Ryan Giggs – A True United Legend

What is there to say about Giggs but he’s simply the greatest premiership player of all time, having been discovered playing for his local side Deans FC he signed up to Manchester Citys school of Excellence. While playing for Deans he was watched regularly by local newsagent and Old Trafford steward Harold Wood who personally spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson about this young lad who duely sent a scout to have a look, the scout was impressed enough to offer Giggs a trail, The following November on Ryan’s 14th Birthday he signed schoolboy forms.

Giggs made his league debut in the 1991/92 season against Everton in March, the following season (also the first Premier League season) Giggs was firmly established as United’s first choice Left winger. He was afforded many opportunities which were not normally offered to footballers at his young age, such as hosting his own television show, Ryan Giggs’ Soccer Skills, which aired in 1994. A book based on the series was also released. Giggs was part of the league’s attempt to market itself globally, re-forging its image after the hooliganism-blighted years of the 1980’s and was featured in countless football and lad mags covers, becoming a household name. Despite his aversion to attention, Giggs had also become a teenage pin-up at the time and was once described as the “Premiership’s First Poster Boy”, and the “boy wonder”- where he was arguably the original footballer who catapaulted the term into the public lexicon. He was hailed as the first football star to capture the public imagination in such a popular way, unseen since the days of George Best, and the irony was that Best and Bobby Charlton used to describe Giggs as their favourite young player, specially turning up at The Cliff training ground to watch him, where Best once quipped, “One day they might even say that I was another Ryan Giggs.”

With his career coming to an end and age catching up on Giggs, he again started to shine in a new role within United, starring in central midfield, putting in some dazzling performances, defying people who were saying he should think of hanging up the boots. And there’s no saying Giggs is ready to stop with United pushing on another three trophies this season having already secured the Club World Cup and Carling Cup this season.

With all his achievements Giggs has become the most successful player in English Football, winning countless team and individual honours.

HONOURS

Manchester United

* Premier League (10): 92/93, 93/94, 95/96, 96/97, 98/99, 99/00, 00/01, 02/03, 06/07, 07/08
* FA Cup (4): 93/94, 95/96, 98/99, 03/04
* Football League Cup (3): 91/91, 05/06, 08/09
* FA Community Shield (7): 93, 94, 96, 97, 03, 07, 08
* Uefa Champions League(2): 98/99, 07/08
* Uefa Super Cup (1): 91
* Intercontinental Cup (1): 99
* FIFA Club World Cup (1): 08

Individual

* PFA Young Player of the Year: 1992, 1993
* Bravo Award: 1993
* BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year: 1996
* Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award: 1997–98
* Intercontinental Cup
* MOTM: 1999
* Premier League Team of the Decade: 2003
* English Football Hall of Fame: 2005
* Wales Player of the Year Award: 1996, 2006
* FA Premier League Player of the Month: September 1993, August 2006, February 2007
* PFA Team Of The Century: 2007
* PFA Team of the Year: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2007
* Only Manchester United player to have played in all ten Premier League-winning teams and only player to win 10 league titles
* Only Manchester United player to have played in all three League Cup-winning teams
* Only player to have scored in eleven consecutive Champions League tournaments
* Only player to have scored in thirteen different Champions League tournaments
* Only player to have scored in every Premier League campaign since its inception

Orders and special awards
* OBE for services to football.
* Awarded an honorary Masters of Art degree from Salford University on 15 July 2008 for contributions to football and charity work in developing countries
Author: RED till i DIE

Article Source : manutd talk

Cristiano Ronaldo Will Never Be a Manchester United Legend

"You can argue as much a you like Miles but Ronaldo will never ever be a Man Utd legend!"

This was the scathing and agitated response I got from a mate who happens to be a Manchester United fan through and through. As a modest Charlton Athletic supporter it beggared belief that this thought could be the consensus amongst Reds fans, so here beings the investigation.

Firstly I refuse to patronize the footballing masses by trawling through the various achievements, trophies and accolades amassed by Cristiano Ronaldo under Sir Alex Ferguson.

What is fact is that the right winger scored 118 goals in 292 appearances and what is obvious is that he was United's most influential and important player, as well as being certified as officially the best player on the planet at the peak of his United career.

