- published: 16 Jul 2013
Confide in me
Sustain on my apathy
You're such a mess
You can learn not to confess
You will not find it in me
Simply because I can't
Wake up and find it in me
I`m in a coma
You will not find it in me
You'll reveal all your pains again
We'll fall asleep
So deeply out of reach
For years feeling dead
We can fall right out of bed
You will not find it in me
Simply because I can't
Wake and find it in me
I'm in a coma
You will not find it in me
You'll reveal all your pains again
Hey such a mess but I don’t care
Simply because I can’t
Wake and find it in me
I'm in a coma
You will not find it in me
Open skies over me
I am waiting patiently
I'll wait for the sign
As conspiracies unwind
Will you slam shut or free your mind
Or stay hypnotised
When the Zetas fill the skies
Will our leaders tell us why
Fully loaded satellites
Conquer nothing but our minds
But I'm waiting patiently
And I'll wait for the sign
Carried through the centuries
Secrets locked up and loaded on my back
Well it weighs me down
When the Zetas fill the skies
It's just our leaders in disguise
Fully loaded satellites
Conquer nothing but our minds
But I'm waiting patiently
And I'll wait for the sign
But I'm waiting patiently
repress and restrain
still the pressure and the pain
wash the blood off your hands
this time she won't understand
change in the air
and they'll hide everywhere
and no one knows who's in control
you're working so hard
and you're never in charge
your death creates success
and you'll build and suppress
change in the air
and they'll hide everywhere
and no one knows who's in control
change in the air
and they'll hide everywhere
Oh ...
Let your inhibitions go
Make every touch electrical
When you're feeling beautiful
Will you remember me?
I want to touch you deep inside
And find the secrets that you hide
When your fears are cast aside
Will you remember me?
Easily forgotten love
Easily forgotten love
It's not so easily
I just want to let you know
My mind refuses to let you go
I wanna hypnotise you so
You will remember me
Easily forgotten love
Easily forgotten love
It's not so easily
Easily forgotten love
Easily forgotten love
Easily the best I ever had
Business suits, dressed to the nines
They flaunt their fat wallets and I wish it were mine
Destruction of guilt and a reclusive mind
Their hearts and souls are filling with grime
Kill yourself, go on and do us all a favour
They're all a bunch of animals
Some kind of rabid animal
And they're starting to like it
Come waste your millions here
Secretly she sneers
Another corporate show
A guilty conscience grows
I'll feel a guilty conscience grow
I'll feel a guilty conscience grow
She burns like the sun
And I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons make no mistake
Come let the truth be shared
No-one ever dared
To break these endless lies
Secretly she cries
She burns like the sun
And I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons make no mistake
And I'll hide from the world
Behind a broken frame
And I'll burn forever
I can't face the shame
And I'll hide from the world
Behind a broken frame
And I'll burn forever
Passing by you light up my darkest skies
You take only seconds to draw me in
So be mine and your innocence I will consume
Dark shines
Bringing me down
Making my heart feel sore
'cause it's good
Hold your hands up to your eyes again
Hide from the scary scenes, suppress your fears
So be mine and your innocence I will consume
Dark shines
Bringing me down
Making my heart feel sore
'cause it's good
You're dark shines
Bringing me down
Making my heart feel sore
'cause it's good
Dark shines
Bringing me down
Making my heart feel sore
'cause it's good
Who-oo cares for the life we've earned?
Someone's saved all the truth you've earned
Remember when we used to shine?
And had no fear? Or sense of time?
(It creeps up on you)
You can't cry now
There's nothing to feel
No-one's noticed our loneliness
Remember when you used to tease?
And make us scream eternal joys
We believed that you'll always be here
'Cause once you promised a life with no fear
Please don't break my ideals
And say what's fake was always real
Hope was the one, now I'm gone
Rose-tinted view
And satellites that compromise the truth
I wanted more
With the cuts and the bruises
Touch my face
A hopeless embrace
Faith, it drives me away
But it turns me on
Like a strangers love
It rockets through the universe
It fuels the lies, it feeds the curse
We too could be
Glorious
I need to believe
But I still want more
With the cuts and the bruises
Don't close the door
On what you adore
Faith, it drives me away
But it turns me on
Like a strangers love
It rockets through the universe
It fuels the lies, it feeds the curse
we too could be
You would say anything
You would try anything
To escape your meaningless
And your insignificance
You're uncontrolable
And we are unloveable
And I don’t want you to think that I care
I never would
I never could
Again
Why can’t you just love her?
Why be such a monster?
You bully from a distance
Your brain needs some assistance
But I’ll still take all the blame
'Cause you and me are both one and the same
And it's driving me mad
And it's driving me mad
I’ll take back all the things that I said
I didn't realise I was always talking to the living dead
And I don’t want you to think that I care
I never would
I never could
Again
You would say anything
You would try anything
To escape your meaningless
Break me in,
Teach us to cheat
And to lie, cover up
What shouldn't be shared?
All the truth unwinding
Scraping away
At my mind
Please stop asking me to describe him
For one moment
I wish you'd hold your stage
With no feelings at all
Open minded
I'm sure I used to be so free
Self expressed, exhausting for all
To see and to be
What you want and what you need
The truth unwinding
Scraping away
At my mind
Please stop asking me to describe
For one moment
I wish you'd hold your stage
With no feelings at all
Open minded
I'm sure I used to be so free
For one moment
I wish you'd hold your stage
With no feelings at all
Open minded
I'm sure I used to be so free
Wash me away
Clean your body of me
Erase all the memories
They will only bring us pain
Your heart is freezing up on me
I cannot be what you want me to be
It's a big freeze, and we are losing steam
Yeah
You're the water under the bridge
Floating into a liquid abyss
And I'm the cooling of the earth
An ice age never before heard
My big freeze is coming
Throw it all away
Let's lose ourselves
'Cause there's no one left for us to blame
It's a shame we're all dying
And do you think you deserve your freedom
How could you send us so far away from home
When you know damn well that this is wrong
I would still lay down my life for you
And do you think you deserve your freedom
No I don't think you do
There's no justice in the world
There's no justice in the world
Come on into my life
Regress into a dream
We will hide
Build a new reality
Draw another picture
Of the life you could have had
Follow your instincts
And choose the other path
You should never be afraid
You're protected from trouble and pain
Why, why
Is this a crisis in your eyes again?
Come to be
How did it come to be
Tied to a railroad
No love to set us free
Watch our souls fade away
And our bodies crumble in
Don't be afraid
I will take the blow for you
And I've had recurring nightmares
I was loved for who I am
And missed the opportunity
Push me in
Into there
Force me in
Into there
Screaming
Into there
Push me in
Into there
WIth force
Into there
Into there
Shame on you for thinking
You're an exception
We're all to blame
Crashing down to earth
Wasting and burning out
Fading like a dead star
Harm is comin your way
Its coming your way
And you used to mean everything to me
And now your tired of fighting
Tired of fighting yourself
Shame on you for thinking
Your all alone
If you want i'll make you wish you were
Failing to impress
Why can't you sleep with
Someone who'll protect you
Harm is comin your way
Its coming your way
And you used to mean everything to me
And now your tired of fighting
declare this an emergency
come on and spread a sense of urgency
and pull us through
and pull us through
and this is the end
this is the end of the world
it's time we saw a miracle
come on it's time for something biblical
to pull us through
and pull us through
and this is the end
this is the end of the world
proclaim eternal victory
come on and change the course of history
and pull us through
and pull us through
and this is the end
lips are turning blue
a kiss that can't renew
I only dream of you
my beautiful
tiptoe to your room
a starlight in the gloom
I only dream of you
and you never knew
sing for absolution
I will be singing
falling from your grace
there's nowhere left to hide
in no one to confide
the truth runs deep inside
and will never die
lips are turning blue
a kiss that can't renew
I only dream of you
my beautiful
sing for absolution
I will be singing
falling from your grace
sing for absolution
I will be singing
falling from your grace
our wrongs remain unrectified
Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Reeds driftin' on by you know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom in the tree you know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when the day is done
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For meStars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
Well it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God, I know, I'm one
Well Mother, tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Or you'll spend your life in sin and misery
In the house of the Rising Sun
Well there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
Well it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
I’m falling down
And fifteen thousand people scream
They were all begging for your dream
I’m falling down
Five thousand houses burning down
No-one is gonna save this town
Too late
I already found what I was looking for
You know it wasn’t here
No it wasn’t here
I was calling your name
But you would never hear me sing
You wouldn’t let me begin
So I’m crawling away
'Cause you broke my heart in two
No, I will not forget you
Too late
I already found what I was looking for
You know it wasn’t you
No, it wasn’t you
Noooooo
Falling away
You would never see me through
No, I could not forget you
Falling down
Five thousand house burning down
No-one is gonna save this town
Too late
I already found what I was looking for
You know it wasn’t you
No, it wasn’t you
Falling down
Now the world is upside down
Aping my soul
You stole my overture
Trapped in God's program
Oh I can't escape
Who are we?
Where are we?
When are we?
Why are we?
Who are we?
Where are we?
Why Why Why?
I can't forgive you
And I can't forget
Who are we?
Where are we?
When are we?
I'm hurting you again
To lonely to pretend
Like everything is new
I promise you to
Blow it all away
In your world
No one is crying alone
In your world
No one is dying alone
To broken to belong
too weak to sing along
I'll comfort you my friend
Helping you to
Blow it all away
In your world
No one is crying alone
In your world
Oh I am growing tired
Of allowing you to steal
Everything I have
You're making me feel
Like I was born to service you
But I am growing by the hour
You left us far behind
So we all discard our souls
And blaze through your skies
So unafraid to die
'Cause I was born to destroy you
And I am growing by the hour
And I'm getting strong in every way
Yeah, Yeah
You led me on
You led me on
Oh, and I'm getting strong in every way
I'm sick of feeling my soul
To people who'll never know
Just how purposeless and empty they've grown
Because the language confuses
like computers refuse to understand how I'm feeling today
I'm freezing and losing my way
I don't need another map of your head
I'm freezing and losing my way
I don't need another map of your head
I saw a liquid control
That gives life to a soul
I hit my head on it and woke up to know
That I was all alone
Wearing just socks and a phone
Someone's screaming like their world might explode
Yeah I'm freezing and losing my way
I don't need another map of your head
I'm freezing and losing my way
I don't want another map of your head
Freezing and losing my way
I don't want another map of your head
I'm freezing and losing my way
Paradise comes at a price
That I am not prepared to pay
What were we built for?
Could someone tell me please?
The good news is, she can't have babies
And wont accept gifts from me
What are they for?
They'll just grow up, and break the laws you've loved
Take off your disguise
I know that underneath
It's me
Useless device, it won't suffice
I want a new game to play
When I am gone
It won't be long, before I disturb you in the dark
And paradise comes at a price
That I am not prepared to pay
What were we built for?
Will someone tell me please?
Take off your disguise
I know that underneath
change,
everything you are
and everything you were
your number has been called
fights, battles have begun
revenge will surely come
your hard times are ahead
best,
you've got to be the best
you've got to change the world
and you use this chance to be heard
your time is now
change,
everything you are
and everything you were
your number has been called
fights and battles have begun
revenge will surely come
your hard times are ahead
best,
you've got to be the best
you've got to change the world
and you use this chance to be heard
your time is now
don't,
let yourself down
don't let yourself go
your last chance has arrived
best,
you've got to be the best
you've got to change the world
and you use this chance to be heard
Golden eyes
Feed my role
This forgotten space race
Under my control
Who's returned from the dead?
Who remains?
You wanted more than I was worth
You think I was scared, yeah
And you needed proof
Who really cares anymore?
Who restrains?
oooooommmmmmmowowow
ooooooooooo
I don't love you
I never did
I don't love you
Your golden lies feed my role
In this forgotten space race under my control
Who's returned from the dead?
Who remains?
You know I don't want you
and I never did
I don't want you
and I never will
You wanted more than I was worth
And you think I was scared
And you needed proof
Who really cares anymore?
Who restrains?
