, OBE (9 August 1914 – 9 August 1990) was an English football player and manager.
Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer, also named Joe. Joe Mercer senior died, following health problems resulting from a gas attack during the Great War, while his son was only 12. In later life, after his footballing career was over, Joe Mercer junior became a regular attendee at Tranmere Rovers due to his father's involvement.
Joe Mercer, a left-half, first played for Ellesmere Port Town. He was a powerful tackler and good at anticipating an opponent's moves. He joined Everton in September 1932 at the age of 18 and claimed a regular first team place in the 1935–36 season. Mercer made 186 appearances for Everton, scoring two goals and a winning a League Championship medal in the 1938–39 season. While playing for Everton he gained five England caps between 1938 and 1939.
Like many players of his generation, Mercer lost out on seven seasons of football due to the Second World War. He became a sergeant-major and played in 26 wartime internationals, many of them as captain. The Everton manager Theo Kelly accused Mercer of not trying in an international against Scotland, but in reality Mercer had sustained a severe cartilage injury. Even after consulting an orthopaedic specialist, the Everton management refused to believe him and Mercer had to pay for the surgery himself. During the war Mercer guested for Chester, making his debut in a 4–1 win over Halifax Town in September 1942.
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Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON (Dutch: [ˈjoˑɦɑn ˈkrœy̆f]) born 25 April 1947 in Amsterdam), known as Johan Cruyff, is a former Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with Michel Platini, Marco van Basten and Lionel Messi. Cruyff was one of the most famous exponents of the football philosophy known as Total Football explored by Rinus Michels, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in association football.
After his retirement from playing in 1984, Cruyff became highly successful as manager of Ajax and later FC Barcelona; he remains an influential advisor to both clubs. His son Jordi has also gone on to play football professionally.
In 1999, Cruyff was voted European Player of the Century in an election held by the IFFHS, and came second behind Pelé in their World Player of the Century poll. He came third in a vote organised by the French weekly magazine France Football consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect their Football Player of the Century. He was named as the greatest football player of all time by the Bleacher Report for the combination of his skill and his revolutionary application of Rinus Michels's total football to the sport.
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John Aldridge
John William Aldridge (born 18 September 1958 Liverpool, England) is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football manager. He was a prolific record-breaking striker best known for his productive time with Liverpool in the late 1980s, and for being the first man to have a penalty kick saved in a Wembley FA Cup Final.
Although a significant period of his career was spent in the English non-league and in Spain, his tally of 330 league goals still makes him the 6th top goalscorer in the history of English league football.
Aldridge took a long time to reach the top of the game. He began his career in the mid-1970s at non-league South Liverpool, before getting his break in the professional game when, aged 20, he signed for Newport County on 2 May 1979 for £3,500.
When at Somerton Park, "Aldo", as he came to be known, played 198 times scoring 87 goals, a goal every 2¼ games, including a respectable 7 goals in just 12 FA Cup matches. He partnered Tommy Tynan and Dave Gwyther for four years at Somerton Park, helping Newport to promotion from the Fourth Division and into the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.
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John Charles
William John Charles, CBE (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004), commonly known as John Charles, was a Welsh international footballer best remembered for spells with Leeds United and Juventus. Rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Wales, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back. He has since been included in the Football League 100 Legends and was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.
He was never cautioned or sent off during his entire career, due to his philosophy of never kicking or intentionally hurting opposing players. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches, he was nicknamed Il Gigante Buono – The Gentle Giant.
His brother, Mel Charles and nephew Jeremy Charles, also represented Wales.
Charles was born in the Cwmbwrla district of Swansea during late 1931. Charles would play football as a child, with younger brother Mel Charles who also went on to become a professional, later playing alongside each other for the Welsh national team.
While still at school, Charles joined the boys section of the local team Swansea Town, who later became Swansea City. When he left school at age 14, he was taken onto the groundstaff at Vetch Field, yet because of his young age; Third Division Swansea never gave him a first-team call up. His only senior appearances came for the reserve side in the Welsh Football League.
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John Goodall
John Goodall (19 June 1863 – 20 May 1942) was a footballer who rose to fame as a centre-forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903. He also played cricket in the County Championship for Derbyshire in 1895 and 1896, being one of 19 players to achieve the Derbyshire double.
Goodall was born of Scottish parents in Westminster, London, but became an English international footballer. His brother Archie, who was born in Ireland, was capped for Ireland. As such they became the first brothers in history to play for different countries. When he was a child his parents moved to Kilmarnock, where he first learnt the 'Scottish' passing game playing for Kilmarnock Burns and Kilmarnock Athletic. Then he played for Great Lever in Bolton. He was eventually signed by Preston’s chairman and manager, Major William Sudell who had led the struggle for professionalism (once stating that stopping the inevitability of paid footballers was "like trying to stop Niagara with a three-legged stool") and had gathered a group of Scots together at Preston to form one of strongest sides in the country. Sudell gave The Football League its name and was its first treasurer.
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John Terry
John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League. He was also captain of the England national football team, holding the post from August 2006 to February 2010, and from March 2011 to February 2012.
Terry was named UEFA Club Defender of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009.PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005, and was included in the FIFPro World XI for four consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2008. He was also named in the all-star squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the only English player to make the team. He wears the number 26 shirt for Chelsea.
Terry is Chelsea's most successful captain, having led them to three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups since 2004. He is one of five players to have made over 500 appearances for Chelsea and is also the club's all-time highest scoring defender. In 2007, he became the first captain to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium in Chelsea's 1–0 win over Manchester United, and also the first player to score an international goal there, scoring a header in England's 1–1 draw with Brazil.
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John Wark
John Wark (born 4 August 1957) is a Scottish former footballer who spent most of his playing time with Ipswich Town. He won a record four Player of the Year awards before becoming one of the four inaugural members of the club's Hall of Fame. Wark had long spells at the club, which bookended his career, and a third, brief interlude dividing his briefer periods at Liverpool and Middlesbrough. A versatile player, Wark played most of his professional games as a midfielder, although he sometimes played as a central defender and on occasion as a striker.
Born in Glasgow, Wark represented Scotland in international football, winning 29 caps and scoring seven goals. This included selection for Scotland in the 1982 FIFA World Cup in which he made three appearances and scored twice.
During his playing career, Wark appeared in the film Escape to Victory. Since retiring as a professional player in 1996, he has continued to work for Ipswich Town—since April 2009 in the corporate hospitality department. His autobiography, Wark On, was published in 2009.
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Johnny Carey
John Joseph "Johnny" Carey (23 February 1919 in Dublin, Ireland – 22 August 1995 in Macclesfield, England), also known as Jackie Carey, was an Irish footballer and manager. As a player Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 1953. He was also a dual internationalist, playing for and captaining both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. In 1947 he also captained a Europe XI which played a Great Britain XI at Hampden Park. In 1949 he was voted the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and in the same year captained the FAI XI that defeated England 2–0 at Goodison Park, becoming the first non-UK team to beat England at home. Carey was also the first non-UK player and the first Irishman to captain a winning team in both an FA Cup Final and the First Division. Like his contemporary Con Martin, Carey was an extremely versatile footballer and played in nine different positions throughout his career. He even played in goal for United on one occasion.
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Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Stephen Ross, OBE (born 17 November 1960) is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross began hosting a new chat show on ITV1 starting 3 September 2011. Ross also hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2, and acted as a film critic and presenter of the Film programme. Other regular roles have included being a regular panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over from 1999 to 2006, and presenting the annual British Comedy Awards from 1991 to 2007, and 2009 onwards.
Ross began his television career as a programme researcher, before débuting as a television presenter for The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross on Channel 4 in 1987. Over the next decade he had several radio and television roles, many through his own production company, Channel X. In 1995 he sold his stake in Channel X, and embarked on a career with the BBC. In 1999, Ross took over presenting the Film programme from Barry Norman, and also began presenting his own radio show, while two years later he began hosting Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. For the chat show, Ross won three British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for Best Entertainment Performance, in 2004, 2006 and 2007. By 2006 Ross was believed to be the BBC's highest paid star. In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to broadcasting. Ross has been involved in controversies throughout his broadcasting career. As a result, in 2008 he wrote a semi-autobiographical work titled Why Do I Say These Things?, detailing some of his life experiences.
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Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón (born 9 March 1975) is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División. Verón's career started in Estudiantes, continued in Argentina's Boca Juniors, and included stints in several Serie A clubs (where he won the Scudetto with Lazio and with Internazionale, and a UEFA Cup with Parma), and England's Manchester United and Chelsea. In 2006, Verón returned to Estudiantes.
In 2004, he was included in the FIFA 100 centenary list of the 125 greatest living footballers, selected by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. Verón has both Argentine and Italian citizenship. His nickname is La Brujita (Little Witch), a nod to his father Juan Ramón who was known as La Bruja (The Witch) and was also a championship winning player with Estudiantes.
Juan Sebastián Verón is the eldest son of former Argentina striker Juan Ramón Verón, who scored against Manchester United in the 1968 Intercontinental Cup at Old Trafford for Estudiantes. He was born the day his father played a derby for Estudiantes against cross-town rivals Gimnasia y Esgrima. As a boy, Verón dreamed of playing for English club Sheffield United, as his uncle, Pedro Verde, played for the club at the time. When his son started to play professionally, his father tried to persuade one of his former clubs Panathinaikos to sign him. However, after a short trial with them, they finally decided that he was not good enough for their team. After his transfer to Manchester United, Verón said, "So there I was hoping to play for Sheffield United and here I am at Manchester United!"
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Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann (born 30 July 1964 in Göppingen) is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States men's National team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that won the 1996 UEFA European Championship. One of West Germany's/Germany's premier strikers during the 1990s, Klinsmann scored in all six major international tournaments he participated, from Euro 1988 to 1998 World Cup.
He managed the German national team to a third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup. On 12 July 2006, Klinsmann officially announced that he would step down as Germany's coach after two years in charge and be replaced by assistant coach Joachim Löw. He took over as coach of Bayern Munich in July 2008, when Ottmar Hitzfeld stepped down to take over as the head coach of the Swiss National Team. On 27 April 2009 he was released early, even though he had won five of the previous seven league games and was only three points behind league leader VfL Wolfsburg. In the jointly initiated reforms at Bayern it emerged there was a severe clash of opinions between coach and club management.
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Keith Curle
Keith Curle (born 14 November 1963 in Bristol) is an English former professional footballer and manager of Football League One side Notts County.
As a player he was a defender from 1981 to 2005, notably playing in the Premier League for Manchester City where he was also the club captain. He also played for Bristol Rovers, Torquay United, Bristol City, Reading, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Barnsley. He became player-manager of Mansfield Town in 2002, where he remained until 2005, later becoming manager of Chester City and Torquay United.
Curle began his career at hometown club Bristol Rovers, for whom he made a goalscoring debut on 29 August 1981 in the (old) Third Division against Chester. He left two seasons later to join Torquay for £5,000 but remained at Plainmoor only for four months before returning to his native city, this time with Bristol City.
The Robins won promotion from the fourth tier at the end of the 1983/84 season soon after Curle's arrival. He remained with the club for three full seasons in the third flight, amassing 128 appearances in total. He finally left Ashton Gate to join Reading for £150,000 in October 1987.
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Kenneth Wolstenholme
Kenneth Wolstenholme DFC & Bar (17 July 1920 – 25 March 2002) was the football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s, most notable for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup which included the famous phrase "some people are on the pitch...they think it's all over....it is now!", as Geoff Hurst scored England's fourth goal.
Wolstenholme was born in Worsley, Lancashire. His family were primitive Methodists and his brother attended Elmfield College. He attended Farnworth Grammar School, where Alan Ball, Jr. (on whom Wolstenholme commentated in the 1966 World Cup Final) was also a pupil some years later.
Wolstenholme started his career as a journalist with a newspaper in Manchester, before joining the RAF, and from 1941 onwards flew 100 missions over Germany and won the DFC and bar as a bomber pilot. Based at RAF Great Massingham in Norfolk, he flew Blenheims with 107 Sqn, before joining Bomber Command's 8 Group Pathfinders flying Mosquitos.
After the war, he became a freelance journalist, working for BBC radio before moving to television in 1948.
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Kenny Burns
Kenneth "Kenny" Burns (born 23 September 1953) is a former Scotland international footballer, most famous for his time with Nottingham Forest, where he played a vital role in their European Cup successes.
Burns was born in Glasgow, and started his career with Rangers as an apprentice but left for Birmingham City aged 17, in 1971. He arrived at the Blues as a defender, but was converted to striker after Bob Latchford left in 1974, and earned the first of his 20 international caps in that role soon afterwards. However, after joining Nottingham Forest for £150,000 in 1977, he was converted back into a central defender by Brian Clough and Peter Taylor.
Burns proved a great success in his new role and was voted FWA Footballer of the Year in 1977-78, as Forest won the First Division title. He was an influential figure in the side's European Cup campaigns over the next three seasons, his defensive partnership with Larry Lloyd instrumental to Forest's victory in the 1979 and 1980 tournaments. He also managed to score in the second leg of the 1979 UEFA Super Cup final victory against Barcelona. At one time he was renowned for his 'wild man' image and while maintaining an aggressive nature, he also possessed a shrewd football brain and was always likely to score vital goals.
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Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish (Scottish pronunciation: [dɛlɡliːʃ]) MBE (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former footballer and manager. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two clubs, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is Scotland's most capped player, with 102 appearances, and joint leading goal scorer, with 30 international goals. Dalglish was voted PFA Player of the Year for the 1982–83 season, and Football Writers' Footballer of the Year in 1979 and 1983. In 2009 FourFourTwo magazine named Dalglish as the greatest striker in post-war British football, and in 2006 he topped a Liverpool fans' poll of "100 Players Who Shook the Kop". He has been inducted into both the Scottish and English football Halls of Fame.
Dalglish began his career with Celtic and between 1971 and 1977 he won four Scottish First Division titles, four Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup with the club. In 1977, Bob Paisley paid a British transfer record of £440,000 to bring Dalglish to Liverpool. His years at Liverpool marked one of the club's most successful periods: he won seven league titles, three European Cups and five domestic trophies. For these achievements and his style of play he was given the name King Kenny by Liverpool supporters. Dalglish became player-manager of Liverpool in 1985 and in a six-year tenure won three league titles and two FA Cups. He resigned as Liverpool manager in 1991.
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Kerry Dixon
Kerry Michael Dixon (born 24 July 1961, in Luton) is a retired English professional footballer who played most notably for Chelsea and England.
A tall and athletic striker who had pace, an impressive heading ability and was effective with both feet, Dixon started out as an apprentice with Tottenham Hotspur but was released before ever playing for the club.
After spells with Chesham United and Dunstable, he got his first taste of League football with Reading, who signed him for £20,000 in 1980. He scored 51 league goals in 116 appearances for the then Third Division club, including four in a 7–5 defeat at Doncaster Rovers in September 1982.
After his Reading days, Dixon signed with Chelsea in August 1983 by manager John Neal. Chelsea chairman, Ken Bates initially hesitated when faced with the £150,000 transfer fee plus an additional £25,000 if Dixon ever played for the England national side, but relented and the deal went ahead. Dixon arrived as part of Neal's radical re-building of the side and was joined in the same summer by Pat Nevin, Nigel Spackman, Joe McLaughlin and Eddie Niedzwiecki.
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Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE (born 14 February 1951) is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United.
As a player in the 1970s and 1980s, he has been described as "arguably the first superstar English player to attract the modern media spotlight". He began his playing career at Scunthorpe United in 1968, before moving to Liverpool of Division One in 1971. At Liverpool, Keegan won three First Division titles, two UEFA Cups, one FA Cup and the European Cup. He also gained his first England cap in 1972, and moved to German top-flight club Hamburger SV in the summer of 1977. At Hamburg he was crowned European Footballer of the Year in both 1978 and 1979, won the Bundesliga title in 1978–79, and reached the European Cup final the following year. Keegan moved to Southampton that summer, and spent two seasons at the club before a transfer to second-tier Newcastle United in 1982. He helped Newcastle to promotion in his second season, and retired from football in 1984, having been capped 63 times for England, scoring 21 goals.
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Lee Dixon
Lee Michael Dixon (born 17 March 1964) is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.
He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once.
Dixon currently works for the BBC's Match of the Day (as well as MotD 2 and 3) as a football pundit and writes a corresponding column for their website. At the time of his retirement, he had played at 91 out of the 92 Football League grounds – every one except Fulham F.C.'s Craven Cottage.
Dixon was a boyhood Manchester City supporter. He began his professional playing career in the lower divisions. On leaving school in 1980, he joined Burnley as an apprentice in 1980, turning professional in 1982, then signed for Chester City (where he experienced finishing bottom of the whole Football League in 1983–84), Bury and later Stoke City.
Dixon was signed by Arsenal boss George Graham in January 1988 following the departure of England right back, Viv Anderson, to Manchester United. This was the first time that Dixon had played in the First Division.
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Lee Hurst
Lee Hurst (born 1962) is an English stand-up comedian. He is perhaps best known as a panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over, where he was a regular from 1995 to 1998.
In 1999, Hurst was voted no. 48 in Company magazine's "100 Millennium Men" – tagged as a list of 'The Sexiest Men of the Century'.
In 2003, he was considering standing as a candidate in the 2004 London mayoral election. One of the factors behind his decision was a proposed redevelopment, which would have seen his club demolished.
After his comedy club, Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club, closed in November 2007, it since reopened under the name The FymFygBar, with Hurst compèring most Saturday evenings. Lee Hurst also had a brief stint as the resident compère of Southend-on-Sea based 'Funny Bunnys Comedy Club.'
The website chortle.co.uk reported in May 2010 that the club may be demolished and rebuilt as part of a new development proposed by Travelodge hotel chain.
Hurst suffers from a severe form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis, a hereditary condition which causes acute back and joint pain.
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Lee Mack
Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968) is an English stand-up comedian and actor, known by the stage name Lee Mack. He is well known in the United Kingdom for writing and starring in the sitcom Not Going Out, for being a team captain on Would I Lie to You? and for hosting Lee Mack's All Star Cast.
Mack was born on 4 August 1968 and lived in Southport, then in Lancashire and now in Merseyside, above a pub until he was 12 when his parents separated and he moved to Blackburn, Lancashire. He went to Birkdale County Junior School and Stanley High School. After leaving school he worked in a bingo hall and as a stableboy. After working at the stable for three days he asked if he could try and ride a horse; the trainer agreed and the first horse he ever rode was Red Rum. After that, Mack became a blue coat for Pontin's at Hemsby near Great Yarmouth. After appearing on stage drunk one night, and calling an audience member a "cunt", he was sacked from the Hemsby team, and did six months at Pontins in Morecambe. Mack admitted during an interview to having a massive fear of flying.
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Leonel Sánchez
Leonel Guillermo Sánchez Lineros (born April 25, 1936 in Santiago de Chile) is a former professional football player.
Regarded as one of Chile's most important players, Sánchez holds the record for most games played for Chile with 84 games and 23 goals between 1955 and 1968. Mundial scorer of 62 in Chile.
Sanchez was the son of a professional boxer.
He played at left midfield for over 20 years between 1953 and 1973. 17 of those 20 were for Universidad de Chile, where he was the icon of the Ballet Azul (Blue Ballet), a team that won 6 national championships between 1959 and 1969.
Four of his 23 international goals were at the 1962 World Cup, where he was the top scorer along with five other players. In that World Cup he also knocked out the Italian player Mario David with a hook in a dispute in the infamous Chile - Italy match.
Sánchez remained in Universidad de Chile, although he received numerous offers from well known European clubs such as AC Milan. In 1969, after a contract rule was settled, Universidad de Chile was forced to sell him. He finished his career playing for different Chilean clubs such as Colo-Colo, Palestino and Ferroviarios.
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Les Ferdinand
Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE (born 8 December 1966 in Paddington, London) is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Beşiktaş, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England. He became the first player to score for 6 different Premier League clubs.
He is the cousin of current Premier League players Rio and Anton Ferdinand and his son Aaron currently plays for Harrow Borough in the Isthmian League. He also has a daughter, Lauren. Popularly nicknamed Sir Les, he was made an MBE in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours.
On 5 November 2008 Ferdinand joined fellow ex-Spur Tim Sherwood on the coaching staff of Tottenham Hotspur, utilising his experience to work with the strikers.
Ferdinand is the joint fifth highest scorer of all time in the Premier League with 149 goals.
Ferdinand started his career in non-league football, first at AEL (a KOPA Cypriot team in England) then to Southall then moving to Hayes. He was spotted by Queens Park Rangers and moved there for £30,000.
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Leônidas da Silva
Leônidas da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [leˈõnidɐz dɐ ˈsiwvɐ]; born Rio de Janeiro, 6 September 1913 – died, Cotia, 24 January 2004) was an association footballer and commentator. He is regarded to be one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. He played for Brazil in two World Cups, and was the top scorer of the 1938 World Cup.
He was known as the "Black Diamond", and as the "Rubber Man" – due to his elasticity. He is known for having created the bicycle kick.
Leônidas, born in Rio de Janeiro, started his career at São Cristóvão. In 1931 and in 1932, he played for Bonsucesso.
He joined Peñarol in Uruguay in 1933. After one year, he came back to Brazil to play for Vasco da Gama. He helped them win the Rio State Championship. After playing in the World Cup in 1934 he joined Botafogo and won another Rio State Championship in 1935. On the following year, he joined Flamengo, where he stayed until 1941. Once again, in 1939, he won Rio State Championship. He also fought prejudice, being one of the first black players to join the then-elitist Flamengo team.
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Liam Brady
Liam Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former association football player, and former assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team.
In his playing days, Brady was a midfielder renowned for his elegant technical skills, most notably his left foot, and his high-quality passing and close control. He found success both with Arsenal (one FA Cup title) and Juventus (two Serie A titles), and won 72 caps for the Republic of Ireland national football team.
Brady is now head of Youth Development at Arsenal, and is a frequent television pundit with RTÉ Sport.
Born in Dublin, Brady started his career at Arsenal, moving to London to join the side on schoolboy forms in 1971, at the age of 15. He turned professional on his 17th birthday in 1973, and made his debut on 6 October 1973 against Birmingham City as a substitute for Jeff Blockley, and put in an assured performance. However his next match, in a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, Brady had a poor match, and Arsenal manager Bertie Mee decided from then on to use the young Irishman sparingly for the time being. Brady ended the 1973–74 season with 13 appearances (four of them as substitute) to his name.
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Linford Christie
Linford Cicero Christie OBE (born 2 April 1960) is a former sprinter from the United Kingdom. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. He was the first European to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m and still holds the British record in the event. He is a former world indoor record holder over 200 metres, and a former European record holder in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay. With 23 major championship medals including 10 gold medals, he is the most decorated British male athlete.
Christie's track career was ended when he received a two-year ban for taking a performance-enhancing substance, although he has always denied any wrongdoing. Since his retirement he has focused on coaching, helping Katharine Merry and Darren Campbell to Olympic medals, and his sports management company, "Nuff Respect".
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Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Herbert Matthäus German pronunciation: [ˈloːtaɐ̯ maˈtɛːʊs], (born 21 March 1961 in Erlangen, West Germany) is a German football manager and former player.
In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup. One year later, he was also named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year.
He has played in five World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) more than any other outfield player, and holds the record for the most World Cup matches played (25 games). He also won Euro 80, and played in Euro 84, Euro 88, and Euro 2000. In 1999, he was again voted German Footballer of the Year despite being 38 years old. He is the most capped German player of all time, retiring with a total of 150 appearances (83 of them when the team was called West Germany) and 23 goals for the German national team. Matthäus is a member of the FIFA 100 – a list of 125 of the greatest living football players chosen by Pelé. Maradona said about Matthäus "he is the best rival I've ever had. I guess that's enough to define him" in his book Yo soy el Diego (I am Diego).
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Luka Modrić
Luka Modrić (pronounced [ˈluːka ˈmɔːdritɕ], born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and for the Croatia national team.
Modrić's childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence. After showing promise in hometown club Zadar's youth team, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb as a teenager in 2002. His professional career began with loan spells at Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zaprešić. While he was playing for GNK Dinamo Zagreb, they won three consecutive league titles and several domestic cups, with Modrić named Prva HNL "Player of the Year" in 2007.
He moved to the Premier League in 2008 and has since achieved significant success with the Spurs, making himself a target of prospective transfers to Chelsea and other clubs. He was one of the leading forces of the Croatian national team at the Euro 2008.
During the Croatian War of Independence, Modrić and his family lived in the village of Modrići near Obrovac but they were forced to flee the area when he was 6 years old. His father, Stipe, was in the Croatian army, and he lost his grandfather in the fighting while his family were refugees, living in a hotel on the island of Iž near Zadar. It was in these difficult circumstances that Modrić began playing football. When his father returned from the army, he used the little money the family had to enroll his son in the local sporting academy. After displaying some talent, Luka signed with Dinamo Zagreb as a 17 year old in 2002.
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Luther Blissett
Luther Loide Blissett (born 1 February 1958) is a former professional footballer and manager, who is currently a first-team coach at Hemel Hempstead Town. Blissett played as a striker, and is best known for his time at Watford, whom he helped win promotion from the Fourth Division to the First Division. As of 2010, Blissett holds the club's all-time records for appearances and goals, having played 503 games and scored 186 goals. Blissett's other clubs included A.C. Milan, who paid £1m for him in 1983 before selling him back to Watford for £550,000 in 1984, and A.F.C. Bournemouth, for whom he had a goals-to-games ratio of nearly one goal in every two appearances. Although born in Jamaica, Blissett was capped 14 times by the England national football team, scoring a hat-trick on his debut. After retiring from playing, Blissett turned to coaching, initially under the management of Graham Taylor at Watford, and managed Chesham United from 2006 until 2007.
Away from football, Blissett is involved in motorsport, along with fellow former Watford and England players John Barnes and Les Ferdinand. Since the mid-1990s, Luther Blissett has frequently been used as a pseudonym, most notably by members of the Luther Blissett Project.
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Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, (born 4 November 1972) is a former Portuguese international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009. He won 127 caps for the Portuguese national football team, a number that makes him the most capped Portuguese player in history.
Figo was the 2000 European Footballer of the Year, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and was named amongst the FIFA 100.
Figo is one of the few football players to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. He had a successful career highlighted by several trophy wins, such as one Portuguese Cup, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and three Italian Super Cups.
Figo started his career at Sporting CP. He won his first senior international cap in 1991. Prior to that, he won the Under-21 World Championships and Under-16 European Championships with Portugal junior sides, alongside Rui Costa, João Pinto and he was also a significant part of Portugal's "Golden Generation".
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Malcolm Macdonald
Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is a former English footballer nicknamed Supermac, famed for scoring goals for Luton Town, Newcastle United and Arsenal.
Born in Fulham, London, Macdonald started out as a full back before switching to centre forward. After signing from Tonbridge AngelsBobby Robson paid £1,000 to sign him for Fulham in 1968 just after their relegation from the Football League First Division.
A year later he moved to Luton Town. At Luton he scored 49 times in 88 matches, which caught the eye of Newcastle United manager Joe Harvey, who signed him for £180,000 in the summer of 1971. At Newcastle he quickly became a favourite of the fans, scoring a hat-trick on his home debut against Liverpool, and was the club's top scorer for five seasons in a row.
While at Newcastle, he made his debut for England (against Wales). On 16 April 1975, in a game for England against Cyprus he scored all five goals in a 5–0 victory, a record that still stands today (spawning a newspaper headline "SuperMac 5, Cyprus 0".[citation needed]) In total he played 14 times for his country, scoring six times (the only other game he scored in being a 2–0 win over then World Champions West Germany).
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Manish Bhasin
Manish Bhasin is a sports journalist and presenter currently working for the BBC as presenter of The Football League Show.
Bhasin graduated in 1997 from Anglia Ruskin University with a degree in "Communication Studies with English" and completed a diploma in "Broadcast Journalism" at Cardiff University. He spent five years at BBC Radio Leicester as sports presenter/commentator including the drive time "Drive at 5" programme presenting the latest news and sport. During this period his highlights include reporting from Leicester Tigers' last minute victory in the 2001 Rugby European Cup final (Leicester Tigers v. Stade Francais) and the following year at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium (Leicester Tigers v Munster).
Bhasin joined ITV's Central News East in 2001, where he presented in-depth coverage of the region's essential sport, including a comprehensive analysis of the financial crisis at Leicester City. During his tenure Bhasin was nominated for "Regional Sports Presenter or Commentator of the Year" at the Royal Television Society Sport Awards and presented Soccer Sunday.
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Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly (French pronunciation: [maʁsɛl dəsaji]; born Odenke Abbey 7 September 1968 in Accra, Ghana) is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He also enjoyed a distinguished career at club level with several major European clubs.
Born as Odenke Abbey to Ghanaian parents, Marcel had his name changed when his mother married the head of the French Consulate in Accra who adopted all the children (the former professional footballer Seth Adonkor, seven years his elder, was a half-brother of his). He arrived in France as a four-year-old and, following Adonkor's lead, began his career at FC Nantes. There, as part of the famed FC Nantes youth programme, he played alongside a young Didier Deschamps, who became his closest friend. Desailly turned professional in 1986, two years after his half-brother had died in a car accident. In 1992, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he reunited with Deschamps, and won the UEFA Champions League the following year. In 1994, while playing for AC Milan, he again won the Cup (scoring in the final himself), being the first player to win the Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs. During his time in Milan he won two Italian league titles, in 1994 and 1996. Although he prefers to be a central defender, he also played as a defensive midfield for some time while being at A.C. Milan.
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Marco van Basten
Marcel "Marco" van Basten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑr.koʊ̯ vɑm.ˈbɑs.tə(n)]; 31 October 1964) is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played for Ajax and Milan, as well as the Dutch national team, in the 1980s and early 1990s. He is regarded as one of the greatest forwards of all time and has scored 277 goals in a high-profile career, which ended in 1995 as a result of an injury suffered two years earlier. He was later the head coach of Ajax and the Dutch national team.
Known for his strength on the ball, his tactical awareness and spectacular strikes and volleys, van Basten was named European Footballer of the Year three times (1988, '89 and '92) and FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992. Van Basten was voted eighth in a poll organised by the French weekly magazine France Football consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. In 2004, a nationwide poll was held for the 100 greatest Dutch people (De Grootste Nederlander) and van Basten was number 25, the second highest for a football player[citation needed]. In March 2007, Sky Sports ranked van Basten first on its list of great athletes who had their careers cut short.
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Mark Crossley
Mark Geoffrey Crossley (born 16 June 1969) is a former English-born Wales international football goalkeeper, who is currently employed as the Goalkeeping Coach of Football League One side Chesterfield.
As a player his career lasted from 1988 until 2011 and he has previously played for numerous clubs in England's top flight, notably for Nottingham Forest, where he became the only goalkeeper to stop a Matthew Le Tissier penalty kick. He has also played for Manchester United, Milwall, Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Fulham, Sheffield Wednesday, Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield.
"Norm", as he was known by Nottingham Forest fans during his stay at the City Ground (thanks to his supposed resemblance to the former Manchester United player Norman Whiteside), started his football career in 1987 as a trainee with The Reds.
He had a loan spell at Manchester United during the 1989-90 season but was never selected for the first team, although he played several games for the reserves.
He was a huge favourite with the fans, despite being prone to occasional mistakes, and made just under 400 appearances in thirteen years with the club, becoming first-choice 'keeper at the start of the 1990-91 season. This was strengthened by Steve Sutton's move to Derby County in 1992. Crossley played in the 1991 FA Cup Final loss to Tottenham Hotspur. He missed a run of games including the Zenith Data Systems Trophy and Rumbelows League Cup finals against Southampton and Manchester United respectively due to a breach of club rules. Andrew Marriott wore the gloves in his place, although Crossley regained his place for the next league game after the second final.
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Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith (born 5 March 1957) is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk group The Fall.
Smith was born to a working-class family in Broughton, Salford, in Lancashire, England, and moved to nearby Prestwich, to the north of Salford, early in his life. In his autobiography, Smith claimed that Alfred Henry Hook – a soldier who fought at Rorke's Drift – was an ancestor of his father, which led to the Smith family being invited as guests of honour to the Whitefield showing of Zulu, where the soldier was played by James Booth. Originally a Labour supporter, he then joined the Socialist Workers Party.
He formed The Fall (named after the novel by Camus) with friends after dropping out of college at the age of 19. He gave up his job at Salford docks shortly after to devote his full energies to The Fall, and has continued to do so ever since. Smith married Chicagoan guitarist (and Fall band member, 1983–89, 1994–96) Brix Smith on 19 July 1983, though they divorced in 1989. He has since remarried twice; his second wife was Saffron Prior who used to work for The Fall's fan club. He married his present wife, Eleni (sometimes called Elenor or Elena) Poulou, in 2001, and she joined The Fall in September 2002.
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Mark Hateley
Mark Wayne Hateley (born 7 November 1961 in Wallasey, Merseyside) is a retired English football player who played as a centre-forward. He was capped 32 times for the English national team (including games in the 1986 World Cup), and played in top-level football leagues in England, Italy, France and Scotland. His nickname is Attila.
Hateley started his career at Coventry City, playing over 90 games in the First Division before moving to Portsmouth in the summer of 1983. He scored 22 league goals in the 1983–84 season and on 28 June 1984 he was transferred to A.C. Milan for £1million.
However, his move did not come at one of the famous Italian side's greatest times, when they were still re-establishing themselves in Serie A after slipping out of it twice (the first time due to demotion as a result of a match fixing scandal) in the previous six years. That year he also helped England win the 1984 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, scoring six goals in the knockout stages, bringing his final tally for the Under-21 side to eight goals in 10 appearances.
