Ronde van Drenthe: Marianne Vos triumphs in Drenthe in sub-zero temperatures Marianne Vos (Rabo Women Team) made it three in a row with her victory Saturday ...
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World Cup legend to talk about it. ^_^
Pele was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in October of 1940, and would become one of the most noted soccer players to ever play the game. In his native Brazil, he is lauded as the many footballer of all time, since they call the sport by its customary name there.
Pele grew up in poverty in Bauru, and earned money working as a slave in tea shops. He could not afford a real ball, and practiced with a sock stuffed with newspaper, or a grapefruit.
In Brazil, Pele is a national hero. In expanding to his accomplishments on the field, he has been declared the football ambassador of the world by Fifa, which is the governing body of international soccer. He has also used his fame to speak up for improvement of the conditions of the poor in our society. When he scored his 1000th goal, Pele dedicated it to the poorest children in Brazil.
Pele started playing for a local club at the age of 15, and was on his national team by age 16. He won his first World Cup at the young age of 17. European clubs wanted a chance to sign him, but the Brazilian football rules at that time helped Santos Fc to keep Pele signed for approximately twenty years, until 1974.
Pele played the positions of striker, inside forward, and what later would be called the playmaker position. His natural athleticism and technique were world-renowned, and he was praised for his exquisite passing and dribbling, heading, pace and his ever-present goal scoring.
In 1977, Pele played in an exhibition match in the middle of Santos and the Cosmos. It was played in front of a sold-out Giants Stadium, and was seen on Tv, on Abc's Wide World of Sports. At halftime, his whole was retired, and after the game he ran around the field, an American flag in one hand and a Brazilian flag in the other.
Pele is in an elite group of noted soccer players worldwide, and he was the only footballer to ever win the World Cup with three distinct teams. Since he retired in 1977, Pele has remained an ambassador for the sport, and he has also taken on some industrial ventures and acting roles.
Though he was one of the all time noted soccer players, Pele had some trying times off the field. He married in 1966 and had three children with then-wife Rosemeri dos Reis Cholby, but they divorced in 1978. He remarried in 1994 to Assiria Lemos Seixas. She gave birth in 1996 to twins, conceived through fertility treatments.
One Very famed Soccer Player - PeleHis full name is Lionel Andrés Messi. Messi who was born 24 June 1987 is an Argentine soccer player and now participates for La Liga's Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Messi is regarded as one of the best and notable soccer players of his generation, by the age of 21, has received several Ballon d'Or and Fifa World Player of the Year nominations.
Messi started playing soccer at very early age and his latent was rapidly acclaimed by Barcelona. Making his first appearance in the 2004-2005 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest soccer player to take part in a league game, and the youngest to make a league goal as well.
In 2005 he became the latest teen superstar of Argentine soccer. Lionel Messi was chosen as the player of the tournament at under-20 World Cup on the year; played his first game for the Argentine national team; and made his first goal with the expert team Fc Barcelona.
Messi was roughly immediately being compared to an earlier hero of Argentine soccer, Diego Maradona. He was a member of Argentina's 2006 World Cup team. He assisted Barcelona win an uncommon triple in 2009: the Copa del Rey, Spain's La Liga championship, and also the Champions League.
Lionel Messi has been given countless praised from Argentinean coach Diego Maradona in spite of their defeat to Spain. Maradona stated that he was pleased with the Barcelona striker execution on the field.
On the occasion, Maradona asserted, "The match wasn't brilliant but the team responded well against the champions of Europe. It works for me because the team reacted very well. "Messi played marvelously well, and dinky by dinky he is becoming the leader of the team. It is what I want and it is what I hope for."
Short Biography of renowned Soccer Player - Lionel MessiSoccer has come to be increasingly more favorite in the United States in the last 30 years, with nearly 3 million children in the middle of the ages of 5-19 now playing in youth soccer leagues throughout the nation.
Soccer began in England in the mid-1800's, and was originally played by the higher, more aristocratic English classes in their boarding schools and private clubs. The ease and inexpense of the sport swiftly moved it ahead as a sport for the masses however. Today soccer is ranked as one of the world's foremost sports for commoners.
