Football

Patrick Omari asked:


The state of English football is an interesting one. One the one hand you have a blossoming club scene, with English teams among the most powerful in Europe and making millions of pounds worth of revenue every year. Few could argue that the English Premier League is the most financially successful league in the world as well as being one of the most exciting to watch with a very high standard of play. The last four consecutive Champions League finals have featured English teams, including this years final in Moscow which was the first to have two teams from England go head to head for the greatest prize in European football.

However on the other hand you have a struggling international team packed full of stars that are failing to perform on the highest stage. Failure to qualify for Euro 2008 has hurt the image of the national game significantly and has left many questioning how it has gone so wrong. The question remains that if these same players can illuminate the club scene and help inspire their teams to European glory then why can’t they do the same with England?

Like many when I saw the qualifying group draw for Euro 2008 I was certain England would qualify with ease. While good teams, Russia and Croatia do not have players of the calibre of Barcelona, Inter Milan or Real Madrid, sides that English teams have overcome in Europe. I saw England qualifying in a comfortable first position and taking their place among the seeds for the draw for the tournament, but it just didn’t happen.

We all saw how badly the English team played through the qualifiers, losses at home to Croatia and away to Russia being particularly painful to watch. While a good deal of the blame can be placed at the feet of Steve McClaren it is certainly not entirely his fault. The players just didn’t play well enough to deserve it.

The answer to why this is has puzzled the football community for a long time, because it certainly isn’t the first time the English team have failed to live up to their potential. Since the turn of the century England have consistently underperformed, crashing out in the first round of Euro 2000, losing on penalties at Euro 2004, and going out in the quarter finals of the World Cup in 2002 and 2006.

For a nation that often believes the team enters tournaments as potential winners it isn’t a very good record, and I believe the weakness of the team lies in the technical ability of the players in England, their tactical awareness and the lack of good coaching at grass roots level.

I do not believe there are enough great English players coming through that can compete at the very highest levels. While good they’re not great. Wayne Rooney was completely overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo all season at Manchester United and outplayed by Lionel Messi in the Champions League. Rooney is not alone, look across the England team and every player with the possible exception of Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard will have been outperformed in his position by a foreign player in the Premier League.

I believe the problem comes from the grass roots level where children just picking up the game are taught all the traditional English values of football. Work hard, be strong, tackle hard, never give in, etc etc. While certainly of merit these values are no longer sufficient in the modern game.

The qualities that used to be hallmarks of the English game are now copied by everyone and the English are left behind in the technical areas. Ball retention and passing by English teams is far behind some of our continental rivals, and this will not improve unless changes are made to the national outlook on the game. Children need to be taught to keep the ball and pass well, rather than just get stuck in and told to be big and tough.

The culture of football in England needs to move away from being tough and macho to applauding and encouraging moments of skill.

The great French team of the late 90s and early 2000s is a good model to try and emulate. They combined power and aggression with skill and finesse. They won a World Cup and a European Championship and were the most successful French team ever. England need to start producing players like Zidane and Henry if they are ever going to win a major tournament.

The changes to get there need to start at the very bottom. If we can teach our children to play one and two touch football and teach them the value of their first touch and ball possession then the game should start to look much more healthy. As it stands winning is all that matters, even at school football level and so kids who maybe have the skills but aren’t big enough yet aren’t given the chance to shine as they are physically overpowered.

Once English football thinks skill first, and physical prowess second then the game should be in better shape and we may even start to think about winning our first World Cup since 1966.



Meagan

James Hunt asked:


The sport of soccer, known as football to most of the world, has produced some great soccer players over the past years. Perhaps the most famous of all is Pelé, who amazed the world with his incredible ability to maneuver the ball in a way it hadn’t been done before. Pelé retired more than twenty five years ago but he is still a household name on the lips of soccer players and fans around the world. His story of rising from poverty in Brazil to soccer superstar is a source of inspiration for young soccer players everywhere.

Another soccer great is Pavel Nedved. Pavel is well known both in his homeland of the Czech Republic and around the world as one of the youngest soccer players of all time to make a lasting impression. Pavel played for Sparta in the 1990’s and scored many goals for the team from 1992 to 1995.