You know I don't love you
and I never did
I don't want you
and I never will
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Come ride with me
Through the veins of history
I'll show you how god
Falls asleep on the job
And how can we win
When fools can be kings
Don't waste your time
Or time will waste you
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Ahh, ahh, ahh
No one's gonna take me alive
Time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive
No one's gonna take me alive
Time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive
No one's going to take me alive
Time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
Take, take all you need
And I'll compensate your greed
With broken hearts
Sell, and I'll sell your memories
For fifteen pounds per year
But just the good days
Sane, it'll make you insane
And he's bending the truth
You're to blame
For all the life that you're losing
You watch this space
And I'm going all the way
And be my slave to the grave
I'm a priest God never paid
ooooh
Hope, and I hope you've seen the light
Cos no-one really cares
They're just pretending
Sell, and I'll sell your memories
For fifteen pounds per year
But you can keep the bad days
Sane, it'll make you insane
And I'm bending the truth
You're to blame
For all the life that you're losing
You watch this space
And I'm going all the way
And be my slave to the grave
I'm a priest God never paid
ooooh
Sane, it'll make you insane
And I'm bending the truth
You're to blame
For all the life that you're losing
You watch this space
And I'm going all the way
And be my slave to the grave
I'm a priest God never paid
ooooh
Ignorance pulls
Apostasy and apathy still rules
Yeah you know it's cool
Just suck and see
A future turn us into silent gods
And i won't miss you at all
Grounded
Boxed in
Like the evil in your veins
Grounded
Boxed in
I am stuck with you
Fate can't decide
Alignment of the planets in your hands
Come on crush our plans
Just suck and see
A future that won't let you disagree
And i won't miss you at all
Grounded
Boxed in
Like the evil in your veins
Grounded
Boxed in
Feeling feeling everything
It's happening soon
It's happening soon
It's scent has been blowing in my direction
To me it is new
To me it is new
And it's not gonna change for anybody
And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you
It's got to be here
It's got to be there
It's got to be now
Or I'll lose forever
To me it is strange
This feeling is strange
But it's not gonna change for anybody
And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you
Accuse me
Trust me
I never knew
That you were the one
You were the one
And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
And on to you
And it's gonna be
Our last memory
And it's led me on
There's a part of me you'll never know
The only thing I'll never show
Hopelessly I'll love you endlessly
Hopelessly I'll give you everything
But I won't give you up
I won't let you down
And I won't leave you falling
If the moment ever comes
It's plain to see it's trying to speak
Cherished dreams forever asleep
Hopelessly I'll love you endlessly
Hopelessly I'll give you everything
But I won't give you up
I won't let you down
And I won't leave you falling
If the moment ever comes
Hopelessly I'll love you endlessly
Hopelessly I'll give you everything
But I won't give you up
I won't let you down
And I won't leave you falling
Stay away from me
Build a fortress and shield your beliefs
Touch the divine
As we fall in line
Can I believe
When I don't trust
All your theories turn to dust
I choose to hide from the All Seeing Eye
Destroy this City of Delusion
Break these walls down
I will avenge
Justify my reasons with your blood
You'll not rest, settle for less
Until you guzzle and squander what's left
You're not divine
Yet you live and let die
Destroy this City of Delusion
Break these walls down
I will fight
And justify my reasons with your blood
Destroy this City of Delusion
Break these walls down
I will avenge
don't kid yourself
and don't fool yourself
this love's too good to last
and i'm too old to dream
don't grow up too fast
and don't embrace the past
this life's too good to last
and i'm too young to care
don't kid yourself
and don't fool yourself
this life could be the last
You make me agitated,
You know i appreciate it
Why can't i complicate it
So why should i look at you
My love here is so true (very uncertain about that)
Yeah
You do it to me sweetly
Do them yeaahhh
You do it to me lovely
Do they yeaahhh
You try to make me crazy
You make me agitated
And then i'm suffocated
And why should i look at you
My love here is so true
You do it to me sweetly
Do them yeaahh
You do it to me lovely
Royal Canadian blended
The spicy aroma had mended me
Matured for years and imported
Into my glass you poured it
And you're the only reason
That I remain unfrozen
Suppose it stands to reason
That you would turn on me
You're so solid
You're so solid
It burns inside of me
Cause you're so solid
It burns inside of me
The wild turkey's been chosen
Its caramel nose could smell me
Arbourler/Jameson I love you
The single malts came burning
And you're the only reason
That I remain unfrozen
Suppose it stands to reason
That you would turn on me
You're so solid
You're so solid
It burns inside of me
Cause you're so solid
It burns inside of me
Royal Canadian Blended
The spicy aroma had mended me
And you're the only reason
That I remain unfrozen
Suppose it stands to reason
That you would turn on me
You're so solid
You're so solid
It burns inside of me
Cause you're so solid
take, take all you need
and i'll compensate your greed
with broken hearts
sell i'll sell your memories
for 15 pounds per year
but just the good days
say, it'll make you insane
and it's bending the truth
you're to blame
for all the life that you'll lose and you watch this space
but i'm going all the way
and be my slave to the grave
i'm a priest God never paid
hope, and i hope you've seen the light
coz no one really cares
they're just pretending
sell, i'll sell your memories for 15 pounds per year
but you can keep the bad days
say,it'll make you insane
and i'm bending the truth
you're to blame
for all the life that you'll lose
and you watch this space
and i'm going all the way
and be my slave to the grave
i'm a priest God never paid
say,it'll make you insane
and i'm bending the truth
you're to blame
for all the life that you'll lose
and you watch this space
and i'm going all the way
and be my slave to the grave
Resuscitate
In my sleep
Awake to see
You're never here
But the losing yields
Another year
Facing hopes and fears
And I wish
I could believe there was more
Hopes suffocating
You've kissed my life
And the planes and trains
Are to blame
For tempting us
To refrain
And to cut the chord
Dis every word
Of the truths absurd
And I wish
I could believe there was more
Hopes suffocating
You've kissed my life
Hopes suffocating
Hopes suffocating
Hopes suffocating
(Mu-mu-mu-mad-mad-mad) x3
I... I can't get this memories out of my mind.
And some kind of Madness,
Has started to evolve, mmn.
And I... I tried so hard to let you go.
But some kind of Madness,
Is swallowing me whole, yeh.
I have finally seen the light.
And I... have finally realized.
What you mean...
And now, I need to know if it's real love.
Or is it just Madness,
Keeping us afloat, mmm.
And when I look back, at all the crazy fights we have,
Like some kind of M-m-madness,
Was taking control, yeh.
And now I have finally seen the light,
And I... have finally realized,
What you need, mmm.
(Mu-mu-mu-mad-mad-mad) x2
And now I have finally seen the end,
(I have seen the end)
And I'm... I'm expecting you to care,
(Expecting you to care)
And I... have finally seen the light,
(Have finally seen the light)
And I... have finally realized,
(Realized)
(I NEED TO LOVE) x2
Capture me,
Trust in your dream,
Come on and rescue me.
Yes, I know, I can't move on,
Baby, you're too head-strong.
Our love is...
This is my liquid state
Can't see in front of me two feet
I'm drowning in this
This is my liquid state
Can't see in front of me two feet
I've exposed your lies, baby
The underneath is no big surprise
Now it's time for changing
And cleansing everything
To forget your love
My plug in baby
Crucifies my enemies
When I'm tired of giving
My plug in baby
In unbroken virgin realities
Is tired of living
Don't confuse
Baby you're gonna lose
Your own game
Change me
Replace the envying
To forget your love
My plug in baby
Crucifies my enemies
When I'm tired of giving
My plug in baby
In unbroken virgin realities
I'm tired of living
And I've seen your loving
But mine is gone
who's so phoney and always surrounded?
stop you're screaming, no one can hear
all the scars on your skin, post no bills
who you were
was so beautiful
remember who... who you were
hide from the mirror, the cracks and the memories
hide from your family, they won't know you now
for all the holes in our soul host no thrills
who you were
was so beautiful
Who cares for the life we earned
Someone sold all the truth you yearned,
Remember when you used to shine
And had no fear or sense of time
When it creeps up on you
You can cry now there¹s nothing to feel
No one¹s noticed our loneliness
Remember when you should have teased
And made us scream eternal time
I believed that you¹d always be here
And once you promised a life with no fear
Please don¹t break my ideas
And say what thing was always real
I was ...
Take me back again
Rise above the crowds,
And wade through toxic clouds,
Breach the outer sphere,
The edge of all our fears,
Rest with you,
We are counting on you,
It's up to you
Spread our codes to the stars,
You must rescue us all,
Spread our codes to the stars,
You must rescue us all,
Tell us, tell us your final wish
Now we know you can never return,
Tell us, tell us your final wish
I think I'm drowning
asphyxiated
I wanna break the spell
that you've created
you're something beautiful
a contradiction
I wanna play the game
I want the friction
you will be
the death of me
yeah, you will be
the death of me
bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
and our time is running out
and our time is running out
you can't push it underground
you can't stop it screaming out
I wanted freedom
bound and restricted
I tried to give you up
but I'm addicted
now that you know I'm trapped
since ovulation
you'll never dream of
breaking this fixation
you will squeeze the life out of me
bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
our time is running out
and our time is running out
you can't push it underground
you can't stop it screaming out
how did it come to this?
ooh yeah... ooh yeah..
you will suck the life out of me
bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
our time is running out
and our time is running out
you can't push it underground
you can't stop it screaming out
how did it come to this?
ooh yeah.. ooh yeah..
Hands are red with your blame
Megaphone screaming my name
Whimpers someone I should've loved
Souls weeping above
I've seen what you're doing to me
Destroying puppet strings
To our souls
Micro waves me insane
A Blaine cuts in your brain
To sounds like a fork on a plate
Blackboard scratched with hate
I've seen what you're doing to me
Destroying puppet strings
Repress and restrain
Steal the pressure and the pain
Wash the blood off your hands
This time she won't understand
Change in the air
And they'll hide everywhere
And no one knows who's in control
You're working so hard
And you're never in charge
Your death creates success
Rebuild and suppress
Change in the air
And they'll hide everywhere
And no one knows who's in control
Change in the air
And they'll hide everywhere
War is overdue
The time has come for you
To shoot your leaders down
Join forces underground
Lose control in increasing pace
Warped and bewitched in time to erased
Whatever they say, these people are torn
Wild and bereft assassin is born, yeah
Appose and disagree
Destroy demonocracy
Lose control in increasing pace
Warped and bewitched in time to erased
Whatever they say, these people are torn
Wild and bereft assassin is born, yeah
![]() Messi playing for Barcelona |
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Personal information | ||||||||||||
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Full name | Lionel Andrés Messi[1] | |||||||||||
Date of birth | (1987-06-24) 24 June 1987 (age 25)[1] | |||||||||||
Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina[1] | |||||||||||
Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | |||||||||||
Playing position | Forward | |||||||||||
Club information | ||||||||||||
Current club | Barcelona | |||||||||||
Number | 10 | |||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||
1995–2000 | Newell's Old Boys | |||||||||||
2000–2003 | Barcelona | |||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||
2003–2004 | Barcelona C | 8 | (5) | |||||||||
2004–2005 | Barcelona B | 22 | (6) | |||||||||
2004– | Barcelona | 214 | (169) | |||||||||
National team‡ | ||||||||||||
2005 | Argentina U20 | 16 | (11) | |||||||||
2008 | Argentina U23 | 5 | (2) | |||||||||
2005– | Argentina | 68 | (22) | |||||||||
Honours
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:30, 13 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
Lionel Andrés Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi], born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who plays in La Liga for FC Barcelona and is the captain of the Argentina national team, mainly as a forward.
By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year in 2009 he won both the Ballon d'Or[2] and FIFA World Player of the Year, and won the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 and 2011.[3] He also won the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. Messi is the fourth football player to win three Ballons d'Or, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten and the second player to win three consecutive Ballons d'Or, after Michel Platini. His playing style and small stature have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as his "successor".[4][5]
Messi has won five La Liga titles and three Champions League titles. In 2012, Messi made UEFA Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one match, in a 7–1 win against Bayer Leverkusen.[6] With two goals in the next round against A.C. Milan, he matched José Altafini's record of 14 goals in a single UEFA Champions League/European Cup season.[7] He also became the first player to top-score in four successive European Champion Clubs' Cup campaigns.[8][9] He set the world record for most goals scored in a season during the 2011–12 season, with 73 goals.[10]
Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.
Contents |
Messi was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, to parents Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory steel worker, and Celia María Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner.[11][12][13][14] His paternal family originates from the Italian city of Ancona, from which his ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883.[15][16] He has two older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and a sister, María Sol.[17] At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge.[18] In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario.[18] At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.[19] Local powerhouse River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for treatment for his condition, which cost $900 a month.[14] Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial with the team.[14] Rexach, with no other paper at hand, offered Messi a contract written on a paper napkin.[20][21] Barcelona offered to pay for Messi's medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain. Messi and his father moved to Barcelona where Messi enrolled in the club's youth academy.[18][21]
Messi played in Barcelona's junior Infantil B and Cadete B & A teams from 2000 to 2003 (scoring 37 goals in 30 matches in Cadete A). Season 2003–04 saw him on a record[22] five different teams: He started one match in Juvenil B (one goal) and got promoted to Juvenil A (14 matches, 21 goals). Later he debuted for FC Barcelona C team (Tercera División) on 29 November 2003 and for FC Barcelona B (Segunda División B) on 6 March 2004. He played for both teams during the season (eight matches, five goals and five games, zero goals, respectively).[23][24][25] Even before these two debuts, Messi made his official debut for the first-team on 16 November 2003 aged 16 years and 145 days, in a friendly match against Porto.[26][27]
Less than a year after his start, Frank Rijkaard gave him his league debut against RCD Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga, which would be broken by Bojan Krkić in September 2007. When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete Balompié on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, ten months and seven days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelona[28] until it was again broken by Bojan Krkić in 2007, scoring from a Messi assist.[29] Messi said about his ex-coach Rijkaard: "I'll never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he had confidence in me while I was only sixteen or seventeen."[30] During the season, Messi played also in Barcelona B (Segunda División B) scoring 6 goals in 17 matches.
On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract; this time it was improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014.[18] Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September 2005[31] and was finally able to make his debut in the season's Spanish First Division. Messi's first home outing in the Champions League came on 27 September against Italian club Udinese.[26] Fans at Barcelona's stadium, the Camp Nou, gave Messi a standing ovation upon his substitution, as his composure on the ball and passing combinations with Ronaldinho had paid dividends for Barcelona.[32]
Messi netted six goals in 17 league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. His season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, however, when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea.[33] Rijkaard's Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.[34][35]
In the 2006–07 season, Messi established himself as a regular first team player, scoring 14 times in 26 matches.[36] On 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months.[37][38] On 11 March, El Clásico saw Messi in top form, scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barcelona a 3–3 draw, equalising three times, with the final equaliser coming in injury time.[39] In doing so he became the first player since Iván Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994–95 season) to score a hat-trick in El Clásico.[40] Messi is also the youngest player ever to have scored in this fixture. Towards the end of the season he began finding the net more often; 11 of his 14 league goals for the season came from the last 13 games.[41]
Messi also proved the "new Maradona" tag was not all hype, by nearly replicating Maradona's most famous goals in the space of the single season.[42] On 18 April 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe CF, one of which was very similar to Maradona's famous goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century.[43] The world's sports press drew comparisons with Maradona, and the Spanish press labelled Messi as "Messidona".[44] He ran about the same distance, 62 metres (203 ft), beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before.[42] In a press conference after the game, Messi's team-mate Deco said: "It was the best goal I have ever seen in my life."[45] Against RCD Espanyol Messi also scored a goal which was remarkably similar to Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal against England in the World Cup quarter-finals. Messi launched himself at the ball and connected with his hand to guide the ball past the goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.[46] Despite protests by Espanyol players and replays showing it was clear handball, the goal stood.[46]
On 27 February, Messi played in his 100th official match for Barcelona against Valencia.[47]
Messi was nominated for a FIFPro World XI Player Award under the category of Forward.[48] A poll conducted in the online edition of the Spanish newspaper Marca had him as the best player in the world with 77 percent of the vote.[49] Columnists from Barcelona-based newspapers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport stated that the Ballon d'Or should be given to Messi, a view supported by Franz Beckenbauer.[50] Football personalities such as Francesco Totti have declared that they consider Messi to be one of the current best footballers in the world.[51]
Messi was sidelined for six weeks following an injury on 4 March when he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh during a Champions League match against Celtic. It was the fourth time in three seasons that Messi suffered this type of injury.[52] When the season was over Messi managed to score 16 goals and assisted 13 times in all competition.
Upon Ronaldinho's departure from the club, Messi inherited his number 10 jersey.[53] During this season he placed second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 678 points.
Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2009 in a Copa del Rey tie against Atlético Madrid which Barcelona won 3–1.[54] Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute to help Barcelona defeat Racing Santander 1–2 after being 1–0 down. The second of the two strikes was Barcelona's 5000th league goal.[55] On 8 April 2009, he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, setting a personal record of eight goals in the competition.[56]
As Barcelona's season was drawing to a close, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to cap a 6–2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu[57] in what was Real's heaviest defeat since 1930.[58] He won his first Copa del Rey on 13 May, scoring one goal and assisting another two, in a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao.[59] He helped his team win the double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barcelona win the Champions League by scoring a second goal in the 70th minute giving Barcelona a two goal lead; he also became the top scorer in the Champions League, the youngest in the tournament's history, with nine goals.[60] Messi also won the UEFA Club Forward of the Year: and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year rounding off a spectacular year in Europe.[61] This victory meant Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and Champions League in the one season,[62] and was the first time a Spanish club had ever won the treble.[63]
After winning the 2009 UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola asserted that Messi was probably the best player he had ever seen.[65] On 18 September, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona, running until 2016 and with a buy-out clause of €250 million included, making Messi, along with Zlatan Ibrahimović, the highest paid players in La Liga, with earnings of around €9.5 million yearly.[66][67]
Messi was named winner of the 2009 Ballon d'Or on 1 December 2009, beating runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo by largest ever margin of 473 to 233.[68][69][70]
On 19 December, Messi scored the winner in the final of the 2009 Club World Cup against Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi, giving the club their sixth title of the year.[71] Two days later, he was given the FIFA World Player of the Year award,[72] beating Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Kaká and Andrés Iniesta to the award. This was the first time he had won the award, and he became the first Argentinian to ever receive this honour.[73] On 10 January 2010, Messi scored his first hat-trick in 2010 and his first hat-trick of the season against CD Tenerife in the 0–5 victory,[74] and on 17 January he scored his 100th goal for the club in the 4–0 victory over Sevilla.[75]
Messi scored a hat-trick against Valencia CF in a 3–0 home win,[76] and finally he scored another hat-trick against Zaragoza in a 4–2 away win,[77] becoming the first Barcelona player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in La Liga.[78] He played his 200th official match for Barcelona against Osasuna on 24 March 2010.[79]
"He is the best player in the world by some distance. He's (like) a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make."
On 6 April 2010, for the first time in Messi's career he scored four goals in a single match, netting the lot in a 4–1 home win over Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final second leg.[82][83] This also saw him overtake Rivaldo as Barcelona's all time greatest scorer in the competition.[84] In the final league match of the season against Valladolid, he scored two goals in the second half to tie Ronaldo's club record of 34 goals in a single league season, set in 1996–97,[85][86] and to finish four goals behind the all-time record held by Telmo Zarra.[87] He was named La Liga player of the year for the second year in a row on 3 June 2010.[88]
On 21 August 2010, Messi scored a hat-trick in his first start of the season in a 4–0 victory over Sevilla FC in the Supercopa de España, helping Barcelona secure their first trophy of the season after a 1–3 first leg loss.[89]
On 19 September 2010, Messi suffered an ankle injury due to an ill-advised tackle by Atlético Madrid defender Tomáš Ujfaluši in the 92nd minute of their Round 3 match at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. At first sight it was feared that Messi suffered a broken ankle that could have kept the star player away from the pitch for a minimum of six months, but MRI performed the next day in Barcelona showed he suffered a sprain in the internal and external ligaments of his right ankle.[90] Team-mate David Villa stated "the tackle on Messi was brutal" after watching the video of the play and also added that he believed the Atlético defender "didn't go into the tackle to hurt".[91] The incident caused widespread media attention and brought up the debate of equality in protecting all players in the game.
Against Almería Messi scored his second hat-trick of the season in an impressive 8–0 away win, the second of which was his 100th La Liga goal.[92]
Messi won the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, beating his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Iniesta.[93] Messi had been nominated for the awards for the fourth consecutive year.[94] On 5 February, Barcelona broke the record for most consecutive league wins with 16 victories after they defeated Atlético Madrid 3–0 at the Camp Nou.[95] Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to ensure the victory for his side and after the match he stated, "it's an honor to be able to pass a record set by a great like Di Stéfano" and "if the record has been around for so long is because it's very complicated to achieve and we have reached it by defeating a very difficult team who's going through a bad situation, which makes it even more difficult."[96]
After failing to score for a month he scored a brace against UD Almería; the second goal was his 47th of the season, equalling his club record return of the previous season.[97] He surpassed his record on 12 April 2011 by scoring the winner against Shakhtar Donetsk in a UEFA Champions League game, which put him in the record book as all time top scorer in a single season for Barcelona.[98] He scored his eighth goal on El Clásico on a 1–1 tie at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. On 23 April, Messi scored his 50th goal of the season against CA Osasuna in a 2–0 home victory which he came on as a substitute in the 60th minute.[99] He finished the season by winning La Liga and scoring 31 goals.
On 20 April, Barcelona were defeated by arch-rivals Real Madrid in the 2011 Copa del Rey Final. Messi set up a goal for Pedro, which was however ruled offside. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the match in extra time. Messi was however the joint top-scorer of the tournament along with Cristiano Ronaldo, with 7 goals.[100] [101][101]
In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, he gave a memorable performance, scoring twice against Real Madrid in a 2–0 win, the second goal (a dribble past several players) being acclaimed as one of the best ever at that stage of the competition.[102][103] At the Champions League Final at Wembley, Messi scored the eventual game-clinching goal to give Barcelona their third title in six years and fourth overall.[104] This was also Messi's 12th goal in the Champions League that season, which allowed him to tie Ruud Van Nistelrooy's record of 12 goals in a single European Cup season, after it was re-established as the UEFA Champions League, in 1992.[101] The overall record of goals scored in a single European Cup Season, is José Altafini's record of 14 goals, which Messi did however equal in the following season.[101] Messi finished the 2010-11 season with 53 goals in all competitions.
Messi started the season by lifting the Spanish Supercup with Barcelona, scoring three goals and providing two assists in a 5–4 aggregate win against Real Madrid.[105] His vital interventions continued in the next official match played against Porto when he scored again following a weak back pass from Fredy Guarín before setting up Cesc Fàbregas to give Barcelona a 2–0 victory and the UEFA Super Cup,[106] then the only official competition that remained for him to score in.[107]
After scoring his first goal of an eventual hat-trick in an 8–0 rout against Osasuna, Messi produced a special celebration for Soufian, a 10-year-old Moroccan boy with Laurin Sandrow syndrome, a rare medical condition that can eventually lead to the loss of the lower extremities. Whilst Messi usually points to the sky after scoring a goal, Messi slapped his thighs as a dedication to Soufian.[108]
In August, Messi became the second highest goalscorer surpassing László Kubala on 194 goals, being behind only to César Rodríguez on 232 goals in all official competitions.[109]
On 28 September, Messi scored his first two Champions League goals of the season against BATE Borisov,[110] becoming Barcelona's second highest goalscorer in its history, tying László Kubala, at 194 goals in all official competitions.[111] He surpassed that record when he scored two goals against Racing Santander.[112] He became second in Barcelona's La Liga goalscorers list with 132 goals, one more than Kubala.[113] He scored his 200th Barcelona goal and two more as part of a hat-trick in his next game against Viktoria Plzeň in the Champions League.[114]
Messi scored a brace in the Club World Cup Final against Santos and was recognized as the man of the match and also awarded the Golden Ball for his performance during the tournament.[115]
Messi won the 2011 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, beating his Barcelona team-mate Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi won the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or, again beating his team-mate Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo. By winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or again, Messi become the fourth player to win three Ballon d'Ors, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco Van Basten and the second player to win three consecutive Ballon d'Ors, after Michel Platini (although two of his Ballon d'Ors are FIFA Ballon d'Ors, which he won consecutively).
On 19 February 2012, Messi, on his 200th La Liga appearance, scored four goals against Valencia in a 5–1 win.[116] On 7 March, Messi became the first player to score five goals in an UEFA Champions League match since the tournament's re-establishment in 1992, helping the defending champions Barcelona win 7–1 against Bayer Leverkusen.[117]
On 20 March, Messi scored three goals against Granada, making him FC Barcelona's leading goalscorer in official competitions, surpassing club legend César Rodríguez, who had previously held the record with 232.[118]
On 3 April, Messi scored two goals from penalty kicks against Milan in the second leg of the Champions League Quarter-final, allowing him to surpass his personal record, joint with Ruud van Nistelrooy, of 12 goals in a single UEFA Champions League season. These goals allowed him to tie José Altafini's record of 14 goals in a single European Cup season in the 1962–63 season, before the tournament's re-establishment as the UEFA Champions League in 1992.[101] Barcelona were knocked out in the semi-finals to eventual winners Chelsea.
On 11 April, Messi scored his 61th goal against Getafe, surpassing Isidro Langara's record of 60 goals in 1933–34, and became the best goalscorer in history in one season in Spain.[citation needed]
On 2 May, Messi scored a hat-trick against Málaga surpassing Gerd Müller's record (67 goals in 1972-73) with 68 goals, and thus becoming the best goalscorer in history in one season in Europe.[119] It was the 21st multi-goal game of the season for Messi and his seventh La Liga hat-trick.[120] He then scored four goals on 5 May against Espanyol to take his tally to an unprecedented 72 goals, in the process becoming only the second player to pass 70 goals in a first division season since Archie Stark of Bethlehem Steel in the American Soccer League in 1924–25.[121]
On 25 May, he scored again in the 2012 Copa del Rey Final, helping Barcelona win their 26th Spanish Cup title, and increasing his seasonal goalscoring record to an unmatched 73 goals in all competitions.[122] [123] This was also Guardiola's last match as Barcelona's manager, and the Cup win marked Messi's second Copa del Rey title, after losing the final the year before, as well as his 14th Barcelona trophy during Guardiola's 4 seasons at the club. Although Barcelona failed to win their 4th consecutive Liga title under Guardiola, finishing runners up to arch-rivals Real Madrid, Messi finished the 2011–12 season as the top goalscorer in La Liga for a second time, with a Liga record of 50 goals. He also ended the season as the UEFA Champions' League Top Scorer for a fourth consecutive time, with 14 goals.[124]
Often referred to as an Argentinian-Spanish player, this crossover was brought into sharp focus when in 2004, Lionel was offered the chance to play for the Spanish national U-20 team. He declined the offer given his Argentinian heritage, and was given the opportunity to play for Argentina's U-20 team in a friendly match against Paraguay in June 2004.[125] In 2005 he was part of a team that finished 3rd in 2005 South American Youth Championship in Colombia. He won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands with the team and won the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe,[126] scoring in the last four of Argentina's matches and netting a total of six for the tournament.
He made his full international debut on 17 August 2005 against Hungary at the age of 18. He was substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off on the 65th minute because the referee, Markus Merk, claimed that Messi had allegedly elbowed defender Vilmos Vanczák, who was tugging Messi's shirt. The decision was contentious and Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated. Messi was later reportedly found weeping in the changing rooms after the decision.[127][128] Messi returned to the team on 3 September in Argentina's 1–0 World Cup qualifier away defeat to Paraguay. Ahead of the match he had said "This is a re-debut. The first one was a bit short."[129] He then started his first game for Argentina against Peru, in which he was able to win a crucial penalty for Argentina; after the match Pekerman described Messi as "a jewel".[130]
On 28 March 2009, in a World Cup Qualifier against Venezuela, Messi wore the number 10 jersey for the first time with Argentina. This match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as the Argentina manager. Argentina won the match 4–0 with Messi opening the scoring.[131]
On 17 November 2010, Messi scored a last-minute goal against South American rivals Brazil after an individual effort to help his team to a 1–0 win in the friendly match, which was held in Doha. This was the first time that he had scored against Brazil at senior level.[132] Messi scored another last-minute goal on 9 February 2011 against Portugal in a penalty kick which gave his side a 2–1 victory in the friendly match, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland.[133] His first hat-trick for Albiceleste came against Switzerland, on 29 February 2012 which the game ended 3–1 for Argentina.[134]
The injury that kept Messi from playing for two months at the end of the 2005–06 season jeopardised his presence in the 2006 World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the final match before the World Cup against the Argentine U-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly match against Angola from the 64th minute.[135][136] He witnessed Argentina's opening match victory against Ivory Coast from the substitute's bench.[137] In the next match against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Maxi Rodríguez in the 74th minute. He assisted Hernán Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6–0 victory, making him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup.[138] Messi started in Argentina's following 0–0 draw against the Netherlands.[139] In the following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, with the score tied at 1–1. He appeared to score a goal, but it was ruled offside with Argentina needing a late goal in extra time to proceed.[140][141] Coach José Pekerman left Messi on the bench during the quarter-final match against Germany, which they lost 4–2 on a penalty shootout.[142]
Messi played his first game in the 2007 Copa América on 29 June 2007, when Argentina defeated United States 4–1 in the first game. In this game, he showed his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker Hernán Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.[143]
His second game was against Colombia, in which he won a penalty that Crespo converted to tie the game at 1–1. He also played a part in Argentina's second goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to score from a freekick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3–1. The final score of the game was 4–2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.[144]
In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0–0. In the 79th minute, he assisted a goal for Javier Mascherano.[145] In the quarter-finals, as Argentina faced Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the game, from a Riquelme pass in a 4–0 win.[146] During the semi-final match against Mexico, Messi scored a lob over Oswaldo Sánchez to see Argentina through to the final with a 3–0 win.[147] Argentina went on to lose 3–0 to Brazil in the final.[148]
Having barred Messi from playing for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics,[149] Barcelona agreed to release him after he held talks with newly appointed coach Josep Guardiola.[150] He joined the Argentina squad and scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over Ivory Coast.[150] He then scored the opening goal and assisted Ángel di María in the second to help his side to a 2–1 extra-time win against the Netherlands.[151] He also featured in Argentina's match against rivals Brazil, in which Argentina took a 3–0 victory, thus advancing to the final. In the gold medal match, Messi again assisted Di María for the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Nigeria.[152]
Messi played the entire game on Argentina's opening match in the 2010 World Cup, the 1–0 victory against Nigeria. He had several opportunities to score but was repeatedly denied by Vincent Enyeama.[153] Messi started in Argentina's following 4–1 win against Korea Republic; he participated in all of the goals of his team and helped Gonzalo Higuaín score a hat-trick.[154] On the third and last group stage match Messi captained during Argentina's 2–0 win over Greece, again being the centrepoint of Argentina's play and was voted man of the match.[155]
At the Round of 16 he assisted Carlos Tévez for the first goal in a 3–1 win against Mexico. The World Cup ended for Argentina with a 4–0 loss against Germany in the quarter-finals.[156]
Messi was nominated in ten player shortlist for Golden Ball award by FIFA Technical Study Group. The group identified Messi with words: "Outstanding in his pace and creativity for his team, dribbling, shooting, passing – spectacular and efficient".[157]
Messi took part in the Copa América in Argentina, where he failed to score a goal but notched three assists. He was selected man-of-the-match in matches against Bolivia (1–1) and Costa Rica (3–0). Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals in a penalty shoot-out against Uruguay (1–1 a.e.t.), with Messi scoring as the first penalty taker.
Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, also from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup.[158][159] He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine glamour model Luciana Salazar.[160][161] In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Barça", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina. I am relaxed and happy".[161] He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo,[162] at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario.[163]
Messi has two cousins also involved in football: Maxi, a winger for Club Olimpia of Paraguay, and Emanuel Biancucchi, who plays as a midfielder for Spain's Girona FC.[164][165]
In 2007, Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity supporting access to education and health care for vulnerable children.[166][167] In response to Messi’s own childhood medical difficulties, the Leo Messi Foundation has offered Argentine children diagnosed with illnesses treatment in Spain and funds covering the transport, hospital and recuperation costs.[168] Messi’s foundation is supported by his own fundraising activity with additional assistance from Herbalife.
On 11 March 2010 Messi was announced as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.[169] Messi’s UNICEF ambassador activities are aimed at supporting children’s rights. Messi is supported in this by Barcelona, who also have a strong association with UNICEF.[170]
In March 2010, France Football ranked him at the top of its list of the world's richest footballers, ahead of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, with £29.6 million (€33 million) in combined income from salaries, bonuses and off-field earnings.[171][172] His net wealth is estimated at $110 millon.[173]
Messi was featured on the front covers of the video games Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the games.[174][175] Messi, along with Fernando Torres,[176] is the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, and was also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer.[177][178][179] However, in November 2011 Messi was confirmed as the new face of PES's rival football series FIFA with his debut as a cover star of the series coming in 2012's FIFA Street. Messi is sponsored by the German sportswear company Adidas and features in their television advertisements.[180] In June 2010, Messi also signed a three–year contract with Herbalife[181] which further supports the Leo Messi Foundation.
Messi was named twice in the Time 100, the magazine's annual list of the most influential people in the world, respectively in 2011[182] and in 2012[183].
Also in April 2011, Messi launched a Facebook page and within a few hours, his page had attracted more than six million followers. His Facebook page had over 33 million followers in March 2012.[184]
In May 2012, ex-Real Madrid player Royston Drenthe claimed Lionel Messi repeatedly called him "negro" during his time in Spain.[185] A counter statement issued by Barcelona said: "Messi has always shown a maximum respect and sportsmanship towards his rivals, something which has been recognized by his fellow professionals many times.[186]
On 26 May 2012, Messi was mistakenly announced dead by FOX Sports on its Twitter feed. "We must report the sad news that Lionel Messi is deceased from a heart attack during training #RipMessi," said the tweet that was sent to its followers. The message was deleted seconds later, with FOX Sports then going into damage control mode, while also blaming hackers for the incident.[187]
Club | Season | League[190] | |
---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | ||
Barcelona C | 2003–04 3ª | 8 | 5 |
Barcelona B | 2003–04 2ªB | 5 | 0 |
2004–05 2ªB | 17 | 6 | |
Total | 30 | 11 |
Club | Season | League | Cup | Champions League | Supercup | UEFA Super Cup | Club World Cup | Total | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
Barcelona | 2004–05 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
2005–06 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 8 | 4 | |||||
2006–07 | 26 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 17 | 3 | |
2007–08 | 28 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 40 | 16 | 13 | |||||||
2008–09 | 31 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 5 | — | — | — | 51 | 38 | 18 | |||||||
2009–10 | 35 | 34 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 47 | 11 | |
2010–11 | 33 | 31 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 55 | 53 | 24 | |||||
2011–12 | 37 | 50 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 60 | 73 | 28 | |
Total | 214 | 169 | 71 | 33 | 20 | 10 | 68 | 51 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 329 | 253 | 101 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals | Assists |
---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina U20 | 2005 | 16 | 11 | 3 |
Total | 16 | 11 | 3 | |
Argentina U23 | 2008 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
Total | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
Argentina | 2005 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
2006 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
2007 | 14 | 6 | 3 | |
2008 | 8 | 2 | 1 | |
2009 | 10 | 3 | 2 | |
2010 | 10 | 2 | 2 | |
2011 | 13 | 4 | 10 | |
2012 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
Total | 68 | 22 | 20 |
Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 13 January 2005 | Estadio Centanario, Armenia, Colombia | ![]() |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2005 South American Youth Championship |
2. | 15 January 2005 | Estadio Palogrande, Manizales, Ecuador | ![]() |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2005 South American Youth Championship |
3. | 15 January 2005 | Estadio Palogrande, Manizales, Ecuador | ![]() |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2005 South American Youth Championship |
4. | 21 January 2005 | Estadio Palogrande, Manizales, Ecuador | ![]() |
5–0 | 6–0 | 2005 South American Youth Championship |
5. | 6 February 2005 | Estadio Palogrande, Manizales, Ecuador | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2005 South American Youth Championship |
6. | 14 June 2005 | Arke Stadion, Enschede, Netherlands | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2005 World Youth Championship |
7. | 22 June 2005 | Univé Stadion, Emmen, Netherlands | ![]() |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2005 World Youth Championship |
8. | 24 June 2005 | Arke Stadion, Enschede, Netherlands | ![]() |
3–1 | 3–1 | 2005 World Youth Championship |
9. | 28 June 2005 | Galgenwaard Stadion, Utrecht, Netherlands | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2005 World Youth Championship |
10. | 2 July 2005 | Galgenwaard Stadion, Utrecht, Netherlands | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2005 World Youth Championship |
11. | 2 July 2005 | Galgenwaard Stadion, Utrecht, Netherlands | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2005 World Youth Championship |
Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 7 August 2008 | Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2008 Summer Olympics |
2. | 16 August 2008 | Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2008 Summer Olympics |
Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 1 March 2006 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
2. | 16 June 2006 | WM-Stadion Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | ![]() |
6–0 | 6–0 | 2006 World Cup |
3. | 5 June 2007 | Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain | ![]() |
2–2 | 4–3 | Friendly |
4. | 5 June 2007 | Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain | ![]() |
4–2 | 4–3 | Friendly |
5. | 8 July 2007 | Metropolitano de Fútbol de Lara, Barquisimeto, Venezuela | ![]() |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2007 Copa América |
6. | 11 July 2007 | Polideportivo Cachamay, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela | ![]() |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2007 Copa América |
7. | 16 October 2007 | José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
8. | 20 November 2007 | Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–2 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
9. | 4 June 2008 | Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States | ![]() |
2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
10. | 11 October 2008 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
11. | 11 February 2009 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
12. | 28 March 2009 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ![]() |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
13. | 14 November 2009 | Vicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid, Spain | ![]() |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
14. | 7 September 2010 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ![]() |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
15. | 17 November 2010 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
16. | 9 February 2011 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
17. | 20 June 2011 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ![]() |
2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
18. | 7 October 2011 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ![]() |
2–0 | 4–1 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
19. | 15 November 2011 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia | ![]() |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
20. | 29 February 2012 | Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland | ![]() |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
21. | 29 February 2012 | Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland | ![]() |
2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
22. | 29 February 2012 | Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland | ![]() |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
Professional career totals | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Teams | Apps | Goals | Goals per game | |
Clubs | 329 | 253 | 0.77 | |
National team | 068 | 022 | 0.32 | |
Olympic final | 05 | 02 | 0.4 | |
Total | 402 | 277 | 0.69 |
Winner
Runner-Up
Winner
Runner-Up
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lionel Messi |
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|
Persondata | |
---|---|
Name | Messi, Lionel Andrés |
Alternative names | |
Short description | Association footballer |
Date of birth | 24 June 1987 |
Place of birth | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
![]() |
|||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix | ||
Date of birth | (1963-01-26) 26 January 1963 (age 49) | ||
Place of birth | Setúbal, Portugal | ||
Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
Playing position | Central midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Real Madrid (manager) | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
1980–1982 | Rio Ave | 16 | (2) |
1982–1983 | Belenenses | 16 | (2) |
1983–1985 | Sesimbra | 35 | (1) |
1985–1987 | Comércio e Indústria | 27 | (8) |
Total | 94 | (13) | |
Teams managed | |||
2000 | Benfica | ||
2001–2002 | União de Leiria | ||
2002–2004 | Porto | ||
2004–2007 | Chelsea | ||
2008–2010 | Internazionale | ||
2010– | Real Madrid | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix, OIH, or simply José Mourinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛ moˈɾiɲu]; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese football manager, currently the head coach of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".[2] Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches, and critics as one of the best football coaches of all time.[3][4][5][6] Mourinho started out as a player and eventually switched to management. After working as a physical education teacher and spells working as a youth team coach, a scout, and an assistant manager in the early 1990s, he became an interpreter for Sir Bobby Robson. He worked with Robson at Sporting Lisbon and Porto in Portugal, and Barcelona in Spain. He remained at the Catalonian club after Robson's departure and worked with his successor Louis van Gaal.
He began focusing on coaching and impressed with brief but successful managerial periods at Benfica and União de Leiria, taking the latter to their highest ever league finish. He returned to Porto in early 2002 as head coach, winning the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, and UEFA Cup in 2003. In the next season Mourinho guided the team to victory in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, to the top of the league for a second time, and won the highest honour in European club football, the UEFA Champions League. Mourinho moved to Chelsea the following year and won the Premier League title, the club's first league title in 50 years, and the League Cup in his first season season. In his second year Chelsea retained the Premier League and in 2006-07 he took the club to an FA Cup and League Cup double, though they were league runners-up. He often courted controversy for his outspokenness, but his victories at Chelsea and Porto established him as one of the world's top football managers. Mourinho left Chelsea in September 2007, amidst reports of a rift with club owner Roman Abramovich.[7]
In 2008 he moved to Italy's Serie A, signing a three-year contract with Internazionale. Within three months he had won his first Italian honour, the Supercoppa Italiana, and completed the season by winning the Serie A league title. Mourinho followed the next season by winning the first treble in Italian history, the Serie A league title, Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League, the first time Inter had won in forty-five years, thus becoming the third manager in football history to win two UEFA Champions League with two different teams, after Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld.[8] He won the first ever FIFA Ballon d'Or Best Coach Award in 2010. He then signed with Real Madrid in 2010, winning the Copa del Rey in his first season. The following year he won the La Liga and became the fourth coach, after Tomislav Ivić, Ernst Happel, and Giovanni Trapattoni, to have won league titles in at least four different countries: Portugal, England, Italy, and Spain,[9] also becoming the first manager to win the traditional top three European league championships.[10]
Contents |
José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix was born in 1963 to a large middle-class family in Setúbal, Portugal, the son of José Manuel Mourinho Félix, who was known by the name Félix Mourinho, and wife Maria Júlia Carrajola dos Santos.[11] His father played football professionally for Os Belenenses and Vitória de Setúbal, earning one cap for Portugal in the course of his career. His mother was a primary school teacher from an affluent background;[12] her uncle funded the construction of the Vitória de Setúbal football stadium. The fall of António de Oliveira Salazar's Estado Novo regime in April 1974, however, led to the family losing all but a single property in nearby Palmela.[13]
From an early age, football was a major part of Mourinho's life. Footballing commitments in Porto and Lisbon meant that Félix was often separated from his son. As a teenager, Mourinho travelled to attend his father's weekend matches and when his father had became a coach, Mourinho began observing training sessions and scouting opposing teams.[14] Mourinho wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father by becoming a footballer and so he joined the Belenenses youth team. Graduating to the senior level, he played at Rio Ave (where his father was coach), Belenenses, and Sesimbra. He lacked the requisite pace and power to become a professional and chose to focus on becoming a football coach instead.[12][15][16]
His mother enrolled him in a business school, Mourinho dropped out on his first day, deciding he would rather focus on sport, and chose to attend the Instituto Superior de Educação Física (ISEF), Technical University of Lisbon, to study sports science.[13] He taught physical education at various schools and after five years, he had earned his diploma, receiving consistently good marks throughout the course.[14] After attending coaching courses held by the English and Scottish Football Associations, former Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh took note of the young Portuguese's drive and attention to detail.[17] Mourinho sought to redefine the role of coach in football by mixing coaching theory with motivational and psychological techniques.[12]
After leaving his job as a school coach, Mourinho looked for paths into professional management in his hometown and became youth team coach at Vitória de Setúbal in the early 1990s. Working his way up the ladder, he accepted the position of assistant manager at Estrela da Amadora,[17] then was a scout at Ovarense. Mourinho yearned for greater challenges and in 1992 an opportunity arose to work as a translator for a top foreign coach. Sir Bobby Robson had been appointed as the new manager of Lisbon club Sporting Clube de Portugal and the Englishman required a local coach with a good command of English to work as his interpreter.[15]
Initially a step away from management, Mourinho began discussing tactics and coaching with Robson in his interpreting role.[15] Robson was sacked by Sporting in December 1993, but Portuguese rivals FC Porto appointed him as their head coach and Mourinho moved with him, continuing to coach and interpret for players at the new club.[17] After two years at Porto the duo moved again, switching to FC Barcelona in 1996, where he learnt Catalan for the new challenge.[18] Mourinho and his family moved to Barcelona and he gradually became a prominent figure of Barcelona's staff by translating at press conferences, planning practice sessions, and helping players through tactical advice and analyses of the opposition. Robson and Mourinho's styles complemented each other: the Englishman favoured an attacking style, while Mourinho covered defensive options, and the Portuguese's love of planning and training combined with Robson's direct man-management. The partnership was fruitful and Barcelona finished the season with the European Cup Winners' Cup. Robson moved club the following season but this time Mourinho did not follow as Barcelona were keen to retain him as assistant manager.[17] The two remained good friends and Mourinho later reflected on the effect Robson had had upon him:
One of the most important things I learnt from Bobby Robson is that when you win, you shouldn't assume you are the team, and when you lose, you shouldn't think you are rubbish.[17]
He began working with Robson's successor, Louis van Gaal, and he learnt much from the Dutchman's conscientious style. Both assistant and head coach combined their studious approach to the game and Barcelona won La Liga twice in van Gaal's first two years as coach.[17] Van Gaal saw that his number two had the promise to be more than a skilled assistant. He let Mourinho develop his own independent coaching style and entrusted him with the coaching duties of FC Barcelona B.[18] Van Gaal also let Mourinho take charge of the first team (acting as Mourinho's assistant himself) for certain trophies, like the Copa Catalunya, which Mourinho won in 2000.[19]
The chance to become a top-tier manager arrived in September 2000 when Mourinho moved up from his role as assistant coach at Lisbon side Benfica to replace head coach Jupp Heynckes after the fourth week of the Primeira Liga.[18] The Benfica hierarchy wanted to appoint Jesualdo Ferreira as the new assistant coach, but Mourinho refused and picked Carlos Mozer, a retired Benfica defender, as his right-hand man instead.[20]
When I spoke with van Gaal about going back to Portugal to be an assistant at Benfica, he said: "No, don't go. Tell Benfica if they want a first-team coach you will go; if they want an assistant you will stay."[21]
Mourinho was highly critical of Ferreira, whom he had first encountered as his teacher at ISEF and later lambasted the veteran coach by stating, "This could be the story of a donkey who worked for 30 years but never became a horse."[22] Only weeks after being given the job at Benfica, Mourinho's mentor, Sir Bobby Robson, offered him the assistant manager's role at Newcastle United. Such was Robson's desperation for Mourinho to join him he offered to step down after two years in charge and hand over the reins to Mourinho. Mourinho turned the offer down and said he knew Robson would never step down at the club he loved.[23]
Mourinho and Mozer proved a popular combination, enjoying a 3–0 win against fierce rivals Sporting in December.[24][25] Their reign, however, appeared to be at risk after Benfica's election turned against club president João Vale e Azevedo, and the newly-elected Manuel Vilarinho said that he would instate ex-Benfica player Toni as his new coach.[18] Although Vilarinho had no intention of firing him immediately, Mourinho used the victory over Sporting to test the president's loyalty and he asked for a contract extension.[24] Vilarinho refused the demand and Mourinho resigned from his position immediately. He left the club on 5 December 2000 after just nine league games in charge.[26] Upon later reflection, Vilarinho rued his poor judgement and expressed his frustration at losing Mourinho:
[Put me] back then [and] I would do exactly the opposite: I would extend his contract. Only later I realised that one's personality and pride cannot be put before the interest of the institution we serve.[24]
Mourinho found a new managerial post in April 2001 with União de Leiria, whom he took to their highest-ever league finish of fifth place after joining the club with seven games left to be played.[27] During his second season at União de Leiria, the team was on a run contesting places as high as third and fourth by January. Mourinho's successes at Leiria did not go unrecognised and he caught the attention of larger Portuguese clubs.[18]
He was then hand-picked in January 2002 by FC Porto to replace Octávio Machado. Mourinho guided the team to third place that year after a strong 15-game run (W–D–L: 11–2–2) and gave the promise of "making Porto champions next year."
