ProfileDespite being blessed with breathtaking skill and almost supernatural ball control, the endearingly-modest Ronaldinho Gaucho still blushes when he is mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Zico or Pele. He may not pursue the kind of legendary status afforded to Brazilian greats Garrincha, Didi or Vava, but with each passing game the feeling grows that Ronaldinho could become one of the finest players the world has ever seen. Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho, was born on 21 March 1980 in the Restinga district of Porto Alegre, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. At the age of seven, older brother Roberto Assis, a professional at local side Gremio Porto Alegre, took the talented youngster to join his club’s youth set-up. The Barcelona star has never forgotten his sibling’s help in getting him where he is today. “My biggest hero is my brother. He’s a shining example as a father, a brother and a footballer.” Eight years on, Ronaldinho received his first call-up for the Brazilian national team’s junior side, and two years later he was a member of the team that won the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt. The Brazilian maestro turned professional in 1998, celebrating his first contract by helping Gremio to a 1-0 win over Rio de Janeiro side Vasco de Gama. It would be another year before ‘Ronnie’ caught the eye of the world’s footballing elite. In 1999, having top-scored in his side’s State Championship win, Ronaldinho made his official debut for the Seleç?o in a friendly against Latvia. During that year’s Copa America, the fleet-footed forward gave a tantalising glimpse of what was to come with a wonder goal in Brazil’s 7-0 rout of Venezuela. Namesake RonaldoIt was around that time, as Ronaldinho’s career began to take off, that he was christened with the surname Gaucho, used to describe people from the Rio Grande do Sul region, in order to avoid confusion with the other Ronaldo, still known by many Brazilians as Ronaldinho. Nowadays, the pair’s fame has reached such levels that such a distinction is no longer necessary. In 2001, the rising star moved from Gremio to French side Paris Saint-Germain, though not without a protracted transfer wrangle between the parties involved. The move was completed in time for Ronaldinho to seal a place in the Auriverde squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™, where he played a vital role in Brazil’s success. In the aftermath of his country’s record fifth FIFA World Cup win, Ronaldinho returned to PSG, although not for very long. Despite speculation linking him with both Manchester United and Real Madrid, he ended up at Catalan giants Barcelona, who forked out a club-record €30m for his signature. The FIFA World Cup winner arrived at Barça in time for the 2003/04 campaign when, after a rocky start to the season, a Ronaldinho-inspired revival saw Barcelona clinch second place behind Valencia. In 2005, the attacker reaffirmed his hero status in the eyes of the Azulgrana supporters with nine league goals and umpteen assists in his side’s 17th Primera Liga title win, their first since 1998/99. Currently one of the most famous faces in world football, Ronaldinho has amassed an admirable collection of individual awards in a relatively short space of time. In 2005 he was presented with France Football magazine’s Golden Ball, awarded to the European Player of the Year, before crowning an amazing 12 months with his second consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year award. Technically brilliant and a wonderful dribbler, Ronaldinho is an automatic choice in Carlos Alberto Parreira’s Brazil side at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Despite all his success, Ronaldinho admits: “I used to be always thinking about bizarre things, I was a real dreamer. During the World Cup in 1994, I watched Romario smile and thought: ‘I want to look like that.’ Later on, when Ronaldo was voted the best player in the world, I wanted to be just like him…” The charismatic Brazilian’s words are proof of one thing: Dreams do sometimes come true.