The world has seen many players who have been the focus of extreme soccer skills, but none so well known as Zinedine Zidane. Zidane was born in Algeria in 1972 and after struggling in school for several years he decided that soccer was his main interest. He was spotted at the age of sixteen by a soccer scout and very quickly found himself in Cannes. Shortly after that Zidane was playing for the French Division, scoring goal after goal and becoming the star of the team.

Today one of the most popular soccer players is David Beckham, who is the star of Great Britain when it comes to the game. At sixteen Beckham was playing for Manchester United team and was already attracting the attention of soccer scouts around the world. Beckham’s incredible talent found him on England’s World Cup Team in 1997. His handsome looks and boyish attitude make him one of Britain’s favorite celebrities.

The world of soccer continues to give us up and coming stars, but none can ever rival the status that the above players have earned.



Julie

Greg Power asked:


Walter Zenga (New England Revolution)

The man they nicknamed Uomo Ragno (Spider-Man), was an ever present in the Inter Milan goal through the 1980’s, making no less than 328 appearances and appearing for his country 58 times.

Even more impressively, in Italia 90 set a record of keeping 5 consecutive clean sheets, totalling 518 minutes without conceding a goal, a record that still stands today.

He is now the manager of Serie A side Catania.

Richard Gough (Kansas City Wizards/San Jose Clash)

A no-nonsense centre half and one of Glasgow Rangers most successful ever players, winning 9 titles as part of the infamous ‘9 in a row’ team. Gough also amassed 61 appearances for the Scottish national side. His spell at Rangers was interrupted by a brief stint with Tottenham Hotspur, only to return to Rangers, becoming the first ever Scottish player to be sold for over £1,000,000.

He spent 2 years in the MLS with Kansas City Wizards and San Jose Cash, being named in the MLS XI of the Year whilst with the Wizards.

Lothar Matthaus (Metrostars)

Perhaps not just one of the greatest players in the history of the MLS, but in the history of soccer. Winning World Soccer Player of the Year, European Footballer of the year and Fifa World Player of the Year, Matthaus could play in defence or midfield, with a rocket right foot that earned him the status of Germany’s most capped player.

His managerial career, however, has not been as successful as his playing days, with short spells in Brazil, Austria and Serbia, and as of now in Israel as the manager of Maccabi Netanya.

Roberto Donadoni (Metrostars)

A vital key in AC Milan’s success through the 80s and 90s, when very few could argue against them being the best club side in the world (other than Barcelona’s dream team). Notorious for effortlessly running past players on the right flank, Donadoni collected 5 Serie A titles, 3 European Cups, 3 European Super Cups and 2 Intercontinental cups before moving on to the Metrostars, where he was named in the Best XI in the 1996 Season.

Now boss of the Italian national side, Italy are left with a mountain to climb in order to progress to the quarter finals after disastrous results against Holland and Romania.

Maurice ‘Mo’ Johnston (Kansas City Wizards)

Mo Johnston was a Scottish centre forward starting his career with Partick Thistle, and then spending a couple of seasons at Watford before his move to Celtic that would later earn him hatred across Glasgow.

Leaving Celtic for Nantes, vowing to never return to Scotland, Johnston reconsidered and done a U-Turn, claiming to sign for Celtic again at the end of the season. As the summer approached, Johnston changed his mind once more, this time signing for arch rivals Rangers. This infuriated Rangers fans as Johnston is an ex Celtic player and supporter, but worse still, he was Roman Catholic. Celtic fans turned on him, opting for the nickname of Judas, replacing his former moniker of MoJo, Rangers fans disliked him from the start.

Nevertheless, he scored 46 goals in 100 games, before moving back to England with Everton. This unsuccessful spell was followed by brief stints with Falkirk and Hearts, before joining the Kansas City Wizards, spending 5 seasons there.

Hw was more recently head coach of Metrostars, before being given his marching orders, taking over the helm of Toronto FC.

