zubair 5

Manchester united 2 : 1 West Brom EPL 2010/2011 : The Red Devils holding their position on top of table

2011-01-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Finally Wayne Rooney Scores in 2011

2011-01-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

Well i dont know waht took so long for him to score but m glad that he scored finally

Manchester Uited vs Sunderland EPL 2010/2011 : Berbatov again taking the red Devils to the top

2011-01-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

Seems like berbatove is playing the same role that rooney played in the last season.Man utd are leading the table with still a game in hand.lets see how long they can hold it because Wenger seems too desperate for a title this season.

Bulgaria's best footballer of 2010: Agian its Berbatov Beating his own Record

2010-12-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov has won the Bulgarian best footballer of the year award.He has beaton his own Record of the previous season.number two was Ivelin Popov from Gaziantepspor . Nikolay Mihaylov, goalkeeper of Bulgaria national football team and Twente, came third.

"I am proud that I am here, being together with so many legends of the Bulgarian football," Berbatov told the awarding ceremony.

Barcelona vs Real Sociedad La Liga 2010/2011 Wallpapers

2010-12-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

Chelsea vs Totenham Hotspur EPL2010/2011 HD Wallpapers

2010-12-14T06:34:00.000-08:00

Real Zaragoza v Real Madrid LaLiga 2010/2011 HD Wallpapers & Videos

2010-12-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

The Away Kit of 2010/2011 Season love that :)

2010-12-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

Ferdinanad featuring the new 2010 Away Kit of Man utd.he is really a great Central Defender Lets Hope tonight he performs like a Red devil against arsenal (13/12/2010)

Cristiano Ronaldo in Armani Video Seduction for the Women

2010-12-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

Ruud van Nistelrooy A Truely Great Player of Man Utd

2010-12-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo in Armani Ads

2010-12-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo posing in the Armani Underwears.he is really a hot material for ladies.
Definitely spent more time in gym to make this powerful n glamorous body,
So Enjoy Ladies.You see him in the eyes n his eyes are saying " CMON BABE".

Van Der Sar.

2010-12-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

Manchester United vs Arsenal Monday 13th December 2010 - EPL 2010/2011 Wallpapers Pictures Videos

2010-12-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Ji-Sung Park of Manchester United celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on December 13, 2010 in Manchester, England.

Cristiano Ronaldo with Kaka Memories of FIFA 2010

2010-12-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

Berbatov received for the first Premier League player to score ten goals this season. - EPL 2010/2011

2010-12-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

Berbatov poses with the Barclays Award,received for the first Premier League player to score ten goals this season.

The Red Devils - Manchester United wallpapers pictures Videos

2010-12-09T22:45:00.000-08:00

Aston Villa vs WBA Sat 11th December 2010 - EPL 2010/2011 Wallpapers Pictures Videos

2010-12-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

Soccer Babe Nikki Sims Represents AC Milan

2010-11-29T04:49:00.000-08:00

Nikki Sims is an internet model featured on sites such as Next Door Nikki and Nikki’s playmates. Based on the photoshoot below, it looks like she’s also an AC Milan fan. Could it be the Beckham effect?
Remember to to check out our Babes section for more soccer-related eye candy.

West Ham United 3-1 Wigan Athletic EPL 2010/2011 - Wallpapers

2010-11-28T01:46:00.000-08:00

In a match billed as "Save our Season", Valon Behrami gave the Hammers the lead when he bundled home a knockdown from Frederic Piquionne on 34 minutes.
The home side stretched their lead on 56 minutes when Piquionne carried the ball into the left side of the Wigan penalty area, before cutting it back to Victor Obinna. The on-loan Inter Milan forward promptly drilled a low strike into the bottom corner for his first Barclays Premier League goal.

Fulham 1-1 Birmingham City EPL 2010/2011 - Wallpapers

2010-11-28T01:41:00.000-08:00

Clint Dempsey secured a point for Fulham with a second-half equalizer.Dempsey headed home in the 53rd minute after Aaron Hughes had knocked the ball into his path at the far post.

Birmingham had threatened to take all three points away from home for the first time this season when Sebastien Larsson had put them in front in the 19th minute.

Man United 7 - 1 Blackburn EPL 2010/2011

2010-11-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Man Utd back on top of the table.
Berbatov scored 5 goals ,JS Park 1 and and Nani also scored one goal.
Wallpapers and Pictures are also attached.

Real Madrid : Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival in Barcelona

2009-11-29T00:02:00.000-08:00

Cristiano ronaldo arrives in barcelona for Real Madrid vs barcelona Match.

Real Madrid vs FC Zurich UEFA Champions League 09/10 - Wallpapers

2009-11-28T05:53:00.000-08:00

Wallpapers of Cristiano ronaldo,Raul,Marcelo and Kaka

Real Madrid vs FC Zurich UEFA Champions League 09 10 1

Cristiano Ronaldo's Participation In Portugal's World Cup Play-Off

2009-11-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

The Real Madrid coach has ruled out any chance of 'CR9' playing for his national side in their World Cup play-off...

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has been itching to get back into action for both his club and country, but the persistence of his ankle injury has delayed his comeback for los Blancos.

As a result, Manuel Pellegrini has scorned calls for 'CR9' to be selected by Carlos Queiroz for Portugal's World Cup play-off with Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"It's impossible for Cristiano to play for Portugal," he is quoted as saying by Sport.

"I'm sorry for the national team and for the player, but it's been some time since he trained and he still has pains."

Pellegrini also revealed that Ronaldo is upset about the length of his injury, but is hopeful that the 24-year-old will be back in action soon.

"Cristiano is emotionally troubled. He's been injured for a while and he had hoped to play this week, but the doctors said no.

"The medical staff are keeping an eye on his progress. Hopefully he will be back as soon as possible because he's a very important player for us.

"It's logical that Portugal are asking about him but they know that the player is not in a condition to play. If he was then we would have used him before," he concluded.

CLICK HERE TO SEE CRISTIANO RONALDO'S PICTURES

Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League 09/10 wallpapers

2009-11-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

Fernando Torres and substitute David Ngog left Manchester United reeling as Liverpool brilliantly halted their four-match losing streak.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had said prior to the match that one win would change everything, and what a result his team delivered to ease the pressure on the Spaniard.

The champions were eventually beaten after a stunning performance of defiance from the home side.

In this cracking Barclays Premier League battle, Liverpool restored their pride with a victory over, for them, the best opponents possible.

Torres forced his injured frame through the match and grabbed his ninth goal of the campaign midway through the second half to get Liverpool really firing.

Ngog hit the second in stoppage-time, with the match at boiling point. United had by that stage lost defender Nemanja Vidic to his third red card in successive matches against Liverpool.

Javier Mascherano saw red too, but it was Liverpool who inflicted the second league defeat of the season on United to restore faith among their fans.