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Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE (born 1 November 1963), is a former Welsh international footballer and the current manager of Queens Park Rangers having joined on 10 January 2012. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals.
During his playing career he was most noted for two spells at Manchester United, but he also played for Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as the English clubs Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and finally Blackburn Rovers, before retiring in 2002.
He won a host of medals during his playing career, including two Premier League title medals, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two European Cup Winners' Cups. He also collected an FA Cup runners-up medal and a League Cup runners-up medal.
His reign as Wales manager was his first managerial post; he was appointed in 1999 and remained in the role until 2004. He failed to qualify for a World Cup or European Championship during his five years in charge, although his reign coincided with a marked improvement in results; he came particularly close to securing European Championship qualification in 2004.
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Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown (born 24 July 1966) is a former English footballer who played as a defender from 1984 to 2005 notably in the Premier League for Arsenal where he made over 300 appearances for the club and won nine major trophies.
He also played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa, Everton, Leicester City and Reading. Keown made his England debut in 1992 against France and went on to win 43 caps for the national side over the next 10 years, gradually forming a respected defensive partnership with Arsenal team-mate Tony Adams at both club and international level. Keown represented England at four major international football finals including the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.
He is now a part-time scout and coach for Arsenal, as well as a pundit for the BBC, ESPN, TV3 Ireland, and Al Jazeera Sports +3.
A tough and uncompromising centre back from Oxford, Keown played for local sides and his local Gaelic football team as a boy, before joining Arsenal on a schoolboy contract in 1980, though he made his professional debut on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion in 1984.
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Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent CBE (born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals, of which three were with Steve Redgrave. Since retiring, he has worked as a sports broadcaster with the BBC.
Pinsent was born in Holt, Norfolk, the son of Reverend Ewen Macpherson Pinsent, curate of St Andrew's parish church. His grandfather Clive Pinsent was a younger son of Sir Richard Pinsent, 1st Baronet, President of the Law Society between 1918 and 1919 (see Pinsent Baronets). Pinsent is directly descended from John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk and thus from Edward I of England and William the Conqueror. Sir George Anson is also an ancestor. He attended Aysgarth School in North Yorkshire before he began rowing at Eton College. He began his international career at the Junior World Rowing Championships in 1987. He raced again in 1988, winning the junior coxless pairs with Tim Foster. After finishing school, Pinsent studied Geography at St Catherine's College, Oxford. He competed in three Boat Races, winning in 1990 and 1991 but unsuccessful in 1993 (when he was Boat Club President), having taken a year out in 1992 in order to concentrate on preparing for the Barcelona Olympics.
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Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm (born on March 17, 1972, in Selma, Alabama) is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female, in the history of U.S. soccer (158). She is the second most capped female player in soccer history behind Kristine Lilly, appearing in 275 international matches throughout her career.
Hamm was named the women's FIFA World Player of the Year the first two times that award was given (in 2001 and 2002), and is listed as one of FIFA's 125 best living players (as chosen by Pelé). Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon called Hamm, "Perhaps the most important athlete of the last 15 years."
She retired from the sport in 2004, when she played her last game in the 2004 Fan Celebration Tour to commemorate the U.S. women's national team's victory in the 2004 Olympics. In 2007, her first year of eligibility, she was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame by having 137 votes of the 141 ballots cast. Women's Professional Soccer, a professional soccer league that launched in 2009, features Hamm's silhouette in its logo.
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Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack (born 26 September 1976) is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He has won the German Footballer of the Year award three times – in 2002, 2003 and 2005. In his prime, Ballack was known for his passing range, scoring ability, ball skills and commanding presence in the midfield.
Ballack began his career as a youth at Chemnitz, his local team, and made his professional debut in 1995. Although the team were relegated in his first season, his performances in the Regionalliga the following season led to a transfer to Kaiserslautern in 1997. He won the Bundesliga in his first season at the club; his first major honour. He became a first team regular in 1998–99 season and also earned his first senior national cap for Germany. He moved to Bayer Leverkusen for €4.1 million in 1999. The 2002 season saw him win a slew of runners-up medals: Bayer Leverkusen finished second in the Bundesliga, German Cup, UEFA Champions League and Germany lost to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup Final.
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Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup (born 15 June 1964 in Frederiksberg) is a retired Danish footballer, who works as a manager and last coached La Liga side RCD Mallorca. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of football. His most prominent run of football came with Spanish club Barcelona, with whom he won four straight La Liga championships. He famously moved to arch rivals Real Madrid in 1994, with whom he won his fifth La Liga title in a row. He made his debut for the Denmark national football team on his 18th birthday in 1982, and scored 37 goals in a total of 104 appearances for his country. From November 1994, he captained Denmark for a total of 28 matches, including the victorious 1995 Confederations Cup tournament. He retired as an active player in June 1998.
In 1999, he was voted the Best Foreign Player in Spanish Football over the preceding 25-year period and in April 2000 he was knighted, receiving the Order of the Dannebrog. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Denmark by the Danish Football Association; their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He was officially named the best Danish footballer of all time by the Danish Football Association (DBU) in November 2006.
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Michael Owen
Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979 in Chester) is an English professional footballer who is currently a free agent after being released by Manchester United in June 2012.
The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997. In his first full season in the Premier League he finished as joint top scorer with 18 goals. He repeated this the following year and was Liverpool's top goal scorer from 1997–2004, despite a recurring hamstring injury. In 2001, Liverpool won a cup treble of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Football League Cup, and Owen was the recipient of the Ballon d'Or. He went on to score 118 goals in 216 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool.
Owen moved to Real Madrid for £8 million in mid-2004; he was frequently used as a substitute. He scored 13 goals in La Liga and had the season's highest ratio of goals scored to number of minutes played. He returned to England the following season, joining Newcastle United for £16 million. After a promising start to the 2005–06 season, injuries largely ruled him out over the next 18 months. After his return he became team captain and was the team's top scorer for the 2007–08 season. After the final season of his four-year contract, Newcastle were relegated, and Owen moved to Manchester United as a free agent.
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Michel Platini
Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a former French football player and manager, and the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 2007.
During his professional footballing career, Platini played for the clubs Nancy, Saint-Étienne, and Juventus, and was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He also participated in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups, reaching the semi-finals in the latter two. Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana together made up the "carré magique" (French for "magic square"), the group of midfield players that formed the heart of the French national team throughout the 1980s.
Considered one of the best passers in football history as well as one the best free kick specialists and finishers, he holds the record for most goals (9) scored in European Championship final tournaments despite only appearing in the 1984 edition. Despite being a midfielder, he held the national team top scorer record until striker Thierry Henry surpassed the 41 goals mark in 2007.
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Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers (born February 1, 1966 in Santa Clara, California) is a former leading American association football player, who starred in the historic 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup victory by the U.S.. She won the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the 1991 tournament. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Michelle Akers was born on February 1, 1966 to Robert and Anne Akers in Santa Clara, California. She grew up in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. She went to and played soccer at Shorecrest High School. She was named an All-American three times while attending that school.
Akers attended the University of Central Florida on a scholarship where she was selected as four-time NCAA All-American. She was Central Florida's Athlete of the Year in 1988-89, the all-time leading scorer in UCF history, won the Hermann Trophy in 1988, and had her #10 jersey retired by the school.
She played for the first-ever U.S. Women's National team in August 1985 on the first international trip for the US Women. Due to an ankle injury, she did not play in the first game. However, she played in the second ever international game and scored the second goal in the history of the program against Denmark, in a 2-2 tie.
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Mick McCarthy
Michael Joseph "Mick" McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is an English-born former Irish international footballer who was most recently the manager of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
McCarthy began his playing career at Barnsley in 1977, and he later had spells at Manchester City, Celtic, Lyon, and finally Millwall, retiring in 1992. He also played internationally, representing the Republic of Ireland on 57 occasions.
After his 1992 retirement, he managed Millwall, and then the Republic of Ireland. He guided Ireland to the knockout stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He later managed Sunderland, and most recently Wolverhampton Wanderers. He has also worked as a television pundit and commentator, most recently in South Africa as part of the BBC's 2010 World Cup coverage.
Born in Barnsley, Yorkshire and a boyhood Leeds United fan, McCarthy made his league debut for then-Fourth Division Barnsley on 20 August 1977 in a 4–0 win over Rochdale. He spent two years in the basement league, before the club won promotion. Two years later, the team again went up to the (old) Division 2. A strong central defender, he was a virtual ever-present for his hometown club, but departed in December 1983 for fellow Division 2 club Manchester City.
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Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Josef Klose (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪʁoslaf ˈkloːzə] ( listen)) (Mirosław Marian Kloze IPA: [miˈrɔswaf ˈklɔzɛ]) (born 9 June 1978) is a German footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio in the Serie A. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.
Klose holds German nationality and has played 113 times and scored 63 goals for Germany. With five goals, he was the top scorer and Golden Boot winner at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the first German player to win the award since reunification. Klose also scored five goals in his debut World Cup, the 2002 World Cup, all of which were headers. He scored four times in 2010 World Cup, giving him a total of 14 World Cup goals and putting him joint second along with Gerd Müller on the list of FIFA World Cup goalscorers.
Klose is also the only player to have scored five or more goals in consecutive World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments.
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Nat Lofthouse
Nathaniel "Nat" Lofthouse, OBE (27 August 1925 – 15 January 2011) was an English professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career. He was capped 33 times for the England national football team between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals and giving himself one of the greatest goals-per-game ratios of any player to represent England at the highest level.
Born in Bolton, Lancashire, in 1925, Lofthouse joined the town's main club on 4 September 1939 and made his debut in a wartime 5–1 win against Bury on 22 March 1941 when he scored two goals. It was then more than five years until he made his league debut for the club, but he eventually played against Chelsea on 31 August 1946, when he scored twice in a 4–3 defeat. Lofthouse would go on to play 33 games for England, but his debut on 22 November 1950 made him 25 when he finally broke into the team. He perhaps justified a claim to an earlier call-up by scoring both goals in a 2–2 draw against Yugoslavia at Highbury on his debut.
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Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan (born 24 February 1970 in Sutton, Greater London) is an English-born Scottish ex-international professional Association footballer. A goalkeeper, Sullivan currently plays for Doncaster Rovers after signing on a permanent basis from Leeds United at the end of the 2006–07 season, following two loan moves to Doncaster. He has 28 full caps for Scotland.
Sullivan began his career with local club Wimbledon in 1988, amassing a total of 224 appearances between 1988 and 2000. It was during his tenure at Wimbledon that Sullivan was often acknowledged as one of the best goalkeepers in the league marked by his selection for the division's 1997–98 team of the season.
Sullivan was the goalkeeper against whom David Beckham scored a goal from the halfway line, while he was off his line. He also played one game on loan for Crystal Palace in 1992.
In 2000, Sullivan moved to Tottenham Hotspur from Wimbledon, where he made over 80 appearances. He then moved to Chelsea in the 2003–04 season, playing eight times for them.
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Neville Southall
Neville Southall MBE (born 16 September 1958) is a Welsh former international footballer. He has been described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985. He was awarded the MBE in 1995 for his services to football.
After joining Bury from Winsford United for £6,000 in 1980, he moved on to Everton for £150,000 the following year. He went on to make a club record 578 appearances in the Football League and Premier League (750 in all competitions); his honours with the club include a European Cup Winners' Cup medal in 1985, a First Division championship medal in 1984–85 and 1986–87, an FA Cup winners medal in 1984 and 1995, and an FA Charity Shield winners medal in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1995. He also played in the 1985 and 1989 FA Cup finals, the League Cup final in 1984, and helped Everton to second place in the league in 1985–86. After leaving Everton in 1998, he became Torquay United's regular goalkeeper for two years. He also made a handful of appearances for numerous other clubs. He played internationally for Wales, winning a record 92 caps between 1982 and 1998; despite this he did not feature in any major international competitions. According to the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, he played a total of 979 competitive matches for club and country.
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Nick Hancock
Nick Hancock (born 25 October 1962, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English actor and television presenter. Probably TV's most well known Stoke City supporter, he hosted the sports quiz They Think It's All Over for 10 years. He also formerly presented Room 101 (1994–1999) on TV, as well as its earlier radio version (1992–1994). He has recently been interviewed by 6 Town Radio about the 40th anniversary of Stoke's 1972 League cup win.
Taking a sabbatical from show business, from 2005 he began working for a friend's mortgage brokerage. He left the position in February 2007, although no reason for his departure was made public.
Hancock grew up with three elder sisters, with father Ken, a builder. He was educated at Yarlet School in Staffordshire and Shrewsbury School and won a place at Homerton College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge, Hancock was a member of the Footlights where he first collaborated with Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt and became president in 1983 with Punt as vice president. He was also a founding member of the Homerton College Blaggards.
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Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s.
Clough is most notable for his time at Nottingham Forest, where he played over 400 times in two separate spells, mostly under the managership of his father Brian and scored 131 goals, making him the second highest scorer in the club's history. He subsequently had spells with Liverpool, Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday before moving into non league football at the age of 32 when he became player manager with Southern Football League Premier Division side Burton Albion in 1998. Over the next decade, during half of which he continued to play a regular role on the field, Clough took Burton up from the seventh tier of the English football league system to the brink of promotion to League Two before leaving halfway through the 2008-09 season to follow in his father's footsteps and take over at Derby County.
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Nigel Martyn
Antony Nigel Martyn (born 11 August 1966), more commonly known as Nigel Martyn, is a former English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper from 1987 until 2006
Having started his career with Bristol Rovers he moved to Crystal Palace where he became the first £1million goalkeeper in British football and also won the Full Members Cup. Martyn then left to spend six seasons at Leeds United. He went on to win 23 England caps. An ankle injury forced him to retire in 2006, following three seasons at Everton.
Born in St Austell, Cornwall, Martyn started his career as a midfielder until invited to play as a goalkeeper for his brother's works team when he was sixteen. He started by playing amateur football for Cornish sides Heavy Transport F.C., Bugle and St Blazey while working in a plastics factory and for a coal merchant, before beginning his professional career with Bristol Rovers in 1987 after apparently having been "spotted" by Rovers' tea lady whilst she was on holiday.
While still in Cornwall he was also a cricketer, and played with Cornwall Schoolboys as a wicket keeper, as well as Fowey C.C. Since his retirement from professional football, he has returned to cricket, playing regularly for a local Leeds team.
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Oldřich Nejedlý
Oldřich Nejedlý (26 December 1909 — 11 June 1990) was a Czech footballer, who spent his entire career at Sparta Prague as an inside-forward. He is also a former member of the Czechoslovakian national team.
Nejedlý played for Sparta Prague in his entire career. He scored 162 league goals in 187 games, winning four Czechoslovak First League championships in 1932, 1936, 1938 and 1939, adding a Mitropa Cup in 1935. He also scored 18 goals in 38 games for SK Rakovník (1943, 1944 and 1946), giving him a total of 180 league goals in 225 games.
For Czechoslovakia, Nejedlý scored 29 goals in 44 games. He was awarded the Bronze Ball in the 1934 as the third most outstanding player of the tournament and was voted into the All Star Team of the tournament. He was also top goalscorer. He would have gone on to play more games and score more goals for the Czechoslovakia had he not broken his leg in the 1938 which effectively ended his International career.
He was a participant in two World Cups, in 1934 in Italy and 1938 in France. Nejedlý was the outright top scorer in the 1934 World Cup with five goals. This has been officially recognized by FIFA since November 2006, as he was initially credited with only four, making him joint top scorer with Angelo Schiavio and Edmund Conen. He also scored two goals in 1938.
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Oleg Salenko
Oleg Anatolyevich Salenko (Russian: Олег Анатольевич Саленко; Ukrainian: Олег Анатолійович Саленко; Oleh Anatoliyovich Salenko born 25 October 1969 in Leningrad, Russia) is a retired Russian and Ukrainian footballer, who played as a striker. He scored a record of five goals in a group stage match in the 1994 World Cup, helping him earn the Golden Shoe as joint-top tournament goalscorer.
Salenko played at Zenit Leningrad, Dynamo Kyiv, Logroñés, Córdoba, Valencia, Rangers and İstanbulspor in a club career that lasted from 1986 to 2000.
Eventually, he faded from the international soccer scene and finally had to end his career prematurely for health reasons stemming from injuries. Salenko returned to playing professional football in the 2000–01 season and signed for Pogoń Szczecin. He retired after playing a single game however due to his physical conditioning.
Salenko set a World Cup record by scoring five goals in one game, for Russia against Cameroon on 28 June 1994. Salenko finished the 1994 World Cup with six goals (scoring his sixth goal from the penalty spot against Sweden), sharing the Golden Boot with Hristo Stoichkov, a remarkable feat since Russia was knocked out in the first round, and Stoichkov's Bulgaria played another four games in the tournament. This mirrored Salenko's achievement in the 1989 U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, where he was top scorer when he scored 6 goals in the tournament. He is the only player to win the Golden Boot at both the U-20 World Cup and FIFA World Cup.
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Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn (German pronunciation: [ˈɔ.lɪ.vɐ ˈkʰaːn], byname Der Titan [deɐ̯ ti.ˈtʰaːn] (the Titan); born 15 June 1969) is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987. In 1994, he was transferred to Bayern Munich for the fee of 4,600,000 DM, where he played until the end of his career in 2008.
He is one of the most successful German players in recent history, having won eight German championships, six German cups, the UEFA Cup (1996), the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup (both 2001). His individual contributions have earned him four consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper awards, three IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper awards, and two German Footballer of the Year trophies. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he became the first and only goalkeeper in the tournament's history to win the Golden Ball.
From 1994 to 2006, Kahn was part of the German national team, in which he played as a starter after the retirement of Andreas Köpke. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the team reached the Finals. While the team was several times derided for their poor performance, Kahn's prowess proved to be the deciding factor in several games up until the final, where Germany lost to Brazil 0–2 and Kahn received criticism for two blunders. Nonetheless, he was named the tournament's best player and received the Golden Ball award.
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Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968) is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender, being adept with either foot although naturally right footed. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club. During that period, he won the Champions League five times, as well as seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana, five European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups. He played for 14 years for the Italian national team, making his debut in 1988 before retiring in 2002 with 126 caps and four World Cup participations.
Maldini played at a world class level for his entire career spanning 2 and a half decades, and won the Best Defender trophy at the UEFA Club Football Awards at the age of 39. He came second to George Weah for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 1995, the closest a defender had ever reached to winning the award at the time. He was also the Milan and Italy captain for many years and was considered a leader amongst leaders by fellow footballers, leading to the nickname "Il Capitano" (the Captain). Paolo's father Cesare formerly played for and captained Milan, and is a successful national U-21 manager.
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Pat Jennings
Patrick Anthony "Pat" Jennings OBE (born 12 June 1945 in Newry, County Down) is a Northern Ireland former football player. He played 119 games for Northern Ireland as a goalkeeper, a figure which at the time was a world record and is still a Northern Ireland record, in an international career which lasted for over 22 years. During his career Jennings played for Newry Town, Watford, and in the top division with Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, winning the FA Cup with both of the north London rivals. In total, Jennings made over 1,000 top level appearances, and despite being a goalkeeper he scored in the 1967 FA Charity Shield.
After playing for Shamrock Rovers' under-18 side at the age of 11, Jennings concentrated on Gaelic football until he was sixteen years old, when he made his soccer comeback with his hometown side Newry Town. After impressing with the team he moved to English Third Division side Watford in May 1963. Jennings again impressed in his first season in England, playing every league game for his club, and making two international appearances that season. He was signed by Tottenham Hotspur for £27,000 in June 1964.
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Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira (born 23 June 1976 in Dakar, Senegal) is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City in the English Premier League.
He rose to prominence during his time at Arsenal from 1996 to 2005, where he won three Premier League titles – one unbeaten – and four FA Cups, eventually becoming club captain. After leaving Arsenal in 2005, he spent one season at Juventus before joining Internazionale in 2006, following Juventus' relegation for their part in a match-fixing scandal. He has 107 caps for France, and was part of their 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning sides.
In May 2010, Vieira was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He announced his retirement from professional football on 14 July 2011. Vieira is currently Football Development Executive at Manchester City with a role to oversee aspects such as youth development, commercial partners and the club's social responsibility programme, "City in the Community".
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Paul Breitner
Paul Breitner (born 5 September 1951 in Kolbermoor, Bavaria) is a former German football player. One of Germany's most controversial players, he was capped 48 times for his country.
His football career lasted from 1970 until 1983, mainly playing for Bayern Munich (1970–74 and 1978–83) and Real Madrid (1974–78), with one season playing for Eintracht Braunschweig. His early success was as a free roaming left back, as likely to score from the right midfield as to stop an attacker in his own penalty area. Later in his career he moved to midfield and became one of the top midfielders through the early 1980s.
The early peak of Breitner's long and successful career was at age 21 in 1972 as part of the winning German European Championship team. This was followed two years later with victory as a member of the German World Cup squad. The final was played in Munich against the Netherlands, and Breitner scored the first German goal on a penalty kick. In the final, he, Franz Beckenbauer and Berti Vogts formed a slick unit at the back and their water-tight defense prevented the Dutch from winning the World Cup. He moved to Real Madrid following the World Cup and quit the West German squad, remaining off the side until enticed to return by Jupp Derwall in 1981. Breitner is one of only four footballers to have achieved the feat of scoring in two different World Cup final matches, sharing that honour with Pelé, Vavá, and Zinédine Zidane. He achieved this in 1974 against the Netherlands and in 1982 against Italy.
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Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne (born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English retired professional footballer.
Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, at all of which he scored at least one goal. He was capped 57 times for the England national football team.
Gascoigne was born in the Dunston area of Gateshead, England.
Gascoigne started playing football at the age of four, playing in the street and nearby park. He played for his school Brighton Avenue Primary School, Gateshead team from the age of eight, and later played for the local Redheugh Boys' Club although being underage. He later attended Breckenbeds Junior High School (which closed in September 1996) then the Heathfield Senior High School (also closed in September 1996), both in the Low Fell area of Gateshead.
He was noticed by football scouts while playing for Gateshead Boys, and given a trial at Ipswich Town although he failed to impress. Further trials at Middlesbrough and Southampton proved unsuccessful, before Newcastle United signed him as a schoolboy in 1980. At school he was once caught practising his autograph during a geography lesson, his reason being that he was "going to be a famous footballer". His teacher was unimpressed, telling him that "only one in a million becomes a professional footballer." Nevertheless, he was signed on as an apprentice at Newcastle in 1983, initially playing for the youth team under Colin Suggett.
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Paul Merson
Paul Charles Merson (born March 20, 1968) is an English former professional footballer, manager and current sports television pundit. As a player he played as a forward who later in his career dropped into the midfield playmaker position in a career that lasted from 1985 until 2006.
He notably played in the Premier League for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa, as well as appearing in the Football League for Brentford and Portsmouth. He also played for Walsall where he spent two years as player-manager before finishing his career in non-league football with Tamworth. He briefly came out of retirement in 2012 for Welshpool Town where he played in a one-off game. Merson earnt 21 caps for England, scoring 3 times.
Born in Harlesden, North West London, Paul Merson started his career at Arsenal, joining the club as an apprentice in 1984. After a loan spell at Brentford, then under manager Frank McLintock, he made his debut for the Gunners on 22 November 1986 against Manchester City, and gradually established himself in George Graham's successful Arsenal side of the late 1980s. By the 1988-89 season he was a regular on the right wing, at the end of which Arsenal secured the First Division title with a last gasp Michael Thomas goal in the final game of the season against Liverpool. Merson scored ten times that season, made his debut for the England U21 side, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.
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Paul Walsh
Paul Anthony Walsh (born 1 October 1962 in Plumstead, London) is an English former professional footballer and sports television pundit.
As a player he was a diminutive and pacy centre forward who played from 1979 to 1996 and shot to fame in the 1980s during spells with Charlton Athletic, Luton Town, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. He also went on to play for Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City and Portsmouth. He was capped 4 times by England scoring 1 goals.
Walsh began his career at Charlton where he quickly established himself in the team, he made his debut as a 16 year-old substitute in a Second Division fixture with Shrewsbury Town during the 1979–80 season and went on to appear in nine league games as Charlton failed to hold to their Second Division status. Walsh was given a chance in Division Three and struck up a brilliant front line with Addicks great Derek Hales. Walsh notably scored a hat-trick against Brentford, Charlton won the League Cup tie 5–0. Charlton went on to gain promotion as well as reach the 5th round of the FA Cup. Walsh enjoyed himself in the higher division bagging a respectable 13 goals as the Addicks finished mid table.
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Paulo Roberto Falcão
Paulo Roberto Falcão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu ʁoˈbɛʁtu fawˈkɐ̃w̃]; born October 16, 1953) is a Brazilian head coach and former footballer, currently managing Bahia. He is widely considered one of the best players in Internacional and Roma history, and one of the most talented midfielders of all time, especially at his peak in the mid 1980s. At one stage, he was the world's highest paid footballer, earning £10,000 a week.
For the Brazil national team, he was capped 34 times between February 1976 and June 1986. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers to mark FIFA’s centennial in March 2004.
Falcão began his professional career at Sport Club Internacional of Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, where he played from 1973 to 1980, winning three Brazilian National Championships(1975, 1976, 1979) and reaching the finals of the 1980 Copa Libertadores, losing to Nacional. During his time at Sport Club Internacional, he was surprisingly left out of the Brazil squad for the World Cup in Argentina in 1978, though he made the shortlisted pre-tournament 40.
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Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (name given as Edison on birth certificate, born 21 October 1940 (however, Pelé himself claims that he was born on 23 October) ), known by his nickname Pelé (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [peˈlɛ]), is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as the best football player of all time. In 1999, he was voted Football Player of the Century by the IFFHS International Federation of Football History and Statistics. In the same year French weekly magazine France-Football consulted their former "Ballon D'Or" winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. Pelé came in first place. In 1999 the International Olympic Committee named Pelé the "Athlete of the Century". In his career he scored 760 official goals. He is also the most successful Top Division goal scorer of all time with 541 League goals. In total Pelé scored 1281 goals in 1363 games.
In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contributions to the game of football. He is also acknowledged for his vocal support of policies to improve the social conditions of the poor (when he scored his 1,000th goal he dedicated it to the poor children of Brazil). During his career, he became known as "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé) or simply "The King" (O Rei).
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Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE (born 18 January 1961) is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain. He played for Newcastle United, Liverpool and Everton, having also had spells with Carlisle United, Manchester United, Vancouver Whitecaps, Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Fulham, Hartlepool United and the Melbourne Knights. He is currently employed as the Reserve Team manager of Newcastle United. He was briefly appointed as the club's caretaker manager in 2010.
Born in Longbenton, Northumberland, Beardsley was a product of the famous Wallsend Boys Club in North Tyneside. However, he was released as a teenager by hometown club Newcastle United and began his professional career with Carlisle United in 1978. He managed 22 goals in 104 league games, helping them win promotion to the Second Division at the end of the 1981–82 season.
He was transferred to Canadian club Vancouver Whitecaps on 9 September 1982, but his stay in North America was brief. Only weeks after arriving in Canada, he was on his way back to England when Ron Atkinson paid £250,000 to take him to Manchester United. He made just one first team appearance for United in a Football League Cup tie against AFC Bournemouth before returning to Vancouver on a free transfer on 1 March 1983, but again his stay in North America was a short one. He was on the move once again on 23 September 1983, this time to join Newcastle.
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Peter Reid
Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.
A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield talents of the time at Bolton Wanderers, before signing for Everton in 1982. It was there that he enjoyed the most fruitful spell of his career, as he helped the club win domestic and European honours, including the Football League twice. He was voted as the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1985 and came fourth in the World Soccer Player of the Year award, behind Michel Platini, Preben Elkjær and Diego Maradona. He also received his first senior England call-up that year, and represented his country at the 1986 FIFA World Cup and 1988 UEFA European Championship. He won 13 caps in total. Reid joined Queens Park Rangers in 1989, but moved on to Manchester City a year later to begin his managerial career.
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Peter Schmeichel
Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE (Danish pronunciation: [ped̥ɐ ˈsmɑɪ̯ˀɡ̊l̩]; born 18 November 1963) is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993. He is best remembered for his most successful years at English club Manchester United, whom he captained to the 1999 UEFA Champions League to complete the Treble, and for winning UEFA Euro 1992 with Denmark.
Born in Gladsaxe, Copenhagen, Schmeichel was famous for his intimidating physique (he is 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) tall and weighed about 105 kg (16 st 7 lb) during his playing days. He wore specially made size XXXL football shirts. Unusual for a goalkeeper, Schmeichel scored 11 goals during his career, including one for the national team. He is also the most capped player for the Denmark national team, with 129 games between 1987 and 2001. In addition to Euro 92, he played for his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and three additional European Championship tournaments. He captained the national team in 30 matches.
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Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE (born 18 September 1949 in Leicester, England) is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps.
His 30-year career included eleven different clubs, three World Cups, two European Cup finals and more than 1,000 competitive matches. He has the rare distinction of having played over 100 league games for five different clubs. Shilton did not make his World Cup finals debut until the age of 32 but he played in 17 finals matches and shares the record 10 clean sheets in World Cup finals with French keeper Fabien Barthez.
During his time at Nottingham Forest he won two European Cups, a UEFA Super Cup, the First Division championship, the Football League Cup and many other honours.
Shilton also holds the all-time record for the most competitive appearances in world football.
Shilton was a 13 year old pupil at King Richard III Boys School, Leicester, when he started training at schoolboy level with his local club Leicester City in 1963. He caught the eye of first-team goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who commented to the coach about how promising he was. Within four years, Shilton had forced Banks' own departure from Leicester after the teenager gave the club an ultimatum over which goalkeeper should be first choice.[citation needed]
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Peter Withe
Peter Withe (born 30 August 1951 in Liverpool) is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker between 1971 and 1990. He has also worked as a manager, predominantly in south-east Asia. He is currently managing for English non-league club Woodley Sports.
The highlights of his career came at Aston Villa, where he was a key player in the Football League title triumph of 1980–81 and scored his side's only goal in their 1982 European Cup Final victory.
His brother, Chris, played for Bradford City.
During the summer of 1975, Withe spent one season in the United States as a member of the expansion Portland Timbers of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The lynchpin of a strong attack, the big Liverpudlian scored 17 goals and added 7 assists in 22 games to lead the Timbers to first place in their division and a tie for the best record in the league at 16–6. The Timbers played two home play-off games in front of more than 30,000 fans each, numbers unheard of for US soccer at the time. They advanced to Soccer Bowl '75, the League Championship, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2–0.
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Phil Boyer
Philip John "Phil" Boyer (born 25 January 1949) is an English former footballer who played for various clubs during his career, including Southampton, Norwich City, Bournemouth and Manchester City. He has the rare distinction of having played over 100 league games for four different clubs. He also made one appearance for England.
Born in Nottingham, Boyer attended Musters Road School, Nottingham, from where he joined Derby County as a trainee in August 1965. Although he signed as a professional in November 1966, manager Brian Clough allowed him to leave the Baseball Ground in July 1968, without having made a first team appearance.
After completing his apprenticeship with Derby County, Boyer moved to York City in July 1968 for a fee of £3,000. In 125 appearances, Boyer scored 34 times but played an important role in creating opportunities for forward partner Ted MacDougall, with whom he was later to play at three other clubs. At the end of his first season at Bootham Crescent, York successfully applied for re-election to the Fourth Division, and their fortunes then gradually improved and they achieved promotion at the end of the 1970–71 season (after Boyer had left).
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Phil Tufnell
Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell (born 29 April 1966) is a former English cricketer turned television personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, "Tuffers" as he is known played 42 Tests and 20 One Day International matches for England, as well as playing for Middlesex from 1986 to 2002. With 121 Test wickets, Tufnell is as of 2009 35th in the list of most wickets by an England bowler, and his average of 37.68 is considered high for a genuine bowler, however Tufnell's personality, trademark behaviour and "great control of flight" when playing made him a popular sports personality. Following his retirement in 2002, Tufnell has built on his popularity with several television appearances. These include I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! which he won, They Think It's All Over, A Question of Sport and Strictly Come Dancing. He was presented with an honorary doctorate by Middlesex University on 20 July 2011, recognising his achievements in sport and the media.
Tufnell went to Highgate School where his cricketing prowess was recognised and he was appointed captain of the Junior School's First XI despite the fact he was not yet in the top year. On leaving Highgate he attended, and played cricket for, Southgate School. He then trained as a quantity surveyor and was faced with the tough decision of whether to play cricket professionally or to continue surveying quantities. He chose to do the former.
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Pop Robson
Bryan Stanley Robson, better known as Pop Robson (born 11 November 1945) is a former much-travelled footballer, playing for Newcastle United, West Ham United, Sunderland, Chelsea and Carlisle United as a centre forward. Although diminutive, Pop was one of the most prolific goalscorers of his generation, yet was only ever an England Under-23 International, never managing to earn a full England cap.
Born in Sunderland, Robson played for Clara Vale in his youth. His first senior club was Newcastle United, and whilst there he won the Second Division title in 1964–65 and the 1969 Fairs Cup, forming a productive partnership with Welshman Wyn Davies.
In February 1971 he became West Ham's record purchase when he signed for £120,000. He scored on his debut against Nottingham Forest on 24 February 1971. He was West Ham's leading scorer in two of his three seasons at Upton Park.
He made a return to the North-East to join Sunderland in July 1974 for £145,000.
He rejoined West Ham in October 1976. During his two spells at West Ham, he made 254 appearances, scoring 104 goals. In the October 2004 issue of EX, a retro magazine dedicated to former players of West Ham United, Robson reflected on his two spells at Upton Park and revealed his regret at not staying longer.
