Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie born 6 August 1983 is a Dutch footballer who plays as a strikerfor Manchester United and is the captain of the Netherlands national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joinedArsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011, one year before he joined rivals Manchester United. He is recognised as one of the best strikers in the world. His playing style and ability have drawn comparison to Dutch legend Marco van Basten.

The son of two artists, Van Persie was encouraged to follow in his parents' footsteps, but he instead preferred football and joined SBV Excelsior's youth squad. He made his breakthrough at another hometown club Feyenoord, where he spent three seasons and won the 2002 UEFA Cup. He was named the Dutch Football Talent of the Year for the 2001–02 season. Disagreements with manager Bert van Marwijk culminated in a change of club and Van Persie moved to Premier League side Arsenal for £2.75 million in 2004 as a long-term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp. He won the FA Community Shield and the FA Cup in his first season with the London club but did not win another major trophy for the rest of his eight-year spell at Arsenal. After joining Manchester United in 2012, Van Persie won the Premier League title in his first season at Old Trafford and finished as the league's top scorer with 26 goals. Van Persie has been named Premier League Player of the Month five times. In 2013, he was ranked 11th in The Guardian newspaper's list of the 100 best players in the world.

Van Persie was a Dutch youth international, having represented the Netherlands under-17, under-19 and under-21 sides. He made his senior international debut in 2005 in a friendly match against Romania. One month later, he scored his first senior international goal in a 4–0 win over Finland. Van Persie has 96 caps and has scored 49 goals for the Netherlands, making him their top scorer of all time. He has represented his country at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, and the 2008and 2012 UEFA European Championships.

Club career
Manchester United
2012–13
On 15 August 2012, Arsenal announced they had agreed terms with Manchester United for his transfer, but Van Persie had yet to agree personal terms with the club. On 17 August, Van Persie transferred to Manchester United for an initial £22.5 million, with an additional £1.5 million to follow if United won a Premier League or Champions League title within the next four years. He signed a four-year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2016. van Persie chose the number 20 shirt after assistant coach Rene Meulensteen convinced him that he would help secure Manchester United's 20th league title.

He made his debut on 20 August, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Danny Welbeck in a 1–0 loss toEverton. Five days later, with his first shot for the club, he scored his first Manchester United goal, United's first in a 3–2 home victory over Fulham. On 2 September 2012, he scored his first hat-trick for United in another 3–2 victory over Southampton, helping pull United back from a 2–1 deficit; his third goal was his 100th in the Premier League. Van Persie netted a late penalty on 23 September to give United a 2–1 away win at Anfield against Liverpool, and opened his European account with the club, scoring a brace in the 2–1 away win against CFR Cluj, with both goals assisted by Wayne Rooney. On 20 October, Van Persie scored United's second goal in a 4–2 win over Stoke City, opening up his body and guiding a cross into the far corner with his left foot. In the next Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he scored his 7th goal in the league, with a sidefoot finish from Antonio Valencia's driven cross to put United 2–0 up. He also played a part in the first goal, firing a shot against the post that cannoned off David Luiz and into the net, in a 3–2 United win. On 3 November, he scored against his former club Arsenal in a 2–1 victory. This meant that he had scored against all 20 current Premier League clubs. On 9 December, Van Persie scored a last minute winner from a free kick in a 3–2 victory over Manchester City, his Manchester Derby debut. This goal ended City's unbeaten Premier League record in the 2012–13 season and also their unbeaten home record extending into the previous season.

After scoring against Everton on 10 February 2013, Van Persie went ten games without scoring, finally ending his barren run when he scored a penalty against Stoke on 14 April. Against Queens Park Rangers on 23 February, he had to be substituted after falling against a television camera and injuring a hip, but was fit for United's next match.

On 22 April 2013, he netted an impressive first-half hat-trick against Aston Villa, confirming Manchester United's 20th league title with four games in hand. His second goal came from a Rooney pass from behind the half way line, which he volleyed into the net from outside the box.

Supporters of Manchester United voted Van Persie as the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for the 2012–13 season. Van Persie was nominated by UEFA into the 10-man shortlist for the 2012–13 Best Player in Europe award.

2013–14
Van Persie kick-started his new campaign by scoring both of Manchester United's goals in their 2–0 win against Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield, securing David Moyes' first honour as club manager.

He scored twice more in the first Premier League match of the season, against Swansea City, for the first of which "he chested it down and executed a crisp, instant scissor-kick into the net".

On 19 March 2014, Van Persie scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Olympiacos in the second leg of the Champions League second round to send United through to the quarter-finals 3–2 on aggregate.

2014–15
Van Persie scored his first goal for the season in his fourth league appearance in a 5–3 defeat to Leicester city on 21 September 2014. He scored again in the next game against West Ham, helping United win the game 2–1.

On 26 October 2014, in a clash over title-rival Chelsea, Van Persie scored a dramatic late equaliser to earn a point for United. In the dying minutes of the injury time, Fellaini's header from Di María's free-kick was saved by Courtois, and Van Persie smashed in the rebound to equalise. Van Persie celebrated the goal by taking his shirt off and was booked for his action. His goal celebration was also labelled "stupid" by United coach Van Gaal.

On 11 January 2015, he suffered an ankle injury in a 0–1 home defeat to Southampton.