The atmosphere was electric, the noise deafening, as Liverpool set about trying to restore their battered reputation.

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Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers - Premier League 09/10 wallpapers

2009-11-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney made sure Manchester United got back on track in the Barclays Premier League after the defeat by Liverpool.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side had enough chances to notch up a bigger scoreline but substitute Gabriel Obertan missed a couple of great opportunities.

Berbatov made the breakthrough in the 55th minute but it was not until two minutes from time Rooney made the points safe.

It means they keep the pressure on Chelsea and Arsenal at the top of the table in their aim to win a fourth successive title.

United must have wondered how they were still on level terms at half-time given the amount of possession they enjoyed.

As early as the third minute Nani sent a 20-yard shot whistling past the post following a marvellous crossfield pass from Wes Brown.

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Bolton Wanderers vs Chelsea Premier League 09/10 Wallpapers

2009-11-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Frank Lampard gave the Blues the lead with a penalty just before the break after Jlloyd Samuel had been sent off for a foul on Didier Drogba.

Deco doubled the advantage with a clinical finish on 61 minutes and the points were made safe nine minutes from time when Zat Knight put into his own net.

Drogba grabbed a fourth in the final minute to give Chelsea their second 4-0 win over the Trotters in the space of four days

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Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur Premier League 09/10 Wallpapers

2009-11-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

Arsenal secured the bragging rights over north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur with a comprehensive victory.

Spurs held out strongly for the first 42 minutes at the Emirates Stadium but then conceded twice in less than a minute.

Robin van Persie forced home the first from close range and then Cesc Fabregas stole the ball straight from kick-off and ran clean through to slot the second just 11 seconds after the re-start.

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur Premier League 09/10 Wallpapers images photos pictures.

Check out the blog for all latest soccer wallpapers.

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Arsenal vs Birmingham Premierleague 09/10 Wallpapers - Pictures

2009-10-18T02:23:00.000-07:00

Arsenal chalked up a fourth successive home win to hold off a strong challenge from Birmingham City.

Two goals in three minutes by Robin van Persie and Abou Diaby seemed to have put the Gunners in comfortable charge by the 18th minute.

But Lee Bowyer pulled one back for the visitors on 38 minutes and the Blues went close to an equaliser before Andrey Arshavin made the match safe six minutes from time.

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Liverpool vs Sunderland premierleague 09/10 wallpapers - pictures

2009-10-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

Sunderland secured a famous victory over Liverpool at the Stadium of Light.

Darren Bent's fifth-minute shot was deflected past keeper Pepe Reina by a beach ball which had been thrown on to the pitch, although the Reds' protests were in vain.

Bent might have collected at least a hat-trick on a day when Rafael Benitez's injury-hit side were nowhere near their best, although keeper Craig Gordon had to make a fine double save in injury time to deny Dirk Kuyt and then substitute David Ngog. CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Man Utd vs Bolton Premier league 09/10 wallpapers - pictures

2009-10-18T02:07:00.000-07:00

Manchester United went to the top of the Barclays Premier League after beating Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford.

United were in complete control against Bolton once Zat Knight had put Michael Owen's fifth-minute header into his own net.

Antonio Valencia doubled the Red Devils' lead with his first goal for the club before half-time. But after a series of saves from Jussi Jaaskelainen, Matty Taylor pulled one back and United were clinging on at the end.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - Man Utd - Wallpapers pictures Photos

2009-10-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Cristisano ronaldo is a legend of Man Utd .he gave United wonderfull victories over the clubs around the world.Here are some pictures,wallpapers and photo gallery for his fans.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

Cristiano Ronaldo - Childhood Pictures Photos Wallpapers - Portugal

2009-10-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo's childhood with his family , parents n while playing on the field .

David Beckham - Pictures Photos Wallpapers - Man Utd

2009-10-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

David Robert Joseph Beckham, (born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who currently plays in midfield for American Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy and the England national team.
Twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 the world's highest-paid footballer,Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004. With such global recognition he has become an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon. Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, during which he played 58 times. Since then he has continued to represent his country and earned his much-publicised hundredth cap for England against France on 26 March 2008 He is currently England's most-capped outfield player with 115 appearances.
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons, clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club.

Ryan Giggs - Man Utd - Wallpapers - Images - Photos

2009-10-10T03:33:00.000-07:00

Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973) is a Welsh footballer who has played for Manchester United for his entire club career. He established himself as a left-winger during the 1990s and continued in this position well into the 2000s, but more recently has played in a deeper playmaking role.

Giggs holds a host of football records, including that of being the most decorated player in English football history. On 16 May 2009, he became the first footballer to collect 11 top division English league title medals. Giggs was the first player in history to win two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards (1992 and 1993) and is the only player to have played and scored in every single season of the Premier League since its inception.

wallpapers - Man utd v Sunderland - Premier League 09/10

2009-10-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Anton Ferdinand's stoppage-time own goal rescued a 2-2 draw for Manchester United against Sunderland at Old Trafford.

It seemed the Black Cats were about to record their first win at the stadium since 1968 when they entered the time added on clinging to a lead provided by Kenwyne Jones' header after Darren Bent's opener had been cancelled out by Dimitar Berbatov's exquisite volley.

But once again United fought back and Ferdinand turned an off-target Patrice Evra shot into his own net to earn the champions a share of the spoils..

Wallpapers - Real Madrid vs Marseille - UEFA 09/10

2009-10-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid upped the tempo in the second half to beat Marseille 3-0 in Group C last night.

The Portuguese striker broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, before being tackled in the area to set up Kaka's goal from the spot three minutes later. Marseille's Diawara was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for the wild challenge.

Wallpapers - Man Utd v VfL Wolfsburg – Champions League 09/10

2009-10-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

wen, looking to impress watching England manager Fabio Capello, survived for just 20 minutes at Old Trafford before going off with a groin strain. His replacement Dimitar Berbatov proved highly effective but the enterprising visitors went ahead through a Edin Dzeko header in the 56th minute.
Ryan Giggs equalized just three minutes later with his 150th goal for the Red Devils, his deflected shot finding its way home.
The evergreen Giggs then set up Michael Carrick for the 76th minute winner as he curled home his shot from the edge of the penalty area.
United manager Alex Ferguson paid his own compliment to the Welsh wizard as he reflected on a hard-fought home victory.
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Wallpapers - Fiorentina v Liverpool - UEFA 09/10

2009-09-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

All in white, the Reds were left reeling by a first half purple haze led by a teenager who was only playing as Fiorentina’s star striker Alberto Gilardino was unavailable.

The young Montenegrin striker could well become the next idol of this idyllic city’s famous football club. Stevan Jovetić has all the making of following in the footsteps of former greats to have pulled on the famous purple jersey, such as Roberto Baggio and Gabriel Batistuta.

