Ronaldinho

Full name: Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Date of birth: 21/03/1980

Early Career

Born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira in 1980, but more commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaucho (the name given to Brazilians who come from the Rio Grande do Sul area of Brazil), the Brazilian footballer is a renowned forward/ attacking mid-fielder and currently a key player in FC Barcelona. Dubbed the ‘new Pele,’ and regarded as one of the finest talents in the game today, Ronaldinho grew up in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre and began his career at the youth team of Gremio, the team that first signed his older brother and current manager Roberto.
At the age of thirteen, Ronaldinho began to make his mark on the pitch, when he led his team to victory after scoring all twenty three goals in a local youth match. In 1997 he played in the Egypt Under-17 World Championship, where he impressively scored with two penalty kicks. He went on to represent the Gremio senior team at the Libertadores Cup, a championship for South American clubs, during which he caught media attention for his flair for goal-scoring and his remarkable ball control.

Professional Player

By 2001, having made a total of a hundred and ten appearances and thirty seven goals playing for Gremio and being the only player to have represented his country at all levels of competition (Under 15, 17, 20, 23 and senior teams), Ronaldinho had gained the football world’s attention and he began getting offers from international clubs including Arsenal and other top premiership teams. After much speculation about the next step in his career, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for four and a half million euros and left Brazil to begin a European football career.

Whilst Ronaldinho continued to display his talent for the game, scoring seventeen goals with PSG, he was heavily criticised on numerous occasions for his focus on the Parisian nightlife. In 2002 Ronaldinho represented Brazil as part of the winning team at the FIFA World Cup, scoring against China and a particularly notable goal against England in the quarter-finals. This was not his first successful performance with the Brazilian team, having already shone in the Under-17 World Cup, the Copa America and going on to be part of the champion team in the 2004-05 Confederations Cup.
After his impressive play in the 2002 World Cup, several clubs made multi million pound offers to PSG and a violent bidding war ensued between top international teams, Manchester United and FC Barcelona. After failing to reach an agreement with PSG, Manchester United lost the bid and in 2003 Ronaldinho moved to Spain for a hefty sum of twenty one million Euros.

Since joining Barcelona, Ronaldinho has trained under the coaching of Frank Rijkaard, leading him to become more of a forward than a mid-field player with a focus on creating and scoring, rather than destroying and defending. Over the last four years Ronaldinho has made a significant contribution to FC Barcelona’s triumphs, contributing to the team's two year victory in the Spanish Supercup League. Barcelona were also victorious in the 2004/5 and 2005/6 La Liga titles and Ronaldinho made a significant contribution to their most recent triumph when Barcelona won the European Champion’s League in 2006.
Ronaldinho’s contract with FC Barcelona has fallen under much speculation, as several big international clubs have attempted to sign the player as their own. When vice-president Sandro Rosell resigned from the club in 2005, it was feared that Ronaldinho would refuse to extend his contract with Barcelona once it ends in 2008.

After a failed sixty million pound bid from Chelsea and his own refusal of an eighty five million pound bid with Barcelona that would take him up to 2014, Ronaldinho did extend his Barcelona contract for another two years. Ronaldinho will now stay with the club until 2010, unless another club offers at least eighty five million pounds to sign the Brazilian player.
Ronaldinho’s popularity continues to increase on and off the football pitch and, having starred in numerous advertisements for Nike, Pepsi, Lenovo and eight different Brazilian brands, he has surpassed David Beckham as the most marketable player in the world. Ronaldinho’s popularity was marked in 2005, when a twenty three foot high statue of him was erected in the Brazilian city of Chapeco, on winning his first FIFA player of the year award at the end of the 2004/05 season.
Alongside members of his family the striker also appears in a popular comic strip created by Brazilian cartoonist, Mauricio de Sousa. He is loved amongst football fans and professionals alike, having been awarded player of the world for two consecutive seasons and recently appearing in Pele’s much talked about 2004 list of 125 Top Footballers.

