Messi Becomes Barca's Highest Paid Player

Barca's president, Joan Laporta, was thrilled to make the deal official, "Leo should be the highest paid player in the squad. He deserves it. He's the best player in the world and one of the best in football history. He's content and that's why he's playing the way he is". Leo joined Barca as a youth team player back in 2001 during which he won a host of trophies. He also played a leading role in the club's recent unprecedented title treble - the Primera Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League. Scoring 38 goals in the three competitions, and helping with 16 assists, Messi is now a popular choice to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo as FIFA World Player of the Year this December.

The striker's contract with Barca was to expire in 2014, but he signed a new one that keeps him with the club until 2016, which will probably be the best years in his career. Ending all speculation, Leo claimed, "I want to spend all my career here, in Barcelona, if it's possible. I would love to finish at Barcelona. This contract is a result of everything that happened last year and of what I have done since coming into the first team. I am simply one more person in this spectacular group of players, where there is a team that is very nice, very united and in which I am simply part of continuing to win things". According to the new deal, Messi's release clause increases from 150million Euros to 250million Euros.

Laporta declared, "This is the best news Barca can receive today. It is important to have a player with his human qualities and his football ability. This deal recognizes all that he gives to Barcelona. It is impossible to imagine the team without a player like Messi. We expect Leo to retire here with Barca." This announcement was expected for some time now and coach Pep Guardiola joined in to express his delight, "It's an immense piece of news for the club and for the player that Messi is renewing his contract, as it also was when Victor Valdes and Xavi did so. People go to football to see the best and that's what they are. It's a privilege for Barca to have some of the best footballers like Messi."

Next on the club president's list is captain Carles Puyol, whose services he also hopes to retain at Camp Nou. There have been rumors that the captain is not too happy ever since Barca acquired Ukrainian defender, Dmytro Chygrynskiy. Laporta asserted, "I am convinced that Puyol is keen to end his career at Barca. But I also understand that a player of his age examines the possibility of having an experience outside of Spain." Let's see how the cookie crumbles over the next couple of months.

World Player of the Year 2009 Cristiano Ronaldo

Christiano Ronaldo is a kind of player who can impress you only through his presence on the field. No doubt, he has great talent and super control on the ball. He becomes FIFA World player at its last even. He beat his biggest rival Argentina's Lionel Messi by vote. Who has better talent you cannot judge them. Because, on their given they are equally dangerous.

Christiano Ronaldo came to Manchester United as a 17 years old young boy. Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson brought him into the team in place of super star footballer David Beck ham. At that time, nobody could expect that this boy can full fill the lacking of David Beck ham. However, Ronaldo proved them wrong and not only full fill David's lacking but become even bigger superstar of football.

He has great sense of the game. He understands the game so well and reacts so quickly according to the situation of the game. He has very good skill of dribbling with the ball and super speed of run through the field. One more great skill he has and that is his ability of scoring goals from free kicks. Whenever he gets a chance to score from free kicks, he gets success most of the time.

In 2007-08 sessions, he scored over 40 goals but not a striker. His actual position in the field is winger. He can use both of his legs effectively and get success to score with his both legs. He can produce lot of chances to others to score goals also. Some football critics say he is the best professional footballer at present. He started his carrier as winger. However, becomes a successful striker of the game. The way he is playing these days, which is forcing people to become his fans. We can see he is easily the most famous footballer in earth today. Last year two of the biggest and richest clubs of football planet were fighting each other for him. At last, everything settled down quite nicely. Now Christiano Ronaldo is happily playing for his club Manchester United.

A Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - John Cole

His full name is Joseph John Cole, and better known as Joe Cole. He was born in Islington, London on 8th November 1981. He is a professional soccer player who now plays for national team of England and Liverpool club. From a very young age, Cole was considered as one of the hottest new talents in English soccer.

In club level, Cole played for West Ham United from 1998 to 2003 before joining Chelsea. Afterward, he leaved Chelsea and play for Liverpool club. With West Ham United, he played more than 100 games for the period of five years. Cole also won many trophies with Chelsea, including three Premier League titles and two FA Cups.