International career

2010 FIFA World Cup

Van Persie was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. On 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that he was in the final squad of 23 participating in the competition. Van Persie was in the starting line-up for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark. On 24 June, he scored the first goal against Cameroon in a 2–1 win to ensure that the Netherlands finished as group winners, and was officially named the man of the match. He started every match for Oranje, though he did not increase his goal tally in the following matches. Oranje reached the 2010 World Cup Final, in which he was on the losing side due to Andrés Iniesta's extra time goal.

UEFA Euro 2012
On 2 September 2011, Van Persie scored four goals in a record breaking 11–0 victory over San Marino. He entered the Dutch national team's top 10 all-time topscorer ranking with a tally of 25 goals, dislodging Marco van Basten in the process. Van Persie had not scored four goals in a single match for a long while.
On 13 June 2012, Van Persie scored the Dutch goal in a 2–1 loss to Germany in the European Championship group stage. Having missed two earlier chances, Van Persie picked up the ball near the halfway line, turned and ran at the German defence, before firing into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.

2014 FIFA World Cup
Van Persie ended the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign as top scorer in the UEFA section with 11 goals. In June 2013, he was appointed captain of the Dutch national team by manager Louis van Gaal. On 11 October 2013, he became the Netherlands' top goalscorer of all-time in an 8–1 defeat of Hungary, the Dutch's penultimateGroup D match, where he scored a hat-trick. This put him on 41 goals in 80 internationals, surpassing the record previously held by Patrick Kluivert.

In the team's opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Van Persie captained the Netherlands to a 5–1 win over champions Spain in Salvador. He scored twice in the match, one of which was a flying header which was later nominated for FIFA Puskás Award for the most beautiful goal of the year. He was also named man of the match byFIFA. On 18 June, he scored his third goal of the tournament in a 3–2 defeat of Australia, a result that qualified the Netherlands to the knockout stage with one group match remaining.

In the quarter-final, Van Persie scored the Netherlands' first kick in a 4–3 penalty shootout defeat of Costa Rica. He scored his fourth goal of the tournament from a penalty kick in a 3–0 win against Brazil in the third-place play-off.

Personal life

Van Persie was born in Rotterdam to an artistic family. José Ras, his mother, is a painter and jewellery designer who also teaches special needs children. Bob, his father, is a sculptor. After Van Persie's parents divorced he was brought up by his father. At school, Van Persie was one of the most misbehaved children and was excluded from class almost daily. After joining Arsenal in England, Van Persie settled in Hampstead, an affluent suburb of north London. Van Persie is married to Bouchra Elbali and the couple have two children: a son named Shaqueel and daughter Dina.

Style of play

Van Persie started his senior club career as a left winger and possessed exceptional dribbling skills and was also a talented striker of the ball. He was bought by Arsenal as a long term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp. Manager Arsène Wenger planned to convert Van Persie from a left winger to a centre forward as he had successfully done with star player Thierry Henry. He was at first mostly deployed as a second striker in League Cup and FA Cup matches.

Sponsorship
Van Persie has a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment supplier, Adidas. Having previously worn Adidas Predator football boots he made the transition to the Adidas F50 adiZero boots in 2013.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Νεϊμάρ και Μέσι με την μπάλα μόνο στον αέρα! (vid)

Η Βιγιαρεάλ δεν μπόρεσε να σταματήσει τις ορέξεις των παικτών τους Λουίς Ενρίκε. Μέσι και Νεϊμάρ ήταν ξανά από τους καλύτερους παίκτες των «μπλαουγκράνα».

Ωστόσο, οι δυο τους έδειξαν από το ζέσταμα ότι είχαν κέφια. ο Αργεντινός κι ο Βραζιλιάνος αντάλλαξαν πάσες κι η μπάλα δεν τους... έπεφτε ούτε με αίτηση.

Απλά, χαζέψτε τους:



source: http://www.gazzetta.gr/

Xavi(oblation)

Xavier "Xavi" Hernández i Creus born 25 January 1980, is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona as a central midfielder.

Xavi came through La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, at the age of 11. He made his first-team debut against RCD Mallorca on 18 August 1998. Since then he has played 700 matches, scored 82 goals and made more than 180 assists for over 50 players. Xavi is the first player in FC Barcelona's history to play 150 international matches.The embodiment of tiki-taka style of play, Xavi is considered to be one of the greatest central midfielders of all time and among the best playmakers of his generation.

Xavi won the U-20 World Cup for Spain in 1999, and the Olympic Silver Medal at the 2000 Olympics. Since making his senior team debut in 2000, he has been capped 130 times for the Spanish national team, and has been seen as an influential figure in the team's tremendous success. He played an integral role in Spain's victory at the 2010 World Cup, as well as their successes at both Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. He had a 91% passing success rate at the 2010 World Cup and was named in the World Cup All-star Team. He was named Player of the Tournament by UEFA at Euro 2008. He was also named in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournamentin 2008 as well as 2012. Playing for Barcelona, Xavi won the Man of the Match award in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.