BORN IN: BRAZIL DATE OF BORN:22 September 1976 Height: 183 cm Weight: 82 kg Position: Forward Current Club: Real Madrid (ESP)
ProfileOnly occasionally can the bare facts and figures of a player’s career convey the sheer talent that they possess. Ronaldo Luiz Nazario da Silva is quite simply one of the greatest strikers in the history of world football, capable of leaving an entire team for dead with his darting runs and dribbling ability, voted FIFA World Player of the Year on three occasions and already a double FIFA World Cup™ winner. These honours are merely the tip of the iceberg in the record-breaking career of the man they call ‘The Phenomenon’. Born in the working-class neighbourhood of Bento Ribeiro, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Ronaldo’s precocious talents were recognised at an extremely young age, and it did not take long before he exploded on to the professional scene. At the age of 15 Ronaldo was turning out for Rio club Sao Cristovao, before he was snapped up by Belo Horizonte side Cruzeiro. The young striker was quick to make a name for himself, producing a string of dazzling displays in the Campeonato Brasileiro which saw him receive his first national team call up at only 17 years’ of age. From that moment on, his international career took off. Having been a member of the FIFA World Cup-winning Brazil squad in 1994, the prodigiously talented teenager joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the same year. In only two years at the club, he scored 54 goals in a mere 57 games – an incredible average of just under a goal every game. That goal ratio soon attracted Barcelona’s interest, and the Catalan club wasted no time in securing their new star’s signature. At Barcelona, Ronaldo reached new heights, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 1996 and 1997 along the way. In 1998, and now with Inter Milan, Ronaldo began the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France as a fully-established first-team player for his country. Under the guidance of coach Mario Jorge ‘Lobo’ Zagallo, the Brazilians blazed their way through to the final only to lose 3-0 to their French hosts. It was a result that shook the whole of Brazil to its foundations, and for Ronaldo it signalled the beginning of the most turbulent chapter of his footballing career. On the morning of the final, the mercurial striker suffered a sudden convulsive fit, which almost ruled him out of the match itself. Despite Ronaldo battling on to play, many members of the squad later admitted that the incident destabilised the team at a critical moment. Injury blowThe worst was yet to come for the Brazilian striker. Having seen FIFA World Cup victory slip from his grasp, Ronaldo then underwent the most difficult period of his career. On 21 November 1999, during a Serie A match against Lecce, Ronaldo felt his knee buckle and was forced to limp off the pitch. Medical exams after the match confirmed that the striker had ruptured a tendon in his right knee and would require surgery. Only four months after his operation he returned to action against Lazio on 12 April 2000 in the first leg of the Coppa Italia Final. However, disaster struck just six minutes into the game when an unmarked Ronaldo twisted his recently-repaired knee. The image of the forlorn Brazilian striker, crumpled in a heap and howling in agony, is one that still shocks to this day. Again the doctors confirmed Ronaldo’s worst fears, stating that he had torn those same knee ligaments. Opinion was divided as to the extent of the injury, but the future looked bleak. Indeed, many specialists thought that the footballing genius would never fully recover and that his career was as good as over. But, on 20 September 2001, 17 months and eight days after the original injury, Ronaldo was back playing against Romanian club Brasov in a UEFA Cup match in Trieste. Despite the length of his recovery period, it soon became clear that the brilliant Brazilian had lost none of his goalscoring prowess. In 2002, he moved back to Spain with Real Madrid and the then Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari gambled on the forward’s return to form and fitness by calling him up to Brazil’s FIFA World Cup squad. No one could have predicted a better outcome. Not only had Brazil won their fifth FIFA World Cup, but the ‘Phenomenon’ was the tournament’s top scorer, netting eight goals in only seven games. Only Pele has netted as many goals for Brazil in the competition’s history – both players having scored 12 times. In 2006 Ronaldo will be looking to surpass that figure as well as overhaul Gerd Muller’s long-standing 14-goal record as top scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Opposition defences beware.
BORN IN: BORTUGAL Date of birth: 5 February 1985 Height: 184 cm Weight: 75 kg Position: Forward Current Club: Manchester United (ENG)
ProfileCristiano Ronaldo Santos Aveiro is undoubtedly one of the hottest young talents in world football. With his surging runs and dazzling skills performed at blistering pace, comparisons with his Brazilian namesake have been inevitable. This Ronaldo is a star in his own right, however. Born on the island of Madeira on 5 February 1985, he began his footballing formation with Nacional before a 2002 transfer to Lisbon giants Sporting, at the age of 17. The winger’s rise to stardom since then has been nothing short of meteoric. During his first and only season with the Lions in 2002/03, he played in 25 games and scored three goals. Arguably the key moment of Cristiano Ronaldo’s career was a pre-season friendly in 2003 between Sporting and Manchester United. Scouts at the English club had been monitoring the young forward’s progress for some time, but it was only after he starred in Sporting’s 3-1 friendly win that United manager Sir Alex Ferguson decided to make his move and sign him. Ferguson later revealed that in the dressing room after the game his players talked constantly about the young Ronaldo. Even on the plane journey back to Manchester, the United players pleaded with their boss to sign the young star. Other big teams such as Milan and Juventus made enquiries with the Lisbon club over a possible move, but Manchester United were quickest to act, and within a week had officially announced the signing of Portugal’s latest teenage sensation. Tricks of the tradeUndaunted by his star billing, Ronaldo showed off his full range of trickery on his Manchester United debut against Bolton Wanderers in August 2003, making an immediate impression on the Old Trafford fans. In his first campaign in England, he scored eight goals in 39 games, including the opener in United’s FA Cup final win over Millwall. His string of fine displays culminated in him receiving the club’s player of the year award. Ronaldo has been equally impressive at international level, and is highly regarded by national team boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. Scolari’s belief in the youngster was rewarded with Ronaldo’s excellent performances in UEFA EURO 2004, despite the team’s eventual defeat in the final against surprise champions Greece. During the tournament, Ronaldo became an established first-team regular as well as the star performer in a team that would go on to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ with the minimum amount of fuss. Portugal’s manager has high hopes for his young charge. “Cristiano has everything needed to be one of the stars of the World Cup," said Scolari. "He’s got so much quality about him, a good turn of pace and a decent shot among other things. If all goes well, he’ll probably be one of the big names of the tournament. I gave him his chance in only our second match of the European Championship and he showed what a decisive player he can be. He’s rewarded my faith in him and has really grown in stature,” the coach said. The Portuguese wing wizard’s game goes from strength to strength with every passing season as he adapts to the English game and impresses Manchester United and Portugal fans alike. His repertoire of tricks and array of skills continue to leave opposition defenders mesmerised, and could prove to be a key factor in his country’s bid for success in Germany this summer.