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Ray Houghton
Raymond James "Ray" Houghton (born 9 January 1962) is a retired football player, and current analyst and commentator with RTÉ Sport. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Houghton played international football for the Republic of Ireland, for whom he qualified through his Irish father.
Houghton is particularly remembered by Irish fans for scoring two of the most important goals in the national team's history, which resulted in 1–0 victories over England in Stuttgart at the 1988 European Championship, and Italy at the Giants Stadium in New York at the 1994 World Cup. At club level Houghton is best remembered for his success in the Liverpool side of the late 1980s.
Houghton was born in Castlemilk, Glasgow but began his career in London at West Ham United where he came through the ranks and signed professional forms as a 17 year-old on 5 July 1979. Houghton's endeavour failed to make any impact at Upton Park and after 3 years, in which he made just 1 appearance as substitute, he was on the move. On 7 July 1982 he moved on to Fulham on a free transfer.
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Ray Stubbs
Raymond "Ray" Stubbs (born Wallasey, Wirral, 1956) is a broadcaster and former footballer. He works for ESPN, presenting live Premier League and Scottish Premier League matches, having joined the satellite sports channel from the BBC in 2009.
He was initially a professional footballer, leaving Calday Grange Grammar School to join Tranmere Rovers for five years. He also played for Bangor City between 1978 and 1980. After ending his playing career with Tranmere, he stayed with the club in an administrative capacity and then spent three years with BBC Radio Merseyside as a reporter and presenter.
In 1986, Stubbs moved to BBC Manchester as an assistant producer, working on sports including snooker, darts and bowls, and on the quiz show A Question of Sport. He also worked as a producer, reporter and presenter on BBC Two's investigative sports series On The Line, which took him to Italy in 1990 to report on England football fans at the World Cup.
Later that year, Stubbs began working as a reporter on Grandstand, Match of the Day and Sportsnight. He reported from the Irish camp during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in America, and was the BBC's reporter-in-residence in the England camp during Euro 96 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Stubbs was a co-presenter at all the subsequent major international tournaments between 2000 and 2008 as well as the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
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Ray Wilkins
Raymond Colin Wilkins MBE (born 14 September 1956 in Hillingdon, Middlesex), commonly known as Ray Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit. Most recently, he was assistant manager of Chelsea.
He was a key midfielder for the England national football team during the 1980s, and enjoyed success at various clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Milan, Queens Park Rangers and Rangers.
He is the son of professional footballer George Wilkins and the brother of Graham George Wilkins (born 28 June 1955 in Hillingdon) former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a full back for Chelsea, Brentford and Southend United, former Brighton & Hove Albion manager and player Dean Wilkins, Stephen Wilkins, signed by Chelsea and Brentford, but did not make any first-team appearances for either team and he went on to play for a number of non-league teams, including Dagenham and Hayes.
Wilkins started his career with Senrab in Wanstead Flats.
Wilkins, nicknamed Butch from childhood, made his name in the 1970s with boyhood club Chelsea, whom he joined as an apprentice, progressing to his first team debut against Norwich City at the age of 17 on 26 October 1973 as a substitute in a 3-0 home league win.
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Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco (born 27 June 1977), commonly known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who has joined the Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd as a striker in 2012.
Raúl had spent most of his career playing for Spanish club Real Madrid and is the club's all-time top goalscorer. He was known for his technique, shooting ability and creating chances for other teammates. Raúl is a three-time winner of the UEFA Champions League and has long been the competition's all-time leading goalscorer. He left Real Madrid on 25 July 2010, having scored 323 goals in 741 appearances, and joined FC Schalke 04.
He joined Al Sadd after two seasons with FC Schalke 04, following the 2011–12 Bundesliga season.
Raúl González's career began at his local team CD San Cristóbal de los Ángeles playing for their Alevín team and the Infantil the next season. He signed with Atlético Madrid's Infantil team and won a national title with the Cadete team the following season. Following Atlético's then-president Jesús Gil decision to close their youth academy as a cost-saving measure, Raúl moved on to Real Madrid's Cadete team. The following season, he was promoted to the Juvenil C team and subsequently went on to play for their Juvenil B and Juvenil A team.
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Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born 19 April 1972), commonly known as Rivaldo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈvawdu]), is a Brazilian professional footballer for Kabuscorp. He plays as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.
He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he won the 1998 and 1999 Spanish La Liga championship and the 1998 Copa del Rey. Between 1993 and 2003, Rivaldo played 74 matches and scored 34 goals for the Brazil national football team and was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup winning Brazilian team.
In 1999, Rivaldo was honoured as FIFA World Player of the Year, Ballon d'Or winner and European Footballer of the Year. He was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony in 2004. He is also the president of Mogi Mirim Esporte Clube in his native Brazil.
Born in Paulista, Pernambuco, Brazil, Rivaldo had an extremely poor upbringing in the favelas of the port town of Recife. His physical appearance still marks the poverty he experienced in his childhood: malnourishment-caused bowleggedness and the loss of several teeth. Rivaldo began his professional career at the age of 16, when he signed with Paulistano, from Pernambuco, in 1989, despite the Paulistano coaches believing him too physically weak to succeed. Rivaldo's father Romildo was killed in a road accident in 1989, but Rivaldo went on to his first professional contract later that year.
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Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto ˈbaddʒo]; born 18 February 1967) is a retired Italian footballer. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of all time (4th in the Fifa internet poll; member of the Fifa World Cup Dream Team), Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993. He is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups. He is also one of the top 5 all-time goalscorers for Italy. Baggio is known as Il Divin Codino (The Divine Ponytail), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career and his Buddhist background.
Baggio was born in Caldogno, Veneto, son of Matilde and Fiorindo Baggio. He has 7 brothers and sisters. As a youngster, he always had a keen interest in the sport of football and played for a local youth club over a period of nine years. After scoring 6 goals in one game, Baggio was persuaded by scout Antonio Mora to join Vicenza. Roberto Baggio is the 6th of 8 siblings. His younger brother, Eddy Baggio, was also a footballer who played 86 games in Serie B. After his serious career threatening injury in 1985, Baggio, formerly a Roman Catholic, converted to Buddhism. He married his girlfriend Andreina Fabbi in 1989, in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony however. They have a daughter, Valentina, and two sons, Mattia and Leonardo.
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Roberto Rivelino
Roberto Rivellino (born 1 January 1946 in São Paulo) is a former Brazilian footballer.
The son of Italian immigrants from Macchiagodena (Isernia), he was famous for his large moustache, thunderous long-range free kicks, excellent long passes, quick thinking and distinct way of controlling the ball. He also invented a football move called the "flip flap", famously copied by Ronaldinho, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years. He is widely regarded as one of the most graceful football players ever, and among the very best midfielders of his generation.
Rivellino started as a futsal player at Clube Atletico Barcelona. After that, he tried his luck with Barcelona's biggest rival in futsal, Corinthians, where he moved on to professional football and quickly became a favourite of the fans—and was therefore nicknamed "O Rei do Parque" (King of the Park) (after the club's home ground, Parque São Jorge). However, the late 60s and early 70s were one of the most troubled periods in the history of the club, which did not win a single São Paulo state league title from 1954 to 1977.
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Roger Milla
Roger Milla (born Albert Roger Mooh Miller, 20 May 1952) is a retired Cameroonian footballer who played as a striker. He was one of the first African players to be a major star on the international stage. He played in three World Cups for the Cameroon national team.
He achieved international stardom at 38 years old, an age at which most forward-playing footballers have retired, by scoring four goals at the 1990 World Cup, the most memorable of which came in the match against Colombia when he dispossessed the showboating Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita 35 yards from goal, going on to score in the empty net with Higuita stranded. He helped the Cameroon team reach the quarter-finals.
He is also remembered for his trademark goal celebration of running to the corner flag and performing a dance. In the years that have followed, he has been recognised as a pioneer of the many unconventional and imaginative goal celebrations seen since then. He was named one of the 125 greatest living football players in 2004 by the legendary Brazilian football player Pelé.
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Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre), commonly known as Ronaldinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu]) or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who is currently a free agent and plays for the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year. He won the award in both 2004 and 2005.
"Ronaldinho," the diminutive and term of endearment for "Ronaldo," is accompanied in Brazilian usage by the nickname "Gaúcho," in order to distinguish him from fellow footballer and countryman Ronaldo, who was known as "Ronaldinho" in Brazil beforehand. Ronaldo simply went by his first name upon his move to Europe, thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop the "Gaúcho" and go by the name Ronaldinho abroad.
Prior to his move to Flamengo, he played for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., FC Barcelona and A.C. Milan. With the Spanish club, he won his first Champions League in 2006 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005. He became a Spanish citizen in January 2007.
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Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (Portuguese pronunciation: [χoˈnawdu luˈiz naˈzaɾiu dʒi ˈlimɐ]; born 18 September 1976), commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. He is considered by experts and fans as one of the greatest football players of all time. In 2012, he was voted Goal.com's "Player of the Decades" in an online poll gathering 29.55% of all votes. He won his first Ballon d'Or as the European Footballer of the Year in 1997 (aged only 21) and again won the award in 2002 (26 years old). Additionally, he is one of only three men to have won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times, along with French footballer Zinedine Zidane and Argentine striker Lionel Messi.
Considered by many as the most complete striker in the past 30 years, in 2007, he was named as one of the best starting eleven of all-time by France Football and was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest footballers compiled by fellow countryman Pelé. In 2010, he was voted Goal.com's "Player of the Decade" in an online poll, gathering 43.63 percent of all votes and was also included as centre forward in the "Team of the Decade". On 23 February 2010, Ronaldo announced that he would retire after the 2011 season, signing a two-year contract extension with the Corinthians at the same time. Ronaldo has played for Brazil in 98 international matches, scoring 62 goals. He was a part of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo became the highest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup with his fifteenth goal, surpassing Gerd Müller's previous record of 14. He is also the only player to have won the World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Boot in separate tournaments. Having suffered a string of serious injuries throughout his career, Ronaldo retired on 14 February 2011, citing pain and hypothyroidism as the reasons for his premature retirement.
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Ronnie Allen
Ronald "Ronnie" Allen (15 January 1929 – 9 June 2001) was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for England national team. He later became a manager at clubs in England, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. His son, Russell, also played professional football throughout the 1970s.
Starting his career in 1946 with Port Vale, he spent four years with the club, before making a record breaking transfer to West Bromwich Albion. He was one of the best strikers of the 1950s, playing over 400 games, with a ratio of a goal every two games. He lifted the FA Cup in 1954, and helped the club to the FA Charity Shield in 1954, and a second place finish in the First Division in 1953–54. In 1961 he signed with Crystal Palace, where he spent the final four years of his playing career. He helped Palace win promotion out of the Third Division in 1963–64.
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Ronnie Rooke
Ronald Leslie "Ronnie" Rooke (7 December 1911 – July 1985) was an English-born footballer who played as a centre forward either side of World War II, and who later became a football manager.
Born in Guildford, Surrey, Rooke started his playing career with Crystal Palace, who were at the time in the Third Division South. A centre forward, he mainly played for the Eagles' reserve side, only playing eighteen league matches and scoring four goals between 1932 and 1936. His main success came when he moved to Second Division Fulham in November 1936; he was the club's leading scorer for three consecutive seasons; in all he scored 57 goals in 87 league matches, including all six goals in a 6-0 FA Cup demolition of Bury, a club record.
World War II broke out at the peak of his career; Rooke joined the RAF, although he still played wartime matches for Fulham, and won an unofficial England cap in a Victory International against Wales. The Football League programme resumed in 1946, and despite being nearly 35 and having never played in the top flight, Rooke was signed by Arsenal (Cyril Grant going in the other direction), who despite their pedigree from the 1930s, were struggling to score goals.
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Rory McGrath
Patrick Rory McGrath (born 17 March 1956) is an English comedian and writer. He is best known for roles in Who Dares Wins, Chelmsford 123, Three Men in a Boat and its successors. He was also a regular panellist on They Think It's All Over.
McGrath was born in Redruth, Cornwall. He studied at Redruth Grammar School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from which he received a lower-second class degree.
McGrath became a member of the Footlights while at Cambridge and met Jimmy Mulville, with whom he wrote and performed. After university, they wrote BBC radio scripts for Frankie Howerd and Windsor Davies. McGrath also co-wrote Black Cinderella Two Goes East with Clive Anderson for BBC Radio 4 in 1978. McGrath and Mulville went on to write for shows such as Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones, and they were part of the team of writer/performers behind the Channel 4 comedy sketch series Who Dares Wins.
In 1986, McGrath was co-founder, with Jimmy Mulville and Denise O'Donoghue, of the independent British TV production company Hat Trick Productions. An early production was Chelmsford 123 (1988 and 1990), which McGrath and Mulville wrote and performed. In 1990, McGrath hosted the game show Trivial Pursuit on BBC1.
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Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic. Keane was a dominating central-midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude which helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005, having joined the club in 1993. Keane helped United achieve a sustained period of success in more than 12 years at the club. He then signed for Celtic but retired as a player less than a year later.
He played at international level for much of his career, representing the Republic of Ireland over a period of 14 years, most of which he spent as captain. He played in every Republic of Ireland game at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, although he was sent home from the 2002 World Cup after an incident with national coach Mick McCarthy.
He was appointed manager of Sunderland shortly after his retirement as a player, and took the club from 23rd position in the Football League Championship in late August to win the division title and gain promotion to the Premier League. Keane's arrival was cited as the catalyst for Sunderland's recovery. He managed to keep Sunderland from relegation in the 2007–08 season, but in his second season as a top-flight manager he left his position with Sunderland in the relegation zone. In April 2009, he was appointed as manager of Ipswich Town, but was sacked by the club in January 2011 with them 19th in the Championship.
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Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit (help·info) (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈryt ˈɣʏɫɪt], born as Ruud Dil [ˈryt ˈdɪɫ], September 1, 1962 in Amsterdam) OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989. He was a versatile player, playing in numerous positions during his career. Gullit was working to promote the Belgian-Dutch 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bid.
Gullit was born Ruud Dil in Amsterdam to George Gullit, a Suriname migrant, and Ria Dil, his buitenvrouw, from the Amsterdam Jordaan inner city district. The family lived in one split level room on the top floor of a small apartment building. Gullit's father worked as an economics teacher at a local school, his mother as a custodian at the Rijksmuseum.
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Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooij (Dutch pronunciation: [ryt vɑn ˈnɪstəlroːi̯] ( listen); born 1 July 1976) is a retired Dutch footballer. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals. He is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues. He was a pure goal scorer known for his shooting ability, calmness in front of goal and positioning.
Van Nistelrooy began his career with Den Bosch, before moving onto Heerenveen, eventually making a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven where he won two Dutch leagues. His goalscoring record at PSV attracted attention from Manchester United; a deal was in place in the summer of 2000, but because of injury problems his move was secured a year later for a then British record fee of £19 million. His time at United was successful, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and FA Community Shield, along with winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year twice. Van Nistelrooy hit 150 goals in just 219 games for United, as well as being their all time European record goalscorer, but fell out of favour towards the end of his tenure. Real Madrid then secured his services in 2006. Although an injury blighted the end of his days with Madrid, he did win La Liga twice and the Supercopa de España before signing for Hamburg during the January transfer window in 2010. After a season-and-a-half with Hamburg, he moved back to Spain with Málaga in the summer of 2011. His retirement from football was announced on 14 May 2012.
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Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973) is a Welsh footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season. He established himself as a left winger during the 1990s, and continuing in this position well into the 2000s, though he has been increasingly used in a deeper playmaking role in his latter years. Giggs is known for his tireless running, ball possession and ability to create goalscoring opportunities for those around him.
Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history. He also holds the club record for competitive appearances. During his time at United, he has won 12 Premier League winner's medals, four FA Cup winner's medals, three League Cup winner's medals and two Champions League winner's medals. He has two runner-up medals from the Champions League, three FA Cup finals and two League Cup finals, as well as being part of the team five times when it finished second in the Premier League. In recent years, Giggs has captained the team on numerous occasions, particularly in the 2007–08 season when regular captain Gary Neville was ruled out with various injuries.
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Rüştü Reçber
Rüştü Reçber (pronounced [ˈɾyʃty ˈɾetʃbeɾ]; born 10 May 1973, Korkuteli) is a Turkish international footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Beşiktaş J.K. in the Turkish Süper Lig, having previously played for Antalyaspor, Fenerbahçe and Barcelona.
He has played a key role in the success of the Turkish national squad, and it was at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where Turkey finished third, that his performances saw him selected for the tournament's all-star team. He is Turkey's record appearance holder, having earned 119 caps. He made his debut against Iceland in 1994 and his final appearance came against Armenia in 2009.
Rüştü was named the best goalkeeper in European competitions in 2002, selected for the 2002 UEFA Team Of The Year by public vote. In 2004, he was selected to FIFA 100 by Pelé as one of the 125 best living footballers in the world. Rüştü retired from international level after UEFA Euro 2008 with 120 international caps to his name but was called to play against Spain on 28 March 2009 and 1 April.
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Salvatore Schillaci
Salvatore Schillaci (Italian pronunciation: [salvaˈtɔre skilˈlatʃi]; born December 1, 1964), commonly referred to by his nickname Totò is a former Italian football player. During his career, he played for Messina (1982–1989), Juventus (1989–1992), Internazionale (1992–1994) and Júbilo Iwata (1994–1997). He was the Golden Boot winner for the 1990 FIFA World Cup after leading the tournament with six goals.
He made an appearance in a television advert for the Irish beer Smithwick's. The ad was originally created in the mid-90's when his goal that had eliminated Ireland from Italy 90 as well as the Irish win over Italy in 1994 FIFA World Cup were still vivid memories in the beer's home country.
A champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse (see Schillaci) was named after him following his performances at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Palermo, Italy, from a poor family, Schillaci, nicknamed Totò, started to play for an amateur team of his native city, Amat Palermo. He then signed in 1982 for the Sicilian club Messina, where he played till 1989 and showed his goal-scoring abilities. He then joined Juventus of Turin, and debuted in Serie A on August 27, 1989. Juventus, the "Old Lady" of Italian football was at the time suffering from the breakup of the wonder team which dominated Italian football in the 1980s and Schillaci's arrival coincided with a return to form under the direction of former goalkeeper Dino Zoff. He featured prominently, scoring 15 goals, in a very positive year for the Turinese club which ended the season winning both the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup. Due to his inventive, aggressive attack style he was then selected by head coach of Italy, Azeglio Vicini, to play in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by Italy itself, despite being a novice in the arena of national team competitions.
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Sam Raybould
Samuel Francis "Sam" Raybould (born 1875; died 1949) was an English professional football player. He played as a striker and is most renowned for his days playing for Liverpool.
Raybould was born in Staveley, Derbyshire and played for Poolsbrook United, Staveley Colliery and North Staveley before joining Chesterfield Town on trial. His trial wasn't successful and he moved to Ilkeston Town from where he joined Derby County in 1904.
Despite scoring twice in five games for Derby, Raybould returned to non-league football with Ilkeston Town, subsequently playing for Poolsbrook United, Ileston Town (for a third spell) and Bolsover Colliery before joining New Brighton Tower in 1899.
He scored ten times in just 13 league games for New Brighton and was signed by manager Tom Watson for Liverpool in January 1900. He made his debut on 13 January 1900 in a 2-0 win over W.B.A at Anfield and scored his first goal for the club a week later on 20 January in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park a game which saw Everton win 3-1.
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Sean Lock
Sean Lock (born 22 April 1963) is an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian. He won the British Comedy Award in 2000 in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award. He is also well known for his appearances on television and radio. He has written material for such comics as Bill Bailey, Lee Evans and Mark Lamarr and was voted the 55th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007 and again in the updated 2010 list as the 25th greatest stand-up comic.
Lock was born in Chertsey, Surrey.. He attended St. John the Baptist Secondary School, Woking. Prior to becoming a comedian, he was a labourer on building sites. During this time, he developed skin cancer. His first television appearance was in 1993, when he appeared in a supporting role alongside Rob Newman and David Baddiel in their TV show Newman and Baddiel in Pieces. He toured with the duo as their support act, and, as a result, became the first comedian to perform at Wembley Arena. Newman and Baddiel were widely promoted as being the first comedians to have performed at Wembley but, in his capacity as their warm-up, Lock technically takes this honour. However, Lock has conceded the honour to the duo on several occasions, including on the BBC Radio 4 show Loose Ends. In 1995, Lock played an escaped murderer in an episode of The World of Lee Evans, alongside Lee Evans and Phil Daniels.
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Sepp Maier
Josef Dieter "Sepp" Maier (born 28 February 1944) is a German former professional football goalkeeper. His nickname was "Die Katze von Anzing" ("the cat from Anzing") for his fast reflexes.
Born in Metten, Bavaria, Maier has spent his entire professional career at Bayern Munich. He began playing for Bayern's youth sides in 1958. During the 1970s, he was part of the legendary Bayern team which included the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller and won three European Cups in a row, a German record. Between 1966 and 1979 he played in 442 consecutive Bundesliga matches, still a German national record.
Maier was selected in the West Germany squad for four consecutive World Cups. In 1966 in England, he was a non-playing deputy to Hans Tilkowski. At the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, he was the undisputed starter and played all games (including the legendary 3–4 semifinal loss to Italy after extra time) except the third-place match.
In the 1974 FIFA World Cup on home soil, at the top of his footballing abilities, he reached the peak of his international career as the Germans went all the way to the final with a legendary team that included the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Berti Vogts, Gerd Müller and Paul Breitner. The greatest triumph came when the hosts defeated a Johan Cruyff-inspired Netherlands team 2–1 in the final in Maier's own hometown Munich.
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Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah "Sol" Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is a retired English footballer. A central defender, Campbell has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County and Newcastle United, as well as the English national team.
Born in east London to Jamaican parents, Campbell's professional debut was at the age of 18 for FA Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in December 1992. Campbell spent nine years at Tottenham, scoring 10 goals in 255 appearances, and captaining the team to victory in the 1999 Football League Cup Final against Premier League side Leicester City. In 2001 he controversially joined Tottenham's North London rivals Arsenal, the first high profile free transfer within the Premier League under the Bosman ruling. In his five years and 195 appearances at Arsenal he won two Premier League winners medals and two FA Cup winners medals, encompassing the 2001–02 League and FA Cup double, and being part of the team that became known as The Invincibles for their undefeated 2003–04 Premier League campaign. Campbell was also part of the side that lost 2–1 to Barcelona in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final, in which he scored the only goal for Arsenal. In August 2006 he joined Premier League side Portsmouth on a free transfer; his three years with the club included captaining them to success in the 2008 FA Cup Final against Championship side Cardiff City.
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Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen (26 May 1921 — 22 May 1991) was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final (subsequently known as "The Matthews Final"), in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final. He was also both the first player to score for England in a FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign and the first England player to score in the tournament proper.
South Shields-born Mortensen went to war in 1939 as a wireless operator and overcame an injury – sustained when his RAF bomber crashed, leaving him as the only survivor – to become one of England's best post-war players.
During the war, he scored dozens of goals before making a strange piece of history by switching teams to play for Wales when they needed a reserve during a game against England on 25 September 1943. Wales' Ivor Powell was injured and had to leave the field and, as England's reserve, Mortensen took his place in the Welsh side. Wales lost 8–3, and Stanley Matthews later wrote of the game: "Nobody in the 80,000 crowd had any idea that Mortensen was going to change. When, a quarter of an hour later, the player in the red jersey returned to the field, a cheer went up from the crowd, who — not knowing the seriousness of Powell's injury — were under the impression the injured Welsh wing half was returning. Even when "Powell" went to inside-left, the onlookers did not suspect anything unusual, as team switches are often necessary after a player has been injured. Even some of the England players did not know that Mortensen was playing on the other side, and the football reporters, whose headquarters at Wembley are at the top of the main stand, did not know of the change until after half-time."
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Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. Matthews' nicknames included "The Wizard of the Dribble" and "The Magician".
A near-vegetarian teetotaller, he kept fit enough to play at the top level until he was 50 years old. He was also the oldest player ever to play in England's top football division and the oldest player ever to represent the country. He played his final competitive game in 1985, at the age of 70. Matthews was also an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 to honour his contribution to the English game.
He spent nineteen years with Stoke City, playing for the "Potters" from 1932 to 1947, and again from 1961 to 1965. He helped Stoke to the Second Division title in 1932–33 and 1962–63. In between his two spells at Stoke he spent fourteen years with Blackpool; where he became an FA Cup winner in 1953 (known as the Matthews Final), after he was on the losing side in the 1948 and 1951 finals. Between 1937 and 1957 he won 54 caps for England, playing in the FIFA World Cup in 1950 and 1954, and winning nine British Home Championship titles.
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Stephen Carr
Stephen Carr (born 29 August 1976 in Dublin) is an Irish footballer who plays for and captains Birmingham City. He previously played for the Premier League teams Tottenham Hotspur and, for a shorter spell, Newcastle United. He is a former international player with the Republic of Ireland. His position is right back, but had been known to deputise at left back or centre back when required.
As a fifteen year old, Carr went on trial from Stella Maris Football Club where he played his schoolboy football to Tottenham Hotspur and was signed up by then manager Ossie Ardiles. He made his debut for the club on 29 September 1993 away to Ipswich Town in the 1993–94 Premier League season. However he had to wait until the 1996–97 season to establish himself as a regular first-team player, when he made 28 appearances that campaign.
He picked up a League Cup medal with Spurs in 1999 after contributing to a 1–0 win over Leicester City in the final. The 1999-00 Premier League season was arguably his best ever as far as his performances are concerned, as well as scoring a fantastic 35-yard screamer[citation needed] against champions Manchester United.
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Steve Archibald
Steven Archibald (born 27 September 1956 in Glasgow) is a former Scottish football player and manager.
He first came to prominence playing in midfield for Scottish First Division side Clyde, but was converted to striker when he signed for Aberdeen, forging a prolific partnership with Joe Harper. After winning the Scottish Premier Division title in 1980, he had a four year spell with London club Tottenham Hotspur, where he won FA Cup winners medals in 1981 and 1982 and the UEFA Cup in 1984, where he scored his penalty in the final as Spurs overcame Anderlecht in a shootout. He also scored for Spurs in their defeat by Liverpool in the 1982 Football League Cup Final.
Archibald scored 77 goals in 189 appearances for Spurs between 1980 and 1984, forming successful striking partnerships with Garth Crooks and Mark Falco.
In 1984 he joined Barcelona, where he was a popular figure until restrictions on fielding foreign players led to him being excluded from the squad in favour of Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes. He was loaned out to Blackburn Rovers for a spell prior to a surprise return to Scottish football with Hibernian. After a brief return to La Liga with RCD Espanyol, he joined St Mirren and was instrumental in bringing former Barça team-mate Víctor Muñoz to the club.
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Steve Backley
Stephen ("Steve") James Backley OBE (born 12 February 1969 in Sidcup) is a retired British athlete who was formerly the world record holder for javelin throwing. During his career, he won four gold medals at the European Championships, three Commonwealth Games gold medals, and two silvers and a bronze at the Olympic Games, and two silvers at the World Championships.
Backley was a firm fixture in the British national athletics team for over fifteen years and is the only British track and field competitor to win medals at three different Olympic Games.
Backley was educated at Warren Road Primary School, Orpington, and later at Bexley and Erith Technical High School for Boys (now Beths Grammar School) in his teens and later enrolled at Loughborough University in October 1988 to study for a BSc Honours degree in Physical Education, Sports Science and Recreation Management. Although he completed his first year there and remained a student until 2002, the time he dedicated to the javelin prevented him from completing his studies. However, on December 16, 2002 Loughborough University honoured him with the degree of Doctor of Technology honoris causa.
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Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer (20 January 1874, Cradley, Worcestershire – 16 April 1938, Derby) was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County, Middlesbrough and England during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game. On 17 January 2009 a bust of Bloomer was unveiled next to the home dugout at Pride Park Stadium.
During his career Bloomer was a prolific goalscorer for both club and country. Although possessing only a slight frame, he was a menace to defenders due to his quick thinking. He was also able to shoot powerfully and accurately with either foot and his speciality was the daisy cutter – a low shot, hit with great power, speed and accuracy. In 536 English First Division games he scored 317 goals and, after Jimmy Greaves, he is the second highest all-time goalscorer in the first division. He also scored 28 goals in 23 appearances for England. In his last international against Scotland in 1907 he scored a stunning goal.
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Steve Bull
Stephen George "Steve" Bull, MBE, (born 28 March 1965 in Tipton, Staffordshire) is an English former footballer who is best remembered for his 13-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played there from 1986 until his retirement from playing in 1999, and holds the club's goalscoring record with 306 goals, which included 18 hat-tricks for the club.
He was capped 13 times for the England team between 1989 and 1990, scoring four goals.
Bull was born on Tipton's Moat Farm estate and started school in September 1969 at Wednesbury Oak Primary School and moved up to Willingsworth High School in September 1976, by which time he was excelling in school football teams. The junior teams he played for included Ocker Hill infants, Red Lion and Newey Goodman. He left school in 1981 to join non-league Tipton Town. During this time he also held down a succession of factory jobs in addition to playing local league games.
He began his professional career, aged 19, after being recommended to West Bromwich Albion in 1984 by his Tipton Town manager Sid Day, who also worked as a scout for the Baggies. After initially having to train with the club's youth ranks, he was quickly offered a pro contract and moved into first team contention. He made his senior debut on 23 October 1985, replacing Garth Crooks in a 2–1 Full Members Cup win against Crystal Palace. He made his league debut as a substitute against QPR, away, on 12 April 1986 (lost 0-1), and his full debut at home to Sheffield Wednesday on 22 April (drew 1-1); they were his only league appearances that season and only appearances in top flight football. He played three Second Division games for Albion after they were relegated in 1986, scoring twice, and also scored one goal in two League Cup appearances for the club. In November 1986, he was sold to local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, along with Andy Thompson, for £65,000 where he remained until the end of his professional career in 1999.
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Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE (born 22 August 1957 in Plumstead, London) is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire. He has won 28 ranking events in total, second only to Stephen Hendry.
Davis' achievements also include three Masters and a record six UK Championship titles. In 1988 he became the first player to complete snooker's Triple Crown in a single season. He is also a former four-time World Doubles champion with Tony Meo and won the World Team Classic/World Cup four times with England. In 1982, he became the first player to compile a televised maximum break and is one of four players to have compiled over 300 competitive century breaks. Though he has not won a major tournament since 1997, he continues to play snooker at a high level and reached the quarter-finals at the 2010 World Championship. He was still ranked in the world's top 16 at the age of 50, and is ranked number 51 after the 2012 World Championship.
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Steve Hodge
Stephen Brian Hodge (born 25 October 1962) is a retired English footballer who enjoyed a high-profile club and international career in the 1980s and 1990s.
Hodge is somewhat famous for being the individual who traded jerseys with the great Diego Maradona after the match in which he scored the "Goal of the Century." The jersey is currently in his possession, and the jersey was out on loan to the National Football Museum in Great Britain.
Hodge, a left-footed midfielder who was comfortable in a central or wide position, was born in Nottingham, England and joined his boyhood club Nottingham Forest as an apprentice in 1980 and made his debut against Ipswich Town on the final day of the 1981-82 season.
A favourite of Forest's charismatic manager Brian Clough, Hodge became a first-team regular the following season as the club tried to build a new young team after the side which won two European Cups began to age and disintegrate. Hodge was a frequent goalscorer from midfield as Forest consolidated their League position were unable to push for trophies other than a semi-final in the UEFA Cup in 1984, where they lost in controversial circumstances to Anderlecht.
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Steve McMahon
Stephen Joseph "Steve" McMahon (born 20 August 1961) is an English former professional footballer, manager and sports television pundit.
As a player he was a midfielder from 1979 to 1998, most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s. McMahon was placed in 42nd position in the 100 Players Who Shook The Kop poll, which asked Red supporters to name the best 100 players of all time. He also played for Everton, Aston Villa and Manchester City. After his playing career ended, he began his coaching and managing carrer with the Swindon Town F.C., then finished his career at Blackpool F.C.. He is currently a football pundit for the Asia-based sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports.
Halewood-born McMahon started his career at Everton, the club he supported as a boy, playing for them as a teenager after appearing at Goodison Park as a ball boy. He made his league debut on 16 August 1980 in the 3–1 defeat to Sunderland at Roker Park, he went on to be voted the supporters player of the year by the end of the 1980/81 season. His commanding presence in the Toffees midfield earned him the captaincy of the club but Everton's lack of success couldn't quench his thirst for honours, so after 4 seasons which included 100 league appearances and 11 league goals McMahon was on the move.
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Steve Nicol
Stephen "Steve" Nicol (born 11 December 1961 in Irvine, Scotland) is a Scottish former professional footballer. A utility player who played in the all-conquering Liverpool team of the 1980s, he was most recently coach of New England Revolution, and was the longest-tenured head coach in MLS to coach a single club.
As a player, Nicol was a significant member of the all-conquering Liverpool team of the 1980s, with whom he won five Football League First Division titles, three FA Cup winners medals, and the 1984 European Cup. After 14 years with Liverpool, Nicol also played with several other English teams, including Notts County, Sheffield Wednesday and Doncaster Rovers, before emigrating to the United States in 1999.
He was the only defender to score a hat trick in the English Premier League.
He was also a regular member of the Scotland national football team, and represented his country at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Nicol started his career with Ayr United in 1979 and spent just over two seasons with the Scottish side, racking up 70 league appearances, before Liverpool manager Bob Paisley decided to pay, what turned out to be, a bargain price of £300,000 to bring Nicol to Anfield on 26 October 1981.
