Personal Life of Football Stars

Raúl González

Raúl grew up in a modest neighbourhood of Madrid, in the suburb Marconi de San Cristóbal de los Ángeles. His father, don Pedro, was a fan of Atlético Madrid, the club where he started playing after a short period in San Cristóbal’s team. Atletico Madrid coach didn’t notice anything special about him because he was very thin and weak. Raul later turned to Real Madrid’s C team and quickly made it to the first team in 1994/1995 season. Raúl possesses a distinctive celebration, with each goal acclaimed by a kiss of his wedding ring, an acknowledgement to his wife Mamen Sanz. They have four sons: Jorge (February 25, 2000), who is named after Jorge Valdano, Hugo (November 20, 2002) and twins Héctor and Mateo (November 17, 2005). He likes reading, especially the books of Arturo Pérez Reverte, and listening to all sorts of Spanish music. He also enjoys hunting and watching bullfighting.

Luís Nazário de Lima ‘Ronaldo’

Ronaldo was born in Bento Ribeiro, a neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Like many of his contemporaries, he began to play football in the streets of his neighbourhood.

In April 1999, Ronaldo married Milene Domingues. The marriage lasted four years and ended in divorce. The couple had a son, Ronald (born 2000). In 2005 he got engaged and married Brazilian model and MTV VJ Daniella Cicarelli, who became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage, their relationship lasted only 3 months. He is currently dating brazilian model Raica Oliveira. Besides being of interest to tabloid journalists, Ronaldo’s relationships with women apparently have a deep effect on his performances on the pitch. A soccernet.com article by Andrew Downie assessing Ronaldo’s fitness ahead of the 2006 World Cup pointed out a correlation between the striker’s form and the happiness of his love life, noting that his most prolific periods of goalscoring have coincided with the times when he was happily married In 2005 Ronaldo became co-owner of A1 Team Brazil, alongside Brazilian motorsports legend Emerson Fittipaldi. The team participates in the newly launched A1 Grand Prix series, with Nelson Piquet, Jr., Tony Kanaan and João Paulo Oliveira as drivers.

It is rumored that Ronaldo is considering leaving Real Madrid, expressing discomfort with their fans at the stadium. He has been linked with a return to former club F.C Internazionale, where he has often spoke of his desire to one day return. AC Milan could also show some interest in his name, especially after Andriy Shevchenko has left for Chelsea F.C.

Major League Soccer has also expressed interest in signing him. According to reports, Ronaldo turned down a ten-year, $120 million contract from the New York Red Bulls of MLS, saying

Right now I have a contract with Real Madrid and I’m only thinking about the World Cup, but without a doubt, the American market is one of my goals for the future.

(It was reported on ESPN during the broadcast of the Brazil-Croatia match on June 13 that the Red Bulls actually denied making Ronaldo an offer.)

Michael Ballack

Ballack is 6′ 2 ½» (189 cm) tall and weighs 179 lbs (80 kg). He and his girlfriend Simone have three children – Louis, Emilio and Jordi.

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira ‘Ronaldinho Gaúcho’

Ronaldinho was born on March 21, 1980 in Vila Nova, a poor suburb of Porto Alegre, Brazil. He was the youngest of three children. Ronaldinho’s mother Miguelina is a former salesperson who later studied to become a nurse. His father João was a shipyard worker and amateur footballer for Cruzeiro. The family moved to a more affluent district of Porto Alegre when Ronaldinho’s older brother Roberto signed to play professional football for Grêmio. João died when Ronaldinho was 8, after suffering a heart attack while swimming in the family’s pool. Injuries ended Roberto’s career prematurely, and he now manages Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho’s sister Deisi works as his press coordinator. Ronaldinho’s son, named João after his father, was born on 25 February, 2005. João’s mother is Janaína Nattielle Viana Mendes, a former dancer on the Brazilian television show Domingão do Faustão.

In his childhood, Ronaldinho’s skill in football began to blossom due to his particular interest in futsal and beach football, which later developed into a fondness for more standardised football. His first brush with the media came after a 23 goal flurry against a local team, at just 13 years of age. His reputation as a footballer was built up through his childhood, particularly since he was a prolific goalscorer in the Egypt 1997 under-17 world championship. His stylish play at the tournament also caught the eye of many. He is a huge fan of Brazilian music, and occasionally plays the drums and sings with friends in Barcelona.

David Beckham

In 1997, Beckham started dating the Spice Girl Victoria Adams and their relationship attracted a great deal of media interest.