For a midfielder his scoring record was exceptional and his goals per game ratio eclipses that of any other midfielder let alone right winger to have ever played for Manchester Untied. A prolific dead ball specialist, an accomplished dribbler, a deft finisher from range, a predator in the box and in the air he scored all types of goals and in important matches too.

He netted several crucial goals in Premier League matches in three seasons of dominance for the north east team including goals in an FA Cup Final, a League Cup final and a Champions League final to boot. The talisman also topped the assists charts setting up his team mates as often as he found the back of the net himself.

The exclusive group of players that go down in folklore at Manchester United are never disputed and this is probably why Ronaldo rouses so much debate in this field. Many fans feel he treated the club that made him with disrespect by openly pursuing his dream move to Real Madrid in what would turn out to be a world record breaking £80 million fee.

Others point to some of his on field antics as a reason he may not be appreciated as much as he should be. Everyone bar opposing defenders enjoys the silky skills of the Portuguese superstar, playing his game with a cocky arrogance which in fact is an undeterred belief and confidence in himself to be the best he can possibly be.

But when things were not going so well United fans were exposed to a different Ronaldo. Diving to win free kicks or going down too easily, arguing with officials, sulking and moaning, choking when he needed his composure the most.

In the eyes of some United fans that alone restricts him from sitting side by side with the greats to have pulled on the red shirt but to me it washes as a senseless and weak argument typical of the modern football fans selective memory bank.

His ability is unquestionable but it's when you throw the likes of Bobby Chalrton, Mark Hughes, Roy Keane or George Best into the mixer that the debate intensifies. An 11 year old United fan would not try to pretend that Eric Cantona or Denis Law are they're favourite players to have donned their teams colours. So there is a great number that would feel Ronaldo would probably be the best player they have ever seen in United colours.

But for a 60 year old veteran supporter, opinion would surely differ. But that insight into the understanding of the clubs history should not distort the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is amongst some of the best players to have played for that club in decades.

Article Source : bleacherreport.com

Football legends pay tribute to Sir Bobby

Some of the biggest names in football have come together to give thanks for the life of Sir Bobby Robson.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, England coach Fabio Capello and Sir Bobby Charlton were among the 1,000 guests who filled Durham Cathedral to pay tribute.

Former England players including Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer and Stuart Pearce also attended the memorial service, held seven weeks after Sir Bobby died aged 76 at home in nearby Langley Park.

Lineker, who played in Sir Bobby's Italia 90 England World Cup side, praised his "hugely supportive and fiercely loyal" former coach, telling the congregation: "Sir Bobby Robson, we will miss you but we will never, ever forget you." Everton manager David Moyes said: "All the Premier League managers look up to Sir Bobby."

Sir Bobby fought cancer five times and devoted his final years to helping others with the disease.

8 International Football Legends

Many have been called ‘great’; however, there are a few who can be called ‘legendary’. We have tried to compile such a list of football players. These men have astounded us; they captured our imagination and became the best at what they do. Most of them have of course gone beyond playing football: they elevated the sport.

Here is our list of 8 men who became legends:

Edison (Edson) Arantes do Nascimento aka Pelé

Pelé is one of the most well-known football stars and even those who do not know much about this sport, recognize his name. He once compared himself to Beethoven and the International Olympic Committee named him the Athlete of the Century in 1998. He became famous as 17 and led the Brazilians to victory in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Diego Armando Maradona aka Maradona

Maradona and Pelé are the two greatest FIFA soccer players of the 20th century. Maradona was the South American Footballer of the Year in 1979 and 1980. He is a controversial figure in international football and has managed to capture the entire world’s attention. He played in 4 World Cups and is known for his Hand of God and Goal of the century.

Cristiano Ronaldo

He is still young but has captured international attention, especially when FIFPro named him their World Player of the Year 2008. He is the first United player to win the Golden Ball that the European Footballer of the Year receives since George Best in 1968.

Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry received the Légion d’Honneur, which is the highest decoration in France, for his role in the 1998 World Cup. He won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2006, which is unrivalled. Arsenal fans call him their greatest player and Henry managed to popularise ‘Va va voom’ so much that it got included in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary.

