Football

Claudia Beckford asked:


The 31-year-old Brazilian professional football player Ronaldo who currently plays for the Italian Calcio Serie A could miss the rest of the season; due to his most recent knee injury which has arose plenty of worries and concerns . Ronaldo’s injury happened while playing the match between his team – the AC Milan against Livorno only last Wednesday.

Ronaldo ruptured his right knee tendon and will now face a last minute surgery in Paris under the supervision of French Surgeon Gerard Saillant. It is known by all of us that this is not the footballer’s first neither the last surgery he has had to carry through since all began back in the year 2000 with his bad knee injury; calf and thigh problems.

Ronaldo; who is considered one of the Brazilian phenomenon enjoyed success very early in life as he showed the kind of potential he was capable of delivering. After playing for a few years in the national Brazilian Championship he was scouted by Piet de Visser and was transferred to PSV Eindhoven; shortly after he was spotted by the Spaniard club Barca for whom he played during one season 1996-1997. During this period he participated in the UEFA cup and the Copa del Rey.

Then it was Inter Milan’s chance to sign the Brazilian and Ronaldo played for the Italians showered by goals and good performances until the striker suffered a knee injury and had to go into surgery for the first time. In 2002 Ronaldo participated in the 2002 World Cup opening way for Brazil to win the fifth World Title. That same year he was transferred to Real Madrid where he stayed until 2006.

The footballer then made his debut with his long remembered European team AC Milan on February 11, 2007. And continued his contract with a new team. Despite his successful career and after being named amongst the 125 greatest living football players; Ronaldo is pretty much against the wall as he is more less eight years older than when he first injured his knee and it is likely he will have to either leave for a long period and set his career on stand-by or even think about a possible retirement if his health requires it.

It is definitely a tough call for Ronaldo who has been playing in the Italian Calcio for more than a year now while things went pretty well. It is true his performance is not as it was 10 years ago but he still has it in him to excel in his game and backup his team mates. He is someone you want to have as part of any football team for the experience, the knowledge and the respect he represents.

Hopefully, we will soon enough hear Ronaldo will be back on the field and will continue to delight us with his style of play.



Lance

JT asked:


Since the first ever World Cup of football in 1930, it has been the ultimate stage for any footballer. Representing your country at the highest level is the dream of almost any sportsperson. Sometimes, however, a player will be regarded by many as one of, maybe even the best in the world, but for reasons beyond their control does not make it to a World Cup in their career. In other instances, reasons within their control, for example, bad attitude hinder their chances for international football.

In this article, I will run through the list of arguably the greatest players to have never represented their country in a World Cup.

Ryan Giggs: Born in 1973, Ryan Giggs has played for Manchester United since the 1990-91 season, coming through their youth system. By the age of 20, Giggs had firmly established himself as United´s first choice left winger. As a youngster, he played for and captained England at schoolboy level, but as an adult, played for Wales. Giggs retired from international football in 2007, ending an international career which included no World Cups.

Duncan Edwards: Another Manchester United player, Edwards was born in 1936 and played a number of matches for England, featuring in all of England´s qualifiers for the 1958 World Cup. He was expected by many to play a key part for his country in the World Cup Finals. Tragically, when returning to England from Belgrade, the plane carrying Edwards and a number of other United players crashed in Munich. Duncan Edwards later died in hospital, denying the World Cup of this great talent.

Eric Cantona: The controversial French forward referred to by some as “King Eric”, Cantona is one of the most iconic footballers to have played in England. Despite being an important player for Manchester United, a mixture of disagreement with the French national coach, France´s failure to qualify for the World Cup in 1994, the introduction of Zidédine Zidane and the 1995 Suspension of Cantona for kicking a Crystal Palace supporter stopped him from making a World Cup appearance.

George Weah: One of, if not, the best player to come out of Africa, George Weah played his international football for Liberia, who, in his playing career did not qualify for a World Cup. Weah made up for this with his club career. Whilst at Monaco, he won the 1991 French cup. In 1994 he won the French league with Paris Saint Germain. Following this successful period in France, Weah moved to Italy to play for AC Milan. After being named as the African Player of the Year in 1989 and 1994, he won the award again in 1995 whilst also winning the World Best Player and European Footballer of the Year awards. Whilst playing for AC Milan, Weah achieved two league titles. To top off his list of achievements he was named African Player of the Century.

Alfredo di Stéfano: This striker was named by Pelé as one of the Top 125 Greatest Living Footballers in 2004 and had an impressive career with a number of clubs including Real Madrid in Spain.

Di Stéfano was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1957 and 1959 during his time in Madrid. Linking up with Ferenc Puskás, he managed 216 goals in 262 games between 1953 and 1964.

During his career, Di Stéfano played six games for Argentina, four for Columbia and 31 times for Spain. He was playing for Argentina at the time of the 1950 World Cup, however, the South American country refused to take part. In 1954, he was ineligible to play, having played for Argentina and Columbia. In 1958, Di Stéfano had acquired Spanish citizenship. He played for Spain in the buildup in 1957, but was unable to help them qualify for the finals. A muscular injury prevented him from playing in 1962, making him one of the best players to have not played in a World Cup.

George Best: Born in 1946, the Northern Irish Winger who is best known for his time at Manchester United. Combined pace, balance and acceleration with his ability to use both feet allowed Best to beat defenders and score a number of goals.

Known not only for his ability on the field, but also for living a stylish lifestyle, Best was one of the first footballers to be known as a celebrity. During his time at Manchester United, he scored 138 goals in 361 games. Playing for Northern Ireland, he managed nine goals in 37 matches, unfortunately, during the greatest years of Best´s career, his country did not manage to qualify for the World Cup. He was considered for the 1982 competition, which Northern Ireland qualified for, but at the age of 36, manager Billy Bingham chose note to pick him. Despite this, Best is still considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all time.

JT. Owner of top Football Tips website.



Marisol