He quickly identified several key players whom he saw as the backbone of what he believed would be a perfect Porto team: Vítor Baía, Ricardo Carvalho, Costinha, Deco, Dmitri Alenichev, and Hélder Postiga. He recalled captain Jorge Costa after a six-month loan to Charlton Athletic. The signings from other clubs included Nuno Valente and Derlei from União de Leiria; Paulo Ferreira from Vitória de Setúbal; Pedro Emanuel from Boavista; and Edgaras Jankauskas and Maniche, who both had been out of contract at Benfica.
During the pre-season, Mourinho put detailed reports of the team training on the club website. The reports were filled with formal vocabulary, as, for instance, he referred to a 20 km jog as an extended aerobic exercise. While they attracted some scorn for the pretentiousness, others praised the innovation and the application of a more scientific approach to the training methods practised in Portugal. One of the key aspects in Mourinho-era Porto was his quick wit and the pressuring play, which started at the offensive line, dubbed pressão alta ("high pressure"). The physical and combative abilities of the teams' defenders and midfielders allowed Porto to apply pressure from the offensive lines and forced opponents either to concede the ball or try longer, uncertain passes.
In 2003, Mourinho won his first Primeira Liga with a 27–5–2 record, 11 points clear of Benfica, the team he quit two years earlier. The total of 86 points out of the possible maximum of 102 was a Portuguese record since the rule of three points per win was introduced. Mourinho also won the Portuguese Cup (against former club Leiria) and the UEFA Cup final against Celtic, both in May 2003.
The following season witnessed further successes: he led Porto to victory in the one-match Portuguese SuperCup, beating Leiria 1–0. They lost, however, the UEFA Super Cup 1–0 to AC Milan, with Andriy Shevchenko scoring the solitary goal. The team was dominant in the Primeira Liga and they finished the season with a perfect home record, an eight-point advantage, and an unbeaten run that only ended against Gil Vicente; they secured the title five weeks before the end of the season. Porto lost the Portuguese Cup final to Benfica in May 2004, but two weeks later, Mourinho won a greater prize: the UEFA Champions League, with a 3–0 win over AS Monaco in Germany. The club had eliminated Manchester United, Olympique Lyonnais, and Deportivo La Coruña and their sole defeat of the competition came against Real Madrid in the group round.
Mourinho's win over Manchester United foreshadowed a move to the Premier League, where he would enjoy a competitive relationship with United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.[28] In the first leg between United and Porto, Ferguson confronted Mourinho after Roy Keane received a red card for stamping on Vitor Baia.[29] In the second leg, Porto were on the verge of an away goals defeat when Costinha scored a goal with only little more than thirty seconds left for the official 90 minutes time, to win the tie and Mourinho celebrated the goal flamboyantly. As a response to his European and domestic success, Mourinho was linked with several top European clubs, including Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Chelsea. Mourinho publicly stated his preference for the Liverpool job over the Chelsea one:
Liverpool are a team that interests everyone and Chelsea does not interest me so much because it is a new project with lots of money invested in it. I think it is a project which, if the club fail to win everything, then [Roman] Abramovich could retire and take the money out of the club. It's an uncertain project. It is interesting for a coach to have the money to hire quality players but you never know if a project like this will bring success.[30]
Liverpool offered their managerial position to Spanish coach Rafael Benítez and Mourinho instead accepted a large offer from Roman Abramovich and pledged his immediate future to Chelsea.[30]
Mourinho moved to Chelsea in June 2004, becoming one of the highest paid managers in football with a salary of £4.2 million a year, subsequently raised in 2005 to £5.2 million.[31] In a press conference upon joining the English side, Mourinho said, "Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one," which resulted in the media dubbing him "The Special One".[32]
Mourinho recruited his backroom staff from Porto, consisting of assistant manager Baltemar Brito, fitness coach Rui Faria, chief scout André Villas-Boas, and goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro. He retained the services of Steve Clarke, a long-serving former player at Chelsea, who had also performed an assistant managerial-type role under previous managers at the club. In terms of spending, Mourinho carried on where his predecessor Claudio Ranieri left off, as, bankrolled by Roman Abramovich, he spent in excess of £70 million in transfer fees on players such as Tiago (£10 million) from Benfica, Michael Essien (£24.4 million) from Olympique Lyonnais, Didier Drogba (£24 million) from Olympique de Marseille, Mateja Kežman (£5.4 million) from PSV, and Porto pair Ricardo Carvalho (£19.8 million) and Paulo Ferreira (£13.3 million).
Under Mourinho, Chelsea built on the potential developed in the previous season. By early December, they were at the top of the Premier League table and had reached the knock-out stages of the Champions League. He secured his first trophy by winning the League Cup against Liverpool 3–2 (AET) in Cardiff. Towards the end of the match, Mourinho was escorted from the touchline after putting his finger to his mouth in the direction of Liverpool fans, as a response to taunts directed towards him whilst Liverpool were leading, before the equalising goal.
The club added more trophies as they secured their first top-flight domestic title in 50 years, setting a string of English football records in the process, including the most points ever achieved in the Premier League (95), and the fewest goals conceded (15). He failed, however, to achieve back-to-back Champions League successes when Chelsea were knocked out of the competition by a controversial goal in the semi-finals by eventual winners Liverpool.[33]
Chelsea started the next season well. They defeated Arsenal 2–1 to win the FA Community Shield, and topped the Premier League from the first weekend of the 2005–06 season. Chelsea beat rivals Manchester United 3–0 to win their second consecutive Premiership title and Mourinho's fourth domestic title in a row. After the presentation of his championship medal, Mourinho threw his medal and blazer into the crowd. He was awarded a second medal within minutes which he also threw into the crowd.
The signing of Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko in the summer of 2006 for a club record fee would also prove to be a point of contention between Mourinho and Abramovich. Shevchenko, at the time of his signing, was one of the most highly regarded strikers in Europe during his time with Milan, where he won the Champions League, Scudetto, and Ballon d'Or awards in his seven years in Milan. Chelsea had attempted to sign Shevchenko in the preceding two years but Milan rebuffed Abramovich's interest in him. Shevchenko's first season at Chelsea was viewed as a major disappointment by the Chelsea fans as he only scored four league goals and 14 in all competitions. Shevchenko's strike partner, Didier Drogba, had the highest scoring season of his career that year and this led Shevchenko to be dropped from the starting line-up towards the end of the season by Mourinho. Notably, in the Champions League match at Anfield, Shevchenko was not even included on the bench. Abramovich's insistence on Mourinho playing the Ukrainian was widely viewed as a further source of friction between the two men. Shevchenko's signing was not the only one for Chelsea, however, as German captain Michael Ballack was also signed to strengthen the midfield on free agent from Bayern Munich. The Icelandic striker Eiður Guðjohnsen, an important player for Chelsea under Ranieri and Mourinho, departed the club for FC Barcelona.
The 2006–07 season saw growing media speculation that Mourinho would leave the club at the season's conclusion, due to alleged poor relations with owner Roman Abramovich and a power struggle with sporting director Frank Arnesen and Abramovich advisor Piet de Visser. Mourinho later cleared doubts regarding his future at Stamford Bridge, stating that there would only be two ways for him to leave Chelsea: if Chelsea were not to offer him a new contract in June 2010, and if Chelsea were to sack him.[34] He then launched an ambitious campaign for all four trophies available with the aim of becoming the first club in English football to complete "the quadruple".
Despite the unrest, Chelsea, under Mourinho, won the League Cup again by defeating Arsenal FC in the final at the Millennium Stadium. The possibility, however, of the quadruple was brought to an end on 1 May 2007 when Liverpool eliminated Chelsea from the UEFA Champions League on penalties at Anfield, following a 1–1 aggregate draw. Days later, Chelsea drew 1–1 with Arsenal FC at the Emirates Stadium on 6 May 2007 in a league match, which secured the Premier League title for Manchester United. This was Mourinho's first season without a league title win in five years. Mourinho led Chelsea to a 1–0 victory against Manchester United in the 2007 FA Cup Final, winning in the first final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium. This was his first FA Cup win which meant that he had won every domestic trophy available to a Premier League manager. There was, however, to be further friction between himself and Abramovich when Avram Grant was appointed as Director of Football, despite objections from Mourinho. Grant's position was further enhanced by being given a seat on the board. In spite of these tensions, the 2007–08 transfer season would see the departure of Dutch winger Arjen Robben to Real Madrid and French midfielder Florent Malouda moved to Chelsea. Shevchenko was linked with a return to Milan but he remained at Chelsea for another year.
In the first match of the 2007–08 season, Chelsea beat Birmingham City 3–2 to set a new record of 64 consecutive home league matches without defeat, surpassing the record set by Liverpool between 1978 and 1981.[35] Despite this feat, Chelsea's start to the 2007–08 season was not as successful as previous starts. The team lost at Aston Villa and followed this with a goalless draw at home to Blackburn Rovers. Their opening game in the UEFA Champions League saw them only manage a 1–1 home draw against the Norwegian team Rosenborg BK in front of an almost half-empty stadium. Shevchenko scored Chelsea's only goal in that match.
Mourinho unexpectedly left Chelsea on 20 September 2007 "by mutual consent," although there had been a series of disagreements with Chairman Roman Abramovich.[7] The Chelsea board held an emergency meeting and decided it was time to part with their manager. Mourinho left as the most successful manager in Chelsea's history, having won six trophies for the club in three years. He was also undefeated in all home league games. Avram Grant succeeded José Mourinho as Chelsea manager but failed to win any trophies in his year in charge, although he reached the final of the Champions League and League Cup. Grant's Chelsea also finished second in the Premier League.
On 2 June 2008, Mourinho was appointed the successor of Roberto Mancini at Internazionale on a three-year contract, and brought along with him much of his backroom staff who had served him at both Chelsea and Porto.[36][37] He chose Giuseppe Baresi, a former Inter player and ex-head coach of their youth academy, as his assistant.[38] He spoke solely in Italian in his first press conference as Inter boss, claiming to have learnt it "in three weeks."[39] Mourinho stated that he only intended to make a few major signings in the summer.[40] By the end of the transfer window, he had brought three new players to the side: Brazilian winger Mancini (€13 million),[41][42] Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari for reported €14 million,[43] and Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma for a cash/player exchange fee of €18.6 million plus young Portuguese midfielder Pelé.[44][45]
In his first season as Inter head coach, Mourinho won the Italian SuperCup, beating Roma on penalties,[46] and finished top of Serie A. Inter, however, were eliminated 2–0 on aggregate by Manchester United in the first knock-out round of the UEFA Champions League, and he also failed to win the Coppa Italia, being defeated 3–1 on aggregate by Sampdoria in the semi-finals.[47] As UEFA was beginning to push the larger clubs in top leagues to play more homegrown players, Mourinho regularly played 18-year-old Italian forward Mario Balotelli and promoted academy defender Davide Santon to the first team permanently, installing an Italian contingent into a team previously composed of mostly foreign players. Both teenagers played a part in the Scudetto-winning season and played enough games to earn their first senior trophy.
Despite his domestic successes in winning the Scudetto by a ten point margin, Jose Mourinho's first season in Italy was viewed as disappointing by some Inter fans as they failed to improve on the performances of his predecessor Roberto Mancini in the Champions League. Inter put in a series of lacklustre group stage performances that included a shock 1–0 home loss to Panathinaikos and an away draw with Cypriot minnows Anorthosis. They qualified, however, for the knockout stages of the Champions League but failed to make it to the quarter-finals after being defeated by Manchester United.
Mourinho also caused immediate ripples in Italian football through his controversial relationships with the Italian press and media, and feuds with major Serie A coaches such as Carlo Ancelotti, then of AC Milan, Luciano Spalletti of Roma, and Claudio Ranieri of Juventus. At a press conference in March 2009, he insulted the first two rivals by claiming they would end the season with no honours – and accused the Italian sport journalists of "intellectual prostitution" on their behalf.[48] This rant promptly became very popular in Italy, especially regarding the "zero titles" quote used by Mourinho, and incorrectly pronounced by him as zeru tituli (in correct Italian it would have been zero titoli), which was later extensively referred to by football journalists in Italy. It also became the title's catchphrase used by fans to celebrate Inter's 17th scudetto later that season.[49][50] The catchphrase was even used by Nike to present the celebration shirts for Inter's Serie A title.[51] After the Coppa Italia final in May, fans of Roma's cross-town rivals Lazio, the new Coppa Italia winners, wore shirts with Io campione, tu zero titoli ("I'm a champion, you have no honours") on it,[52] quoting Mourinho's "zeru tituli" statement.