Wallpapers - Arsenal v Olympiakos - UEFA 09/10

2009-09-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin struck late on to give the Gunners a 2-0 win over Olympiakos. Arsene Wenger hailed his players labeling the level of their performance “outstanding”

Muhammad Zubair - My Profile

2009-09-29T10:03:00.001-07:00

Muhammad Zubair

Islamabad Pakistan

Favorite Club : Man Utd

favorite Players : Zidane.Cristiano Ronaldo.Messi.

Ryan Giggs.David Bekham.Kaka

Player Level : Amateur Player

Favorite League : Barclays Premier league

Contact Me

2009-09-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

I will appreciate Suggestions and ideas to improve my Blog.
If you need any type of Soccer material please E-mail me at the below mentioned adress.

Contact me at:
Zubair5@yahoo.com

Disclaimer

2009-09-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

This Blog is only to provude Entertainment/fun to Soccer fans.It has no copyright material.

If there is any copyright or offensive material in the blog, mail me n i will remove the mentioned data.Please provide your full details with this type of E-mail.

Contact me at:

Zubair5@yahoo.com

Man City v West Ham Utd - EPL 09/10 - Wallpapers

2009-09-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Carlos Tevez scored twice against his old club as City swaggered to an emphatic victory

Man Utd vs Stoke City - EPL - Wallpapers

2009-09-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ryan Giggs emerged from the bench to inspire Manchester United to an impressive win at Stoke City as the champions demonstrated their hunger to claim a fourth successive title by returning to the Premier League summit.

Man Utd vs Wolves - Carling Cup - Wallpapers

2009-09-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

(Man utd 1 - 0 Wolves)Carling Cup game between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Wednesday Sept 23, 2009.

Zinedine Zidane - Profile

2009-09-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (French pronunciation: [ˌzineˈdin jaˈzid ziˈdan]; born 23 June 1972 in Marseille) is a French former professional footballer. Considered one of the greatest players of his generation, Zidane played for club teams in France, Italy and Spain, and was a member of the French national team. His career accomplishments include helping France win the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, in addition to winning the 2002 UEFA Champions League as a galactico with Real Madrid.One of only two three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winners along with Ronaldo, Zidane was also named the European Footballer of the Year in 1998. His abilities were further recognized in 2004 when he was included in Pelé's choice list of the world's greatest footballers. He retired from professional football after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career

Zidane joined the junior team of US Saint-Henri, a local club in the La Castellane district of Marseille. At the age of 14, he participated in the first-year junior selection for the league championship, where he caught the attention of AS Cannes scout Jean Varraud. He went to Cannes for a six-week stay, but ended up remaining at the club for four years to play at the professional level. Zidane played his first Ligue 1 match at seventeen, and scored his first goal on 8 February 1991, for which he received a car as a gift from the team president. His first season with Cannes culminated in a UEFA Cup berth.

Zidane transferred to Girondins de Bordeaux for the 1992–93 season, winning the 1995 Intertoto Cup and finishing runner-up in the 1995–96 UEFA Cup in four years with the club. He played a set of midfield combinations with Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, which would become the trademark of both Bordeaux and the 1998 French national team. In 1995, Blackburn Rovers coach Ray Harford had expressed interest in signing both Zidane and Dugarry, to which team owner Jack Walker reportedly replied, "Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?"

In 1996, Zidane moved to Champions League winners Juventus for a fee of £3 million, and won the 1996–97 Scudetto and the Intercontinental Cup, but lost the 1997 UEFA Champions League final 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund. He netted seven goals in 32 matches to help Juventus retain the Scudetto the next season and make their third consecutive UEFA Champions League final appearance, losing 1-0 to Real Madrid which would be his next destination. Juventus were runners-up in 2000–01, but were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League, during which Zidane was sent off for headbutting Hamburger SV player Jochen Kientz.

In 2001, Zidane joined Real Madrid for €78 million, the most expensive transfer fee in football history at the time, and signed a four-year contract. He scored the match-winning goal in Madrid's 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final completing this personal quadruple. The next season, Zidane helped Real Madrid to win the Spanish league title and was named the FIFA World Player of the Year for the third time. In 2004, fans voted him atop UEFA's fiftieth-anniversary Golden Jubilee Poll, and he was included in the FIFA 100.

Despite scoring his first-ever hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Sevilla FC, Zidane's final season of club football ended trophyless. On 7 May 2006, Zidane, who had announced his plans to retire after the 2006 World Cup,"ZIDANE 2001–2006" below the club logo. played his last home match and scored in a 3-3 draw with Villarreal CF. The squad wore commemorative jerseys with with "ZIDANE 2001–2006" below the club logo.
International Career

Both France and Algeria consider Zidane a citizen, but he was ineligible to play for the Algerian national team. There was also a rumor that coach Abdelhamid Kermali denied him a position for the Algerian squad because he felt the young midfielder was not fast enough. However, Zidane dismissed the rumor in a 2005 interview, saying that he would have been ineligible to play for Algeria because he had already played for France.

He earned his first cap with France as a substitute in a friendly against the Czech Republic on 17 August 1994, which ended in a 2-2 draw after Zidane scored twice to help France erase a 2-0 deficit. After Éric Cantona was handed a year-long suspension in January 1995 for assaulting a fan, Zidane took over the playmaker position. France were eliminated in the UEFA Euro 1996 semifinals in a penalty shootout by the Czech Republic after the match ended 0-0 in extra time.

Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France, scoring twice in the final against defending champions Brazil. He finished with two goals as France then won UEFA Euro 2000, becoming the first team to hold both the World Cup and the European Championship since West Germany in 1974. A thigh injury prevented Zidane from playing in France's first two matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He rushed back prematurely for the third game despite not being fully fit, but could not prevent France from being ignominiously eliminated in the group stage without scoring a single goal.

After France were eliminated in the UEFA Euro 2004 quarterfinals by eventual winners Greece on 12 June 2004, Zidane retired from international football. With the mass retirement of veteran key players such as Bixente Lizarazu, Marcel Desailly and others, France struggled to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, at the urging of coach Raymond Domenech, Zidane came out of retirement and was immediately reinstated as team captain. He made his competitive return in a 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands on 3 September 2005, as France went on to win their qualifying group.

On 27 May 2006, Zidane earned his hundredth cap for France in a 1-0 friendly win over Mexico, becoming France's fourth player ever to reach this milestone, after Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps and Lilian Thuram. He was substituted early in the second half.

2006 World Cup

After being suspended on yellow cards from the final match of the group stage.Zidane set up a goal for Patrick Vieira and scored one himself in the 91st minute of the second round match against Spain. As France held Brazil to just one shot on goal in the rematch of the 1998 final, Zidane's free kick led to Thierry Henry's deciding goal, sealing a 1-0 win. Zidane was named Man of the Match by FIFA.Before the final match, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition.

