SPORTS NEWS.

Sosa played for Argentina Under-20 team during the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship.

National coach Alfio Basile drafted Sosa for the national team on 28 February 2007. Sosa said to the press that he will "never forget this Tuesday" in which he achieved two of his childhood dreams (the transfer to a major European club and the call to the national team).[3]

He made his debut as a substitute (86') at a friendly match against Mexico on 9 March 2007. He played his second match and as starter eleven against Chile, 18 April 2007.

Sosa scored his first goal for Argentina on 26 January 2010 in a 3-2 win in a friendly match against Costa Rica, scoring the opening goal of the game with a header on 10 minutes.

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, better known as Kaká, practically swept the 2007 annual footballer awards, receiving the FIFA World Player of the Year, FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball, UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and Ballon d'Or. Born in Brasilia, Brazil, he debuted with Sao Paulo FC in 2001 and has played for AC Milan since 2003. Playing for Brazil's national team since 2002, Kaka is credited with orchestrating the team's 2007 FIFA Club World Cup win by scoring a goal and assisting on two others. Kaka was a member of the Brazil national football team when it won the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2006, and captained the team for its runner-up finish in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Other honors Kaka has received include winning the FIFA Club World Cup with Brazil in 2007, winning the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup with Brazil, winning the UEFA Super Cup in 2003 and 2007 with Milan, being named UEFA's 2007 Champion League Top Scorer and FIFPro's 2007 World Player of the Year. Considering his many achievements, it is interesting to note that at 18 he suffered a potentially paralyzing injury when he fractured a vertebra by jumping into a pool. Kaka plays in the attacking midfielder and center forward positions.

Feng was part of the squad in the China Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Olympics where he was the first choice centre back pair with Li Weifeng[5].

He actually made his senior debut in 2004, however he did not establish himself until 2008 where he played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification against the Iraq national football team[6] where he has since become a regular for the national team.

He actually made his senior debut in 2004, however he did not establish himself until 2008 where he played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification against the Iraq national football team[6] where he has since become a regular for the national team.

He was a former captain of China's U-23 Football Team and China's Olympic Team in 2004 where he was highly praised as the future Fan Zhiyi. He was described by Maradona, who watched him in action at the 2001 World Youth Championship in Argentina as having unparalleled speed and a keen sense of how to defend[6]. He would then rapidly rise through the Chinese youth teams to graduate into the senior Chinese national team when he made his debut against Trinidad and Tobago in a friendly on Augest 5, 2001 in a game that China won 3-0[7]. This lead to several further games and despite his lack of experience he was called up into the squad that played at the 2002 World Cup[8][9]. Due to injury he was dropped for the national team in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup that reached the final where Arie Haan preferred to play Zheng Zhi in defence[10]. Du Wei was able to regain his position within the national team after the tournament and was recalled for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup squad. When Gao Hongbo became the new Chinese Head coach he chose Du Wei as his captain and he lead China to win the 2010 East Asian Football Championship.

Due to his impressive performances at the beginning of the 2009 league season he was called into Gao Hongbo's first squad for the National team. Zeng Cheng would make his debut against Iran in a friendly, which China won 1-0 on 1st of June 2009

Brazil won a duel against Argentina in 15th round of South American World Cup 2010 qualifying, with result 3 - 1, and so they afforded Argentina the first home defeat in qualifying for   World Cup in last 16 years.

But, with this victory, Carlos Dunga team secured the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for Brazil, while the Argentine boys are in very bad situation. Before the important match in Paraguay, Argentina is still on fourth place, the last that leads directly to the World Cup, with two points more than Colombia and Ecuador, and four ahead of Uruguay and Venezuela.

Goals for Brazil have scored Luis in 24th minute, Luis Fabiano in 30th minute and Kaka in 67 minute. Only goal for Argentina was scored in 65th minute, scorer was Jesus Datolo.

This defeat is first for Argentina as hosts in last 16 years. The last defeat was also very painful: Colombia beat Argentina with high 5-0 result, goals are scored by Faustino Asprill (2), Freddy Rincon (2) and Adolfo "El tren" of Valencia. This year Argentina secured the World Cup in the United States in an additional qualification (Australia). It is likely that same situation could be repeated.

