Davor Suker

Davor Suker

Full name: Davor Suker
Born: 01.01.1968
Born in: Osijek, Croatia
Nationality: Croatia
Yugoslavia
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 78 kg

Statistic Club Career

07/2001 - 06/2003 ==> TSV 1860 München, Germany
07/2000 - 06/2001 ==> West Ham United, England
07/1999 - 06/2000 ==> Arsenal FC, England
07/1996 - 06/1999 ==> Real Madrid, Spain
07/1991 - 06/1996 ==> Sevilla FC, Spain
07/1989 - 06/1991 ==> Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia
07/1984 - 06/1989 ==> NK Osijek, Croatia


Career in Spain

Suker made his Primera División debut for Sevilla on November 17, 1991, coming off the bench as a last-minute substitute in their 1-1 away draw at RCD Espanyol de Barcelona. In the following match, at home against Real Sociedad, he made his first appearance from the beginning and went on to score a brace to secure his club a 2-2 draw. He finished his first Sevilla season with 6 goals in 22 appearances, but the following season he improved his record to 13 goals in 33 matches. Especially successful for him was Sevilla's first match of the season, away at Albacete Balompié, where scored his first Primera hat-trick and helped his club to drive home a 4-3 victory.

In the 1993-94 season, he turned into one of the best players in the Spanish Primera and became the second-best goal scorer of the league with 24 goals, six less than FC Barcelona's Romário. He made a total of 34 Primera appearances that season and also netted five braces and one hat-trick. After this, he played another two seasons for Sevilla, scoring 33 goals in 64 appearances in the Spanish Primera. Suker also played with Maradona at Sevilla that time (1992-1993).

He went on to move to Real Madrid for the 1996-97 season, in which he repeated the success of scoring 24 goals, only he made 38 appearances that season and was third-best goal scorer of the league, behind FC Barcelona Ronaldo and Real Betis Alfonso Pérez. During the same 1996-97 season, he managed to score three hat-tricks in the Primera and led Real Madrid to winning the league title. The realization of his dream of capturing major trophies continued the following season, when he won the Champions League with Real Madrid, although he only played a couple of stoppage-time minutes in the Final against Juventus. In the Primera, he scored 10 goals in 29 appearances that season. In the 1998-99 season, his role at Real Madrid nevertheless became largely diminished, despite the fact that he performed well at the 1998 World Cup that preceded the season, and he only scored 4 goals in 19 Primera appearances. By the end of the season, he decided to leave the club after three seasons of playing for them.

His decision to leave Real Madrid also marked the end of his eight-season-long career in the Spanish Primera, which ended with a total of 114 goals in 239 appearances.
Ivan Suker, Croatia's Finance Minister (left), and Davor Šuker (right)

Moving to England

For the 1999-2000 season, Suker decided to make a move to the English Premiership and signed with Arsenal. He made his league debut on August 221999 in Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Highbury, coming on as a substitute for the final 15 minutes. He subsequently played another two matches as a substitute before finally making his first start in Arsenal 3-1 home victory over Aston Villa, where he scored his first two goals in the Premiership. He scored 8 goals, including three braces, in 22 Premiership appearances for Arsenal before moving to West Ham United for the 2000-01 season. With Arsenal, he also played in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final as an extra-time substitute. Arsenal lost the Final to Turkish side Galatasaray on penalties, with Suker missing his.

At West Ham, he never managed to find his place in the first team for a longer period and only made 11 Premiership appearances for the club throughout the season, scoring twice. His career in England ended with the end of that season as he decided to make a move to German side 1860 Munich for the 2001-02 season.

Last two seasons in Germany

At 1860 Munich, Suker did not manage to make his Bundesliga debut until the 15th matchday of the season on December 1, 2001, when he played all 90 minutes in the club's 1-0 home victory over Energie Cottbus. His first goal for the club came in their first match after winter break, a 3-0 home victory over 1. FC Köln, where he scored the third goal with a header. His highlight of the season came on the final matchday in a 4-2 away victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he netted his only brace in the Bundesliga. He finished his first Bundesliga season with a modest record of 4 goals in 14 appearances.

In his last season in 2002-03, he once again only occasionally played for the club and only scored once in 11 Bundesliga appearances throughout the season. He scored his last goal on November 2, 2002 in 1860 Munich's 3-1 home victory over Arminia Bielefeld and the last match of his professional career was on March 16, 2003 in his club's 1-0 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart. In two seasons of playing Bundesliga football, he only scored five goals in 23 appearances. In this two seasons with 1860 Munich, he also made a total of five German Cup appearances in which he managed to score three goals.

International Career

World Cup 2002, Japan/South Korea : Team Croatia
World Cup 1998, France : Team Croatia
World Cup 1990 Italy : Team Yugoslavia
Friendlies 2000 : Team Croatia
EURO 1996 England : Team Croatia

Already in his youth, Suker made 25 international appearances and scored 15 goals for various Yugoslav youth national teams.He was the second best scorer on World Youth Championship in Chile 1987 and Yugoslavia won the title.Yugoslavia also set a new FIFA World Youth Championship scoring record (which still stands today): they banged in an average of 2.44 goals per game, finishing with 22 goals for and 9 against and the best attack was Yugoslavian which scored 17 goals on tournament with Suker domination (6 goals, second scorer of tournament and won an adidas golden shoe award). In 1990, he was named to the Yugoslav national team's 22-man squad for the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy, but did not receive any playing time during the tournament.