Xavi has won more trophies (25) than any other Spanish player in history. He won the World Soccer Player of the Year award in 2010. Xavi has received five Ballon d'Or nominations, and finished in third place in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he was runner up to Messi for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. He has been awarded the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award for 4 years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. Xavi has been included in the UEFA Team of the Year for 5 years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), and has been voted into the FIFA World XI on 6 occasions: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. At Euro 2012, with his 2 assists in the Final, Xavi became the first player to register assists in 2 separate Euro finals, having set up the lone goal in the Final 4 years earlier. He was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports in 2012. After the 2014 World Cup, Xavi announced his retirement from international football.

Early life
Born in Terrassa, Barcelona, Catalonia, Xavi is a product of Barcelona's La Masia youth system and has been a regular at Camp Nou since the age of 11. His father, Joaquim, was a former player for Sabadell in the first division. Xavi made his way through the youth and reserve teams and was a key member of Josep Maria Gonzalvo's FC Barcelona B team that won promotion to the Second Division.

As a child, Xavi watched a lot of English football, and held midfielders John Barnes, Paul Gascoigne and Matt Le Tissier in high regard.

Club career
2011–12 season

Xavi began the 2011–12 season in fine goalscoring form and seemed to grow in his influence of the team despite the long anticipated return of Cesc Fàbregas and the promotion of Thiago Alcântara to create added competition for places in Barça's attacking midfield positions.

On 18 December, in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final in Yokohama, Japan, Barcelona won 4-0 against Santos as Xavi scored a goal and made an assist to Lionel Messi. After the ball was slightly behind him, Xavi brought the ball down with a cocked leg, effectively using his ankle to control it, before slipping a pass through to Messi, who scored the first goal.

Xavi scored the winning goal in the Group H game against Milan, a vital match for Barcelona's progression in the UEFA Champions League. In total, Xavi gave the best goalscoring return of his career in 2011/12 season with ten Liga goals, two in the Copa del Rey – which Barcelona won – and one in the FIFA Club World Cup final success.

2012–13 season


On 18 December 2012, it was announced that Barcelona renewed the contract of Xavi, extending it until 30 June 2016. Xavi scored a goal vs Real Madrid in the match that Barcelona won 3–2. Xavi was named into the FIFA World XI, along with teammates Dani Alves,Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

2013–14 season


On 16 January 2014, Xavi made his 700th appearance for the first team against Getafe CF in the Copa del Rey. In June 2014, it was announced that Xavi would be leaving the club. However, on 22 July, after talks with newly-appointed manager and former teammate Luis Enrique, Xavi decided to stay at Camp Nou for one more season.

International career

He played for the nation at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2012, 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA Euro 2008

Xavi was named Euro 2008's player of the tournament after Spain defeated Germany 1–0 in the final. Xavi was dominant in midfield where his metronomic passing and reading of the game was pivotal to Spain's success, in addition to making tackles, shaping attacks and driving Spain to their first silverware since the 1964 European Championships.

"We have chosen Xavi because he epitomizes the Spanish style of play. He was influential in the whole possession, passing and penetrating kind of game that Spain played," said Andy Roxburgh, head of UEFA's technical committee.
Semi-finals – Russia v Spain (0–3)

Xavi scored the first goal of Spain in the semi-final against Russia.
Final – Germany v Spain (0–1)

Xavi made a pass, rolled towards the German area, from which Fernando Torres scored the final winning goal.

2010 World Cup
Xavi was named in Spain's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with Spain eventually winning their first World Cup.

He provided the most number of accurate passes, 599 with a passing success rate of 91%, and he crossed the ball inside the 18-yard box more than any other player performing in the tournament. For example, in the final he made 57 accurate forward half passes.

Xavi also covered a lot of distance on the pitch – 80.20 kilometres throughout the competitions, which average at approximately 11.5 kilometres per game. In the final he covered a distance of almost 15 kilometres.
Round of 16 – Spain v Portugal (1–0)

After a backheel pass from Xavi in the 63rd minute, David Villa had his shot with his left foot blocked by Eduardo, but then he put in the rebound with his right foot for the winning goal.
Semi-finals – Germany v Spain (0–1)

Xavi crossed a corner out to the edge of the six-yard box, where Puyol made a header into the top-right corner.

UEFA Euro 2012

"Pum, pum, pum, pum" – Xavi describes the rhythmic sound of the ball constantly moving between himself and midfield partner Andrés Iniesta.
Group C – Spain v Republic of Ireland (4–0)

Xavi made most passes attempted in a European Championship match: 136 (127 completed, 94% success rate). Previous record for most passes attempted had been set by Ronald Koeman at 117 in Euro 1992 match between Holland and Denmark. Xavi and Iniesta made 229 passes in this match, more than the combined Irish 11 managed.
Final – Spain v Italy (4–0)

Xavi played for Spain at Euro 2012, which Spain won by defeating Italy in the final. With Xavi providing two assists in the final, one for Jordi Alba, and another one, like 4 years ago, for Fernando Torres, he became the first player to register assists in two European Championship finals.With his victory in UEFA Euro 2012, Xavi became the most successful player in Spanish football history, a feat that he previously shared withCarles Puyol, who missed the entire tournament.

Retirement
On 5 August 2014, following the 2014 FIFA World Cup where Spain were eliminated at the group stage, Xavi announced his retirement from international football having made 133 appearances for the national side in a 14-year period.