Ronaldo, one of the best players ever, and now player of Brazilian football club Corinthians, will play again for the Brazil national team in qualifying for the World Cup 2010, announced the Brazilian daily O'Globo.

Brazilians write that head coach Carlos Dunga will invite Ronaldo to participate in the last two matches of South American qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa: 11 October against Bolivia in La Paz, and three days later against Venezuela in Brazil. It is likely that Brazil will ensure its performance at the South African World Cup before that.

"Phenomenon" is currently injured and now is recovering from a wrist break, which earned on 26th of July, and Ronaldo should play again for his Corinthians at the end of September.

So Ronaldo could get a chance to play in his fourth World Cup, and arrive on the fifth: in 1994 he was part of the Brazilian team in United States, but not played any minute, then he was only 18-year-old.

Shortly after his debuts with Académica, Castro became a defensive stalwart for the Portuguese U21s, and appeared at the 2006 European Championship on home soil. There, he appeared in three complete matches, as Portugal exited in the group stage, and scored an own goal in the 0–2 defeat against Serbia.[2]

On June 10, 2009, Castro finally made his full debut, in a 0–0 friendly match in Estonia. On May 10 of the following year, in spite of a poor season at Deportivo, he was included in a provisional squad of 24 players announced by Carlos Queiroz, in view of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

However he was cut after Pepe was recovered in-time to the World Cup.

A Portugal international at the age of 18, He made his debut with the country's shirt against Egypt, in a 2–0 win home friendly. Ever since the 2006 FIFA World Cup he became a regular call-up.

On 31 May 2008, Moutinho registered his first goal for Portugal in their 2–0 friendly victory over Georgia at Estádio do Fontelo in Viseu. He was picked for the squad-of-23 for UEFA Euro 2008 and, in the opening game, assisted on a goal by Raul Meireles, in a 2–0 victory against Turkey.

He also played in two UEFA European Under-21 Football Championships, scoring against Germany in the 2006 edition, played on home soil,[5] as the Portuguese exited in the group stage on both occasions.

Although not part of the provisional 24-player list for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa,[6][7] Moutinho was named in a backup list of six players

João Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈɐ̃w̃ moˈtĩɲu]) born 8 September 1986 in Portimão, Algarve) is a Portuguese footballer currently playing for Sporting Club de Portugal (where he is team captain), also being a Portuguese international.

Mainly a central midfielder, he can also operate as a holding or attacking midfielder, on either flank(Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈɐ̃w̃ moˈtĩɲu]) born 8 September 1986 in Portimão, Algarve) is a Portuguese footballer currently playing for Sporting Club de Portugal (where he is team captain), also being a Portuguese international.

Mainly a central midfielder, he can also operate as a holding or attacking midfielder, on either flank

Assis started playing football in his hometown Lousã, before being spotted by Sporting Clube de Portugal; he then moved to the Lisbon club's youth system, and later was loaned to its feeder club Sporting Clube Lourinhanense. Assis made his debuts in the top division in 1999–2000, playing 19 matches for F.C. Alverca while still on loan from Sporting. He was then loaned a final time the following season to Gil Vicente FC, for whom he scored his first-ever top flight goals. In 2002–03, with Vitória de Guimarães, Assis struck three times in 33 matches and added four in 31 matches in the following. On 25 January 2004, he played in a 1–0 home loss against future club Benfica, a game overshadowed by the tragic death of Benfica's Miklós Fehér.

In 2004–05, Assis started with Guimarães, but moved to S.L. Benfica mid-season, to replace burning-out star Zlatko Zahovič.[1] He scored on his debut for Benfica, against Moreirense FC, in a 2–1 away success.

Prior to 2008–09 kick-off, after being used relatively in three 1/2 seasons, Assis was released by Benfica, alongside Luís Filipe, re-joining Vitória Guimarães. On January 30, 2009, he netted his first career hat-trick, in a 4–2 win at Vitória de Setúbal.

 

Assis' first game for the Portuguese national team was under coach Agostinho Oliveira in November 2002, in a friendly match. He came in as a substitute in the 2–0 victory over Scotland.