The London Football relationship was founded and 1863 and is responsible for standardizing game rules throughout Europe. In less than 20 years, professional players and teams were hitting the field.
Soccer began to spread throughout Europe approximately immediately, with Spain, Germany, Italy, and France all taking up the game b the early 20th century. As interest in the sport grew throughout the world, so did an interest in formal competition. In 1900, the first soccer game was played at the Olympics, with medals introduced just eight years later. professional players, however, were exempt from competition in the Olympic Games for more than 80 years.
In 1904, The Fédération Internationale de Football relationship (Fifa), was formed, followed by the first World Cup international competition in 1930. A round-robin style tournament that pits teams from individual nations against each other every four years, the World Cup has grown into an international affair, with nearly 200 teams now seeking admittance. Only 24 are permitted to compete.
Although it took the United States years to enter the soccer arena on a total basis, the U.S. Soccer Federation (Ussf) was formed in 1913. Unfortunately, most Americans favorite watching (and playing) a dissimilar form of the sport -- American football -- until a Brazilian named Pele, (considered to the many soccer player of all time), joined the N.Y. Cosmos team in 1975. With such an remarkable player to watch in America, popularity of the sport grew throughout the states, until his relinquishment in 1977, when soccer once again took a backseat to football. Following Pele's retirement, the North American Soccer League gently lost fan support, finally dissolving in 1985.
It wasn't until the men's World Cup competition, was held in the United States in 1994, that soccer interest was renewed among American youth. The Major League Soccer (Mls), was founded in 1993, and began its first season in 1996 with 10 teams and 32 quarterly season games. More than 3 million fans watched the playoffs that year. By 1991, women were finally allowed to play on a professional level, when the Women's World Cup competition was introduced for the first time.
The interest in youth soccer remains strong throughout the United States today. Sports teams and leagues are now ready in nearly every American community. From pee-wee players who aren't even in school yet, to semi-professional high school teams, players of all interest and abilities are now hitting the soccer field for both spring and fall competition. The U.S. Youth Soccer, a agency of the Ussf, now includes nearly 3 million official players.
History Of Soccer - spicy FactsThe world is gripped by World Cup fever with the 2010 tournament kicking off in South Africa, bringing the world's most watched tournament to Africa for the 1st time ever. For all those lucky enough to be in South Africa watching some of the games or just to absorb the festive atmosphere, there are a few key facts you should know about specific South African food and drink - to contact the country and culture to the full.
While for those enjoying the world cup from their sofas in their home countries, wherever that may be, you may want to impress your friends or perhaps South African colleagues with some food facts that most South Africans take for granted. So from the land of long white sandy beaches, wild animals, picturesque landscapes, splendid vistas and awe lively mountain ranges - here are some foods you certainly should not miss out on.
Biltong: Ask any South African abroad what he misses most and at least 9 times out of 10, biltong will highlight in the top 3 most missed South African treats. Similar to 'beef jerky' in the Usa, in that both are cured and dried meat, but the output processes are quite different. Biltong can be made from a range of meat, including: wild game, ostrich or more commercially available beef.
Biltong is a long standing Afrikaner tradition evolved from the dried meat carried by the wagon-travelling Voortrekkers. The Voortrekkers were early settlers to the Cape Colony who ventured north into the interior of Southern Africa away from British rule while the Great Trek in the early 1800's. With no cold refrigeration and being permanently on the move they dried and cured the meat preserving it from decay and insects.
There are many herb and spice combinations, with each town or city having their own notable biltong supplier. For the best biltong its best to ask the locals or alternatively you can just try them all and decree for yourself.
Rooibos Tea: Grown only in the Cederberg mountains in the semi-desert Western Cape of South Africa, Rooibos (pronounce 'roy-bos' - Afrikaans for 'red bush') - is plainly green but gets its deep red colour and rich flavour from fermentation similar to that of black tea.
