Real Madrid

Full Name: Marcelo Vieira
Alias: Vieira
Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date of Birth: 12/05/1988
Position: Defender
Weight: 160 lbs / 73 kg
Height: 5’7” / 174 cm
Nationality: Brazilian

Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, or simply Marcelo, was one of the ‘Crown Jewels’ of always-prolific Brazilian football and one of Real Madrid’s swanky winter signings of 2006/07. He arrived in Europe at the age of 18 having already hit the big time with Fluminense and he quickly adapted to Madrid thanks to the other Brazilians on the squad, but especially Roberto Carlos, who took Marcelo under his wing and taught his successor the tricks of the trade.

A pacey and offensive player, the young left-back has worked arduously since landing in Madrid hoping to capitalize on the opportunities given to him by the manager. With nerves of steel and water running through his veins, Marcelo has earned Bernd Schuster’s confidence and a spot in the line-up. “I always knew I’d get my chance, and now I get to show my stuff on the pitch,” he explained.

Marcelo’s consistent playing time is also rubbing off on Brazilian national team coach Dunga, who gave the youngster his debut against Wales. No one could have written a better script as Marcelo hammered home an impressive crossed shot from outside the box in an all-out display of strength, speed, and ball-handling.

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First Robben goal in Real Madrid Vs Alicante on January 2, 2008. Real Madrid win 2-1.

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Full Name: Arjen Robben
Alias: Robben
Place of Birth: Bedum, Netherlands
Date of Birth:23/01/1984
Position: Forward
Weight: 165 lbs / 75 kg
Height: 5’9” / 181 cm
Nationality: Dutch

Arjen Robben is a rare breed in modern day football. There may be many fast attacking midfielders nowadays, but very few are as capable as Robben is of dribbling the ball with such class inside the box and changing the pace of the game in such a way that thwarts any defenders attempts to steal the ball. He has a phenomenal knack for scoring and is an excellent shot, which also make deadly from outside the box.

Born in Bedum on 23 January 1984, Robben began playing football at V.V. Bedum before joining Groningen in 2000. His spectacular performances made him one of the stars of the always-mesmerising Dutch League, and soon the greatest teams in the competition came calling; PSV Eindhoven acquiring his services in 2002. Philips Stadion brought out the best in Robben and he quickly established himself as one of Dutch football’s brightest prospects. Under the tutelage of Guus Hiddink, Robben made outstanding progress and helped lead PSV to the Eredivisie and Dutch Super Cup. He signed for Chelsea in 2004 after winning the Bravo Trophy, awarded to the Under-21 European Footballer of the Year.

The vertical nature of English football combined with Robben’s fancy footwork, long runs down the flanks, and masterful shots, soon made him a fan favourite among Blues supporters. He won every English title in play during his stint with Chelsea.

Robben has 27 caps with the Netherlands and has scored eight goals for the Orange. He was named Man of the Match two times during the 2006 World Cup; one of eight players in the tournament to pick up such a distinction.

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In this video we can see Van Nistelrooy scored a marvellous goal vs Valencia. He’s a serial goalscorer. There’s no stopping Van.

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Full Name: Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Alias: Van Nistelrooy
Place of Birth: Oos, Netherlands
Date of Birth: 01/07/1976
Position: Forward
Weight: 176 lbs / 80 kg
Height: 6’2” / 188 cm
Nationality: Dutch

Ruud Van Nistelrooy is one of the best centre forwards in Europe and already a Champions League veteran. He’s your prototypical striker who combines prowess and strength with outstanding technique. Van Nistelrooy has been instrumental to Real Madrid’s success since landing in Spain. His scoring stats are absolutely astonishing, and he’s already put on countless highlight reel performances such as the 3-3 draw in the Camp Nou and his four-goal night against Osasuna, both during the 2006/07 season. The Dutchman tied a record held by Olsen, Puskas, Olmedo, and Hugo Sánchez to become the fifth player to score in seven straight matches, all of which were crucial to the 2006/07 title run. He also became the third Madridista after Di Stéfano and Hugo Sánchez to win Pichichi honours in his first season with Real Madrid. French sports paper L’Équipe included Van Nistelrooy in its 2007 all-star starting eleven.

Van Nistelrooy’s rise to stardom began in 1993 with Dutch Second Division side FC Den Bosch, where he spent four years before being transferred to Heerenveen. He scored 13 goals in 31 matches in his first season in top flight football and was quickly signed by PSV Eindhoven. His first season with the Dutch giant couldn’t have gone any better, and he was named Dutch Player of 1998/99 after fnishing as the top scorer in the Eredivisie and the second highest scorer in Europe. He netted another 29 goals in his second year with the club before suffering what could have been a career-ending injury.