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Steve Perryman
Stephen John "Steve" Perryman MBE (born 21 December 1951 in Ealing, London) is a former English international football player who is best remembered for his successes with Tottenham Hotspur during the 1970s and early 1980s. Perryman was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1982 and made a club record 854 first team appearances for Tottenham Hotspur. He is now the director of football at Exeter City.
A midfielder and occasional defender, Perryman played in a club record 854 first team appearances, in all competitions for Tottenham Hotspur between 1969 and 1986. During his seventeen year career with the north London club, Perryman collected many medals, winning the UEFA Cup in 1972 and 1984 (playing in both legs of the 1972 final and just the first leg of the 1984 final), the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982 and the League Cup in 1971 and 1973.
After leaving White Hart Lane Perryman moved to Oxford United in 1986, then Brentford as player-manager in the same year, before retiring in 1990.
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Steve Rider
Stephen Rider (born 28 April 1950 in Dartford, Kent) is an English sports presenter, and was the anchorman of ITV's football coverage, which included the Champions League, England Internationals, the FA Cup and the 2006 World Cup. He anchored ITV's Formula One coverage from 2006 to 2008, and football coverage from 2006 to April 2010. He was the lead presenter for ITV's coverage of 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
Rider attended the John Roan Boys' Grammar School on Maze Hill in Blackheath. He began his career working for a newspaper in south-east London, followed by writing for sports news agency Hayters. Early in his career he was a sports reporter for Independent Radio News and also covered motor racing for Anglia Television, later becoming Head of Sport on the regional news programme About Anglia and lived near Halesworth in Suffolk.
Rider worked for ITV Sport for several years providing reports for the World of Sport programme, and reporting from the 1980 Summer Olympics. He was also a presenter for some of the golf coverage on Channel 4 and presented some live European football for ITV.
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Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE ( /ˈdʒɛrɑrd/; born 30 May 1980) is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 91 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfield role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger.
Gerrard, who has spent his entire career at Anfield, made his début in 1998 and cemented his place in the first team in 2000, succeeding Sami Hyypiä as team captain in 2003. His honours include two FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Cup, and two Super Cups. In 2005, Gerrard came third in voting for the Ballon d'Or.
Gerrard made his international debut in 2000 and has represented England at the Euro 2000 and Euro 2004, as well as the 2006 World Cup where he was the team's top goalscorer with two goals. Gerrard first captained his country at the 2010 World Cup in the absence of regular captain Rio Ferdinand, who missed the tournament through injury. He was named again as England captain for the Euro 2012.
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Stewart Robson
Stewart Ian Robson (born November 6, 1964 in Billericay, Essex, England) is an English former football player. He now summarises for Arsenal TV and sometimes on TalkSPORT's evening Kick Off Show during the week.[citation needed] He also serves as match analyst for Premier League telecasts airing on ESPN2(U.S.A.) and ESPN Caribbean on some Saturday mornings.[citation needed]
He was educated at Alleyn Court Prep School in Westcliff on Sea, and Brentwood School. He was also an outstanding cricketer. Robson joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1978. He made his debut soon after his 17th birthday, on December 5, 1981 against West Ham United, and quickly became a regular feature in the Arsenal side.
Robson showed great promise as young footballer, both in his versatility (although he usually played in midfield, he was equally adept in defence as full back or centre back) and his competitiveness; he was an enthusiastic runner and tackler. He was the Arsenal fans' 1984 Player of the Year, and made the England senior squad, but a series of injuries hampered his career – Robson had continual problems with his groin and hamstrings. He spent three months out injured in 1985–86.
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Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce MBE (born 24 April 1962) is an English football manager and former player. He is currently manager of the England national under-21 team and most recently been made manager of the Great Britain Olympic football team. As a player, Pearce captained both the England national football team and Nottingham Forest, turning out 78 times for England between 1987 and 1999.
He retired as a player in 2002 while at Manchester City. He remained with the club as a coach under Kevin Keegan's managership until being promoted to the manager's job in 2005. He was manager of the club for two years before being dismissed. He is now full-time manager of the England U-21 team, a position he previously held part-time while still Manchester City manager.
Born in Shepherds Bush, London, Pearce first attended Fryent Primary School in Kingsbury, North West London before attending Claremont High School in Kenton. He failed a trial at Queens Park Rangers and then rejected an offer from Hull City, instead settling into a career in the non-league game with his local side, Wealdstone, while training and working as an electrician and plumber. For almost five years, he was the first choice full back for the team, then amongst the biggest names of non-league football in the Alliance Premier League.
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Syd Owen
Sydney William Owen (28 February 1922 – January 1999) was an English footballer and football coach.
Owen was born in Birmingham. He made 388 first-team appearances for Luton Town. In 1959 he was the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and led Luton Town to the FA Cup Final. He became a highly valued member of Don Revie's coaching staff at Leeds United and later served Manchester United in a similar role.
He earned three caps for the England national football team, and was a member of the 1954 FIFA World Cup team.
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Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis Péter (21 September 1929 – 22 July 1979) was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was a member of the Mighty Magyars. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution he moved to Spain where he became a member of the FC Barcelona team of the late 1950s.
Kocsis was a prolific goalscorer for both Budapest Honvéd and Hungary. While playing for Honvéd, he was the top goal scorer in any European league in both 1952 and 1954. He also scored 75 goals in 68 appearances for Hungary - a 1.10 goal/game average at the game's highest level. Kocsis was the top goal scorer in the 1954 World Cup with 11 goals, being the first player to score two hat tricks in a World Cup. His record 2.2 goal/game average in a single World Cup finals competition is still unbeaten as of 2010, and only Just Fontaine has scored more goals in a single World Cup.
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Sócrates
Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, MD (19 February 1954 – 4 December 2011), simply Sócrates, was a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He was also a qualified doctor.
He played for Botafogo-SP before joining Corinthians in 1978. He then moved to Italy to play for Fiorentina, returning to Brazil in 1985 to end his career.
Sócrates was a technical playmaker, known for great through passes and his vision on the field, as well as his physical strength. He was also a two-footed player and a prolific goal scorer. His ability to read the game was highly valued, and his signature move was the blind heel pass. He was considered to be one of the greatest midfielders ever to play the game. Easily recognizable for his beard and headband, he became the "symbol of cool for a whole generation of football supporters".
Sócrates played for Brazil during seven years, scoring more than 20 goals and representing the nation in two World Cups, captaining the team in the 1982 edition; he also appeared in the 1979 and 1983 Copa América tournaments, and was named South American Footballer of the Year in 1983, being selected to Pelé's FIFA 100 list in 2004.
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Ted Drake
Edward Joseph "Ted" Drake (16 August 1912 – 30 May 1995) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he first played for Southampton but made his name playing for Arsenal in the 1930s, winning two league titles and an FA Cup, as well as five caps for England. He was also a cricketer, but only ever played sparingly for Hampshire. After retiring from playing football, he became a manager, and while in charge of Chelsea he took the club to its first league title. Drake holds the record for the most goals scored in a top flight game in English football, scoring seven against Aston Villa in December 1935.
Born in Southampton, Drake started playing at Winchester City, whilst continuing to work as a gas-meter reader. He nearly joined Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy, but missed the trial match with an injury. In June 1931, he was persuaded by George Kay to join Southampton, then playing in Division Two. He made his Saints debut on 14 November 1931 at Swansea Town, and signed as a professional in November, becoming first-choice centre-forward by the end of the 1931–32 season.
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Ted Harper
Edward Cashfield "Ted" Harper (22 August 1901 - 1959) was a 'strong and quick' English footballer, who played at centre-forward scoring a then record high of 43 league goals in a season in 1925–26 for Blackburn Rovers. Born in Sheerness, Ted played in Kent junior football and for Whitstable Town and Sheppey United before joining Blackburn in 1923.
He also set club records by scoring 36 goals for Tottenham Hotspur in 1930-31 and later scoring 37 goals in a season for Preston North End in Division Two in the 1932-33 season, which still stands as the club goal scoring record.
He played for Blackburn Rovers (1923–1927 and 1933–1934), Sheffield Wednesday (1927–1929), Tottenham Hotspur (1929–1931) and Preston North End (1931–1933) in the Football League. He was signed for Spurs from Sheffield Wednesday in March 1929 for a fee of £5,500, breaking the club record which had been created only a few weeks earlier when Baden Herod was signed for £4,000 from Brentford. Harper took on a coaching role at Blackburn following his retirement at 33.
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Ted MacDougall
Edward John "Ted" MacDougall (born 8 January 1947 in Inverness) is a retired Scottish footballer who is currently coaching the Atlanta Silverbacks in the USA.
MacDougall was a prolific goalscorer who played for eight teams, scoring 256 goals in 535 League appearances and winning seven full international caps for Scotland.
In an FA Cup tie for Bournemouth, in November 1971, he scored nine goals in an 11–0 win against Margate. He formed a successful striking partnership with Phil Boyer at four of his clubs.
MacDougall was raised in Inverness, moving to Widnes, Cheshire, with his parents shortly after his 12th birthday. He subsequently played in local men's amateur league, and worked as a trainee compositor on a local newspaper.
MacDougall joined Liverpool as a trainee in 1964 and, on the day he turned 19, he was offered a professional contract at Anfield by manager Bill Shankly. However, MacDougall did not make it at Liverpool, where Ian St. John, Roger Hunt and Tony Hateley shared the goal-scoring duties, and he only made one first-team appearance, as a substitute in a UEFA Cup match.
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Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE (born 2 April 1966) is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester United in the 1998–99 season. The pinnacle of his career came when he scored the equaliser and provided the assist for Manchester United's winning goal in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich. Sheringham also represented England at international level. He was awarded an MBE in June 2007. He retired from competitive football at the end of the 2007–08 season with Colchester United, at the age of 42, after a career lasting 25 years.
Sheringham began his professional career at Millwall in 1982 at the age of 16, after impressing a scout when playing for non-league club Leytonstone & Ilford during a youth team game against Millwall. He was signed up, initially as an apprentice and scored on only his second appearance for the club in a match away at Bournemouth in January 1984. After being loaned out by the club twice in 1985 to Aldershot and later a Swedish side, Djurgården, he quickly became a first choice selection at Millwall and during the late 1980s formed a striking partnership with Tony Cascarino. He was the club's top goalscorer in four seasons (1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1990–91) and played in every game of the season twice, in 1986–87 and 1990–91.
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Terry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher (born 28 December 1958) is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career. He has subsequently had a lengthy managerial and coaching career and is currently with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premier League.
Although he was born in Singapore, he spent his childhood in Lowestoft, Suffolk, where he attended Kirkley High School and met his future wife Rita. He famously turned down the chance to join Norwich City youth team, as like his father he was a fan of Ipswich Town – Norwich's fiercest rivals.
Butcher made his debut for Ipswich against Everton in the First Division on 15 April 1978 and over the next eight seasons would establish himself as the club's top central defender, combining leadership with great aerial ability and amazing courage. This was soon noticed by England manager Ron Greenwood who gave him his debut in a friendly against Australia in 1980.
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Terry Fenwick
Terence William 'Terry' Fenwick (born 17 November 1959 in Seaham, County Durham) is an English football coach and former player. He is the current head coach for San Juan Jabloteh of the TT Pro League in Trinidad and Tobago.
He started his career at Crystal Palace and went on to play for major clubs such as Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur. During this period he was a regular for the England national football team. He became the first full back to score a goal from open play in an FA Cup Final when he equalized against Tottenham Hotspur in the 1982 final.
He holds the English record for most yellow cards, three, in a single World Cup tournament, which he achieved in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. During that World Cup, Fenwick was also noted for being passed by Diego Maradona as Maradona scored the "Goal of the Century".
Fenwick received a four-month prison sentence in September 1991 after being convicted of drink-driving. He served two months of his sentence.
Fenwick scored all 8 of his league goals for Tottenham from the penalty spot in just one season, 1988–89. After 1990, it gradually became clear that Fenwick had witnessed his best days as a footballer. He was sent on loan to Leicester City before getting a permanent move to Swindon Town, a newly promoted Premier League team. His first season, 1993–94, saw Swindon winning only 5 games of a total 42, conceding 100 goals and being relegated. Fenwick played 26 games during this season, and was noted for breaking the leg of Paul Warhurst. He played only two games the following season, was released, and ended his playing career shortly thereafter.
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Terry McDermott
Terence "Terry" McDermott (born 8 December 1951 in Liverpool) is a former football midfielder and coach. He is the father of Newcastle United player Greg McDermott and Marsaxlokk player Neale McDermott
McDermott joined Bury as a youngster in 1969. He made a total of 90 appearances and eight goals before joining Newcastle United in 1973.
Manager Joe Harvey gave McDermott his Newcastle debut on 17 March 1973, at Old Trafford, with a match against Manchester United. He came off the bench but could not do anything to prevent Newcastle losing 2-1.
McDermott reached the FA Cup Final in 1974 against Liverpool. However, Newcastle lost the match 3-0.
Liverpool boss Bob Paisley, in his first season in charge after replacing Bill Shankly, brought McDermott to Merseyside in November 1974. He made his Liverpool debut, along with Phil Neal, on 16 November, in a Merseyside derby with fierce rivals Everton at Goodison Park. Neither side could break the deadlock with both sides sharing the points. McDermott's first goal came in a 1-1 league draw with Burnley at Turf Moor on 8 March 1975.
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Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables (born 6 January 1943 in Dagenham), often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England. He was the national team manager of England from 1994 to 1996 (leading the team to the semi-finals of the 1996 European Championships), and of Australia from 1997 to 1998. He has also managed several club sides including Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United in England, and Barcelona in Spain.
Venables attended Lennards Secondary School (now The Ockendon Maths And Computing College) In South Ockendon, Essex.[citation needed]
Venables left school in the summer of 1957 and signed for Chelsea as an apprentice. He became professional for them in 1960, after being left out of England's Olympic squad. He emerged as the captain and one of the key players in the Chelsea side which challenged for honours in the 1960s, narrowly missing out on Football League and FA Cup success, and winning the League Cup in 1965, scoring in the final against Leicester City. But a fall-out with manager Tommy Docherty culminated in him and seven other players being sent home for breaking a pre-match curfew and ultimately led to his sale to Tottenham Hotspur for £80,000 in 1966. He had made 202 appearances for Chelsea and scored 26 goals.
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Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (French pronunciation: [tjɛʁi ɑ̃ʁi]; born 17 August 1977) is a French footballer who plays as a striker for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.
Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne (a suburb of Paris) where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and signed instantly, making his professional debut in 1994. Good form led to an international call-up in 1998, after which he signed for the Serie A defending champions Juventus. He had a disappointing season playing on the wing, before joining Arsenal for £11 million in 1999.
It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer. Despite initially struggling in the Premier League, he emerged as Arsenal's top goal-scorer for almost every season of his tenure there. Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions. The Frenchman won two league titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners; he was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year twice, was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the FWA Footballer of the Year three times. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final.
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Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈtʰoː.mas ˈmʏ.lɐ]; born 13 September 1989) is a German footballer who plays for Bayern Munich and the German national team. Müller plays as a midfielder or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles—as an attacking midfielder, second striker, and on either wing. He has been praised for his pace, technique and composure, and has shown consistency in scoring and creating goals. A product of Bayern's youth system, he made his first-team breakthrough in the 2009–10 season after Louis van Gaal was appointed as the main coach; he played almost every game as the club won the league and cup double and reached the Champions League final. This accomplishment earned him an international call-up, and at the end of the season he was named in Germany's squad for the 2010 World Cup, where he scored five goals in six appearances as the team finished in third place. He was named as the Best Young Player of the tournament and won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer, with five goals and three assists.
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Tom Finney
Sir Thomas Finney, OBE (born 5 April 1922, Preston, Lancashire) is a former English footballer, famous for his loyalty to his league club, Preston North End, and for his performances in the English national side. Finney is also the current President of Kendal Town. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1961 Queen's New Year Honours and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1992 Queen's New Year Honours and was knighted in the 1998 Queen's New Year Honours.
Finney was born at home in Preston on a street next to the Deepdale stadium to parents Alfred Finney (b.1894) and Margaret Mitchell (b.1896). He was frail and somewhat sickly in his youth and stood only 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) at the age of fourteen. When he was offered the opportunity to sign for Preston North End (PNE), his father insisted that he complete his apprenticeship in the family's plumbing business before signing as a professional. This led to one of his nicknames, the 'Preston Plumber'. Finney's mother Margaret died in 1927, at the age of 32, when Tom was only four years old. He was married to Elsie Noblett from 1945 until her death from Alzheimer's disease in 2004. They had two children; a son Brian (born 1947) and a daughter Barbara (born 1950).
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Tom Waring
Thomas (Tom) "Pongo" Waring (12 October 1906 – 20 December 1980) was an English professional association football player. Nicknamed "Pongo" after a famous cartoon of the time, Waring is one of Aston Villa's all-time great centre forwards. In his career, he scored 243 league goals in 363 matches over 12 seasons for 5 different clubs.
He signed for Tranmere Rovers in 1926, scored 6 of the 11 goals scored against Durham City. He moved to Aston Villa for £4,700 in 1928. As well as playing football, Waring also worked for The Hercules Motor and Cycle Company in Aston.
A crowd of 23,000 saw him play on his Villa debut in a reserve game against local rivals Birmingham, in which he scored a hat-trick.
His 226 appearances for Villa yielded 167 goals, including 10 hat-tricks and a club record 49 league goals in the 1930-31 season, 50 goals in all competitions. He is considered an Aston Villa legend, a reputation buoyed by his likeable personality as discussed by Villa's captain of the day, Billy Walker. In Walker's autobiography, he wrote:
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Tommy Lawton
Thomas "Tommy" Lawton (6 October 1919 – 6 November 1996) was an English association footballer who rose to fame a short time before the outbreak of the Second World War and enjoyed a successful career which lasted until well into the 1950s.
Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Lawton's precocious talent won him a trial for the England schoolboy team in which he scored a hat trick but this never led to a junior cap. In 1935, he signed for Second Division club Burnley. Lawton later wrote, "I remember my first meeting with Hughie Gallacher. It was after I had had a bad game for Burnley Reserves against Derby County Reserves. I was walking off the pitch with my heart in my boots when Hughie, who was the Derby centre forward, came up to me and said, "Look, son, you must learn to cover the ball with your body. If you are being tackled on your right, keep the ball on your left foot, so your opponent will have to come across you to get at it, and it's the same the other way round. If you do that they won't take it from you." I shall never forget the great Hughie Gallacher for that."
wn.com/Tommy_Lawton -
Tony Book
Anthony Keith Book is a retired English footballer and manager who was born in Bath, 4 September 1934. Book spent a large part of his career in Non-League football with his home town club Bath City, before entering league football with Plymouth Argyle. At the age of 31, he joined First Division Manchester City, where he became captain. Under Book's captaincy, Manchester City won four trophies, making him the most decorated Manchester City captain of all-time. Book had a five year tenure as Manchester City manager from 1974–1979, and subsequently held various coaching roles at the club until 1996.
Tony Book was born in Bath, but at the age of four moved to India when his father, an officer in the Somerset Light Infantry, received an overseas posting. During World War II, Book's father served in Burma, and Book lived with his mother and brothers in army quarters in a number of places in British India, including Mumbai and Multan. In September 1945, the Book family returned to England. Tony started secondary school in Bath, and gained his first experience in competitive football when he was selected to play for both Bath boys and Somerset boys.
wn.com/Tony_Book -
Tony Coton
Anthony Philip "Tony" Coton (born 19 May 1961 in Tamworth) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper from 1978 to 1999.
He made 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing as a goalkeeper for Birmingham City, Watford, Manchester City and Sunderland. He came out of retirement briefly in 2004 for Hereford United following a goalkeeping crisis. He was renowned for his excellent reflexes and shot-stopping abilities, and now works as a sports agent.
Coton started his professional career at Birmingham City in 1978, having signed from Mile Oak Rovers the previous year. He made his Football League debut as a 19-year-old, on 27 December 1980 in the First Division match against Sunderland. His first touch of the ball was to save a penalty awarded after 54 seconds. By the 1982–83 season he had established himself as Birmingham's first choice goalkeeper.
Birmingham were relegated from the First Division at the end of the next season, but Coton found his way back into the top flight with a transfer to Watford, for a sum of £300,000. He soon replaced Steve Sherwood in Watford's goal and at the end of his second full season at Vicarage Road he won the Hornets' Player of the Season and Display of the Season awards, the latter for a clean sheet against Liverpool. He remained with the club even after their relegation from the First Division in 1988. He went on to become Watford Player of the Season for an unprecedented third time in 1989–90.
wn.com/Tony_Coton -
Tony Dorigo
Anthony Robert "Tony" Dorigo (born 31 December 1965) is an Australian-born English former professional footballer who played as a defender from 1983 to 2001.
He played for Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leeds United and the England national side., as well as Torino, Derby County and Stoke City.
Despite being born in Australia, Dorigo holds a British passport and during his playing career he represented the England team on 15 occasions. He also made 7 appearances for the England B team and 11 for the England under-21s.
He made his league debut for Aston Villa against Ipswich in 1984 as an 18 year old and would go on to win the clubs player of the year award during his time at Villa Park.
He signed for Chelsea from Aston Villa for £475,000 and he won the club's player of the year award in his first season, though they were also relegated. He helped the club win promotion back to the First Division at the first attempt. He left Chelsea in somewhat acrimonious circumstances in the summer of 1991, having made and then withdrawn a transfer request, and then seemingly fallen out with manager Bobby Campbell after being dropped from the side due to declining a new contract. He was sold to Leeds for £1.3m. He made 180 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 11 goals.
wn.com/Tony_Dorigo -
Uwe Seeler
Uwe Seeler (born 5 November 1936 in Hamburg) is a former German football official and retired football player. He played for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West German national team.
Seeler followed in his father's footsteps as a player for Hamburger SV, making his first team debut in 1954 in a German Cup match, aged just under 18, scoring four goals (8–2 vs. Holstein Kiel). In later years, despite tempting offers from Italian and Spanish clubs he remained loyal to Hamburg, working on a second career as a merchant besides playing football, as in those days football stars in Germany did not earn the huge salaries seen now.
Seeler was a gifted striker who, among other things, was renowned for his overhead kick. He scored 137 times in 239 Bundesliga games, 43 times in 72 international games for the German national team, and 21 times in 29 European club tournament games. He was captain of both his club team and the national team for many years. He and his club won the German championship in 1960 and the DFB-Pokal (German FA Cup) in 1963. He was top scorer of the first Bundesliga season 1963–64 and German Footballer of the Year in 1960, 1964 and 1970.
wn.com/Uwe_Seeler -
Vavá
Vavá, real name Edvaldo Izídio Neto, (born 12 November 1934 in Recife, Brazil; died 19 January 2002 in Rio de Janeiro) was an association footballer who is widely considered one of the best strikers of his generation. His nickname was "Peito de Aço" (Steel Chest). He played as a full striker (center forward) whose only role was to score goals, which he did for Sport Club do Recife, C.R. Vasco da Gama, S.E. Palmeiras and the Brazilian national team.
Vava earned 20 caps with the Brazilian national team, scoring a total of 15 goals. He was on the side that won both the 1958 and 1962 World Cup, in which he scored 5 and 4 goals, respectively. Furthermore, he was a joint recipient of the 1962 World Cup Golden Shoe award.
Vavá scored in the final of both 1958 (twice) and 1962 (once), thus becoming the first player to score in the final of two different world cups. To this day, only four players achieved this feat, the other three being Pelé, Paul Breitner and Zinedine Zidane.
wn.com/Vavá -
Vic Watson
Victor Martin Watson (10 November 1897 Girton, Cambridgeshire – 3 August 1988 Girton, Cambridgeshire) was an English footballer who played most of his club football for West Ham United.
Watson, a centre forward, played 505 times for West Ham between 1920 and 1936. The club paid just £50 for Vic from Wellingborough, bringing him in to provide cover for Syd Puddefoot.
Vic Watson is the club's record goalscorer with 326 goals (298 league and 28 FA cup), a feat unlikely to be bettered in the modern era. He once scored six, in an 8-2 home win against Leeds on 9 February 1929, scored four goals on three occasions, and managed 13 hat-tricks while at West Ham.
Watson gained two international caps with England in 1923 and a further three caps in 1930, scoring four goals in total, including two against Scotland in the 1930 British Home Championship.
He spent one season (1935–36) with Southampton before retiring and he was the club's top scorer with 14 goals in 36 league appearances.
Upon retiring, he became a market gardener in Girton. He died in August 1988 at the age of 90.
wn.com/Vic_Watson -
Viv Anderson
Vivian Alexander "Viv" Anderson MBE (born 29 July 1956 in Clifton, Nottingham) is an English football player and coach, who played for clubs including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970s and 1980s. He is also notable for being the first black football player to represent England in a full international match.
Anderson had broken into the Nottingham Forest team during 1974 and became a regular after the arrival of Brian Clough as manager of the East Midlands club, then in the Second Division, in January 1975. He was part of the side that won promotion to the First Division in 1977, winning the title, along with the League Cup, a year later.
Anderson was one of the first black players to represent top English clubs at the time, and regularly suffered racial abuse from fans of rival teams. He was regularly pelted with bananas and targeted with racist chants.
When Anderson received the call-up for England in 1978, coach Ron Greenwood was insistent that no political issue was at stake, despite the ever rising number of young black stars in the game, born and raised in England. There was no doubt that Anderson was playing outstandingly in a form team that season and got his call-up entirely on merit. A gangly, awkward figure, he was a much-admired tackler and was also quick going forward and occasionally scored vital goals. Vindication for his selection on merit was further supplied when Anderson was part of the Forest team that retained the League Cup and then clinched the European Cup in 1979 with victory over Malmö. He also helped Forest retain the League Cup that year.
wn.com/Viv_Anderson -
W. G. Richardson
William "Ginger" Richardson (29 May 1909 – 29 March 1959) often referred to as W.G. Richardson and by the nickname 'Ginger' to avoid confusion with team mate Bill Richardson, was an English professional football player, who played as a centre forward. He famously scored scored four goals in five minutes for West Bromwich Albion against West Ham United at Upton Park on November the 7th 1931 and is still in the Guinness Book of Records to this day.
He scored both of West Brom's goals when they won the 1931 FA Cup Final, beating Midlands rivals Birmingham 2 –1.
In the 1935-36 season he scored 39 goals still the WBA record for top scorer in the top division of the English football league. Richardson was the nephew of English cricketing great Tom Richardson.
In 2004 he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.
wn.com/W._G._Richardson -
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.
Rooney made his senior international debut in 2003 becoming the youngest player to represent England (a record later broken by Theo Walcott). He is England's youngest ever goalscorer. He played at UEFA Euro 2004 and scored four goals, briefly becoming the competition's youngest goalscorer. Rooney featured at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups and is widely regarded as his country's best player. He has won the England Player of the Year award twice, in 2008 and 2009. As of September 2011, he has won 73 international caps and scored 28 goals. Along with David Beckham, Rooney is the most red carded player for England, having been sent off twice.
Aged nine, Rooney joined the youth team of Everton, for whom he made his professional debut in 2002. He spent two seasons at the Merseyside club, before moving to Manchester United for £25.6 million in the 2004 summer transfer window. The same year, Rooney acquired the nickname "Wazza". Since then, with Rooney in the team, United have won the Premier League four times, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League and two League Cups. He also holds two runner-up medals from both the Premier League and the Champions League. In April of the 2011–12 season Rooney scored his 180th goal, making him United's fourth highest goal-scorer of all time.
wn.com/Wayne_Rooney -
Wilf Chadwick
Wilfred "Wilf" Chadwick (7 October 1900 – 14 February 1973) was an English footballer, who played as a forward for a number of clubs.
Chadwick began his Football League career when he joined Everton in February 1922. He made his debut on 4 March 1922, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Bradford City. He was the club's (joint) leading scorer the following season, and in 1923–24 was the leading scorer in the First Division with 28 goals.
He moved to Leeds United in November 1925, where he failed to become a regular player, and soon left to join Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1926. He scored on his club debut, a 1-2 defeat to Middlesbrough on 25 September 1926, and finished his season with 12 goals. He was Wolves' leading goalscorer in 1927-28, with 19 goals, and added a further 13 in the next campaign.
He was transferred to Stoke City in May 1929 for £250, where he spent a year-and-a-half. He ended his league career at Halifax Town from October 1930 to May 1932.
wn.com/Wilf_Chadwick -
Willie Irvine
William John "Willie" Irvine (born 18 June 1943) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre forward. Born in Eden, County Antrim, into a large family, he grew up in the nearby town of Carrickfergus. He did well at school, but chose to pursue a career in professional football and initially played for local club Linfield. After a spell in amateur football, Irvine travelled to England for a trial with Burnley at the age of 16. He was offered a professional deal and spent three years playing for the youth and reserve teams, before making his senior debut at the end of the 1962–63 season. Over the following seasons, Irvine became a regular feature of the Burnley team and in the 1965–66 campaign, he scored 29 goals and was the highest goalscorer in the Football League First Division.
Irvine lost his place in the Burnley team after suffering a broken leg during a cup tie in 1967, and never properly regained his form for the club. He was later transfer listed, and joined local rivals Preston North End in March 1968. In the Football League Second Division, he began to score goals again and was Preston's top goalscorer in the 1968–69 season despite suffering a serious leg injury which forced him to miss much of the campaign. When Alan Ball was named Preston manager in the summer of 1970, Irvine found himself out of the team. He joined Brighton & Hove Albion in July 1971 after impressing during a loan spell earlier in the year. He moved to Halifax Town midway through the 1972–73 season, but left the club after six months. Irvine ended his football career with a spell at semi-professional Great Harwood, before retiring at the age of 29.
wn.com/Willie_Irvine -
Willie Moir
William Moir, (born 19 April 1922, died 1988), better known as Willie Moir, was a Scottish footballer who played for the majority of his career at Bolton Wanderers. He played mostly as an inside-right.
Born in Aberdeen, he signed for Bolton during the war years and made his professional league debut when regular league football re started in 1946. Playing alongside Nat Lofthouse he was the Championship's top scorer in 1948–49 with 25 goals and continued good goal scoring form in the next few years, although always coming behind the more prolific Lofthouse.
Moir was captain when Bolton gave away a 3–1 lead to Blackpool in the Matthews Cup Final, scoring in the game. Two years later he left the club to join Stockport County where he spent a further two years as player manager before retiring from playing. He left Stockport County in 1960.
He died in 1988 at the age of 66.
wn.com/Willie_Moir -
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS, Hon. RA (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British Conservative politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century, he served as Prime Minister twice (1940–45 and 1951–55). A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States.
Churchill was born into the aristocratic family of the Dukes of Marlborough. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a charismatic politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer; his mother, Jenny Jerome, was an American socialite. As a young army officer, he saw action in British India, the Sudan, and the Second Boer War. He gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books about his campaigns.
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Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈzbiɡɲɛv ˈbɔɲɛk]; born 3 March 1956 in Bydgoszcz) is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden Foot career award.
Boniek was transferred to Italian football giants Juventus in 1982. That same year he won a bronze medal (third place) as part of the Polish team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. With Juventus he won the Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup in 1984 (scoring in the final of the former) and the European Cup in 1985.
Boniek represented Poland in 80 internationals and scored 24 goals. After finishing his professional career at A.S. Roma in 1988 he had a successful business career.
As a player, Boniek was known for his blistering pace and acceleration. He was one of the best dribblers of his time and also displayed superb technique.
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Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane (French pronunciation: [zinedin zidan]) (born 23 June 1972) is a retired French footballer. Zidane was the leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship. After a brief international retirement, he returned to the national team in 2005 and captained France to the 2006 World Cup Final where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament's most outstanding player.
In club level Zidane won the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, two Serie A league championships with Juventus and an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup each with both aforementioned sides. He is one of only four players to have been FIFA World Player of the Year three or more times (Brazilian forward Marta is a five time winner (female award), while Brazilian striker Ronaldo (male award) and German striker Birgit Prinz (female award) have won three each). He also won the Ballon d'Or in 1998. He retired from professional football after the 2006 World Cup.
wn.com/Zinedine_Zidane
Lineker, Gary Filmography
- The Big Fat Quiz of the 90s (2012)
- The Big Sport Relief Warm-up (2012)
- London 2012: Two Years to Go (2010)
- The Y Word (2010)
- Match of the Day: 2010 FIFA World Cup (2010)
- Sport Relief 2010 (2010)
- Ant & Dec's Christmas Show (2009)
- Sport Relief 2008 (2008)
- Happy Birthday Brucie! (2008)
- The National Lottery: Big 7 (2007)
- Sport Relief 2006 (2006)
- Underground Ernie (2006)
- Best Ever Ads (2005)
- The Alan Shearer Story (2005)
- Sport Relief 2004 (2004)
- That Game: England v Germany 1990 (2004)
- Match of the Day FA Cup (2004)
- Old Big 'Ead: A Tribute to Brian Clough (2004)
- Fascism and Football (2003)
- The Day Britain Stopped (2003)
- The Ultimate Collection of Classic International Goals (2003)
- The Story of Football (2002)
- Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
- Football Shorts (2002)
- Jeffrey Archer: The Truth (2002)
- Manchester United: The Official History 1878-2002 (2002)
- When Louis Met... Chris Eubank (2002)
- Sport Relief (2002)
- The Real David Beckham (2000)
- Night of a Thousand Shows (2000)
- The 100 Greatest TV Ads (2000)
- Python Night: 30 Years of Monty Python (1999)
- The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything (1999)
- World Cup: England's World Cup Heroes and Villains! (1998)
- Golden Boots (1998)
- An Evening with Gary Lineker (1994)
- All in the Game (1993)
- Italia '90: England - World Cup Heroes (1993)
- Splitting Heirs (1993)
- All in the Game (1993)
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal 1991 FA Cup Semi-Final (1991)
- Bernard and the Genie (1991)
- XIV FIFA World Cup 1990 (1990)
- Liverpool: Greavsie's Six of the Best Matches from the 80s (1988)
- Hero: The Official Film of the 1986 FIFA World Cup (1987)
- The Grand Knockout Tournament (1987)
- Greatest Goals (1987)
- XIII FIFA World Cup 1986 (1986)
- We Are the Champions (1973)
- Match of the Day (1964)
- Grandstand (1958)
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Gary Lineker's England Goals
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:52
- Updated: 13 Nov 2012
A tribute to Gary Lineker, one of England's greatest ever strikers.
