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| 2002
FIFA World Cup May31 - June30 |
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The
2002 World Cup is a soccer fiesta where one can watch all the top
soccer players in action. Here's the pick of the lot. Watch out for
them in this World Cup.
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Rivaldo Vitor Borba
Ferreira (Brazil)
Like so many of Brazil's greats, Rivaldo too came from
a poor family. However, Rivaldo's phenomenal soccer
talents landed him in his first professional contract
with FC Santa Cruz in 1991 when he was just 19. He then
moved on to Sao Paulo club Corinthians in 1993, where
he scored 11 times in 19 games. The next year he moved
to Palmeiras, and helped them win their first Brazilian
championship in 1994.
Rivaldo replaced Ronaldo for Spain's top club FC Barcelona
in 1997 and has since flourished into one of the best
players in the world. He won the Ballon d'Or (European
Footballer of the Year), and the FIFA World Footballer
of the Year in 1999 and was one of the stars of
the FIFA World Cup France 1998.
Did
you know?
Rivaldo was named in the FIFA All-Star Team of the
tournament. |
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Michael
Owen (England)
One of the potential stars of this World Cup is the brilliant
Michael Owen of England. Owen made his debut against Chile
in 1998 and won the man-of-the-match award in his first
game.
Did
you know?
Michael Owen was the youngest English player in
the 20th Century in February 1998, at just 18 years
and 59 days. |
Owen
played his first FIFA World Cup in France 1998, scoring
one of the best goals in the tournament in England's second
round match with Argentina.
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Zinedine Zidane (France)
France's 1998 World Cup hero, Zinedine Zidane was discovered
by a talent scout at age 14 and signed as a schoolboy
with Cannes FC.
Born of Algerian immigrants, Zidane was only 17 when he
made his debut in the French first division. Changing
over to Bordeaux, he helped them reach the final of the
UEFA Cup.
Zidane finest moment came when he guided France to victory
in the FIFA World Cup 98, scoring two goals in the finals
against Brazil. He was the hero again when France won
the European Championship in 2000.
Did
you know?
Zidane was named the World Footballer of the Year
in 2000. |
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Gabriel Omar Batistuta
(Argentina)
After Maradona bid goodbye to soccer, Argentina found
a new hero in Gabriel Omar Batistuta. Nicknamed 'Batigol',
Batistuta is one of the world's greatest strikers. He
picked up soccer at the ripe age of 17 but in only two
years won the South American club championship - the Copa
Libertadores.
Batistuta won his first international cap in 1991 and
finished top scorer at the 1991 Copa America, guiding
Argentina to victory for the first time in 32 years.
Did
you know?
Batistuta scored five goals at 1998 FIFA World Cup
in France. |
In
May 2000, AS Roma gained Batistuta for Ł22 million, the
second largest transfer fee in football history at the
time. |
David
Beckham (England)
The England and Manchester United star is vital to English
hopes in the World Cup. Beckham started playing football
at a young age and by eight, he was scoring more than
a hundred goals over three seasons for his team, Ridgeway
Rovers of the Enfield District League.
Beckham signed for Britain's top club Manchester United
as a trainee in 1991 and was part of United's famous 1992
Youth Cup winning side.
He made his England debut against Moldova in September
1997 and soon became a regular in the national side. Beckham's
exceptional skills were noticed when he scored a goal
from the halfway line in the first game of the 1996/97
season at Wimbledon.
Beckham is as much in the news for his soccer skills
as he is for his marriage with former Spice Girl
Victoria Adams (Posh). |
David Beckham recently had a leg injury and is unlikely
to play all the matches. |
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Oliver
Kahn (Germany)
Oliver Kahn plays for the Bayern Munich club and is one
of the world's best goalkeepers. Kahn began his football
odyssey in 1976, in his native town, Karlsruhe. A year
later, he was playing for Karlsruhe FC's youth team. He
subsequently made his Bundesliga debut in the autumn of
1990.
He was called to the German team in October 1993 and was
named reserve keeper at the 1994 FIFA World Cup to Bodo
Illgner.
He made his international debut against Switzerland in
June 1995. Kahn was voted German footballer of the year
in 2000 and best European goalkeeper.