On December 22, 1990, he made his debut for then newly founded Croatian national team in their friendly match against Romania. In 1991, he nevertheless also won his only two caps for Yugoslavia (on 27/02/91 against Turkey, and 16/05/91 against Faroe Islands), since Croatia was registered with neither FIFA nor UEFA at the time, and scored his first international goal with the team (against Faroe Islands). In his second match for Croatia, a friendly against Mexico in 1992, he scored a brace in Croatia's 3-0 victory. He then led Croatia to their first major international tournament, the 1996 European Championship, with a then record of 12 goals in 10 matches during the qualifying tournament.

At the final tournament in England, he scored three goals in four matches, including two in the 3-0 group-stage win over defending champions Denmark, where he set the final score with an unforgettable looping shot over Denmark's keeper Peter Schmeichel. It is still remembered as one of the greatest goals in EURO history, which also earned him a place in the EURO 96 Team of the Tournament.

He then went on to help Croatia to qualify for their first World Cup as he scored five goals in nine appearances during the qualifying for the 1998 finals in France. He went on to claim the Golden Boot at the tournament, scoring six goals in seven matches and leading the Croatian team to their sensational third-place finish in the country's very first World Cup appearance since becoming independent. He netted one goal in every match where Croatia scored, also scoring the winning goals in 1-0 victories over Japan in the group stage and Romania in the round of 16 as well as in the 2-1 success against the Netherlands in the third-place play-off. He also brought the team to the doorstep of the Final by scoring the opening goal of the semifinal against France before Lilian Thuram switched the lead with his only two international goals and gave France a 2-1 victory for a place in the Final.

After the 1998 World Cup, Suker continued to play for Croatia in their unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the 2000 European Championship as Croatia just missed out on qualification. Davor was however remembered as he kept Croatia's hopes of qualification alive when he scored a 94th minute winner against Ireland at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. The win ensured Croatia would have a strong chance of qualifying, but would unfortunately miss out due to their final qualifying game, a 2-2 draw at home to his previous teammates of Yugoslavia. He did manage to score a late goal which was later disallowed, and would have sent Croatia through had it been counted. He finished his qualifying campaign that year with four goals in seven matches. He was also part of the Croatian team at the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea, but only played 63 minutes in their unsuccessful opening match against Mexico, which ended in a 1-0 defeat for Croatia. In the qualifying for the tournament, he only scored once in six matches. After the 2002 World Cup, he retired from international football but went on to be an icon for many children around the world, but mostly in Croatia where he is still seen as a national hero.

Suker won a total of 71 international caps during his professional career, 2 for Yugoslavia and 69 for Croatia, and scored a total of 46 international goals. With 69 international caps, he is currently the sixth most-capped player in the Croatian national team, but his goalscoring record of 45 goals for the team will probably remain unbeaten for decades as it has been since his retirement, since no other player has scored even 20 goals for Croatia (as of June 2008).

His 12 goals during the qualifying campaign for Euro 96 was a record until beaten in 2007 by Northern Ireland's David Healy during qualifying for the 2008 European Championships as the Northern Irish star managed 13 goals.

SOLSKJAER

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Full name: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
born: 26.02.1973
born in: Kristiansund, Norway Norway
Nationality: Norway
Height: 176 cm
Weight: 74 kg

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Knight First Class, Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (born 26 February 1973 in Kristiansund, Møre og Romsdal) is a Norwegian former footballer who spent the majority of his career playing for Manchester United, often dubbed the "Baby-faced assassin". He is the current Manchester United Reserve team manager. He played 366 times for the Red Devils and scored 126 goals during a very successful period for the club. Solskjær's defining moment in football came in injury time of the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final where he scored the winning last-minute goal against Bayern Munich, completing a remarkable comeback and winning The Treble for United.

Before he moved to England, Solskjær completed a year's national service in the Norwegian army, and played part time for Third Division Norwegian Clausenengen F.K., later moving to Norwegian Premier League Molde F.K. in 1994. He joined United on 29 July 1996, for a transfer fee of £1.5m. He is a patron of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (formerly Shareholders United).

On 27 August 2007, Solskjær announced his retirement from football after failing to recover from a serious knee injury. However, Solskjær remained at Old Trafford in a coaching role, as well as in an ambassadorial capacity. On 20 May 2008, Solskjær was announced as Manchester United's first full-time Reserve team manager since 2006, taking over from Brian McClair and Jimmy Ryan, who had filled the role in a caretaker capacity.

In November 2007 Solskjær was made a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav by King Harald V of Norway.[4] He was presented with the award in a ceremony on 25 October 2008 in his hometown of Kristiansund. Solskjær is the youngest ever recipient of the knighthood, usually bestowed upon notable members of society in their later years.

For his commitment to Manchester United, Solskjaer was granted a testimonial which took place in the pre-season preparations for the 2008-09 season. The match was against Espanyol and was played on August 2nd. The game ended 1-0 to Manchester United, with the only goal coming from Fraizer Campbell shortly after the 80 minute mark. The testimonial gathered 68,868 spectators, the 2nd largest attendance for a testimonial in Great Britain, only beaten by Roy Keane's testimonial.

Statistic Club Career

07/1996 - 08/2007 ==> Manchester United, England
01/1994 - 06/1996 ==> Molde FK, Norway

Early Manchester United years

Solskjær had scored 31 goals in 42 matches for Molde in the Norwegian Premier League, and he did not disappoint at the start of his United career, scoring six minutes into his debut as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers in the Premiership in the 1996-97 season.

Solskjær scored 18 Premiership goals for United in his first season, helping United win the title in the last weeks of the season. The British media nicknamed him the "Baby-Faced Assassin" because of his youthful looks and his deadly finishing. He will perhaps be best remembered as a "super-sub", having earned wide acclaim for a remarkable habit of coming into matches late on as a substitute and scoring goals. Alex Ferguson remarked that Solskjær has a knack of sitting on the bench and studying the game without taking his eye off the action. One of his most impressive feats was coming off the bench to score four goals in the last twelve minutes of United's 8-1 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.

