Jermaine Defoe

Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982 in Beckton, London) is an English footballer who currently plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team.

Defoe began his career with Charlton Athletic, joining their youth team at age fourteen, before moving to West Ham United aged sixteen, and rising through the ranks.


He made his professional debut for West Ham in 2000, and after a season-long loan spell at Bournemouth during the 2000–01 season, established himself in the West Ham lineup. A move to Tottenham in 2004 soon followed, and Defoe also spent a year at Portsmouth after he was deemed surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane. He has since returned to Tottenham in the January 2009 transfer window.

Defoe made his England debut in 2004 and as of August 2009, has made 36 appearances, scoring 10 goals.

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Pepe Reina

José Manuel Reina Páez (born 31 August 1982), commonly known as Pepe Reina, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the English Premier League club Liverpool F.C. and the Spain national team. He is believed by many[who?] to be one of the best goalkeepers around, an opinion often shared by his club manager Rafael Benitez[citation needed].

The son of famed FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Reina, José Reina began his career with the FC Barcelona youth team and made his La Liga debut in the 2000–01 season. He was sent on loan to Villareal CF in 2002, becoming their first choice goalkeeper, and signed a permanent deal in 2004.

However, he soon moved on to Merseyside club Liverpool, making his debut in 2005 and instantly becoming first choice goalkeeper. Reina won his first major honour in 2006, saving three out of four penalties in the final to help win the FA Cup. In 2007 he reached the Champions League Final, matching the feat achieved by his father in 1974, but the team lost to A.C. Milan. Reina has set a number of goalkeeping records for Liverpool and he won the Premier League Golden Glove award for clean sheets in his first three seasons at the club.

At international level, Reina played for Spain's youth team, winning the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in 1999. He made his senior debut in 2005 and has generally been selected as the second choice keeper behind Iker Casillas. He was part of the Spain squad for the 2006 World Cup and made one appearance in their victorious Euro 2008 campaign, earning him his first international honour.


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Robinho

Robson de Souza (born 25 January 1984 in São Vicente, São Paulo), commonly known as Robinho, is a Brazilian footballer, who currently plays for Manchester City and the Brazilian national team.Robinho was personally picked by Pelé as his heir apparent at only 15 years of age and went on to lead Santos to its first Campeonato Brasileiro title since Pelé himself played for the same legendary Brazilian club. Since then he won another title with Santos, two more with Real Madrid, one Copa América title with Brazil and two Confederations Cup, as well with Brazil. In 2009, Robinho married Vivian Guglielmetti.Robinho is widely known for his dribbling skills and step overs.


On 1 September 2008, the final day of the Premier League summer transfer window, Robinho completed a €42.5 million (£32.5m) move to Manchester City, with wages in the region of £160,000 per week. This occurred on the same day the club was bought out by the Arab investment company Abu Dhabi United Group.

He had previously been linked with a transfer to Chelsea, and he had emphasised his desire to play for the London club up to the eve of the transfer. On 27 August, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said that the club were "confident" that the transaction would go through, and Madrid had also given their consent for the player to leave.

In an interview with The Guardian, Robinho stated that City being a big club and the presence of friends Jô and Elano were incentives for him to join the team. He made his team debut and scored his very first Premier League goal on 13 September 2008, in a 3–1 home defeat to Chelsea. On 26 October, he scored his first Premier League hat-trick against Stoke City, and he scored his first European goal for City in a 3–2 UEFA Cup group stage win over Twente on 6 November. He was given the captain's armband for the match against Hull City, due to Richard Dunne's suspension, which ended in a 2–2 draw.

On 19 April he scored his 13th league goal for Manchester City in the 2–1 win away at Everton on 25 April, Manchester City's first away win since 31 August 2008. The following week, he scored his third consecutive goal in three games, against Blackburn Rovers to help Manchester City to a 3–1 win. Robinho has his own song from the City fans, which is simply "We've got Robinho", which they sang on the night they signed him and continue to sing on match days. Robinho finished the season as City's top goal scorer with 14 and the 4th top scorer in the league.