He married Adams at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland on 4 July 1999. The wedding attracted tremendous media coverage. Beckham’s teammate Gary Neville was the best man, and the couple’s son Brooklyn was the ring bearer. The media were kept away from the ceremony as the Beckhams had an exclusive deal with OK! Magazine, but newspapers were still able to obtain photographs showing them sitting on golden thrones. 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000.

The Beckhams have three sons: Brooklyn Joseph Beckham (born 4 March 1999), Romeo James Beckham (1 September 2002) and Cruz David Beckham (20 February 2005).

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite ‘Kaká’

Kaká married Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 in São Paulo, Brazil. The wedding was attended by fellow players from his national team, as well as other well known international players. Guests included Ronaldo, Adriano, Cafu, Dida, Júlio Baptista and Brazilian national coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. Kaká first met Celico in 2002, and they started dating soon after. The relationship survived Kaká’s move from São Paulo to Italy in 2003, while she was still at school. It is likely that Celico will stay in Brazil in the short-run, but the couple plan to live together in Italy soon. Against the stereotypical trend of football stars, Kaká is proud he was a virgin when he married. Celico’s mother, Rosangela Lyra, is the director of Dior in Brazil.

Zinedine Yazid Zidane

His wife, Veronique, is a former dancer and model of French-Spanish ancestry. They married in 1993 and have four sons named Enzo, Luca, Théo and Elyaz.

«The El Clasico With Nothing to Play for» or So They Said

The match ended with 4 goals, 8 yellow cards, a red card and lots of controversies. Pretty explosive for an El Clasico with no stakes.

The El Clasico has always been one of the most awaited football matches that features FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, two of the biggest football clubs on the planet. The clash is not just limited to the contrasting football styles of the clubs as it is also seen as a clash between Spain and Catalunia. With such importance attached to the match, it has always lived up to the expectation of football fans. Emotions run high on the field as tempers flare and controversies and fights ensue. This Sunday’s El Clasico had been described as a damp affair even before its start as Barcelona had already won the league while Real Madrid were being cautious in preparation for the Champions League Finals. The fact that this was Iniesta’s last Clasico was the only reason most fans looked forward to the football match. There were others who reminded the fact that Barcelona had remained unbeaten during the league and cup season so far and a defeat would mean they would fail to go the full season unbeaten.

But all of that damp El Clasico talk turned into dust as Barcelona took an early lead through Luis Suarez who perfectly connected with a Sergio Roberto cross. Real Madrid soon equalized as Cristiano Ronaldo connected with Benzema’s headed pass that was set up by Toni Kroos. Both teams continued to threaten each other’s goals as chances were being created left and right. Ronaldo also picked up an injury that saw him hobbling during the rest of the half. By the end of the 40th minute, two of Real Madrid’s defenders were shown yellow cards and so were Barcelona’s Messi and Saurez. But the real controversy started when the referee failed to notice Gareth Bale’s horrible challenge on Samuel Umtiti that should have earned him a straight red card.

Things soon started getting heated up as half-time approached. A Real Madrid attack on the left flank saw a clash between Marcelo and Sergio Roberto. The latter lost as cool and threw his fist into Marcelo’s face. The referee had a clear view of this clash and showed a straight red to Roberto just at the half-time break. This meant that Barcelona had to play the entire second half, one man down.

While Barcelona were down to 10-men, Real Madrid had to substitute Ronaldo due to his first-half injury that caused a swollen ankle. Real Madrid dominated the half but were not able to create many chances. Barcelona once again took the lead as Messi scored from Suarez’s pass. There was a fierce protest from Real Madrid players as Saurez had fouled Varane in the lead up to the goal but got away with it. Real Madrid struggled to find the equalizer against a 10-man Barcelona and it was Gareth Bale who curled it in the 72nd minute to level the scoreline.

Barcelona continued to attack as a super effort from Lionel Messi was beautifully saved by Navas. Messi once again ended up close to scoring as a curling shot from him ended just wide from the post. Real Madrid too were starting to take advantage of 10-man Barcelona. Marcelo was brought down inside Barcelona’s box but the referee once again made a controversial call as Real Madrid were denied a clear penalty. Barcelona, having given a clear lifeline, continued to resist all advances from Real Madrid and hang on to dear life. Nelson Semedo brought on for Coutinho to take up Roberto’s position in defense, impressed with his speed and stamina. Finally, Semedo cleared the ball with a header as the referee blew the final whistle.

Andres Iniesta’s final El Clasico had exploded into life early on and lived up to the billing. There was applause all around has the Maestro took his one last bow.