Mo Johnston’s last minute winner for Rangers vs Celtic, 1989

Denilson (FC Dallas)

At 21, Denilson became the most expensive player in the world when Spanish outfit Real Betis paid approximately $32,000,000 to Sao Paulo for his services. Renowned for his dazzling stepovers and skinning opponents on the left flank, he was regarded as one of the most promising players the game had seen.

Sadly, the promise he showed never really developed, mostly down to his selfish play by holding on the ball for too long, or as the UK would say, ‘ball-hogging’.

He only played 7 games for Dallas before returning to his native Brazil.

Carlos Valderrama (Tampa Bay Mutiny, Miami Fusion, Colorado Rapids)

Considered the greatest Colombian player of all time, his creativity and flare was only surpassed by his hair - a curly orange electrified afro. Elegant and intelligent with the ball at his feet, El Pibe (The Kid) never actually ran anywhere on the pitch, but with his level of skill, why bother? His status of legend was confirmed in 2006, when a 22 foot bronze statue of him was erected in his home town of Santa Marta. Brilliant.

Spending 6 years in the US, Valderrama still holds the record for the most assists.

Youri Djorkaeff (Metrostars)

Aptly nicknamed ‘Snake’, Djorkaeff was a cultivated attacking midfielder and formed a crucial partnership with Zinedine Zidane, resulting in France winning the 98 World Cup and Euro 2000.

Banging the goals in for Monaco, he spent one season at Paris St Germain before signing for Italian giants Inter Milan and Kaiserslautern, when somehow Bolton Wanderers persuaded him to sign.

He became Metrostars ‘MVP’ during his brief spell in the US, before an ankle injury forced him to retire.

Hristo Stoichkov (Chicago Fire, DC United)

Unpredictable and quite possibly insane, this tricky Bulgarian had everything: pace, mesmerizing dribbling and a devastating shot. Barcelona snapped him up from CSKA Sofia, where his temperament, passion and goal scoring record immortalized him as a Barcelona great.

He was also instrumental in Bulgaria’s unexpected run in the 94 World Cup, during which time they made it to the semi final, losing to Italy. Stoichkov also earned the Golden Boot, finishing joint-top with Russia’s Oleg Solenko.

David Beckham (LA Galaxy)

The man who needs no introduction, ‘Goldenballs’ is the most famous soccer player on the planet, who’s brand is more renowned than his free kicks and defence-splitting passes.

A style icon for every male in Britain whilst playing for Manchester Utd, Beckham’s commitments to his life away from soccer meant that his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson was likely to deteriorate, as it did to the extent that Ferguson managed to kick a soccer boot at Beckham’s eye, requiring stitches.

Fast forward a couple of years, Beckham joins ‘Los Galacticos’, winning the Supercup in his first season. He had to wait until 2007 for a major honour though, when Real won the Primera league.

Whilst at Galaxy, his career has seen a couple of milestones, a 100th cap for the England national team, and a stunning 70 yard goal against Kansas City Wizards, almost mirroring his efforts for Man Utd against Wimbledon in 1996.



Alaina

Pranay Rupani asked:


Famous lines said by “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali (he often referred to himself as the greatest and his famous opening lines for the publicity of a fight was “I am the Greatest”) for the greatest footballer Pele. Since the popularization of sport through the technology and information boom, the word great has often been overused and wasted. Any sport which had a good fan base is now shown all across the globe through satellite television or the internet. None more than football (since there are about 5 billion people following the World Cup).There is no play, no foul, no player unknown or unreported. Now a player who would be termed as good or sometimes even average is tagged as great.

None deserve the greatest tag more then Edson Arantes Do Nascimento or as we know him better Pele. The face of football, “The King”, this little black boy from Brazil changed the way football was played. The Brazilians can be credited for making the game of football “Beautiful” and giving it the title “Beautiful Game” or “Jogo Bonito” (a term first and often used by Pele). Football is not an ordinary game it is the passion and life of the Brazilians, which we see in their flamboyant and artistic play. The good players play the game well and live up to expectations, but the great players change the way the game is played and exceed expectations.