Solskjær stayed at Old Trafford even though other clubs showed interest in the player in 1998. The Norwegian went on to score the winning goal in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final, helping the team secure the Treble and cementing his own place in the United folklore. These feats made him a favourite among the United supporters, inspiring songs such as "Who Put the Ball in the Germans' Net?" and "You Are My Solskjær". Although he had been absent on the pitch for a long time due to injury, United fans still fill matches with chants sung in Solskjær's honour.

After a few years of playing in the role of super-sub, Solskjær got a chance as a starter in the 2001-02 season, paired up with striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. He took the opportunity with characteristic incisiveness, forcing Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke onto the bench.

By 2002-03, after both Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke had left Old Trafford, Solskjær had only Diego Forlán and Van Nistelrooy to compete with for a place in the starting line-up. Still, Ferguson's persistence in playing van Nistelrooy up front as a lone striker meant that opportunities were limited.

Solskjær was subsequently given his time again when David Beckham picked up an injury and Ferguson played the Norwegian on the right wing. While proving himself to be an able crosser of the ball, Solskjær also popped up with goals, scoring a total of 16 goals for the season. He was selected to play on the right in important matches, such as in the league game against Arsenal and the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, while Beckham was left on the bench. He also captained the team in a number of matches.

Solskjær played for Norway in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 and has 67 international caps.

Injury-plagued seasons

In 2003-04, Solskjær found himself in and out of the United squad as he struggled with a recurring knee problem. Coupled with the arrival of Louis Saha from Fulham in January 2004, Solskjær found himself out of the first team and found himself either in his original role of super-sub or in central midfield. Solskjær still returned from injury in time to play in the 2004 FA Cup final, which the club won. The arrival of Alan Smith in summer 2004 nonetheless led to rumours that Solskjær was to leave Old Trafford, along with Nicky Butt, who eventually moved to Newcastle United, and David Bellion, who had been largely replaced by Wayne Rooney. Solskjær underwent intensive knee surgery in August 2004 and had to miss the 2004-05 season entirely. While he eventually recovered his fitness, it was difficult for the 32-year-old to carve his niche again among the heavy-weight attack of Manchester United. The Old Trafford faithful, however, displayed almost fanatical loyalty in their desire to see Solskjær in action again.

To show their continuing support, fans added a banner to the collection that lines the Stretford End reading "20 LEGEND" (Solskjær wore number 20 for United). Solskjær further solidified his status amongst United fans when he became a patron of the supporters action group, Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), previously Shareholders United.


Statistic International Career

World Cup 1998, France
Friendlies 2007
Friendlies 2006
Friendlies 2004
Friendlies 2003
Friendlies 1999
EURO 2000, Holland/Belgium
EURO Qualifiers 2006/2007
EURO Qualifiers 2002/2003

Future career as player-coach

On 31 March 2006, Solskjær signed a new contract with Manchester United until the end of the 2008 season, with a provision to allow him to develop his coaching awards. He also acted in an ambassadorial role for the club, when he travelled to Hong Kong in 2006 and played with students at the Manchester United Soccer School in Hong Kong. In July 2006, Solskjær participated in a pre-season game against Orlando Pirates, playing for 45 minutes and scoring 2 goals in United's 4-0 win. He also scored in matches against Preston North End and F.C. Porto. Ferguson praised the player and said he would re-consider his plan to buy a new striker.[11] On 16 August 2006 Solskjær returned for the Norwegian national team and played for 45 minutes against Brazil in a 1-1 draw.

On 2 September 2006, Solskjær scored his first goal for the national team after his injury, when he scored the first and last goals in a 4-1 win against Hungary in a Euro 2008 qualifying match. It was also his first post-injury professional match where he played the full game.

On 19 April 2007, Solskjær stated that he could not see himself playing professional football past his contract expiry date, at the end of the 2008 season. He has already been granted a testimonial following his long service to the club—and in recognition of his popularity with supporters. The match took place on August 2nd 2008, a 1-0 win over RCD Espanyol. Solskjaer played the final 25 minutes of the match, coming close to scoring on two occasions.

In an interview in July covered on ManUtd.com, Solskjær refused to put a timescale on his professional career, but he was confident he would play out the one year left in his contract at Manchester United. He said, "The knee will never be 100 percent again, but as long as it doesn't hurt I'll continue to play. I don't know how long I can continue. It might be over after this season or I might be able to play another season." When interviewed by Setanta Sports in August 2007, Solskjær confirmed he would train to be a coach after retiring from professional football, and would start to earn the required badges after his last season with Manchester United. He also stated that unless his knee returned to a better state by the end of the 2007-08 season, that would definitely be his last season.

On 27 August 2007, it was announced that Solskjær had retired from football with immediate effect due to his ongoing knee injury. Finally, on September 4 at the home game against Sunderland, his retirement was officially announced over the Old Trafford tannoy, with Solskjær walking onto the pitch to a standing ovation. As of his retirement, Solskjær holds the record for the most goals scored for Manchester United as a substitute, scoring 28 goals off the bench.