Spain's World Cup winning manager Vicente del Bosque paid tribute, stating that Xavi was 'a key part of the team's style of play' and 'he was more important to us than even the manager', and added 'We will miss him both on and off the pitch. He is a player who we hold in great esteem both personally and as a player. He is and always will be a person and a player who is greatly valued by the federation, the coaching staff and by myself.'

Style of play


The claim that Xavi is one of the best central midfielders of his generation relies largely on his ability to find and exploit space. As he said: "That's what I do: look for spaces. All day. I'm always looking". Finding space, he would appear for a team-mate to receive and then move the ball on, with his coach Pep Guardiola putting it: ‘I get the ball, I give the ball, I get the ball, I give the ball’. Xavi's abnormally good vision, pinpoint accurate passing and world class ball control allow him to dictate the flow of play whilst rarely relinquishing possession. His ability to completely control some matches has earned him the sobriquet, "The Puppet Master". A style introduced to the club by former coachJohan Cruyff, Barcelona president Sandro Rosell believed Xavi, together with Messi, Iniesta and Busquets, perfected the club's tiki-taka style of play.

Sponsorship
Xavi has a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment supplier, Adidas. He wears Adidas Predator LZ football boots.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

DeAndre Jordan

Hyland DeAndre Jordan, Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), he plays the center position. He played a year of college basketball at Texas A&M University. He was drafted by the Clippers with the 35th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He is also the active iron man leader for consecutive games played in the NBA.

Early years
Jordan was born in Houston, Texas to Kimberly and Hyland Jordan.

In high school, Jordan averaged 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks as a sophomore; 16.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.0 blocks as a junior and 26.1 points, 15.2 rebounds and 8.1 blocks per game as a senior. He was a Parade All-American, named to the first-team All-Greater Houston squad by the Houston Chronicle and was a two-time all-state selection. At Christian Life Center, Jordan posted a career high of 37 points in a game and also set the school record for most blocks in a game with 20.

Coming out of high school, Jordan was rated as the number 8 overall prospect, the number 2 center in the country and the number 1-ranked prep player in Texas by Rivals.com. Jordan was recruited by Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Kentucky and others.

In the summer of 2007, Jordan played for Team USA at the 2007 Under 19 World Championships in Serbia. Jordan played only 9 minutes per game. The team finished 2nd with an 8–1 record.

College career
Before Jordan arrived in College Station, Aggies head basketball coach Billy Gillispie left the school to take the head coaching position at Kentucky. Jordan chose to honor his commitment to the university.

Jordan started 21 of 35 games in his freshman season at Texas A&M. He averaged 20 minutes and 1.3 blocks per game. In those games, he shot a team-high of 61.7 percent in field goals, but a team-low of 43.7 percent in free throws. Most of his field goals, however, were within a few feet from the basket. He finished the season averaging 7.9 points and 6.0 rebounds. He made the Big 12 All-Rookie Team for his efforts. After the season, he declared for the 2008 NBA Draft.

Prior to the draft, draftexpress.com, a third party NBA draft website, listed Jordan's strengths and weaknesses. A few strengths include "incredible physical specimen", "defensive potential", "incredible upside", and "freakish athlete". Some weaknesses include "not productive", "poor fundamentals", "mediocre footwork", and "high bust potential". The website also projected him to be picked at No. 16 by the Philadelphia 76ers.Other mock drafts had him projected to be picked at No. 10 by the New Jersey Nets or at No. 11 by the Indiana Pacers due to his attractive ability to run the floor. ESPN's Chad Ford had him going to the Memphis Grizzlies at pick No. 28 in the first round.

Professional career
Jordan was selected with the 35th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2008 NBA draft. Due to injuries among the Clippers' low post players, Jordan was pushed into the starting lineup for the January 19, 2009 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his first game as a starter, he recorded 6 blocks, 10 rebounds, and 8 points in 34 minutes of game play. In the January 21, 2009 game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he played 43 minutes and recorded a career-high 23 points. This included 10 dunks, which had only been accomplished by two players (Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal) over the past 10 NBA seasons.

On December 11, 2011, Jordan signed an offer sheet with the Golden State Warriors reportedly worth $43 million for 4 years. However, one day later, Clippers decided to match the offer and keep him.

For the 2011–12 NBA season, Jordan changed his jersey number from 9 to 6. On December 25, 2011, Jordan recorded a career high 8 blocks against the Golden State Warriors in an opening day 105–86 victory.

During the 2012–13 NBA season, Jordan's free throw percentage dropped from 52.5% to 38.6%, which was one of his career worsts. However, he led the league in field goal percentage, shooting 64.3%. This was his first season playing all 82 games.

In 2013, Jordan was selected to Team USA's minicamp in Las Vegas. On November 29, 2013, Jordan recorded a career high 9 blocks in the 104-98 victory against theSacramento Kings. On January 3, 2014, Jordan scored a career-high 25 points in a 119-112 victory against the Dallas Mavericks. With 13.6 rebounds per game, he was the league's rebounding leader for the 2013–14 season.

On April 29, 2014, Jordan became the first NBA player with at least 25 points, 18 rebounds and four blocked shots in a playoff game since Tim Duncan in 2008.