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker's_England_Goals
(HQ) Gary Lineker on Jonathan Ross 2010.05.21
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:00
- Updated: 14 Nov 2012
please subscribe etc. clip merged out for copyright.
http://wn.com/HQ_Gary_Lineker_on_Jonathan_Ross_20100521
Gary Lineker poos himself at World Cup 1990
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:10
- Updated: 21 Nov 2012
Check out The Punt podcast news.williamhill.com hosted by myself, with Robbie Savage, Ron Atkinson and Derek McGovern. As for this video, I was watching England v Ireland from the 1990 World Cup on ESPN Classic when I noticed Lineker in a bit of bother. I filmed it on my video camera to show a few mates and then forgot about it. Imagine my delight when I heard Lineker confessing for the first time to Ian Payne about his 'accident'. So here is the clip - sorry it's a bit shaky, was laughing a bit at time! Thanks to ESPN Classic and BBC Radio 5 LIve for the footage and the audio.
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_poos_himself_at_World_Cup_1990
When Gary Lineker Met Ronaldo
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:17
- Updated: 24 Nov 2012
Brazilian football legend Ronaldo tells BBC Sport's Gary Lineker 20-year old Santos sensation Neymar must move to Europe if he wants to be compared with all-time greats such as Lionel Messi. Ronaldo also discusses why he thinks Messi is such a good player and admits to being impressed by...
http://wn.com/When_Gary_Lineker_Met_Ronaldo
Gary Lineker Tottenham compilation
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:43
- Updated: 08 Oct 2012
After 3 seasons with Barça, Gary Lineker continued scoring for Spurs. Here are 16 of those goals, and one for the english team against Poland. Lineker always was at the right position at the right time.
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_Tottenham_compilation
Gary Lineker Says 'Leave It Yeah' On MOTD Live - Funny
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:15
- Updated: 24 Nov 2012
After coming back to the studio after a Three Little Words (performed by rapper Lethal Bizzle) promo before the Italy - England semi final match, BBC MOTD anchor Gary Lineker tell us that "It's far to important now for juvenile back references so Leave It Yeah" after previously calling the same promo "Dench" = www.youtube.com and "Sick" = www.youtube.com If you like this video please subscribe to my channel to see more videos like this. Also when you click 'Like' please share on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_Says_'Leave_It_Yeah'_On_MOTD_Live_Funny
Football Legends - Gary Lineker
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:03
- Updated: 21 Jul 2012
Every Now and Then the Game is Graced BY A Player That You Know is Special. Every Time They Get the Ball You Sense Danger, That Something is About to Happen, the Atmosphere Becomes Electric. Gary Lineker Was Just A Player. like NO Other in the Modern Age, Lineker Was the Supreme Predator, Fast, Sure Footed and With an Uncanny Nose For Goal. despite Being Known AS MR Clean (he Was Never Once Booked Or Shown the Red Card) Lineker Was Really the Arch Assassin. featuring More Than 50 Memorable Goals, This Legendary programme Follows His Final Seasons For Tottenham AS HE Stars in the FA Cup Final and Caps Off A Fabulous Career BY Scoring in His Last Ever English Game at Old Trafford.
http://wn.com/Football_Legends_Gary_Lineker
Come Fly With Me, Gary Lineker - BBC One
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:30
- Updated: 12 Nov 2012
www.bbc.co.uk Comedy series set in a busy airport featuring all new characters played by Matt Lucas and David Walliams, plus special guest appearances throughout the series.
http://wn.com/Come_Fly_With_Me,_Gary_Lineker_BBC_One
Gary Lineker's finds Diego Maradona in Argentina - BBC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:57
- Updated: 04 Nov 2012
Gary Lineker gets his first meeting with Maradona and Argentina fans talk about how much they love their sporting hero. Watch more 'When Lineker Met maradona clips with BBC Worldwide here: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker's_finds_Diego_Maradona_in_Argentina_BBC
Diego Maradona discusses 'Hand of God' World Cup goal - BBC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:05
- Updated: 22 Nov 2012
Hear the events of the famous allowed hand goal from Maradona's perspective. Was it deliberate, or was it just a lucky touch?
http://wn.com/Diego_Maradona_discusses_'Hand_of_God'_World_Cup_goal_BBC
Ricky Gervais Gets Gary Lineker To Say "Rooney Missed That By A Hair" On MOTD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:19
- Updated: 13 Nov 2012
Ricky Gervais got Gary Lineker to say "Rooney scored from one, he missed another by a hair" after daring him again on Twitter last night (June 24) during the build up to the Euros 2012 Italy vs England game. He once again must of donated money to Great Ormond Street Hospital because after he said "Hahaha!! You are a hero GaryLineker I'll leave you alone now before I'm broke and you're fired Thank heavens" This comes after on Thursday when he got Gary Lineker to say "It was a game of two halves" just after the Portugal vs Czech Republic game. You can see that here = www.youtube.com If you like this video please subscribe to my channel to see more videos like this. Also when you click 'Like' please share on Twitter and Facebook.
http://wn.com/Ricky_Gervais_Gets_Gary_Lineker_To_Say_Rooney_Missed_That_By_A_Hair_On_MOTD
Speaking Sport - Gary Lineker Speaks Spanish - BBC Two
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:43
- Updated: 20 Nov 2012
More about this programme: www.bbc.co.uk Gary Lineker presents Match of the Day in Spanish. Watch the full clip of him describing his time playing in Barcelona, where Spanish and Catalan are spoken, at bbc.co.uk/speakingsport.
http://wn.com/Speaking_Sport_Gary_Lineker_Speaks_Spanish_BBC_Two
Gary Lineker GER-ENG 1of4 BBC Prematch Analysis with Mesut Özil and James Milner
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:49
- Updated: 15 Oct 2012
Englischsprachige Analyse vom World Cup 2010 GER-ENG 4:1 aus "BBC Match of the Day" mit Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Alan Hansen und Lee Dixon: Teil 1 - vor dem Spiel (neue Version) Added Analyses of German Midfielder Özil 06:42 - 07:51 English Midfielders Lennon, Wright-Phillips and Milner 10:07 - 12:17 German Defenders on left side Badstuber and Boateng 12:36 - 14:02 02:14 Lee Dixon: The Germany side - the name is bigger than the team 14:29 Gary Lineker: It is not Slovenia - it is Germany 14:36 Alan Hansen: Germany 2002 very well, 2006 average, this team is average as well LIVE-Spielbericht mit Guy Mowbray und Mark Lawrenson [Kanal BBC] : www.youtube.com Deleted scenes can be seen as single videos. "Funny" Fabio Capello and Stuart Pearce on the bench: www.youtube.com "Pessimistic" Tip by Boris Becker before Game GER-ENG: www.youtube.com "The Perfect Penalty" by Oliver Kahn: www.youtube.com Who is winning the War of Words by Goethe and Shakespeare: www.youtube.com "Once More unto the Breach" by Brian Blessed´s amazing Performance: www.youtube.com *Old Prematch Analysis with funny scenes* at www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_GER-ENG_1of4_BBC_Prematch_Analysis_with_Mesut_Özil_and_James_Milner
Gary Lineker Gets Teased - They Think It's All Over - BBC
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:43
- Updated: 23 Sep 2012
Jonathan Ross, David Gower, Rory McGrath and Neil Hancock all take a moment to tease Gary Linker during a Paulo Di Canio truth round. Comedy moment from popular BBC sports panel show, They Think It's All Over.
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_Gets_Teased_They_Think_It's_All_Over_BBC
Gary Lineker hahahah
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:16
- Updated: 29 Apr 2012
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_hahahah
Gary Lineker scores his 35th International goal for England vs West Germany
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:00
- Updated: 05 Nov 2012
Lineker equalises for a desperate England who had been trailing 1-0 to an earlier Andreas Brehme goal. With just under 10 mins to go, England needed a goal to stay in the World Cup, Lineker became that saviour, if only for a short while. He finishes it here brilliantly to score his 35th England international goal vs West Germany 4th July 1990. The game went to penaltys in which West Germany won, England out of another major competition that they came so close to winning.
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_scores_his_35th_International_goal_for_England_vs_West_Germany
Gary Lineker ARG-GER 1of3 BBC Prematch Analysis with Mesut Özil and Messi
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:47
- Updated: 19 Oct 2012
Englischsprachige Analyse vom World Cup 2010 ARG-GER 0:4 aus "BBC Match of the Day" mit Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Alan Hansen und Clarence Seedorf: Teil 1 - vor dem Spiel. LIVE-Spielbericht mit Steve Wilson und Mark Lawrenson [Kanal BBC] auf www.youtube.com WC 2010 Argentina vs Germany - Complete Analyses with Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Alan Hansen and Clarence Seedorf at Part 1 - Prematch Analysis: www.youtube.com Part 2 - Halftime Analysis: www.youtube.com Part 3 - Postmatch Analysis: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_ARG-GER_1of3_BBC_Prematch_Analysis_with_Mesut_Özil_and_Messi
Walkers Crisps 'Welcome Home' Advert
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:01
- Updated: 01 Nov 2012
This country's best ever football player in an ad wriiten by this country's best ever ad writer, John Webster. The 'crying Gazza' ad is here: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Walkers_Crisps_'Welcome_Home'_Advert
GARY LINEKER JOINS 1GOAL
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:18
- Updated: 26 Aug 2010
http://wn.com/GARY_LINEKER_JOINS_1GOAL
Gary Lineker poops in his pants during the match
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:31
- Updated: 01 Nov 2012
during the match against Ireland World Cup 1990
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_poops_in_his_pants_during_the_match
Gary Lineker FAILS with Ian Thorpe (@QuagmireMaguire)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:41
- Updated: 09 Sep 2012
Gary takes the piss out of Michael Phelps' ears... Ian Thorpe doesn't look impressed. Listen out for: "Come on mate, ease up!"
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_FAILS_with_Ian_Thorpe_@QuagmireMaguire
Dancing Gary Lineker Flashmob!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:33
- Updated: 19 Sep 2012
Saw this today at the Truman Brewery near Brick Lane -- a flashmob of dancers wearing Gary Lineker masks!!! loool looks like there's a giant climbing wall being built too #TwiceAsEpic
http://wn.com/Dancing_Gary_Lineker_Flashmob!
Gary Lineker GER-POR 2012 1of3 BBC Prematch with Cristiano Ronaldo
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:00
- Updated: 22 Nov 2012
Englischsprachige Analyse von der Euro 2012 GER-POR 1:0 (Gruppe B) aus "BBC Match of the Day" mit Gary Lineker, Alan Hansen, Harry Redknapp und Clarence Seedorf im Studio sowie Jake Humphrey und Alan Shearer im Stadium - vor dem Spiel [Kanal BBC]
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker_GER-POR_2012_1of3_BBC_Prematch_with_Cristiano_Ronaldo
photo: AP / Emilio Morenatti
22 Nov 2012
A new battle is underway in Pakistan with its powerful military front-and-centre, but the fight is not against armed insurgents or ideological extremists - this opponent is a muscle-flexing Supreme Court. For the first time in decades, the military's iron grip over the South Asian country has been challenged, and it remains to be seen if it will...(size: 23.7Kb)
photo: AP
23 Nov 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. I was fortunate to have been raised near an American Indian archaeological spot located on the Great Plains. In elementary school, a fellow classmate would periodically bring and show grinding stones, arrow- and spearheads, stone farming implements, and pictures of what the excavated site may have...(size: 7.1Kb)
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
23 Nov 2012
Israel and Hamas are seeking to solidify an Egyptian and US-brokered cease-fire halting eight days of aerial assaults that ravaged the Gaza Strip and made Tel Aviv a missile target. Announcing the truce in Cairo last night alongside Egypt's foreign minister, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised U.S. assistance in seeking to "improve...(size: 5.4Kb)
photo: AP / Egyptian Presidency
23 Nov 2012
Opposition groups in Egypt have called for mass protests on Friday against President Mohammed Mursi's decree that gives him sweeping powers. They have described his move as a "coup against legitimacy" and accused the president of appointing himself Egypt's "new pharaoh". The decree states that the president's decisions cannot be revoked by any...(size: 4.6Kb)
photo: AP / Mohammed Asad
24 Nov 2012
Cairo. President Mohamed Morsi insisted on Friday that Egypt is on the path to “freedom and democracy” after granting himself sweeping powers, which sparked clashes between his supporters and foes and raised concerns abroad. “Political stability, social stability and economic stability are what I want and that is what I am working for,” he told a...(size: 4.8Kb)
The Daily Telegraph
24 Nov 2012
Follow live scores, team news, images, goal news and reaction from the Premier League on Saturday, November 24 2012. High rise: United's Danny Welbeck hurdles the tackle of QPR's Adel Taarabt Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Emily Benammar 4:25PM GMT 24 Nov 2012 60000...(size: 26.5Kb)
Goal
23 Nov 2012
Gary Lineker hailed the achievement as incredible before comparing the Red Devils' boss with his former player Mark Hughes, who was sacked as QPR manager on Friday, plus much more By...(size: 1.2Kb)
Independent online (SA)
22 Nov 2012
London – To go out was bad enough, but it was a result from mainland Europe that put the misery of Manchester City’s second Champions League campaign into sharp relief. Over in Amsterdam, Ajax had been soundly beaten 4-1 at home by Borussia Dortmund. That’s right, the same Ajax side who Manchester City had made look like...(size: 6.3Kb)
BBC News
21 Nov 2012
The remaining tickets for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012 will go on sale on Thursday at 09:00 GMT. Sports Personality of the Year 2012 shortlist expert panel Director of BBC Sport - Barbara Slater (chair) BBC head of TV Sport - Philip Bernie Executive editor of BBC Sports Personality of the Year - Carl Doran From BBC Radio 5 live - Eleanor...(size: 3.8Kb)
BBC News
19 Nov 2012
London 2012 volunteers and young people are to share 1,000 free tickets for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012. The event, at London's 15,000 capacity ExCeL on Sunday, 16 December, promises to be the biggest in the programme's 59-year history after Great Britain's golden summer. Some 500 tickets will be given to volunteers through a random...(size: 4.5Kb)
The Guardian
19 Nov 2012
By Mike Collett LONDON, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Holders Chelsea need to show the resilience that brought them success last season, rather than the recent failings they have shown in the Premier League, if they want to reach the last 16 of the Champions League this week....(size: 12.2Kb)
The Independent
18 Nov 2012
Health campaigners are calling on the Government to ban sports stars from promoting junk food, claiming athletes are earning millions by fuelling childhood obesity. Gary Lineker and David Beckham are among the sporting figures that secure fortunes promoting Walkers crisps and Pepsi and Burger King respectively, while Olympic medallists are cashing...(size: 6.9Kb)
Newstrack India
18 Nov 2012
Tweet London, Nov. 18 (ANI): British health campaigners are calling on the UK Government to ban sports stars from promoting junk food over claims that athletes are earning millions by fuelling obesity among children. Gary Lineker and David Beckham are among the sporting figures that secure fortunes promoting Walkers crisps and Pepsi and Burger King...(size: 3.1Kb)
The Examiner
15 Nov 2012
Related topics Rich FranklinCung LeUFCUFC on Fuel Advertisement According to a Nov. 15 report from Bloody Elbow, several medical suspensions have been handed down to UFC on Fuel TV 6 fighters. Cung Le may be sidelined for up to six months while his right elbow gets checked up on. He's officially out for 180 days, pending doctor clearance. Rich...(size: 6.5Kb)
The Guardian
15 Nov 2012
It's not a great time for passionate believers in politics. We've got one MP doing strange things with bugs and testicles for TV cameras. We've got a former MP hiding from TV cameras after claiming thousands fraudulently for dry rot, while a third resigns from parliament after being caught submitting false invoices. Celebrity, rot and fraud. The...(size: 8.0Kb)
The Independent
14 Nov 2012
England travel to Stockholm to face Sweden in a friendly tonight. Here, Press Association Sport looks at some past meetings between the two countries: June 17, 1992: Sweden 2 England 1, European Championship finals group stage England were dumped out of Euro 92 by the host nation after surrendering a lead in their...(size: 2.1Kb)
 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Winston Lineker | ||
| Date of birth | (1960-11-30) 30 November 1960 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1976–1978 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1978–1985 | Leicester City | 194 | (95) |
| 1985–1986 | Everton | 41 | (30) |
| 1986–1989 | Barcelona | 103 | (42) |
| 1989–1992 | Tottenham Hotspur | 105 | (67) |
| 1992–1994 | Nagoya Grampus Eight | 23 | (9) |
| Total | 466 | (243) | |
| National team | |||
| 1984–1992 | England | 80 | (48) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960), is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live. He remains England's top scorer in the FIFA World Cup finals, with ten goals.
Lineker began his football career at Leicester City and became known as a prolific goalscorer; despite failing to score in his first ten games, he finished as the First Division's joint top goalscorer in 1984–85 and earned his first England cap. He then moved to League Champions Everton where he remained a clinical finisher, scoring 40 goals in 57 games. His first team honours came at Barcelona, where he won the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989. He returned to England in 1989, joining Tottenham Hotspur, and over three seasons he scored 67 goals in 105 games and won the FA Cup. Lineker's final club was Nagoya Grampus Eight and he retired in 1994 after two seasons at the Japanese side.
Lineker made his England debut in 1984 and over the following eight years earned 80 caps and scored 48 goals, finishing as England's all-time second highest scorer behind Bobby Charlton. His international goals-to-games ratio remains one of the best for the country and he is regarded as one of the all-time best English strikers. He was top scorer in the 1986 World Cup and received the Golden Boot, the only time an Englishman has achieved this feat. He is also the only player to have won the English golden boot with 3 different clubs (Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur). After his retirement from football he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. He moved in to broadcasting, working at the BBC, firstly working as a pundit on Match of the Day before he went on to present the flagship show. Lineker also worked on other programmes at the BBC. He led a consortium that invested in his old club Leicester, saving it from bankruptcy, and was appointed honorary vice-president. Since 1994, Lineker has featured in several television commercials for Walkers Crisps. He has four sons with his ex-wife Michelle and is now married to model Danielle Lineker.
Despite his long career, Lineker was never cautioned by a referee for foul play (never once receiving a yellow or red card).[1] [2] As a result of this accomplishment he was honoured in 1990 with the FIFA Fair Play Award.
In a senior career which spanned 16 years and 567 competitive games, Lineker scored a total of 282 goals at club level. Added to the 48 goals he scored in internationals, he managed a total of 330 goals.
Contents |
Early life[link]
Lineker was born in Leicester to Barry and Margaret Lineker (both born 1939). His middle name came from Winston Churchill, with whom he shares his birthday. He has one younger brother, Wayne who is two years younger. Lineker's father was a greengrocer in Leicester and he grew up with his family in the city, playing football with his brother Wayne.[3]
Lineker first attended Caldecote Road School[4] (Caldecote Juniors), Braunstone in Leicester (east of the Meridian Centre) although he lived outside the borough. He went to the City of Leicester Boys' Grammar School (now City of Leicester College) on Downing Drive in Evington, inside the borough of Leicester due to his preference for football rather than rugby, which was the main sport of most schools near his home. As a result he lived with his grandmother, who lived in the city, while attending school. Lineker was equally talented at both football and cricket. From the ages of 11 to 16 he captained the Leicestershire Schools cricket team and had felt that he had a higher chance of succeeding at it rather than football.[5] He later stated on They Think It's All Over that as a teenager he idolised former England captain David Gower, who was playing for Leicestershire at the time.[6]
Lineker left school with four O Levels. One of his teachers wrote on his report card that he "concentrates too much on football" and that he would "never make a living at that". He then joined the youth academy at Leicester City in 1976.[5]
Club career[link]
Leicester City[link]
Lineker began his career at his home town club Leicester City after leaving school. Lineker began scoring prolifically in the early 1980s, helping Leicester win promotion to the First Division in 1980 and again in 1983. Lineker's career at Leicester started slowly and was mostly kept to odd appearances. However he began to break into being a regular starter in 1981 and forging a prolific strike-force alongside Alan Smith, Lineker hit 19 goals in all competitions in the 1981–82 season. The following season he was the English Second Division's top scorer as he helped Leicester win promotion to the top flight. Despite the step up, his scoring exploits continued and he was runner-up only to Ian Rush in the goalscoring charts the following season and then went one better as he was the First Division's joint top goalscorer in 1984–85 with 24 goals. By this stage, however, he was attracting the attention of bigger clubs, and a move from Filbert Street was looking certain.
Everton[link]
In the 1985 close season, Lineker was sold to defending league champions Everton for £800,000, and scored 40 goals in 57 games for his new team. He was again the First Division's leading goal scorer, this time with 30 goals, and helped Everton finish second in the league. While he was at Everton, they reached the FA Cup final for the third year in a row but they lost 3–1 to Liverpool, despite Lineker giving them an early lead when he outpaced Alan Hansen to score. Liverpool (double winners) had also pipped Everton to the title by just two points. "I was only on Merseyside a short time, nine or 10 months in total really, but it was still a happy time personally, while professionally it was one of the most successful periods of my career," he says. "I still have an affinity towards Everton."
Lineker scored three hat-tricks for Everton; at home to Birmingham City in a 4–1 league win on 31 August 1985, at home to Manchester City in a 4–0 home win on 11 February 1986, and then in the penultimate league game of the season on 3 May 1986, when they kept their title hopes alive with a 6–1 home win over Southampton. On his final league appearance, he scored twice in a 3–1 home win over a West Ham side whose title hopes had just disappeared. However, he and his colleagues were denied title glory as Liverpool also won their final league game of the season at Chelsea.[7]
Barcelona[link]
After winning the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Lineker was signed by Barcelona for £2,800,000. Barcelona were being managed by former Queens Park Rangers manager Terry Venables, who had also brought in Manchester United and Wales striker Mark Hughes.
His Golden Boot-winning performance at the finals led to much anticipation of success at the Camp Nou, and he did not disappoint, scoring 21 goals in 41 games during his first season, including a hat-trick in a 3–2 win over arch rivals Real Madrid.[8] Barcelona went on to win the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989. Lineker played in Barcelona's home and away defeats to Dundee United. Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff decided to play Lineker on the right of the midfield and he eventually lost his place in the first team.
Tottenham Hotspur[link]
Alex Ferguson attempted to sign Lineker to partner his ex-Barcelona team-mate Mark Hughes in attack, but Lineker spurned the Manchester club. Instead, he signed with Tottenham Hotspur in July 1989. Over three seasons, he scored 67 goals in 105 games and won the FA Cup at White Hart Lane.
He finished as top scorer in the First Division in the 1989–90 season, scoring 24 goals as Spurs finished third.
He finally collected an English piece of silverware when he won the 1991 FA Cup Final with Spurs, who beat Nottingham Forest 2–1. This was despite Lineker having a goal controversially disallowed for offside and also having a penalty saved by goalkeeper Mark Crossley.[9] Lineker had contributed to Tottenham's run to the final. In the semi-final he scored twice in a 3–1 win over North London rivals Arsenal.[10]
He was the top division's second-highest goalscorer in 1991–92 with 28 goals from 35 games, behind Ian Wright, who scored 29 times in 42 games. Despite Lineker's personal performance, Tottenham finished this final pre-Premier League season in 15th place.
Nagoya Grampus Eight[link]
Lineker ended his career with an injury-plagued spell in Japan's J. League with Nagoya Grampus Eight, where he made 23 appearances over two seasons, scoring nine times, before announcing his retirement in the autumn of 1994.
He officially joined Nagoya Grampus Eight after playing his final game for Spurs on 2 May 1992, when he scored the consolation goal in a 3–1 defeat by Manchester United on the last day of the season. He had accepted their offer of a two-year contract on 20 November 1991.[11] Shortly before accepting the offer from Nagoya Grampus Eight, Tottenham had rejected an offer from ambitious Second Division club Blackburn Rovers, who had recently been taken over by steel baron Jack Walker.[12]
International career[link]
He first played for the England national team against Scotland in 1984. He played five games in the 1986 World Cup, and was top scorer of the tournament with six goals, winning the Golden Boot, making him the first and to this day only English player to have done so. He scored the second quickest hat-trick ever at a FIFA World Cup tournament against Poland—in doing so, he became only the second English player to score a hat-trick at a FIFA World Cup. He played most of the tournament wearing a lightweight cast on his forearm. He did score for England in the World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, but the game ended in defeat as Diego Maradona scored twice for the opposition (the first goal being the "Hand of God" handball) and England went out of the competition. Lineker also scored a brace against Paraguay in the second round of the tournament. Lineker combined with Peter Beardsley, who also scored—to effortlessly dismantle the South American team's defence.
In 1988, Lineker played in the Euro 1988, but failed to score as England lost all three Group games. It was later established that he had been suffering from hepatitis.[13][14]
In the 1990 World Cup, he scored four goals to help England reach the semi-finals after a string of draws and narrow victories. After Andreas Brehme sent England 1–0 down, he scored an equaliser after receiving a pass from Paul Parker and escaping from two German defenders, but the West Germans triumphed in the penalty shoot-out and went on to win the trophy. Later he said: "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win."
He retired from international football with 80 caps and 48 goals, one fewer goal than Bobby Charlton's England record (although Charlton took 26 more caps to score his one extra goal). In what proved to be his last England match, against Sweden at Euro 1992, he was substituted by England coach Graham Taylor, in favour of Arsenal striker Alan Smith, ultimately denying Lineker the chance to equal—or even better—Charlton's record of 49 goals.[15] He had earlier missed a penalty that would have brought him level, in a pre-tournament friendly against Brazil.[16] He was visibly upset at the decision, not looking at Taylor as he took the bench.
He scored four goals in an England match on two occasions and is one of very few players never to have been given a yellow card or a red card in any type of game.[17]
Media career[link]
Following retirement from professional football, he developed a career in the media, initially on BBC Radio 5 Live and as a football pundit before replacing Des Lynam as the BBC's anchorman for football coverage, including their flagship football television programme Match of the Day, and as a team captain on the acerbic sports game show, They Think It's All Over from 1995 to 2003, where he was heavily (though affectionately) ridiculed for being a "goal hanger", described as "lethal from twelve inches" – a parody of Lineker's short-range scoring prowess. Following the departure of Steve Rider from the BBC, Lineker, who is a keen recreational golfer with a handicap of four, became the new presenter for the BBC's golf coverage. Despite receiving some criticism from his peers,[3] he continued to front the BBC's coverage of the Masters and The Open, where he put his language skills to good use by giving an impromptu interview in Spanish with Argentinian Andrés Romero.[18]
He presented a six-part TV Series for the BBC in 1998 (directed by Lloyd Stanton) called Golden Boots,[19] with other football celebrities. It was an extensive history of the World Cup focusing on the 'Golden Boots' (top scorers).
In 2002, Lineker took on his first acting role, barring roles playing himself in films such as Bend It Like Beckham or in the adapted-for-television stage play An Evening with Gary Lineker, as the voice of Underground Ernie on the BBC's children's channel, CBeebies. Both Gary and Michelle Lineker make a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-them' appearance as diners leaving a restaurant in the 1993 Eric Idle film Splitting Heirs.
In 2003, Lineker was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Lineker was sued for defamation by Australian footballer Harry Kewell over comments Lineker had made writing in his column in the Sunday Telegraph about Kewell's transfer from Leeds United to Liverpool. However the jury was unable to reach a verdict. It transpired in the case that the article had actually been ghost-written by a journalist at the Sunday Telegraph following a telephone interview with Lineker.[20]
In December 2008, Lineker appeared on the ITV1 television programme Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Christmas Special where he and English rugby union player Austin Healey won £50,000 for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation.
In 2009, Lineker and his wife Danielle hosted a series of the BBC's Northern Exposure, following on from Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen from the previous year in visiting and showcasing locations throughout Northern Ireland.[21]
In May 2010, Lineker resigned from his role as columnist for The Mail on Sunday in protest over the sting operation against Lord Triesman that jeopardised England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Triesman resigned as chairman of the bid and the FA on 16 May 2010 after the publication of a secret recording of a conversation between the peer and a former ministerial aide, during which he claimed that Spain and Russia were planning to bribe referees at the World Cup in South Africa.[22] Lineker currently anchors the English language football coverage for Al Jazeera Sports, which is broadcast throughout much of the Middle East.
Walkers advertisements[link]
His popularity has enabled him to appear in a light-hearted series of commercials for Walkers, playing a comical role as an arch-villain which sends up his reputation as a nice guy. He has been fronting these adverts since 1995, making this one of the longest running advertising campaigns ever. Walkers, a Leicester-based British producer of snack foods, temporarily named their salt and vinegar crisps after Lineker in the late 1990s—they were labelled 'Salt-n-Lineker'. This was also because his favourite flavour crisps are salt and vinegar.[23][dead link] Lineker's involvement with Walkers caused Mark E. Smith, singer with The Fall, to coin the nickname 'Crisp Man' for him.
Video games[link]
Software house Gremlin released Gary Lineker's Superstar Soccer in 1987, Gary Lineker's Superskills in 1988, and Gary Lineker's Hot Shot in 1989 for 8-bit platforms.
In 1998, Lineker provided his voice (along with Des Lynam) for the menu screens in EA Sports' World Cup 98. In 2001, Lineker was approached by game makers Codemasters to front the LMA Manager series on PlayStation. Lineker would pair up with Alan Hansen, fellow MOTD pundit to voice the post match comments on the game, with Barry Davies voicing the commentary. Since then the game has sold millions of copies and in LMA Manager 2006, Lineker voices news items and the cup draws on the game. In 2004 he was also chosen to front the Codemasters England International Football game, with him voicing the team selection and the pre- and post-match menus.
Personal life[link]
Lineker was made a freeman of the City of Leicester (which entitles him to graze his sheep—should he have any—on Town Hall Square) in 1995 and he is often referred to as "Leicester's favourite son". As a youngster, he famously worked on his family's stall in Leicester Market. Lineker still helped out on the stall at the height of his playing career during the late 1980s and early 1990s, though usually only in the closed season. His links with cricket were renewed when he was invited to become Honorary President of Kent-based wandering cricket club, Paraguayan Elbows CC.[24] The club, which was founded in 1986, was named in his honour after an incident in that summer's World Cup match between England and Paraguay.
Lineker married Michelle Cockayne in 1986, but they divorced in August 2006. They announced their split in April 2006 but stated that the situation was amicable.[25] They have four sons, George, Harry, Tobias, and Angus. His oldest son George survived a rare form of leukaemia as a baby in the early 1990s;[3] Lineker now supports children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent and has since appeared in adverts encouraging people to give blood as a result. Lineker has been actively involved with other cancer charities such as Leukaemia Busters, where between 1994 and 2005 Gary and Michelle were the charity’s patrons.[26][27] He has also been involved with Fight for Life and Cancer Research UK.[28][29]
In October 2002, Lineker backed a £5 million bid to rescue his former club Leicester City which recently had gone into administration, describing his involvement as charity rather than an ego trip.[30] He said that he would invest a six-figure sum and other members of his consortium would invest a similar amount.[31] Lineker met the fans' group to persuade them to try and raise money to rescue his former club. Another six-figure sum donor was Emile Heskey, who had not only followed in Lineker's footsteps by going to the same school as him, but also went on to play for Leicester City and England. The club was saved from liquidation. Lineker is now honorary vice-president of Leicester City, along with former players Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton.
Lineker married Danielle Bux on 2 September 2009, in Italy. The ceremony was attended by friends and family. They went on to win £30,000 for charity in ITV's gameshow Mr. and Mrs.