CHRISTIAN ZIEGE

CHRISTIAN ZIEGE

Full name: Christian Ziege
Born: 01.02.1972
Born in: Berlin, Germany
Nationality: Germany
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 73 kg


Statistic Club Career

07/2005 - 10/2005 ==> Bor. Mönchengladbach, Germany
07/2004 - 06/2005 ==> Bor. Mönchengladbach, Germany
07/2001 - 06/2004 ==> Tottenham Hotspur, England
07/2000 - 06/2001 ==> Liverpool FC, England
07/1999 - 06/2000 ==> Middlesbrough FC, England
07/1997 - 06/1999 ==> AC Milan, Italy
07/1995 - 06/1997 ==> Bayern München, Germany
07/1990 - 06/1995 ==> Bayern München, Germany

At club level, Ziege played for Bayern Munich (1990-97), AC Milan (1997-99) and Middlesbrough (1999-2000). In summer 2000 Liverpool F.C. made a £5.5m bid which exactly matched a get-out clause in Ziege's contract. Middlesbrough insisted they had received offers in excess of £8m for Ziege, but were forced contractually to allow Ziege to talk to Liverpool, who then signed him. He made his debut for Liverpool in a 3-2 home win over Manchester City on 9 September, 2000, replacing Steven Gerrard in the second half. Although the Anfield crowd saw flashes of Ziege's brilliance down the left flank during the season, a combination of knee injuries and the improving form of Jamie Carragher, meant he was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur after one year and 32 appearances in all competitions.

On 14 March 2002, Liverpool were fined £20,000 by The Football Association for making an illegal approach for Ziege, while the player himself was fined £10,000. However, by this time Ziege's injury problems were escalating, and by 2004 his contract was terminated by mutual consent so he could return to Germany.

Ziege returned to Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach in June 2004, but announced his retirement in October 2005, having not played since the previous December due to a persistent ankle injury.

International Career

World Cup 2002, Japan/South Korea
World Cup 1998, France
WC Qualifiers Europe 2002
WC Qualifiers Europe 1998
WC Qualifiers Relegation 2002
Friendlies 2004
Friendlies 2002
Friendlies 2001
Friendlies 2000
Friendlies 1999
Friendlies 1998
Friendlies 1997
Friendlies 1996
Friendlies 1995
Friendlies 1993
EURO 2004, Portugal
EURO 2000, Holland/Belgium
EURO 1996, England
EURO Qualifiers 2002/2003
EURO Qualifiers 1998/1999
EURO Qualifiers 1994/1995

Ziege was capped 72 times for Germany, scoring nine goals. Other than the Euro 96 win, he also played for his country at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups (during which he played the final game), as well as Euro 2000 (he was a member of the Euro 2004 squad, but didn't play).

Managerial Career

Following retirement from the game due to injury in October 2005, Ziege picked up his UEFA diploma for coaching. In 2006 he moved into coaching with his last professional club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he was named head coach of the club's Under-17 team, succeeding Thomas Schumacher. In 2006-07 the club's U17 team had won ten out of seventeen matches with Ziege in charge when, in March 2007, he was handed the role of Director of Football at the club, as the replacement for the outgoing Peter Pander. At the time of his appointment, with ten matches to go until the end of the season, Mönchengladbach were at the bottom of the Bundesliga, with five points between them and safety. On 15 December 2008 Ziege left Borussia Mönchengladbach.

ROY KEANE

Roy Maurice Keane

Full Name: Roy Maurice Keane
Born: 10.08.1971
Born In: Cork, Ireland
Nationality: Ireland
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 77 kg

Statistic Club Career

01/2006 - 06/2006 ==> Celtic Glasgow, Scotland
07/1993 - 11/2005 ==> Manchester United, England
07/1990 - 06/1993 ==> Nottingham Forest, England
07/1989 - 06/1990 ==> Cobh Ramblers, Ireland

Keane was born into a working class family in the Mayfield suburb of Cork. His father, Maurice, took work wherever he could find it due to the economic hardships of the time, which led to jobs at a local knitwear company and a Guinness factory, amongst others. His family were keen on sport, football especially, and many of his relatives had played for junior clubs in Cork, including the renowned Rockmount A.F.C. Before choosing football as his preferred sport, Keane took up boxing at the age of nine and trained for a number of years, winning all of his four bouts in the novice league. During this period he was developing as a much more promising footballer at Rockmount, and his potential was highlighted when he was voted Player of the Year in his first season.

Keane supported Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur as a child, citing Liam Brady (a former Arsenal player) as his favourite player, but as time progressed, Manchester United's Bryan Robson became the footballer he most admired due to the all-action, box-to-box style for which 'Captain Marvel' had become famous. These were qualities which Keane also had in abundance, and little did he know that he would eventually become Robson's long-term replacement at Old Trafford.

Despite his growing promise, a future career in football began to look uncertain. He was turned down from the Ireland schoolboys squad after a trial in Dublin; one explanation from former Ireland coach and scout Ronan Scally was that the fourteen-year-old Keane was "just too small" to make it at the required level. Undeterred, he began applying for trials with English clubs, but he was turned down by each one. As his childhood years passed, he took up temporary jobs involving manual work whilst waiting for a breakthrough in his football prospects. In 1989, he eventually signed for the semi-professional Irish club Cobh Ramblers after persuasion from Ramblers' youth team manager Eddie O'Rourke. Keane was one of two Ramblers representatives in the inaugural FAI/FAS scheme in Dublin, and it was through this initiative that he got his first taste of full-time training. His rapid progression into a promising footballer was reflected by the fact that he would regularly turn out for Ramblers' youth side as well as the actual first team, often playing twice in the same weekend as a result.

In the tough, physical world of the Irish First Division, Keane more than held his own against players much more experienced than himself, his dedication to training noticed by many. In an important FAI Youth Cup match against Belvedere FC of Dublin, Keane's performance attracted the attention of watching Nottingham Forest scout Noel McCabe, who asked him to travel over to England for a trial. Keane impressed Forest manager Brian Clough and his staff, and eventually a deal for Keane worth £47,000 was struck with Cobh Ramblers in the summer of 1990.