Main article: 2006 FIFA World Cup Final

By scoring a 7th minute penalty in the final, Zidane became only the fourth player in World Cup history to score in two different finals, along with Pelé, Paul Breitner, and Vavá, in addition to being tied for first place with Vavá, Pelé and Geoff Hurst with three World Cup final goals apiece. Zidane was sent off in extra time after headbutting Marco Materazzi following verbal taunts from the Italian player, and so did not participate in the penalty shootout, which Italy won 5–3. He kept the Golden Ball award.

Post-retirement

On June 1, 2009, Zidane was announced as the Advisor to the President as Florentino Perez was named President of Real Madrid for the second time. He also regularly plays for Real Madrid Veterans team. He along with Jorge Valdano, General Director, and Miguel Pardeza, Sporting Director, will be the key decision makers on the sporting side of the club.

Charity Activities

In 2003, Zidane attended the Race Against Hunger organised by Action Against Hunger Spain (also known as Acción Contra el Hambre) held at the French Lyceum of Madrid. This event raised an estimated 25,000 Euros.

On 24 February 2007, before a crowd of 10,000 fans at a match in northern Thailand for the Keuydaroon children's AIDS charity, Zidane scored the first goal and set up the second for a Malaysian teammate as the match ended 2-2. The event raised ฿260,000 ($7,750). This money paid for the building of two schools and 16 three-bedroom houses.

On 19 November 2007, Zidane took part in the fifth annual Match Against Poverty in Málaga, Spain, which also ended in a 2-2 draw; he went scoreless but set up his team’s second goal. He and former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo, who collaborated in conceiving the yearly event to benefit the United Nations Development Programme, regularly captain their respective teams consisting of active footballers, other professional athletes and celebrities. Zidane, a U.N. goodwill ambassador since 2001, stated before the game that “everyone can do something to make the world a better place.”

In June and July 2009, Zidane toured across Canada with stops in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Although billed as Zidane and "Friends", the likes of which included Fabian Barthez and Samuel Eto'o, the exhibition matches featured local players. Tournament organisers cited lack of sponsorship and support from the Canadian Soccer Association for the disorganized rosters. Some proceeds were given to Unicef.

The insufficient amount of money gathered from the tour has resulted in him voluntarily refusing his promised payment of $200,000 for the sake of Unicef.

Sponsorships

Zidane has had endorsements with many companies, including: Adidas, Lego, France Telecom, Orange, Audi, Volvic and Christian Dior. These sponsorship deals earned him €8.6 million on top of his €6.4 million Real Madrid salary in his final season, making him the sixth-highest paid footballer.
Personal Life

Zidane's parents emigrated to Paris in 1953 from the village of Aguemone in the Kabylie region of Algeria. They moved to Marseille a few years later, where Zidane was born.Zidane stated in an interviewthat his success is due to the teachings of Fadie Hannona, his youth coach and mentor.Zidane met his wife, Véronique while playing for Cannes in the 1988-89 season. They have four sons: Enzo (named after former Uruguayan player Enzo Francescoli), Luca, Theo, and Elyaz. Luca and Theo are both members of the Real Madrid Infantil B Team.

Statistics

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo Annoyed At Xerez Substitiution

2009-09-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo is said to have been annoyed at being substituted with ten minutes remaining in the 5-0 win over Xerez on Sunday, according to AS.

The Portugal international is reportedly targetting the Pichichi Trophy by topping the goalscorers list in his first season in the Primera Division.

Madrid were three goals to the good when Ronaldo, who scored Madrid's first two, was replaced by Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Dutch striker managed to score Madrid's fifth goal late in the game.

Ronaldo is keen to make his mark on Spanish football by pipping the likes of Barcelona's Lionel Messi to the Pichichi and the report suggests that he is also keen to make a late show to beat the Argentinian to this year's Ballon d'Or and FIFA Player of the Year prizes, both of which the Portuguese star won last year.

Cristiano is currently top of the goalscorers charts, level with Valencia striker David Villa on four league goals, while Barca stars Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Roberto Soldado of Getafe all have three.

Man Utd v Man City Owen Scores Late Goal to Win Memorable Manchester Derby

2009-09-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

The 4-3 scoreline meant the first Manchester Derby since Man City have put together a truly competitive squad lived up to – and even surpassed – expectations from the football world.

Man United were bookmakers favourites to win this match with home advantage, despite City’s excellent 100% record going into the game – and they looked good value for this tag when Wayne Rooney quickly got them off the mark on just two minutes.

Their lead would last only 15 minutes, though, as a Ben Foster goalkeeping error let Man United old boy Carlos Tevez steal the ball, before playing it to Gareth Barry, who coolly slotted home.

This goal seemed to inspire confidence in the Man City team, and they began to look more assured in possession after a shaky start where, in particular, Wayne Bridge, City’s left-back, really struggled to find a pass to a team-mate and retain possession. However, there weren’t many more chances of note in this first half. the teams came in with the scores level, at 1-1.

After half time, United came out the stronger, and soon Darren Fletcher had put United ahead once more, just three minutes after the break, heading home well from a Ryan Giggs cross.

United begun to pile on more pressure now, and, Ryan Giggs produced a fine save from Shay Given in the Man City goal before Craig Bellamy produced a stunning shot into the top corner of United’s goal. Only three minutes had elapsed since Fletcher’s goal.

United continued their dominant second half display, but City, aided by an excellent and assured display by Given, held fast until the 80th minute, when Fletcher and Giggs combined once more – a Giggs cross met by Fletcher’s head. 3-2.

United fans surely thought they must have sealed the win against their bitter rivals, however, Craig Bellamy once more had other ideas, scoring from an incredibly acute angle to take what looked like a valuable point away to the Champions. This goal came in the 90th minute.

However, Alex Ferguson had brought on Michael Owen on for Dimitar Berbatov, who had failed to beat Shay Given despite some good attempts. Owen would be the hero of the day, when, with over 95 minutes on the clock, he picked up the ball from Giggs, and buried it in the bottom right corner of Given’s goal.

The final whistle blew little over a minute later.

Mark Hughes, the former Manchester United darling, and current manager of Manchester City, looked furious. It was clear he felt too much injury time had been played – indeed, only four minutes of added time were shown on the fourth official’s board.

On reflection, United deserved their win, given their superior number of shots on target, and the fact that two of City’s goals came not only against the run of play, but from United mistakes. That being said, City could easily have taken a point here today. With the extra fire power their absent strikers would have provided, City may have got something from this match.

Football’s New World Order, in Manchester city, have stamped their new found authority on the Premier League’s elder Statesmen across Manchester. While United have the bragging rights this time, they will surely privately be worried by the quality demonstrated by their adversaries.