On February 9, 2015, Jordan recorded 22 points and a career-high 27 rebounds in the 115-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Personal life
Jordan is a Christian. Jordan prays frequently and has spoken about his faith saying, "... I know my relationship with Christ, and I know what He has done for me, and that is what I live on." Jordan has a tattoo of Matthew 5:4-5 on his chest, a Christian cross on his left arm, the Serenity Prayer and his own message saying "I thank God for the gift that he has given me. I will honor, sacrifice, and dedicate myself to my talent. I know where I have come from but I know where I am going" on his right arm, and Philippians 4:13 with praying hands and "G.W.O.M" (God Watch Over Me) on his stomach.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(oblation)

Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang born 18 June 1989 is a professional footballer who plays for the German club Borussia Dortmund and the Gabon national football team. He is known for his speed, having clocked 30 meters in 3.7 seconds, and his capability of playing as a striker or a winger.

He began his career at A.C. Milan, who loaned him to four French clubs before he joined Saint-Étienne permanently in 2011. After winning the 2013 Coupe de la Ligue Final, he joined Dortmund, where he has twice won the DFL-Supercup.

Despite playing once for France Under-21, Aubameyang made his senior international debut for Gabon in 2009, and has represented them at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2012 Olympics.

Club career
Early career
Aubameyang joined A.C. Milan youth team in January 2007. In August, he was part of the squad that finished fourth in theinaugural Champions Youth Cup held in Malaysia and was awarded the Roberto Bettega Trophy for being the top scorer. He scored seven goals in six matches.

France

For the 2008–09 season, Aubameyang was loaned out to Dijon FCO, in order to gain some first team experience. His performances there led him to appear in World Soccer's Talent Scout section in Summer 2009.

On 24 June 2009, it was announced Ligue 1 club Lille OSC had decided to sign Aubameyang on loan.

In the following season, he was loaned out again, this time to AS Monaco. On 21 August 2010, Aubameyang scored his first goal for Monaco in an away match versus RC Lens. He scored again on 29 August at home to AJ Auxerre where his Monaco team won 2–0.

In January 2011, after six months at Monaco, Aubameyang was loaned to AS Saint-Étienne until the end of the 2010–11 season. In July 2011, the loan was extended for the entire 2011–12 season. On 22 December 2011, Aubameyang signed with Saint-Étienne on a permanent deal. In February 2012, Aubameyang scored his first hat-trick against FC Lorient. In a warm up in a match against Olympique Lyonnais, he wore a £2,500 pair of swarovski crystals encrusted boots.

On 20 April 2013, Aubameyang was in the starting line-up for Saint-Étienne in the 2013 Coupe de la Ligue Final. Les Verts won the match 1–0 with a goal from Brandão to give Aubameyang his first major trophy as a professional footballer.

In the 2012–13 Ligue 1 season, Aubameyang ended second in the competition's top-goalscorers list with 19 goals. From his 37 appearances he also provided eight assists second only to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Borussia Dortmund
2013-2014 Season
On 4 July 2013, Aubameyang joined Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract. He made his competitive debut for his new club on 27 July 2013 against Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup, replacing Jakub Błaszczykowski for the last 18 minutes of Dortmund's 4–2 victory assisting the final goal which was scored by Reus. On 10 August 2013, Aubameyang made hisBundesliga debut and scored a hat-trick against FC Augsburg, including a goal from his first shot in the league. In the process, Aubameyang also became the first Gabonese player to appear in the Bundesliga. On 27 November 2013, Aubemayang scored his firstChampions League goal in a 3–1 win against Napoli in the group stage of the 2013–14 competition. He took a penalty against 1860 Munchen that propelled Dortmund into the next round of the DFB Pokal. He spent most the season playing as either a substitute from the bench or as second striker to Robert Lewandowski but still gave Dortmund important goals racking up 16 goals in all competitions.

2014-2015 Season
On 13 August 2014, Aubameyang assisted Borussia Dortmund's first goal and scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup. After scoring the goal, he celebrated by putting on a Spider-Man mask. In Dortmund's next match, a 4–1 win over Stuttgart Kickers in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, Aubameyang scored two second-half goals and provided the assist for Adrián Ramos's goal. On 13 September, Aubameyang scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season, netting Dortmund's final goal of their 3–1 win over SC Freiburg. Three days later, Aubameyang scored Borussia Dortmund's second goal in a 2–0 win over Arsenal in the first group match of theChampions League. He scored a goal in Dortmund's 2-2 draw with Stuttgart. In the next game, he scored the only goal for Dortmund in a 2-1 loss to FC Schalke 04. In their Champions league match against Anderlecht, he assisted Adrian Ramos' second goal to make the scores 3-0. Two games later, he scored a first half brace against Galatasaray S.K. in the Champions League. He assisted Marco Reus' goal in the derby against Bayern Munich in what was eventually a 2-1 loss for Dortmund. In the reverse fixture of the groupstage match against Galatasaray, he assisted a Ciro Immobile goal to make it 3-0. The match eventually ended 4-1.In a match against SC Paderborn 07, he scored a 12th minute goal to give Dortmund an early lead. he then assisted the second goal which was scored by Reus, the match ended 2-2. He assisted the only goal in a 1-0 win againstTSG Hoffenheim. He then went on to score a goal in what ended in a 2-2 draw against Wolfsburg. He was runner up to Yaya Toure in the CAF African Player of the year with Nigerian shot stopper Vincent Enyeama coming in third. In a match against FSV Mainz 05, Aubameyang assisted Marco Reus' 9th minute goal and scored 2 goals to make the final score 3-0. In their next game against SC Freiburg, he scored the third goal in a match that ended 4-2 in favor of Dortmund. Maintaining his goal scoring form he netted the opener in their next match against VfB Stuttgart in what was Dortmund's third win in a row and extended his scoring streak to three games. Aubameyang continued his amazing form by scoring Borussia Dortmund's first goal in a 3-0 win vs FC Schalke 04 in the Revierderby. The goal was famous for his Bat-Man celebration with Marco Reus who wore aRobin mask in the same celebration. This goal meant that he had scored 5 goals in his last four games.