Career statistics[link]
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1978–79 | Leicester City | Second Division | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| 1979–80 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 3 | ||||
| 1980–81 | First Division | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 3 | |||
| 1981–82 | Second Division | 39 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 47 | 19 | ||
| 1982–83 | 40 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 43 | 26 | |||
| 1983–84 | First Division | 39 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 41 | 22 | ||
| 1984–85 | 41 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 48 | 29 | |||
| 1985–86 | Everton | First Division | 41 | 30 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | — | 52 | 38 | |
| Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Copa de la Liga | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1986–87 | Barcelona | La Liga | 41 | 20 | 1 | 1 | — | 8 | 0 | 50 | 21 | |
| 1987–88 | 36 | 16 | 5 | 2 | — | 9 | 2 | 50 | 20 | |||
| 1988–89 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | 8 | 4 | 38 | 11 | |||
| England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 1989–90 | Tottenham Hotspur | First Division | 38 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — | 45 | 26 | |
| 1990–91 | 32 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | 43 | 19 | |||
| 1991–92 | 35 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 50 | 35 | ||
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J. League Cup | Asia | Total | |||||||
| 1993 | Nagoya Grampus Eight | J. League | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | — | 12 | 5 | |
| 1994 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 3 | |||
| Country | England | 340 | 192 | 28 | 14 | 30 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 406 | 221 | |
| Spain | 103 | 42 | 10 | 4 | — | 25 | 6 | 138 | 52 | |||
| Japan | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | — | 24 | 8 | |||
| Total | 461 | 238 | 38 | 18 | 36 | 17 | 33 | 8 | 568 | 281 | ||
| England national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1984 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | 9 | 6 |
| 1986 | 10 | 8 |
| 1987 | 7 | 9 |
| 1988 | 10 | 3 |
| 1989 | 9 | 3 |
| 1990 | 15 | 8 |
| 1991 | 11 | 10 |
| 1992 | 8 | 1 |
| Total | 80 | 48 |
International goals[link]
- Scores and results list England's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition | Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 1985 | Wembley Stadium |  Republic of Ireland |
2–1 | Friendly | 1 |
| 2, 3 | 16 June 1985 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |  United States |
5–0 | Friendly | 2 |
| 4, 5, 6 | 16 October 1985 | Wembley Stadium |  Turkey |
5–0 | 1986 World Cup qualifier | 3 |
| 7, 8, 9 | 11 June 1986 | Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey |  Poland |
3–0 | 1986 World Cup | 3 |
| 10, 11 | 18 June 1986 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |  Paraguay |
3–0 | 1986 World Cup | 2 |
| 12 | 22 June 1986 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |  Argentina |
1–2 | 1986 World Cup | 1 |
| 13, 14 | 15 October 1986 | Wembley Stadium |  Northern Ireland |
3–0 | Euro 1988 qualifier | 2 |
| 15, 16, 17, 18 | 18 February 1987 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid |  Spain |
4–2 | Friendly | 4 |
| 19 | 19 May 1987 | Wembley Stadium |  Brazil |
1–1 | Friendly (Rous Cup) | 1 |
| 20 | 9 September 1987 | Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf |  West Germany |
1–3 | Friendly | 1 |
| 21, 23 | 14 October 1987 | Wembley Stadium | Turkey |
8–0 | Euro 1988 qualifier | 3 |
| 24 | 24 May 1988 | Wembley Stadium |  Colombia |
1–1 | Friendly (Rous Cup) | 1 |
| 25 | 23 March 1988 | Wembley Stadium |  Netherlands |
2–2 | Friendly | 1 |
| 26 | 28 May 1988 | Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne |  Switzerland |
1–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 27 | 26 April 1989 | Wembley Stadium |  Albania |
5–0 | 1990 World Cup qualifier | 1 |
| 28 | 3 June 1989 | Wembley Stadium | Poland |
3–0 | 1990 World Cup qualifier | 1 |
| 29 | 7 July 1989 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen |  Denmark |
1–1 | Friendly | 1 |
| 30 | 28 March 1990 | Wembley Stadium | Brazil |
1–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 31 | 15 May 1990 | Wembley Stadium | Denmark |
1–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 32 | 11 June 1990 | Stadio Sant'Elia, Cagliari | Republic of Ireland |
1–1 | 1990 World Cup | 1 |
| 33, 34 | 1 July 1990 | Stadio San Paolo, Naples |  Cameroon |
3–2 | 1990 World Cup | 2 |
| 35 | 4 July 1990 | Stadio delle Alpi, Turin | West Germany |
1 – 1p | 1990 World Cup | 1 |
| 36 | 22 September 1990 | Wembley Stadium |  Hungary |
1–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 37 | 17 October 1990 | Wembley Stadium | Poland |
2–0 | Euro 1992 qualifier | 1 |
| 38, 39 | 6 February 1991 | Wembley Stadium | Cameroon |
2–0 | Friendly | 2 |
| 40 | 26 July 1991 | Wembley Stadium | Argentina |
2–2 | Friendly (England Challenge Cup) | 1 |
| 41 | 3 June 1991 | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland |  New Zealand |
1–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 42, 43, 44, 45 | 12 June 1991 | Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur |  Malaysia |
4–2 | Friendly | 4 |
| 46 | 13 November 1991 | Stadion Miejski, Poznań | Poland |
1–1 | Euro 1992 qualifier | 1 |
| 47 | 19 February 1992 | Wembley Stadium |  France |
2–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 48 | 29 April 1992 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |  CIS |
2–2 | Friendly | 1 |
Honours[link]
Club[link]
International[link]
- Rous Cup: 1986, 1988, 1989
- England Challenge Cup: 1991
Individual[link]
- English League Top Scorer: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90
- English Second Division Top Scorer: 1982-83[33]
- FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe: 1986
- PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1985–86
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 1985–86, 1991–92
References[link]
- ^ "Northern Ireland – Patrick Kielty, Almost Live". BBC. 30 November 1960. http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/patrickkielty/guests/gary_lineker.shtml. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "Multi-talented footballers". guardian.co.uk. 10 August 2005. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2005/aug/10/theknowledge.sport.
- ^ a b c Ferguson, Euan (8 April 2007). "He's still the golden shot". The Observer (UK). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/apr/08/golf.broadcasting. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ Caldecote Primary
- ^ a b "Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Gary Lineker". independent.co.uk. 4 March 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-gary-lineker-match-of-the-day-presenter-and-former-footballer-1915343.html.
- ^ They Think It's All Over, Series 6 Episode 2 (1998)
- ^ http://www.evertonresults.com/198586.htm
- ^ "Gary Lineker". Talk Football. http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/football_legends_gary_lineker.html. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
- ^ "E.ON Great Saves No.6: Mark Crossley". Mirror Football. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/E-ON-Great-Saves-1991-FA-Cup-final-special-Totttenham-2-1-Nottingham-Forest-unseen-pictures-of-Mark-Crossley-Gary-Lineker-Brian-Clough-and-co-plus-original-Daily-Mirror-match-reports-and-features-from-our-archive-article321299.html. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ "Tottenham v Arsenal: Top five North London derbies". Metro.co.uk. 14 April 2010. http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/821636-tottenham-v-arsenal-top-five-north-london-derbies. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "The Times and The Sunday Times Archive". Newsint-archive.co.uk. http://www.newsint-archive.co.uk/pages/S.asp?pubsel=BOTH&SrchText=Lineker&edn=&DateFromDD=01&DateFromMM=Sep&DateFromYY=1991&page=&SortOrder=Asc&SortOrder=asc&SortOrder=asc&SortOrder=asc&SortSpec=&DateToDD=30&DateToMM=Nov&ResultListMax=200&Submit1=Search&source=thetimes&DateToYY=1991&byline=&head=&Collection=NI%C2%A7%3D&Caption=&SortField=SDate&SortField=Pub&SortField=EDN&SortField=Page&ST=NS&Site=ALL&ResultCount=20&BackDD=Day&summreqd=yes&QueryText=%28Lineker%29+%3CAND%3E+%28PUB%3DBOTH%29+%3CAND%3E+%28%28SDate%3E%3D9%2F1%2F1991%29+%3CAND%3E+%28SDate%3C%3D11%2F30%2F1991%29%29&BackMM=Month&indexkey=3D12283075330327469E230&advsrch=0&BackYY=Year&_P=5&ResultMaxDocs=200&. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "Jack Walker". Daily Telegraph. UK. 19 August 2000. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1353251/Jack-Walker.html. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ C Malam, p100
- ^ The first was against Spain 18 February 1987 and the second time against Malaysia 12 June 1991
- ^ "Sweden 2 England 1 Match Summary and Report". England Football Online. EnglandInteractive. 17 June 1992. http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1990-00/1991-92/M0688Swe1992.html. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Past encounters between England and Brazil". The Guardian (UK). 12 November 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/gallery/2009/nov/12/england-brazil-previous-meetings?picture=355511205. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ Malam, p140&141
- ^ Simon Parke. "A sporting chance for unity". Church Times. http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=42724. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^ "Golden Boots" (1998)
- ^ Booth, Robert (4 July 2006). "Lineker and Kewell settle libel case out of court". The Guardian (UK). http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1520864,00.html. Retrieved 13 November 2006.
- ^ Gary and Danielle's Northern Exposure at DiscoverNorthernIreland.com
- ^ Ducker, James (19 May 2010). "Gary Lineker kicks column into touch in protest over Lord Triesman sting". The Times (UK). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/international/article7129899.ece. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ Lineker forced to take crisp break Daily Mail
- ^ "The story behind the Paraguayan Elbows CC". http://www.paraguayan-elbowscc.co.uk/history.htm. Retrieved 13 November 2006.
- ^ "Gary Lineker and wife to separate". BBC News. 30 April 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4960106.stm. Retrieved 13 November 2006.
- ^ http://www.leukaemiabusters.org.uk/pages/background.aspx
- ^ "Gary's goal is to fight leukaemia (From Daily Echo)". Dailyecho.co.uk. 16 October 2000. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/archive/2000/10/16/Hampshire+Archive/5626226.Gary_s_goal_is_to_fight_leukaemia/. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "Fight for Life Appeal 2008". Fightforlife.org. http://www.fightforlife.org/appeal2008.html. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^ "Gary Lineker to face questioning for Cancer Research UK charity fundraiser", Charities Aid Foundation, 3 March 2008. Retrieved on 4 March 2008.
- ^ "Lineker keen to bail out Leicester for his boys' sake". telegraph.co.uk. 24 October 2002. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/championship/3036643/Lineker-keen-to-bale-out-Leicester-for-his-boys-sake.html.
- ^ "Lineker unveils Leicester rescue bid BBC Sport October 2002". BBC News. 23 October 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leicester_city/2352155.stm. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
- ^ "Gary Lineker – Goals in International Matches". Rsssf.com. 29 January 2006. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/lineker-intlg.html. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "English League Leading Goalscorers". rsssf.com. http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/engtops.html. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
Gary Lineker: Strikingly Different, Colin Malam, Stanley Paul Publications, London, 1993 ISBN 0-09-175424-0
External links[link]
- Gary Lineker photos, biography & stats at sporting-heroes.net
- Gary Lineker career stats at Soccerbase
- English Football Hall of Fame Profile
- Gary Lineker's Football Career Home and Abroad[dead link]
- Gary Lineker at the Internet Movie Database
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lineker, Gary Winston |
| Alternative names | Lineker, Gary |
| Short description | Footballer, sports broadcaster |
| Date of birth | (1960-11-30) 30 November 1960 (age 51) |
| Place of birth | Leicester, England |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Gary_Lineker
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Gary Lineker
http://cs.wn.com/Gary Lineker
http://id.wn.com/Gary Lineker
http://es.wn.com/Gary Lineker
http://ru.wn.com/Линекер, Гари
http://nl.wn.com/Gary Lineker
http://pt.wn.com/Gary Lineker
http://pl.wn.com/Gary Lineker
http://fr.wn.com/Gary Lineker
http://de.wn.com/Gary Lineker
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Lineker
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
Lineker may refer to:
- Danielle Lineker (born 1979), Welsh model, wife of Gary Lineker
- Gary Lineker (born 1960), former English footballer, husband of Danielle Lineker
- John Lineker (born 1990), Brazilian mixed martial artist
- Matt Lineker (born 1985), English cricketer
 |
This page or section lists people with the surname Lineker. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link. |
http://wn.com/Lineker
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineker
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
"Gary" redirects here. For other uses, see Gary (disambiguation).
| City of Gary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
 |
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|
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| Nickname(s): City in Motion, City of the Century, GI, Magic City of Steel, The Steel City, The G | |||
| Motto: We Are Doing Great Things | |||
 |
|||
| Coordinates: 41°35′44″N 87°20′43″W / 41.59556°N 87.34528°W / 41.59556; -87.34528Coordinates: 41°35′44″N 87°20′43″W / 41.59556°N 87.34528°W / 41.59556; -87.34528[1] | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Indiana | ||
| County | Lake | ||
| Founded | July 14, 1906 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Council-Strong Mayor | ||
| • Mayor | Karen Freeman-Wilson (D) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 57.18 sq mi (148.1 km2) | ||
| • Land | 49.86 sq mi (129.1 km2) | ||
| • Water | 7.31 sq mi (18.9 km2) | ||
| Elevation[1] | 607 ft (185 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 80,294 | ||
| • Density | 1,598.5/sq mi (617.2/km2) | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC–6) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC–5) | ||
| ZIP codes | 46401-46411 | ||
| Area code(s) | 219 | ||
| FIPS code | 18-27000[2] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2394863[1] | ||
| Website | http://www.gary.in.us/ | ||
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known for its large steel mills and as the birthplace of the Jacksons singing family. Gary is adjacent to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Contents |
History[link]
Early history[link]
See also: History of the Indiana Dunes
The city was founded in 1906 by the United States Steel Corporation as the home for its new plant. The city was named after the lawyer and founding chairman of U.S. Steel, Elbert Henry Gary.
File:GaryIndiana-FifthAve-Broadway-1909-SS (S Shook CollectionO.jpg
5th Ave and Broadway in 1909
Gary's fortunes have risen and fallen with those of the steel industry. The growth of the steel industry brought prosperity to the community. Broadway Avenue was known as a commercial center for the region. Department stores and architecturally significant movie houses were built in the downtown area and the Glen Park neighborhood.
In the 1960s, like many other American urban centers reliant on one particular industry, Gary entered a spiral of decline. Gary's decline was brought on by the growing overseas competitiveness in the steel industry, which had caused U.S. Steel to lay off many workers from the Gary area. As the city declined, crime increased.
Rapid racial change occurred in Gary during the late 20th century. These population changes resulted in political change which reflected the racial demographics of Gary. Gary had one of the nation's first African-American mayors, Richard G. Hatcher, and hosted the ground-breaking 1972 National Black Political Convention.
In the 1960s through 1980s, surrounding suburban localities such as Merrillville and Crown Point experienced rapid growth including new homes and shopping districts. Due to white flight, economic distress, and skyrocketing crime, many middle-class and affluent residents moved to other cities in the metro area such as Chicago and surrounding areas in Lake and Porter counties in Indiana.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gary had the highest percentage of African Americans of U.S. cities with a population of 100,000 or more, 84% (as of the 2000 U.S. census). This no longer applies to Gary since the population of the city has now fallen well below 100,000 residents.
U.S. Steel continues to be a major steel producer, but with only a fraction of its former level of employment. While Gary has failed to reestablish a manufacturing base since its population peak, two casinos opened along the Gary lakeshore in the 1990s although this has been aggravated by the state closing of Cline Avenue, an important access to the area. Today, Gary faces the difficulties of a rust belt former steel town turned urban dumping ground, including unemployment, decaying infrastructure, low literacy and educational attainment levels.
Recent history[link]
2006[link]
Three-term Democratic mayor Scott King resigned from office in March 2006, citing a desire to return to private law practice.[3] Then-deputy mayor and former Calumet Township trustee Dozier T. Allen Jr. became acting mayor pending a formal election by local Democratic party officials. On April 4, 2006, local officials chose former Lake County commissioner and King rival Rudolph Clay to fill the remaining 21 months of King's term.
The Gary Chicago International Airport (IATA code: GYY) secured nearly $100 million in grants and private donations. The Federal Aviation Administration approved GYY's master plan which includes the expansion of runways, land acquisition for a larger terminal, an integrated transportation center, and provision for a third runway. The first part of the plan requires that the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway line, which runs at the end of the runway, be relocated.
Dallas-based HomeVestors of America released its "Top 10 Markets for Real Estate Investing" list on December 9, 2006. Gary earned the number one position on this list, which represents activity of investors who purchase homes below market and then sell.[4]
After celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2006, the city of Gary presented several examples of progress and economic rebound, after years of economic depression. Many buildings that have been left vacant for years are now finally slated for demolition and development.[5] Many new homes were built through the HOPE VI grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
2007[link]
Gary was rated the 17th most dangerous city in the United States according to Morgan Quitno's 2007 analysis of crime rates (City Crime Rankings, 14th Edition), down from 10th highest in the 2006 edition. The city recorded 51 homicides in 2006, a 13.5 percent decrease from the previous year.
2008[link]
Forbes Magazine listed Gary 39th on their Top 100 Best Cities for Jobs in 2008. The ranking was up from 89th in 2006 and 84th in 2007.[6]
In March 2008 the Chief of Police, Deputy Chief and a police sergeant were all indicted by the federal court for violating the civil rights of a Gary resident.[7]
2011[link]
Property tax limitations implemented for the entire state of Indiana have left Gary in a financially difficult situation.[8] The city is one of the few in the US that uses cash based accounting, a system usually limited to use in very small businesses and not municipalities with budgets greater than $80 million.[9] Gary currently is under temporary reprieve from full implementation of the state tax caps, an implementation that is scheduled to be applied to Gary in 2012. At that point Gary's property tax revenue of approximately $60 million is projected to be cut to approximately $30 million. The budget changes necessary at that point are widely viewed to be devastating.[10] Due to its cash accounting system, there is difficulty determining what Gary's one-time liabilities are. In late 2009, they are at least $34 million in debts and unpaid judgments by the city to various parties in addition to the upcoming projected structural deficit due to mandatory tax caps.
In April 2011, 75 year-old mayor Rudy Clay announced that he would be suspending his campaign for re-election, owing to ongoing treatments for prostate cancer. After exiting from the race, Clay endorsed rival Karen Freeman-Wilson, who won the Democratic mayoral primary in May.[11]
On November 8, 2011, Freeman-Wilson won election to the office of mayor of Gary with 87 percent of the vote. Her term began January 2012; she is the city's first female mayor.[12]
Neighborhoods[link]
West[link]
Ambridge Mann is located on Gary's near west side along 5th Avenue. Ambridge was developed for workers at the nearby steel plant in the 1910s and 1920s, and is named after the American Bridge Works, which was a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. The neighborhood is home to a huge stock of prairie style and art deco homes. The Gary Masonic Temple is located in the neighborhood along with the Ambassador Apartment building. Located just south of Interstate 90, the neighborhood can be seen while passing Buchanan Street.
Brunswick is located on Gary's far west side. The neighborhood is located just south of Interstate 90 and can be seen from the expressway. The Brunswick area includes the Tri-City Plaza shopping center on West 5th Avenue (U.S. 20). The area is south of the Gary Chicago International Airport.
Downtown Gary was developed in the 1920s and houses several pieces of impressive architecture, including several structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. A 6,000-seat minor league baseball stadium for the Gary SouthShore RailCats, U.S. Steel Yard, was constructed in 2002, along with contiguous commercial space. A significant number of older structures have been demolished in recent years, but a number of abandoned buildings remain in the downtown area, including historic structures like Union Station and City Methodist Church. A large area of the downtown neighborhood (including City Methodist) was devastated by fire on October 12, 1997.[13][14] Interstate 90 divides downtown Gary from the United States Steel Plant.
Tolleston is one of Gary's oldest neighborhoods, predating much of the rest of the city. It was plated out by George Tolle in 1857, when the railroads came to the area. The area is to the west of Midtown and south of Ambridge Mann. Tarrytown is a subdivision located in Tolleston between Whitcomb Street and Clark Road.
South[link]
Black Oak is located on the far southwest side of Gary, in the vicinity of the Burr Street exit to the Borman Expressway. It was annexed in the 1970s. Prior to that, Black Oak was an unincorporated area informally associated with Hammond, and the area has Hammond telephone numbers. The community was convinced (after three previously failed attempts) by Mayor Hatcher that its residents would benefit from better services, provided by the city, than those provided by the county. It is the only majority-white neighborhood in Gary.
Glen Park is located on Gary's far south side, and is made up mostly of mid-twentieth century houses. Glen Park is divided from the remainder of the city by the Borman Expressway. The northern portion of Glen Park is home to Gary's Gleason Park Golf Course and the campus of Indiana University Northwest. The far western portion of Glen Park is home to the Village Shopping Center. Glen Park includes the 37th Avenue corridor at Broadway.
Midtown is located to the south of Downtown Gary, along Broadway. This was, traditionally, the original "black" neighborhood in the pre-1960s days of segregation.
.JPG)
North and East[link]
Aetna is located on Gary's far east side along the Dunes Highway. Aetna predates the city of Gary. It was a company town founded in 1881 by the Aetna Powder Works, an explosives company, which closed with the end of World War I. The Town of Aetna was annexed in 1928 around the same time Gary annexed the Town of Miller. A building boom happened shortly afterward in the late 1920s and early 1930s making Aetna home to an impressive collection of art deco architecture. The rest of the community was built throughout the 1950s after the Korean War in a series of phases. On its south and east, Aetna borders the undeveloped floodplain of the Little Calumet River.
Miller Beach, also known through the years as Miller Station or just simply as Miller, is on Gary's far east side. Incorporated as an independent town in 1907, Miller was annexed by the city of Gary in 1918. Miller developed around the old stagecoach stop and train station known, as early as the 1840s, as Miller's Junction. The Miller Beach area has remained somewhat separated from the rest of Gary both culturally and geographically. Miller Beach continues to be racially and economically diverse, and attracts investor interest due to the many year-round and summer homes within walking distance of Marquette Park and Lake Michigan. Prices for lakefront property are affordable compared with Illinois suburban communities. Lake Street provides shopping and dining options for Miller Beach visitors and residents. East Edge, a development of 28 upscale condominium, townhome, and single-family homes, began construction in 2007 at the eastern edge of Miller Beach along County Line Road, one block south of Lake Michigan.[15]
Geography and climate[link]
Geography[link]
The city sits on the southern end of the former lake bed of the prehistoric Lake Chicago, and the current Lake Michigan. Most of the city's soil nearly one foot below the surface is pure sand. The sand beneath Gary, and on its beaches, is of such high quality that in years past it was mined for the manufacture of glass. Gary has many statues of Elbert H. Gary in the city. It also has a lot of historical sites to visit.
According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of 57.18 square miles (148.1 km2), of which 49.86 square miles (129.1 km2) (or 87.20%) is land and 7.31 square miles (18.9 km2) (or 12.78%) is water.[16]
Gary is "T" shaped, with its northern border on Lake Michigan. At the Northwesternmost section Gary borders Hammond and East Chicago. Miller Beach, its easternmost neighborhood, borders Lake Station and Portage. Gary's southernmost section borders Griffith, Hobart, Merrillville, and unincorporated Ross.[citation needed] Gary is about 40 miles (64 km) from the Chicago Loop.[17]
Climate[link]
Although Gary is located at a roughly similar latitude as New York City, the climate is colder in the winter because of a more continental influence. In July and August, the warmest months, high temperatures average 84 °F (29 °C) and peak just above 100 °F (38 °C) and low temperatures average 63 °F (17 °C). In January and February, the coldest months, high temperatures average around 29 °F (−2 °C) and low temperatures average 13 °F (−11 °C), with at least a few days of temperatures dipping below 0 °F (−18 °C). The weather of Gary is greatly regulated by its proximity to Lake Michigan, as it sits at the lake's southernmost point. Weather varies yearly. In summer months Gary is humid. The city's yearly precipitation averages about 40 inches. Summer is the rainiest season. Winters vary but are predominantly snowy with regular blizzards. Snowfall in Gary can average 24 to 36 inches per winter, but sometimes large blizzards hit because of "lake effect snow", a phenomenon wherein large amounts of water evaporated from the lake deposits onto the shoreline areas inordinate amounts of snow.
| Climate data for Gary, IN | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 30.4 | 35.1 (1.7) |
46.6 (8.1) |
57.6 (14.2) |
69.8 (21) |
79.8 (26.5) |
83.9 (28.8) |
81.3 (27.4) |
75.6 (24.2) |
63.8 (17.6) |
48 (8.9) |
35.7 (2) |
59 (15) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 13.9 | 17.7 | 28 | 37.5 (3) |
47.8 (8.8) |
57.5 (14.2) |
63 (17.2) |
61.3 (16.3) |
53.5 (11.9) |
42 (5.5) |
30.8 | 20.4 | 39.5 (4.2) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.902 (48.3) |
1.52 (38.6) |
2.728 (69.3) |
3.579 (90.9) |
3.921 (99.6) |
4.469 (113.5) |
3.52 (89.4) |
3.76 (95.5) |
3.642 (92.5) |
2.969 (75.4) |
3.488 (88.6) |
2.52 (64) |
38 (965.2) |
| Source: [18] | |||||||||||||
Demographics[link]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 16,802 |
|
|
| 1920 | 55,378 | 229.6% | |
| 1930 | 100,666 | 81.8% | |
| 1940 | 111,719 | 11.0% | |
| 1950 | 133,911 | 19.9% | |
| 1960 | 178,320 | 33.2% | |
| 1970 | 175,415 | −1.6% | |
| 1980 | 144,953 | −17.4% | |
| 1990 | 116,646 | −19.5% | |
| 2000 | 102,746 | −11.9% | |
| 2010 | 80,294 | −21.9% | |
|
|
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As of the census of 2000, there were 102,746 people, 38,244 households, and 25,623 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,045.5 people per square mile (789.8/km²). There were 43,630 housing units at an average density of 868.6 per square mile (335.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.03% African American, 11.92% White, 0.21% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 4.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic Whites were 8.9% of the population in 2010,[19] down from 39.1% in 1970.[20]
The U.S. census figures show that Gary had a population of 80,294 for the 2010 census, a nearly 22% drop compared to the 2000 census.
There were 38,244 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.2% were married couples living together, 30.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,195, and the median income for a family was $32,205. Males had a median income of $34,992 versus $24,432 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,383. About 22.2% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
City and community services[link]
Parks[link]
- Brunswick Park
- Marquette Park
- Pittman Square
- Gleason Park
- Jefferson Park
- Buffington Park
- Hillman Park
- Borman Square
Medical facilities[link]
- Gary Community Health Center and Adult and Children's General Dentist 1021 West 5th Avenue, Gary, IN 46402
- Methodist Hospital 600 Grant Street, Gary, IN 46402-6099
- Rainbow Medical Center 1465 West 16th Avenue, Gary, IN 46407-1025
Education[link]
There are three school districts serving the city and multiple charter schools located within the city.
Public schools[link]
Most public schools in Gary are administered by the Gary Community School Corporation. The other public schools within the city are administered by Lake Ridge Schools Corporation, which is the school system for the Black Oak neighborhood and unincorporated Calumet Township. Due to annexation law, Black Oak residents retained their original school system and were not required to attend Gary public schools. Some Gary residents in the eastern edge of the community attend schools administered by the River Forest Community School Corporation.
Charter schools[link]
Charter schools in Indiana, including those in Gary, are granted charters by one of a small number of chartering institutions. Indiana charter schools are generally managed in cooperation between the chartering institution, a local board of parents and community members, salaried school administrators, and a management company. Charter schools in Gary as of 2011 include KIPP Lead College Prep Charter School, Thea Bowman Leadership Academy, Charter School of the Dunes, Gary Lighthouse Charter School, 21st Century Charter , and West Gary Lighthouse Charter School.
Higher education[link]
Gary is home to two regional state college campuses:
Public libraries[link]
The Gary Public Library System consists of the main library at 220 West 5th Avenue and several branches: Brunswick Branch, W. E. B. DuBois Branch, J. F. Kennedy Branch, Tolleston Branch, and Woodson Branch.[21] In March 2011, the Gary Library Board voted to close the main library on 5th Avenue and the Tolleston branch in what officials said was their best economic option. The main library will close by the end of 2011.[22] Lake County Public Library operates the Black Oak Branch at 5921 West 25th Avenue in the Gary city limits.[23] In addition Indiana University Northwest operates the Indiana University Northwest Library on its campus.[24]
Public safety[link]
Gary is served by the Gary Police Department and Gary Fire Department. Gary is also served by the Lake County Sheriff's Department.
Transportation[link]
- NICTD (Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District) operates the South Shore Line, a commuter rail system (one of the United States' last original operating interurban railway systems), running between Chicago and South Bend.
- GPTC (Gary Public Transportation Corporation) a commuter bus system that offers service to numerous stops throughout the city and neighboring suburbs. GPTC also has express service to locations outside of the city including connections to Chicago transit. Front door pickup is available for disabled citizens at no extra cost.
- GYY (Gary/Chicago International Airport) is operating as the "third airport" for the Chicago area. It is undergoing much federally funded expansion, and the administration is courting airlines aggressively. Boeing already bases its corporate fleets here.[citation needed] The National Guard is intending to base its Chicago area air operation there as well,[25] which would add much needed security to the airport, taking away some of the stigma of an airport in Gary.
- Interstate 90 (Indiana Toll Road), Interstate 80, Interstate 94, and Interstate 65 run through Gary, as well as U.S. Routes 12 and 20, Indiana State Road 912/Cline Avenue and a former stretch of Indiana State Road 312 now decommissioned.
Culture[link]
Arts and film[link]
The 1996 urban movie Original Gangstas was filmed in the city. The movie starred Gary native Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree and Isabel Sanford, among others. Since the early 2000s Gary has experienced a surge of Hollywood filmmakers wishing to shoot movies in the city. In 2009 scenes for the remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street were filmed in Gary.[26] Scenes from Transformers: Dark of the Moon wrapped up filming on August 16, 2010.[27]
The History channel documentary Life After People was filmed in run-down and derelict parts of Gary, Indiana.[28]
Meredith Willson's 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man featured the song "Gary, Indiana", and described Gary Conservatory as the alleged alma mater of lead character Professor Harold Hill ("Gary Music Conservatory, Class of '05!"). The joke in Hill's claim, of course, is that the City of Gary was not founded until 1906. Willson's musical, set in 1912, later was the basis of a film (1962) and a made-for-television film (2003).
Sports[link]
The following sports franchises are based in Gary:
- The Gary SouthShore RailCats are an American Association, professional baseball team. The team plays in Gary's U.S. Steel Yard baseball stadium. The RailCats played in the Northern League from 2002 until 2010 and were the 2005 and 2007 Northern League Champions.
- The Gary Splash are an International Basketball League, professional basketball team. The team plays in Gary's Genesis Convention Center. Formerly the Gary Steelheads played in the IBL, CBA, USBL and IBL.
Sister city[link]
Notable natives and residents[link]
Gary is the hometown of the Jackson family, a family of musicians who influenced the sound of modern popular music. Joe and Katherine Jackson originally moved into their two bedroom house at 2300 Jackson St. in Gary, Indiana, after they got married on November 5, 1949. The famous siblings would later record a song entitled "2300 Jackson Street" in the 1990s.
- Members of the Jackson family include:
- Maureen Reillette "Rebbie" Jackson (born May 29, 1950)
- Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson (born May 4, 1951)
- Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson (born October 15, 1953)
- Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954)
- La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956)
- Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957)
- Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)
- Steven Randall "Randy" Jackson (born October 29, 1961)
- Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966)
Other notables include
- Dan Barreiro, sports radio talk show host
- Albert M. Bielawski, former Michigan State Representative
- Frank Borman (born 1928), astronaut on Gemini 7 and Apollo 8, former CEO of Eastern Air Lines
- John Brim, bluesman.
- Avery Brooks (born 1948), (born in Evansville) actor, director, best known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Karen Freeman-Wilson, former Indiana Attorney General, attorney, politician
- Freddie Gibbs, rapper
- Tom Harmon 1940 University of Michigan Heisman Trophy winner
- LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) MLB Pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers
- Gerald Irons, former NFL star, Oakland Raiders
- Tank Johnson, NFL star
- Alex Karras, former NFL star, actor in Blazing Saddles
- Robert Kearns, inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper systems.
- Ron Kittle, former Chicago White Sox outfielder and 1983 American League Rookie of the Year recipient
- Bob Kuechenberg, former NFL star, guard on 1972 Miami Dolphins perfect season team
- Karl Malden (1912–2009), (born in Chicago) Oscar winning actor
- William Marshall, actor
- Brandon Moore (born 1980), NFL guard for the New York Jets
- Dan Plesac (born 1962), former Major League Baseball pitcher with an 18-year career, now a MLB Network analyst
- Glenn Robinson (born 1973), former NBA basketball player
- Paul Samuelson (1915–2009), economist, recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal (1947) and the Nobel prize (1970)
- Joseph Stiglitz (born 1943), economist, recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal (1979) and the Nobel prize (2001)
- Hank Stram, NFL head coach 1960-1977
- Ernest Lee Thomas, actor
- Deniece Williams (born 1950), Grammy Award winning R&B artist
- Fred Williamson, former NFL star, actor, director, producer
- Tony Zale (1913–1997), twice middleweight world champion
Business and industry[link]
Media[link]
- Newspapers – Gary is served by two major newspapers based outside the city, and by a Gary-based, largely African-American interest paper. These papers provide regional topics, and cover events in Gary.
- The Post-Tribune, originally the Gary Post-Tribune, is now based in Merrillville, a suburb of Gary.
- The Times, previously known as the Hammond Times. Offices and facilities for The Times are in nearby Munster.
- The Gary Crusader, based in Gary and largely focused on black or African-American interests and readership.
- The INFO Newspaper, based in Gary and largely focused on black or (African-American) interests and readership.
- The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times are also distributed in Gary.
- Broadcast – Gary is served by five local broadcasters plus government access and numerous Chicago area radio and TV stations, and by other nearby stations in Illinois and Indiana.
- WHNW-LD (Channel 18) a repeater of LeSEA's WHME in South Bend.[30]
- WPWR-TV (Channel 50) is the Chicago My Network TV affiliate, but is licensed to Gary. Studios and transmitters are co-located with WFLD's in Chicago, and like WFLD, WPWR is owned by Fox Television Stations.
- WYIN (Channel 56) is a PBS affiliate licensed to Gary. Their studios are in Merrillville.
- WGVE (FM 88.7) is owned by the Gary Community School Corporation, and is used primarily as a teaching facility. Programming is maintained by students in the broadcast program at the Gary Career Center. WGVE also carries limited NPR programming.
- WLTH (AM 1370) carries syndicated talk programming, and is owned by Pluria Marshall Jr.
- WWCA (AM 1270) is a Relevant Radio owned-and-operated radio station, carrying programming from the Catholic-oriented Relevant Radio network.