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Edwin van der Sar

Edwin van der Sar (born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for English Premier League club Manchester United.He is the Netherlands national team's most capped player of all-time and one of the few footballers to have won the Champions League with two different teams, having won it with Ajax in 1995 and Manchester United in 2008, the latter where he was named UEFA Man of the match.
Van der Sar moved to Manchester United on 10 June 2005 for a reported fee of £2 million, although the exact transfer fee was undisclosed. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson considered him the best goalkeeper to play for the club since Peter Schmeichel.

On 5 May 2007, his penalty save helped assure a 1–0 triumph over Manchester City in the Manchester derby. The following day, Chelsea's failure to beat Arsenal at the Emirates ensured Manchester United's ninth Premier League trophy and Van der Sar's first. He was also named to the 2006–07 PFA Team of the Year. Three months later, he was a catalyst in Manchester United's 16th FA Community Shield victory, as he saved three consecutive penalties in a shootout after Manchester United and Chelsea played to a 1–1 draw at the end of regular time.

The 2007–08 season was Van der Sar's best season since his arrival; he had several great performances despite a niggling groin injury. He would help United secure their second successive Premier League title on the final day and win the Champions League by saving the final penalty of the shoot-out from Nicolas Anelka.

Van der Sar signed a one-year extension to his current contract with Manchester United on 12 December 2008, keeping him at the club until at least the end of the 2009–10 season.

On 27 January 2009, Van der Sar helped Manchester United set a new club and Premier League record for consecutive clean sheets — the club's 5–0 win over West Bromwich Albion meant that they had gone 11 games and 1,032 minutes without conceding a goal, beating the previous record of 10 matches and 1,025 minutes set by Petr Čech in the 2004–05 season. He then broke the overall English league record in the club's following game four days later, beating the previous record of 1,103 minutes, set by Steve Death of Reading in 1979. Another clean sheet, against West Ham on 8 February 2009, extended the record to 1,212 minutes, beating the British top-flight record of 1,155 minutes previously set by Aberdeen's Bobby Clark in 1971. Finally, on 18 February 2009, Van der Sar further extended the record to 1,302 minutes, and in doing so, he broke José María Buljubasich's single-season world record of 1,289 minutes, set in the Chilean Clausura in 2005. His clean sheet record ended on 4 March, when he made an error allowing Peter Løvenkrands of Newcastle United to score after 9 minutes. In total, Van der Sar had gone 1,311 minutes without conceding in the league. These clean sheets were a major factor in United clinching their 11th Premiership title as United won a lot of games 1–0 to clinch the title ahead of Liverpool. With a total of 21 clean sheets he also won the Barclays Golden Glove for 2008–09. However, he missed out on winning his third Champions League winners medal as United succumbed to a 2–0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona on 27 May 2009.


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Gary Neville

Gary Alexander Neville (born 18 February 1975 in Bury, Greater Manchester) is an English football player. He is England's most capped right back and Manchester United's club captain. Neville started at and has played his entire career so far at Old Trafford, making him to date a rare one club man. He made his international debut in 1995 and was first choice right back for club and country for more than ten years.

He is the brother of fellow Premier League footballer and Everton captain Phil Neville, who was also a Manchester United player (from 1993 until 2005). His sister Tracey Neville plays netball for England, his mother Jill is a receptionist for Bury and his father Neville Neville was once a cricketer for Lancashire.


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Fernando Torres

Fernando José Torres Sanz (born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool and the Spanish national team as a striker.

Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth ranks. He made his professional debut in 2001 and finished his career with the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances, earning the nickname El Niño ("The Kid"). Prior to the La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Liverpool in 2007, after Liverpool signed him with the club's record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool's first player, since Robbie Fowler in 1995–96, to score more than 20 league goals in a season.