International career

Aubameyang was invited to play for Italy U-19s after a good season with Dijon, but he debuted for the France U-21 team in February 2009 in a friendly match against Tunisia.



On 25 March 2009, Aubameyang was selected for the Gabon national football team and made his debut for the team. He scored his first goal in a 3–2 victory over Morocco.

Aubameyang was a key member of the Gabon national side that reached the quarter finals of the 2012 African Cup of Nations as co-hosts of the competition. He netted three goals in total, finishing the tournament as one of the top scorers. On 5 February 2012, he set up the opening goal for his team and hit the post in the quarter-final against Mali. However, the match ended 1–1 after extra time and Aubameyang had hispenalty saved in the shootout to decide the game.

In July 2012, Aubameyang represented Gabon at the 2012 Olympic Games held in London. He scored in the team's opening game againstSwitzerland, which was Gabon's first Olympic goal, and would also prove to be Gabon's only goal of the tournament. They were eliminated in the group stage.

On 15 June 2013, Aubameyang scored a hat-trick of penalty kicks in Gabon's 4–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Niger.

Aubameyang captained Gabon at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring the team's opening goal of the tournament in their 2–0 win overBurkina Faso on 17 January 2015. He is Gabon's highest goal scorer as well as the nations best player.

Playing Style
Aubameyang is described as a versatile attacker capable of playing anywhere in front of a three man attack formation as well as an attacking midfielder. He is also a good header of the ball due to his height and his jumping ability as expressed in his header against Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup. He is an accurate finisher within the box and a decent one outside the box.

He is capable of scoring direct free kicks which he has shown several times in his career. He possesses an excellent track record of penalties which was best expressed in his hat-trick of penalties against Niger Republic in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Aubameyang has good ball control and dribbling ability enabling him to beat players one on one. He also boasts accurate short and direct passes as well as through balls. He possesses good vision witnessed by the number of assists he makes. He is unarguably one of the fastest players in the modern game having clocked a time of 3.70 seconds over 30 meters which is marginally faster than the time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt recorded in the first 30 meters of his record breaking 100 meter run. He has recorded the fastest on pitch sprint alongside Arjen Robben of an excess of 35 km/hr.

In addition to his blistering speed, he also possesses excellent acceleration being able to reach his top speed in few strides. This has caused problems for officials tracking his runs and has led to some of his goals being wrongly discredited as offside. This also makes him a major threat on counter-attacks. Teammate Neven Subotic said that "he is one of those players with the rare natural ability of immense speed. He is very difficult to mark. I would not like to defend against him and I don't know anyone who would". Bloombergdescribed him as "speed merchant supreme".

Due to the fact that Aubameyang is very fast and is a great finisher, he quickly gained fame because he is very overpowered in FIFA 13, FIFA 14 and FIFA 15. He is so overpowered that in FIFA 14 He wasn't the highest rated, yet some people said he was hands down the best player in the whole game.

Personal life
Aubameyang is the son of former Gabonese international Pierre Aubameyang and younger brother of Catilina and Willy, who both have played for Milan youth teams. His mother is Spanish. On 17 July 2013, he bought a mansion worth £1.2 million in Germany. Aubameyang enjoys spending time with his son and frequently thanks God for things in his life.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Philippe Coutinho(oblation)

Philippe Coutinho Correia born 12 June 1992 is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for English club Liverpool and the Brazil national team as an attacking midfielder.

Club career
Liverpool
On 26 January 2013, Liverpool reportedly agreed a £8.5m fee with Internazionale for Coutinho, pending a medical exam and a work permit from the Home Office as he did not have enough international appearances to qualify automatically. Southampton had also expressed an interest in Coutinho, who had played under Southampton managerMauricio Pochettino at Espanyol, but Coutinho said he would prefer to join Liverpool. On 30 January, Liverpool confirmed the signing of Coutinho on a long-term contract after he was successful in his work permit application, and was given the number 10 shirt.