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: City of Gary
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ NWI Times[dead link]
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Gary Redevelopment. Gary.in.us. Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
- ^ Gary area gets high marks, nwi.com, January 19, 2008
- ^ #08-870: Gary, Indiana Former Police Chief Convicted on Federal Civil Rights Violation (2008-09-30). Justice.gov. Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Microsoft Word - 1A Introduction.doc. (PDF) . Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
- ^ [3][dead link]
- ^ "Gary, Indiana Mayor Rudy Clay Not Seeking Re-Election Due To Illness". Huffingtonpost.com. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/gary-indiana-mayor-rudy-c_n_846785.html. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
- ^ "Democrat Karen Freeman-Wilson easily wins election as Gary's first woman mayor". Daily Reporter. Associated Press. 2011-08-11. http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/8b3bf38dd0ea40a7adf94736710264cb/IN--Mayoral-Elections-Gary/. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
- ^ "Indiana Historic Architecture Editorials". Preserveindiana.com. http://www.preserveindiana.com/mainpages/editorials.html#anchor461882. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
- ^ "Blaze Hits Downtown Gary". Chicago Tribune. October 13, 1997. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-10-13/news/9710140270_1_fire-buildings-senior-citizens. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "It's Miller's time in Lake County". Indiana Economic Digest. 2006-04-16. http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=146&ArticleID=26330. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
- ^ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files for Places – Indiana". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_18.txt. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ^ Havill, Adrian. "NYC to Washington and Back." Robert Philip Hanssen: The Spy who Stayed out in the Cold. Crime Library. Retrieved on April 12, 2012.
- ^ Gary Weather | Gary IN | Conditions, Forecast, Average. Idcide.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
- ^ "Gary (city), Indiana". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/1827000.html.
- ^ "Indiana - Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990". U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html.
- ^ "Locations & Hours." Gary Public Library System. Retrieved on January 21, 2009.
- ^ Christin Nance Lazerus (March 31, 2011). "Gary’s main library closing". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/4585159-418/garys-main-library-closing.html. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ "Locations and Hours." Lake County Public Library. Retrieved on January 21, 2009.
- ^ "Library." Indiana University Northwest. Retrieved on January 21, 2009.
- ^ Benman, Keith. (2009-10-27) National Guard armory ready to serve at Gary airport. Nwitimes.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
- ^ "Featured Articles from the Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/may/01/entertainment/chi-talk-nightmare-follomay01.
- ^ 'Transformers' set in Gary explosive. Nwitimes.com (2010-08-17). Retrieved on 2011-03-22.
- ^ Life After People, Episode 2 - 30 years History channel documentary, Life After People
- ^ "Mayor Clay’s Statement on Gary’s 1st Trade Mission to China: Press Statement". May 22, 2008. http://www.gary.in.us/pressrelease/may/Press%20release%20press%20statement_china.pdf. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
- ^ "Query the FCC's TV station database for WHNW-LD". Fcc.gov. http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=17736. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gary, Indiana |
- City of Gary, Indiana website
- Photos of abandoned buildings in Gary, IN 2011
- Photos galleries of Gary, Indiana from 2005
- U.S. Steel Gary Works Photograph Collection, 1906–1971
- MillerBeachDays
- Dave's Den – providing extensive coverage on the history and development of the City of Gary
- More current photos of Gary's buildings
- Gary at night
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary,_Indiana
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the British television and radio presenter. For other people called Jonathan Ross, see Jonathan Ross (disambiguation).
| Jonathan Ross | |
|---|---|
 Jonathan Ross at Live 8 on 2 July 2005 |
|
| Born | Jonathan Stephen Ross (1960-11-17) 17 November 1960 (age 51) Camden, London, England[1] |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Broadcaster, film critic, Talk show host, Comedian |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | Jane Goldman (m. 1988) «start: (1988)»"Marriage: Jane Goldman to Jonathan Ross" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Jonathan_Ross) |
| Children | 2 daughters, 1 son |
| Parents | Martha Ross |
Jonathan Stephen Ross, OBE (born 17 November 1960) is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross began hosting a new chat show on ITV1 starting 3 September 2011. Ross also hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2, and acted as a film critic and presenter of the Film programme. Other regular roles have included being a regular panellist on the comedy sports quiz They Think It's All Over from 1999 to 2006, and presenting the annual British Comedy Awards from 1991 to 2007, and 2009 onwards.
Ross began his television career as a programme researcher, before débuting as a television presenter for The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross on Channel 4 in 1987. Over the next decade he had several radio and television roles, many through his own production company, Channel X. In 1995 he sold his stake in Channel X, and embarked on a career with the BBC. In 1999, Ross took over presenting the Film programme from Barry Norman, and also began presenting his own radio show, while two years later he began hosting Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. For the chat show, Ross won three British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for Best Entertainment Performance, in 2004, 2006 and 2007. By 2006 Ross was believed to be the BBC's highest paid star. In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to broadcasting.[2] Ross has been involved in controversies throughout his broadcasting career.[3][4] As a result, in 2008 he wrote a semi-autobiographical work titled Why Do I Say These Things?, detailing some of his life experiences.
Ross has been married to the author, journalist and broadcaster Jane Goldman since 1988; they have three children. Ross and Goldman have together established the television production company Hotsauce TV. Ross is known as an avid fan and collector of comic books and memorabilia, and has written his own comic book, Turf. Ross is known for his distinctive voice, flamboyant style of dress,[2] and his light-hearted banter. He is also known for his characteristic difficulty in pronouncing the sound 'r'.
Contents |
Personal[link]
Ross was born in Camden, London, England on 17 November 1960, a son of British actress and radio presenter Martha Ross.[5] He grew up in Leytonstone[1] and is the brother of journalist, television editor, and media personality Paul Ross; TV producer/actor Miles Ross; TV producer Simon Ross, and music industry professional Adam Ross. He was educated at Norlington School for Boys, a comprehensive school at the same time as his elder brother Paul, and at Leyton County High School for Boys, a comprehensive school. He also attended Southampton College of Art, now known as Southampton Solent University. [6] He then studied Modern European History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), University of London.[7]
Ross married author/journalist/broadcaster Jane Goldman, ten years his junior, in 1988, when Goldman was 18. They have since had three children: Betty Kitten (named after Bettie Page), Harvey Kirby (named after Jack Kirby, a comic book creator whom Ross especially admires), and Honey Kinney. The family lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb.[citation needed]
Ross and others have used his rhotacism for comic effect and he is sometimes known as "Wossy,"[8] including on his Twitter feed (@wossy).
Ross is known for owning exotic pets. He is a big music fan and the first band he saw live was punk rockers X-Ray Spex at Islington's Hope and Anchor pub in North London.[9] He is a big fan of David Bowie, Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry, Queen (he was in the audience for Queen at Wembley), British punk rock, Spandau Ballet, Sparks, Star Trek, Doctor Who (his favourite Doctor was Jon Pertwee), and comic books. Ross has even co-owned a comic shop in London with Paul Gambaccini and released Turf, his first comic book, in 2010, with American artist Tommy Lee Edwards.[10] He was also the visual inspiration for the main character in the comic book Saviour. Ross is also greatly interested in Japan, presenting a BBC-TV series on many different aspects of Japanese culture, Japanorama, for three series between 2002–07. He was a regular at London's Blitz club during the early 1980s (famous for the Blitz Kids). He is a fan of the singers Morrissey and George Michael.[citation needed]
He is a friend of comedian Ricky Gervais and bought him a kitten after Gervais' previous cat, Colin, had died. The cat's name is Ollie and was presented to him on an episode of Ross' talk show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.[11] He was one of the special celebrity guests in the final episode of Gervais's second season of Extras, in which Gervais's character, Andy Millman, and Ross were shown to be the best of friends after a fictional appearance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.[12]
He is also a close friend of author Neil Gaiman, and he and his wife appear in Gaiman's short story "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch", collected in Fragile Things.
In 2005, Ross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.[13] He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols on his Radio 2 show.[14]
When interviewing Colin Farrell on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 19 February 2010, Ross claimed not to have consumed alcohol for ten years.
Ross has attended a fund raiser for the James Randi Educational Foundation called The Amazing Meeting in London in 2009 and 2010. Interviewed by Rebecca Watson, Ross described himself as a big fan of James Randi and the other speakers – who were mainly prominent sceptics – and said that he and his wife had come to have a sceptical view of the world.[15] Ross has been supportive of Simon Singh's efforts to defend an accusation of libel by the British Chiropractic Association and Ross has posed for the Geek Calendar 2011, a fund raiser for the libel reform in the UK.[16]
At a book signing event in Central London in September 2010, Ross stated that as a youngster he went to school in Leyton (Leyton Senior High School) and supports Leyton Orient F.C.[citation needed]
On 6 June 2011, it was announced that Ross' beloved pug Mr Pickle had been killed in an accident on board a train while Ross was filming a new travelogue show for ITV.[17] Mr Pickle was well known to both viewers and listeners of Ross' TV and radio shows.
Career[link]
Child actor[link]
Following the acting lead of his mother, who appeared as an extra on television shows such as East Enders, Ross appeared in television ads as a child actor. His first, for the breakfast cereal Kellogg's Rice Krispies, gave him his television debut in 1970, when he was 10 years old.[18][19] He also appeared in an ad for the laundry detergent Persil.[20]
Early career[link]
Ross began his adult career as a researcher on the Channel 4 show Loose Talk. After leaving this, he worked on various other shows before beginning another research job on Soul Train, which became Solid Soul. It is believed his first appearance on television was as an extra in the 1981 It Ain't Half Hot, Mum episode, The Last Roll Call.[21]
Channel X: 1987–95[link]
Whilst on Solid Soul, he met fellow researcher Alan Marke, and the two devised what would prove to be a breakthrough hit for Ross in 1987, The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross.
The pair based their concept on the successful American show Late Night with David Letterman, and formed a new production company called Channel X, to produce a pilot. Ross was not originally slated as the show's host, but with little time to find one Jonathan Ross stepped in and made his debut on the show in January 1987.[22]
While the series was initially a co-production with Colin Calendar, ownership transferred to Marke and Ross, meaning that the latter retained a great deal of control as well as being presenter.[23] The show proved popular for both Ross and for Channel 4, making him one of the major personalities on the channel.
A year later, his documentary series The Incredibly Strange Film Show introduced many to the works of cult filmmakers like Sam Raimi and Jackie Chan.
In 1989, he co-presented the biennial BBC charity telethon Comic Relief, the same year he launched One Hour with Jonathan Ross a short lived chat show on Channel 4, most notable for the game show segment "Knock down ginger" which introduced comedians such as Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson to television.
In 1991, he presented the annual British Comedy Awards on ITV. He has presented the event each year since, but in 2008 announced he would be stepping down from the role following his suspension from the BBC.[24] In 1992 he presented an interview with Madonna about her Erotica album and Sex Book promotion.
In 1993, he was the narrator for FIA Formula One 1993 Season Review video.
Ross has appeared in numerous television entertainment programmes on several channels throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He was a regular panellist on the sports quiz They Think It's All Over, and hosted the panel game It's Only TV...But I Like It. Other projects include the BBC joke-quiz Gagtag, the Channel 4 variety show Saturday Zoo, new-acts showcase The Big Big Talent Show, and the ITV programme Fantastic Facts.
In 1995 he left Channel X, despite its profitable nature. He was quoted in a 1998 article as stating:
It was to do with a deliberate change in my life, moving away from TV as the core of my existence to focus on my family more. So I had to give up everything to do with Channel X, and I literally got only £1 for my share, which was unbelievable.[25]
Television 1995–2006[link]
In 1995 he presented Mondo Rosso, a programme about old cult films. He took over presenting of the Film programme, the BBC's long-running cinema review series, in 1999 after Barry Norman left the show. Ross himself has made a number of cameo appearances in films, playing himself in the Spice Girls' film Spice World (1997) and voicing the character of Doris in the UK version of Shrek 2 (2004). He also played himself in Only Fools and Horses, presenting Goldrush, a fictional television quiz on which the main character, Del, was a contestant. In 2001 he voiced characters in two episodes of the animated comedy series Rex the Runt. In the 30 October episode of Film 2006, Ross also claimed that he had appeared as an extra in the 1981 film 'The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin', as an Israeli soldier raiding Entebbe Airport.[citation needed] He also appeared on the first pilot show for Shooting Stars, acting as a team captain.
BBC Radio: 1999–2010[link]
Ross began presenting a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 in 1999. He has also presented radio shows for BBC Radio 1 and Virgin Radio (having previously worked on Richard Branson's earlier venture, Radio Radio), as well as the now-defunct commercial radio network service The Superstation, where his producer was Chris Evans.
From 23 May 2009, Ross' BBC Radio 2 show was pre-recorded 24 hours before broadcast.[26] This decision was made to make the show more watertight and, according to the press, to make sure any of Ross's off-the-cuff comments might be edited out.[27]
Ross' show on Radio 2 last aired on 17 July 2010 when his contract at the BBC ended.
[edit] Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: 2001–10
On 2 November 2001, Ross began presenting his chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
In 2005, Ross anchored the BBC television coverage of the Live 8 concerts. Later that year he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting. He celebrated the news by playing "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols (which was banned by the BBC when released in 1977) on his BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning show. On 21 June 2006 Ross was made a Fellow of University College London, where he studied.
In early 2006, Ross announced that after eight years he was quitting his regular panellist seat on the sport/comedy quiz show They Think It's All Over, stating:
I’ve had a great time on They Think It's All Over, imparting my vast sporting knowledge to the nation, but I need time now to focus on my other commitments and so regrettably I won't be back for the 20th series. It's a fantastic show and from now on I'll be able to actually watch it.
However, after Ross's departure, only two more episodes of the show were made before it was cancelled.
In January 2006 he presented Jonathan Ross' Asian Invasion, broadcast on BBC Four. The three-part documentary followed Ross as he explored the film industry in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, interviewing directors and showcasing clips. His interest in Asian culture and his self confessed love for anime and video games led him to making three series of BBC Three show Japanorama, as well as producing another series for the same channel called Adam and Joe Go Tokyo, starring Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish. He produced the latter programme through his own production company Hot Sauce.
In June 2006, a bidding war was sparked between BBC and other broadcasters for Ross' services. Although other broadcasters were unsuccessful in poaching Ross, it is believed that their bids were higher than the BBC during negotiations. ITV, who bid for Ross, poached chat host Michael Parkinson around the same time. Ross became the highest paid television personality in Britain, when a new BBC contract secured his services until 2010, for a reported £18 million (£6 million per year).[28]
On 25 June 2006, he performed at the Children's Party at the Palace for the Queen's 80th birthday. In August 2006, Ross was enlisted to ask the first question[29] since the transition from beta for the Yahoo Answers in UK and Ireland. On 16 March 2007, Ross hosted Comic Relief 2007 alongside Fearne Cotton and Lenny Henry. On 7 July 2007 Ross presented at the Live Earth concert.
Starting on 10 September 2007 he presented the BBC Four series Comics Britannia, about the history of the British comic. This forms the core of a Comics Britannia season, which includes another documentary, In Search of Steve Ditko, by Ross.[30]
In May 2008, Ross won the Sony Gold Award "Music Radio Personality of the Year".[31]
On 3 August 2008, on BBC1, he hosted Jonathan Ross Salutes Dad's Army.
In 2010, Ross took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.
On 7 April 2010, Ross's first comic book was published. Turf was written by Jonathan himself and drawn by artist Tommy Lee Edwards.[32] In 2011, Ross wrote an introduction for The Steve Ditko Omnibus Vol. 1,[33] a collection of work by the American comics artist featured in Ross' 2007 documentary.
In one of his last appearances on the show, Ross was bundled on repeatedly by Gary Lineker, Ross Noble, Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett & Tinie Tempah, after a performance of Gorillaz' iconic song "Clint Eastwood" & "On Melancholy Hill".[citation needed]
Leaving the BBC (2010)[link]
On 7 January 2010, Ross confirmed that he would leave the BBC in July 2010, having decided not to renegotiate his contract. This would see him leave all his regular BBC roles, namely his Friday night chat show, Radio 2 show and a film review programme, although he would be continuing with some specials, such as Comic Relief and the BAFTA Awards.[34][35][36][37]
Explaining the decision, Ross said:
Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end. While there, I have worked with some of the nicest and most talented people in the industry and had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in the world, and am grateful to the BBC for such a marvellous experience. I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated[34]
The decision came a day after it was announced that Graham Norton had signed a two-year deal with the BBC, and the BBC's media correspondent Torin Douglas speculated Norton would be a ready-made replacement for Ross's chat show role, while Mark Kermode of BBC Radio 5 Live was a potential successor in the film review role, but that "replacing Ross on radio will be harder". [34] Ross last appeared on the film programme in Episode 10 of Film 2010 with Jonathan Ross aired on 17 March 2010. After Kermode publicly ruled himself out on 26 March, Claudia Winkleman was announced 30 March 2010 as his replacement as host of the Film programme, who was to host Film 2010 from September 2010.[38][39]
Ross's final Friday Night chat show episode aired on 16 July 2010, with David Beckham, Jackie Chan, Mickey Rourke, and Roxy Music as guests. Ross ended the show with an affectionate tribute to his guests and to the audience, while mentioning that he had promised his friend Morrissey that he would remain composed and "wouldn't cry". His final Radio 2 show was broadcast the following day. Patrick Kielty initially took over Ross' Radio 2 slot from 24 July 2010 after which Graham Norton took over permanently.
2010 onwards (ITV and Cinemoi)[link]
On 14 December 2010, Jonathan Ross announced his creative partnership with CineMoi, the UK's first and only independent French film channel. His deal with the company gives him a multi-faceted role as presenter, producer, creative director and shareholder in the company. A life long cinephile Ross has a unique perspective on French film and hopes to encourage 'first-timers' to explore a world of film that differs slightly from that of the regular Hollywood fare.
On 19 December 2010, Ross presented a three hour Channel 4 list show, 100 Greatest Toys, with the broadcaster describing Ross as a "huge toy enthusiast with a private collection that would rival any museum's."[40][41]
In 2011, he presented Penn & Teller: Fool Us on ITV, a collaboration with magicians Penn & Teller.
Ross's new chat show The Jonathan Ross Show began on 3 September 2011 on ITV1,[42] drawing an audience of 4.3m viewers, compared to the 4.6m for his finale on the BBC show.[43] The first series will run for thirteen weeks. Speaking about the new show, Ross said: "I am thrilled and excited that after a short break I will be rolling up my sleeves and creating a brand new show for ITV1."[44] Ross will also host a panel show from 2012 called Trending Topics also for ITV. The show will involve the social-network site Twitter. In Spring 2012, Ross appeared in the ITV panel show Mad Mad World.
Ross is currently planning to film a television piece with Lucha Britania. [45]
Controversies[link]
BBC contract[link]
In April 2006, Ross, along with other BBC personalities, had details of his fees leaked to the tabloid press.[46] It was claimed at the time, by a then-unidentified BBC mole, that Ross earned £530,000 (equivalent to £10,000 per show) per year for hosting his Radio 2 show.[47] While refusing to comment specifically on the leak in line with BBC policy on the matter, Ross did hint during his radio show that the figure was exaggerated; in addition to this, any pay highlighted as being "his" would actually be split between himself and his producer/co-presenter on the show, Andy Davies.
David Cameron interview[link]
In June 2006, when Conservative Party leader David Cameron appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Ross began a line of questioning relating to Conservative ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, culminating in the question "Did you or did you not have a wank thinking of Margaret Thatcher?". Ross was defended by the BBC publicly, but repeat showings of the interview have been banned.[48]
Heather Mills comment[link]
In 2006, Ross was criticised when he made a joke against Heather Mills, soon after she and Paul McCartney announced they were to divorce. He branded Mills, who has only one leg, a "fucking liar" and that he "wouldn't be surprised if we found out she's actually got two legs".[49]
"1,000 journalists" comment[link]
On 5 December 2007, Ross joked at the British Comedy Awards that his salary meant that he was "apparently worth 1,000 BBC journalists". His quip came shortly after the BBC had announced plans for more than 2,000 jobs cuts, and was condemned as "obscene" by the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists.[50] Ross has denied this saying that he was commenting on a piece that was written in a newspaper about his salary being that of 1,000 journalists:
"You know where that came from? The newspapers. After the fee was announced, they said, 'The BBC says he's worth 1,000 journalists', so on the Comedy Awards I made a joke that began, 'Apparently I'm worth 1,000 journalists according to the newspapers.' Every time it's quoted, is the word 'apparently' ever used? Which does change the meaning somewhat."[51]
The Russell Brand Show and Andrew Sachs[link]
Main article: The Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row
Following a guest appearance by Ross on The Russell Brand Show broadcast on 18 October 2008, Ross was suspended for 12 weeks without pay by the BBC on 29 October, after a series of answer phone messages were left for 78-year-old actor Andrew Sachs regarding Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Baillie, by Russell Brand and Ross, which were broadcast on the pre-recorded show.[52] After little initial interest, a media story about the calls generated a high number of complaints. Brand resigned from the BBC, while Ross was suspended without pay. BBC director general Mark Thompson stated that Ross should take the disciplinary action as a "final warning".[53][54] The BBC was later fined £150,000 by Britain's broadcast regulator for airing the calls.[55]
On 21 November 2008, the BBC Trust said that the phone calls were a "deplorable intrusion with no editorial justification".[56] The trust gave its backing to Ross's 12 week suspension but recommended that no further action be taken against him. He returned to work in January, and the first episode of a new series of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross with guests Tom Cruise, Stephen Fry and Lee Evans, and music from Franz Ferdinand, was broadcast on 23 January 2009.
Gwyneth Paltrow interview[link]
The BBC Trust ruled that Ross’s interview with Gwyneth Paltrow, broadcast on 2 May 2008, breached editorial guidelines. They ruled that bad language in an episode of Ross's pre-recorded BBC1 chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, in which the presenter told Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow he "would fuck her" was "gratuitous and unnecessarily offensive". The trust said it disagreed with the judgement made by BBC management that the episode should be broadcast uncensored, adding that the comment was made in an "overly sexual way" and that it had upheld a number of complaints made about the edition of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.[57] The trust reminded BBC staff that "the casual gratuitous use of the most offensive language is not acceptable on the BBC in accordance with the BBC's existing guidelines and practices", adding that "this particularly applies in entertainment programmes".[58]
[edit] Hannah Montana comment
On 13 May 2009, Ross was accused of homophobia after a comment he made on his radio show,[59] in which he said,
If your son asks for a Hannah Montana MP3 player, then you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption in later life, when they settle down with their partner.[60]
An incorrect version of this quote was also circulated, in which Ross was accused of saying:
If your son asks for a Hannah Montana MP3 player, you might want to already think about putting him down for adoption before he brings his … erm … partner home.[61]
Ofcom received 61 complaints following the comment. A representative from the BBC defended Ross, saying the comment was made "purely in jest" and that "Jonathan is not homophobic in any sense and never meant for his comments to be taken seriously."[62] On 7 July 2009, Ofcom ruled that Ross did not breach the broadcasting code. They wrote in their opinion that "the comment was clearly presented as a joke intended to make light of the reactions that some parents may have if their child chooses a toy that is very widely recognised to be designed and marketed for the opposite sex" and that the nature of the joke and tone and manner in which it was presented "made clear that it was not intended to be hostile or pejorative towards the gay community in general."[60] Stonewall criticised the ruling; saying "the fact that a comment is light-hearted does not absolve it from perpetuating the stereotypes that lead to homophobic bullying."[63]
Video games[link]
| Year | Video game | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Halo 3 | UNSC Marine | |
| 2010 | Fable III | Barry Hatch |
Honours and awards[link]
- 2006, made a Fellow of University College, London (UCL), into which his alma mater, SSEES, had been absorbed.[64]
- 2012, Special Recognition award at the National Television Awards.
References[link]
- ^ a b "Jonathan Ross". http://www.speakers.co.uk/csaWeb/speaker,JONROS. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
- ^ a b "OBE for broadcaster Jonathan Ross". BBC. 10 June 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4077812.stm.
- ^ "'Risque' Ross avoids Cameron rap". BBC. 30 October 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6099176.stm. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
- ^ Burton, Nigel (29 October 2008). "Jonathan Ross:No Stranger to Controversy". The Northern Echo. http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/3801519.Jonathan_Ross___no_stranger_to_controversy/. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
- ^ Millar, Iain (3 August 2003). "Jonathan Ross: The likely lad". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jonathan-ross-the-likely-lad-588797.html. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ "Why do I say these things? – Jonathan Ross". Times Educational Supplement. 3 October 2008. http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6003316. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
- ^ "UCL Fellowships conferred". 22 June 2006. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0606/06062201. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
- ^ "Unwepentant Wossy". 29 June 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/celebdaq/news/news/2006/06/29/33339.shtml. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
- ^ Lachno, James (26 April 2011). "X-Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene dies aged 53". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8474012/X-Ray-Spex-singer-Poly-Styrene-dies-aged-53.html.
- ^ Aitkenhead, Decca (9 April 2010). "Jonathan Ross: Can I be honest with you?". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/apr/09/jonathan-ross-interview. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
- ^ Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, 26 November 2004
- ^ Extras – Series 2 (DVD). Universal Pictures Video. 2006.
- ^ "OBE for broadcaster Jonathan Ross". BBC News. 10 June 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4077812.stm. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ "Ross Hails OBE by playing Sex Pistols". BBC News. 11 June 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ifs_news/hi/newsid_4080000/newsid_4083500/nb_rm_4083518.stm. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ "TAM London 2010 - The interviews". 31 October 2010. http://www.skeptic.org.uk/podcasts/little-atoms/624-tam-london-2010-the-interviews?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+littleatomspodcast+%28Little+Atoms%29&utm_content=FeedBurner+user+view. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ "The Geek Calendar 2011". London: telegraph.co.uk. 31 October 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/picture-galleries/8076285/The-Geek-Calendar-2011.html?image=1. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ Kanter, Jake (6 June 2011). "Jonathan Ross travelogue scrapped | News | Broadcast". Broadcastnow.co.uk. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/broadcasters/jonathan-ross-travelogue-scrapped/5028465.article. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ "Rice Krispies celebrate 80th birthday". 13 November 2008. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3452116/Rice-Krispies-celebrate-80th-birthday.html. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Happy 150th Birthday Mr Kellogg". 7 April 2010. http://www.kelloggs.co.uk/whatson/pressoffice/News/kelloggs-corporate-news/happy-150th-birthday-mr-kellogg. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ Peter Wynter Bee (2008). "Jonathan Ross OBE, 'The Prolific TV Presenter'". http://books.google.com/books?id=AICHdUj3AvcC&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=%22jonathan+ross%22+%2Bpersil+%2B%22rice+krispies%22+%2Bmartha&source=bl&ots=hPbczaJcDN&sig=3aLArb2ER2IlE22VrvDGext4knU&hl=en#v=onepage&q=%22jonathan%20ross%22%20%2Bpersil%20%2B%22rice%20krispies%22%20%2Bmartha&f=false. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "Jonathan Ross's most memorable moments". BBC. Thursday, 7 January 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8446077.stm. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
- ^ "About Jonathan Ross". Radio 2. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/presenters/jonathan-ross/. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ 'Baggy fashion is blamed for trouble at t'mill', Roland Rudd, The Times, 2 June 1988.
- ^ Henry, Robin (1 November 2008). "Jonathan Ross may never return to BBC says Sir Terry Wogan". Times Online (London). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5061123.ece. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
- ^ 'Hot enough for another bite at the telly', The Guardian, 13 July1998.
- ^ Ross's radio show no longer live – BBC News
- ^ Jonathan Ross Live Show Axed – The Sun
- ^ 'Ross to stay at the BBC' Ben Dowell, The Guardian, 9 June 2006
- ^ Yahoo Answers
- ^ BBC profile for Comics Britannia
- ^ "Gold Award Winner!". http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/ross/. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
- ^ "Turf – Jonathan Ross And Tommy Lee Edwards’ New Comic Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors". Bleedingcool.com. 20 August 2009. http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/08/20/turf-jonathan-ross-and-tommy-lee-edwards-new-comic/. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ Ditko, Steve (2011). The Steve Ditko Omnibus Vol. 1. New York City: DC Comics. ISBN 1-4012-3111-X.
- ^ a b c "Jonathan Ross to quit as TV and radio host with the BBC". BBC. 7 January 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8445628.stm. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ^ "Jonathan Ross confirms he is to quit BBC". inthenews.co.uk. 7 January 2010. http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/entertainment/tv/jonathan-ross-confirms-he-is-to-quit-bbc-$1351757.htm. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ^ "Jonathan Ross is leaving the BBC". BBC. 7 January 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8445581.stm. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ^ MacInnes, Paul (29 March 2010). "Claudia Winkleman named as Jonathan Ross's successor on Film 2010 | Film | guardian.co.uk". guardian.co.uk (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/mar/29/claudia-winkleman-film-2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ "Kermode not taking over Film 2010". Metro. 26 March 2010. http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/819307-kermode-not-taking-over-film-2010. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ "Claudia Winkleman to take over from Jonathan Ross as Film 2010 presenter". Metro. 30 March 2010. http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/819539-claudia-winkleman-to-take-over-from-jonathan-ross-as-film-2010-presenter. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ "100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross - Series and Episodes". Channel 4. undated. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5v6CUqWT8. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ "100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross - The Panel". Channel 4. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5v6BhaLCc. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ "Jonathan Ross: gagged but talking back". guardian.co.uk (London). 17 August 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/mediamonkeyblog/2011/aug/17/jonathan-ross-itv-talkshow. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
- ^ "Jonathan Ross pulls in 4.3m viewers to debut ITV1 show". bbc.co.uk. 4 September 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14779862. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Ross signs new ITV chat show deal". BBC News. 7 July 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10540917.stm.
- ^ . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X67E-D6n3g4&list=UUP20GYS4B-koBTsWnWBYkdA&index=1&feature=plcp.
- ^ Julia Day "Radio 2 stars' salaries leaked", The Guardian, 18 April 2006
- ^ Owen Gibson "BBC unmasks mole who leaked salary details of its biggest stars", The Guardian, 17 May 2006
- ^ 'BBC to ban repeats of Ross versus Cameron' The Times, 1 July 2006
- ^ "Jonathan Ross blasts Heather Mills McCartney". SoFeminine. 31 October 2006. http://www.sofeminine.co.uk/w/star/n174407/news/Jonathan-Ross-blasts-Heather-Mills-McCartney.html.
- ^ Colin Crummy "Jonathan Ross: I'm worth 1,000 BBC journalists", Press Gazette, 6 December 2007
- ^ Hattenstone, Simon (2 September 2011). "Jonathan Ross: look who's talking – interview". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/02/jonathan-ross-interview-simon-hattenstone.
- ^ "Brand and Ross suspended by BBC". BBC website. 29 October 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7696714.stm. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
- ^ "The ups and downs of Ross' career". BBC News. 30 October 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7700656.stm. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ "Ross suspended for three months". BBC News. 30 October 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7700816.stm. Retrieved 30 October 2008.
- ^ Khan, Urmee (3 April 2009). "BBC fined £150,000 over Brand's prank calls". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/5099055/BBC-fined-150000-over-Brands-prank-calls.html. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ "'No justification' for Brand show". bbc.co.uk. 21 November 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7741322.stm. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
- ^ BBC Trust criticises Jonathan Ross over lewd comment to Gwyneth Paltrow
- ^ At a glance: BBC Trust report BBC News, 21 November 2008
- ^ Geen, Jessica. "Exclusive: Jonathan Ross accused of homophobia", Pink News, 13 May 2009, Retrieved on 14 May 2009
- ^ a b "Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue 137", Ofcom, 6 July 2009, Retrieved on 6 July 2009
- ^ Jonathan Ross's gay 'joke' was wrong
- ^ Singh, Amar. "Jonathan Ross accused of homophobia over Hannah Montana comment", London Evening Standard, 14 May 2009, Retrieved on 14 May 2009
- ^ Geen, Jessica. "Stonewall: Ross's 'light-hearted' comment still encourages bullying", Pink News, 6 July 2009, Retrieved on 6 July 2009
- ^ "UCL Fellowships conferred". 22 June 2006. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0606/06062201. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
Further reading[link]
- Jonathan Ross: The Biography, Neil Simpson, John Blake Publishing Ltd (31 July 2007), ISBN 1-84454-432-X
- Why Do I Say These Things?, Jonathan Ross, Bantam Press (16 October 2008), ISBN 0-593-06082-2
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jonathan Ross |
- The Jonathan Ross Show on itv.com
- Jonathan Ross at the Internet Movie Database
- Interactive video talk by Jonathan Ross on Ealing studios for the British Film Institute
| Preceded by David Yates |
NFTS Honorary Fellowship 2011 |
Succeeded by Ashley Pharoah |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ross, Jonathan |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | British presenter |
| Date of birth | 17 November 1960 |
| Place of birth | Camden, London, England |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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"Maradona" redirects here. For other uses, see Maradona (disambiguation).
 Diego Maradona in 2010 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Diego Armando Maradona | ||
| Date of birth | (1960-10-30) 30 October 1960 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Playing position | Second Striker/Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1968–1969 | Estrella Roja | ||
| 1970–1974 | Los Cebollitas | ||
| 1975-1976 | Argentinos Juniors | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1976–1981 | Argentinos Juniors | 167 | (115) |
| 1981–1982 | Boca Juniors | 40 | (28) |
| 1982–1984 | Barcelona | 36 | (22) |
| 1984–1991 | Napoli | 259 | (115) |
| 1992–1993 | Sevilla | 26 | (5) |
| 1993–1994 | Newell's Old Boys | 5 | (0) |
| 1995–1997 | Boca Juniors | 30 | (7) |
| Total | 492 | (258) | |
| National team | |||
| 1977–1994 | Argentina | 91 | (34) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1994 | Mandiyú de Corrientes | ||
| 1995 | Racing Club | ||
| 2008–2010 | Argentina | ||
| 2011– | Al Wasl | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Diego Armando Maradona Franco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo maɾaˈðona]; born 30 October 1960) is a retired Argentine football player, and current manager of Al Wasl FC in Dubai. Many experts, football critics, former and current players consider Maradona the greatest football player of all time.[1][2][3][4] He won FIFA Player of the Century award which was to be decided by votes on their official website, their official magazine and a grand jury.