Despite all the controversies and bad refereeing decisions, everyone was satisfied with the result. Barcelona’s manager Ernesto Valverde later exclaimed that it would have hurt if the unbeaten streak had been broken by Real Madrid, so a draw was a fair and acceptable result. As they say, even a draw means unbeaten. Everyone who saw Sunday’s El Clasico will agree that the players took to field as if everything was at stake, contrary to the belief that nothing was.

Highlights | Resumo: FC Porto 3-0 Benfica (Taça de Portugal 21/22)



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Termina a partida! Triunfo esclarecedor do FC Porto por 3-0 frente ao SL Benfica, resultado que garante à equipa portista o apuramento para os quartos de final da Taça de Portugal. Evanilson marcou logo no primeiro minuto, haveria de bisar aos 31′, Vitinha foi o autor do outro golo dos azuis e brancos.

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"Hands-Up-To-The-Sky" – Ricardo Kaka Biography

Kaka Biography – Introduction

I’m writing this Kaka biography a few weeks after the 2006/2007 Champions League final, a final ending with a happy result, 2-1 for the Brazilian’s team, AC Milan against England’s Liverpool.

I must say, as impressive as Filippo Inzaghi (who scored both AC Milan’s goals) was, my eyes were focused on the Brazilian Kaka throughout the entire match. His passes, his dribblings, his speed and his vision on the pitch were honey to my eyes.

I decided to write this Kaka biography not because the Brazilian needs it, but because I want you to find out who the real Ricardo Kaka is, how he rose up the ladders of his career before being a super star and what exactly does that «hands-up-to-the-sky» kaka celebration mean.

Kaka Biography – Early Career

After spending his early days at different youth clubs around his home town of Brasilia and Sao Paulo, Kaka was eventually offered a professional contract at a very tender age: seventeen.

Since Kaka played great soccer for Sao Paulo’s youth teams, the reserve team and the Brazilian U-17 national squad, he immediately attracted the eyes of several European clubs, the one coming forward first being Turkish side Gaziantepspor.

Sao Paulo agreed to sell Kaka, for a sum of $1.5m, a sum that, if you think of the player’s market value now, would seem like peanuts. Still, the sum was quite big for the Turkish side, especially for a 17-year old footballer, Kaka’s young age giving them no guarantees that he will turn out to play great soccer regularly on professional level.

Kaka Biography – Swimming Pool Incident Sao Paulo FC

In his first season as a professional player for Sao Paulo, Kaka didn’t play for the Brazilian team, but he used this time to accommodate himself with his new colleagues and the hardships of professional soccer in Brazil.

He was probably going to get his debut that season still, but an unfortunate swimming pool incident almost ended his career as a footballer, Kaka fracturing his spine in September 2000. Not only did he risk his future, but this fracture almost cost him his life and he was in real danger of being paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Miraculously, Kaka made a full recovery and came back to training after his full strength came back to him. From that day forward, Kaka found faith in God and some of his profits as a professional footballer always go to the Church, as a small gesture of thanking God for saving his life and his career. The famous Kaka celebration, after he scores a goal, is related to that incident, as each time, he thanks God for allowing him to play soccer and be there on the pitch.

Kaka Biography – Attracting the European Giants

After fully recovering from his horrible fracture, Kaka was finally given a chance to play for Sao Paulo, in January 2001 and he didn’t disappoint, scoring no less than 12 goals in 27 appearances that season. This guaranteed him a solid first team place for the 2001-2002 season, in which he scored another 10 goals in 22 matches and whenever a young Brazilian soccer player performs that well, he’s bound to get a few calls from some major European clubs.

One of these clubs would be AC Milan, one of Italy’s most important teams and Kaka signed without blinking, eager to start a European career.

You probably know the story from here. Kaka is currently in his fourth season with Milan, whom he won the Serie A championship with once, the Italian Super Cup once, and the UEFA Champions League a few weeks ago (he also played another Champions League final in the 2004-2005 season, but lost it to Liverpool in what is considered one of the most beautiful finals of the tournament). He became an indispensable player for AC Milan but also for Brazil.

As a Brazil soccer player, Kaka scored 31 goals in 52 matches so far and gave out numerous perfect assists in his role as an attacking midfielder. Having the young midfielder in the squad, Brazil football became even more technical and quick (if that was even possible) and they’re considered amongst the main favorites for the following international tournaments.