For City fans and neutrals, this upset to the status quo is a welcome boon. It also produced one of the most incredible, and truly competitive, Manchester derbies in living memory. Long may it continue.

Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice as Real Madrid hammer Xerez

2009-09-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to lead Real Madrid to a 5-0 victory over La Liga's newcomers Xerez at the Bernabéu. After the former Manchester United winger's goal in the opening minute, with a searing run and shot, Xerez, playing in their first top-flight campaign, remained resolute until the final 15 minutes when Ronaldo, Guti, Karim Benzema and Ruud van Nistelrooy scored to settle the restless crowd.

"We didn't play well as a team but I am pleased with the final result," said the Real Madrid coach, Manuel Pellegrini. The victory moved Real ahead of the champions, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao on goal difference at the top of the standings with three wins from three.

Barça hammered Atlético Madrid 5-2 on Saturday and Bilbao beat Villarreal 3-2 earlier in the day.

Real Madrid appeared to ease off after Ronaldo's early strike and Xerez steadily grew in confidence, with Emilio Viqueira skimming Iker Casillas's crossbar with a free-kick. The visitors were given the time and space to pass freely but lacked the quality to threaten Real. The game turned in Real's favour midway through the second half, when Pellegrini sent on the midfielders Guti and Esteban Granero. Ronaldo then scored his second, rising to head in from a corner in the 75th minute, and Guti volleyed a third soon after. Benzema lashed in a spectacular fourth on a breakaway before the substitute Van Nistelrooy slid the ball between Renan's legs .

In Bilbao the Spain striker Fernando Llorente nodded in the home team's opener, fired in a second off the post before the break and was denied a hat-trick only by acrobatic saves from Diego López in the Villarreal goal. Cani pulled one back for Villarreal early in the second half before Javi Martínez restored the home side's advantage with a header from a corner. Santi Cazorla netted a fine free-kick for Villarreal near the end.

Valencia looked on course for a third consecutive victory after two goals by David Villa erased a 1-0 deficit at home to Sporting Gijon. However, the visitors – who were down to 10 men from the 25th minute following Michel's red card – scored a late equaliser through Gregory Arnolin, who headed in at a free-kick after poor goalkeeping by Miguel Angel Moyà.

Elsewhere Almeria beat Getafe 1-0 and Real Zaragoza lost 2-1 at home to Real Valladolid.

Cristiano Ronaldo - The Boy Who Had A Dream

2009-09-21T04:41:00.000-07:00

A documentary about Cristiano ronaldo.

Complete name         : Cristiano Ronaldo - The Boy Who Had A Dream

Format                : AVI
Format/Info           : Audio Video Interleave
File size             : 700 MiB
Duration              : 1h 12mn
Overal bit rate       : 1350 Kbps
Writing application   : VirtualDubMod 1.5.4.1

Writing library       : Virtual

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TORRENT

Its a torrent file ,you need UTORRENT software to download it.

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Real Madrid 5-0 Xerez

2009-09-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

In nine days Real Madrid scored nine goals in league and Champions League action. The count started against Espanyol, continued in Zurich and concluded with the victory against Xerez. Cristiano Ronaldo (with four league goals to his name), Guti, Benzema and Van Nistelrooy found the back of the net on Sunday to put Real Madrid at the top of the table.

Real Madrid and Xerez had never met in league action prior to tonight. Adding to the excitement of the match was the reappearance of Sergio Ramos, who played his first match of the season and proved that the tendonitis in his left Achilles is a thing of the past. Other changes with respect to the starting eleven in Zurich included Garay teaming up with Albiol and Marcelo on the back line. Gago covered the absence of Xabi Alonso in the midfield and Benzema took position in attack in place of Higuain.

The match began as expected. Real Madrid laid siege on the opponent's box and before the first minute had ticked off the clock Cristiano Ronaldo had already perforated the Xerez defense. The Portuguese fired between two defenders and beat Renan. The second didn't appear to take long in coming. Cristiano Ronaldo had a go from the top of the box and Raul received the deflection, but Renan managed to make the save and subsequently got a hand on a shot by Kaka. It was easy to think that Xerez would cave in, but on the contrary. The visitors dug in their feet for the long haul.

Xerez gained possession of the ball and had several attempts via free kicks. The first was taken by Viqueira, who managed to find the crossbar (10’). The Azulinos took advantage of corner kicks and fouls to draw closer to Iker's box, but if Albiol and Garay couldn't thwart the offensive, the Madridista keeper would. Though infrequent, Real Madrid's efforts were much more elaborate. Raul's left-footer following a pass by Marcelo (41’) was unsuccessful, and Xerez followed with header by Aythami, but the score didn't change and the teams headed to the dressing rooms for halftime.

Xerez continued strong in the second. They had come to the Bernabeu with the intention of having fun, which happened to be one of their best assets. Pellegrini's men meanwhile wanted a second. Kaka nearly had it but his final pass on the goalline was intercepted by Aythami (48’). Xerez tried their luck with a combination between Armenteros and Maldonado but were stymied by Casillas (52’). Manuel Pellegrini replaced Raul and Kaka with Granero and Guti, who didn't take long to drive the Xerez back line mad. But first Cristiano Ronaldo capped off his brace with a header following a corner kick by Granero (75’).

With little time to retake position, the Azulinos conceded the third. Cristiano Ronaldo curled in a pass, Benzema missed the shot on two occasions, and Guti was there to clean up (78’). Completely devastaed, Xere still had two more to give up. Benzema scored the fourth after a pass by Van Nistelrooy, who had only been on the pitch for three minutes, and then the Dutchman himself completed the smackdown by slipping the ball in between Renan's legs (89’).

Hungary 0 - 1 Portugal :Great escape launched?

2009-09-10T02:39:00.000-07:00

Portugal struck early and held on for a 1-0 win over Hungary to breathe life into their bid for a place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Pepe gave Portugal the lead, towering above the Hungarian defence to head in from Deco's free kick in the 10th minute.Hungary almost equalised moments later, but Roland Juhasz's header went wide.Victory for Portugal took them up to third place in Group One with 13 points from eight matches, and two still to play.Denmark top the group with 18 points after being held to a 1-1 draw by Albania, while Sweden moved up to second on 15 points after their 1-0 win over Malta. Hungary, like Portugal, have 13 points."We showed we are better then our opponents," said goalscorer Pepe. "This result re-launches our campaign for the World Cup."The group winners qualify directly, while eight of the nine second-placed teams will go into two-legged play-offs for the four remaining places.The Hungarians created danger through two Balazs Dzsudszak free kicks in the middle of the first half, with a low drive in the 23rd minute deflected to a corner and a powerful shot two minutes later flying inches from Eduardo's right post.Portugal came close to doubling their lead in the 30th minute when Meireles' through-ball put Cristiano Ronaldo clear, but the winger's curling shot was blocked by Gabor Babos.The Hungarians' best chance came from a Laszlo Bodnar free kick which forced Eduardo to a tight save in the 78th minute."There are still four teams in the race and now the team that has the most fire-power, personality and unity will win this final sprint," Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz said.