After more than six years of absence, Assis returned to the national team, taking the pitch during the second half of the decisive 2010 World Cup qualifier against Malta (4–0, in Guimarães); he was not picked, however, for the final stages in South Africa

Coming through the youth teams of F.C. Porto, Tonel made his professional debut when he was loaned out to Académica de Coimbra during the 2000–01 season. Despite earning a good reputation for himself during the three-season loan spell, he was deemed surplus to requirements by his parent club and was released. He moved to C.S. Marítimo during the summer of 2004, as part of an exchange deal between Marítimo and Porto which saw Pepe arrive at the Estádio do Dragão.

Tonel enjoyed a hugely successful season for the Madeira team, picking up some European experience during the club's UEFA Cup tie against Rangers FC. He formed a fomidable partnership with Dutch Mitchell van der Gaag in defence and became one of the team's leading figures, playing 28 league games and scoring once, on September 25, 2004, in a 2–1 home win over Boavista FC.

After an impressive season, Tonel signed a three-year deal with Sporting Clube de Portugal for €500,000, on July 2005.[1] The bad luck that accompanied him while at Porto did not rear its head the second time, as Tonel was an everpresent figure at Sporting's back four since his arrival, alongside Brazilian international Ânderson Polga, scoring the occasional goal on set pieces.

Shortly after furthering his link with the Lions until 2011,[2] he scored five goals overall during 2007–08, including one in a 2–1 Champions League win at FC Dynamo Kyiv (incidentally, Polga netted the other).[3]

In late October 2008, after an injury in a draw at F.C. Paços de Ferreira, Tonel lost his place to youth graduate Daniel Carriço, and never regained it again during the season, although he himself took Polga's place midway through the following campaign.

In a November 15, 2006, Euro 2008 qualifier against Kazakhstan in Coimbra, Tonel made his debut with Portugal, playing 77 minutes in a 3–0 win. His second cap came more than three years after, on March 3, 2010, as he was called as a last-minute replacement for injured Ricardo Carvalho for a friendly with China, played in the same venue (2–0 win).

Personal information
Full name     Bruno Eduardo Regufe Alves
Date of birth     27 November 1981 (1981-11-27) (age 28)
Place of birth        Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
Height     1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Playing position     Centre back
Club information
Current club     Porto
Number     2
Youth career
1992–1998
1998–1999     Varzim
Porto
Senior career1
Years     Club     App (Gls)*
1999–2001
2001–
2002–2003
2003–2004
2004–2005     Porto B
Porto
→ Farense (loan)
→ Vitória Guimarães (loan)
→ AEK Athens (loan)     053 0(8)
118 (13)
046 0(3)
026 0(1)
027 0(0)  
National team2
2001–2002
2004
2007–     Portugal U21
Portugal B
Portugal     20 (2)
1 (0)
28 (5)

Ferreira was called up for the Portuguese under-21 side and accumulated 27 caps.

He was called up to the national team for Portugal's UEFA Euro 2004 campaign and started their opening game against a lowly Greece side, but a series of mistakes in the game saw him dropped for Miguel for the rest of the tournament. He did, however, come on in Portugal's huge upset defeat against Greece in the final, following an injury to Miguel.

Paulo made two appearances for Portugal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the semi-final against France, which Portugal lost 1–0, Ferreira came on in the second half for the injured Miguel. He then started the third place playoff against the host country Germany, which the Germans won 3–1.

Ferreira faces competition from José Bosingwa and Miguel for the Portugal right-back slot and is often played at left-back since the retirement of Nuno Valente.

Ferreira was named in the Portguese Squad for the UEFA Euro 2008 championships. Portugal were knocked out in the quarter-finals and Ferreira was a starter in all of their four matches, playing at left back.

Daniel Fernandes had capped for Canada at U20 level. He then changed to play for native Portugal and made his U21 debut in 2006.[6]

Fernandes received his first senior call-up in November 2006[7], as 3rd goalkeeper behind Ricardo and Quim. He received call-up in March 2007 but played as unused bench. In May 2007 he received another call-up for Euro 2008 qualifier against Belgium and friendly against Kuwait.[8] Which he made his senior debut on 5 June 2007, substituted Quim in 66th minutes. The matched ended in 1-1 draw with Kuwait.[9] He then occasionally received call-up as backup goalkeeper, but rule out from squad against Malta in September 2008.[10] In February 2009, he played his second international match against Finland, replaced Portugal first choice Eduardo in the 60th minutes. Portugal won the match in 1-0. In March 2009, he played as unused bench against Sweden and received his last call-up so far in June against Estonia. He then lost his place as 2nd/3rd goalkeeper, as the coach has call-up José Moreira, Beto, Rui Patrício and Henrique Hilário as backup goalkeeper instead of Fernandes.