International Career

World Cup 2002, Japan/South Korea
World Cup 1994, USA
WC Qualifiers Europe 2006
Friendlies 2005
Friendlies 2004

When called up for his first game at international level, an Under-21s match against Turkey in 1991, Keane took an immediate dislike to the organisation and preparation surrounding the Irish team, later describing the set-up as "a bit of a joke." He would continue to hold this view throughout the remainder of his time spent with the national team, which led to numerous confrontations with the Irish management. Keane declared his unavailability to travel with the Irish squad to Algeria, but was surprised when manager Jack Charlton told him that he would never play for Ireland again if he refused to join up with his compatriots. Despite this threat, Keane chose to stay at home on the insistence of Forest manager Brian Clough, and was pleased when a year later he was called up to the Irish squad for a friendly at Lansdowne Road. After more appearances, he grew to disapprove of Charlton's style of football, which relied less on the players' skill and more on continuous pressing and direct play. Tensions between the two men peaked during a pre-season tournament in the United States, when Charlton berated Keane for returning home late after a drinking session with Steve Staunton.

Keane was included in Ireland's squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA and played in every game, including a famous 1-0 victory over tournament favourites and eventual finalists, Italy. Despite a second-round exit at the hands of Holland, the tournament was considered a success for the Irish team, and Keane was named the best player of Ireland's campaign. Keane, however, was reluctant to join the post-tournament celebrations, later claiming that, as far as he was concerned, Ireland's World Cup was a disappointment: "There was nothing to celebrate. We achieved little."

Keane missed crucial matches during the France 1998 qualification matches due to a severe knee injury, but came back to captain the team to within a whisker of qualifying for Euro 2000, losing to Turkey in a play-off. Ireland secured qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup under new manager Mick McCarthy, greatly assisted by a number of match-winning performances from Keane. In the process of qualification, Ireland went undefeated, both home and away, against international football heavyweights Portugal and the Netherlands, famously beating the latter 1-0 at Lansdowne Road.


Managerial Career

His former manager Sir Alex Ferguson had previously said that he wanted Keane to succeed him as Manchester United coach when he retired. However, in the wake of Keane's acrimonious departure from the club, Ferguson became evasive regarding Keane's prospects as a manager: "Young managers come along and people say this one will be England manager or boss of this club, but two years later they're not there. It's not an easy environment to come into, I wouldn't forecast anything."

Sunderland

During his time at Celtic, Keane was suggested as a potential managerial successor to Gordon Strachan by former Celtic player Charlie Nicholas. However, it was Championship club Sunderland where Keane chose to launch his managerial career, re-uniting him with the club's chairman and outgoing manager, Niall Quinn. The two men, publicly at least, were on opposing sides during the fall-out from the Saipan incident, but they were on good terms at the time of the managerial appointment, with Quinn urging Sunderland fans to "support and enjoy one of football’s true greats".

Keane signed a three year deal immediately after Sunderland's victory over West Bromwich Albion on 28 August, the Mackems' first win of the 2006-07 season after a dreadful run of four consecutive defeats under Quinn's temporary management. With his new club sitting in the relegation zone already, second bottom of the Championship table, Keane chose to enforce changes quickly. His first actions as manager were deciding to keep the existing assistant manager, Bobby Saxton, and to appoint his former Nottingham Forest colleague Tony Loughlan as head coach. He wasted no time in bringing in new additions to the squad, with a total of six players signing on the final day of the August transfer window. The most notable signings were Keane's former Manchester United team-mates Dwight Yorke and Liam Miller, supported by former Celtic colleagues Ross Wallace and Stanislav Varga, as well as Wigan Athletic pair Graham Kavanagh and David Connolly.

Keane's first two games as manager could not have gone much better; first coming from behind to beat Derby County 2-1, followed by an easy 3-0 victory over Leeds United. Sunderland began to steadily creep up the league standings under Keane's management, and by the turn of the year they had escaped the bottom half of the league. Five further players were signed during the January 2007 transfer window, three (Anthony Stokes, Carlos Edwards and Stern John) on permanent contracts and two (Jonny Evans and Danny Simpson) on loan from Manchester United, Keane's old club. Results continued to improve, and Keane was rewarded with the February and March "Manager of the Month" awards,while his team began to challenge for the automatic promotion places. Meanwhile, Keane tackled his players' non-professional approach with a firm hand. When three players were late for the team coach to a trip to Barnsley, in March 2007, he simply left them behind.

Sunderland secured promotion to the Premier League along with Birmingham City on 29 April when rivals Derby County were beaten by Crystal Palace. A week later, the Coca-Cola Championship title was sealed, and Sunderland's revival under Keane was complete. His achievements also earned him the Championship "Manager of the Year" award. A sign of Keane's bigger ambitions was shown by his decision not to celebrate promotion with an open-top bus parade through the city.

Some argue that Sunderland's 2007-08 season in the Premier League was marred with bad luck, both in terms of injuries and the notable refereeing decisions that went against them. However, many pundits hailed their fighting spirit under Keane and backed them for survival. The lowest point of their season came at Goodison Park, where they were beaten 7-1 by Everton, which Keane described as "one of the lowest points" of his career. However in the second half of the season the team's form was much improved (especially at home) and survival in the division was guaranteed with two games to go with a home win against Middlesbrough. Meanwhile, Keane carried on his trend of buying ex-Manchester United players with the addition of Kieran Richardson, Paul McShane, Danny Higginbotham, and Phil Bardsley. He has also continued his strict disciplinary policy by putting Liam Miller (one of Sunderland's apparently more consistent players) on the transfer list for being regularly late for training and other team meetings.

The beginning of the 2008-09 season would prove to be tumultuous. In September 2008 Keane became embroiled in a row with FIFA Vice President Jack Warner over the withdrawal of Dwight Yorke from the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Warner accused Keane of being disrespectful towards small countries. Keane responded by calling Warner "a clown" and insisted that Yorke was retired from international football. That same month Keane experienced "one of the worst and longest nights" of his career when Sunderland had to come from 2-0 down at home in a League Cup tie against Northampton. The game ended 2-2, with Sunderland progressing narrowly on penalties.