He is also a Spanish international and made his debut for the country against Portugal in 2003. He has since participated in three major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. He did not score a goal at Euro 2004, but he scored three at World Cup 2006. Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in their 1–0 win over Germany in the UEFA Euro 2008 Final.


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Paul Scholes

Paul Aaron Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football player who currently plays for Manchester United. He is a one club man, having spent his entire professional career with a single club. Scholes represented the England national team from 1997 to 2004, participating in the 1998 and 2002 World Cup, as well as UEFA Euro 2000 and UEFA Euro 2004. He is one of only four players to make over 600 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United.

You must have a rare and special football talent to impress the great Sir Bobby Charlton. The United legend sums up Paul Scholes perfectly: "He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch."

Part of the new wave of talent that ushered in Beckham, Giggs, Butt and the Neville brothers in the mid-1990s, Salford-born Scholes scored twice on his debut in the League Cup at Port Vale in 1994/95 – and on his first league outing against Ipswich – and hasn't looked back.

A host of golden seasons at Old Trafford include 1995/96’s Double-winning campaign, in

which he covered admirably during Eric Cantona’s suspension, finishing second behind the Frenchman in the scoring charts with 14 goals; he was a cornerstone of 1999’s Treble-winners, although suspension ruled him out of the UEFA Champions League final, and in United’s Premier League success in 2003, his 20-goal haul was vital.

Neat and compact, a misplaced Scholes pass remains one of the rarest sights in football. His superb eye for goal and late runs from midfield also served his country superbly on 66 occasions.

An eye problem kept the man the fans dubbed the 'Ginger Prince’ out of action for a large part of 2005/06, but he burst back onto the scene during the 2006/07 title-winning campaign, playing a key role in helping the Reds reclaim the Premier League crown. Personal highlights included his opener in the 2-0 win over Liverpool in October 2006 and a volley of the highest calibre in the 3-0 win at Aston Villa two months later, which earned him the Goal of the Season Award at the club's Player Awards ceremony.

His contribution was recognised by players and press alike - he finished third in the PFA Player of the Year category and fourth in the Football Writers' vote - both of which were won by

team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

His good form continued the following season as he helped the Reds to a glorious double and finally buried the UEFA Champions League ghost of '99 when his stunning strike against Barcelona in April 2008, booked United's, and his own place, in the final in Moscow.

Having started United’s first four Premier League games in 08/09, Scholes then missed two months of action after suffering a medial ligament injury in the victory away to Aalborg. When he returned for the festive period, Sir Alex proclaimed: “It is like having an extra player.” The Reds stalwart looked as influential as ever, and when he didn’t start he often came on to steady the tempo of games and help close out narrow league victories. His opener in United’s 3-0 victory over Fulham in February 2009 – a game he dominated – proved he hasn’t lost his deadly ability to score from distance. Carrick’s corner found Scholes in a familiar position at the edge of the area, and he rolled back the years to thunder in a 25-yard volley that was simply too hot for Mark Schwarzer to handle. He followed that with a vintage header away at Sunderland in April 2009, and, in his 600th game for the Reds, delivered a masterclass in ball retention against

Portsmouth ten days later.

Now in the top four highest ever appearance makers and the top twelve highest goalscorers at the club, Scholes is, indisputably, one of the finest talents in United's history, and he's still going strong - in October 2008 he was rewarded with a one-year contract extension, taking him through to June 2010.





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Ryan Giggs

Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE[2] (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973) is a Welsh footballer who has played for Manchester United for the entirety of his club career to-date. He established himself as a left-winger during the 1990s and continued in this position well into the 2000s, but more recently playing 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.

Giggs has had a long-lasting domestic and continental career and is the first player in UEFA Champions League history to have scored in 12 successive seasons, on top of being elected into the PFA Team of the Century in 2007,[3] the English Premier League Team of the Decade, in 2003, as well as the FA Cup Team of the Century. Giggs is also the only United player to have played in all 11 Premier League winning teams and all three League Cup winning teams. At the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, held on 21 May 2008, Giggs surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 758 appearances for Manchester United to become the club's all-time leader in appearances.[4]

At international level, Giggs played for the Welsh national team prior to his retirement from international football on 2 June 2007, and was once the youngest player to ever represent his country. As well as the many honours Giggs has received within football such as being named in the Football League 100 Legends, he was appointed an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours List, and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005, for his services to English Football.