Key Moments

• 2003/04: FC Barcelona v AC Milan - With a 1-0 lead in Ronaldinho’s first key match with Barcelona, the new striker increased their lead to 2-0 in the 51st minute, spinning the ball around Milan’s Fernando Redondo and into the net.

• 2004: Away from the football pitch Ronaldinho has also filmed several advertisements. On one notable occasion whilst filming in Madrid, he kicked the ball so hard that it smashed a window in the historic Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

• 2005: FC Barcelona v Chelsea - At the Champions League final at Stamford Bridge, Ronaldinho scored an unstoppable solo goal and an impressive penalty kick. Despite the team being knocked out by Chelsea in a 4-0 defeat, the match has been remembered for the allegations that the stewards at the match had acted in a racist manner towards Ronaldinho.

• 2005: Brazil v Argentina - Captaining his nation’s team to glory in the Confederation cup Ronaldinho received Man of the Match after a magnificent 4-1 defeat against Argentina.

• 2006: FC Barcelona v PFC Levski Sofia - In Barcelona’s 5-0 defeat of PFC, Ronaldinho scored a stunning final goal in the final minute of the match.

• 2006: FC Barcelona v Villareal - Ronaldinho scored a momentous goal when he scored an outstanding bicycle kick into the net.

Awards

Individual Honours

• FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006, 2007
• FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball Award: 2006
• Best Foreign Player in La Liga: 2004, 2006
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2004, 2005, 2006
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2006
• FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2005, 2006
• European Footballer of the Year: 2005
• UEFA Club Best Forward: 2005
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2004, 2005
• EFE Trophy: Best Ibero-American Player in La Liga: 2004
• FIFA 100: 2004
• FIFA World Cup 2002 All-Star Team: 2002
• Rio Grande do Sul State Championship Top Scorer: 1999
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 1999
• FIFA Confederations Cup Top Scorer: 1999

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1998-2001	Grêmio	35 (14)
2001-2003	Paris Saint-Germain F.C.	55 (17)
2003-2008	F.C. Barcelona	145 (70)
2008-present	A.C. Milan	3 (0)
1999-present	Brazil	88 (35)

Ferenc Puskás

Full name: Ferenc Purczeld Biró
Date of birth: 02/04/1927
Ferenc Puskás is regarded as the greatest Hungarian footballer of all time and was part of the legendary international team known as the Mighty Magyars and the equally legendary Real Madrid team of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which included Alfredo Di Stefano.
Puskás was a prolific left footed striker, or inside forward, and scored 514 goals in 529 league games, and 84 goals in 85 internationals for Hungary. He also made four international appearances for Spain, without scoring. Nicknamed the Galloping Major, Puskás wasn't built like a footballer. Short, stocky, barrel chested and overweight, he was extremely one footed and couldn't head the ball!

The Galloping Major

Born in 1927, Puskás joined Kispest AC as a junior. He played under the assumed identity, Miklos Kovacs, until he was 12, and officially old enough to join, and made his first senior appearance for Kispest in November 1943, against Nagyvarad. In 1949, the club was taken over by the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, becoming the Hungarian Army team, and renamed Honved.
With Honved, Puskás won five Hungarian championships and finished as the league's top scorer four times. In the years in which he finished top scorer, he scored 50 (1947-48 season), 31 (1949-50), 25 (1950) and 27 (1953) goals. He was the top scorer in Europe in 1948. By the time he left in 1956, Puskás had scored a phenomenal 358 goals in 349 games