Despite some positive performances, including the historic 2-1 home victory against local rivals Newcastle United on 25 October (the first time the club had accomplished this in 28 years), as well as good showings by recent signings like Djibril Cissé and Anton Ferdinand, the team's general form remained inconsistent. By the end of November, Sunderland were 18th in the Premier League, having lost five of their six previous games. Keane stood down as manager on 4 December after bringing doubt on his own future with comments made in the wake of the 4-1 home defeat by Bolton the previous weekend.

HENCHOZ

STEPHANE HENCHOZ

Full Name : Stephane Henchoz
Born : 07.09.1974
Born in: Billens, Switzerland
Nationality: Switzerland
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 80 kg

Statistic Club Career

09/2006 - 06/2008 ==> Blackburn Rovers, England
07/2005 - 06/2006 ==> Wigan Athletic, England
01/2005 - 06/2005 ==> Celtic Glasgow, Skotland
07/1999 - 01/2005 ==> Liverpool FC, England
07/1997 - 06/1999 ==> Blackburn Rovers, England
07/1995 - 06/1997 ==> Hamburger SV, Germany
07/1992 - 06/1995 ==> Neuchatel Xamax FC, Switzerland

International

WC Qualifiers Europe 2006
Friendlies 2005
Friendlies 2004
Friendlies 2003
Friendlies 2002
EURO 2004 Portugal
EURO 1996 England
EURO Qualifiers 2002/2003

born September 7, 1975 is a former Swiss international footballer who last played for Blackburn Rovers as a defender. He has been capped 72 times and played for his country at Euro 1996 and Euro 2004.

Henchoz first came to notice playing in the German Bundesliga for Hamburger SV. After signing for Blackburn Rovers in 1997, Henchoz enjoyed two personally successful seasons in a relatively underperforming Rovers team. As Blackburn were relegated at the end of the 1998-99 season, Henchoz remained a Premiership player after being purchased for 3.5 million pounds by Liverpool.

At Liverpool, Henchoz became a regular member of the first team during his five-and-a-half year stay at Anfield. Henchoz proved to be an inspirational signing and was popular with the Liverpool fans. He formed an effective central defensive partnership with Sami hyypia. This partnership played an important part in Liverpool's historic cup treble in 2001, although it was Henchoz's handball in the 90th minute of the League Cup Final against Birmingham that led to extra time (the match itself was only settled on penalties).

Unfortunately his last two seasons were interrupted due to spells of injury but he still surpassed the 200 mark of games for Liverpool in 2003/04.

With injury problems and Gerard Houllier preferring Igor Biscan at centre half, Henchoz became something of a bit part player appearing as an occasional right back. Eventually, the Henchoz-Hyypia partnership was rekindled in 2003-04, helping Liverpool to fourth place in the league.

When Rafael Benitez replaced Gerrard houllier as manager, his decision to try versatile English defender Jamie Carragher in partnership with Hyypia spelled an end to Henchoz's Anfield career. Carragher, previously employed as a full-back, was a revelation at centre back and Henchoz consequently joined Celtic for free on a six-month contract. However, upon the expiration of that contract, Henchoz opted to move back to the Premiership with newly promoted Wigan Athletic.

Henchoz left Wigan after only a year, signing a contract until the end of the 2006-07 season back with Blackburn Rovers. He was used sparingly during the season to fill in for injuries, but performed suitably. His second spell at Blackburn Rovers came to an end on May 19, when he was released by Mark Hughes. He was reported of ending his career on 13 October 2008, he now intends to study for his coaching badge.

Hasselbaink

Jerrel Floyd Hasselbaink

Full Name: Jerrel Floyd Hasselbaink
Born: 07.03.1972
Born in: Paramibo, Suriname
Nationality: Netherlands
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 85 kg

Statistic Club Career

08/2007 - 09/2008 ==> Cardiff City, Wales
07/2006 - 06/2007 ==> Charlton Athletic, England
07/2005 - 06/2006 ==> Middlesbrough, England
07/2004 - 06/2005 ==> Middlesbrough, England
07/2000 - 06/2004 ==> Chelsea, England
07/1999 - 06/2000 ==> Atletico Madrid, Spain
07/1997 - 06/1999 ==> Leeds United, England
07/1996 - 06/1997 ==> Boavista, Portugal
01/1993 - 06/1996 ==> Campomaiorense, Portugal
01/1991 - 07/1993 ==> AZ Alkmaar, Netherland
07/1990 - 12/1990 ==> Telstar, Netherland

Netherlands

Hasselbaink began his footballing career in the Netherlands, first with Telstar for whom he played until 1991, and then AZ Alkmaar. He stayed at Alkmaar for three seasons before being released by the club and ended up playing non league football.(Neerlandia/SLTOVV)

Portugal

He signed for Portuguese side Campomaiorense in August 1995 but, after only one season, Hasselbaink was signed by Boavista where he first came to prominence. He scored 20 goals in 29 league appearances for the club as well as helping them win the Portuguese Cup.

England

His prolific goalscoring caught the attention of several European clubs, and he was transferred to English Premier League side Leeds United for £2 million in June 1997. He continued his prolific goalscoring record with Leeds, netting 23 goals in all competitions in his debut season, and 21 in the next, helping Leeds finish 4th in the Premiership. His 18 league goals that season made him the Premier League's joint top goalscorer.

Spain

After rejecting a new contract offer from Leeds and subsequently requesting a transfer, Hasselbaink was sold to Spanish club Atletico Madrid for £12 million in 1999. He adapted to the Spanish game well and scored prolifically, this time scoring 24 goals in 34 La Liga appearances and 32 in all competitions, though the club were still relegated.