BORN IN: BRAZIL Date of birth: 10 April 1973 Height: 168 cm Weight: 70 kg Position: Defender Current Club: Real Madrid (ESP
ProfileWith his cannon-like left-foot strike and incredible lung capacity, Roberto Carlos is a physical phenomenon, capable of spending the entire game tearing up the flank to support the attack without neglecting his defensive duties. There can be little doubt that the flying left-back is one of Brazil’s greatest-ever players. Roberto Carlos da Silva was born on 10 April 1973 in the town of Garcas, situated inland of Sao Paulo, on a coffee plantation. The youngster was given his first ball at the age of three, and just five years later he was already playing men’s football in his father’s team. In 1981, having moved to Cordeiropolis with his family, Roberto Carlos was invited to join city side Jogos Abertos do Interior. His professional career began in 1988 for Uniao Sao Joao de Araras, where he would spend four years in their second-team, having swiftly come up through the youth ranks. In 1990, Roberto Carlos was selected for Brazil’s junior side, under the watchful eye of Ernesto Paulo, and was part of the team that took second place at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1991. He was also involved in the Brazil side that failed to qualify for the Olympic Games in Barcelona 1992. On the back of his performances for the Seleç?o, he made the left-back role in the Uniao first-team his own in 1992, before being sold to Palmeiras that same year. Italian moveRoberto Carlos’s quest for honours would begin in earnest at O Verd?o (The Greens), where he helped his side to two Brazilian titles, two Paulista championships and one Rio-Sao Paulo Cup. In 1995, the full-back earned a transfer to big-spending Serie A side Inter Milan, although he would be on the move again less than a year later as Spanish giants Real Madrid secured for his signature. In a trophy-laden spell at the Bernabeu, where he still plays, Roberto Carlos has won three UEFA Champions League titles (1998, 2000 and 2002) and two Toyota Intercontinental Cups (1998 and 2002), among a host of other honours. His debut for the full Brazilian national team came in 1993 under Carlos Alberto Parreira, but the young defender missed out on a place at USA 94, where the Auriverde claimed their fourth FIFA World Cup™ crown. Things were quite different four years later, as the left-back played a starring role alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo at France 98. Having survived the backlash that followed the final defeat on French soil, Roberto Carlos remained the undisputed number one in his position at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan, playing a key role in Brazil’s fifth FIFA World Cup win. Roberto Carlos’s career has also been replete with individual awards. In 1997 he was voted the second-best player in the world by FIFA, and a year later he won the eighth edition of the EFE Trophy, awarded by the Spanish news agency to the Ibero-American player of the year. The samba star’s fabled left-foot has left an indelible mark on football history. Capable of thunderous attempts on goal reaching speeds of more than 110 km/h, one particular free-kick will live long in the memory. During an international tournament in France in 1997, Carlos let fly with a set-piece from well outside the box, which proceeded to curve like a boomerang before nestling in the back of Fabien Barthez’s net. This feat provoked such universal amazement that it became the subject of investigation by scientists across the globe.