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Petr Čech

Petr Čech, (born 20 May 1982 in Plzeň, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) is a Czech international football goalkeeper who is currently contracted to English Premier League football club Chelsea, for whom he has played since July 2004. Petr Čech has previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals. Čech also received the individual award of Best Goalkeeper in the 2004/2005, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons of the UEFA Champions League. In addition, he was named in the FIFPro and UEFA Champions League teams of the season in 2006.

He currently holds one record: a Czech professional league record of not conceding a goal in 855 competitive minutes (he previously held a record for the most clean sheets accomplished in a single Premier League season (25), set during Chelsea’s 2004–05 title-winning campaign). He also has a club record at his former team Sparta Praha, having gone 928 minutes unbeaten in all competitions in 2001–2002, when his unbeaten run in Czech league competition was combined with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. During the 2004–05 season, Čech went 1,025 minutes without conceding a goal - a former Premier League record until Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United broke it on 27 January 2009.
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Rio Ferdinand

Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and at the international level for the England national football team. He has achieved 70 caps for the English national team while being selected for three FIFA World Cup squads. He is currently the vice-captain of the England national team and stand-in captain for Manchester United.

Known for his physical presence and composure on the ball, Ferdinand began his football career playing for various youth teams, finally settling at West Ham United where he progressed through the youth ranks and made his professional Premier League debut in 1996. He became a fan favourite, winning the 'Hammer of the Year award' the following season. He earned his first senior international cap in a match against Cameroon in 1997, setting a record as the youngest defender to play for England at the time. His achievements and footballing potential attracted Leeds United and he transferred to the club for a record-breaking fee of £18 million. He spent two seasons at the club, becoming the team captain in 2001.

He joined Manchester United in July 2002 for around £30 million, breaking the transfer fee record once more. He won the Premier League, his first major club honour, in a successful first season at the club. He missed a drugs test and was banned from competition for eight months, causing him to miss half a Premier League season and the Euro 2004 international competition. Upon his return, he established himself in the Manchester United first team and received plaudits for his performances, featuring in the PFA Team of the Year three times in four years. More club success followed with another Premier League win in the 2006–07 season and a Premier League and UEFA Champions League double the following year. His importance to the national team was underlined in March 2008 when Ferdinand captained England for the first time.


Armed with elegance, pace and an astute ability to read the game, Rio Ferdinand is one of the finest defenders in world football.

The Peckham-born star burst onto the Premiership scene with West Ham United under the guidance of Harry Redknapp before being snapped up by Leeds United for £18million in November 2000.

The 2002 World Cup provided Rio with the stage to make the transformation from budding talent to accomplished defender, and his performances in Japan convinced Sir Alex to part with £30million.

Although initially hampered by injury, Rio
found his feet towards the end of his first season, as United came back from the dead to overtake Arsenal and win a 15th league title.

In September 2003 disaster struck. The defender missed a routine drugs test and, despite appealing, was banned from football for eight months in January 2004.

Since returning from suspension, Rio has consistently justified his tag as a world-class defender. He's also chipped in with valuable goals, perhaps most dramatically with an injury-time winner against Liverpool in January 2006.

Although an increasingly potent threat from set-pieces, Rio’s main asset remains his leadership in defence, a skill that has made him a solid foundation for both United and England and seen him handed the captaincy for club and country on numerous occasions.

In May 2008, Ferdinand signed a new five-year contract, keeping him at Old Trafford until 2013. Six days later he went on to captain United to Champions League glory in Moscow. It was a fitting way to end a near flawless season for the centre-back.