Pele made the attacking style of Football what it is today. Yet he said “The only thing I wanted to do when I began playing football was to be as good as my father.” Pele was said to have a sense of when the ball would come to him, he seemed to know when he would get it. Ball control, goal scoring ability, passing skills he had them all. Pele is the soul of football. An argument which surfaces often is his comparison to Maradona (owing to the traditional rivalry between Brazil and Argentina) and truly both are one of the finest exponents of the game.

Pele believed in fair play and equal chances, Maradona on the other hand was not the ambassador for fair play and maybe that is the difference. Maradona had the “Hand of God” to support him win the greatest prize and Pele had Garincha, Zagallo, Rivelino, Jarzinio, Vava and the greatest football team ever assembled. Not to say Maradona did not have the talent, he did but somewhere along the line greed got the better of him. As Bellinio the Captain of Brazil in the 1958 had said “We are not here for the money, we are here to win the World Cup!”

ProVFX Visual Effects and Editing School has been written by Pranay Rupani who is a Freelance Writer.



Eva

Patrick Omari asked:


One of the most important positions in a soccer team, as with many team sports, is that of the goalkeeper. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to prevent the opposition team from scoring any goals. As the only player to be allowed to use their hands, the goalkeeper is also responsible for organising the defence and often beginning team attacks.

Goalkeepers, as the last line of defence, have a lot of responsibility and therefore must have specific abilities and skills. There have been numerous great goalkeepers in history, all offering different reasons why they are so effective in this position. Here we will examine what skills are required to make the best goalkeeper the soccer world has ever seen.

If you ask soccer fans who they think the best goalkeeper ever is, they will all come back with varied responses based on their nationality, club loyalties, age and football knowledge. This article will focus on the three best goalkeepers that I have seen in the last thirty years of football. Obviously, opinions will differ as I attempt to reason why these goalkeepers are the greatest.

Currently 26 years old, Czech Republic international Petr Cech is know as being one of the greatest goalies currently playing. For his club, Chelsea, Cech helped them to their first league title in fifty years in his first season. He followed this with another league title as well as taking Chelsea to their first Champions League Final in 2008.

Cech, at six foot five, is an intimidating presence in goal. As an important aspect of goalkeeping, his height is used to his advantage as he dominates the penalty area, while also being agile and an excellent shot-stopper. At 26, Cech is still yet to reach his prime as goalkeepers play well into their 30s and can even become better with age, as demonstrated by England international David James (38).

The most expensive goalkeeper ever, also one of the most expensive players, Gianluigi Buffon has represented Italy almost one hundred times. Signed by Juventus in 2001 for a record-fee of fifty-two million euros, Buffon has won four Serie A league titles as well as the FIFA World Cup for his country.

Buffon is fast approaching the best years of his career, and so people will expect to see some of his best performances for both club and country in the future. Some of his most impressive appearances have come in big games, including a dramatic late penalty save to deny Adrian Mutu in a Euro 2008 group match against Romania.

During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which Buffon’s Italy went on to win, he only conceded two goals to a Zinedine Zidane penalty and an own-goal by team-mate Cristian Zaccardo. With five clean sheets, and a 453 minute consecutive scoreless streak, Buffon was later names goalkeeper of the tournament.

At 44 years old, the finest goalkeeper of the last thirty years is the great Dane Peter Schmeichel. A relatively late-starter to achieve greatness, Schmeichel would be 27 by the time he joined Manchester United for a ridiculously small fee of half a million pounds. In the next ten years Schmeichel would cement his place as the greatest goalkeeper United would ever have.

Schmeichel represents all the aspects that make the perfect goalkeeper. Tall, intimidating and vocal, Schmeichel would berate his defenders if he felt they were risking yet another clean-sheet for him and his team. He played 129 times for his country, the most for any Dane in history, even scoring a goal. His heroics at the 1992 European Championships, turned long-shots Denmark into eventual champions and showed Schmeichel’s off to the viewing world.

This was his international highlight, although he would go on to appear in the World Cup Finals in France, 1998. However, Schmeichel’s Manchester United career would coincide with the launch of the Premier League and United’s dominance over the competition. In the eight seasons that Schmeichel played, the club would win the league title five times and finish runners-up the other three.