BORN IN: ALGERIA Date of birth: 23 June 1972 Height: 185 cm Weight: 78 kg Position: Midfielder Current Club: Real Madrid (ESP) profile:Zinedine Zidane’s career began in the backstreets of Marseilles where, at the age of 14, this son of Algerian immigrants was spotted by a talent scout and offered a place at the academy of AS Cannes. Before he had even turned 17, Zidane broke through into the Cannes first team and during the 1990/91 season, he was already a part of the established eleven that failed to beat the drop at the end of the following campaign. After the team’s relegation, ‘Zizou’ signed for Bordeaux so he could continue to deploy his talents at the highest level. Before long, Zidane was playing a starring role for Les Girondins and enjoyed his first taste of success during the 1995/96 season when Bordeaux reached the UEFA Cup Final. Although his side lost the match to Bayern Munich, it was his exploits at Bordeaux that confirmed Zizou’s status as a worthy successor to France’s legendary midfielder Michel Platini, whom he had incidentally encountered at first hand while serving as a ball boy at the 1984 UEFA European Championship. Offered his first cap in 1994, the international debut of the kid from Marseilles could scarcely have been more emphatic: After coming on with les Bleus trailing the Czech Republic 2-0, the gifted Zizou turned the course of the match single-handedly by scoring twice. But his full blossoming as an international took place during the 1995/96 season, which was followed by the European Championship in England. At the tournament, Aime Jacquet showed great faith in the Bordeaux player who, like the former national coach himself, was clearly endowed with the two key qualities that make a good player: excellent technique and unwavering determination. Courtesy of some majestic performances both for club and for country, Zidane was soon being courted by a clutch of Europe’s top clubs. In the summer of 1996, he finally settled on Juventus of Italy, picking up his first silverware with his new club the same season when ‘the Old Lady’ defeated Argentine outfit River Plate to lift the Intercontinental Cup. This opening taste of silverware was soon followed by a pair of Italian titles, in 1997 and 1998. And that summer, Zizou added the ultimate prize to his honours list when he inspired France to their 1998 FIFA World Cup™ triumph in front of their own fans in Paris. Winning doubleDuring the final against Brazil at the Stade de France, he bagged his first two goals of the FIFA World Cup to become the undisputed star of the tournament. Then, in the summer of 2000, France underlined their supremacy by winning the European Championship, prompting the world’s national team coaches to again, after 1998, name him FIFA World Player of the Year. One year later, Zidane was signed by Real Madrid for a world record €73m and he has been well worth it to Real, regaling the Santiago Bernabeu with unique acts of skill, providing his team-mates with pinpoint passes and scoring stunning goals. His finest ‘work’ was a supersonic volley that brought Real victory in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen and that said all there was to say about a fantastic player at the peak of his powers. Injured in France’s final warm-up game for Korea/Japan 2002, Zizou was only able to appear in the last of les Bleus’ three matches in their ill-fated campaign. Two years later, at Euro 2004 in Portugal, he saved his side from an opening-game defeat against England by netting twice in the final two minutes (2-1). But the subsequent elimination by Greece, combined with the legendary number 10’s mental and physical burn-out, led him to call time early on his international career. At least, that was until the summer of 2005 when, after enjoying his first long holiday for many years, he was no longer able to resist the lure of the national team shirt. After backtracking on his decision, he returned to help guide France through the qualification minefield to Germany 2006. Now aged 34, Zidane will grace his last international competition this summer.
BORN IN:ENGLAND Date of birth: 2 May 1975 Height: 182 cm Weight: 74 kg Position: Midfielder Current Club: Real Madrid (ESP)
Profile David Beckham is one of the world’s most recognised sportsmen. Years of success on the field at Manchester United combined with a high-profile lifestyle off it had ensured him a rare level of wealth and celebrity even before he became part of Real Madrid’s gal?cticos project in 2003. More than anything, however, Beckham is a dedicated professional, who takes immense pride from his role as England captain. His talent with a football was evident from an early age: as a boy he won a Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools National Skills competition and before long he had signed up for his favourite team, Manchester United. Beckham was part of a remarkable United youth side containing fellow future England internationals Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes that won the FA Youth Cup in 1992. Although it was not until the 1995/96 season, when he was 20, that he established himself in the first team at Old Trafford, the wait was worthwhile. That campaign ended with him collecting Premiership and FA Cup winner’s medals and Beckham began the following season by scoring a memorable goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon. He ended it with the award for English football’s Young Player of the Year and in between made his England debut in a FIFA World Cup™ qualifier against Moldova. Beckham had to wait until the 1998 finals in France to score his first international goal and fittingly it was a trademark free-kick in a 2-0 victory over Colombia. It is arguable that during the past decade nobody in world football has delivered better set-pieces than the Englishman, who is famed for his ability to provide perfect crosses from the right flank. Unfortunately for Beckham, the 1998 FIFA World Cup ended in dismay as he was sent off for aiming a kick at Diego Simeone during England’s second-round loss to Argentina. That act of petulance made him a convenient scapegoat for the defeat, yet he won over his critics with his subsequent efforts in an England shirt. After helping United complete a treble of Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League successes in 1999, Beckham received personal recognition as he finished second in both the FIFA World Player and European Footballer of the Year polls. The next year he was named England captain for the first time for a friendly in Italy and he quickly grew into the role. Relishing the extra responsibility, Beckham sealed his country’s place in the 2002 FIFA World Cup with a spectacular late free-kick in their last qualifier against Greece and his excellent form in 2001 earned him second place in the FIFA World Player of the Year voting. A foot injury meant Beckham faced a race against time to be fit for Korea/Japan but he eventually appeared in every match of England’s run to the quarter-finals in the Far East and enjoyed a moment to savour as his penalty brought a 1-0 victory over old rivals Argentina. After collecting his sixth Premiership winner’s medal in 2003, Beckham said goodbye to English football for a new challenge at Real Madrid. However, he remains a fixture in the England team. He scored fine goals against Wales and Azerbaijan during Germany 2006 qualifying and completed 50 matches as national captain during last November’s friendly against Argentina. Beckham will be 31 when the FIFA World Cup kicks off and will surpass the 90-cap mark during the tournament. But what he really wants is to end it by emulating another Londoner, Bobby Moore, and lifting world football’s greatest prize.