In May 2001, Cole made his international first appearance in opposition to Mexico. He was a part of England's 2002 FIFA World Cup team. Joe Cole was a team part at Euro 2004 but didn't truly play. A number of people deem him to be the solution to left wing problem of England and since 2004 Cole has continued to get international appearances.

Joe Cole has a lot of quality performances included England's game in the World Cup 2006 in opposition to Sweden. In the competition, he was truly named FIFA Man of the Match. Joe Cole was also chosen as the PFA Premiership Team of the Year 2006.

He won many honors during his career as a professional soccer player. With the club of West Ham United, he won UEFA Intertoto Cup (1999). And with England club of Chelsea, he won Premier League (2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2009-2010), Football League Cup (2004-2005, 2006-2007), FA Cup (2006-2007, 2008-2009, 2009-2010), and FA Community Shield (2005). As an individual honor, he won West Ham 'Hammer of the Year' (2003), PFA Team of the Year (2006), Chelsea Player of the Year (2008), and Premier League Player of the Month (March 2005).

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What is the Average Salary of a Player?

Do you have any idea of what is the average salary of a soccer player? Are you an inquisitive fan that loves to know the details?

Salary or payment given a player is the reparation they deserve for every game. Being a player is not always a casual sport, for some, it has become an occupation or a serious career. If their performance affects their team, their compensations are also affected. They must work better to earn sponsorships and support from private organizations. If you're playing for a recreational game you can't afford to be a weak duckling. Once it becomes your profession, you better do well at it because you're earnings will come from it.

A regular player receives almost 5,000 -10,000$ a month but it is subject to change. Senior players have more pay than the new ones. If the group wins the tournament several times they could expect a higher compensation in the future.

The central core of a game is not the salary that the player receives each month or so, it is the passion or love for the game and supports from soccer fans that provide the game genuine worth. The salary roots down from the skill of the players showcasing at every soccer tournaments, hardships during trainings and degree of teamwork.

Failure of a member affects the whole team in many aspects. If the team loses, the family of the players is greatly affected at some point, too. Knowing what is the average salary of a soccer player is more like knowing the player's importance or worth. Many players are always trying to improve their performance in every game because every winnings moment counts, every decisions create impacts that affects their teams so as their worth as player.

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Review of Players Short Listed for the FIFA 2007 Player of the Year Award

It is time of the year where the FIFA world player of the year is decided by the votes of coaches and captains of national team worldwide.

But before we go into the discussion of the list of players drawn for 2007, an introduction of the mechanism of the system would be discussed first. The award was started in 1991 for the male player and in 2001 for the female player categories respectively. Basically, the coaches and national team captains would vote for players drawn by the technical committees of FIFA. The system used is called the Borda count where each coach and captain would get three votes (one of five points, one of three points and one of one point) to cast for the players of his choice. And the winner would be determined by the total of points received. The winner last year is Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro of Real Madrid.

Now to the list of players short listed for the award this year. Heading the list are five players of Italian descent, they are Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta and Andrea Pirlo. Except for Cannavaro and Buffon (Juventus), the remaining three players of the UEFA 2006-2007 champions league winners AC Milan. However the chances of an Italian repeating the feat of winning is slim this year as the national team did not perform to its best after World Cup 2006 and as for domestically, the Serie A is recovering from the scars of the scandal hit season.

Next up would be the discussion of the English contenders for the title. They are Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea) and Wayne Rooney (Manchester United). Looking at chances of the English contenders, none of them have high chances of clinching the title as the English national team has a difficult Euro 2008 qualifying campaign so far and they did not any outstanding club exploits last season. The other reasons are although Manchester United and Chelsea went head to head in the Premiership race, they failed to impress at the UEFA Champions league level. As for Gerrard, if Liverpool did won the last season UEFA Champions league final against AC Milan, then his chances would be different. However they did not and Liverpool had another of its forgettable seasons in the league again.