His good form continued into the 2008/09 campaign, with Ferdinand playing a crucial role in United's record-breaking
clean-sheet run. Certainly, without his consistent performances at the back, the Reds may not have gone on to win an 18th league title or reach a second successive European final. Sadly Sir Alex's men lost to Barcelona in Rome, although things may well have been different had Ferdinand been fully fit (a calf injury hampered Rio's preparations). Read more...

John Terry

John George Terry (born 7 December 1980 in Barking, Greater London) is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League. Terry is also captain of the England national football team.

Chelsea to the core and a true hero to the fans, John is the most successful captain in Chelsea history, he is skipper of his country and in many eyes, he's the best central defender currently in action.

As brave as they come and a superb reader of the game, sound technique and distribution make him more than just a defenders' defender.John has been with Chelsea since the age of 14 when he was initially a medium-build midfielder.

Filling in as youth team centre-back one day due to a lack of alternatives, he has never looked back, aided by a rapid growth in physical stature.

A short and successful loan spell at Nottingham Forest helped the maturing process and having taken on board lessons first hand from the likes of Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf, he was voted Chelsea Player of the Year just two seasons after his debut.

After putting a short spell of off-field problems firmly behind him, John refocused on his game sufficiently to be handed his England debut in June 2003. He was first choice for his country at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.

At Chelsea he had already taken on the captain's role, having understudied Marcel Desailly - and led the club to the elusive title in his very first year with the armband.

With the Carling Cup also lifted, John became one of only four Chelsea captains to skipper the club to major honours and he more than played his part on the pitch in 2004/05 with a succession of world class displays and eight crucial goals.

He was voted PFA Player of the Year by his fellow professionals, the first Chelsea winner of the accolade.

John's incredible consistency continued in 2005/06 when injury in the final week robbed him of a full house of Premiership games as he lifted the trophy for a second time.

He scored seven times in all competitions and was voted Chelsea Player of the Year for a second time.

José Mourinho joined those describing John 'the best centre-back in the world' and his universally acclaimed leadership skills were not ignored by incoming England boss Steve McClaren.

Chelsea's first homegrown to be capped by England since Ray Wilkins in the mid 70s proudly became our first England skipper of the professional age.

Although he already had well over 300 club appearances to his name, the 2006/07 season was interrupted by prolonged injury as a back problem and related difficulties took time to sort out.

However he was back and fighting in plenty of time to become the first to lift the FA Cup at the new Wembley and score the first international goal there.

Last season was another mixed one, with injuries limiting him to 37 appearances from a possible 62. Knee, cheek, foot and elbow injuries all took their toll on the man Avram Grant described as 'bionic', but he was still there barking orders in Moscow in our first Champions League Final.

A first league goal in almost two years came with an important near-post header at Sunderland, but John's season will be most remembered for his devastating penalty miss in the Luzhniki Stadium.

Charged with converting our fifth spot kick to bring the trophy back to London, he slipped and saw his effort hit the post, prompting him to apologise to the Chelsea fans, a deed regarded by those supporters as unnecessary

Held in the highest regard by all at the club, JT bounced back quickly in 2008/09 to lead in new eras under Luiz Felipe Scolari and then Guus Hiddink, his form rarely deviating from outstanding.

A number of defensive performances stood out as the captain maintained his best run of games for some time, despite red cards against Manchester City (rescinded) and Everton.

There was also an important Champions League winner against Roma in the group stages, though his greatest hour of the campaign may yet be the near faultless display in the Camp Nou, earning a 0-0 draw against a Barcelona team that had scored freely all season. Read more...

Cesc Fàbregas

Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler (born 4 May 1987 in Vilassar de Mar, Barcelona Province, Spain) is a Spanish central midfielder who captains the English Premier League club Arsenal and plays for the Spanish national team.

Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Arsenal in September 2003, aged just 16 years. He did not feature much in his first season for The Gunners, but following injuries to key midfielders in the 2004–05 season, his playing time increased. Before long, he had established himself as Arsenal's starting central midfielder and playmaker. He went on to break several of the club's records, earning a reputation as a technically gifted player.

