Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Monday, September 30, 2013
Ronaldinho - Brazilian Legend - 23 goals in one match!
Ronaldinho was born in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul. His mother, Dona Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos (daughter of Enviro Assis), is a former salesperson who studied to become a nurse. His father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker and footballer for local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with Cruzeiro). He suffered a fatal heart attack in the family swimming pool when Ronaldinho was eight. After Ronaldinho's older brother, Roberto, signed with Grêmio, the family moved to a home in the more affluent Guarujá section of Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Roberto's career was ultimately cut short by injury.
Ronaldinho's football skills began to blossom at the of age 8, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches. He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football. His first brush with the media came at the age of thirteen, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23--0 victory against a local team. Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks.
Today, Roberto acts as Ronaldinho's manager, while his sister Deisi works as his press coordinator. Ronaldinho became a father for the first time on 25 February 2005, after Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes gave birth to their son, who was named João after Ronaldinho's late father.
Ronaldinho's 2005 Nike advertisement, where he is given a new pair of boots and then proceeds to juggle a football and repeatedly volley it against the crossbar of a goal and recover it without the ball touching the ground, went viral on YouTube, becoming the site's first video to reach one million views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc9h8BvSIEc&hd=1
Friday, September 27, 2013
Neymar Jr playing street football
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qRLeIq2KTo&hd=1
Barcelona player Neymar Jr makes the day of children in Kuala Lumpur when he turns up to play street football, poses for photographs and signs autographs.
Ronaldinho Getting His Teeth Fixed
Ronaldinho's football has usually done the talking during his illustrious career, but the Brazilian has had so many moments of magic on the pitch that we've come to know his trademark grin.
The Daily Mail brands that smile "goofy," but now he has finally had dental work to correct it.
The operation last month, the paper adds, cost an estimated £36,000.
As you can see in the video above, it's quite a transformation (the old Ronaldinho is on the right).
The 33-year-old has not been shy in courting publicity over the surgery—not only did he feature in this Brazilian news story about the work, which you can watch above, but he has also given an interview to Brazilian Playboy (in Portuguese) with the teeth very much on show.
You'll be pleased to hear that the new-look Ronaldinho has not been making wholesale changes to his lifestyle.
For one thing, the ponytail hasn't gone anywhere.
And for another, he's still curling in outrageous free-kicks such as these.
Neymar's career!
Every so often a young Brazilian forward of such dazzling potential emerges that comparisons are immediately made with the greatest of all, Pele. As another graduate of the Santos academy, and a player who has made a stunning impact inhis teens, it is inevitable that Neymar has become one of them. However, he says his style is closer to that of Garrincha, and that Romario is his hero in the Seleção shirt. The early indications are that this hugely talented forward might, might, just have the potential to join the ranks of Brazil greats.
Though still in his formative years, Neymar has already been the subject of multi-million pound bids from giant European clubs, dazzled in Brazilian domestic football and at youth level for his country, and now he is beginning to do the same for the senior side. Overlooked for the 2010 World Cup by Dunga, despite pleas from Pele himself, Neymar is at the forefront of the new Seleção under Mano Menezes and, having already scored on his debut against United States in August 2010, caught Europe's attention when scoring twice against Scotland at Emirates Stadium when winning only his third cap in March 2011.
Neymar had already become a player of some repute in his home country though. A Santos player since 2003, he made his debut aged 17 and quickly shot to fame when winning the Campeonato Paulista in 2010 and being named the best player in the competition. Maintaining an impressive strike-rate, he shone alongside his stylistic soul-mate Robinho upon his loan return to the club from Manchester City, and was the subject of a £23 million offer from Chelsea in August 2010, which he rejected to continue his career in Brazil.
Though he also signed a new contract at the time, with his buyout clause set at (€45 million) £37 million, Neymar's continued excellence in the Santos shirt, despite some high-profile disciplinary problems, and his impact with Brazil at junior and senior level have led to persistent suggestions that he will move to one of Europe's biggest clubs.
He signed another new contract at Santos at the end of 2011, keeping him at the club until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but few people expect him to stay that long.
Strengths: A genius with the ball at his feet, Neymar's pace, dribbling , expert finishing and impeccable technique make him a fearsome opponent. His impressive awareness and match intelligence also mean he can operate wide or through the middle.
Weaknesses: His temperament is open to question following a number of disciplinary problems and he has been accused of being selfish, as well as indulging in some of football's dark arts.
Career high: His two-goal showing against Scotland in March 2011 which took his international tally to three in three games and announced his talent to a wider audience.
Career low: In September 2010, Neymar displayed his petulant side when first sparking a ruckus in a match against Ceara, and then arguing with coach Dorival Junior when overlooked to take a penalty against Guarani. Dorival suspended the player, and was sacked as a result.
Style: Electric, inventive, irrepressible, a dangerous forward.
Quotes: "It is good to be compared with the best player [Pele]. But my dad told me about Garrincha's style as he moved forward, went up, attacked and dribbled. Garrincha's style is more similar to Neymar's." Neymar, January 2011.
Trivia: Over 14,000 Brazil fans signed a petition demanding that Neymar be called up by Dunga for the 2010 World Cup finals.
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