His superb show in the World Cup qualifiers was a major
factor that helped Germany enter the 2002 FIFA World Cup
Korea/Japan. |
Paolo
Maldini (Italy)
Paolo Maldini is one of the greatest defenders of all
times. He made his Serie A debut in 1985 at the age of
16 and was selected for the Italian team in 1988. Maldini
has won five Italian championship medals (1988, 1992,
1993, 1994 and 1996), three Cup Winners' Cup medals (1989,
1990 and 1994), two FIFA Club World Championship medals
(1989 and 1990) and three European Super Cups (1989, 1990
and 1995).
He was in the Italian team that reached the final of the
1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
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Raul
Gonzalez Blanco (Spain)
Raul Gonzalez Blanco was born in a suburb of Madrid and
showed promise at an early age, joining the Athletico
Madrid youth team at the age of 13.
He became the youngest player ever to wear a Real Madrid
shirt at just 17 years and four months.
Raul earned his first full international cap in October
1996. He became a regular in the national side only before
Euro 2000 and finished top scorer, with 11 goals, in the
Euro 2000™ qualifiers. |
Henrik
Larsson (Sweden)
Henrik Larsson is one of the best strikers in Europe.
He began playing club football at the age of 5, and at
17 made his league debut at third-division Hogaborg.
Larsson scored 16 goals in his first season, finishing
third highest goal-scorer in the Swedish first division
in 1993.
He scored his first international goal in his debut match
in October 1993, in Sweden's 3-2 win over Finland in a
FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Being a consistent striker, Larsson scored his 100th goal
in January 2001. |
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Patrick
Mboma (Cameroon)
Patrick Mboma first gained prominence in 1997 while playing
for the J League in Japan. He top scored with 25 goals
in 28 games, and also the fastest goal (26 seconds) and
the J League's first hat trick.
He has been a vital player in the Cameroon national squad
since 1996. He top-scored with 5 goals in the World Cup
qualifiers for FIFA World Cup France 98
Last year he was voted 2000 African Player of the Year.
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Emile
Mpenza(Belgium)
Emile Mpenza was first noticed by the world when he
was transferred from Standard Ličge to German Club FC
Schalke 04 early in 2000 for a record fee close to nine
million euros.
Mpenza was first selected for Belgium's national team
in 1997, since then he has established himself as one
of the most consistent players in the side. Barely 19
years of age, he was picked in all three of his country's
matches in the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. |
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Adel
Sellimi (Tunisia)
Adel Sellimi joined his first club, Africain de Tunis,
at the age of 10. Over the next 14 years, he won two Tunisian
league titles and one Tunisia Cup.
The striker quickly attracted a superstar
following in Tunisia. He won his first international cap
in September 1993 against Germany. Since then, he has
been picked for his country more than 70 times, making
him his country's most-capped player. |
Agustín
Javier Delgado Chalá (Ecuador)
Agustín Delgado made his professional debut as a defender
for Espoli and is one of the most feared strikers on the
South American continent. His ability was in full focus
in the World Cup qualifiers, in which he scored nine goals,
reaching the top of the scoring charts - level with the
Argentinian Hernán Crespo.
Delgado played a major part in setting his country on
course for a first-ever FIFA World Cup finals appearance.
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Alen
Boksic (Croatia)
Alen Boksic, along with Davor Suker leads the Croatian
challenge at this year's World Cup. Boksic made his debut
in the Yugoslavian first division at Hajduk Split in 1987
at the age of just 17, and was selected for Yugoslavia
after a superb 1989-90 season in which Boksic scored 12
goals.
Boksic played the 1994 World Cup but did not play in any
matches thus becoming the only player in Yugoslavian record
books to attend a FIFA World Cup without actually playing.
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Augustine
"Jay-Jay" Okocha (Nigeria)
Augustine Okocha - or "Jay-Jay" - burst onto the international
football scene in 1992 when he moved to German first division
club Eintracht Frankfurt and instantly became a favourite
with fans because of his excellent dribbling and tricks.
His most memorable moment came in a game against a club
Karlsruhe in 1993 when he dribbled through the entire
defence before beating goalkeeper Oliver Kahn to net the
ball. That goal was voted Goal of the Year.
Jay-Jay also led the Nigerian team to victory in the 1994
African Cup of Nations and an Olympic gold medal at the
1996 Atlanta Games. |
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Ebbe
Sand (Denmark)
Ebbe Sand shot to prominence when he scored two hat tricks
in the Danish league in the record gap of just ten days
in 1997.
