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Thomas Vermaelen
Thomas Vermaelen (; born 14 November 1985) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Being left-footed, he usually played as a left-sided centre-back and could play at left-back as well. His key attributes included aerial ability, leadership skills, and his quickness with the ball at his feet. He was also known for his goalscoring ability as a defender. Vermaelen joined the Ajax youth academy in 2000 and won the 2003–04 Eredivisie title in his first season with the club. He had a loan spell with RKC Waalwijk before rejoining Ajax and winning the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield. After Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's departure in 2009, he served as club captain for the remainder of the season. He joined Arsenal in 2009 and was included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for that season. Following Robin van Persie's transfer to Manchester United in August 2012, he was named club captain but found first team opportunities limited due to the success of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgium National Football Team
The Belgium national football team has represented Belgium in men's international Association football, football since Évence Coppée Trophy, their maiden match in 1904. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA—both of which were co-founded by the Belgian team's supervising body, the Royal Belgian Football Association. Periods of regular Belgian representation at the highest international level, from 1920 to 1938, from 1980 to 2002 and again from 2014 onwards, have alternated with mostly unsuccessful qualification rounds. Most of Belgium's home matches are played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Belgium's national team have participated in three quadrennial major football competitions. It appeared in fourteen FIFA World Cups and six UEFA European Championships, and featured at three Olympic football tournaments, including the Football at the 1920 Summer Olympics, 1920 Summer Olympics which they won. Other notable performa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Defender (association Football)
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers, and wing-backs. The centre-back and full-back positions are most common in modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised, often limited to certain formations dependent on the manager's style of play and tactics. Centre-back The centre-back (also known as a central defender or centre-half, as the modern role of the centre-back arose from the centre-half position) defends in the area directly in front of the goal and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards, from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots, tackling, intercepting passes, contesting headers and marking forwards to discourage the opposing team from passing to them. Centre-backs are often tall and positioned ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2007. It was the second time that Brazil staged the competition, the first being in 1950 FIFA World Cup, 1950, and the fifth time that it was held in South America. 31 national teams advanced through 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, qualification competitions to join the host nation in the final tournament (with Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team, Bosnia and Herzegovina as the only debutant). A total of 64 matches were played in 12 venues located in as many host cities across Brazil. For the first time at a World Cup finals, match officials used goal-line technology, as well as vanishing spray for Direct free kick, free kicks. FIFA Fan Fests in eac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Football At The 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's Tournament
The men's football tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and four other cities in the People's Republic of China from 7 to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to enter their men's under-23 teams in regional qualifying competitions, from which 15 teams, plus the host nation, reached the final tournament. Men's teams were allowed to augment their squads with up to three players over the age of 23. For these Games, the men competed in a 16-team tournament. Preliminary matches commenced on 7 August, the day before the Games' opening ceremony. The teams were grouped into four pools of four teams each for a round-robin preliminary round. The top two teams in each pool advanced to an eight-team single-elimination bracket. The tournament was won by Argentina, who beat Nigeria 1–0 in the final, as part of a record streak of 12 consecutive wins in football competitions at the Summer Olympics (six wins in 2004, six wins in 2008). Despite th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest level of the Spanish football league system. It is controlled by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and contested by 20 teams over a 38-matchday period. Since its inception, All-time La Liga table, 62 teams have competed in La Liga, with nine teams crowned champions. Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, Barcelona have dominated the competition, winning 36 and 28 titles respectively. In the 1940s, Valencia CF, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, and Barcelona emerged as the strongest clubs. Real Madrid and Barcelona led the charge in the 1950s, each winning four titles. During the 1960s and 1970s, Real Madrid dominated with fourteen titles, with Atlético Madrid winning four. During the 1980s and 1990s, Real Madrid remained prominent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny (born 10 September 1985) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He is currently the sporting director of Ligue 2 club Lorient. Born in Tulle, Koscielny began his football career playing for a host of youth clubs before moving to Guingamp in 2003, where he quickly progressed through the youth ranks, making his professional debut the following season. After becoming frustrated at being played out of position as a right back, he joined Tours for an undisclosed fee, quickly establishing himself as