Are Manchester City better without a proper striker? | Extra Time | ESPN FC



Craig Burley, Steve Nicol and Gab Marcotti answer your latest questions on ESPN FC Extra Time:

0:00 Did Stevie have a particular referee he disliked playing or coaching against?
2:30 Should the Premier League just start over with new referees and a new VAR system?
6:30 Is Manchester City better without a striker?
11:00 Would Stevie rather play attractive football under Bielsa and concede 11 goals or play under ‘boring’ Simeone and win 1-0?
14:15 Gab rates the top 5 cities in Italy.
16:10 Will Stevie buy his wife anything for Christmas?

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African Football: A Chronology Of Tragedies On And Off The Field Of Play

Professional football as a competitive sport has had its unfair share of tragedies over the years. Apart from tragedies on the field of play, spectators have not been spared also.

Africa’s darkest day in soccer, perhaps remains the plane crash of April 27, 1993, when 18 members of the Zambian national team and 12 technical and crew members perished when their plane plunged into the sea off the coast of Gabon.

Tragedy cuts across continents, and that fact was confirmed during a League match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirate. A stampede at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg resulted in the deaths of 43 people, the worst disaster in South Africa’s sporting history.

Africa again witnessed another sporting tragedy when a local League match between Lupopo and TP Mazembe on the 30th of April 2001, led to the death of 14 people during a stampede following crowd trouble at a major league match at city of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Nigerian sporting family witnessed one of the most horrific football tragedies on the 23rd of December 2008, when nine female amateur footballers and two coaches were burnt to death in an auto crash on their way from Jos, Plateau state.

The tears of sorrow had hardly dried up, when 15 members of an amateur team, F.C Jimeta from Adamawa state, Nigeria, died in another auto crash on the 26th of January 2009.

Twelve of the dead were players, while the remaining three were trainers.

Severe heat and overcrowding resulted in the death of 4 football fans at a Ghanaian League match between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oaks in Kumasi on Sunday 8th February, 2009.

On the 21st of February 2009, 13 Football supporters of Nigeria Premier League side Ocean Boys F.C of Yenegoa were killed by persons suspected to be cultist, on their way to attending a premier league match involving their team and Bayelsa United at the Ughelli Township Stadium in Delta State, Nigeria.

Tragedy struck at the Stade Felix Houphout-Boigny stadium in Abidjan, when Cote d’ivoire played host to Malawi, as 22 football fans were crushed to death when a fence collapsed as they tried to gain entry into the already jammed packed stadium, during a 2010 World Cup Qualifier.

Footballers are not also spared of these tragedies, which oftentimes occur either on or off the field of play.

Below is a list of African footballers who have died on the field of play.

  • Samuel Okwaraji(Nigeria)- died of heart attack on August 12, 1989
  • Amir Angwe(Nigeria)- died of heart attack on October 29, 1995
  • George Iginewari(Nigeria)- died of gunshot wound in 1995
  • Tunde Charity(Nigeria)- died of head injury in 1997
  • Emmanuel Nwanegbo(Nigeria)- died of heart failure on August 30, 1997
  • Shamo Quaye(Ghana)- died while training with team on November 30, 1997
  • John Ikoroma(Nigeria)- died of heart attack on February 2000
  • Charles Esheko(Nigeria)- died of cardiac arrest on July 14, 2001
  • Marc-Vivien Fo(Cameroon)- died of heart attack on June 26, 2003
  • Sam Okoye(Nigeria)- died after a brief illness on August 2005
  • Chaswe Nsofwa(Zambia)- died of heart failure on August 29, 2007
  • Guy Tchingoma(Congo DR)- died of heart related ailment on February 9, 2009
  • George Katete(Congo DR)- died of heart attack on March 5th 2009
  • Orobosa Adun(Nigeria)- slumped and died on May 26, 2009
  • Endurance Idahor(Nigeria)- died of attack on March 13, 2010

Visit Liverpool and Watch Eight New Anfield Stars

The new season has seen eight new faces at Liverpool FC – nine if you include manager Roy Hodgson. For anyone thinking of visiting Anfield to watch the Reds, here’s a run down Liverpool’s new signings for the 2010/11 season…

PAUL KONCHESKY The former Fulham left-back arrived on Merseyside for a deal in the region of £4 million and made his debut against Birmingham City on 12 September 2010. The 29-year-old career began at Charlton, where he made 149 appearances and scored 5 goals. Since then, he’s enjoyed spells at West Ham and Fulham, where he played under new Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson.

RAUL MEIRELES Arriving from Porto, the central midfielder is known for his wide range of passing and long-range shooting. In 137 appearances for the Portuguese club, notching 15 goals. Also capable of playing the holding midfield role, Meireles has 40 caps for Portugal with an impressive seven international goals to his name.