However, he was named one of the goalkeeper in the provisional 24-men 2010 FIFA World Cup squad

A Portugal international at the age of 18, He made his debut with the country's shirt against Egypt, in a 2–0 win home friendly. Ever since the 2006 FIFA World Cup he became a regular call-up.

On 31 May 2008, Moutinho registered his first goal for Portugal in their 2–0 friendly victory over Georgia at Estádio do Fontelo in Viseu. He was picked for the squad-of-23 for UEFA Euro 2008 and, in the opening game, assisted on a goal by Raul Meireles, in a 2–0 victory against Turkey.

He also played in two UEFA European Under-21 Football Championships, scoring against Germany in the 2006 edition, played on home soil,[5] as the Portuguese exited in the group stage on both occasions.

Although not part of the provisional 24-player list for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa,[6][7] Moutinho was named in a backup list of six players.

Ruben Filipe Marques Amorim (Lisboa, 27 de Janeiro de 1985) é um futebolista português, que joga actualmente no Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

Começou a sua formação no Benfica tendo sido dispensado, o Sporting Clube de Portugal contratou-o onde uma vez mais acabou por ser dipensado, teve ainda uma passagem pelo C.A.C. da Pontinha e Ginásio de Corroios de onde depois se tranferiu para o Belenenses.

Após 5 anos em evidência no Belenenses onde jogava habitualmente como médio centro, Ruben Amorim assinou um contrato de quatro anos pelo Benfica, tendo sido apresentado oficialmente a 7 de Julho de 2008.

Conta com uma internacionalização por Portugal na selecção "B" e dez pelos sub-21

Kléberson made his first international appearance for Brazil in a friendly match against Bolivia on January 31, 2002. He also marked his debut by scoring Brazil's fourth goal in a 6–0 win. He was subsequently selected by Luiz Felipe Scolari into Brazil's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was initially relegated to the bench for the first four matches in the tournament. He was brought into the starting line-up for Brazil's game against England, with Scolari feeling his tenacity would help counter the high work-rate of the English side. His tackle on his future team-mate Paul Scholes led to Brazil's equaliser before Brazil ended up winning 2–1. He then was included in the starting lineup for the rest of the tournament. Brazil defeated Germany in the final, with Kléberson setting up one of the two Brazilian goals, as Brazil won the World Cup for a record fifth time.

After the World Cup, he retained his starting position in Brazil's team under the new coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and was also included in Brazil's squad for 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Brazil were eliminated in the group stage. That summer, Kléberson moved to Europe to join Manchester United. He failed to achieve regular playing time with his club, and as a result he lost his position in the national team. He managed to be included in Brazil's squad for the Copa América 2004. He made five appearances in the tournament, starting in every match he played as Brazil went on to win the tournament.

After more than four years in the international wilderness, Kléberson was recalled to the national team by Dunga on May 28, 2009. He was recalled to replace Anderson in two matches for 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.[9] After recovering from his shoulder surgery once again Kléberson has been called up for the national team on February 9, 2010 to a friendly match against Ireland on March 2, in London.[10]

Kléberson was then called up to Brazil's 2010 World Cup squad by Dunga on the 11 May.[11] The 23-men squad was almost exactly the same as the squad against Ireland but include one additional player Heurelho Gomes.

Morgan De Sanctis (born 26 March 1977) is an Italian football goalkeeper who currently plays for Serie A club Napoli and the Italian national team

Marco Borriello (born 18 June 1982 in Napoli)Marco Borriellor for Serie A club A.C. Milan. He has previously played for other Italian clubs including Sampdoria, Treviso, Reggina, Empoli, Triestina and Genoa. He is a strong, left footed center forward , especially good in scoring spectacular volleys. Borriello received his first Italian national team call-up for a friendly against Portugal, which took place on 6 February 2008 in Zürich, Switzerland. He replaced Luca Toni for the final twenty minutes, with Italy winning 3-1. He also played the next two friendlies, coming on as a substitute for Toni on both occasions, and was in the squad for Euro 2008 but did not play.

Di Natale made his senior debut in late November 2002 against Turkey while Giovanni Trapattoni was still in charge of the national team. He won a few caps in later years though only participated in friendly games.