These achievements would not be his greatest as Schmeichel would go on to lift the UEFA Champions League title in 1999. Manchester United’s greatest ever season would be capped in Barcelona with a dramatic Champions League victory over Bayern Munich, with United clinching the treble of Premier League title, FA Cup winners and European champions (for which Schmeichel was named captain).

After leaving United in 1999, Schmeichel would go on to play top-flight football in Portugal and then after a return to England. Schmeichel retired at the end of the 2002-03 season as the greatest Premier League goalkeepers after keeping clean-sheets in almost half of his appearances.

Great goalkeepers are often the difference between a good team and a championship-winning team. These three goalkeepers are among the best ever and all have won titles to show that the goalkeeper is one of the key positions to fill to make a truly great soccer team.



Larissa

Chris asked:


Sport’s rich and illustrious history has given us many teams which have become true icons of their respective sport.

Much is down due to the image, history and culture that is so strongly associated sports side. Be it the red of Ferrari, the Haka of the All Blacks or the distinctive yellow and red ties of the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Other sides owe their iconic status due to the fact that it took an especially brave man to place a sports spread bet against a side so obviously superior. Los Galácticos of Real Madrid in both the late 1950’s and 1990’s or the all-conquering Dallas Cowboys or Chicago Bulls of the 1990’s could lay claim to such an honour.

Here we look at some of the most iconic teams ever to grace the world of sport – would you have bet against them?

Brazil:

Without doubt the most famous national team in the world. Football is in the soul of all Brazilians, whether learning the game on Copacabana beach or in the slums of Sao Paolo - wearing the yellow jersey is what all young boys dream of. They are the most successful team in World Cup history, winning no less than five times. Almost always starting as favourites on the spread betting market, they last clinched the title in 2002. The combination of the final victory against Germany and Ronaldo winning the Golden Boot saw many punters empty the bookies satchels.

Real Madrid:

Real Madrid is Spain’s best supported team and many repute them to be the biggest football club in the world. They have won the European Cup an astonishing nine times, including a remarkable run of five straight victories between 1956 and 1960. Players like Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane have graced the hallowed Bernabéu turf, but recent successes have been slim on the ground. Los Blancos did however lift their 30th La Liga title in 2007 with many spread betting punters who follow David Beckham celebrating.

Ferrari:

An iconic car and an iconic brand. Enzo Ferrari was the brains behind the operation and in 1929 Scuderia Ferrari was founded in Marinello, northern Italy. Enzo was forced to sell the company to Fiat - another giant of Italian motoring - in 1969, but remained closely associated with the company until his death in 1988. Ferrari is one of the leading teams in Formula 1 and dominated the drivers’ and construction championships’ in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, primarily due to Michael Schumacher – many people’s idea of the greatest ever driver. Spread betting punters regularly made huge sums by buying his total World Championship points which regularly exceeded 100 points. For F1 fans the world over, seeing that distinctive red flash take the chequered flag has always been a familiar sight.

Liverpool:

Widely regarded as the most successful club in English football, Liverpool have won the European Cup five times. Their heyday in the 1970’s and 1980’s involved the reigns of two of the all-time great managers, Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley. They have won the Championship a record 18 times, but have not lifted the trophy since 1990. New manager Rafael Benitez has spent a great deal of money trying to build a Championship winning side, but his greatest achievement so far came when his side over-turned a 3-0 deficit to beat hot favourites AC Milan in the final of the Champions League in Istanbul in 2005. Online punters could have backed them at massive odds on the spread during the game before they eventually clinched the match in a penalty shoot-out.

Manchester United:

Often thought to be the best supported football club in the world, Manchester United regularly attract sell-out crowds of over 75,000 people, with ticket waiting lists that are the envy of many clubs around the world. They are the current Premier League champions and their victory in 2006/2007 was their 16th League Championship. Sir Alex Ferguson is the current longest serving manager in England, first taking the helm at Old Trafford on 6th November 1986. He forked out over £50million in the transfer market this season and United had been installed as clear favourites for the title before a ball had been kicked.