Hungary 0 - 1 Portugal : Keeping the dream alive!

2009-09-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

Done. 3 Points. On to the next.

The best thing that can be said about this game is “we won” everything else was looked at in utter disbelief.

I must be completely oblivious to what exactly Hungary needed to keep alive any hope on qualifying for this worldcup because it looked like they couldn’t care less about the result and any outcome, except loosing to Portugal would be a major victory! And when we scored they changed there objective to “not loosing to Portugal by more then one goal”. The game was played on a pitch that looked like my backyard… laden with irregularities. Seemed hand picked for playing an adversary such as Portugal. Down by one goal from the 10th minute and we still had to call them out to our side of the pitch. All Hungary did was hog the midfield with all they had and wait… yep… wait… and wait some more… and when we got nearer play a very physical game bordering violent with the cunning blessing of the referee. What a dick.

Mind you Hungary is a tough opponent. Very tough. From today’s match it’s easy to assume what’s in store for the next game… park the bus in front of the goal and wreck Portugal’s nerve from the first minute hoping a venomous counter-attack gets the job done.

We played beautifully against Denmark and were down one goal at half-time. We got down and dirty, mistreated the ball against Hungary and were up one goal at half-time. Go figure.

What a mess. I had a knot in my stomach the entire game always expecting Hungary to score a fluke goal out of shear bad-luck from one of our defenders with 2 or 3 lucky rebounds mixed in. Queiroz did the usual lets-defend-this-goal tactic which has failed so miserably before. I’m still in disbelief it actually worked out this time. Nobody managed to win the midfield with an unbelievable amount of missed passes. We simply couldn’t string 3 passes together. And what happened with Tiago today hogging the ball on so many occasions? Did he read my previous game’s post and decided he would be able to pull a couple of Deco moves out of his hat? He played it very simple against Denmark. Received the ball and quickly fed it to Deco or Meireles. I had commented on it negatively although I did mention it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Now I know it wasn’t a bad thing. He can take comfort from the fact Meireles and Deco partnered in this sordid affair.
After an entire first half of this I was dismayed to see Queiroz sub Deco with Simão. The game was screaming for Maniche! Screaming! But… Maniche wasn’t on the bench was he? Nope. Maniche was as dismayed as I was sitting uncomfortably in the stands! Ok then who did we have that could win us the midfield battle? Moutinho was on the bench. He doesn’t have the strongest build but Simão isn’t exactly built like Arnold Schwarzenegger either. Come to think of it the lads are very similar in appearance. Oh well sometimes playing ugly wins you games and this was clearly the case.

We ended the game seeing Hungary desperately shoving the ball into our box in futile attempts to score. The knot grew tighter and tighter. Luckily no fluke goal appeared. No unlucky rebounds. And I thought we lacked scoring skills. But is my calculator not adding up right because I had us needing to score more goals to level out the goal difference disadvantage we have in case we tie in second place with Sweden?! Queiroz must have IBM’s Deep Blue doing his math! That freaking computer did beat Kasparov so what do I know. Fuck it.

A quick note on this night’s pathetic refereeing. There. Said it.

I can already hear some of the more ferocious critics of Portugal say we played crap and don’t deserve to go to South Africa. What do they understand?! Not a damn thing. You have to look at the entire picture of these qualifiers to fully understand exactly what happened and the game today is paramount to this understanding. This overall picture leads to one simple conclusion: Every effing opponent in this group is scared shitless of Portugal! I haven’t seen one single opponent (I mean it! Not one!) that played us head-on to win, even when winning was mandatory (as was the case today). Not Hungary, not Sweden and certainly not group leaders Denmark. And does Sweden deserve it more then us? They won against Hungary with a lucky rebound goal in the last minute and repeated the dose against Malta (MALTA FFS!) with a lucky late own-goal by a Maltese defender! I hope luck has run out for them and when they face Denmark next month it could very well show. And speaking of Denmark… excellent draw! Thank you Albania! Next months Denmark-Sweden will be a thriller! Best of luck for Denmark!

Group standings with 2 games to go:
Denmark - 18
Sweden - 15
Portugal - 13
Hungary - 13
Albania - 7
Malta - 1

Next games:
Denmark - Sweden (Oct. 10)
Portugal - Hungary (Oct. 10)
Denmark - Hungary (Oct. 14)
Sweden - Albania (Oct. 14)
Portugal - Malta (Oct. 14)

Real Madrid fear CR9 World Cup crisis

2009-09-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid management are concerned with the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal failing to qualify for next year's World Cup.

Sport says Real president Florentino Perez is banking on Ronaldo's appearance in South Africa to boost shirt sales and rake in the expected revenue that was to come from his arrival this season.

Carlos Godinho, Portugal's sports director, has conceded the federation will lose €100 million if they fail to qualify for the World Cup - and Perez has concerns Real will also suffer in the fallout.

If Portugal fail - and Real disappoint in their title chase - then Perez knows that the media and fans will drop Ronaldo to focus on other stars, like Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney.

Real's new Galacticos policy relies heavily on Ronaldo remaining the world's most popular player - and biggest shirt seller.

Star players in danger of missing out on next year's World Cup

2009-09-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Some of the world's most famous players are in serious danger of missing out on a spot at next year's World Cup with critical fixtures coming up to determine their fate.

A World Cup without Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry is almost unthinkable, yet defeat in their respective games Thursday morning (EST) would leave their chances of qualification hanging in the wind.

Ronaldo's is the most serious predicament, with Portugal's whole campaign limping badly.

With three games left of the qualifying program Portugal are fourth of six teams - seven points off the top spot in Group One and automatic qualification, and three points away from the runners-up spot that would almost certainly secure a play-off for a World Cup spot.

Their one hope is that two of those games are against Hungary, the side currently in second place. But with just two wins from seven games, the 2006 semi-finalists have an anxious wait ahead.

France, meanwhile, look like they will get a runners-up spot and hence a play-off, at best.

Currently second and beset by tales of unrest in the squad, they face group leaders Serbia in Belgrade knowing a French defeat would give the home team tickets to South Africa.

That would leave France watching Austria over their shoulders, an ignominious fate for the 2006 runners-up.

"If we have to go through the play-offs, we will," striker Thierry Henry said.

"If we don't finish first we'll have to make sure we finish second, even though it's sad to say. Since I've been in the French team we've often got in through the back door. Whatever happens, we have to get to South Africa."

And then there is Argentina, coached by the inimitable Diego Maradona but listing badly in the South American qualifiers.

