PELE

Pele is one of the most famous names in football. Mention his name and any fan will be able to tell you facts and figures connected to this football supremo. He was born in 1940 in Coracoes in Brazil and was a keen footballer from the word go. This was much to his mothers' dismay as Pele's father was a footballer but was not successful at his craft and she didn't want her son to follow in his footsteps. This however was not the with Pele who became a legendary footballer who is the all time top goal scorer for his national side, adored by millions of fans especially in  Brazil. 

Pele's career began in 1954 playing for a junior side and then progressed at sixteen on to Santos where he played until 1974. The 1958 World Cup in Sweden gave Pele the world stage and he helped Brazil win the tournament for the first time scoring brilliant goals at the young age of only seventeen. By the age of twenty one he was regarded as the best player in the world and played in the 1966 World Cup which Brazil of course did not win and the 1970 World Cup.

He retired from international football following Brazils' hat trick win of World Cup tournaments and from Brazilian club football 

at the age of 34 but played for

 two years in America after which he  retired for good.

    Pele later became the Brazilian minister

for sport. Below are some interesting statistics from his career:

1. South American Player of the Year in 1973
2. Scored 77 International Goals
3. 92 International Caps
4. Played in World Cups 1958 (Sweden), 1962 (Chile), 1970 (Mexico) all of which were won by Brazil!
5. Won the Sao Paulo State Championship 9 times

Diego Maradona

                                   
Diego Maradona was born in Buenos Aires Argentina on the 30th October 1960. He is one of the most famous footballers in the world while England fans especially remember him for "that goal" or the hand of god goal to quote the man himself that helped to eliminate England from the 1986 World Cup in the quarter finals. He is highly regarded as one of the most skilful players in the world with his perfect ball control he dominated every match he played. What Maradona lacked in height he more than made up for in skill and speed using it to his advantage against his opponents

Maradona like so many Argentinean boys played on the streets of Buenos Aires in the hope that one day he would escape the abject poverty he was born into through football. He achieved this at a young age when he was spotted and joined the Argentinos juniors at the age of 12. From there he went on to play for Boca juniors for a fee of £1,000,000 helping them win the league and so cementing his superiority in the game.
In 1982 Maradona was bought for £5,000,000 by Barcelona who he helped win the Spanish Cup despite illness. 1984 saw another move this time to Napoli who paid £6,900,000 which they certainly felt was reasonable as they won the Serie A league twice, the Copa Italia plus the UEFA and Italian Super Cup but like all things they come to an end and Maradona's club career was no exception as his popularity waned.
Success in his international career was phenomenal so Maradona is better known and held in greatest regard with his fans for his play with Argentina. The 1980's were especially successful and Argentina was the side to beat in competitions world wide. Maradona was 18 years old when he first played for his beloved country while by the time he reached 22 he was chosen for all the world cup matches even though he was often sent off for misdemeanours on the pitch. The 1986 World Cup saw Maradona captain his team for every game and Argentina won the world cup that year defeating West Germany in the final.
The 1990 world cup campaign was not as successful for Maradona and Argentina as he had an ankle injury which plagued him throughout the tournament, consequently seeing them lose the Cup to their previous final opponents West Germany. World Cup 1994 was the beginning of the end for Maradona as during the tournament he failed a drugs test and one of the greatest player s of all time was heading toward retirement.
Maradona's next move was to coach his former team Boca juniors but his time there was short lived due to disagreements and arguments with staff. His awards and achievements are many:

1. 1979 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup
2. 1979 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
3. 1979 South American Footballer of the Year
4. 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship
5. 1981 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
6. 1981 Argentine League Top Scorer
7. 1986 Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
8. 1986 South American Footballer of the Year
9. 1986 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year
10. 1986 Golden Ball
11. 1986 World Player of the Year
12. 1986 FIFA World Cup
13. 1987 Best Football in the World
14. 1987 Serie A Top Scorer
15. 1989 South American Footballer of the Year
16. 1990 South American Footballer of the Year
17. 1992 South American Footballer of the Year
18. 1993 Artemio Franchi Trophy
19. 1996 Golden Ball, services to football
20. 1999 Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century
21. 2000 People's Choice Best Footballer of the Century
22. 2002 FIFA Goal of the Century
23. 2005 Argentine Senate Lifetime Achievement

The passing of the career of such a prolific player was sad but more so as Maradona was fighting his cocaine addiction for many years being admitted to clinics time and again to try to overcome his problem. At the age of 44 he suffered a massive heart attack and was fortunate to survive while also fighting the demon drink. The player maintains that he has now fought off his demons and is clear of drink and drugs, a fitting end for one of the world's most talented football geniuses and a more positive outlook than the one for the great

Gabriel Omar Batistuta

Gabriel Omar Batistuta one of Argentina's most prolific football players was born on February 1st 1969 in Avellaneda Argentina. He is the eldest of 4 children and came from a poor family his father being a slaughterhouse worker his mother a school secretary. At the tender age of sixteen he met his future wife who was only fifteen at the time but whom he married five years later, on December 28th 1990.He is the father of four sons and although he has film star looks is renowned for being a settled family man devoted to his wife and children. This reputation would also be displayed on the football pitch as Batistuta was known for being a loyal fair player and a gentleman