In 2006 he regained a spot with the Azzurri, under new coach Roberto Donadoni, and was involved in the Euro 2008 qualification campaign. Di Natale netted a goal in each half, setting Italy en route to a hard-fought win over Ukraine in a qualifying match. He was then called up to Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2008 where he missed a crucial penalty during a quarterfinal penalty shoot out against Spain who went on to win 4-2.

The next season, after a knee injury against Montenegro on 28 March 2009, Di Natale was missing the 2009 Confederations Cup.

Gilardino played with Italy in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, winning the bronze medal. He also led Italy's Under 21 team  to victory in the 2004 European Under-21 Football Championship.

Gilardino is currently the all-time top scorer for the Italy National Under-21 team.

He was a member of the Italy squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played in the first two matches, scoring a goal against the United States with a diving header, then coming on as a substitute in the semifinal match against Germany, hitting the post in extra time and providing the pass for Alessandro Del Piero's stoppage-time goal that sealed the Azzurri's 2-0 victory.

On 17 October 2007, Gilardino assumed the team captaincy for the first time in his international career after Daniele De Rossi was substituted during Italy's 2-0 friendly win over South Africa. He returned to the national team on 20 August, 2008 and scored the first of Italy's two goals in an international friendly against Austria, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

In June 2009, Marcello Lippi called Gilardino up for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Gilardino played a friendly match against New Zealand in Pretoria, South Africa days before Italy's first match, netting two goals and displaying a wonderful performance.

On 10 October 2009, Gilardino scored what he describes as the most important goal of his career so far, scoring in the 89th minute against Ireland. This enabled them (Italy) to qualify for the 2010 World Cup to try and defend the title they won in 2006.

On 14 October 2009, Gilardino scored a hat trick in the final 13 minutes of the game against Cyprus to cap a 3-2 victory for Italy.

Leonardo Bonucci (born 1 May 1987) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Bari  and the Italian national team.

In March 2008 Bocchetti made his debut with the Italy U-21 squad. He established himself in Pierluigi Casiraghi's Azzurrini squad at the 2008 Toulon Tournament and retained his place in the starting line up for the Summer Olympics.[1]  Together with Marco Andreolli, he was first-choice in central defense for the remain 2009 European Championship qualifiers and also at the tournament.

On 22 March 2009 Bocchetti received his first call up to the senior Italy squad for two World Cup qualifiers matches but remained an unused substitute.[2] On 10 October 2009 he made his senior national team international debut against Ireland coming on as a second half substitute in Croke Park. In May, he was named in Marcello Lippi's preliminary World Cu

Cannavaro's first taste of international success came over a decade ago under coach Cesare Maldini with Italy's U-21 side, winning consecutive European Under-21 Football Championship titles in 1994 and 1996. In 1996, he participated in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

He made his debut with the Italian national team on 22 January 1997, in a friendly game against Northern Ireland. He played for his country in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups, as well as Euro 2000 and Euro 2004.

Cannavaro's first international tournament came at 1998 FIFA World Cup under the mentorship of veteran defender Paolo Maldini, and the squad was coached by Maldini's father Cesare. Italy went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual champions France; Cannavaro suffered a cut on his forehead from an elbow by Stéphane Guivarc'h but played the remainder of the match after receiving treatment. The Azzurri managed to push the game to a 0-0 draw but the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out after the teams were tied 0-0.

In Euro 2000, it was Les Bleus who once again shattered Italy's dreams. Cannavaro had a strong tournament, playing as right-back, and the Azzurri reached the final, where they led the then world champions 1-0 going into injury time. Near the end of regular time, Sylvain Wiltord found the equalizer, and an extra-time golden goal from David Trezeguet gave France the title.

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup he was credited with holding the defence together, almost single-handedly after Alessandro Nesta was injured against Croatia. Italy however went out in the second round, losing to co-hosts and eventual semi-finalists South Korea, again to a golden goal[8].

Cannavaro had a hard act to follow when he took over as captain from Maldini after the 2002 World Cup, but he quickly won the team over with his constant smile, laid-back Neapolitan approach and inspiring performances. After Maldini's international retirement he first captained Italy in a match at Napoli and received a standing ovation on the pitch where he sported the local side's colours between 1991 and 1995[9].