2012–13
He made his debut on 11 February 2013, replacing Stewart Downing in the 78th minute of a 2–0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion at Anfield. Less than a week later, on 17 February he scored his first goal for Liverpool on his full debut in a 5–0 victory over Swansea City, 16 seconds into the second half, after an exquisite through ball from Luis Suárez On 2 March, he set up Liverpool's first and second goals of the game in a 4–0 win against Wigan Athletic. Coutinho scored his second goal for Liverpool in a 3–1 away loss to Southampton. On 31 March, he set up Liverpool's first goal in a 2–1 away win against Aston Villa. On 27 April, he won the Man of the Match award in Liverpool's 6–0 away victory of Newcastle United. Coutinho ran the game for Liverpool, claiming two assists, being heavily involved in another, and winning the free-kick from which Jordan Hendersonadded Liverpool's sixth. Coutinho won Player of the Month for Liverpool in March. On 12 May he assisted Daniel Sturridge for his second and third goals, helping Sturridge claim his first Premier League hat-trick, in a 1–3 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Coutinho scored Liverpool's final goal of the season against Queens Park Rangers in Jamie Carragher's final match for the club. Jordon Ibe began a twisting run before setting the ball off to the Brazilian, who executed a fine driven shot into the bottom left corner from 30 yards out; Ibe was credited with the assist on his Liverpool debut.

2013–14
On 16 September 2013, Coutinho injured his shoulder against Swansea City after a clash with Ashley Williams . He was restored to the starting line-up for the 4–0 victory over Fulham at Anfield on 9 November. On 23 November, Coutinho scored the opening goal of theMerseyside derby in the 5th minute. Coutinho created his first assist of the season with a corner in the 5–1 thrashing of Norwich City at Anfield. On 26 December, he scored the first half opening goal at Manchester City from a tight angle before City scored twice in the same half to win the game. On 30 March, Coutinho scored the third goal of a 4–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. On 13 April 2014, Coutinho scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win against Manchester City. The result put Liverpool seven points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table with four matches remaining. Manchester City, however, had six matches remaining (two games in hand) and went on to win the title.

Coutinho has been mainly playing in central midfield and has earned praised for many pundits due to his long and accurate passing from midfield.

2014–15
On August 17, Coutinho started Liverpool's first game of the 2014–15 season in a 2–1 win against Southampton. He created his first assist of the season in a 2–1 win against Swansea City in the fourth round of the Football League Cup, where he supplied the ball for Dejan Lovren to head the winning goal. On October 19, Coutinho scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 away win against Queens Park Rangers after coming off the bench. On December 21, Coutinho scored Liverpool's first goal in a 2–2 draw against Arsenal at Anfield.

On 3 February 2015, Coutinho signed a new long-term deal with the club until 2020. On 4 February, just a day after extending his contract, Coutinho scored the winning goal in the FA Cup fourth round match against Bolton Wanderers for a 2–1 win. On 22 February, Coutinho scored the opening goal in Liverpool's 2–0 victory over Southampton.In the next game against Manchester City on 1 March, Coutinho scored the winning goal for Liverpool.

International career
A key player in the Brazilian squad that won the 2009 South American Under-17 Football Championship scoring three goals, Coutinho made his first senior appearance in a Brazilshirt on 7 October 2010, starting in a friendly match against Iran. On 19 August 2014 Coutinho was called to the national squad by the new coach Dunga for the friendly matches against Colombia and Ecuador in September.

Style of play
Considered to be an archetypal Brazilian number 10, he has been used as an offensive midfielder (trequartista), second striker and on the flanks. He has been compared toLionel Messi and Ronaldinho by former Espanyol manager Mauricio Pochettino, and has been highly praised by fellow Liverpool teammates. His vision and passing ability have earned him the nickname Little Magician by Liverpool fans.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Daniel Sturridge(oblation)

Daniel Andre Sturridge born 1 September 1989 is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool and theEngland national team as a striker.

Born in Birmingham, Sturridge spent four years in the Aston Villa academy before moving to Coventry City. He then signed for Manchester City in 2003. He continued his development at City and played in two FA Youth Cup finals. He made his first team debut in the 2007–08 season, becoming the only player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cupand Premier League in the same season. He left City in 2009 and signed for Chelsea, where he was loaned out to Bolton Wanderers for the second half of the 2010–11 season. After a successful spell at Bolton, scoring eight goals in 12 appearances, he returned to Chelsea for the 2011–12 season. He left Chelsea to join Liverpool in January 2013.

Sturridge has represented England at all levels. He made 15 appearances and scored four goals for the Under-21 team. He made his debut for England against Sweden on 15 November 2011 and was selected for the 2012 Olympics and the2014 FIFA World Cup.

Club career
Liverpool

On 2 January 2013, Sturridge completed a move from Chelsea to Liverpool, signing a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £12 million.
2012–13 season



Sturridge made his Liverpool debut on 6 January against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup third round, scoring his first Liverpool goal after just 7 minutes in a game which Liverpool won 2–1. He scored on his league debut after coming on as a half-time substitute the following weekend, scoring in a 2–1 defeat against rivals and league leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford on 13 January. Sturridge scored his third goal for Liverpool in his first league start and home debut for the club, a 5–0 win against Norwich City at Anfield on 19 January, meaning he had scored three goals in his first three appearances for the club, becoming the first Liverpool player since Ray Kennedy in 1974 to accomplish this feat, despite not yet playing a full game for the club. On 3 February, Sturridge scored a goal from 25 yards-out against former club Manchester City in a 2–2 draw at the Etihad Stadium. Sturridge continued this run of form on 17 February, with an assist for team-mate Jose Enrique, as well as scoring a penalty against Swansea City in a 5–0 rout, having missed the prior two games due to a combination of ineligibility and injury. He also scored against Chelsea in a 2–2 draw at Anfield, the match of teammate Luis Suarez's biting incident which led to a 10-match ban for Suarez. Sturridge scored two goals and notched an assist in a 6–0 thrashing of Newcastle United on April 27 at St James' Park. On 12 May, he scored his first career hat-trick, in a 3–1 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