Early Career
Batistuta's first sporting love was basketball, this was probably because of his height but after watching the 1978 World Cup his passion was ignited so the birth of a football legend began. He played on the streets of Argentina then joined the Platense Junior Team where he was noticed and selected for the Reconquista Team who won the provincial championship defeating Newell's Old Boys from Rosario. Newell's Old Boys were so impressed by Batistuta scoring two goals against them that they signed him up from the opposition in 1988,his new coach being Marcelo Bielsa who later became the Argentine coach at the same time Batistuta played for the national team
Batistuta's first year at Newell's was hard for him. He was over weight, living away from the home he loved plus was separated from the woman he loved so by the end of that year he was loaned to Deportivo Italiano, a smaller team in Buenos Aries. He did have a modicum of success with the team scoring three goals in the Carnevale Cup which made him top scorer. 1989 saw a move to River Plate where although he scored seventeen goals things did not go well. Arguments would break out with the team coach Daniel Passarella resulting in Batistuta being dropped from the team mid season.
In 1990 things changed seeing Batistuta sign for Boca Juniors but he did not find his form at all until coach Oscar Tobarez took over the team, giving him encouragement and support resulting in Batistuta becoming the leagues top scorer as they won the championship.
Fiorentina
Batistuta signed for Fiorentina in 1991 after he impressed the vice president of the club during his performance at the 1991 Copa América. His time there had mixed successes as his first season saw him score thirteen goals however the 1992/93 season saw Fiorentina in a relegation battle that they subsequently lost being relegated to Serie B.The following season fortunes looked up and Fiorentina once again gained their place in Serie A. Batistuta scoring 16 goals was a prominent factor in their promotion success. Batistuta enjoyed huge success at Fiorentina he was the top scorer of the 1994/95 season with 26 goals plus the club won the Italian cup and the Super Coppa in the 1995/96 season.
Batistuta was disappointed that his time with the club had not seen them win the Italian championship while Fiorentina desperate not to lose the player made GiovanniTrappatoni coach in their attempt to win the coveted title. Unfortunately things did not work out as hoped Batistuta found himself out through injury leaving Fiorentina finishing in third place but able to enter the champions league battle none the less.
Roma
The 1991/1992 season saw Batistuta transfer to Roma for a fee of seventy billion Italian Lire for a term of three years. It was here that he won his first Scudetto medal scoring 20 goals during the campaign. From Roma he was loaned to Internazionale where his success was minimal so he moved once again to Al Arabi a Qatari team this time on a free transfer. He had great success culminating in the award for the Golden Boot of 2004 for being top scorer in any Arab league.
International Career Playing for Argentina
Batistuta's first match for his country was in the Copa America in Chile where his six goals won him top scorer of the tournament. He played again in 1993 Argentina again the victors. The 1994 World Cup although unsuccessful for Argentina saw Batistuta score a hat trick against Greece plus four goals in four games. The 1998 World Cup was next but Batistuta was at odds with the coach Daniel Passarella so found himself left out of the team in the qualifying matches. Thankfully they managed to put aside their differences and in the match against Jamaica he again scored a hat trick, the first player to achieve this in two world cups.
Argentina played well in the qualifying matches for World Cup 2002 while Batistuta announced he would be retiring from international football at the end of the tournament. Coach Marcelo Bielsa however did not lead the team to victory and Argentina were out in the first round something that had not happened to them since 1962, this was a huge disappointment for Batistuta as it was to be his final international match.
Below are some interesting statistics and facts surrounding his formidable career:

1. His nickname is Batigol
2. He played his first professional football match in 1988 scoring his first goal in 1989
3. His first national game was against Brazil in 1991
4. His first national goal was against Venezuela
5. His last national goal was in 2002 against Nigeria
6. His last ever national match was in 2002 against Sweden
7. He was the top scorer in Copa America 1991 with six goals
8. He scored 24 goals in the Qatari league which was a record
9. He was the top scorer ever in the Arab leagues
10. He scored 56 goals in 78 matches for Argentina which was a record
11. He was the fourth player to complete the hat trick at the World Cup plus the only player to score a hat trick at 2 World Cups
12. He was the Serie A top scorer 1995
13. Serie A foreign player of the year 1998-1999
14. Third FIFA world player of the year 1999
15. Arab Leagues Golden Shoe 2004
16. Argentine player of the year 1988
17. Played 414 matches in the league scoring 246 goals
18. Played 105 matches for Argentina scoring 81 goals

ZINEDINE ZIDANE

Zidane was born in Marseilles France on the 23rd of June 1972. He is widely admired for being one of the world's foremost players who helped France to win the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championships a fantastic record of achievement for the boy born of Algerian immigrant parents. Zidane started playing football at a young age joining the first year junior league at just fourteen where he was spotted by the AS Cannes coach. He played for the team for four years playing his first ligue 1 match at seventeen where he scored and was duly gifted a car by the club president


 "Zizou" as he is affectionately known was well known for losing his temper. Some people called it passion for the game while others put it down to his harsh upbringing but for whatever reason it would in the future cause problems for Zidane. His next move was to Bordeaux where he had four successful years before moving on to greater things in the form of Italian super club Juventus who paid a mere 3 million pounds for the prolific player in 1996. Success followed the player wherever he went so with Zidane at the forefront Juventus went on to win 2 league titles plus reached 2 UEFA Champions League finals so resulting in Zidane being awarded The  FIFA World Player of the year award.