Roberto Baggio

Baggio, or Il Divin Codino, scored 9 goals in 3 World Cup Finals and is one of the FIFA 100. Baggio was FIFA Player of the Year in 1993 but his fame could be mostly because he ‘lost’ Italy the 1994 World Cup. He made up for it with a penalty shot in 1998, though. A 2001 internet poll named him the Most Loved Player.

Paulo Roberto Falcão

Falcão, a FIFA 100 member, is one of the most talented midfielders ever. He played midfield for Brazil in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. He won 3 Brazilian National Championships — 1975, 1976, and 1979 – and people called him ‘8th king of Rome’.

David Beckham

Beckham is one of ‘Britain’s Greatest Ambassadors’ and only the 21st player to score in 3 World Cups. He received entry into The English Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and is one of the most recognisable football stars. He and his wife have become somewhat of an industry.

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite aka Kaká

This young football star is better known as Kaká and was FIFA World Player of the Year and European footballer of the year in 2007. He is the midfielder of AC Milan and also plays for the Brazilian national team.

Article Source : http://www.borntoredefine.com/8-international-football-legends/

Amri hailed alongside local football legends

PETALING JAYA: Mohd Amri Yahyah will become a legend and a folk hero of Malaysian football.

The 28-year-old from Tanjong Karang will be hailed alongside some of the former greats, among them the late Mokhtar Dahari and R. Arumugam, “Raja Bola” Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat and Matlan Marjan, who scored two goals against the visiting England team in the 1980s.

Amri will be a household name and remembered for his double strike in the national team’s spirited showing against English Premier League giants Manchester United in the first match of the Red Devils’ pre-season Asian Tour, which Malaysia lost 2-3 in Kuala Lumpur on July 18.

More so, the classic volley when he surprised United No. 1 goalkeeper Edwin van dar Sar from 40 metres out. He also rounded United’s former England goalkeeper Ben Foster to put Malaysia on level terms.

“It feels like being in a different world now,” said Amri yesterday.

“Whoever I meet, they talk of the two goals and congratulate me. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am happy to have left behind something for the fans to remember.

“In fact, I need to thank national coach K. Rajagopal for giving me the break to don national colours after a three-year break.”

The Selangor skipper has been going great guns and has been playing consistently well for the Red Giants this season.

Selangor have won the Charity Shield (defeating Kedah 4-1) and the FA Cup (defeating Kelantan 4-1 on penalties).

Last night, Selangor clinched the Super League title when they thrashed Police 6-1 at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium.

Rajagopal should also be credited for taking a bold step in naming only four seniors in the national team, comprising Under-23 players preparing for the Laos SEA Games in December. Besides Amri, the other seniors in the team were Indra Putra Mahayuddin, skipper Norhafli Zamani Misbah and V. Thirumurugan.

“This is the team for the future and there is a lot of work to be done. These players need matches and having played against United would surely motivate them to raise their playing level,” said Rajagopal.

Although Malaysia went down 0-2 to United in the rematch on Monday, it was still a good effort by the team, who were assembled for barely 10 days.

Rookie goalkeeper Mohd Farizal Marlias from Perlis was also outstanding, pulling off several daring saves in the two matches.

Skipper Norhafiz again proved that he could still be counted on to hold the Malaysian fort.

Rajagopal has got to get cracking on the team for the SEA Games and work on the flaws, especially the finishing.

The national Under-23 strikers Mohd Zaquan Abdul Razak, Norsharul Idlan Talaha, Mohd Farderin Kadir, Stanley Bernard Samuel and S. Kunalan certainly need to sharpen up.

These Four (4) Exercises Will Increase Any Soccer Player's Speed

In order for a soccer player to increase their speed, there are several factors which will contribute to their speed increasing on the soccer field. Proper running mechanics is certainly one factor which will help increase speed, while another is lower body strength training. Learn four of the best lower body strength exercises a soccer can player can do to increase their speed.

Specifically, a soccer player will want to get their posterior chain of muscles stronger. The posterior chain of muscles are many of the muscles you can't see when you look at yourself in the mirror. Those muscles include the back, the glutes, the hamstrings and the calf. Getting the posterior chain of muscles stronger will absolutely get a soccer player faster and increase their speed.