2013–14 season

Sturridge began the 2013–14 season by scoring the very first goal of the season, which also turned out to be the only goal in Liverpool's 1–0 win over Stoke City, with a shot from outside the box. He then followed this up with a goal against Aston Villa in another 1–0 win and a brace against Notts County in the League Cup, taking his season's tally to four goals in three games. He continued his fine form by scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win against fierce rivals and defending champions Manchester United on his 24th birthday at Anfield, and giving a man of the match performance in a 3–1 win away at Sunderland by scoring and providing two assists for Luis Suárez. These performances earned Sturridge the season's first Premier League Player of the Month award for the month of August. On 23 November, he came off the bench to score a last-minute equaliser against Everton, in a thrilling Merseyside derby that finished 3–3.

Sturridge's impressive goalscoring form continued into the new year, with Sturridge becoming the first Liverpool player in the Premier League era to score in seven consecutive league games when he found the net at Craven Cottage against Fulham. He went on to become only the second player in Premier League history to score in eight games in a row with a brace against Swansea City in a 4–3 win. He was then named 'Player of the Month' for the second time in the season, due to his performances in February in which he scored five goals and earned two assists.

On 18 April, he was named as one of the six players on the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award. He was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. On 27 April 2014, he was named alongside teammates Steven Gerrard and Luis Suárez in the PFA Team of the Year. Sturridge's haul of 21 league goals made him the runner-up in the season's Premier League Golden Boot, behind strike partner Suárez.

2014–15 season

Sturridge started the 2014–15 season scoring a late winner in Liverpool's opening game - a 2-1 win over Southampton. While on international duty Sturridge got a thigh injury and was out up to three weeks. He was ruled out for another three more weeks after suffering another calf injury during training on 17 October 2014. On 18 November, Sturridge broke down in training with a new thigh injury which will see him miss the next six weeks. He made his return to the side on 31 January against West Ham as a 68th minute substitute for Lazar Markovic. He scored a goal in his 22 minutes on the field.

International career
London 2012 Olympics
On 2 July 2012, Sturridge was named in Stuart Pearce's 18-man squad for the Great Britain Olympic football team to compete at the London 2012 Olympics. It was however, announced on 3 July 2012 that Sturridge was undergoing tests for suspected meningitis, and was possibly going to be unable to compete in the GB 2012 team. However, he made a full recovery meaning he could take part and he scored his first goal for Great Britain in the second group match, a 3–1 victory over the UAE.[75] In the final group match, Sturridge scored the only goal as Great Britain defeated Uruguay to finish top of their group and progress to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-final match against South Korea, Sturridge missed the fifth penalty for Great Britain. South Korea then scored theirs, knocking out Team GB.

2014 FIFA World Cup
In May 2014, Sturridge was named in England's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and assigned the number 9 shirt. He scored the team's opening goal in a 3–0 friendly defeat of Peru at Wembley Stadium on 30 May.

On 14 June, Sturridge started England's opening match of the tournament and scored the team's goal in a 2–1 defeat by Italy in Manaus.

Style of play
Former Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas said, “Daniel offers a few of the characteristics I had with Hulk when I was with him in Porto... He is an extremely quick player, and he has technique at pace."

Sturridge said he preferred to play as a centre-forward rather than as a wide player. "I do still see myself as a striker but I am doing a job for the team and I'm enjoying doing it". As Sturridge transitioned from a wider role into a striker when he joined Liverpool, Sturridge also said that he likens himself on striker Thierry Henry who, "played wide for Juventus and then went to Arsenal and played as a centre-forward."

Although he rarely played for Chelsea as a striker, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has played Sturridge as a striker in most games. His ability to still drop between lines and pull wide and attack defences, similar to strike partner Suárez's playing style, has led to Rodgers describing him as, "what I call a 'nine-and-a-half", alluding to how his style of play is somewhere between a classic 'no.9' and a 'no.10'.

Personal life
Sturridge is the nephew of former footballers Dean and Simon Sturridge.

Sturridge is a Christian. After winning the Barclays Player of the Month award, Sturridge said, "I do all [through] Christ who strengthens me."

Sturridge is actively involved in charity work, often helping young players get involved in football. In 2012, while playing for Chelsea, he presented a cheque of €50,000 to Street League, a charity dedicated to helping disadvantaged players across Europe get into football. In summer 2013, Sturridge opened his charity foundation named after him inPortmore, Jamaica, with its aim to help youngsters there get into sport. Sturridge is of Jamaican descent, his grandparents being Jamaican.

Sponsorship
Sturridge has a sponsorship deal with American sportswear and equipment supplier, Nike, and wears Nike Hypervenom boots. He is an ambassador for BT Sport. Sturridge is featured in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, and his signature jig goal celebration is featured in FIFA 14.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/