Real Madrid in 2001 was his next move for a colossal 45.6 million pound transfer fee! He was one of many superb players at the club which went on to win the Spanish league plus the Champions League 2001/2 where he scored the winning goal in the final which is still talked about to this day and is considered one of the greatest goals ever scored.


Cantona was sorely missed in the Manchester United team meaning they lost the league title but one year on he returned to play and they once again won the premiership. In fact Eric Cantona helped his team win six out of seven league titles along with various cup wins. It was following all this success that Cantona surprisingly announced his retirement at the young age of 30.

Cantona never really had the successes he achieved in league football when playing for his national team. His international debut was against West Germany in August 1987 under Coach Henri Michel but he was dropped from the team the following year and was so incensed that in an interview he referred to the coach as "A bag of s**t" consequently finding himself banned indefinitely from the French National team, while Henri later was dismissed when France failed to qualify for the 1990 World Cup.

Michel Platini became the new international coach recalling Cantona to the team but Platini was not a successful manager for the team while replacement coaches Gerard Houllier and Aime Jacquet followed. By this time Cantona had been suspended from football due to the Kung Fu episode plus up and coming striker Zinedine Zidane was chosen to play for France and was proving a huge asset. Following comments off the pitch that he was supporting England in the Euro 96 tournament Cantona sealed his fate and never played for France again. Away from football the artistic French man has had a career in acting while advertising companies snapped him up for product promotion for men's toiletries and for sports products.

1. Division 1 titles with Marseille 1988/89, 1990/91
2. Coupe de France Montpellier 1989/90
3. Football league Division one title with Leeds United 1991/92
4. Charity Shield with Leeds United 1992
5. Premier League titles x 4 with Manchester United 1992/93, 1993/94, 1995/96, 1996/97
6. FA Cup x 2 with Manchester United 1993/94, 1995/96
7. Charity Shield x 3 with Manchester United1993, 1994, 1996
8. PFA Players player of the year 1993/94
9. FWA Footballer of the Year 1995/96
10. Premier League Player of the Month March 1996
11. Overseas team of the Decade
12. Overseas Player of the decade

Following his retirement from football Cantona became captain of the French National beach football team which led to him becoming team manager. He coached the 2006 Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup French national team with some success finishing the tournament in third place but football fans the world over will always remember Cantona for his flair determination and ability on the football pitches of England and France during his exciting football career.Zidane's international career playing for France was every bit as successful as his club career winning his first cap back in 1994 in a friendly against the Czech Republic at which he scored two goals making his international debut memorable for all who watched. Euro 1996 came and went without success but the 1998 World cup was a very different story, played in France their home territory Zidane and his team eliminated the opposition in great style with Zidane scoring twice against Brazil to secure the win. The same scenario followed two years later in the Euro Championships making France the first team since 1974 to win a World Cup and European Championships consecutively.

Zidane retired from international football in 2004 but was tempted back in 2006 to help France qualify for the World Cup which was to be held in Germany. Zidane even captained the side and succeeded in reaching the final their opponents being Italy. Zidane scored a penalty in the first half; this was the thing dreams were made of. The second half was very different as Italy desperately fought against defeat. Then to the amazement of everyone Zidane turned on Marco Matteratzi of Italy violently head butting him in the chest resulting in a red card. It was later admitted by his Nemesis that he said to Zidane "instead of your shirt I will have your whore of a sister "France went on to lose on penalties and so the end of Zinedine Zidanes career on the pitch was over.

Respect for Zidane as a player is none the less high. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and certainly the greatest France has ever produced. He can be seen from time to time playing in charity matches but as a professional player his time is over. Statistics credited to Zidane are as follows:

1. UEFA Club Football Awards, Best Midfielder: 1997/1998
2. UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2002
3. World Soccer Player of the Year: 1998
4. FIFA World Player of the Year: 1998/ 2000/ 2003
5. FIFA Silver World Player of the Year: 2006
6. FIFA Bronze World Player of the Year: 1997/ 2002
7. European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or): 1998
8. UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2001/2002
9. UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (Best European player of the past 50 years): 2004
10. FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Award: 2006
11. Onze d'Or: 1998/ 2000/ 2001
12. UEFA European Championship Player of the Tournament: 2000
13. FIFA All-Star Team: 1998/ 2006
14. UEFA BEST XI: 2001/ 2002/ 2003
15. Chevalier de Legion d'Honneur: since 1998

   

Zidane's Last Game: A Tragic Story