On 16 May 2009, Inter mathematically won the Serie A title, after runners-up Milan lost to Udinese. This loss left the Nerazzurri seven points above their crosstown rivals with only two games remaining. They would eventually finish ten points clear of Milan.[53]
On 28 July 2009, Mourinho was reported to have shown interest in taking over at Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson retired. He was quoted as saying, "I would consider going to Manchester United but United have to consider if they want me to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson. If they do, then of course."[54]
Under Mourinho, Inter have remained active in the transfer market. Adriano left Inter in April 2009, and the exit of the Brazilian striker was followed by the Argentine duo Julio Cruz and Hernán Crespo. Legendary Portuguese attacking midfielder and veteran Luís Figo retired. Figo was on the verge of leaving Inter under Mancini due to a lack of playing time but in his final season, Mourinho used him frequently. Mourinho signed Argentine striker Diego Milito, who fell just one goal short of winning the top scorer award with Genoa, as well as Thiago Motta and Wesley Sneijder, to bolster the midfield. Perhaps his most notable signing of the summer of his second season was a swap deal of Zlatan Ibrahimović for FC Barcelona's Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o and a reported 35 million pound transfer fee also went to Inter. This transfer was the second most expensive in the history of the transfer market, after Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid earlier in the summer. Eto'o got off to a promising start with Inter by scoring two goals in the first two matches of the season.
Ricardo Quaresma's signing from Mourinho's old club FC Porto was viewed as a missing link in the Inter squad, but his play disappointed the club and led him to be loaned off to Chelsea midway through the season, ironically Mourinho's other former club. Mancini also failed to dominate in the midfield and addressing these shortcomings in the transfer market became a priority for Inter. Inter's lack of a creative playmaker, or trequartista, has been blamed for the Champions League failure. In their attempt to deal with this issue, Inter signed Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder from Real Madrid.
Mourinho once again sparked controversy in the summer with his argument with Italy national team coach Marcello Lippi. Lippi predicted that Juventus would win the Scudetto in the 2009–10 season, which Mourinho viewed Lippi's comments as disrespectful to Inter. The previous year, Lippi predicted Inter would win the title and Mourinho did not respond to his prediction. Lippi responded by saying that Mourinho was equal to Ciro Ferrara and Leonardo at Juventus and Milan, respectively, only that he was more experienced. After the row with Lippi, he clashed with Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro over Davide Santon's place in the Inter squad. Cannavaro had said that Santon might have to leave Inter to get regular playing time to gain selection for Italy in the World Cup. Mourinho responded by saying that Cannavaro was acting like a coach.
Inter struggled in their first two matches of the new season. The team lost the Italian SuperCup to Lazio 2–1 and drew 1–1 with newly promoted Bari at the San Siro. Mourinho's team improved dramatically since then, however, as he built a formidable midfield with Sneijder at the heart of it and the likes of new signing Thiago Motta and veterans Javier Zanetti and Dejan Stanković. Inter went on score more than 30 goals (as of the end of November), thrashing derby rivals Milan 4–0, with new signings Diego Milito and Motta both scoring, and hammering Genoa 5–0, the largest margin of victory in the Serie A that season. He was sent off in the December Derby d'Italia away fixture after he sarcastically applauded the referee for what he felt was a dubious free-kick given to Juventus and Inter went on to lose 2–1, courtesy of a Claudio Marchisio winner in the second-half.[55]
Later during the season, Mourinho maintained a strongly critical position against refereeing in Italy, which reached its peak during the 22 February 2010 league game against Sampdoria, ended in a 0–0 tie, with two Inter players being sent off in the first half. At the end of the first half, José Mourinho made a handcuffs gesture towards a camera which was considered by the Football Association as violent and critical of the refereeing performance, and caused a three-game ban against the Portuguese coach.[56] Also, his difficult relationship with young striker Mario Balotelli and the team's loss of form that led Inter to achieve only seven points in six games (and three of such games, including a shock 1–3 defeat at the hands of Sicilian minnows Catania, happening during Mourinho's ban) were heavily criticized by the media and pundits. Despite this, Mourinho achieved what was hailed as one of his career highlights after Inter managed to progress to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by defeating Mourinho's former team Chelsea in both legs (2–1 win at San Siro, then followed by a 1–0 win at Stamford Bridge).[57]
On 6 April 2010, José Mourinho became the first manager in history to take three different teams to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League (this record was equalled by Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal a day later) after his Internazionale managed to overcome CSKA Moscow 0–1 in Russia in the second leg of their quarter-final tie, which ended 2–0 on aggregate. Wesley Sneijder's goal in the sixth minute proved the difference in a match played in laid-back style. This marked the first time in seven years that Internazionale managed to make it to the semi-finals of the competition.[58] On 13 April, Internazionale continued its good season, having managed to qualify for the Coppa Italia final, for the first time under Mourinho, by beating Fiorentina 1–0 away (2–0 on aggregate).[59]
On 28 April 2010, José Mourinho reached the UEFA Champions League Final for the second time in his career after Internazionale beat current holders Barcelona 3–2 on aggregate, after losing 1–0 at Nou Camp (which Mourinho called "the most beautiful defeat of my life"). This brought Internazionale back into a UEFA Champions League Final 38 years after their last (a defeat to AFC Ajax).[60] Mourinho was involved in a brief scuffle with Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés while attempting to join in the Inter celebrations.[61] Mourinho afterwards stated that that "anti-Madridismo" had motivated the Barça fans, suggesting that they were obsessed with reaching the final and winning the tournament in their arch-rival's home ground. Diario Marca proclaimed that Mourinho had passed the test to become the next head coach of Real Madrid, as their fans celebrated the elimination of Barcelona.[62]
On 2 May, after a 2–0 away win at Rome against Lazio, Inter almost secured the Serie A title. On 5 May 2010, the team won the Coppa Italia, defeating AS Roma 1–0, and on 16 May 2010 Inter beat Siena 1–0 to secure the domestic double.[63][64] On 22 May 2010, Inter won the UEFA Champions League beating Bayern Munich 2–0, and in doing so Inter became the first Italian club to complete The Treble and Mourinho personally celebrated the second "treble win" in his managerial career and second Champions League win.[65] The day after having won the UEFA Champions League, Mourinho claimed that he was "sad, as almost for sure it's my last game with Inter". He then added that "if you don't coach Real Madrid then you will always have a gap in your career".[66]
After days of discussions between Real Madrid and Inter, a record breaking compensation package was successfully agreed on 27 May 2010, and Mourinho was consequently released by Inter.[67][68]
On 28 May 2010, it was confirmed that Mourinho would take over from Manuel Pellegrini at the Santiago Bernabéu.[69] On 31 May 2010, Mourinho was unveiled as the new manager of Real Madrid after signing a four-year deal at the club, and became the 11th coach in the past seven years at Real Madrid.[70]
By the end of the transfer window, after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he had brought four new players to is new side: a German Sami Khedira (€13 million), a German Turk Mesut Özil (€15 million), Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho (€8 million) and the winger Ángel di María (€25 million plus €11 million on incentives).
On 29 August 2010, Real Madrid drew 0–0 at RCD Mallorca in Mourinho's first La Liga game as manager.[71]
When asked about all the missed opportunities against Levante in La Liga and Auxerre in the UEFA Champions League, Mourinho said: "One day some poor rival is going to pay for the chances we've missed today." The following match at the Santiago Bernabéu ended with a 6–1 victory over Deportivo La Coruña. The following league games confirmed Mourinho's statement, defeating Málaga by 1–4 and Racing Santander again by 6–1.
On 29 November 2010, Mourinho's Madrid were defeated on his first Clásico encounter against Barcelona. The match, held in Camp Nou ended 5–0 to the hosts, with Real Madrid director Florentino Pérez regarding it the worst game in the history of Real Madrid.[72] Sporting director Valdano also criticized Mourinho for his 'inability to bring a major correction to the game' and 'not leaving his bench for the (majority) of the match'.[73] When asked by a media reporter however, Mourinho refused to call the loss a 'humiliation'.[74]
On 30 November 2010, Mourinho was fined £33,500 for appearing to instruct Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos to attempt to receive a strategic second yellow card in the 4–0 win against Ajax.[75] He was also banned for two Champions League matches, the second of which is suspended for three years.[76]
On 22 December 2010, Mourinho won a match by the widest margin in his career, winning 8–0 against Levante, also of La Liga, in the first leg of their quarter-final of the Copa del Rey.[77]
On 20 April 2011, Mourinho won his first trophy in Spanish football as Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 1–0 in the Copa del Rey final held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia ending Real Madrid's eighteen-year-long cup drought.[78]
On 7 December 2011, Real Madrid defeated Ajax with a 3–0 scoreline and concluded the Champions League group stage with six victories,[79] becoming the fifth team in Champions League history to accomplish the feat.[80] The victory was the team's fifteenth consecutive win to equal a club record set 50 years earlier, in 1961.[81]
On 21 April 2012, Real Madrid won 1–2 against FC Barcelona in El Clásico in Camp Nou, extending their lead in La Liga to 7 points with four matches remaining. This was the first victory for Real Madrid in La Liga against their arch rivals since 2008 and the first overall at Camp Nou since 2007. Also, in this match Real Madrid broke the record for most goals scored in the championship, with 109.[82][83] Barca manager Pep Guardiola conceded the title to Real Madrid.[84]
Mourinho's side advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second consecutive year (the 2010-11 semi-finals was the team's furthest advance in the tournament since 2002-03). The first leg away finished with a 2-1 win to Bayern Munich. In the second leg at home, Real Madrid took a 2-0 lead from two Cristiano Ronaldo goals but Bayern's Arjen Robben (whom Mourinho previously managed at Chelsea) converted a penalty to level the aggregate at 3-3, and Madrid was eliminated in the shootout. Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes said that Mourinho "came to the dressing room to congratulate my players and coaching staff after the game. It was very noble".[85][86]
On 2 May 2012, Real Madrid won 0–3 against Athletic Bilbao, maintaining a 7 point gap to Barcelona with only 6 points left to be played, which meant Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title after 4 years since they had won it for the last time.[87]
On 13 May 2012, Real Madrid defeated Mallorca 4–1, in their last league match of the season which set records for most games won in a La Liga season (32), most away wins (16), most points obtained in any of the top European leagues (100), improving the most goals scored record they already had set earlier (121), and finishing the season with the highest goal difference(+89).[88][89] Real Madrid topped the league 9 points clear of runners-up Barcelona.
On 22 May 2012, Jose Mourinho signed a new four-year contract to remain as Real Madrid Manager, till 2016.[90]
Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | +/− | ||||
Benfica | ![]() |
20 Sep 2000 | 5 Dec 2000 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 54.55 | 17 | 9 | +8 |
União de Leiria | ![]() |
14 Apr 2001 | 20 Jan 2002 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 55 | 47 | 28 | +19 |
Porto | ![]() |
23 Jan 2002 | 26 May 2004 | 127 | 88 | 24 | 15 | 69.29 | 222 | 79 | +143 |
Chelsea | ![]() |
2 Jun 2004 | 20 Sep 2007 | 185 | 131 | 36 | 18 | 70.81 | 330 | 119 | +211 |
Internazionale | ![]() |
2 Jun 2008 | 28 May 2010 | 108 | 68 | 25 | 15 | 62.96 | 185 | 94 | +91 |
Real Madrid | ![]() |
31 May 2010 | Present | 117 | 90 | 16 | 11 | 76.92 | 322 | 96 | +226 |
Total | 567 | 394 | 109 | 65 | 69.49 | 1124 | 436 | +698 |
Statistics accurate as of match played 13 May 2012.
Between 23 February 2002 and 2 April 2011, Mourinho went 150 home league matches unbeaten: 38 (W36–D2) with Porto, 60 (W46–D14) with Chelsea, 38 (W29–D9) with Internazionale and 14 (W14–D0) with Real Madrid. The run was broken by Sporting de Gijón on 2 April 2011, when they defeated Real Madrid 1–0 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in La Liga. After the match, Mourinho entered Gijón's dressing room and congratulated them.[91] His only prior home league defeat had come when Porto lost 3–2 to Beira-Mar on 23 February 2002.[92]
In eight seasons of club management, including an eight month sabbatical in 2007–08, Mourinho has led his club to win its domestic league seven times, the UEFA Champions League twice and the UEFA Cup once. Since 2002, Mourinho has not gone a full calendar year without winning at least one trophy.
Mourinho has often been seen as a controversial figure in football. His time at Chelsea, in particular, fueled this viewpoint as he frequently made outspoken comments that saw him face punishment from the footballing authorities.[97]
One of the first controversial episodes involving José Mourinho occurred during April 2001 while the Portuguese manager was taking over the realms at União de Leiria. Mourinho and Leiria's experienced former manager Manuel José were exchanging accusations regarding their post at the club.[98] The incident later originated a legal action taken by a club's chairman against Manuel José.[99] The event was highly publicized in the Portuguese media with Manuel José challenging Mourinho of besting the fifth place União de Leiria were lying when he was replaced.
On 31 January 2004, after a Sporting Clube de Portugal vs. Porto 1–1 match in Lisbon, Porto keeper Vítor Baía and Sporting midfielder Rui Jorge exchanged shirts. Mourinho took Rui Jorge's shirt from Baia and ripped it. Mourinho was not punished for the action. On 26 February, after the Porto vs. Manchester United match at Dragão, an angered Sir Alex Ferguson (United's manager) ran away from Mourinho and refused to shake hands with him. Mourinho called him to apologize. In March, before a Barcelona vs. Celtic match for the UEFA Cup, Mourinho criticized Celtic's coach Martin O'Neill and his team for playing non-attractive football, and recalled the 2003 UEFA Cup final between Porto and Celtic, when, as he said "we kept the ball and they just ran all over the pitch trying to get to us with their horrible and aggressive style". O'Neill responded harshly criticizing the "diving" Porto players used to get fouls. "Mourinho's comments are just unbelievable. I just treat them with the response they deserve. He's still to get over the embarrassment of Vitor Baia lying out on the turf for three or four days" O'Neill said.