NY Yankees:

Hailing from The Bronx area of New York City, the New York Yankees have won a total of 26 World Series trophies which makes them the most successful club of all time. The Yankees had been known as the Baltimore Orioles from their conception in 1903, but it wasn’t until 1913 when they moved to New York that they became referred to as the New York Yankees. Their most famous sons include sporting legends Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio.

LA Lakers:

The LA Lakers began life in Minneapolis as the Minneapolis Lakers before re-locating to Los Angeles in 1960. They have won 14 championships in their history and hold the record for the longest consecutive run of victories, 33. Top players including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal have helped secure their position as the key basketball franchise in the US. However, it was Kobe Bryant who amassed an incredible 81 points in one game against the Toronto Raptors on 22nd January 2006 – the second highest score ever in league history. Spread betting companies all over the world lost huge amounts as Bryant continued scoring at an extraordinary rate.

Dallas Cowboys:

Dallas Cowboys are one of the most famous names in American sport. They share the record with the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers for Super Bowl wins with five victories. They hold numerous records for victories and winning streaks, but it was their three Super Bowl wins in four years (1992-1995) that really set them apart from their rivals. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest betting events in world sport and Dallas have cost spread betting bookmakers fortunes over the years.

All Blacks:

Rugby wasn’t introduced to New Zealand until 1860, but it has since become the national sport of the country and the ‘All Blacks’ are the national team of New Zealand. The All Blacks wear black shirts, shorts and socks, and always perform a traditional Mâori dance known as the ‘Haka’ before any international game. This is designed to scare the opposition before going into battle. New Zealand are the clear favourites for the 2008 World Cup and are many punters ideas of a banker.

Barbarians:

Also known as the ‘Baa-Baas’, the Barbarians are the only international rugby team with which players are invited to play for them. Formed iat a meeting in Bradford in 1890, they have no club house, have never played a home game and don’t even have their own socks. The uniform is traditionally black and white hoops with players allowed to wear the socks from their own clubs. The Baa-Baas have always played with an open, fluid style that often leads to high scores and dramatic matches. Gareth Edwards’ try against the All Blacks in 1973 is widely regarded as one of the best of all time.

MCC:

The most famous member’s club in the world of cricket is the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) based at Lords. It is widely believed that a gentleman called Thomas Wood founded the club in the late 18th Century which then became the governing body of cricket both in England and around the world. Members, of which there are over 20,000, have to wear the traditional red and yellow blazer and tie when in attendance at the home of cricket. However, those wanting to join the club will probably have to wait over 18 years before they are accepted.



Angelo

Joseph Baylon asked:


What’s the fuss about Reggie White, and why do so many football enthusiasts rush after his autographed memorabilia? Born a few days before Christmas in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Reggie White played defensive tackle for a number of teams, such as the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. He likewise won NFL awards in the process, and was for some time the consistent recipient of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

This Minister of Defense, Reggie White scored and won as both an Evangelical Christian and a Pro-football player. One of the greatest leaders in sacks in all of NFL’s history, Reggie White actually began as a college football player, retired from the Green Bay Packers, and then returned to the NFL to play football all over again. He is ranked among the one hundred greatest football players of all time, making Reggie White memorabilia precious amongst football enthusiasts.

Are you a football fan willing to invest in autographed memorabilia, or fan memorabilia related to Reggie White? Here are a few things that you may want to collect and pray a pretty penny for, whether you seek to decorate your home with Reggie White-related goods, or sell them again at your own collector’s store or auction.

- For the earliest years of Reggie White the athlete, begin at the beginning and look for his University of Tennessee memorabilia. Reggie White still holds school records for the highest number of sacks in a player’s career, in one season, and in a single game. There are pictures of Reggie White available, as a student, and as a player with his team.

- After college, Reggie White joined the football league’s Memphis Showboats. This short stint of two seasons yielded but a few signed pictures, but autographed memorabilia from this era are quite precious, especially since the USFL was dismantled a few years later, leading to White’s move to the NFL.