Here are Four (4) excellent exercises for a soccer player to do to isolate these muscles and allow for their speed to be released:
# Tire Flip or Log Flip
# : Take an old tractor tire (or wooden log) and bend down into a squat with both hands cupped underneath the tire. In a powerful movement, lift the side of the tire where your hands are off the ground and then push the tire forward with both hands so that it now falls forward and is laying on the ground again. Quickly repeat this process for up to 10 flips. This movement is great for developing explosive power in the posterior chain of muscles.Sled Drags:
# Take a weighted sled and attach two "D-handle" cords to it. Place some weight on it and then grab the handles in such a way that you are facing forward and the sled is behind you. Keep your arms relatively straight and walk forward so that your cords or rope are tight through this resistance. Then march forward using a simple high knee, linear lunge walk. Work up to 20 -30 yards of dragging the sled in this manner. This exercise is a great way to get the lower body stronger explosively allowing the soccer player to gain valuable speed.Forward Broad Jumps:
# With both feet about shoulder width apart, jump out forward as high and as far as you can. Upon landing, bend the knees and drop your hips...in other words cushioning the jump. Have the soccer player gather themselves and repeat that jump. Continue repeating for up to 5 jumps in a row. Work up to 3-5 sets of 5 jumps. This exercise is a wonderful way to create loads of explosive, quick movements for the soccer player.Let Go's:
Let go's are simply resisted sprints. Have two players work together. One lines up behind the other player and grabs their waist with both hands. The player in the front gets into a good acceleration position and starts to run forward. The player in the back holds on and resists the player in the front from moving too quickly forward event though they are trying to do so. After about 5 yards of this resistance, the person in the back releases the person in the front. This person will feel like they have been shot out of a cannon. Remind the person in the front about that so that they are ready for that quick burst being released and they do not stumble and fall. This is a great exercise to add speed to any soccer player.

These four exercises will without a doubt add strength to the lower body of any soccer player which in turn will increase their speed.

I hoped you enjoyed reading about these four excellent exercises for enhancing speed on the soccer field.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Christopher

Vidic is Happy Staying on at Man U

The 27-year-old joined Man U from Spartak Moscow in the year 2006 for a fee that was rumored to be £7million. Apparently, Vidic was the most expensive defender in the history of the Russian Premier League, before he shifted to Man U. Known for his aggressive defending style, he teamed up with Rio Ferdinand to form an impregnable defense for Man U. As a matter of fact, this duo is considered to have formed the best central defensive partnership in the Premier League, with Vidic standing as a solid rock at the back.

As far as Vidic is concerned, he proved his loyalty and commitment to Man U during the 5:0 win against Wigan. He clarified, ''I've never said anything about Barcelona or Real Madrid or AC Milan - or any club. I never speak about my future so I don't know why someone else does. I showed at Wigan on the pitch how happy I am at this club. Any fan of United only has to see how I played to know how committed I am." The 'someone else' Vidic referred to is his agent Paolo Fabbri, who claimed that he was considering a move to Barcelona. As of now, Vidic is under a two year contract extension that keeps him at Man U until 2012.

The Serb also forms an integral part of his national team's famous four defense line-up. Vidic made a strong impact during the Serbia and Montenegro effort to make their way to the 2006 World Cup finals. This year, Serbia tops Group Seven with 18 points from seven matches, putting it ahead of France, Lithuania, Austria and Romania. Earning a place in the 2010 World Cup finals is all the more poignant and special for the Serbians since it would be their first attempt to reach a major tournament as an independent nation. Their World Cup Group Seven qualifier against France on September 9th is being billed as the 'match of the decade' in Belgrade, with 55,000 tickets selling out in a couple of hours! The Serbian national team's coach, Radomir Antic, is ready to take on France with full force on home soil.

Victory against France would ensure Serbia's berth in next year's finals in South Africa, if France fails to defeat Romania. During a recent news conference, Coach Antic declared, "We've had a great run so far and we want to put the icing on the cake of our qualifying campaign against the French... We need to turn the national euphoria into positive energy on and off the pitch... Our strategy is to win every match and establish ourselves as a force to be reckoned with." He specially mentioned captain Dejan Stankovic and Nemanja Vidic as key players and recognized Vidic's role as the backbone of Serbia's defense.

Looks like we will be seeing a lot of Vidic in action in his Man U soccer shirt and the Serbian national team's World Cup soccer uniforms! After all, he has a reputation to uphold as one of the top defenders in the world of soccer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brono_Pisino