the team's star player in his desired position, ultimately aiding in the club's promotion into Ligue 1, while also being named in the Ligue 2 Team of the Season. Koscielny continued his impressive performances following a €1.7 million transfer to fellow French outfit Lorient in 2009, receiving multiple plaudits for his performances, largely cultivating a reputation as a clever, agile, ball-playing defender. His achievements and footballin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker (; born 29 September 1984) is a German football coach and former professional player who played as a centre back. He is the current manager of the Arsenal Academy. Mertesacker began his senior career after being promoted from the youth ranks at Bundesliga club Hannover 96, making his senior league debut in November 2003. He was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" ("''die Abwehrlatte''") by German tabloids, and gained a reputation for his exceptional disciplinary record, going 31 league games without being booked. After various standout performances at Hannover, as well as starring for the Germany national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup at age 21, he transferred after 74 league matches for Hannover to fellow Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen, for a fee of €5 million later that summer. His tenure at the club was characterized for his ability to read play and stifle the build-up play to opposition attacks, establishing himself as a defender with a quiet-but-effective ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manchester United F
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92 million, and the largest in Northern England. It borders the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The city borders the boroughs of Trafford, Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Stockport, Tameside, Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Oldham, Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Rochdale, Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Bury and City of Salford, Salford. The history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort (''castra'') of Mamucium, ''Mamucium'' or ''Mancunium'', established on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers River Medlock, Medlock and River Irwell, Irwell. Throughout the Middle Ages, Manchester remained a ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Van Persie
Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional association football, footballer who is the head coach of Eredivisie club Feyenoord. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and was known for his technique, ball control, and vision. Van Persie is the joint List of international goals scored by Robin van Persie, all-time top scorer for the men's Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. Starting his career as a Winger (football), winger, Van Persie made his senior debut for Feyenoord during the 2001–02 season, which culminated with victory in the 2002 UEFA Cup final; he was also named as the Dutch Footballer of the Year#Dutch Football Talent of the Year (Young player), Dutch Football Talent of the Year. After five years with Feyenoord, he fell out with manager Bert van Marwijk, and he joined English club Arsenal F.C., Arsenal in 2004 as a long-term replacement for compatriot Dennis Bergkamp. Van ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PFA Team Of The Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, English football: the Premier League, the EFL Championship, Championship, EFL League One, League One and EFL League Two, League Two, as well as the top tier of women's football: the Women's Super League. The award has been presented to men since the 1973–74 in English football, 1973–74 season and women since the 2013–14 in English football, 2013-14 season. The shortlist is compiled by the members of the players' trade union, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), in January of every year, with the winners then being voted for by the other players in their respective divisions. The award is regarded by players in English Football League, the Football League as the highest accolade available to them, due to it being picked by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Dirk Jan Klaas Huntelaar (born 12 August 1983), known professionally as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (), is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Huntelaar played for PSV Eindhoven, PSV, De Graafschap, AGOVV Apeldoorn, SC Heerenveen, Heerenveen, AFC Ajax, Ajax, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid and A.C. Milan, AC Milan, before joining FC Schalke 04, Schalke 04 in August 2010, for whom he was the List of Bundesliga top scorers, top goalscorer in the 2011–12 Bundesliga with 29 league goals. Huntelaar is also List of FC Schalke 04 records and statistics#Top goalscorers, Schalke's second highest goalscorer of all time, behind Klaus Fischer. Huntelaar was named Dutch Footballer of the Year, Dutch Football Talent of the Year and Ajax "Player of the Year" in 2006, and was a part of the Dutch side that won the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, 2006 UEFA U-21 Championship where he became the tournament's l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johan Cruyff Shield
The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league, Eredivisie, and the winner of the national KNVB Cup. In the event of a team winning both the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup, the Johan Cruyff Shield will be contested between that team and the runner up in the national league. The trophy The trophy is a silver plate with a 60-centimetre diameter. It is similar to the trophies received by the champions of the Eredivisie. The engraved text on the trophy is as follows: * Border, top: "Johan Cruijff Schaal PSV" (or: "Johan Cruyff Trophy X", so Cruijff with 'ij' as opposed to the international spelling using a 'y' and a number in Roman numerals) * Centre: "KNVB 31-7-2008" (KNVB standing for "Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbal Bond" or "Royal Dutch Football Association" followed by the dat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
