Saturday, January 31, 2015

Andriy Shevchenko, a former Ukrainian footballer who played for Dynamo Kyiv, Milan, Chelsea, and the Ukrainian national team as a striker. His career has been highlighted by many awards, the most prestigious of which was the Ballon d'Or in 2004

Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko is a former Ukrainian footballer who played for Dynamo Kyiv, Milan, Chelsea, and the Ukrainian national team as a striker. Shevchenko is ranked as the fifth top goalscorer in all European competitions with 67 goals. With a tally of 175 goals scored for Milan, Shevchenko is the second most prolific player in the history of the club, and is also the all-time second-best scorer of the Derby della Madonnina (the derby between Milan and their local rivals Internazionale) with 14 goals. Furthermore, he is the all-time top scorer for the Ukrainian national team with 48 goals.
Shevchenko's career has been highlighted by many awards, the most prestigious of which was the Ballon d'Or in 2004 (becoming the third Ukrainian, after Oleh Blokhin and Ihor Belanov, to receive it). He won the UEFA Champions League in 2003 with Milan, and he has also won various league and cup titles in Ukraine, Italy, and England. He was also an UEFA Champions League runner-up in 2005 and 2008.
In his illustrious international career, the striker led Ukraine as captain to the quarter-finals in their first ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 2006. A fast, hardworking, energetic, opportunistic, and prolific goalscorer, Shevchenko was usually deployed as a centre-forward, although he was capable of attacking from the left wing as well, a position which he occupied upon his return to Kiev; he was also effective from set-pieces and penalties. A strong and physical striker with an eye for goal, he was primarily known for his powerful and accurate shot, although he also possessed good technique and aerial ability.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Thomas Ravelli, a retired Swedish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Ravelli is the Swedish national team's second most capped player, with 143 caps

Thomas Ravelli is a retired Swedish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
His 21-year professional career was almost exclusively associated with Öster and Göteborg, for whom he amassed Allsvenskan totals of 430 games.
Ravelli is the Swedish national team's second most capped player, with 143 caps (also one of best in the world), representing the nation at two World Cups and one European Championship.

Ravelli's international career spanned almost two decades, starting in 1981. He played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 1992, and the 1994 World Cup, with Sweden finishing third in the latter tournament, and gained a total of 143 caps.
He is especially well known for saving two penalties during the shootout that ended the quarterfinal match between Sweden and Romania, in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, including one in the "sudden death" by Miodrag Belodedici (5–4 win); this feat led to him finishing second in the year's race for Goalkeeper of the Year.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Flórián Albert, a Hungarian international football player, later manager and sports official, who was named European Footballer of the Year in 1967

Flórián Albert (15 September 1941 – 31 October 2011) was a Hungarian international football player, later manager and sports official, who was named European Footballer of the Year in 1967. Nicknamed "The Emperor", he has been described as one of the most elegant footballers of all time.
A club legend of Ferencvárosi TC, Albert joined the team yet as a schoolboy and spent his whole playing career at Fradi. He also starred for Hungary, winning 75 international caps and scoring 31 goals. He was joint top-scorer at the 1962 World Cup with four goals and played a key role in Hungary's third-place finish at the European Championship in 1964.
He stayed loyal to Ferencváros after his retirement as well, actively participated in the club's life and also held administrative positions. Since 2007 the stadium of Ferencváros bears his name.
Albert died in October 2011, aged 70, in a hospital in Budapest after complications following heart surgery carried out a few days earlier.


Albert spent his entire club career with Ferencvárosi TC, where he played from 1952 to 1974. He came through the ranks quickly and made his debut in the senior team on 2 November 1958 against Diósgyőr, in a match in which he hit the back of the net two times. The forward was also spotted by Hungarian national team manager Lajos Baróti in a youth match between Hungary and Yugoslavia, and not much later Albert already received his first call-up. His first appearance in the national selection came on 28 June 1959 against Sweden, who finished runners-up in the World Cup a year earlier. Albert contributed with two assist to Hungary's 3–2 win over the Scandinavians. He scored 31 goals in 75 caps for the Hungarian team, with them he has collected the bronze medal on both of the Olympic Games in 1960 and the European Championship in 1964. At the 1962 World Cup, despite Hungary being knocked out in the quarter-finals, Albert, tied with five others, managed to win the Golden Boot Award with four goals.
On club level, his biggest success came in 1965, when in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Ferencváros, that knocked-out among others AS Roma and Manchester United F.C. en route to the final, triumphed over Juventus F.C. 1–0 in the decisive match and obtained the cup title.