Cannavaro's first international goal was scored on 30 May 2004 against Tunisia, Italy won 4-0. Euro 2004, which was hosted by Portugal, turned out to be a disappointment. Cannavaro picked up yellow cards during the two draws with Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1), forcing him to sit out the final group game. Italy defeated Bulgaria 2-1, but failed to advance on goal difference

During the season 2006-2007, Bolzoni was part of the winning side, when F.C. Internazionale Milano Primavera won the Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti (under-20 Italian Championship).

He made his first-team debut on February 1, 2007, playing 26 minutes of the Tim Cup (Italian Cup) semi-final return leg against U.C. Sampdoria at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

On 19 September 2007, Bolzoni, alongside with Esposito and Puccio, was selected for the first time in the 20 man squad for the UEFA Champions League match against Fenerbahçe. However he failed to make his debut in the UEFA Champions League, on that day. In the following match against PSV Eindhoven he came on as a substitute for Santiago Solari in the 70th minute, making his first UEFA Champions League appearance.

On 12 December, during an away match against PSV Eindhoven, Bolzoni started his first UEFA Champions League match, and also played the whole 90 minutes. The game ended in 1-0 win for Internazionale. [1]

Francesco Bolzoni has renewed his contract with the club until 30 June 2012.

Daniel Alves da Silva (born May 6, 1983 in Juazeiro), known as Dani Alves, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking right back or right midfield for FC Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga.

Gattuso has been capped seventy times for his country and played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008 and the 2009 Confederations Cup. He is one of the key players for the Italian team, winning the Man of the Match award in the 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage match against Ukraine. He and Pirlo formed a formidable partnership in the heart of midfield. In the Euro 2008, when both of them had to miss the quarterfinal match against Spain due to accumulated yellow cards, coach Donadoni had a hard time finding replacements as none of the reserve players could match the lung-bursting contribution of the Milan duo. Italy went on to lose 4–2 in the ensuing penalty shoot-out. Gattuso achieved a measure of notoriety for his post-match celebrations after Italy won the World Cup in 2006, during which he removed his shorts and ran around the pitch in his underwear, until FIFA officials forced him to cover up.

.Alessandro Del Piero (Italian pronunciation: [ales'sandro del 'pjɛro]), Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[2][3] (born November 9, 1974 in Conegliano, Veneto) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus.

Del Piero was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations.[4] Brazilian star Ronaldinho proclaimed that Del Piero is his idol.[5] Del Piero was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue.[6]

Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct[7][8] he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability.[9]

Del Piero usually plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "trequartista" position. Although he is not very tall, Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching."[10] His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded.[11] Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special "Del Piero Zone", approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal.[12]

In terms of goalscoring, Del Piero holds the all-time record at Juventus.[13] On April 6, 2008, Alessandro Del Piero became the all-time highest-capped Juventus player, ahead of Juve legend Gaetano Scirea. As of May 2010, he is in eighth place in the UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer records[14] and joint fourth with Roberto Baggio within the Italian national team records

Chiellini made his debut for the Italian national team in November 2004 against Finland, and has since become a regular squad member. He won the European Under-19 Championship with Italy in 2003, and was also a member of the Italy team that won the bronze medals at the football tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was named in the 'UEFA Team of the tournament' of the 2007 U-21 Championships held in the Netherlands where they qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Chiellini was called up to Italy's squad for Euro 2008, and infamously injured captain Fabio Cannavaro in a collision during a training session, that resulted in Cannavaro missing out on the tournament. He was sidelined in the opening game against the Netherlands, which Italy went on to lose 3–0. He subsequently received the nod to partner Christian Panucci at center-back from the second game onwards, cementing his place in the Azzurri defence. While he featured in the group games against Romania and France, his most impressive display was arguably to come against Spain in the quarterfinals, where he famously neutralized the threat of the Spanish attacking duo of David Villa and Fernando Torres. The game ended 0–0, with Italy eventually losing out on penalty shootouts.


During 2010 World Cup qualifying, Chiellini cemented his place as undisputed first-choice in Marcello Lippi's squad. He played the full 90 minutes in all three group matches at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup but Italy were eliminated at the group stages on goal difference. He has now been included in Marcello Lippi's preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup, and is favourite to start for the azzurri, come the summer. His performances has earned him recognition as a favourite to lead both the azzurri and Juventus backline in coming years

Panucci made his debut in September 1994 against Slovenia in a UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying match. However, he missed out on the final squad following a dispute with Italian national coach Arrigo Sacchi and was not a regular in the Italian national team until the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He has 48 caps and two goals as of the end of 2004. He has represented his country at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004.