As for the French, they have Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Lillan Thuram (Barcelona) and Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan) short listed. At the moment, the chances of the French are as slim as the English for similar reasons. Henry has been a world class player, but he could not inspire Arsenal to the Premiership title and for this season, he is still adapting to his new club, Barcelona. Ribery also did not have the best of seasons last year and has changed clubs in the summer, leaving for Bungesliga Giants, Munich from the sleeping giants of French Football, Marseille. In Vieria's case, Inter Milan did retain their Serie A title last season, but as mentioned above, the title seen to be given to Inter midst point deduction for several Serie A clubs and demotion of Juventus. Hence he would not have a high chance in this year's competition for the best player's title. For Thuram, it is even more gloomer as he did not feature in a lot of his club's games last season and Barcelona failed to defend its La Liga title.

Brazil has three players short listed in Kaka (AC Milan), Juninho (Lyon) and Ronaldinho (Barcelona). Although the Brazilians have a forgettable world cup 2006, however one of three can be considered as a highly possible contender for the title. He is Kaka. The reason is that he has also won the FIFPro 2007 Player of the year award and it was he that inspired AC Milan to winning the UEFA Champions League midst a disappointing Serie A 2006-2007 campaign. As for Ronaldinho, a previous two time winner (2004 and 2005), his chances this year are quite slim as he was not in the best form last season with the Catalans Giants as they lost out to Real Madrid in the La Liga title. In the case of Juninho, other than inspiring Lyon to six consecutive French Ligue 1 titles, he had no major efforts of note last season.

As for Brazil's South American rival, Argentina too has three players short listed in Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Juan Roman Riquelme (River) and Carlos Tevez (Manchester United). Of the three, Messi's chances are the highest as he has continued where he left off last season with eight goals in as many games this season. Tevez had a difficult season in which his transfer reeks of a drama serial while Riquelme with his talent to a lot of people has choked on the big stages once too often.

Another highly possible contender for the title is Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. With his 23 goals, English Premiership Player of the year award and PFA player's player of the year award last season, he can be seen as a major reason why Manchester United managed to regain the English Premiership title. Furthermore, in midst of enduring an anti-Ronaldo season after his antics at World Cup 2006, it is a wonder that he could conjure up such a wonderful season. Another Portuguese short listed is Deco of Barcelona who for all his talents was a bit player for Catalans last season and hence his chances are not very high then.

The remaining players of the short list are Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool), Ruud Van Nistelrroy (Holland, Real Madrid), Petr Cech (Czech Republic, Chelsea), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea), Michael Essien (Ghana, Chelsea), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, Barcelona) and Rafael Marquez (Mexico, Barcelona). Of seven remaining players, Ruud Van Nistelrroy may have the best chance as he was the top scorer for Real Madrid in their title winning squad last season and has continued his fine form this season. As for players of Chelsea and Barcelona, their failure in defending the title and poor UEFA Champions League showing would count against them. Lastly, Torres, the sole Spanish in the list, like Henry has traded clubs where he left his boyhood club, Atletico Madrid for English side Liverpool in the summer. His chances are very slim as during his time as Atletico Madrid, the team failed to establish it as La Liga contenders and as for his new club, he is still adapting there.

Lastly to summarize my views on FIFA 2007 Player of the year, my choice of player to win is the Kaka of AC Milan with Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) to give him a run for the title. The results would be out this December 2007 at the FIFA World Player Gala in Zurich.

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Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - Dino Zoff

Dino Zoff was born February 28, 1942 in Mariano Del Friuli, Italy. He is one of Italian famous soccer players and the oldest ever winner of the World Cup as a captain of the Italian national team in Spain. His position was a goalkeeper. For the Azzurri, Zoff is second simply to Paolo Maldini in number of appearances with 112 caps. Most of his career Zoff expended at Juventus.

Dino Zoff was part of four FIFA World Cup(TM) teams, playing in three and emerging a champion at Spain 1982, won 111 caps and holds the record of 1,142 minutes with no conceding a goal.

Dino Zoff made his International first appearance for Italy, while playing at the quarterfinal of 1968 European championships against Bulgaria. He assisted Italy to win the European championship beating Yugoslavia in the replay of final. At 1970 World cup, he had tangential part in the Italian squad.

However, in 1982 world cup, Zoff took the centre stage because he captained Italy. At the age of 40, he led Italy to an astonishing world cup win. In that tournament he won the honor for the best goalkeeper. In 1983 Dino Zoff refrained from international football.