BORN IN: UKRAINE Date of birth: 29 September 1976 Height: 183 cm Weight: 73 kg Position: Forward Current Club: AC Milan (ITA) ProfileGeorge Best, Alfredo Di Stefano, Abedi Pele, George Weah… the list of world-class performers never to grace the FIFA World CupTM is a long one. For no matter how good you are, destiny sometimes dictates that you are born in the wrong place or at the wrong time. Scarcely two years ago, it seemed that Andriy Shevchenko would be added to this prestigious, yet unfortunate band. As figurehead of a Ukraine side with a limited sporting tradition and no other big name stars, the AC Milan striker was faced by the seemingly impossible task of hauling his country along the path to Germany practically single-handed. But the Ukrainian captain is not one to be fazed by a tough challenge. And while it would be simplistic to attribute Ukraine’s successful campaign solely to the performances of their famous striker, the man known as Sheva has definitely had a lot to do with it. To qualify from a group containing not only reigning European champions Greece, but also a Turkish side that finished third at the last FIFA World Cup and a stalwart of top international tournaments, Denmark, the Ukrainians were banking on their principal attacking weapon to see them through. And the AC Milan striker did not let them down. Top scorer for his team and one of the most prolific in the European zone with six goals, the Ukrainian ace justified the faith of a nation every time he turned out. After getting off the mark with the winning goal against Greece and then bagging a brace to stun Turkey in Istanbul, Sheva soon had his country firmly on the path to Germany. Silverware and accolades aplenty came to the Rossonero. Although it is only now, at 30, that the Ukrainian is about to get his first taste of the FIFA World Cup, Shevchenko’s class has long been shining like a beacon on pitches all over Europe. In the early days of his career, he fired his first club Dynamo Kiev to five consecutive league titles, though it was not these fabulous domestic exploits that would change his life. Instead, his talent was revealed during a 1997/98 UEFA Champions League match against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. The Spanish side were widely expected to win comfortably, but the Ukrainian outfit inflicted an historic 4-0 defeat on the Blaugranas, with the hitherto-unheralded Shevchenko grabbing a hat-trick and all the headlines. Milan pounceThe directors of AC Milan had seen enough and snapped up the Ukrainian prodigy the following year. Sheva promptly finished top scorer in Serie A in his very first season with 24 goals. From then on, the scenario became a familiar one as, with each season, he defied statisticians and defenders alike by allying speed and technique with a rare composure and uncanny eye for goal. In 2003, he got the winning penalty against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final shoot-out and, in his six seasons with the Rossoneri, has already found the net more than 100 times with an expansive array of clinical shots with either foot as well as unerring headers. The year 2004 remains Sheva’s vintage campaign. The scorer of 24 Serie A goals, he was the major factor behind the Scudetto title claimed by AC Milan. Moreover, his performances at club level were by now being reproduced for his national team, so much so that he pipped the Portuguese star Deco and the Brazilian Ronaldinho to the title of 2004 European Player of the Year. In doing so, he became only the second Ukrainian to earn this honour after the current coach Oleg Blokhin won it in 1975. After accumulating an array of individual awards and silverware with his clubs, Shevchenko would dearly love to write the first line in his country’s list of honours this summer. And to listen to his coach, it could very well happen. "I know some people will scream with derision, but I believe we’re capable of winning it," Blokhin said recently. Sheva though, is adopting a more modest tack. “You have to understand that the coach was joking when he said this…” he insisted. Humble he may be, but Shevchenko is no less ambitious and if the chance to fulfil his coach’s prediction arises, you can be sure the big striker will take it.