In international football, the Spaniard's national career began when he represented the winning Under-17 side at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland. As a result of his club performances, he was called up to the senior squad in 2006. He has played in the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008, where he helped Spain to become eventual winners in the latter.

From promising youngster to the heartbeat of the Arsenal side - Cesc has come a long way since joining the club as a 16-year-old in September 2003.

Likeable and level-headed off the pitch, Cesc is the complete midfielder on it. He has always been tigerish in the tackle and blessed with wonderful technique and vision, but Cesc added a new dimension to his game last season - goals, and plenty of them. He netted seven times in his first nine games and, although that scoring rate fell away, Cesc still ended up with 13 in all competitions. There were some belters too, including long-range efforts at Tottenham and Milan.

To nobody's surprise, the fulcrum of Arsène Wenger's side walked away with Arsenal.com's Player of the Season award for the second successive year. He has plenty of admirers outside Emirates Stadium too, not least among his peers - they voted him PFA Young Player of the Year.

The Spaniard first came to prominence at the Under-17s World Cup when he walked off with awards for best player and top scorer. Soon after arriving from Barcelona he became Arsenal's youngest ever player and scorer. By the time he had left his teenage years behind, Cesc had surpassed 150 appearances for the Club.

Of course, the 21-year-old is now also a fixture in Spain's national squad and played a major role in his country's Euro 2008 triumph. Cesc came off the bench to devastating effect in the group stage and netted a penalty shoot-out winner against Italy in the Quarter-Finals - his first spot-kick as a professional. Read more...

Steven Gerrard

Steven George Gerrard, MBE born 30 May 1980, is an English footballer who plays for English Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team. He is usually employed in the central midfield role, although he has also played as a right or left-sided midfielder and a second striker.

Gerrard, who has spent his entire career at Anfield, made his debut in 1998 and cemented his place in the first team in the 2000-01 season, succeeding Sami Hyypiä as Liverpool team captain in 2003. His honours include a pair of FA Cups and two Football League Cup wins, as well as the UEFA Cup in 2001 and the UEFA Champions League in 2005, following Liverpool's comeback in the final. As of 13 May 2009, Gerrard is also the current holder of the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award.

Gerrard's LFC love affair began when he was spotted playing for Whiston Juniors aged nine. Eight years later, after a period as a trainee, he signed his first professional contract.

Within 12 months the starlet had made his first-team debut, coming on as a second-half sub for Vegard Heggem against Blackburn Rovers on November 29, 1998. Gerrard played 13 games in his debut season, in part due to the injury woes of fellow midfielder Jamie Redknapp.

Persistent back and groin problems punctuated his blossoming career, though he'd managed to establish himself as a first-team regular by the start of the 1999-00 season.

It proved to be a momentous campaign for the Whiston-born youngster, not least because of a spectacular first professional goal at Anfield against Sheffield Wednesday. England coach Kevin Keegan was starting to take note.

Having already featured at U18 and U21 level, Gerrard was handed his first senior international cap against Ukraine in May 2000. From there he was selected for Euro 2000 in Holland and Belgium, but had to settle for just a single substitute appearance.

By now regarded as the complete box-to-box midfielder, he was instrumental in the Reds winning a unique treble in 2001. With the Worthington and FA Cups already in the bag, Gerrard was one of the scorers in an unforgettable 5-4 UEFA Cup final victory over Alaves. It came as no surprise when the man nicknamed the Huyton Hammer was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

The milestones were starting to stack up for Gerrard, who kicked off the following season by netting his first international goal in the famous 5-1 trouncing of Germany in their own backyard. The win helped Sven's men secure a World Cup place, but heartbreak followed when a groin injury ruled the midfield maestro out of Japan and South Korea.

A disappointing domestic season followed, the highlight of which was a Worthington Cup final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Gerrard opened the scoring in a satisfying 2-0 win over Manchester United.