A qualified engineer, Ebbe signed his first professional
contract with Denmark's top club, Brondby. In the 1997-8
season he picked up every prize in the domestic game:
Brondby completed the league and cup double, and Sand
finished leading goalscorer (with 28 goals - nine more
than his nearest rival), and was named Danish Footballer
of the Year.
In late April 1999 he moved to Bundesliga side Schalke
04, for a transfer fee of DM10 million (approx. Ł3.3m).
Ebbe is Denmark's bright hope for this world cup. |
Claudio
Reyna (USA)
Son of an Argentinian professional footballer, Claudio
Reyna began playing football at the age of 4, and made
the U.S. Olympic squad when he was only in high school.
He played for the University of Virginia and won the National
Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Championship
three times. In 1993, he was voted College Player of the
Year.
28-year-old Reyna is one of the most popular football
players in the US. He has his own brand of "Reyna Superstar"
football boots too! |
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Luis
Felipe Madeira Caeiro Figo - "Figo" (Portugal)
Luis Figo began his career as a street footballer at Os
Pastilhas, before joining Sporting Lisbon at the age of
11. He made his debut in the club's first team in 1989,
when he was just 16. The same year, Figo became a world
champion as part of the Portuguese Under-16 squad, and
again two years later in the Under-20 category.
Figo became Lisbon's captain in 1994-5 at only 23 years
of age.
In the 1995-96 season, he joined Barcelona and soon Figo
was being hailed as one of the world's best forwards.
Together, Figo and Barcelona won the Winners' Cup and
the European Super Cup, consecutive Spanish league titles
in 1998 and 1999, and the Spanish Cup in 1997 and 1998.
Figo earned his first international cap in 1991. He led
Portugal to the semi-finals of the European Championships
in 2000 and was named European Footballer of the Year
in 2000. |
Cuauhtémoc
Blanco (Mexico)
Cuauhtémoc Blanco is a key player in the Mexican national
side because of his goal scoring ability. He made his
debut on December 2, 1993 for the América de México club
and was chosen for the 1998 FIFA World Cup team. However,
he only managed one goal (against Belgium) and there was
not much he could do to avoid his side's elimination in
the last 16 stage, at the hands of Germany.
Blanco is famous for his trick called the "Cuauhtémińa"
(where he rests the ball on both feet and in a coil-like
movement skips past opponents). |
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El
hadji Diouf (Senegal)
Nine of Senegal's 14 goals in the world cup qualifiers
were scored by Elhadji Diouf- - including two hat tricks.
Diouf's performance helped Senegal earn their first world
cup finals berth.
Diouf is called the "Serial Killer" by Senegalese fans
for his prolific goal-scoring. |
Fan
Zhiyi (China)
China has qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals for
the first time, and one of their stars is 32-year-old
Fan Zhiyi.
Fan was one of the first Chinese professional footballers
to move to Europe when he joined English second division
club Crystal Palace for a transfer fee of Ł1 million and
soon became one of Crystal Palace's most important players.
He was named Player of the Month three times while at
Crystal Palace.
Fan is one of China's most experienced players and a great
asset to the team. |
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Zlatko
Zahovic (Slovenia)
Zlatko Zahovic is an attacking midfielder and considered
to be the man who brought glory to Slovenia by leading
them to qualification for the UEFA European Championship
in 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.
He scored at vital times in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan
qualifiers. |
Shaun Bartlett (South
Africa)
Bartlett has played in the US Major League Soccer with
a Swiss A division team Zurich FC before finally realising
his childhood dream when he moved to the Premier League
in England.
Bartlett's consistency and calm has seen him being appointed
the captain of the South African team. He will be leading
his country into the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.
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Hakan
Sükür (Turkey)
Hakan Sükür first played for his hometown side, Sakaryaspor,
when only 16. In 1992, Galatasaray, a top team from Istanbul,
invited him to join them.
Sükür hit nineteen goals in his very first season, helping
Galatasaray to a league title. In March 1992, Sükür got
to play for Turkey for the first time and helped the Turks
to their first-ever qualification to the UEFA European
Championships in 1996.
Sukur has a unique European record to his name: thirty-eight
goals in a single season.
Hakan will be central to Turkey's plans during the 2002
FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan. |
José
Luis Chilavert (Paraguay)
This young talented goalkeeper received his cap for the
Paraguay youth side and at 18 made his first division
debut at Guarani Asuncion and later moved to Argentinian
club San Lorenzo.