- Because the Philadelphia Eagles held his NFL rights, Reggie White moved to the Eagles and played for a total of eight seasons with them. He went on to set sack records with the team, as well as to pick up awards for his various achievements with the Eagles. Many autographed pictures, cards, and even pigskins are available from this era of White’s career. There are also books about the Philadelphia Eagles that Reggie White signed, so look out for them at your collector’s shops.

- Reggie White’s stint with the Green Bay Packers lasted for about six seasons, and his propensity for winning football-related awards decreased. Autographed memorabilia from this time, however, are still very much available, especially since he was part of the winning Super Bowl team in the Super Bowl’s thirty-first year. You can find many team pictures, pigskins, and football cards with Reggie White’s signature.

- Although White retired in 1998, he returned the following year to the NFL to play for the Carolina Panthers. In his last playing season, White played below par, and thus retired. Most memorabilia from this season are easy to come by and relatively cheap, but they will one day be expensive due to the nature of the game at this point in White’s career.

- After Reggie White finally retired, he spent time at his church and even studied the Torah. He then began to make the rounds of television interviews and magazine coverage. If you want to get memorabilia of Reggie White the religious, then look for signed memorabilia from this time, which can include pictures and magazine articles of him.

Reggie White died the day after Christmas 2004. In the following season, the Green Bay Packers, University of Tennessee, and Philadelphia Eagles football teams retired the number 92 jersey that Reggie White wore as a player. In his lifetime, Reggie White had not only autographed photos, articles, and jerseys, he had also played a great game of football that many players would remember and emulate in years to come.



Logan

Patrick Omari asked:


Traditionally the position of right-sided midfielder is an offensively minded, technically-gifted footballer. Often, the right midfielder will neglect defensive duties in favour of showing skills and pace and attacking the opposition left back. Right midfielders can also be called right wingers or wide rights.

The main aim of the right midfielder is to beat the opponent and deliver crosses or through-balls to create goal-scoring opportunities. Some of the best in history have included Stanley Matthews, Jairzinho and Eddie McGoldrick. Their speed, skill and ability to create chances from nothing helped their teams to greatness.

In the past thirty years, the role of the right midfielder has changed as the game has evolved. Formations change and subsequently the midfielder’s role within the team takes on more responsibility. However, the fundamental abilities required to be a great right midfielder remain the same, the ability to create goals.

The most famous soccer player in history, achieved his reputation being an excellent right midfielder for Manchester United and England. Primarily known now as part of the Beckhams with his wife Posh Spice and kids, David Beckham

signalled his arrival in professional football with a goal from his own half against Wimbledon in 1996.

Beckham lacked the brilliant pace of many right wingers but is largely credited as being the best dead-ball specialist in the world. Free-kicks and corners, as well as long range shots are just some of the reasons that Beckham has currently played over 100 times for England in a ten year career.

Beckham has won almost every major club honour with Manchester United and Real Madrid including six FA Premier League titles, two FA Cups, UEFA Champions Leagues and one La Liga title. Due to England’s failure at every major tournament since 1966, Beckham looks set to miss out on any major international honours, a terrible shame for such a determined and committed professional.

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira is one of the greatest living footballers, with skills that any player would envy. Ronaldinho has worn the famous Number 10 shirt of Brazil, as previously worn by Pele, and has never looked not worthy of such an honour.

With his ability to beat players, skills that seemingly defy physics and his perfect striking of the ball, Ronaldinho is a footballing magician. Winner of the FIFA World Cup, two Spanish League titles and a Champions League win show that Ronaldinho’s skills push his team on to great things to accompany his individual awards. Ronaldinho has twice won FIFA World Player of the Year as well as numerous other individual awards.

Ronaldinho’s club career has seen him play for some of the best teams in Europe including Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris St. Germain. A great free-kick taker, Ronaldinho’s goal scoring record is excellent for a midfielder and would be more than respectable for a forward. This is the new role of the right winger, as they take on more responsibility of scoring goals as well as creating them.