By the start of 2003-04 the midfielder had firmly established himself as Liverpool's on-field leader, and it was no surprise when Houllier handed him the captain's armband in place of Sami Hyypia.

The decision proved such a success that within six months Gerrard was captaining England against Sweden in the absence of David Beckham.

Just when it seemed things couldn't get any better for the Scouser, they did. On May 25, 2005, under new boss Rafa Benitez, Gerrard lifted the club's fifth European Cup.

Having already brought Liverpool back from the brink earlier in the campaign with a last-gasp strike against Olympiacos, the skipper helped inspire the greatest comeback of all time in Istanbul.

No one believed the Reds could overturn AC Milan's 3-0 half-time lead - until Stevie G's 54th minute header, that is.

His heroics earned him the title of UEFA's Most Valuable Player, as well as a nomination for the prestigious Ballon D'Or award. He would come third in the latter, behind Ronaldinho and countryman Frank Lampard.

In the months that followed the final, captain fantastic signed a new four-year contract at Anfield to put an end to speculation about a possible move to Chelsea.

With his future sorted, Gerrard went on to enjoy his most impressive season to date, scoring 23 goals in 53 games and being crowned PFA Player of the Year. He was the first Liverpool man to win the award since John Barnes in 1988.

The 2005-06 campaign culminated with another FA Cup win in Cardiff, with West Ham providing the opposition. If 1953 will always be remembered as the Stanley Matthews final, then 2006 will surely go down as Gerrard's day.

The No.8 twice breached Shaka Hislop's net, including a dramatic equaliser in the dying moments to send the game into extra-time and, ultimately, penalties. This 35-yard volley was voted Match of the Day's Goal of the Season.

Gerrard - who's played in just about every position for Liverpool - had now scored in four major finals, something no English-based player had ever done.

Next, in the summer of 2006 and aged 26, the Scouse sensation featured in his first World Cup. After scoring twice in the group stages, he was one of three players to miss a penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out loss to Portugal.

In the wake of defeat and Beckham standing down, Gerrard was widely tipped to be the next England skipper. New boss Steve McClaren eventually plumped for Chelsea centre-back John Terry, with the Liverpool man having to settle for the vice-captaincy.

The Kop idol returned from Germany for another eventful domestic season during which he broke Ian Rush's European Cup goalscoring record. His header against PSV was his 15th in the competition, one more than the legendary striker.

In December 2006 Gerrard was awarded an MBE, which he later collected from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

As if all this wasn't enough, the season ended with another European Cup final, and again it was AC Milan. The Reds might have lost 2-1 in Athens, but Gerrard was more than happy to pen a new four-year contract to keep him at Anfield until 2011.

Back on the international front, there was major disappointment in November 2007 when he skippered his countrymen to a 3-2 defeat against Croatia at the new Wembley - ending both England's hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 and Steve McClaren's reign at manager.

The domestic season also ended without silverware despite a 21-goal haul for Gerrard including an ice-cool penalty versus Arsenal to take Liverpool to yet another Champions League semi-final.

Now a bona fide legend of the British game, the midfielder made it a century of club goals with a powerful free-kick against PSV in October 2008. In doing so, he joined an elite band of 16 Anfield legends to achieve the feat.

The strike was one of 24 for Gerrard during 2008-09, a personal record which earned him Football Writers' Player of the Year for the first time. Sadly, his haul wasn't enough to secure an elusive Premier League winners' medal, though Liverpool mounted their best challenge since 1990 before United crossed the line on the penultimate weekend.

With the Reds now established as true Championship contenders, the pride of Merseyside once again committed his future by agreeing a two-year extension tying him to Anfield until the age of 33. Read more...

Frank Lampard

Frank James Lampard, Jr. (born 20 June 1978) is an English football midfielder currently playing for Premier League club Chelsea and the England national team. He plays most often as a box-to-box midfielder and has also enjoyed spells in a more advanced attacking midfield role. Lampard is Chelsea's top active goalscorer with 130 goals, the most in club history for a midfielder, and is the second midfielder in Premier League history to score 100 goals, after Matthew Le Tissier.