On 6 October 2004, Adrian Mutu accused Mourinho of trying to prevent him from playing in a World Cup qualifier. Mourinho was informed by the Chelsea medical team that the player was unfit after a knee injury, but Mutu disagreed and insisted he was fit to play.[100][101] The fitness disagreement soon became irrelevant as Mutu tested positive for cocaine in a routine drugs test and he was sacked on 29 October 2004.[102]
Following a Champions League tie between Chelsea and Barcelona in March 2005, Mourinho accused Anders Frisk and Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard of breaking FIFA rules by having a meeting at half–time. Mourinho insisted that this biased the referee and caused him to send off Chelsea striker Didier Drogba in the second half.[103] Frisk admitted that Rijkaard had tried to speak to him but insisted that he had sent him away.[104] The situation intensified when Frisk began to receive death threats from angered fans, causing the referee to retire prematurely.[105] The UEFA referee's chief, Volker Roth, labeled Mourinho an "enemy of football",[106] although UEFA distanced themselves from the comment.[107] After an investigation of the incident, Mourinho was given a two-match touchline ban for his behaviour and both Chelsea and the manager were fined by UEFA, though the body confirmed that it did not hold Mourinho personally responsible for Frisk's retirement.[108][109]
On 2 June 2005, Mourinho was fined £200,000 for his part in the meeting with then Arsenal full-back Ashley Cole in January 2005 in breach of the Premier League rules. His fine was later reduced to £75,000 after a hearing in August.[110] Later that year, he labeled Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger "a voyeur" after being irked at what he saw as the latter's apparent obsession with Chelsea. Wenger was furious with the remark and considered taking legal action against Mourinho.[111] However, the animosity died down and the two managers made peace after Mourinho admitted that he regretted making the comment.[112]
In August 2009, Mourinho again found himself causing controversy after commenting that the performance of Muslim player Sulley Muntari was lacking fitness and energy due to fasting during the month of Ramadan. He was reported to have said, "Muntari had some problems related to Ramadan, perhaps with this heat it's not good for him to be doing this [fasting]. Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match."[113] The comments sparked an angry response from Muslim leader Mohamed Nour Dachan, who responded, "I think Mourinho could do with talking a little less. A practising [Muslim] player is not weakened because we know from the Institute of Sports Medicine that mental and psychological stability can give a sportsman an extra edge on the field."[114]
On 21 April 2010, after Inter's 3–1 win against FC Barcelona in Milan, Catalan media alleged that Mourinho and Portuguese referee Olegário Benquerença (who was the referee of the San Siro match) were long time friends and also that they co-own a restaurant called O Menino in Leiria, Portugal, accusing Benquerença's friendship with Mourinho of being responsible for Inter's win. Catalan radio and media also claimed that Benquerença is called Larapio ("thief") in Portugal, since a 2004 match between Benfica and Porto in Lisbon in which Benquerença disallowed a dubious goal by Benfica's Petit, thus helping Porto to win 1–0; however, that match took place the season after Mourinho's departure from the club.[115] Mourinho himself denied any such allegiances. "I have no restaurant with anybody" he said, "maybe [Barcelona manager] Pep [Guardiola] has a restaurant in Oslo", taunting Norwegian referee Tom Henning Øvrebø's role in Barcelona's qualification against Chelsea in London for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League semifinal.[116]
In a Champions League match at Ajax, late in the match when Real Madrid were leading 4–0, two Real Madrid players received late second yellow cards related to time wasting. The result of this meant they were suspended for the final group match even though Madrid would come first in the group, but would benefit by entering the round of 16 without any accumulated yellow cards. It was suggested that this was a deliberate ploy under Mourinho's instruction via two players in a substitution. As a result, UEFA charged Mourinho along with the four related players with improper conduct.[117]
On 17 August 2011, in the final of the 2011 Supercopa de España, Mourinho was seen gouging the eye of Barcelona's assistant coach Tito Vilanova during a brawl at the end of the game. After the game Mourinho did not comment on the incident except to claim that he did not know who "Pito" Vilanova was, with Pito being Spanish slang for penis.[118][119]
Mourinho met his wife Matilde "Tami" Faria, born in Angola, when they were teenagers in Setúbal, Portugal, and the couple married in 1989.[120][121] Their first child, daughter Matilde, was born in 1996 and they had their first son, José Mário, Jr., four years later. Mourinho, whilst dedicated to football, describes his family as the centre of his life and has noted that the "most important thing is my family and being a good father."[13][121] He was selected as the New Statesman Man of the Year 2005 and was described as a man devoted to both his family and his work.[12] Mourinho has also been a part of social initiatives and charity work, helping with a youth project, bringing Israeli and Palestinian children together through football and donating his "lucky" jacket to Tsunami Relief, earning £22,000 for the charity.[122][123] José Mourinho is a Catholic.[124]
Widely known for his strong personality, refined dress sense,[125] and quirky comments at press conferences,[126] Mourinho has experienced fame outside of football circles, featuring in European advertisement campaigns for Samsung, American Express, Braun and adidas, amongst others.[127] An unofficial biography of Mourinho, titled O Vencedor – De Setúbal a Stamford Bridge (The Winner – from Setúbal to Stamford Bridge), was a best seller in Portugal. However, Mourinho did not authorise the biography and attempted, unsuccessfully, to prevent the book from being published.[128]
Mourinho was part of an unusual event in May 2007 when he was arrested for preventing animal welfare officials from putting his dog in to quarantine.[129] The dog had not been sufficiently inoculated but the situation was resolved after it was returned to Portugal and Mourinho received a police caution.[130]
In 23 March 2009, José Mourinho was awarded a doctorate honoris causa degree by the Technical University of Lisbon for his accomplishments in football.[95]
Mourinho speaks Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French and English fluently. He also speaks Catalan.[131] In October 2010, Mourinho was ranked No.9 on the list of Most Influential Men published by AskMen.com. In December 2011 he was named 'Rockstar of the Year' by the Spanish Rolling Stone magazine.[132]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: José Mourinho |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Félix, José Mário dos Santos Mourinho |
Alternative names | Mourinho, José |
Short description | Footballer/Manager |
Date of birth | 26 January 1963 |
Place of birth | Setúbal, Portugal |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
![]() Ronaldo playing for Real Madrid |
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Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro | ||
Date of birth | (1985-02-05) 5 February 1985 (age 27) | ||
Place of birth | Funchal, Madeira, Portugal | ||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
Playing position | Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Real Madrid | ||
Number | 7 | ||
Youth career | |||
1993–1995 | Andorinha | ||
1995–1997 | Nacional | ||
1997–2002 | Sporting CP | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
2002–2003 | Sporting CP | 25 | (3) |
2003–2009 | Manchester United | 196 | (84) |
2009– | Real Madrid | 101 | (112) |
National team‡ | |||
2001–2002 | Portugal U17 | 9 | (6) |
2003 | Portugal U20 | 5 | (1) |
2002–2003 | Portugal U21 | 6 | (3) |
2004 | Portugal U23 | 3 | (1) |
2003– | Portugal | 89 | (32) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:00, 13 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,[2] OIH, (born 5 February 1985),[3] commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world,[4] and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.[5]
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup. He also played at Euro 2004 with Portugal and scored his first international goal in the opening game of the tournament against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of this competition.
Ronaldo was the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. He was third in the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year award and second in the 2007 Ballon d'Or award. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, was named best forward and player of the tournament and was the competition's top goalscorer as well as winning the European Golden Shoe, becoming the first winger to do so, and topping the Premier League Golden Boot award. He won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies, only missing the PFA Young Player of the Year, and was named the FIFPro, World Soccer, Onze d'Or,[6][7][8] and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.[9] Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the FIFA Puskás Award, in 2009, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year. He scored that goal from 40 yards out against Porto in a UEFA Champions League quarter-final match, while playing for Manchester United.[10] Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."[11] He was second in the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award and also second in the 2009 Ballon d'Or award.
After moving to Real Madrid in 2009, in his second season, Ronaldo became the highest goalscorer in a season in the history of Real Madrid with 53 goals, surpassing the club's previous high of 49 by Ferenc Puskás. During this season Ronaldo broke the record of most goals ever scored in a season in La Liga with 40, surpassing Telmo Zarra's and Hugo Sánchez's mark (38 goals) established in 1951 and 1990, respectively. Ronaldo also broke Zarra's record of most goals per minute, with a goal scored every 70.7 minutes. The newspaper Marca, the official deliverer of the Pichichi Trophy (the top La Liga goalscorer award), claimed that Ronaldo scored 41 goals (Marca assigned one more goal to Ronaldo than La Liga, which attributed it to Pepe). By doing so, he won the European Golden Shoe award once again, becoming the first player to win the trophy in two different championships. He was third in the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award and second in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or. On 24 March 2012, with the first of two goals scored in the match against Real Sociedad, Ronaldo became the fastest La Liga player to score 100 goals in the league.[12] Ronaldo officially broke his previous record of 40 goals in a La Liga season in the 2011–12 season; by doing so, he became first player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two consecutive years in any of the top European leagues. On 13 May 2012, the last matchday, Ronaldo scored against Mallorca which made him the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Liga.[13] He finished the season with 60 goals in every competition, breaking the Real Madrid record he had set the previous season.
Ronaldo has been described as a skillful winger who will take on any defender with his dribbling and pace; he hits his free kicks with power and pace, and is able to beat defenders off the dribble and cross the ball. He is able to score with his head and feet.[14]
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Ronaldo was born in Santo António, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener.[15] His second given name "Ronaldo" was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.[3] His great-grandmother Isabel da Piedade was from Cape Verde.[16]
At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.[17]
Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Academia Sporting, the club's football academy, in Alcochete. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting's under-16, under-17, under-18, B-team, and the first team, all within one season.[18] He scored two goals in his league debut on 7 October 2002, which Sporting CP won 3–0 against Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the 2002 European Under-17 Championship.[19]
At the age of 15 Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo's mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.[20]
In November 2002, Ronaldo was invited to Arsenal's training ground, London Colney to meet manager Arsène Wenger and his coaching staff.[21] Wenger, who was interested in signing the midfielder had arranged to meet Ronaldo's representatives, Formation (who suggested the player originally to Gérard Houllier, then Liverpool's manager) in the subsequent months to discuss a transfer arrangement.[22] However he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.[23]
Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for €15 million[24] (£12.24 million) after the 2002–03 season.[25] He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."[26]
Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 3–0 FA Cup final victory over Millwall.[27]
He scored United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough.[28] He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.
He was sent off in the Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium on 14 January 2006 (a game which United lost 3–1) for kicking City's former United player Andrew Cole.[29]
Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football in the 2005–06 season, scoring the third goal in Manchester United's 4–0 Football League Cup final victory over Wigan Athletic.[30]
The 2006–2007 season proved to be the breakout year for Ronaldo, as he broke the 20 goal barrier for the first time and picked up his first league title with Manchester United.
In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996.[31][32] He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals Manchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.
Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo,[33] he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.[34][35]
Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour.[36] In April, he completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
Ronaldo's 2007–08 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban.[37] Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future.[38] After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.[39]
He finished as the runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d'Or,[40] and was third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi.[41]
Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table.[42] He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Reading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season.[43] During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA.[44] One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.[45]
On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory.[46] The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season.[47] Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08 European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Güiza.[48]
In the 2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but John Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match,[49] and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling four short of Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season.
On 5 June 2008, Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount of money the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year.[50] Manchester United filed a tampering complaint with FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, but FIFA declined to take any action.[51][52] Speculation that a transfer would happen continued until 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at United for at least another year.[53]
Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on 7 July.[54] He returned to action on 17 September in United's UEFA Champions League goalless group-stage draw with Villarreal as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung,[55] and scored his first overall goal of the season in a 3–1 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24 September.
In a 5–0 win over Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks.[56] The goals also meant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier League at the time.[57] On 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or recipient since George Best in 1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi.[58] He was awarded the Silver Ball after finishing with two goals as United won the Club World Cup on 19 December.[59]
On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he wrote off his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a tunnel along the A538 near Manchester Airport. A breathalyser test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning.[60] Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since Luís Figo in 2001.[61]
Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in a 2–0 victory over Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals.[62] In the second leg against Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yard game-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. He later called it the best goal he had ever scored.[63][64] Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive Champions League final, but made little impact in United's 2–0 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higher than the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.
On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club.[65] It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson.[66] When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career."[67]
On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009 from Manchester United for £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million),[68] after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract.[69] Ronaldo's contract is worth €11 million per year[4] and it has a €1 billion buy-out clause.[70] He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July,[71] where he was handed the number 9 jersey.[72] The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano.[73] Ronaldo was welcomed by 80,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.[74]
Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later with a penalty in Madrid's 4–2 win over LDU Quito.[75] On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo La Coruña.[76] On 15 September, Ronaldo scored two free-kicks in a 5–2 away victory over Zürich, his first Champions League goals for Real.[77] He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match against Villarreal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.[78]
An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with Portugal against Hungary,[79] kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against Milan. Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1–0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career in Madrid's 4–2 victory against Almería, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.[80] On 5 May 2010 Ronaldo scored his first Real Madrid hat-trick in an away game against Mallorca. Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín scored 53 league goals during the course of the season and became Real's highest scoring league duo in their history.[81]
With the departure of Raúl during the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the No. 7 jersey for Real Madrid.[82] On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals against Racing de Santander,[83] the most goals he has ever scored in a single match.[84] This completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (three in La Liga, one in the Champions League, and two for Portugal) in which Ronaldo scored in each match, totalling 11 goals, which is the most Ronaldo has scored in a single month. Before Real Madrid's 5–0 defeat by Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo scored his second La Liga hat-trick of the season in a 5–1 win over Athletic Bilbao.[85] His final match of the calendar year saw him score a hat-trick in a 8–0 trashing of Levante in the Copa del Rey.[86]
Ronaldo began the 2011 with a very promising outlook, especially after Real Madrid acknowledged he had broken numerous goalscoring records, previously settled and held by classic players such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Hugo Sánchez, and Manuel Alday.[87][88] Ronaldo began his scoring spree by scoring two vital goals in a tight 3–2 victory away to Getafe.[89] He then consolidated his massive performances by scoring a hat-trick and assisting Kaká to score his first league goal after his return from injury, in a 4–2 victory over Villarreal on 9 January. One game away from the middle of the season, Ronaldo had a very clear chance of breaking Telmo Zarra's and Hugo Sánchez's record of 38 League goals in a single season, since he was the league's top scorer with 22 goals, above Lionel Messi.[90][91] However, shortly after, Ronaldo experienced the biggest goal drought in his entire career, scoring only 2 goals in more than a month. During this period, Real Madrid acknowledged to have hit the crossbar more than 12 times in the season, most of the shots belonging to Ronaldo and almost all having happened during crucial moments in drawn matches.[92] Ronaldo then made a massive comeback by scoring a hat-trick in a 7–0 trashing of Málaga on 3 March 2011, but was affected by a muscle injury at the end of the match, which forced him to spend 10 days on the sidelines.