Zoff was a goalkeeper of exceptional aptitude and has a position in the record of the sport among the very best in this role, being chosen the 3rd greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS behind Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks. Following a retirement as a soccer player, Zoff went on to become coach for a number of Italian clubs and the national team.

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The Top Ten Reasons Why Every Soccer Player Should Learn to Juggle

A players touch and feel for the ball is vital in the game of soccer and one of the best ways to improve these skills is by learning to juggle a soccer ball.

Whether they are new to the sport of soccer or have been playing for many years juggling is a skill every player should learn. Here are the reasons why:

1. Ball Control: To properly juggle a soccer ball a player must keep it close to the body. In doing so they learn to control the ball.

2. Dexterity: Juggling can help a player develop foot and eye coordination which will translate to better control and speed on the field.

3. Balance: Most juggling is performed with one foot planted on the ground while the other foot typically controls the ball off the ground. This helps players develop balance on and off the field.

4. Positioning: A players position to the ball is important whether on the field during a match or juggling. By learning correct positioning a player learns to keep the ball close and under control.

5. Increased Concentration: Losing concentration while juggling or during a match means losing the ball. Juggling helps players focus on the ball and what they are doing.

6. Flexibility & Strength: Juggling often requires a player to twist or turn their body to maintain control of the ball. This helps to increase the players flexibility and since juggling requires movement it helps build strength through exercise.

7. Anticipation: Sometimes the ball doesn't go where you expect no matter how controlled you keep it. Juggling helps players to anticipate the ball which translates to quicker decision making on the field.

8. Swiftness: Keeping the ball close and under control requires a player to react quickly. This helps to create speed with the ball.

9. Motivation & Determination: Players are often determined to see how long thy can juggle the ball before it touches the ground. This motivates them to keep going.

10. Confidence: The most important reason of all, juggling increases a players confidence with the ball by teaching them control of their body and the ball.

So why should a player learn to juggle a soccer ball? Simply put it helps a player to develop and hone their skills with the ball which translates to a more confidence and creative play on the field.

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Who Will Win FIFA Player of the Year For 2008?

AC Milan's Kaka won the title last year for Fifa World Player of the Year, but it is Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo who is frontrunner for the award in 2008. Ronaldo has scored 41 goals for Manchester United this season, an astonishing number for a winger, smashing the 40-year-old record of 35 strikes held by George Best. Ronaldo is arguably having the greatest single season of any player in the history of Manchester United.

The Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has suggested that Manchester United are overly reliant on their Portuguese playmaker, claiming that Ronaldo "has carried United on his back" through the season. Although Ronaldo is United's outstanding player, it is the team around him that allows him to play his game. To suggest that he carries United is off the mark.

Now, we won't argue that Lionel Messi, Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud or even Riquelme deserve to win best player for 2008. They all had spectacular seasons. Kaka, Gerrard, Pirlo and Gattuso met in the Champions League final so you could also make a case for them as well. But the rest? How many of these are here because of reputation? Thuram and Viera are washed up has beans. Ribery hadn't yet come into his own and Torres had never lived up to his billing in Spain. Tevez spent most of the year on the bench at West Ham, Buffon most of the year in Serie B and most everyone else spent a significant portion of the year injured; except for Deco who spent most of the year being confused with Iniesta and Xavi. Am I getting to my point yet?

Again, we are not disputing this people shouldn't be nominated, we are not even worried so much with who will win because it's obvious that one of these, Kaka, Drogba, C. Ronaldo, or Messi, deserve it just as much as any.

Yet, eternally injured Rafa Marquez gets nominated, over the Golden Boot winner in Europe- Francesco Totti? God, even David Beckham deserves votes for inspiring his club to win down the stretch for Real Madrid.

We realize this is a popularity contest and Francesco Totti, who isn't even liked by the majority in his own country (outside of Rome I guess) won't be winning any, but there are glaring cases like this that completely underscore how stupid this award really is. Give it to Kaka again, who seems the darling of Fifa anyway, and of Brazilian extraction which helps for starters.

The award is ALWAYS given to an attacker and it's usually the right pick, but defenders never really get their props (unless you're Cannavaro). This award is going to 1 of 3 players: Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Messi and believe when we state that there is no political influence on this.

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