Back to England

Once again, he stayed with a club for only a brief period and a year later returned to England, this time with Chelsea, for a club record fee of £15 million.

Hasselbaink scored 23 goals in 35 league appearances in the 2000-2001 season, including a volley from outside the penalty area against Manchester United and a four-goal haul against Coventry City, he finished the season as the Premier League's top goal scorer. He formed a prolific partnership with Icelandic striker Eiður Guðjohnsen in his second year with Chelsea, scoring 29 goals in all competitions and helping Guðjohnsen to 23 in a season which also saw Chelsea reach th FA Cup final. Hasselbaink was injured in the game prior to the final and, clearly unfit, he was substituted early on at Millennium Stadium as Chelsea lost 2-0. In his last two seasons with Chelsea the goals dried up. He scored only 11 goals in 27 games in 2002-2003, though in the next season he scored 17 goals in all competitions which, despite the arrival of new strikers Adrian Mutu and Hernan Crespo, made him top scorer at the club for the third time in four years. He ended his Chelsea career with 87 goals in 177 games.

In 2004, Hasselbaink joined Middlesbrough on a free transfer. In his first season he scored 13 goals in 36 league games. He struck the winner in 1-0 wins at Grasshoppers in theUEFA Cup and Everton in the League Cup. He also captained the side in a 4-1 win over Manchester United and scored the second goal for Boro. In his final season with the club, he helped them reach the UEFA Cup final, where they lost 4-0 to Sevilla FC.

When Gareth Southgate took over from new England boss Steve McClaren as Middlesbrough manager, Hasselbaink found himself surplus to requirements and was made available on a free Transfers. His reported £40,000 per week wages at Middlesbrough looked to be an issue especially when negotiations with Celtic failed. He left Middlesbrough as a hero with his fine goals and leadership which contributed massively to Middlesbrough's success domestically and in Europe in the two years he was at Middlesbrough. He signed for Charlton Athletic July 11.

On 31 July 2006 Hasselbaink was charged by The FA with improper conduct and/or bringing the game into disrepute for his claims about Chelsea. The player alleged his former club paid players a bonus after the 2004 Champions League win over Arsenal. A Premier League inquiry into what would have been illegal bonus payments found no evidence to support the claims, which were denied by Chelsea.

Jimmy scored his first goal for Charlton against his old team Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 9 September 2006, but he didn't celebrate out of respect for the fans. Chelsea's fans in turn gave him a round of applause, even though his goal had brought Charlton level. Hasselbaink was also instrumental in advising Scott Carson that Frank Lampard's penalty would be struck down the middle of the goal, true to form this event transpired and Carson went on to save the penalty and keep Charlton in the game despite their subsequent loss. After a long goal drought, Hasselbaink scored against yet another of his former clubs, Middlesbrough on 13 January 2007, a game which Middlesbrough went on to win. Hasselbaink was released by Charlton at the end of the 2006-2007 season on 14 May 2007.

Crossing the Border into Wales

Jimmy was on the verge of joining Championship side Leicester City on 14 August 2007, but the club later withdrew their offer. On 16 August, Cardiff City chairman Peter Ridsdale, who worked with Hasselbaink at Leeds United, brought him to the club on a one-year deal, teaming up with former Liverpool and Leeds United Striker Robbie Fowler.

Both Fowler and Hasselbaink started the season out of the team due to both lacking fitness and they eventually went on to make their debuts for the club in the same game, a 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient in the League Cup. On Wednesday 19 September 2007 Jimmy scored his first goal for Cardiff with a 20-yard low drive in the 2-1 home defeat to Watford in the Championship. After an impressive performance against Wolves in the fifth round of the FA Cup he was nominated for the player of the round after a fantastic goal as he powered the ball in to the top corner. Jimmy has remained as a regular starter for Cardiff throughout the season, only losing his place for a handful of matches to an in-form Steve Thompson, although due to his age he rarely finishes a match. On 15 March 2008, Hasselbaink received the first red card of his Cardiff career for a foul on Colchester City, goalkeeper Dean Gerken. Cardiff appealed the red card but it was upheld.

Hasselbaink also made appearances in 5 of the 6 matches Cardiff played to reach the FA Cup final for the first time in 81 years, which they went on to lose 1-0 to Portsmouth, where he played 70 minutes before being substituted for Steve Thompson. At the end of the season Cardiff decided against extending his contract and he was released.

On August 16th 2008, during the 1-1 draw between Norwich City and Blackpool at Carrow Road, it was revealed that Hasselbaink had attended the game at the personal invitation of Norwich Chairman Roger Munby however on 29th August Manager Glenn Roeder revealed that Hasselbaink would not be joining the club permananently. Said Roeder: “He only ever came here for training and people mustn't make too much of it. If I was to sign Jimmy Hasselbaink he wouldn't be here on trial or a test or anything like that - I wouldn't embarrass the man like that."

International Career

World Cup 1998, France
Friendlies 2002
Friendlies 2000
EURO Qualifiers 2002-2003

Hasselbaink made his debut for the Dutch national side at a late age. His time as an international suffered due to fierce competition for the strikers' role, with the presence of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Pierre van Hooijdonk and Roy Makaay, greatly limiting his opportunities.

In 2004 Hasselbaink decided to quit the Dutch national team and no longer made himself available. His most noteworthy accomplishment as an international was playing at the 1998 World Cup in France, and having started for the Netherlands in their opening game against Belgium.

Hasselbaink is one of only five Dutch football players to be selected for the Dutch national team while never having played in the Dutch Eredivisie. The others capped player are Jordi Cruyff, son of Johan, Rob Reekers, Willy Lippens and Wim Hofkens.