The best modern winger, and best player in any position, in my opinion is the Portuguese and Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. With pace, skill, aggression, determination and power, he is the ultimate footballer. Still only 23 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo has already won two FA Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

As part of the three-pronged Manchester United attack, Ronaldo has been a revelation scoring more than any other United player in their double-winning season. Ronaldo’s ability to head the ball is unusual for a winger, shown by his headed goal in United’s win over Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League Final.

Yet to win the FIFA Player of the Year, Ronaldo has won almost every major individual honour in the game. With so many years ahead in his career, there is no limit to what Cristiano Ronaldo can achieve for both club and country. He could go on to be the greatest player ever to play the game of soccer, although there could be some competition from the likes of Lionel Messi, Alexandre Pato and Victor Moses.



Cole

David Johnson asked:


The new NFL season is closing in and getting closer and closer and before you know it they will be playing their pre season games and getting ready to get it on. If your team breaks loose from the pack and begins to put themselves in contention for the Super Bowl, then you had better make sure that you are prepared for this possible eventuality. If you have looked at all the TV programming service providers, you may have noticed that they all make you commit to a larger TV programming package to receive all of their top premium sports programming channels, so this can be a problem if what you are really looking for is just first rate premium NFL football programming.

DirecTV has the perfect solution for you now and you are going to like what it is. It’s called NFL Sunday Ticket and it is a very special and unique sports programming channel in several ways. To start with it only features NFL football programming and other related programming material. This is because it is entirely produced by the NFL, so it contains all the greatest of what they want you to see and hear. You can’t get it from anyone else other that DirecTV, because only they have exclusive rights to it and these are some of the things that make this program so special.

You can add it on to any one of their Total Choice programming packages, so it truly fits your needs if it is primarily NFL football action that you are interested in for the upcoming football season. This program is the best that the NFL has to offer in sports programming and you are going to love what it contains. To start with it has all of their regular and preseason games including some of the best in European football league action, so you will have a one stop source for all the games that you need.

Then it also features all of their special events that they put on during the season including all of their charity and celebrity events. Then there are all the intriguing one on one interviews that you are going to be treated to that feature all of the most leading and controversial figures in the game today. Another thing that this channel has is lots of great commentary and debate by leading experts and ex players that is sure to keep you entertained. The great thing about this channel is that even of there isn’t a game scheduled there is always lots of great NFL football programming and its on twenty-four hours a day, so it’s a great channel to have to get you through the football season.

Even if you opt for a larger Total Choice programming package that has all of DirecTV’s other premium programming channels, this NFL channel will be the icing on the cake and you can always turn to it for all the latest and the greatest that the NFL has to offer. If you want to do the football season right this year, then DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket are there to hook you up. You can find out about this and other DirecTV sports programming by contacting them online.

Written by David Johnson. Find more information on direct tv as well as directv special



Priscilla

Russell Shortt asked:


Roy Keane was born on 10 August 1971 in Cork City, Ireland. In 1989 he signed for Cobh Ramblers who were a semi professional outfit in Cork City. He impressed Brian Clough of Nottingham Forest enough to be offered a contract in the summer of 1990. In 1992 with Nottingham Forest relegated from the First Division, he was signed by Alex Ferguson for Manchester United for £3.75 million, a British transfer record at the time. In his first season at the club he became a first team regular and helped the club secure their first double of Premiership title and FA Cup. The following year he received his first of eleven red cards as a Manchester player in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace after stamping on Gareth Southgate. In 1996, Keane contributed to bringing a second double to Old Trafford in three years. When Eric Cantona retired in 1997, Keane took over as club captain, although he missed most of that season due to a cruciate ligament injury. He returned the following season and helped United to scooping their famous treble of Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup. In 2000 he was voted PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year after leading United to their sixth Premiership title in eight years. Overall, Keane would win seven Premierships, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups and a European Cup and was the most successful captain in the club’s history. He unexpectedly left Manchester United by mutual consent in November 2005, joining Celtic. His United testimonial was between these two clubs with Keane playing a half for each of the sides, the capacity crowd was the largest crowd ever for a testimonial in England, all proceeds were given to Keane’s favourite charity, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.



Leonardo