Mighty Magyars

Puskás made his debut for the Hungarian national team in 1945, at the age of 18, scoring in a 5-2 win over Austria. He formed an integral part of the team that went unbeaten for a world record 32 consecutive games, during which they became Olympic Champions in 1952, beating Yugoslavia 2-0 in the final in Helsinki. He played alongside other greats such as Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti.
Puskás was part of the Mighty Magyars team that, in 1953, became the first non-UK team to beat England at Wembley, scoring two of Hungary's goals as they won 6-3. They also defeated England 7-1 in Budapest a year later.
In the 1954 World Cup, Hungary entered as hot favourites, and Puskás scored three goals in the two first round matches, but then suffered an ankle injury which ruled him out until the final. In the final, despite still showing the effects of his injury, he scored an early goal, and Hungary doubled their advantage to lead 2-0, but opponents West Germany clawed it back and took the lead with six minutes left 3-2. Puskás had a goal controversially disallowed for being offside, ending Hungary's record four year unbeaten run.

Stranded in Europe

When Honved entered the European Cup in 1956, little did they know they were to see the end of the team as they knew it. After losing 3-2 in the away leg at Atletico Bilbao, the players were left stranded in Europe due to the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution in Budapest. The return leg, therefore, was arranged to be played at Heysel Stadium in Brussels and the game ended in a 3-3 draw, meaning Honved went out on aggregate 6-5. So, stuck on the continent, the team broke up and many players found clubs in Western Europe, including Puskás, who after a trial with Espanyol, eventually signed for Real Madrid.
Before arriving in Madrid in 1958, Puskás spent a year in Austria, but failed to get a playing permit. He wanted to play in Italy, and Juventus and AC Milan were interested before UEFA placed a two year ban on his shoulders. He piled on the pounds and being the wrong side of 30, clubs were unwilling to take a chance on him. Fortunately, his old Honved manager, Emil Oestreicher, rescued him from the wilderness and took him to the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid

Puskás spent eight seasons at Real Madrid, scoring 156 goals in 180 league games and was the league's top scorer four times. He helped Real win La Liga five times in a row between 1961 and 1965 and the Copa del Generalisimo in 1962, and formed a deadly partnership with the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano.
He played a further 39 games in the European Cup, scoring 35 goals. He helped Real reach the Final of the 1959 European Cup, but missed out through injury. He was back with a bang a year later though, scoring four times in a 7-3 triumph over German side Eintracht Frankfurt.
Two years later in the 1962 final, Puskás scored another hat trick, but Real were defeated 5-3 by Benfica. His third and last European Cup success came in 1966, with a 2-1 win over Partizan Belgrade. In all competitions, he scored 236 goals in 261 games for Madrid.
In 1962, Puskás took Spanish nationality and played four times for Spain at the 1962 World Cup. However, he failed to score as Spain crashed out at the first hurdle, winning just one of their qualifying matches, and finishing bottom of their group.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Puskás went on to coach several teams across the world. His finest moment as a coach came in 1971, when he guided Panathinaikos to the European Cup Final, which remains the only time a Greek club has reached a European final. The side lost 2-0 to Ajax at Wembley. He also led the Greek side to two league championships, in 1971 and 1972. His only other success as a manager came with South Melbourne Hellas, whom he led to a National Soccer League title in 1991.
In 1993, he took charge of the Hungarian national team for four matches, having been forgiven for defecting to Spain to avoid the Soviet uprising in his homeland. In all, he coached teams in Spain, USA, Canada, Greece, Paraguay, Chile, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, including Deportivo Alaves, Vancouver Royals, Colo-Colo and AEK Athens.
Puskás was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2000 and died of pneumonia on November 17 2006 aged 79. The Nepstadion in Budapest was renamed the Stadion Puskás Ferenc in his honour in 2002.