Having been comfortably beaten by Brazil at the weekend, Maradona's charges are in the fourth and last automatic qualifying place.

They have to visit Paraguay, five points above them in third and needing just three points to qualify for the finals.

Argentina have not won on the road for two years competitively.

Should an Argentine defeat be accompanied by away wins for Ecuador, in Bolivia, and Colombia, in Uruguay, Maradona's men will drop to sixth, below even a qualifying place for the play-off against the fourth-best side from the North Americas.

Argentina breezed to a gold medal at the Olympics and have a wonderful crop of young talent. But even that might not be enough for the double World Cup winners to secure a spot in South Africa.

The Magnetic Effect Of Cristiano Ronaldo

2009-09-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

I am very openly supportive of Manchester United so if anyone feels a bit angry, disappointed or sad if I criticize another team(ahem ahem..Harshly), please forgive me. It’s in my blood."

There are evidently two kinds of fan following.

The first are, of course, the 'through thick and thin' fans. Those who will tattoo Champions League trophies on their arms (without actually winning one), paint themselves red and die for their clubs. AKA the True Fans.

Others are the infamous 'Gloryhunters'. Those who support the teams that are on top or winning or which have won. Seeing the last three years they wouldn’t have to change much, would they?

But I'm confident that I’ve found a third kind.

For the last few years the Gloryhunters joined the United fan club along with me and since we continued winning they decided to remain with me. A Red Devil forever.

Then one fine morning a huge headline splashed across all papers.

"Ronaldo to Real Madrid. Record Transfer Fee"

To be honest, I was very disappointed. Ronaldo provided something that nobody in the club's history provided. The amazing thing is, I don’t know what that 'thing' is but when Ronaldo was on the field, confidence was high.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 'I can’t please everyone'

2009-09-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is feeling the heat following Portugal's dismal qualifying matches leading up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Ronaldo, 24, was disappointed when team Portugal lost to Denmark Sept. 5 and tied with Sweden recently.
“We are sad, and we know that we have to do better,” Cristiano told reporters after the Denmark game. “I can please a lot of people and bring happiness to many, but I can’t please everyone.”
The super-competitive Ronaldo once admitted that he cries after losing a match. "I still cry sometimes out of sadness when we lose," Cristiano confessed.
In fact, Ronaldo's older sister Elma revealed that Cris used to cry over the phone to her after he left his home island of Madeira to play with Sporting Lisbon at the tender age of 11.

"He was alone in Portugal and used to cry on the phone many nights," said Elma. "We cried too because we missed him, and because he was young and alone."
Fortunately, Ronaldo's early sacrifices have paid off big time. In June, Cristiano made history as the world's most expensive footballer after Real Madrid paid a record £80 million transfer fee to acquire him from Manchester United.
Since then, Ronaldo has stated he is training around the clock to recover his form. "I will prove to myself, my family, those who love me and those people who hired me, that I am worth it," he said. "I am very demanding of myself and I am working hard to reach the level that I am used to playing at. The pressure is great, but I am used to that."

Team Portugal faces off against Hungary Sept. 9 before home matches, a return game with the Hungary, and Malta. Meanwhile, Real Madrid will play Espanyol Barcelona Sept. 12.

The world expects Ronaldo to deliver

2009-09-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

The World Cup finals have always showcased the planet’s finest football talent, yet there remains a distinct possibility that next year’s competition in South Africa will not feature the world’s best two players.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina were well beaten by Brazil on Saturday night in Rosario, leaving Diego Maradona’s side an uncertain fourth in the South American qualifying group.

More acute is the situation facing Portugal and their star player Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite Carlos Quieroz’s side’s sublime talents like Ronaldo, Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Deco and Simao, they could only draw 1-1 on Saturday against group leaders Denmark in Copenhagen. Having won just two of their seven group games, Portugal are also fourth in a group whose only guaranteed qualifier is the first-placed team.

The optimism which surrounded Quieroz’s appointment has evaporated and Portugal’s wretched home form has left them without a single home win. Instead, they have been defeated by Denmark and been held by Albania and Sweden, not the form expected of a side which dispatched England to reach the semi-final stage in the last World Cup.

Ronaldo cut a forlorn figure as he left Denmark’s national stadium on Saturday night.

“We are sad,” he said briefly as he passed journalists in the mixed zone, “and we know that we have to do better.”

Portugal face a key trip to Hungary this week, before home matches, a return game with the Hungary, and Malta.

The Portuguese public are understandably vexed, though their media are more critical and accuse Ronaldo of not taking his national team duty seriously. One columnist unfairly opined that Ronaldo would prefer the beach and the company of Hollywood babes next summer, misunderstanding the motivation and determination which has seen him realise his potential to be crowned Fifa’s World Player of the Year.

Ronaldo may be followed everywhere by the paparazzi and he may be spotted in the coolest Madrid cafes with the prettiest girls, but none of his coaches have ever questioned his professionalism. Former Manchester United teammates maintain he was among the best trainers at Carrington.

Ronaldo is also used to pressure and great expectations. These have moved up a notch at Real Madrid, where the frothy tabloid culture, his single status and tag of being the world’s most expensive player have made him the prime focus of media attention.

“It’s like that in Madrid,” said Barcelona captain Carles Puyol. “In Barcelona the media leave you alone and respect your priv-- ate lives.”

Because of the Ronaldo obsession, Real’s other stellar signings like Kaka can lead relatively quiet lives. That is not to say that Ronaldo is not enjoying his new life in Spain.

“I’m just a normal person,” Ronaldo said last week, “leading a very unnormal life.”

He tries to make it as conventional as possible, leaving his ivory towers to go shopping and to the cinema – and thus increasing the media obsession. Ronaldo has learned from David Beckham, the man he replaced at United and, in terms of profile, at Real. Beckham showed that a high profile need not derail a successful football career.

Ronaldo also has his family for support. Unlike Manchester where his bachelor pad did not always have the type of environment of which Sir Alex Ferguson would approve, his family now live with him in a plush Madrid suburb popular with other footballers.

Ronaldo dotes on his mother, a bond which became stronger when he lost his father while living in Manchester. Ronaldo has been hardened by years of living away from home and admitted that he cried every day when he first moved to Lisbon because he missed his family so much.

Now, they are reunited and happy where the language is similar to Portuguese, as are the culture and climate. His family were present in the Bernabeu for his competitive Real debut against Deportivo La Coruna last week, when Ronaldo scored a penalty. Raul usually takes Real’s spot kicks, but Ronaldo was adamant. It was as if he wanted to prove to himself that he can score for Real Madrid. He has shown glimpses of the outstanding form which became the norm at Old Trafford, but coach Manuel Pellegrini stated that he still needs a little more time to adapt to Spanish football – something Ronaldo acknowledges.