Monday, January 12, 2015

Kevin Keegan, an English former football player and manager that he first superstar English player to attract the modern media spotlight. He won Ballon d'Or in 1978 and 1979

Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE (born 14 February 1951) is an English former football player and manager. He played for several clubs including Liverpool and Hamburger SV. He went on to manage Newcastle United, Fulham and Manchester City, winning promotion as champions in his first full season at all three clubs. He also managed the England national team.
As a player in the 1970s and 1980s, he has been described as "arguably the first superstar English player to attract the modern media spotlight". He began his playing career at Scunthorpe United in 1968, before moving to Liverpool in 1971. At Liverpool, Keegan won three First Division titles, the UEFA Cup twice, the FA Cup and the European Cup. He also gained his first England cap in 1972, and moved to German club Hamburg in the summer of 1977. At Hamburg he was named European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979, won the Bundesliga title in 1978–79, and reached the European Cup final in 1980. Keegan moved to Southampton that summer, and spent two seasons at the club before a transfer to Newcastle United in the English second division in 1982. He helped Newcastle to promotion in his second season, and retired from football in 1984, having been capped 63 times for England, scoring 21 goals.
He moved into management at Newcastle in 1992, winning promotion as First Division champions. Newcastle then finished second in the Premier League in 1995–96, after leading for most of the season. After a spell at Fulham, he took charge of the England team in 1999 but resigned in the autumn of 2000, following a loss against Germany in World Cup qualification. He then became manager of Manchester City in 2001 and spent four years at the club before resigning in 2005. He had been out of football for almost three years when he returned to Newcastle United for a second spell as manager in January 2008. This spell lasted only eight months, however, as Keegan resigned on 4 September 2008 following speculation regarding a dispute with the club's directors.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Omar Sívori, an Italian Argentine football striker and manager. He won the title of European Footballer of the Year in 1961

Enrique Omar Sívori (2 October 1935 – 17 February 2005) was an Italian Argentine football striker and manager. He is known for his time with the successful Juventus side during the late 1950s and early 1960s. At club level he also played for River Plate and Napoli.
On the international level, he first appeared for the Argentine national team, winning the Copa América. Later in his career, he played for the Italian national team and took part in some of the 1962 World Cup. After his retirement as player, he coached several teams in Argentina, including the national side.
Sívori's footballing talent was acclaimed and he won the title of European Footballer of the Year in 1961.

Encyclopædia Britannica describe his playing style as "audacious and brilliant".Sívori utilized his dribbling skills and favourite move of the nutmeg (playing the ball between an opposition players legs) to defeat defenders. Primarily a left footed player, Sívori had the ability to score with his left, his right and, despite his relatively short stature, his head; this would sometimes see him receiving kicks to the face.
Especially while with Juventus, he was able to utilise his vision and passing skills, working in unison with Charles and Boniperti. Because of his playing style, country of birth and at times rebellious nature on and off the field, Sívori is retroactively compared to a player who emerged after him; Diego Maradona, with some parts of the media dubbing him "the Maradona of the Sixties".

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Paolo Futre, a Portuguese retired footballer who played mostly as a left winger. A Portuguese international since the age of 17, Futre gained more than 40 caps for his country, representing it at the 1986 World Cup

Paulo Jorge dos Santos Futre (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu ˈfutɾɨ]; born 28 February 1966) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played mostly as a left winger.
After starting playing for Sporting, he moved to Portowinning the 1987 European Cup – after which he embarked in an extensive professional career, having represented clubs in Spain, France, Italy and Japan, most notably Atlético Madrid. He also appeared for Benfica during four months in 1993.
A Portuguese international since the age of 17, Futre gained more than 40 caps for his country, representing it at the 1986 World Cup.