Individual Honours

• European Cup Top Scorer: 1964, 1960
• Pichichi Trophy: 1964, 1963, 1961, 1960
• Silver Ball European Footballer of the Year: 1960
• Hungarian Top Goalscorer: 1953, 1950, 1948
• World Player of the Year: 1953, 1952
• Named in FIFA 100
• European Player of the Century XX
• Hungarian Player of the Century XX
• Hungarian Top Goalscorer of the Century XX

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1943-1949	Kispest A.C.	177 (187)
1949-1955	Honvéd	164 (165)
1957	Espanyol (guest)	n/a (n/a)
1958-1966	Real Madrid	182 (157)
1945-1956	Hungary	85 (84)
1961-1962	Spain	4 (0)

Sir Geoff Hurst

Full name: Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst
Date of birth: 08/12/1941
“They think it’s all over… it is now!” These few words, spoken by commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme, have become immortalised in English football. They relate, of course, to Sir Geoff Hurst, and his final goal in the 1966 World Cup Final.

The Beginning

Hurst was born in 1941 in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancashire. At the age of eight, Hurst’s family moved to Chelmsford, Essex. This was to be the place where Hurst’s career developed.
Hurst’s early development as a footballer is partly down to his Father, a lower-division footballer whom he looked up to as a youngster.
Hurst first played for his primary school, Kings Cross and then went on to play for a Sunday side, Chipstead. It was playing for Chipstead which led to West Ham scouting the young Geoff Hurst. In 1959, aged 18, he turned professional.

Football or Cricket?

It has been said that some people are born with all the talent, and that was certainly the case for Geoff Hurst. During his early days as a West Ham player, he also represented the Essex County Cricket side. Hurst made only one first class appearance and several second XI appearances. In 1964 Hurst decided to hang up his bat and focus solely on his football. Following this decision Hurst’s football career underwent a dramatic change in fortunes.

West Ham United

After signing professional terms with the Hammers in 1959, Hurst became an ever present player in West Ham's starting eleven. He spent thirteen years at Upton Road, making 411 appearances and scoring 180 goals.
In his first few years as a West Ham player, Hurst played in central midfield. When Ron Greenwood took over though, he converted Hurst to the position of centre-forward for which he is known today.
1964 saw Hurst record his first honour as a footballer when he was among the scorers as West Ham won 3-2 at Wembley. The following year, Hurst once again featured at Wembley as West Ham lifted the European Cup Winners Cup. The Hammers beat 1860 Munich 2-0. Hurst would never again win a domestic trophy, but international honours were just around the corner.

Nineteen Sixty-Six

February ’66 saw Hurst receive his first international call up. Little did Hurst know just how quickly his England career would progress.
Hurst was named in the 22-man World Cup squad for the finals in England. As the group games progressed though, it became evident that Hurst was not in Alf Ramsey’s plans. Jimmy Greaves and Roger Hunt were favoured, and they started all three group games. In the final group game against France, Greaves picked up an injury and it was this that led to Hurst’s inclusion in the knockout stages, as England progressed to the final.
Greaves returned from injury for the final but Ramsey refused to be swayed by the English public and opted for Hurst to partner Hunt up front. In 1966 substitutes were not allowed and so Greaves was to play no part in the World Cup Final.
Ramsey’s decision quickly paid dividends as Hurst levelled, following West Germany’s early opener. Fellow Hammer Martin Peters put England ahead, before the Germans forced extra-time at Wembley.
The first period of extra time saw Hurst smash a shot against the bar; the ball bounced down and was headed away by a German defender. The linesman, however, signalled that the ball had crossed the line. Amidst controversial circumstances, the referee allowed the goal to stand. As the Germans pushed for an equaliser late on, a long clearance over the top from Bobby Moore found Hurst. Hurst’s left foot shot flew into the net, leaving Wolstenholme to utter those famous words.
To this day, Hurst is still the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup Final although some people dispute this fact since Hurst’s hat-trick goal was scored in extra-time.

Post West Ham

Manchester United are rumoured to have bid £200,000 for Hurst in 1968, but West Ham rejected the bid. Hurst eventually left the bright lights of London in 1972 and headed for Stoke where he spent three years playing for Stoke City. During his time at City he made 108 appearances, netting 30 times. Following his spell with Stoke City, Hurst stayed in the Midlands, moving to West Bromwich Albion. A brief season with the Baggies was followed by a move to the United States. Hurst spent just one season in America, where he played for Seattle Sounders. Following 9 goals in 24 appearances, Hurst spent time in Kuwait and then with Cork City. He retired as a player in 1976. Looking back on his career, it is evident that Hurst never matched the highs at any of the clubs he played for, following his days as a West Ham player.