After joining first division club Velez Sarsfield Chilavert
won the Argentinian league championship in 1993, 1995
and 1996, and the Copa Libertadores and European/South
America (Toyota) Cup in 1994.
He was voted World Goalkeeper of the Year in 1995 and
1997. Chilavert also has more than 50 goals to his credit
from penalties and free kicks.
His greatest international achievement to date was helping
Paraguay qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup France. |
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Viktor Onopko (Russia)
Viktor Onopko was born in Ukraine, but decided to play
for Russia after the break-up of the CIS team before the
1992 European Championships.
He joined a football school when only 9, and was soon
playing for his first club, Shakhtar Donetsk. Onopko was
first noticed during the 1992 European Championships with
many observers calling him as the "discovery of the competition."
Viktor represented Russia in all ten of its qualifiers
for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, helping the team
finish top of its group. Onopko is one of the most experienced
players in the Russian squad and could well be one of
the stars of the competition. |
Hernán
Evaristo Medford Bryan (Costa Rica (CRC))
Hernán Evaristo Medford Bryan is remembered best for his
goal-scoring skills. Two goals particularly stand out,
both of which resulted in historic wins for his country:
the first was a goal scored against Sweden at the Italia
90 and the second against Mexico in a FIFA World Cup qualifying
match. Medford has become a symbol of Costa Rican football.
At this year's FIFA World Cup finals, Medford will become
the first-ever Costa Rican to play in three FIFA World
Championships, having previously taken part in the 1985
FIFA Under-17 tournament (in China) and Italia 90. He
is also the most-capped Costa Rican player in history,
with 79 times for his country, netting 17 goals in the
process. |
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Seol Ki-Hyeon (Korea
Republic)
Seol Ki-Hyeon is the brightest hope in the Korean peninsula.
The young striker moved to Europe to hone his football
skills and was signed up by Belgian soccer giants, Antwerp.
In his very first season with Antwerp, he has played in
the UEFA Champions' League and the Belgian Super Cup,
where he helped his side to victory in the final against
Westerlo with a hat trick in the space of just 12 minutes.
Seol will be motivated in front of his home crowd this
year to help co-hosts Korea reach at least the second
round of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their
history. |
Roy Keane (Republic
of Ireland)
Roy Keane is an energetic all-round midfielder who always
puts everything into his games.
Nicknamed "Spuds", Roy captains both Manchester United
and the Republic of Ireland, and is an able leader of
men with his never-say-die attitude.
He was voted player of the year by his fellow English-based
professionals as well as by the Football Writers Association
in 2000. |
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Tomasz Hajto (Poland)
Tomasz Hajto is a rough and tough defender who has a reputation
for picking up yellow cards. In the 1998-9 season alone
Hajto was given 16 yellow cards, more than anyone else
in the German first division. Yet he is also known for
his powerful ball throwing, often creating panic in the
opposing penalty area.
Tomasz Hajto's career began at KS Halniak at the age of
14. He made his first division debut for Krakow club Hutnik
in 1991, and after more than 100 first division appearances
has built a reputation as one of Poland's most reliable
defenders.
Hajto first played for Poland on 27 August 1996, in a
2-2 draw with Cyprus and is a key member to Poland's chances
in the World Cup. His liking for fashionable clothing,
has earned him the nickname "Gianni" (after fashion designer
Versace). |
Sami Al Jaber (Saudi
Arabia (KSA))
Sami Al Jaber was teenage prodigy, with Saudi Arabia's
top clubs wanting him in their side when he was only 15.
He finally joined leading club Al Hilal and in 1988 and
in his second season, finished top goalscorer of the club's
youth championship-winning team.
In 1990, he was called up for the full national side by
Saudi coach Carlos Alberto Parreira (manager of Brazilian
side that lifted the 1994 FIFA World Cup). Four years
later, he helped his team qualify for the 1994 World Cup
in USA.
He scored the winning goal in Saudi Arabia's first ever
FIFA World Cup victory and led them to victory in the
Asian Cup in 1996. |
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Alvaro
Recoba(Uruguay)
Recoba comes from Montevideo and started up in local team
Danubio FC - a second-rate side in the Uruguayan first
division, but his talent took him to one of the country's
top clubs, Nacional. He scored 57 goals in 51 games.
He was signed up by Italian super club Internazionale
FC where he won many admirers for his superb skills.
Recoba led his country to fifth place in the South American
section for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
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