He is the only player in football history who set world-record contract fees twice. The first, when he was transferred to Barcelona for a then world record £5m and the second, when he was transferred to Napoli for another record fee £6.9m. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys. In his international career, playing for Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals.
He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, including the 1986 tournament, where he captained Argentina and led them to their victory over West Germany in the final, winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. In that same tournament's quarterfinal round, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over England that entered football history, though for two different reasons. The first goal was via an unpenalized handball known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted "The Goal of the Century" by FIFA.com voters in 2002.[5]
Maradona is considered one of the sport's most controversial and newsworthy figures. He was suspended from football for 15 months in 1991 after failing a drug test, for cocaine, in Italy, and he was sent home from the 1994 World Cup in the USA after testing positive for ephedrine. After retiring from playing on his 37th birthday in 1997,[6] he gained weight, suffered ill health and the effects of cocaine use. In 2005, a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain, and he overcame his cocaine addiction. His outspoken manners have sometimes put him at odds with journalists and sport executives. Although he had little managerial experience, he became head coach of the Argentina national team in November 2008, and held the job for eighteen months, until his contract expired after the 2010 World Cup.
Contents |
Early years[link]
Maradona was born in Lanús, but raised in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires,[7] to a poor family that had moved from Corrientes Province. He was the first son after three daughters. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el Turco) and Eduardo (Lalo), both of whom were also professional football players. Maradona has Italian and indigenous ancestry.[8]
At age 10, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja. He became a staple of Los Cebollitas (The Little Onions), the junior team of Buenos Aires's Argentinos Juniors. As a 12-year-old ball boy, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions of first division games.[9]
Club career[link]
Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors[link]
On 20 October 1976, Maradona made his professional debut with Argentinos Juniors, ten days before his sixteenth birthday.[6] He played there between 1976 and 1981, scoring 115 goals in 167 appearances before his £1m transfer to Boca Juniors. Having joined the Boca squad midway through the 1981 season, Maradona played through 1982 earning his first league championship medal. Whilst playing for Argentinos Juniors, English club Sheffield United put in an offer of £180,000 for his services but the bid was rejected.
FC Barcelona[link]
After the 1982 World Cup, in June, Maradona was transferred to Barcelona in Spain for a then world record £5m.[6] In 1983, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona won the Copa del Rey (Spain's annual national cup competition), beating Real Madrid, and the Spanish Super Cup, beating Athletic de Bilbao. However, Maradona had a difficult tenure in Barcelona.[10] First a bout with hepatitis, then a broken ankle caused by an ill-timed tackle by Athletic's Andoni Goikoetxea threatened with jeopardizing Maradona's career,[6] but after treatment and therapy it was possible for him to soon be back on the pitch. At Barcelona, Maradona got into frequent disputes with the team's directors, especially club president Josep Lluís Núñez, culminating with a demand to be transferred out of Camp Nou in 1984. He was transferred to Napoli in Italy's Serie A for another record fee, £6.9m.
Napoli[link]
At Napoli, Maradona reached the peak of his professional career. He quickly became an adored star among the club's fans, and in his time there he elevated the team to the most successful era in its history. Led by Maradona, Napoli won their only Serie A Italian Championships in 1986/87 and 1989/1990, placing second in the league twice, in 1987/88 and 1988/89. Other honors during the Maradona era at Napoli included the Coppa Italia in 1987, (second place in the Coppa Italia in 1989), the UEFA Cup in 1989 and the Italian Supercup in 1990. Maradona was the top scorer in Serie A in 1987/88.
During his time in Italy, Maradona's personal problems increased. His cocaine use continued, and he received US $70,000 in fines from his club for missing games and practices, ostensibly because of 'stress'.[11] He faced a scandal there regarding an illegitimate son; and he was also the object of some suspicion over an alleged friendship with the Camorra.[12][13][14][15][16]
Later on, in honor of Maradona and his achievements during his career at Napoli, the #10 jersey of Napoli was officially retired.[17]
Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors[link]
After serving a 15-month ban for failing a drug test for cocaine, Maradona left Napoli in disgrace in 1992. Despite interest from Real Madrid of Spain and Olympique Marseille of France, he signed for Sevilla of Spain, where he stayed for one year.[18]
In 1993 he played for Newell's Old Boys and in 1995 he returned to Boca Juniors for two years.[6]
Maradona also appeared for Tottenham Hotspur in a friendly match against Internazionale, shortly before the 1986 world cup. The match was Osvaldo Ardiles' testimonial, who insisted his friend Maradona played, which Tottenham won 2–1. He played alongside Glenn Hoddle, who gave up his number ten shirt for the Argentine. Maradona would go on to dribble past Hoddle during his "goal of the century" against England in the World Cup that year.
International career[link]
Along with his time at Napoli, international football is where Maradona found his fame. Playing for the Albicelestes of the Argentina national football team, he participated in four consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, leading Argentina to victory in 1986 and to second place in 1990.
He made his full international debut at age 16, against Hungary on 27 February 1977. At age 18, he played the World Youth Championship for Argentina, and was the star of the tournament, shining in their 3–1 final win over the Soviet Union. On 2 June 1979, Maradona scored his first senior international goal in a 3–1 win against Scotland at Hampden Park.[19] He is the only player to win the Golden Ball at both the FIFA U-20 World Cup and FIFA World Cup, in 1979 and 1986.
1982 World Cup[link]
File:Maradona 1985.jpg
Diego Maradona with Napoli in 1985.
Maradona played his first World Cup tournament in 1982. In the first round, Argentina, the defending champions, lost to Belgium. Although the team convincingly beat Hungary and El Salvador to progress to the second round, they were defeated in the second round by Brazil and by eventual winners Italy. Maradona played in all five matches without being substituted, scoring twice against Hungary, but was sent off with 5 minutes remaining in the game against Brazil for serious foul play.
1986 World Cup[link]
Maradona captained the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, winning the final in Mexico against West Germany. Throughout the 1986 World Cup Maradona asserted his dominance and was the most dynamic player of the tournament. He played every minute of every Argentina game, scored 5 goals and made 5 assists. After scoring two goals in the 2–1 quarter-final win against England his legend was cemented.
This match was played with the background of the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom and emotions were still lingering in the air throughout the entire match. Replays showed that the first goal was scored by striking the ball with his hand. Maradona was coyly evasive, describing it as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." It became known as the "Hand of God". Ultimately, on 22 August 2005 Maradona acknowledged on his television show that he had hit the ball with his hand purposely, and that he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. This became known as an international fiasco in World Cup history. The goal stood, much to the wrath of the English players.[20]
Maradona, turns like a little eel, he comes away from trouble, little squat man... comes inside Butcher and leaves him for dead, outside Fenwick and leaves him for dead, and puts the ball away... and that is why Maradona is the greatest player in the world.
“
”
Maradona's second goal, just four minutes after the hotly disputed hand-goal, was later voted by FIFA as the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup. He received the ball in his own half, swivelled around, and with 11 touches ran more than half the length of the field, dribbling past five English outfield players (Peter Beardsley, Steve Hodge, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher, and Terry Fenwick) and goalkeeper Peter Shilton. This goal was voted "Goal of the Century" in a 2002 online poll conducted by FIFA.[22]
Maradona followed this with two more goals in the semi-final against Belgium, including another virtuoso dribbling display for the second goal. In the final, the opposing West German side attempted to contain him by double-marking, but he nevertheless found the space to give the final pass to Jorge Burruchaga for the winning goal. Argentina beat West Germany 3–2 in front of 115,000 spectators at the Azteca Stadium.
During the course of the tournament, Maradona attempted or created more than half of Argentina's shots, embarked on 90 dribbles some three times more than any other player and was fouled 53 times winning his team twice as many free kicks as any player.[23][24] Maradona also scored or assisted 10 of Argentina's 14 goals and despite being heavily marked during the final played a crucial part in all three winning goals ensuring that he would be remembered as one of the greatest names in football history.[25][26][27]
By the end of the tournament, Maradona went on winning the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament by a unanimous vote and was widely regarded to have won the World Cup virtually single-handedly.[28][29][30][31] In a tribute to him, the Azteca Stadium authorities also built a statue of him scoring the "goal of the century" and placed it at the entrance of the stadium.[32]
1990 World Cup[link]
Maradona captained Argentina again in the 1990 FIFA World Cup to yet another World Cup Final. An ankle injury affected his overall performance, and he was much less dominant than four years earlier. Argentina was almost eliminated in the first round, only qualifying in third position from their group. In the round of 16 match against Brazil, Claudio Caniggia scored the only goal after being set up by Maradona.
In the quarter final, Argentina faced Yugoslavia, the match ending 0–0 after 120 minutes, and Argentina advancing on penalty kicks, despite Maradona missing one of the penalties in the shootout with a weak shot at the centre of the goal. The semifinal against the host nation Italy was also resolved on penalties after a 1–1 draw; this time, Maradona was successful with his effort, daringly placing the ball at exactly the same spot as his missed penalty in the previous round. In the final, Argentina lost 1–0 to West Germany, the only goal being a penalty by Andreas Brehme in the 85th minute after a controversial foul on Rudi Völler.
1994 World Cup[link]
At the 1994 FIFA World Cup Maradona played in only two games, scoring one goal against Greece, before being sent home after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping. In his autobiography, Maradona argued that the test result was due to his personal trainer giving him the power drink Rip Fuel. His claim was that the U.S. version, unlike the Argentine one, contained the chemical and that, having run out of his Argentine dosage, his trainer unwittingly bought the U.S. formula. FIFA expelled him from USA '94 and Argentina were subsequently eliminated in the second round. Maradona has also separately claimed that he had an agreement with FIFA, on which the organization reneged, to allow him to use the drug for weight loss before the competition in order to be able to play.[33] According to Maradona, this was so that the World Cup would not lose prestige because of his absence. This allegation has never been proven.
His failed drugs test at the 1994 World Cup signaled the end of his international career, which had lasted 17 years and yielded 34 goals from 91 games.
Playing style[link]
See also: Creole football
Maradona had a compact physique and could withstand physical pressure well. His strong legs and low center of gravity gave him an advantage in short sprints. His physical strengths were illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup. Maradona was a strategist and a team player, as well as highly technical with the ball. He could manage himself effectively in limited spaces, and would attract defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee (as in the second 1986 goal against England),[34] or give an assist to a free teammate. Being short, but strong, he could hold the ball long enough with a defender on his back to wait for a teammate making a run or to find a gap for a quick shot.
One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling full-speed on the right wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering accurate passes to his teammates. Another trademark was the Rabona, a reverse-cross pass shot behind the leg that holds all the weight. This maneuver led to several assists, such as the powerful cross for Ramón Díaz's header in the 1980 friendly against Switzerland. He was also a dangerous free kick taker.
Maradona was dominantly left-footed, often using his left foot even when the ball was positioned more suitably for a right-footed connection. His first goal against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup semi-final is a worthy indicator of such; he had run into the inside right channel to receive a pass but let the ball travel across to his left foot, requiring more technical ability. During his run past several England players in the previous round for the "Goal of the Century", he did not use his right foot once, despite spending the whole movement on the right-hand side of the pitch. In the 1990 World Cup second round tie against Brazil, he did use his right foot to set up the winning goal for Caniggia due to two Brazilian markers forcing him into a position that made use of his left foot less practical.
Retirement and honours[link]
Hounded for years by the press, Maradona once fired a compressed-air rifle at reporters who he claimed were invading his privacy. This quote from former teammate Jorge Valdano summarizes the feelings of many:
He is someone many people want to emulate, a controversial figure, loved, hated, who stirs great upheaval, especially in Argentina... Stressing his personal life is a mistake. Maradona has no peers inside the pitch, but he has turned his life into a show, and is now living a personal ordeal that should not be imitated. [35]
In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo Soy El Diego ("I am The Diego"), which became an instant bestseller[36] in his home country. Two years later, Maradona donated the Cuban royalties of his book to "the Cuban people and Fidel."[37]
In 1999, he won FIFA Player of the Century award which was to be decided by votes on their official website, their official magazine and a grand jury. Maradona won the Internet based poll by wide margins, garnering 53.6% of the votes against 18.53% for Pelé. In spite of this, and shortly before the ceremony, FIFA unexpectedly decided to add a second award and appointed a "Football Family" committee composed of football journalists that also gave to Pelé the title of best player of the century to make it a draw. Maradona also came fifth in the vote of IFFHS(International Federation of Football History and Statistics).[38]
In 2001, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) asked FIFA for authorization to retire the jersey number 10 for Maradona. FIFA did not grant the request, even though Argentine officials have maintained that FIFA hinted that it would.[39]
Maradona has won other fan polls, including a 2002 FIFA poll in which his second goal against England was chosen as the best goal ever scored in a World Cup; he also won the most votes in a poll to determine the All-Time Ultimate World Cup Team.
Argentinos Juniors named its stadium after Maradona on 26 December 2003.
In 2003, Maradona was employed by the Libyan footballer Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the third son of Colonel Gaddafi, as a "technical consultant", while Al-Saadi was playing for the Italian club, Perugia Calcio, which was in Serie A at the time. [40]
On 22 June 2005, it was announced that Maradona would return to Boca Juniors as a sports vice president in charge of managing the First Division roster (after a disappointing 2004–05 season, which coincided with Boca's centenary).[41] His contract began 1 August 2005, and one of his first recommendations proved to be very effective: he was the one who decided to hire Alfio Basile as the new coach. With Maradona fostering a close relationship with the players, Boca went on to win the 2005 Apertura title, the 2006 Clausura title, the 2005 Copa Sudamericana and the 2005 Recopa Sudamericana.
On 15 August 2005, Maradona made his debut as host of a talk-variety show on Argentine television, La Noche del 10 ("The Night of the no. 10"). His main guest on opening night was Pelé; the two had a friendly chat, showing no signs of past differences. However, the show also included a cartoon villain with a clear physical resemblance to Pelé. In subsequent evenings, he led the ratings on all occasions but one. Most guests were drawn from the worlds of football and show business, including Zidane, Ronaldo and Hernán Crespo, but also included interviews with other notable personalities such as Fidel Castro and Mike Tyson.
On 26 August 2006, it was announced that Maradona was quitting his position in the club Boca Juniors because of disagreements with the AFA, who selected Basile to be the new coach of the Argentina national football team.[42]
The award-winning Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica made a documentary about Maradona's life, entitled Maradona.
In May 2006, Maradona agreed to take part in UK's Soccer Aid (a program to raise money for Unicef).[43] In September 2006, Maradona, in his famous blue and white number 10, was the captain for Argentina in a three-day World Cup of Indoor Football tournament in Spain.
Also in 2006, Diego Maradona was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador of IIMSAM the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition.[44]
On 22 March 2010, Maradona was chosen number 1 in The Greatest 10 World Cup players of all time by The Times,[45] a London based newspaper.
Managerial career[link]
Club management[link]
He attempted to work as a coach alongside former Argentinos Juniors midfield team mate Carlos Fren. The pair led Mandiyú of Corrientes (1994) and Racing Club (1995), but with little success. In May 2011 he became manager of Dubai club Al Wasl FC in the United Arab Emirates Pro-League.[46]
International management[link]
After the resignation of Argentina national football team coach Alfio Basile in 2008, Diego Maradona immediately proposed his candidacy for the vacant role. According to several press sources, his major challengers included Diego Simeone, Carlos Bianchi, Miguel Ángel Russo and Sergio Batista.
On 29 October 2008, AFA chairman Julio Grondona confirmed that Maradona would be the head coach of the national side from December 2008. On 19 November 2008, Diego Maradona managed Argentina for the first time when Argentina played against Scotland at Hampden Park in Glasgow which Argentina won 1–0.[47]
After winning his first three matches in charge of the national team, he oversaw a 6–1 defeat to Bolivia, equalling the team's worst ever margin of defeat. With two matches remaining in the qualification tournament for the 2010 World Cup, Argentina was in fifth place and faced the possibility of failing to qualify, but victory in the last two matches secured qualification for the finals.[48][49]
After Argentina's qualification, Maradona used abusive language at the live post-game press conference, telling members of the media to "suck it and keep on sucking it".[50] FIFA responded with a two month ban on all footballing activity, which expired on 15 January 2010, and a CHF 25,000 fine, with a warning as to his future conduct.[51] The friendly match scheduled to take place at home to the Czech Republic on 15 December, during the period of the ban, was cancelled. The only match Argentina played during Maradona's ban was a friendly away to Catalonia, which Argentina lost 4–2.
At the World Cup finals in June 2010, Argentina started by winning 1–0 against Nigeria, and then defeated South Korea by 4–1, with a hat-trick from Gonzalo Higuain.[52][53] In the final match of the group stage Argentina won 2–0 against Greece to win their the group and advance to a second round meeting with Mexico.[54] After defeating Mexico 3–1, Argentina was in turn routed by Germany, 4–0 in the quarter finals to go out of the competition.[55] Argentina was ranked 5th in the tournament. After the defeat to Germany Maradona admitted that he was considering his future as Argentina coach, "I may leave tomorrow," he said.[56] On 15 July 2010, the Argentine Football Association said that he would be offered a new 4 year deal that would keep him in charge through to the summer of 2014 when Brazil stages the World Cup,[57] however on 27 July the AFA announced that its board had unanimously decided not to renew his contract.[58] Afterwards on 29 July 2010, Maradona claimed that AFA president Julio Grondona and director of national teams Carlos Bilardo had "lied to" and "betrayed" and effectively sacked him from the role. Saying "they wanted me to continue, but seven of my staff should not go on, if he told me that, it meant he did not want me to keep working".[59]
Personal life[link]
Family[link]
His parents are Diego Maradona Snr and Dalma Salvadore Franco. His father is of Native American extraction.[60][61] Maradona married long-time fiancée Claudia Villafañe on 7 November 1984 in Buenos Aires, and they had two daughters, Dalma Nerea (born on 2 April 1987) and Giannina Dinorah (born on 16 May 1989), by whom he became a grandfather in 2009.[62] In his autobiography, Maradona admits he was not always faithful to Claudia, even though he refers to her as the love of his life.
Maradona and Villafañe divorced in 2004. Daughter Dalma has since asserted that the divorce was the best solution for all, as her parents remained on friendly terms. They travelled together to Napoli for a series of homages in June 2005[63] and were seen together on many other occasions, including the Argentina matches during 2006 FIFA World Cup.
During the divorce proceedings, Maradona admitted he was the father of Diego Sinagra (born in Naples on 20 September 1986). The Italian courts had already so ruled in 1993, after Maradona refused to undergo DNA tests for proving or disproving his paternity. Diego Jr. met Maradona for the first time in May 2003 after tricking his way onto a golf course in Italy where Maradona was playing.[64] Diego Sinagra is now a footballer playing in Italy.[65]
After the divorce, Claudia embarked on a career as a theatre producer, and Dalma was seeking an acting career; she had expressed her desire to attend the Actor's Studio in Los Angeles.[66][67]
His younger daughter, Giannina, is currently married to Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero, with whom she has a son, Benjamin, born in Madrid on 19 February 2009.
His mother, Dalma, died on 19 November 2011. Diego was in Dubai at the time, and desperately tried to fly back in time to see her, but was too late. She was 81 years old.
Drug abuse and health issues[link]
From the mid-1980s until 2004 Diego Maradona was addicted to cocaine. He allegedly began using the drug in Barcelona in 1983.[68] By the time he was playing for Napoli he had a regular addiction, which began to interfere with his ability to play football.[69]
Over the years following his retirement his health seriously deteriorated. On 4 January 2000, while vacationing in Punta del Este, Uruguay, Maradona had to be rushed to the emergency room of a local clinic. In a press conference, doctors stated that it was detected heart muscle damage due to "an underlying health issue". It was later known that traces of cocaine were found in his blood and Maradona had to explain the circumstances to the police. After this he left Argentina and went to Cuba in order to follow a drug rehab plan.
On 18 April 2004, doctors reported that Maradona had suffered a major myocardial infarction following a cocaine overdose; he was admitted to intensive care in a Buenos Aires hospital. Scores of fans gathered around the clinic. He was taken off the respirator on 23 April and remained in intensive care for several days before being discharged on 29 April. He tried to return to Cuba, where he had spent most of his time in the years leading up to the heart attack, but his family opposed, having filed a judicial petition to exercise his legal guardianship.
Maradona had a tendency to put on weight, and suffered increasingly from obesity from the end of his playing career until undergoing gastric bypass surgery in a clinic in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia on 6 March 2005.[70] His surgeon said that Maradona would follow a liquid diet for three months in order to return back his normal weight.[71] When Maradona resumed public appearances shortly thereafter, he displayed a notably thinner figure.[72]
On 29 March 2007, Maradona was readmitted to a hospital in Buenos Aires. He was treated for hepatitis and effects of alcohol abuse, and was released on 11 April, but re-admitted two days later.[73] In the following days there were constant rumors about his health, including three false claims of his death within a month.[74] After transfer to a psychiatric clinic specialising in alcohol-related problems, he was discharged on 7 May.[75]
On 8 May 2007, Maradona appeared on Argentine television and stated that he had quit drinking and had not used drugs in two and a half years.[76]
Political views[link]
Only in recent years, Maradona has shown sympathy to left-wing ideologies. Before that he had been vocal in his support of neoliberal Argentina President Carlos Menem, and especially of his Harvard University-educated economist Domingo Cavallo. He became friends with Cuban leader Fidel Castro while receiving treatment on the island. He also has a portrait of Fidel Castro tattooed on his left leg and one of Fidel's second in command, fellow Argentine Che Guevara on his right arm.[77] In his autobiography 'El Diego' he dedicated the book to several people and groups of people including Fidel Castro, he wrote "To Fidel Castro and, through him, all the Cuban people".[78]
Maradona is also a supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. In 2005 he visited Venezuela with the specific aim of meeting Chávez, who received him in Miraflores. After this meeting Maradona claimed that he had come with the aim of meeting a "great man" ("un grande" in Spanish) but he had met instead a gigantic man ("un gigante" in Spanish, meaning he was more than great).
"I believe in Chávez, I am Chavista. Everything Fidel does, everything Chávez does, for me is the best."[79]
He has declared his opposition to what he identifies as imperialism, notably during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. There he protested George W. Bush's presence in Argentina, wearing a T-shirt labeled "STOP BUSH" (with the "s" in "Bush" being replaced with a swastika) and referring to Bush as "human garbage".[80][81]
In August 2007, Maradona went further, making an appearance on Chávez's weekly television show and saying: "I hate everything that comes from the United States. I hate it with all my strength." [82]
In December 2007, Maradona presented a signed shirt with a message of support to the people of Iran: it is to be displayed in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' museum.[83]
Financial problems[link]
In March 2009 Italian officials announced that Maradona still owed the Italian government €37 million in taxes; €23.5 million of which was accrued interest on his original debt. They reported that thus far, Maradona has paid only €42,000, two luxury watches and a set of earrings.[84][85]
In popular culture[link]
The American newspaper The Houston Chronicle wrote about Maradona:
To understand the gargantuan shadow Maradona casts over his soccer-mad homeland, one has to conjure up the athleticism of Michael Jordan, the power of Babe Ruth – and the human fallibility of Mike Tyson. Lump them together in a single barrel-chested man with shaggy black hair and you have El Diego, idol to the millions who call him D10S, a mashup of his playing number and the Spanish word for God.[86]
In Argentina, Maradona is considered a sports hero to many. He is idolized, receiving the name of “God”. About this idolatry that exists in Argentina over Maradona, his former teammate Jorge Valdano said: "At the time that Maradona retired from active football, left traumatized Argentina. Maradona was more than just a great footballer. It was a special compensation factor for a country that in a few years lived several military dictatorships and social frustrations of all kinds". Valdano added that "Maradona offered to the Argentines way out of their collective frustration, and that's why people love him. There is a divine figure."
Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places.[10] The Tartan Army sing a version of the Hokey Cokey in honour of the Hand of God goal against England.[87] In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In the Argentine film El Hijo de la Novia ("Son of the Bride"), somebody who impersonates a Catholic priest says to a bar patron: "they idolized him and then crucified him". When a friend scolds him for taking the prank too far, the fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona". He's the subject of the film El Camino de San Diego, though he himself only appears in archive footage.
Maradona was included in many cameos in the Argentine comic book El Cazador de Aventuras. After the closing of it, the authors started a new short-lived comic book titled "El Die", using Maradona as the main character.
In Rosario, Argentina, locals organized the parody religion of the "Church of Maradona". The organization reformulates many elements from Christian tradition, such as Christmas or prayers, reflecting instead details from Maradona. It had 200 founding members, tens of thousands more[88] have become members via the church's official web site.
Many Argentine artists performed songs in tribute to Diego, like: "Maradó" by El Potro Rodrigo, "Maradona" by Andrés Calamaro, "Para siempre Diego" (Diego forever) by Los Ratones Paranoicos, "Para verte gambetear" (For seeing you dribble) by La Guardia Hereje, "Francotirador" (Sniper) by Attaque 77, "Dale Diez" (C'mon Diez) by Julio Lacarra, "Maradona blues" by Charly García, "Santa Maradona" (Saint Maradona) by Mano Negra, "Si yo fuera Maradona" (If I Were Maradona) by Manu Chao, among others.
And many films, like: Maradona, La Mano de Dios (Maradona, the Hand of God), El Camino de San Diego (Saint Diego's Road), Amando a Maradona (Loving Maradona), Maradona by Kusturica, etc.
A television commercial[89] for Brazilian soft drink Guaraná Antarctica portrayed Maradona as a member of the Brazilian national football team, including wearing the yellow jersey and singing the Brazilian national anthem with Brazilian caps Kaká and Ronaldo. Later on in the commercial he wakes up realizing it was a nightmare after having drunk too much of the Brazilian soft drink. This generated some controversy in the Argentine media after its release (although the commercial was not supposed to air on the Argentine market, fans could see it via internet). Maradona replied that he has no problem in wearing the Brazilian national squad jersey, but that he would refuse to wear the shirt of River Plate, Boca Juniors' traditional rival.[90]
Career statistics[link]
Club[link]
- His overall average of goals scored per match in domestic club competitions is 0.526.
International[link]
- Started in 21 consecutive matches for Argentina in four World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
- Appeared 16 times as captain of the national team, a World Cup-record.
- Scored 8 goals and made 8 assists in 21 World Cup appearances, including 5 goals and 5 assists in 1986
- Tied for highest goal-scorer from Argentina in World Cup finals (equaled Guillermo Stábile's mark in 1994; surpassed by Gabriel Batistuta in 1998)
Statistics[link]
Player[link]
| Season | Club | League | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 1976 | Argentinos Juniors | Primera División | 11 | 2 | – | – | – | 11 | 2 | |||
| 1977 | 49 | 19 | – | – | – | 49 | 19 | |||||
| 1978 | 35 | 25 | – | – | – | 35 | 25 | |||||
| 1979 | 27 | 26 | – | – | – | 27 | 26 | |||||
| 1980 | 45 | 43 | – | – | – | 45 | 43 | |||||
| 1981 | Boca Juniors | 40 | 28 | – | – | – | 40 | 28 | ||||
| 1982–83 | Barcelona | La Liga | 20 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 23 |
| 1983–84 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | – | 23 | 15 | |||
| 1984–85 | Napoli | Serie A | 30 | 14 | 6 | 3 | – | – | 36 | 17 | ||
| 1985–86 | 29 | 11 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 31 | 13 | ||||
| 1986–87 | 29 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | – | 41 | 17 | |||
| 1987–88 | 28 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 39 | 21 | |||
| 1988–89 | 26 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 3 | – | 50 | 19 | |||
| 1989–90 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | – | 36 | 18 | |||
| 1990–91 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 10 | ||
| 1992–93 | Sevilla | La Liga | 26 | 5 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 29 | 8 | ||
| 1993–94 | Newell's Old Boys | Primera División | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| 1995–96 | Boca Juniors | 24 | 5 | – | – | – | 24 | 5 | ||||
| 1996–97 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 1997–98 | 5 | 2 | – | – | – | 5 | 2 | |||||
| Total | Argentina | 242 | 150 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 242 | 151 | |||
| Spain | 62 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 87 | 46 | ||
| Italy | 188 | 81 | 45 | 29 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 259 | 115 | ||
| Career total | 492 | 258 | 57 | 36 | 33 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 589 | 311 | ||
- Other - League Cup (Spain) & Super Cup (Italy)
| Argentina national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1977 | 3 | 0 |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979 | 8 | 3 |
| 1980 | 10 | 7 |
| 1981 | 2 | 1 |
| 1982 | 10 | 2 |
| 1983 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 10 | 6 |
| 1986 | 10 | 7 |
| 1987 | 6 | 4 |
| 1988 | 3 | 1 |
| 1989 | 7 | 0 |
| 1990 | 10 | 1 |
| 1991 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 4 | 0 |
| 1994 | 7 | 2 |
| Total | 91 | 34 |
Manager[link]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Mandiyú de Corrientes | |
January 1994 | June 1994 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8.33 |
| Racing Club | |
May 1995 | November 1995 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 18.18 |
| Argentina | |
November 2008 | July 2010 | 19 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 73.68 |
| Al Wasl FC |  |
May 2011 | Present | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 31.82 |
Honours[link]
Club[link]
- Copa del Rey: 1983
- Copa de la Liga: 1983
- Supercopa de España: 1983
Country[link]
-
- FIFA World Youth Championship: 1979
- FIFA World Cup:
- Artemio Franchi Trophy: 1993
- 75th anniversary FIFA Cup: 1979
Individual[link]
- Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1979
- Argentine league Top Scorer: 1979, 1980, 1981
- Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986
- South American Footballer of the Year: (official award) 1979, 1980
- South American Player of the Year: (unofficial award) 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992
- Olimpia de Oro: 1979, 1986
- Italian Guerin d'Oro: 1985
- Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year: 1986
- Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup: 1986
- L'Équipe Champion of Champions – 1986
- United Press International Athlete of the Year Award: 1986
- Best Footballer in the World Onze d'Or: 1986, 1987
- World Player of the Year: 1979 (Guerin Sportivo), 1986 (World Soccer Magazine)
- Capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer): 1987–88
- Golden Ball for services to football (France Football): 1996
- Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century: 1999
- Marca Leyenda: 1999
- Number 10 retired by Napoli football team as a recognition to his contribution to the club: 2000
- Argentine Senate "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento" recognition for lifetime achievement:
- "FIFA Goal of the Century" (1986 (2–1) v. England; second goal): 2002
- FIFA Player of the Century: 2000
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ CNNSI – "Split decision: Pelé, Maradona each win FIFA century awards after feud" Last retrieved 30 May 2006
- ^ - "The 100 greatest players of all time" The Football Pantheon, September 20, 2011
- ^ - "Castrol Debate: Pele Versus Maradona" goal.com, Oct 23, 2010
- ^ Other opinions about Maradona as the greatest player can be found at:
- "Lionel Messi: Diego Maradona is the greatest of all-time" SoccerAnchor, September 07, 2011
- "Rummenigge: Maradona better than Pele" The Times of India, Nov 12, 2008
- "Paolo Maldini: Maradona best ever, Ronaldo close second" Paolo Maldini fan page, July 21, 2008
- "Gary Lineker: Diego has been the best player without a doubt, better than Pele" SoccerBlog, March 25, 2006
- "Glenn Hoddle: Diego Maradona is the greatest player of all time" SoccerBible
- "Ryan Giggs: Maradona is the best of all time" tribalfootball, October 11, 2011
- "Rio Ferdinand: In my eyes Maradona is the best footballer ever" World Football, November 7, 2008
- "Mario Kempes: Maradona is absolutely the best" ESPN soccernet, April 18, 2005
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External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diego Maradona |
- Official website
- ESPN Profile
- Complete List of International Appearances and Goals
- Video: Maradona's "Goal of the Century"
- Gary Lineker interviews Diego – BBC News 30 April 2006
- Diego admires Del Piero and Lavezzi
- Maradona Wants a Soccer Project to Return to Calcutta
- 50 Facts About the Argentine Legend
- Works by or about Diego Maradona in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Images[link]
- Maradona: The Highs, the Lows – slideshow by Life magazine
- Photos: Diego Maradona's Quest for the World Cup – slideshow by TIME magazine
- Diego Maradona's Greatest 2010 World Cup Moments – slideshow by The Huffington Post
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Maradona, Diego |
| Alternative names | Maradona, Diego Armando |
| Short description | Retired Argentine footballer |
| Date of birth | (1960-10-30) 30 October 1960 (age 51) |
| Place of birth | Villa Fiorito, Lanús, Buenos Aires |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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Related pages:
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http://cs.wn.com/Diego Maradona
http://es.wn.com/Diego Armando Maradona
http://ru.wn.com/Марадона, Диего Армандо
http://nl.wn.com/Diego Maradona
http://pt.wn.com/Diego Maradona
http://id.wn.com/Diego Maradona
http://pl.wn.com/Diego Maradona
http://fr.wn.com/Diego Maradona
http://de.wn.com/Diego Maradona
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