In April he made another massive comeback from injury, sustaining a three-game scoring streak (including 2 goals in Champions League quarter-finals against Tottenham Hotspur), thus arriving to the first of a historical series of four El Clásico encounters two goals short of breaking his personal record of 42 goals in all competitions in a single season, achieved at Manchester United in the 2007–08 season.
During the second league edition of El Clásico, Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot and took his tally to 41 goals, also taking his scoring streak to four games. On 20 April, Ronaldo scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the 103rd minute of the Copa del Rey final.[93] This goal would later be chosen as both Ronaldo's and Real Madrid's best goal in the season by several fan polls, including those of Marca[94] and Real Madrid's website.[95] 7 May saw Real travel to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán to take on Sevilla, where Ronaldo led the thrashing of a woeful Andalusian side, scoring four goals in a 6–2 victory. These four goals took him to 46 for the season which surpassed his previous record of 42 in a season playing for Manchester United.[96] Three days later he reached 49 goals for the season, by scoring another hat-trick in a 4–0 home win against Getafe. On 15 May, after scoring two free-kick goals in a 3–1 win over Villarreal, he equalled the La Liga record with most goals in a season with 38, a record previously held by Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sánchez.
On 21 May, he scored two goals in the last league match of the season against Almería, taking his Pichichi total to 41, and La Liga total to 40, becoming the first and only player to score 40 goals in a La Liga season. By doing this, he won the European Golden Shoe award once again, becoming the first player to win the trophy in two different leagues. The sports newspaper Marca, who awards the Pichichi Trophy, included the goal scored on 18 September 2010 against Real Sociedad in Ronaldo's goal count, which had been officially attributed to Pepe.[97] Should this goal be granted to Ronaldo, his goal count in the Pichichi Trophy would tally 41 goals. However, regardless of this goal polemic, Ronaldo's record-breaking figures became a source of major attention from public media, such as being included in the Sports Illustrated World XI,[98] rating him as one of the world's best footballers. Accounting for all competitions, Ronaldo ended the season with a total of 53 goals (not granting him the controversial goal from Pepe), having scored 25 goals with his right foot (excluding free-kicks and penalty-kicks) and 9 with his left foot.[99]
Real Madrid's pre-season began with a 4–1 victory over MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy,[100] with goals from Callejón, Joselu, Ronaldo, and Benzema.[101] Four days later Ronaldo scored a second half hat-trick in a 3–0 win against Guadalajara. Ronaldo's preseason performance was highly praised as world media kept hailing Ronaldo's extreme competitiveness and motivation, even during friendly matches. On 17 August 2011, Ronaldo scored his 100th goal with Real Madrid with a first-half equalizer against Barcelona in the second leg of the 2011 Spanish Supercup in the Camp Nou. On August 27, 2011, he opened the 2011–12 La Liga season with a hat-trick in a 6–0 win at Real Zaragoza.
In the first weeks of September, Ronaldo's physical performance was subject to scrutiny by world media, after Castrol released a television film named Ronaldo: Tested to the Limit where he was put to test in several fields, including mental and physical. Conclusions from the movie and doctors in the weeks following claimed that Ronaldo was one of the best athletes in the world, excelling in football and outstanding in almost every other category.[citation needed] Several sources[weasel words] drew comparisons between him and other top athletes, including sprinter Usain Bolt.[citation needed] On 24 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick (including two penalties) in Real Madrid's 6–2 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu. This was his ninth La Liga hat-trick and tenth hat-trick for Real Madrid. On September 27, Ronaldo scored Real's opening goal in a 3–0 defeat of Ajax in the Champions League. On 22 October, after not scoring in his previous three games, Ronaldo scored his tenth La Liga hat-trick and eleventh in total for Real Madrid in a match away to Málaga, which Real Madrid won 4–0. His twelfth Real Madrid hat-trick followed on 6 November, in a 7–1 victory over Osasuna that ensured Madrid stayed top of the table heading into the international break.[102] On 19 November 2011, Ronaldo scored Real's second goal in a 2–3 defeat of Valencia. On 26 November 2011, Ronaldo scored two penalties in a 4–1 defeat of Atlético Madrid in the El Derbi madrileño. On 3 December 2011, Ronaldo scored Madrid's second goal in a 0–3 defeat of Sporting de Gijón in La Liga. He was one of the three finalists for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or. On 13 December 2011, Ronaldo scored the second goal against SD Ponferradina in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Round 4, the match ended in a 0–2 win. On 17 December 2011, Ronaldo scored his twelfth La Liga hat-trick and thirteenth overall in a 6–2 win away to Sevilla. Ronaldo was third in the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, behind Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernández, and second in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or, behind Lionel Messi and ahead of Xavi Hernández. In Real Madrid's next game in La Liga at home to Granada Ronaldo scored the fifth goal in a 5–1 win. He was notably criticized in the public media[who?] for not celebrating the goal. On 22 January 2012, Ronaldo scored two penalties in a 4–1 win over Athletic Bilbao, and on 28 January scored Real Madrid's second and winning goal in a 3–1 win against Zaragoza. Ronaldo also scored two goals against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Quarter-finals, which Real lost 4–3 on aggregrate. On 12 February 2012, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, his thirteenth in La Liga and fourteenth for Real Madrid, in a 4–2 home win over Levante. This win stretched Real Madrid's lead over second-placed Barcelona to 10 points. On 24 March 2012, Ronaldo reached more than 100 goals in La Liga in just three season at Real Madrid. As of March 24, 2012, Ronaldo had averaged 1.01 goals per game in La Liga.
On 11 April, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in a 1–4 win, as well as assisting the last goal. His hat-trick, one goal from a free kick, one from 30 yards on the left wing and one penalty, gave him 40 league goals in the season, making him the only player in La Liga history to score 40 goals in two seasons, even doing so in consecutive seasons. Ronaldo officially broke his previous record of 40 goals in a La Liga season on 14 April, scoring in a 3–1 win against Sporting Gijón.
Ronaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1–0 victory against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003.[103]
Ronaldo was called up for Euro 2004,[104] scoring in a 2–1 group stage loss to eventual champions Greece[105] and in a 2–1 semi-final win over the Netherlands.[106] He was named in the team of the tournament despite finishing with only two goals.[107] He also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[108][109]
Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals,[107] and scored his first World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick.[110]
During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee Horacio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off.[111] On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.[112]
The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United,[113] and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid.[114] In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroz to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney.[115][116] Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.[117]
Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semi-final defeat to France,[118] and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans.[119] Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.[120]
One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil on 6 February 2007.[121] This move was in honour of Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a gesture... [he] is too young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us."[122]
Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign,[123] behind Poland's Ebi Smolarek, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany.[124] When Carlos Queiroz was named Portugal's new coach in July 2008,[125] he appointed Ronaldo as team captain.[126]
On 15 June 2010, in Portugal's opening World Cup match against Côte d'Ivoire, Ronaldo was tackled by right-back Guy Demel, which led to an argument and both being booked. The next day, Portugal contacted FIFA to suggest that Ronaldo's yellow card be rescinded since he was "pulled into" the confrontation after having already moved away from the spot where he was tackled, but the appeal was rejected.[127]
Ronaldo failed to make an impact in the World Cup; after going scoreless in the qualifiers, his only goal came in Portugal's 7–0 group stage thrashing of North Korea on 21 June,[128] which marked his first international goal in 16 months.[129] Portugal were ultimately eliminated by Spain in the Round of 16.
Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 June 2004 | Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal | ![]() |
1–2 | 1–2 | Euro 2004 |
2 | 30 June 2004 | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–1 | Euro 2004 |
3 | 4 September 2004 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia | ![]() |
0–1 | 0–2 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
4 | 8 September 2004 | Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal | ![]() |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
5 | 13 October 2004 | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
2–0 | 7–1 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
6 | 13 October 2004 | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
4–0 | 7–1 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
7 | 17 November 2004 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxemburg City, Luxembourg | ![]() |
0–2 | 0–5 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
8 | 4 June 2005 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
9 | 8 June 2005 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | ![]() |
0–1 | 0–1 | 2006 World Cup Qualification |
10 | 1 March 2006 | LTU Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany | ![]() |
0–1 | 0–3 | Friendly |
11 | 1 March 2006 | LTU Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany | ![]() |
0–3 | 0–3 | Friendly |
12 | 17 June 2006 | Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 World Cup |
13 | 7 October 2006 | Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal | ![]() |
1–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
14 | 7 October 2006 | Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal | ![]() |
3–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
15 | 15 November 2006 | Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal | ![]() |
2–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
16 | 24 March 2007 | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
2–0 | 4–0 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
17 | 24 March 2007 | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
4–0 | 4–0 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
18 | 22 August 2007 | Hanrapetakan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia | ![]() |
1–1 | 1–1 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
19 | 8 September 2007 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–2 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
20 | 17 October 2007 | Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan | ![]() |
0–2 | 1–2 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
21 | 11 June 2008 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland | ![]() |
1–2 | 1–3 | Euro 2008 |
22 | 11 February 2009 | Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
23 | 21 June 2010 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa | ![]() |
6–0 | 7–0 | 2010 World Cup |
24 | 8 October 2010 | Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal | ![]() |
3–1 | 3–1 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
25 | 12 October 2010 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | ![]() |
0–1 | 1–3 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
26 | 9 February 2011 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland | ![]() |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
27 | 10 August 2011 | Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal | ![]() |
2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
28 | 2 September 2011 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus | ![]() |
0–1 | 0–4 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
29 | 2 September 2011 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus | ![]() |
0–2 | 0–4 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
30 | 11 October 2011 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
31 | 15 November 2011 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
1–0 | 6–2 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
32 | 15 November 2011 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal | ![]() |
3–1 | 6–2 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
Ronaldo's father, José Dinis Aveiro, died of an alcoholism-related liver condition in September 2005[130] at age 52 when Ronaldo was 20. Ronaldo's mother and Manchester United coach have stated that he does not drink alcohol as a result and he has received libel damages over a Daily Mirror article that reported him drinking heavily in a nightclub while recovering from an injury in July 2008.[131]
Ronaldo's autobiography, titled Moments, was published in December 2007.[132] Along with one of his sisters, Ronaldo opened a fashion boutique under the name "CR7" (his initials and shirt number).[133] There are currently two CR7 shop locations, both of which are in Portugal; one in Lisbon and the other in Madeira.
On 9 June 2010, Madame Tussauds London unveiled Ronaldo's waxwork as part of the build-up to the World Cup. Ronaldo joined fellow footballers Steven Gerrard, Pelé and David Beckham at the event's venue.[134]
Ronaldo announced that he had become a father on 3 July 2010. His official Facebook and Twitter pages reference the birth of his son and request privacy.[135] The child, named Cristiano[136] is in full custody of Ronaldo.[135]
In August 2010, Ronaldo reached 10 million fans on Facebook and in doing so made history by becoming the first non-American personality ever to achieve that kind of success on the social networking site.[137]
Ronaldo has previously dated English models Alice Goodwin[138] and Gemma Atkinson, and since the start of 2010, he has been dating Russian model Irina Shayk.[139]
On December 5, 2011, Cristiano launched an iPhone game called Heads Up with Cristiano. The game is created by developer RockLive.[140].
In 17 May 2012, Ronaldo and Castrol EDGE launched a live-streamed football challenge against fans through Facebook. #RonaldoLIVE would be the world's first interactive football challenge streamed live through Facebook from a state-of-the-art testing facility in Madrid.[141]
Television footage of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami showed an eight-year-old boy wearing a No. 7 Portuguese football jersey who was stranded for 19 days after his family was killed. Following this, Ronaldo visited Aceh, Indonesia, to raise funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction.[142][143]
In support of the victims of the 2010 Madeira flood, Ronaldo played in a charity match in Madeira between the Primeira Liga club FC Porto and players from Madeiran based clubs Marítimo and Nacional.[144]
Statistics accurate as of 13 May 2012.
Club | Season | League1 | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other2 | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Sporting CP | 2002–03 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 5 | |
Total | 25 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 5 | ||
Manchester United | 2003–04 | 29 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 6 |
2004–05 | 33 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 9 | |
2005–06 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | – | 47 | 12 | ||
2006–07 | 34 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | – | 53 | 23 | ||
2007–08 | 34 | 31 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 42 | |
2008–09 | 33 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 53 | 26 | |
Total | 196 | 84 | 26 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 55 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 292 | 118 | |
Real Madrid | 2009–10 | 29 | 26 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 7 | – | 35 | 33 | ||
2010–11 | 34 | 40 | 8 | 7 | – | 12 | 6 | – | 54 | 53 | |||
2011–12 | 38 | 46 | 5 | 3 | – | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 55 | 60 | ||
Total | 101 | 112 | 13 | 10 | – | 28 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 144 | 146 | ||
Career total | 322 | 199 | 42 | 25 | 12 | 4 | 86 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 467 | 269 |
12010–11 season notice: Does not include one goal scored on 18 September 2010 against Real Sociedad. Marca, which awards the Pichichi Trophy, attribute it to Ronaldo while La Liga and UEFA attribute it to Pepe.[97]
2Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Supercopa de España.
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Portugal | 2003 | 2 | 0 |
2004 | 16 | 7 | |
2005 | 10 | 2 | |
2006 | 14 | 6 | |
2007 | 10 | 5 | |
2008 | 8 | 1 | |
2009 | 7 | 1 | |
2010 | 11 | 3 | |
2011 | 9 | 7 | |
2012 | 2 | 0 | |
Total | 89 | 32 |
Professional career totals | |||
---|---|---|---|
Teams | Appearances | Goals | Goals per game |
Clubs | 467 | 269 | 0.58 |
National team | 089 | 032 | 0.36 |
Olympic final | 003 | 001 | 0.33 |
Total | 559 | 302 | 0.54 |
Statistics accurate as of match played 26 May 2012.
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Sporting positions | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Nuno Gomes |
Portugal national football team captain 2008–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Persondata | |
---|---|
Name | Dos Santos Aveiro, Cristiano Ronaldo |
Alternative names | Ronaldo, Cristiano |
Short description | Portuguese footballer |
Date of birth | 5 February 1985 |
Place of birth | Funchal, Madeira, Portugal |
Date of death | |
Place of death |