After Retirement

Like so many ex-professional players, upon his retirement, Hurst moved into coaching. Danny Blanchflower brought Hurst in as his assistant manager at Chelsea in the 1979-80 season. Blanchflower was sacked months later and Hurst stepped into the hot seat. Hurst spent two seasons in charge of the then, Second Division Chelsea. In both seasons, Chelsea made great starts but both times failed to gain promotion. In April 1981, Hurst was sacked and following his dismissal from Chelsea, never took charge of another team.
Hurst was decorated in 1975 with an MBE for his World Cup winning hat-trick. More recently in 1998 he was knighted Sir Geoff Hurst, by the Queen.
Hurst has since been involved in business, particularly in the insurance industry. He is currently Director of Football for McDonalds, the fast food chain. Hurst has also been greatly in demand as a motivational speaker and a pundit, although less so in recent years.
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst is married and has three daughters. He lives in Weybridge in Surrey.

Honours

• 1959: First Professional Contract
• 1964: FA Cup Winner
• 1965: European Cup Winners Cup Winner
• 1966: World Cup Winner
• 1975: Awarded MBE
• 1998: Knighted Sir Geoff Hurst.

Individual Honours

• Awarded an MBE: 1975
• Knighted as Sir Geoff Hurst: 1998

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1959-1972	West Ham United	411 (180)
1972-1975	Stoke City	108 (30)
1975-1976	West Bromwich Albion	10 (2)
1976	Seattle Sounders	24 (9)
1976	Cork Celtic	5 (3)
1966-1972	England	49 (24)

Alan Hansen

Full name: Alan David Hansen
Date of birth: 13/06/1955
Alan Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football commentator. He is credited as being one of the most successful British footballers ever known and perhaps the greatest ever centre-half in the history of the game.
During a career spanning 14 years Alan Hansen collected over 17 football honours including seven Championships, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one Scottish First Division Cup and three European Cups. He is a member of the English Football Hall of Fame and was voted number 12 in the all time most favourite Liverpool players.

Early Life

Alan was born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland on June the 13th 1955. He was raised in a sporting family and under the guidance of his Danish father he played a number of competitive team sports including football and volleyball. As a young man Alan decided against attending Aberdeen University, instead opting to follow his brother John into professional football.
John Hansen played for Scottish First Division team Partick Thistle. In 1973 little brother Alan was admitted into the first team where he immediately began to make an impression. Hansen made a name for himself as a dependable defender, meanwhile his every move was being watched by bigger name football entities for a possible transfer.
In the 1975/76 season Hansen's solid defending and accurate passing helped Partick Thistle win the Scottish First Division League Championship. This gave them admission to the Scottish premier League. During that season Alan wove his magic on the football field on some 35 occasions and his performance was duly noted.

Alan Hansen at Liverpool FC

Establishing a Reputation

The following year in 1977 Alan Hansen was transferred to Liverpool FC who met the bargain asking price of £110,000. His first game was against Derby County on the 24th September 1977 which Liverpool won 1-0.
Hansen scored his first goal for Liverpool almost a month later on the 19th October. It was a glorious day for Liverpool as they battered Germany's Dynamo Dresden in a 5-1 win with Hansen scoring the first goal of the match. During that first season with Liverpool FC Hansen spent much of his time on the sidelines but managed to be on the field for the 1-0 European Cup win over Bruges FC played at Wembley.
As he established his reputation at Liverpool, Hansen was seen on the field more and more often for major games. Finally in 1978 he formed part of the award winning defence that conceded a mere 16 goals in 42 League games, a new record.