In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Panucci was widely blamed[8] for failing to clear a pass that led to the equalizing goal for South Korea by Seol Ki-Hyun in the dying minutes of the round of 16 match.

Panucci had not played for Italy for over three years after Euro 2004 in Portugal, having been ignored by Marcello Lippi, with whom he had fallen out with in his days at Inter, for the period of the 2006 World Cup. However, the 34 year-old was given a second chance by coach Roberto Donadoni, who called him up for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers against Georgia, Scotland, and the Faroe Islands.

Panucci then expressed his delight at earning his 50th Italy cap in the stadium where he began his career for the Azzurri in the 2-0 win over Georgia in their Euro 2008 qualifying tie in Genoa. Panucci came through the port club's youth ranks before joining A.C. Milan in 1993.

    "It was really emotional for me to play in an arena where I grew up. It may have seemed a little scripted but I'll never forget the standing ovation I received."

Panucci currently has 57 caps for the Azzurri, with four goals. He managed to score his first international goal for Italy since April 2002, when he headed a crucial injury-time winning goal against Scotland on 17 November 2007 in their Euro 2008 qualifying Group B match. Italy then managed to clinch their place at the European Championship finals.

On 13 June 2008, Panucci scored Italy's first goal against Romania at the Euro 2008[9] and became the oldest player to score in outfield play in the competition.

Buffon was awarded his first cap for Italy on 29 October 1997, at the age of nineteen, as an injury replacement for Gianluca Pagliuca during a qualifer for 1998 FIFA World Cup play-off against Russia. He was called up for the 1998 World Cup finals, but did not play a single game as Pagliuca remained first choice. He was a member of the Italy squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. Buffon was also the first choice goalkeeper for Italy at the Euro 2000, but broke his hand in a friendly match against Norway just eight days before the tournament started, and had his starting place taken by Francesco Toldo.

During the 2006 World Cup finals, Buffon was in stunning form, as he conceded just two goals and kept five clean sheets, in addition to a 453-minute scoreless streak. The only goals he conceded were an own goal by teammate Cristian Zaccardo against the United States and a Zinedine Zidane penalty in the final against France, which ended 1–1 in extra-time and led to a penalty shootout in which neither Buffon nor Fabien Barthez saved a spot kick. The lone miss was David Trezeguet's effort which clanged off the bottom of the crossbar and failed to cross the line, which enabled Italy's Fabio Grosso to seal the victory for the Azzuri. Buffon received the Yashin Award for his accomplishments throughout the competition.

Buffon was named Italy captain for Euro 2008 after incumbent Fabio Cannavaro was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. In the second game of the group stage against Romania on 13 June, he saved an 81st minute penalty from Adrian Mutu as the match ended 1–1 to keep Italy's hopes alive. Buffon kept a clean sheet against France in the final group game. Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals nine days later after a 4-2 penalty shootout loss to Spain in which Buffon saved one penalty.

Govou has 42 caps with the France national team, with ten goals.

He was not selected initially for the 2006 World Cup, but he joined the French team to replace Djibril Cissé, injured a few days before the start of the competition.

Govou scored two goals in France's 3–1 win over world champions Italy in a Euro 2008 qualifier. The game was the first meeting between the two teams since Italy beat France in the 2006 World Cup final. Govou scored his first goal by heading, just 67 seconds into the game. His second came in the 55th minute.

The however varies greatly from the centre-forward. Strikers are more known for their ability to peel off defenders and to run into space via the blind side of the defender and to receive the ball in a good goalscoring position. They are typically fast players with decent ball control and dribbling abilities. A good striker should be able to shoot confidently with both feet, possess great power and accuracy, and have the ability to slot the ball under pressure in breakaway situations.
[edit] Second striker

At youth level, Anelka played for the French under-20 team at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, and made his senior team debut for France in a goal-less draw with Sweden on 22 April 1998. Anelka made his first appearance in a major tournament at Euro 2000; France went on to win the competition. He also formed part of the squad which won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. Despite a promising start, Anelka lost his place in the national team from 2001–2007 as he was not playing much first team football at club level, mainly due to the fact that he was frequently transferred between clubs.[37] When striker Djibril Cissé was forced out of 2006 FIFA World Cup due to injury, Olympique Lyonnais' striker Sidney Govou was called up as Cissé's replacement rather than Anelka, who described the decision as a "real shame... I was completely available and ready to play in this World Cup. I think I could have helped France."