Bern Schuster

Bernhard Schuster

Full Name : Bernhard Schuster
Born : 22.12.1959
Born in : Augsburg, Germany
Height : 181 cm
Weight : 74 kg
Position : Midfielder

Statistic Club Career

01/1997 - 06/1997 ==> Pumas UNAM, Mexico
07/1993 - 06/1996 ==> Bayer Leverkussen, Germany
07/1990 - 06/1993 ==> Atletico Madrid, Spain
07/1988 - 06/1990 ==> Real Madrid, Spain
07/1980 - 06/1988 ==> Barcelona, Spain
07/1978 - 06/1980 ==> FC Koln, Germany
07/1976 - 06/1978 ==> FC Augsburg, Germany

Schuster was an important part of the FC Barcelona team during the 1980s, leading the game from midfield and scoring many goals. His club president Josep Lluis Nunez and some trainers like Helenio Herrera, Udo Lattek Terry Venables and Luis Aragones had difficult relations with him. At age 21, in 1981, he received a bad injury on his right knee by Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Goikoetxea and never reached the level of the early seasons. He won, however, the European Bronze Ball in 1981 and 1985.

His move to Real Madrid was controversial due to the strong rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid. His style complemented the group of home-grown Madrid players known as la Quinta del Buitre who led the team to a dominance of the Spanish Championship through the 1980s.

Schuster started his professional career with FC Koln at age 18 in 1978 after a number of promising performances with the West German Under-18 National team. He was part of the West Germany side that won the 1980 UEFA Europen Football Championship in Italy, appearing in two of Germany's four matches. His performances there helped him earn the Silver Ball Trophy honour as the Europe's second best player in 1980 behind Golden Ball winner, and Germany team-mate Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Schuster left Köln after the 1980 European campaign to sign with Spain's FC Barcelona, where he flourished. During his career, he played for clubs such as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkussen. In the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll to name the finest European players of the last five decades, he finished 40th.

Internationals Career

Friendlies 1984
Friendlies 1983
Friendlies 1981
Friendlies 1980
Friendlies 1979
EURO 1980, Italy
EURO Qualifiers 1982/1983
EURO Qualifiers 1978/1979

Schuster won twenty-two caps for the West German national team and retired from international football at the age of 24, due to his repeated disagreements with the German Football Assosciation, then national team manager Jupp Derwall and teammates including Paul Breitner. His refusal to take part in a match against Albania in order to be home for the birth of his second son David caused a sporting scandal at the time

Management Career

07/2007 - 06/2010 ==> Real Madrid, Spain
07/2005 - 06/2007 ==> Getafe CF, Spain
07/2004 - 05/2005 ==> Levante UD, Spain
07/2003 - 06/2004 ==> Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine
07/2001 - 06/2003 ==> Xerez CD, Spain
07/1998 - 06/1999 ==> FC Koln, Germany
07/1997 - 06/1998 ==> Fortuna Koln, Germany

Fortuna Koln

After his retirement as a player in 1997, Schuster successfully managed a small club in Cologne, SC Fortuna Koln in 2, Fussball-Bundesliga (Germany's second league division).

FC Koln

Following this, he managed his former club FC Koln, also in the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga, but was unable to get the club promoted and so left. In 2000, he applied for the manager job at Scottish club Dundee FC but the Dundee chairman rejected his application.

Xerez CD

In 2001 he received an offer from the small club Xerez CD in Southern Spain and he managed the team, very successfully, for two seasons; the best two seasons in the history of the club. However, he could not promote the team to Primera Division.

Shakhtar Donetsk

Upon receiving no good offers from Spain, he accepted a deal to coach the Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk where he established a club record number of consecutive victories. However, the team did not win the championship and did not reach the final round of the Champions League with a match against Lokomotiv Moscow. Schuster was fired one week before his team played and won the Ukrainian Cup in 2004.

Levante

He went back to Spain in summer 2004 to coach Levante UD and made a good start with the small club from Valencia. The president fired him with a 5-point advantage over the relegation places just five games from the end of the season. Levante could not win a game and fell to Segunda Division (Spanish second division) again.

Getafe

In summer 2005, Getafe CF, a small side from Madrid, had their best season in team history. Schuster coached Getafe in their second successful season under his guidance and the team did even better, 7th in La Liga. Getafe have also secured entry to the 2007-2008 UEFA Cup as a result of reaching the final of the Copa Del Rey after overcoming a 5-2 first leg defeat against Barcelona, beating them 4-0 in the second leg.

Real Madrid

Schuster was then appointed manager of Real Madrid on 9th July 2007. He was required to buy-out his existing contract with Getafe for €480'000, which he paid for out of his own pocket. He has since made a successful start with Real taking them to top of the La Liga standings. As manager beautiful football returned again to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium with Real Madrid having the strongest offence, not beaten at home from the start of the league and defeating their arch rival Barcelona at their home ground Camp Nou with a goal scored by Julio Baptista thus increasing their lead to seven points between them and the second place (Barcelona). The team also qualified to the second round of the UEFA Champions League leading their group which also contained Olympiakos, Werder Bremen and SS Lazio. He has improved Real Madrid's style of play significantly. He managed to switch from the unattractive defensive football during the reign of Capello to fast paced, attacking football. After losing 2-1 to AS Roma in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League which meant the elimination of Real Madrid, many doubted that Schuster would continue to be Madrid's coach, but the club denied such allegations. Schuster continues to have the full confidence of President Ramon Calderon and the Board of Directors. On 4th May 2008, Schuster guided Real Madrid to their 31st title with 3 games to spare. On 18th May 2008, Schuster's Real Madrid achieved the highest point total (85 points) a record that was set by rivals Barcelona.