Club Success, International Woes

Hansen carved out his niche at Liverpool as a hard-nosed yet fluid football player who could be depended on to win the ball back from attackers and pass it on accurately. He had fantastic awareness of positioning and was a frequent play maker, especially form the back.
With characteristic speed and agility Hansen was even known to break ranks and join the forwards up-field should the chance become available. With Hansen playing regularly, Liverpool continued to dominate the English Premier League during the early 80s.
Hansen was out of action for the first part of the 1979/80 football season due to injury. When he returned he was on stunning form, scoring four goals in total including the only point against Brighton and Hove Albion during March.
Once more he was instrumental in maintaining Liverpool's record breaking defensive posture, conceding only 30 goals and going on to win the League a record 12th time. Alan Hansen and Phil Thompson made a near unbeatable duo in central defence. It was due to their partnership, just beginning at this point, that Liverpool FC owed much of its defensive glory. 1979 was good year for Alan Hansen.
He earned his first two caps playing international football for Scotland against Wales in May and Argentina in June. It was not such a good year for Scotland however as they lost both games.
In 1981 Hansen was instrumental in winning Liverpool's first League Cup. He was the player who scored the winning goal against West Ham in a 2-1 win for Liverpool. Later that year Liverpool took home the European Cup after beating Real Madrid 1-0.
1982 proved a low point for Hansen as an embarrassing collision with team mate Willie Miller gave Ramoz Shengelia the opening he needed to fire home a game clinching goal for the USSR. This defeat effectively scuppered Scotland's chances at the World Cup in Spain that year as they didn't manage to proceed beyond the qualifiers.
Indeed, Alan Hansen's international performance is the single area of his footballing career where he failed to impress. This was partly due to bad luck and partly due to some controversial decisions to leave him out of the national squad.
A strong partnership between Willie Miller and Alex Dalgleish conspired to keep Hansen from being selected, as manager Alex Ferguson wanted to keep the pair together at international level. As a result Hansen was capped only 26 times, a number which by no means reflects his performance on the football field during an illustrious career.

The Tragedy at Hillsborough

In his autobiography, Alan Hansen: A Matter of Opinion, Alan alludes to 1989 as the most difficult time during his footballing career. On Saturday the 15th of April 1989 Hansen was back on the team following a nine month absence due to a knee injury.
Fears for his performance soon disappeared as Hansen blasted onto the field with three good passes in the early minutes of the game, including a play maker to Peter Beardsley who failed to capitalise, his shot on goal striking crossbar. Seconds later Hillsborough descended into a scene from hell as fans from the back of the stadium surged wildly forward crushing those in the front against the barriers.
A total of 95 people died that day and a 96th from his injuries a year later. Along with his team mates, Hansen was deeply affected by the disaster. To this day he continues to offer support to the families of victims through memorial services.

Retirement

The following season Hansen continued to be troubled by his knee injury but managed to captain Liverpool to yet another league title. This was to be Alan's eighth and final League title, which at the time was a record breaking figure. Alan continued to fight his injury but finally had to concede, retiring from a glorious career as Liverpool captain in 1991.

Hansen the Football Commentator

Soon after retirement from professional football, Hansen began commentating on the game for Sky Television. His witty commentary and incisive analysis, all delivered in a smooth central Scotland accent soon got him noticed by the BBC, who snapped him up for Radio 5 Live.
It wasn't long before he was a regular on BBC Television's live coverage of major matches. The indomitable Alan Hansen managed to carve out yet another niche as the de-facto commentator who was seldom wrong. He retains his unofficial title to this day.
Today Alan Hansen continues to commentate for BBC Sport. He lives with his wife Janet in Southport with whom he has two children, Lucy and Adam.

Player Statistics

Senior Club and National Team Statistics

Period	Team	Appearances (Goals)
1973-1977	Partick Thistle	86 (6)
1977-1991	Liverpool	620 (14)
1979-1987	Scotland	26 (0)