Anelka came on as a substitute in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Lithuania on 24 March 2007, and scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory. Following his performance, Anelka was praised by Raymond Domenech: "It is the Nicolas I like to see... when he shows these qualities, he is a candidate for a permanent place." [38] He also scored in the 2–0 victory against Ukraine on 2 June 2007, and is now one of Raymond Domenech's first-choice strikers, forming France's number one attacking partnership with Thierry Henry.[citation needed]

Anelka featured in the France squad for the Euro 2008 Championships in Austria and Switzerland.[39] Anelka started France's first group game against Romania, but was substituted after 72 minutes.[40] He did not start either of France's remaining two games in the tournament against the Netherlands and Italy, coming on as a substitute in both games.[41][42]

Anelka played a key role in France's FIFA World Cup playoff against the Republic of Ireland. He scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute that put France in a good position with one away goal

Malouda made his debut for France on 17 November 2004 in a match against Poland. He then became a regular for his country, scoring   for his country on May 31, 2005 against Hungary.

After playing almost throughout France's qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Malouda earned a call up to the final squad. Malouda continued to play regularly in the tournament, where the French eventually lost on penalties to Italy in the final. He won a penalty for France in that game which was converted by Zinédine Zidane. To date, Malouda has scored three goals in 42 appearances for the French national team.

Franck Ribéry (born 7 April 1983) is a French football player who currently plays for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Ribéry primarily plays as a winger, preferably on the left side, and is known for "pace, energy, skill and precise passing."[1]

Ribéry's career began in 1999 as a youth player for hometown club US Boulogne, where he played for two years. After spending two more years in the amateur divisions with two different clubs, in 2004, he earned a move to Ligue 1 club FC Metz. After six months with the club, Ribéry moved to Turkey in January 2005 joining Galatasaray and, after six months there, departed the club in controversial fashion to join Marseille in France. In 2007, Ribéry joined German club Bayern Munich for a then club-record fee of €25 million. Since joining Bayern, Ribéry has been recognised on the world stage as one of the best French players of his generation. The previous talisman of Les Bleus, Zinedine Zidane, has called Ribéry the "jewel of French football".[2]

Ribéry is a French International having represented his nation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. At the 2006 World Cup, he scored his first international goal against Spain and played in the final match against Italy. Ribéry is a two-time winner of the French Player of the Year award and has also been named to the UEFA Team of the Year once.

Thierry Daniel Henry (French pronunciation: [tjɛʁi ɑ̃ʁi]; born 17 August 1977) is a French footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Barcelona and the French national team. Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne (a suburb of Paris) where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and signed instantly, making his professional debut in 1994. Good form led to an international call-up in 1998, after which he signed for the Serie A defending champions Juventus. He had a disappointing season playing on the wing, before joining Arsenal for £10.5 million in 1999.

It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer. Despite initially struggling in the Premier League, he emerged as Arsenal's top goal-scorer for almost every season of his tenure there. Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 226 goals in all competitions. The Frenchman won two league titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners; he was twice nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year, was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year three times. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the UEFA Champions League final in 2006. In June 2007, after eight years with Arsenal, he transferred to Barcelona for a fee of €24 million. His first honours with the Catalan club came in 2009 when they won the league, cup and Champions League treble. Later he would go on to achieve an unprecedented sextuple by also winning the Spanish Supercup, the UEFA Supercup and the Club World Cup. Henry has been named in the UEFA Team of the Year five times.

Henry has enjoyed similar success with the French national squad, having won the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. In October 2007, he surpassed Michel Platini's record to become France's top goal-scorer of all time. Off the pitch, as a result of his own experience, Henry is an active spokesperson against racism in football. He married English model Nicole Merry in 2003 and had a daughter with her, but they divorced in 2007. Henry is also one of the top commercially marketed footballers; he was ranked ninth in the world in 2006.