Sporting / Porto

Born in Montijo, Setúbal District, Futre first appeared professionally in 1983–84, as a 17-year-old for Sporting Clube de Portugal, whose youth system he had joined at the age of nine. When he requested a pay raise from president João Rocha, he was turned down and left for F.C. Porto after just one season, as veterans Jaime Pacheco and António Sousa moved in the opposite direction as part of the deal.
In the following years Futre collected two national championships, also helping the northerners to the 1986–87 European Cup, putting on a Man of the match performance in the final against FC Bayern Munich.

Atlético Madrid

After that continental win, Futre was traded to Atlético Madrid in Spain, earning a reported annual salary of 650,000. At the capital outfit, he quickly rose to fan favourite status, but his physical weakness left him with several knee injuries which tormented his career in the 1990s.
In his fifth season, Futre provided countless assists for striker Manolo who scored 27 goals for the Pichichi Trophy, with him netting in the campaign's domestic cup, a 2–0 win over neighbours Real Madrid; during most of his spell with the Colchoneros, he was also team captain.

Journeyman / Retirement

In January 1993, Futre moved to Porto and Sporting rivals S.L. Benfica, winning a Portuguese Cup in his short stay (and scoring in the final against Boavista F.C. in a 5–2 triumph), as his injury woes persisted. After Benfica, he signed one-season contracts with Olympique de Marseille – where he teamed up with countryman Rui BarrosA.C. Reggiana 1919, A.C. Milan and West Ham United, where he infamously refused to play until he was given squad number 10. Finally, he returned to Atlético Madrid (ten La Liga games in 1997–98), effectively ending his career with J. League Division 1 side Yokohama Flügels; he ranked joint-98th in World Soccer's 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century, published in December 1999.
Futre worked as director of football at Atlético Madrid from 2000 to 2003,subsequently becoming a real-estate developer in his hometown.In May 2011, he was part of Dias Ferreira's team in an unsuccessful run for Sporting's presidency.

International career

Futre played 41 times for Portugal in a 12-year span, scoring six goals. His debut came against Finland for the UEFA Euro 1984 qualifiers, on 27 April 1983 – he was only 17 years and 204 days old, breaking a national team record.
Futre was a member of the Portuguese national team that competed in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, playing 90 minutes in the 1–3 loss against Morocco, in an eventual group stage exit.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Success 2014: Zucchero Fornaciari, an Italian rock singer and Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. His music is largely inspired by gospel, soul and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces

Adelmo Fornaciari (born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer and Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. His music is largely inspired by gospel, soul and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.
Zucchero is the Italian word for sugar, as his teacher used to call him. In his career, spanning four decades, Fornaciari has sold over 60 million records around the world and has achieved numerous awards, including two World Music Awards, six IFPI Europe Platinum Awards and a Grammy Award nomination.
After the million selling success of Blue's and Oro incenso e birra in Italy, and his collaborations with Joe Cocker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Miles Davis, Fornaciari from 1990 on attempted to conquer the rest of Europe. The album Blue’s was released the following year in the United Kingdom, and in 1990 Zucchero Sings his Hits in English, an album that featured songs from the Blue's and Oro incenso e birra albums, some of which translated to English by Frank Musker, was released worldwide.
Fornaciari's best known hit "Senza una donna" ("Without a Woman"), in a duet with Paul Young, is from this album. The first pressing of the album didn't feature the duet: the song was performed by Fornaciari only. The duet was a great success worldwide, reaching the top 10 in European charts. Other European hit singles from this album include English versions of "Diamante" (of which the original Italian lyrics were written by Francesco De Gregori), and "Wonderful World" (with Eric Clapton). Diamante was later released as a duet with Randy Crawford, a variant not available on any album until the special edition of Zu & Co.
Between 1991 and 1993 Fornaciari continued duetting with some of the world’s most famous artists, such as Sting, Luciano Pavarotti, a young Andrea Bocelli, Peter Maffay, Elton John, Brian May and Eric Clapton. Many of these duets would later be included in the compilation Zu & Co. (2004). 1992 saw Fornaciari perform at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, with the remaining three members of Queen, singing "Las Palabras de Amor". 1991 also saw the release of Fornaciari's first live album Live at the Kremlin, recorded in Moscow and featuring guest appearances by Randy Crawford (on John Lennon's "Imagine") and Toni Childs.