PSV and Manchester United had a deal in the works when Van Nistelrooy hurt his knee in a friendly against Silkeborg. While recovering from his injury the following month, he fell and tore his ACL. Despite the problems, the Dutchman again finished with the Eredivisie scoring title and Europe’s Silver Boot. Sidelined for nearly a year, many questioned Van Nistelrooy’s return, but he quickly cast away any long-term doubts after making the switch to Manchester United.

His brace against Fulham in his Premier League debut was just the beginning. Van Nistelrooy went on to score dozens of goals for Manchester in the Premiership and the Champions League, a competition which he’s led in scoring on two different occasions. His main accomplishment in England was winning the 2002/03 Premiership, and the following season he added European football’s most traditional title, the FA Cup to the list.

Van Nistelrooy was first selected to play for the Netherlands on 18 November 1998. He was only 22 when he scored his first goal for the Orange in a match against Morocco. He wasn’t able to participate in Euro 2000, and Netherlands didn’t qualify for the 2002 World Cup. He did, however, play in Euro 2004, but was dropped from the semifinal match against host Portugal, which Netherlands went on to lose. Portugal would again eliminate Van Nistelrooy and the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

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Full Name: Javier Saviola
Alias: Saviola
Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date of Birth: 1981 12 11
Position: Forward
Weight: 134 lbs / 61 kg
Height: 5′5″ / 168 cm
Nationality: Argentine

There’s something special about Javier Saviola. He landed at Real Madrid’s doorstep at the age of 26, which for many footballers is the peak of their careers, having already graced the dressing rooms of River Plate, Barcelona, Monaco, and Sevilla.

The striker has a killer goal-scoring instinct. Short-statured with an angelic face, Saviola is a devil when he gets hold of the ball in his opponent’s box. It’s at that moment that the ‘Rabbit’ turns into a true predator capable of destroying any defender with his speed and first stride, both of which have earned him comparisons to legendary Brazilian forward Romario.

Saviola always stood out as a member of River Plate’s youth system, the same team he debuted with in Argentina’s Primera Division at the age of 16. He scored his first goal in his first match in top flight football and is the youngest player to accomplish such a feat. He would go on to win the 1999 Torneo Apertura as the top scorer of the competition. Only 18-years and one day old, he was the second youngest player to pick up the honor, coming within eight days of Maradona’s record. Saviola also won the following year’s Torneo Clausura. He scored 45 goals in 85 matches with River Plate, plus another ten when including Copa Libertadores action.

Following his first World Cup appearance, and still only 19-years old, Saviola was signed by none other than FC Barcelona. After becoming a naturalized Spanish citizen in 2004, he was sent on loan to AS Monaco, where he played the entire 2004/05 season in the Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Upon returning to Catalonia he was again sent on loan to Sevilla, who went on to win the 2006 UEFA Cup. He returned to Barcelona at season’s end and in 2007 joined Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.

In 2001 Saviola was named MVP of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup after leading Argentina to the title as the competitions top scorer. He debuted with the Argentine national team on 16 August 2000, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw against Paraguay. He also played in the 2006 World Cup and scored one goal.

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Full Name: Ruben Gago
Alias: Gago
Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date of Birth: 1986 04 14
Position: Midfielder
Weight: 152 lbs / 69 kg
Height: 5’8” / 178 cm
Nationality: Argentine

Rubén Gago was born on 14 April 1986 in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires. He began his career at Parque, a modest Club where former real madrid players Fernando Redondo and Esteban Cambiasso, whose styles resembles that of Gago, also got their start. His next stop was the Boca Juniors youth system, where his entire professional career was developed. He made his First Division debut with Boca on 5 December 2004 in a 1-0 win over Quilmas, but it was during the 2005 season that his career took off and made him the star he is today. In 2005/06 Gago was one of the centrepieces of a team that won five titles in as many competitions.

Gago is a very dynamic footballer who predicates his game on ball movement. He a knack for distributing the football as his mental prowess tends to surpass his strength. Gago became a Boca mainstay shortly after he debuted and all offensive series had to develop at his feet. He is also capable of reaching the opponent’s box, perhaps even more so than Redondo, who he reminds us of in terms of vision for the game, his way of covering ground, and his ball protection. Gago also knows how to take advantage of his elbows and is never scared to get a little rough.

Maradona has described Gago as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and said that “he should never be left off an Argentina squad list.” Fernando Redondo, who so many compare him to, assured that Gago is the type of player that he always wanted on his team. “He’s got everything that I like in a midfielder. He’s always rises to the occasion, he keeps his head held high, and he’s got what it takes to read the game,” said the former Madridista. According to Jorge Valdano, Fernando Gago “is a footballer who thinks well and thinks fast, and who helps facilitate the distribution of the ball from in the midfield.

Fernando Gago won the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2005 with fellow teammates Oscar Ustari, Lionel Messí, and Sergio Agüero before making his Argentine national team debut in February 2007.

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