“English football is more physical,” he said. “In Spain players have more time and the ball is passed around much more on the floor.”

Challenges will come aplenty. He will play his first away game with Real at Espanyol on Saturday, but he knows that the biggest tests will be when he is expected to be a match winner in a Champions League knockout game or against Barcelona. That is the level of expectation attached to his talents, which justified the £80 million (Dh480m) fee. Despite the pressure, Ronaldo is sanguine and realistic. “I can please a lot of people and bring happiness to many,” he said, “but I can’t please everyone.”

Valdano: Ronaldo Signing Spelled The End For Robben

2009-09-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano told Marca that Arjen Robben's time at the Bernabeu was up when the club signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

Robben joined Bayern Munich at the end of August for a fee of around €25 million but Valdano says that the Dutchman's fate was sealed once Ronaldo joined the capital city outfit.

"When a club signs someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, a player with the characteristics of [Arjen] Robben should go. It is difficult to have two players in that category, one clear headline and one back-up."

Valdano also reserved special praise for the Portuguese star, describing him as a "thorough professional" but suggested that he is a victim of his own successful image.

"Cristiano is just content being the best player in the world," said Valdano, "He is a prodigious natural talent and a thorough professional. He is a player with so much media power that it ends up creating a strong prejudice.

Countdown to South Africa

2009-09-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

The identities of six of next summer's World Cup finalists are already known. More than 600,000 tickets have been sold and broadcasting rights flogged in more than 200 countries. Five new stadiums are at various stages of completion, while five existing ones have been revamped. New hotels and transport systems have sprung up across the nine host cities, and a leopard named Zakumi, the "jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous and actually quite shrewd" tournament mascot, is already on hand to welcome millions of visitors. Unfortunately for the organisers of the first World Cup to be held in Africa, those visitors may not include the world's two best footballers.

Troubled qualification campaigns for Portugal and Argentina mean Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, ranked first and second in Fifa's most recent world player of the year poll, could miss the finals. If they are absent, it could be the biggest setback in 50 years to the attractiveness of the biggest tournament in world sport.

Many fine players have never graced football's great jamboree – George Best and George Weah leap to mind – but not since 1958, when Alfredo di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskas were absent, has the tournament gone ahead without the two top talents of the day. Johan Cruyff refused to travel to the 1978 finals in Argentina after a kidnap attempt against his family, and England's failure to qualify also deprived the watching world of a chance to see the European footballer of the year, Kevin Keegan, in action. In truth, though, Cruyff was reaching the end of his magnificent career. Ronaldo and Messi, by contrast, are at their peaks, unlike when they played in the 2006 finals. The same cannot be said of their national teams, certainly in this qualification series.

Argentina's slick and enterprising football lit up the last World Cup and their quarter-final exit at the hands of Germany was one of the shocks of the tournament, yet they have found the road to South Africa difficult to navigate. They lost one manager en route, Alfio Basile resigning last year after his team's stuttering start to the campaign, and they went into this morning's bout with Brazil clinging on to South America's last automatic qualifying spot, and with Ecuador and Uruguay poised to profit from any more slip-ups.

Basile's replacement, Diego Maradona, is a national hero but many doubted he had the managerial acumen to harness the potential of a gifted bunch of players that, in addition to Messi, includes Javier Mascherano, Maxi Rodríguez and Maradona's own son-in-law, Sergio Agüero, of Atlético Madrid. Those sceptics felt vindicated in April when Argentina were spanked 6-1 by Bolivia, their worst defeat in more than 60 years.

Even a win over Brazil would not guarantee their place in the draw in Cape Town on 4 December, as tough away assignments to Uruguay and Paraguay remain, and Argentina are so far winless away from home since their trip to Venezuela 23 months ago.

In Europe, the power failure that interrupted September's Group One opener between Malta and Portugal could be symbolic of the Portuguese campaign. That a team featuring talents such as Ronaldo, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Nani went into last night's match in Copenhagen seven points adrift of the group leaders, Denmark, and four behind the second-placed Hungary attests to extraordinary underachievement.

Inevitably much of the blame for Portugal's predicament has been attributed to their coach, Carlos Queiroz, Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistant at Manchester United, and while it is true he has made some strange selections since taking the helm 13 months ago, giving debuts to no fewer than 17 players and recalling Luis Boa Morte to the international fold after a three-year absence, he also inherited a team without a top-class striker or holding midfielder and has frequently been betrayed by his star players' bad finishing. Hence three consecutive 0-0 draws, including the home games against Albania and Sweden.

The World Cup would be poorer without the great players of Argentina and Portugal. Both teams could still go straight through, but there is an even more appealing scenario – the play-offs. Finishing fifth in the South American table could set up a make-or-break game between Messi's men and Mexico, while finishing second in their group would pit Portugal against a fellow European runner-up such as, perhaps, France, Germany or Russia. Now that would be a fine appetiser for next summer's finals.

Denmark 1-1 Portugal: Liedson Debut Goal Not Enough

2009-09-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Portugal came close to scoring in the seventh minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo latched onto a through ball down the left, before moving past one defender, but his right-foot effort went slightly over the bar.

Four minutes later, Portugal produced more danger through a fast counter-attack that found Ronaldo without marking, but the Real Madrid ace's shot went straight at the keeper.

Denmark responded in the 16th minute as the ball luckily found the path of Jacobsen but the midfielder, with only the keeper to beat, could not direct it goalwards from close range.

In the 21st minute, the visitors wasted another chance. A low cross from Duda down the left found Simao, who did well to control the ball but his shot was weak and went straight into the hands of the keeper.

Portugal were dominating the game at this stage but were unable to capitalize on the many chances they were producing.

On 40 minutes, there were penalty claims by Portugal after Cristensen's hand ball inside the box but the referee waved away the protests. From the resulting corner, Simao Sabrosa tried his luck from 22 yards out but the effort went over the bar.

Just two minutes later, Denmark took the lead. A cross from the left found Bendtner in the box, and the Arsenal striker created space between Bruno Alves and Pepe to fire home a powerful shot with his left foot.

It was Denmark's first shot on goal but it was enough to give them the lead at half time. The Seleccao's wastefulness in front of goal was costing them.

The home side began the second period the brighter and could have doubled their lead on 56 minutes but Rommedhal's shot went just wide of the left post of Eduardo's goal.

Portugal wasted one of their best chances 63 minutes into the game, when Andersen could not save Raul Meireles' low cross from the left, Liedson could not score from close range and in the rebound Ronaldo's shot went against a Danish defender.

In the 87th minute, Portugal equalized through Liedson, who did not even have to jump to head home on his debut following a corner from the right.

The Seleccao would still try to find the winning goal on two occasions, without success. Denmark showed a lethal touch here, and demonstrated it's not the number of chances you create, it is what you do with the ball that counts, as they get closer to a place in South Africa.