BRAD JONES Australian international, Jones, joined from Championship club Middlesborough to provide challenge and provide support for Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal. During his time at Boro, he played 57 times and gained further experience on loan at five clubs. The 28 year-old is yet to make his debut for Liverpool, but did star in Jamie Carragher’s testimonial.

CHRISTIAN POULSEN The 30-year-old defensive midfielder was already familiar to Hodgson, having played under the former Fulham chief while the pair were at FC Copenhagen. Before joining Copenhagen, the Danish international played for Nordvest FC, but has since gone on to enjoy successful spells at Shalke 04, Sevilla and most recently Juventus. He has 78 caps for his country, scoring six times.

JOE COLE With 56 England caps, Cole joined the club on a free transfer in the summer having decided to leave Chelsea at the end of his contract. He played 183 times for the current Premier League champions, winning the title and FA Cup three times each during his seven year stay. He began his career at West Ham United, where his dazzling skills from an attacking midfield role brought him to the attention of England for the first time.

MILAN JOVANOVIC Serbian star, Jovanovic, arrived in July from Belgian side Standard Liege, where he made 116 appearances. During that time the striker netted 52 times, although his time at Liverpool so far has seen him play from wide on the left of midfield. He has a one in three goalscoring record for his country, with 10 goals in 32 caps. He also scored the winning goal in Serbia’s 1-0 victory over Germany at this year’s FIFA World Cup.

DANNY WILSON Just 18 years old, but already a Scotland U21 star, this centre-back starlet joined from SPL giants Rangers, where he made 14 first team appearances. He has already been awarded the FWA Young Player of the Year and 2010 Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year.

JONJO SHELVEY With England U16, U17 and U21 caps to his name, Shelvey was regarded as one of the hottest young talents outside of the top flight when Liverpool parted with £1.7 million for his services in April. Although yet to done the famous red shirt of Liverpool, the talented midfielder made 42 first-team starts for Charlton and bagged 7 goals.

If you’re ready to watch these new stars, as well as the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, why not make the trip to Liverpool by train? With excellent transport links, you could make your way into Liverpool Lime Street or Liverpool Central before heading to the ground.

EPL Team Profile – Manchester United

The club’s formal name is Manchester United Football Club, or Manchester United FC.

They are also referred to, popularly, as the Red Devils. Founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR FC, the squad train at their home venue of Old Trafford, with its capacity of nearly 76,000. Owned by the Glazier family, the squad have Joel and Avram Glazer as co-chairmen, and Sir Alex Fergusson as manager.

Manchester United have won the most league titles, 18, a record they share with Liverpool. However, unlike Liverpool, who haven’t won a single Premier League, the Red Devils have won in 11 of the 17 Premiership seasons, so far.

In the ongoing season, United have won two of three matches played and are currently third on the League table behind Chelsea and Arsenal.

Early Season Preview:

Manchester United would want to win the Premiership this season, for more than one reason. Apart from the obvious need to establish themselves as the best team in the fray, the squad know that this could be Sir Alex Fergusson’s last year, at the helm. And that the Premier League title could be the perfect parting gift.

In fact, this is Fergie’s 25th year, and even after a quarter century in charge, his motivation is intact. The Community shield, the traditional curtain raiser to the season, saw United lifting the trophy, by beating Premier League defending champions, Chelsea. Was that a teaser trailer of bigger things to come?

This is the Red Devils’ current line-up: Van der Sar, Vidic, O’Shea, Evra, Jonathan Evans, Scholes, Nani, Giggs, Fletcher, Rooney, Berbatov, Kuszczak, Smalling, Owen, Hernandez, Carrick, Valencia and Rafael Da Silva.

Wayne Rooney has returned to the League after a forgettable World Cup, and he will want to put those memories behind him, the best way he knows — by scoring goals. Rooney’s form, as ever, will determine how the Old Trafford outfit shape up in their Premiership campaign.

Sir Alex has had the legendary knack of spotting little known players who have gone on to do brilliantly in top flight football. Javier Hernandez, signed this summer, belongs to this breed. Hernandez did well in South Africa, and has looked good in his short tenure with the Red Devils. Apart from Javier, Fulham’s defender Chris Smalling is another summer signing of promise. In departures from Old Trafford, United have sold Ben Foster.

The Premiership, in recent years, has become a two-horse race, between Chelsea and Manchester United. This year, I expect it to be a three-pronged affair, with Arsenal providing the third side to the triangular contest. From the evidence of the matches played so far, I would back the Red Devils to mount a serious challenge for the title.