Lampard began his career at West Ham United, his father's former club. Joining the youth team in 1994, he had secured a place in the first team by the 1997–1998 season. He helped the team to their highest ever finishing position Premier League in the 1998–99 season. The following season Lampard scored 14 goals in all competitions from midfield. With progress stagnating at West Ham, he moved to rival London club Chelsea in 2001 for £11 million.

From his debut onwards he was ever-present in the Chelsea first team, setting a record 164 consecutive Premier League appearances. He established himself as a prolific scorer at the West London club and won his first major honours in 2005, winning the Premier League and League Cup. Lampard won more club honours under coach Jose Mourinho; the 2005–06 Premier League title and a domestic cup double in 2007. He signed a new contract in 2008, becoming the highest paid Premier League footballer, and scored in his first Champions League Final that same year. Read more...

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English footballer who currently plays as a striker for English Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.Rooney began his career with Everton, joining their youth team at age ten and rising through the ranks. He made his professional debut in 2002 and his first goal made him the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the time.Wayne Rooney burst onto the Old Trafford stage in September 2004, netting an unforgettable hat-trick against Fenerbahce on his debut.

He'd arrived from Everton, his boyhood club, a few weeks earlier, becoming the world's most expensive teenager in the process.

But it wasn't his performances for the Toffees that had sparked United's interest, mind you. Staff at Carrington knew about Wayne from a much, much earlier age.

"Our U-9 side played Everton's boys one day and they absolutely hammered us," now-Academy manager Paul McGuinness remembers. "Rooney scored a few
[six, actually], but there was one that stood out. It was basically the classic overhead kick, the perfect bicycle kick, which for a kid of eight or nine years old was really something special."

Given that, perhaps his performance on his United debut wasn't that surprising after all! Indeed, it merely hinted at what was to follow. By the end of the 2004/05 campaign Rooney had amassed 17 goals in 43 appearances and was rightly named PFA Young Player of the Year.

Rooney’s second season at Old Trafford again saw him take huge strides. He ended the season with 19 goals in 48 matches and was voted both Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year by fans and PFA Young Player of the year (again) by his fellow professionals.

The young striker openly aims to better his goal tally each season and, despite a difficult World Cup with England in 2006, Rooney went on to net 23 times for United as the Reds lifted the Carling Cup and a first English title in three years.

Cristiano Ronaldo stole all the headlines in 2007/08, but Rooney chipped in with another 18 goals, a tally that included three league braces and four goals in Europe. His exciting strike partnership with 19-goal Carlos Tevez
was one of the key factors in the Reds' Premier League and Champions League double triumph and cemented his iconic status at Old Trafford.

But it's not just Wayne's goals that have endeared him to the United faithful. A tireless worker, Rooney always gives 100 per cent and can't stand losing. They're traits that have, from time to time, landed him in hot water but Reds fans recognise the odd over-zealous challenge or act of petulance is merely a by-product of Rooney's immense passion and will to win.

The striker's ability to adapt is an attribute often overlooked. Although most at home leading the line or playing just behind a main striker, Rooney has delivered sparkling displays from out wide on numerous occasions. With pace to burn and an eye for a long, raking pass, Rooney's just as effective creating chances as he is taking them.

That said, goals are Rooney's bread and butter and not even the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov at Old Trafford in September 2008 could diminish Rooney's potency. Indeed, the pair forged a strong partnership up front and, in January 2009, Wayne embarked on a scoring run that saw him net in five consecutive league games.

A month earlier, he stole the
show in Japan as United lifted the FIFA Club World Cup, thanks to Rooney's goal in the final and a brace off the bench in the semi.

There was more success to follow in 2008/09 as the England striker picked up his third league winners' medal with the Reds in May. Sadly, however, Rooney and United couldn't add another European title as Barcelona ran out victorious in the Champions League final in Rome. Read more...