Although in 1772 botanist Carl Thunberg was the first Westerner to mention this wild shrub, the indigenous Khoisan were well aware of Rooibos' grand health benefits and had been brewing it for centuries. The Cape colony's early Dutch settlers adopted Rooibos instead of high-priced black tea from Europe. In 1904 Russian immigrant Benjamin Ginsberg, recognising its potential, became the first to trade it from the Bushmen and pioneered its cultivation. More recently, Rooibos has come to be notable for being the favourite hot drink of precious Ramotswe of 'The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency' novels.
Rooibos tea is full of natural grand antioxidants and key minerals, and unlike green tea it has no caffeine and is very low in tannins, so all round a very wholesome beverage - so much so that it is often bottle fed to babies, which explains why many South Africans are so addicted to it!
In South Africa it is tasteless to drink Rooibos tea with milk, ready similar to black tea in England, but to fully appreciate the tea it is best drunk black. The tea has a unique taste experience: an lively vanilla aroma, woody flavours and a sweet, mild, fruity taste.
Rusks: With your cup of Rooibos why not try a rusk. Rusks are hard, dry biscuits (also known as 'beskuit' in Afrikaans) eaten dipped in cup of coffee, tea, or Rooibos. Historically, rusks evolved (along with biltong) while the country's early pioneering days as a way to reserve bread in the dry climate.
Traditionally baked at home using recipes handed down straight through the generations, the most notable commercially produced rusk brand is Ouma (grandmother in Afrikaans) Rusks. In addition to plain and buttermilk flavours, look out for homemade varieties made with amongst others aniseed, whole-wheat, condensed milk, muesli, and lemon poppy seed. Impress your South African friends; ask for an Ouma rusk with your cup of Rooibos!
Naartjies: Its winter in South Africa and Naartjies (or nartjie) like other citurs fruits are in season. A soft loose-skinned citrus fruit, Naartjies are similar to mandarins, satsumas or tangerines.
The name is Afrikaans and is originally from the Tamil word nartei meaning citrus. The word has been used in South Africa since 1790, but the first recorded English use is by Lawrence Green in the Tavern of the Seas 1947.
Naartjies are very popular at sporting events and can often find road vendors selling bags of the fruit outside football stadiums. So if you feeling like you missing out on your '5 a day' fruit and vegetables and looking for a wholesome snack in between your Castle beer (most popular South African beer) and biltong, get yourself a bag of Naartjies.
Babotie: Babotie is perhaps the one truly South African dish that you can't find anywhere else. Like rusks there are numerous varieties and every South African will swear to their mom or grandmother production the best Babotie using a method handed down straight through the generations. Babotie is a spiced minced meat baked dish with an egg-based topping and includes dried fruit (raisins or sultanas). Served with rice it is regularly garnished with walnuts, chutney (ask for 'Mrs Balls Chutney' - the most well known brand) and bananas. Although not particularly spicy, the dish incorporates a range of flavours that can add complexity, like for example dried fruit (usually apricots and raisins/sultanas), curry spices and milk.
South Africa has a very rich history and diverse cultural background, evidenced by the now 11 official languages and countless nationalities living in this plainly rich and beautiful country at the tip of Africa. Hopefully you have a few more facts of food info to not only impress your friends with but the truly appreciate and enjoy the country while this the first world cup hosted in Africa.
The Top 5 Things You Must Know About South African Food This World Cup?The 2010 World Cup started last June 11 2010 and will end July 11 2010 in South Africa. This is the first time that the tournament will be held in an African Nation. The Fifa World Cup is the sport that is most watched internationally. The soccer tournament is the most needful sporting gathering not only because of their well skilled popular team or country players, but also because of each National Team's hot female beauties that took part in the current 2010 body paint.
The gorgeous hot female beauties that took part in the current soccer games 2010 body paint used impressive art as way of body make up. The hot female beauties have their body only painted while exposing themselves in the World Cup 2010. These hot female beauties with their bodies only painted have contributed much to the success of the worlds most prestigious and sought football tournament or the Fifa.
The World Cup 2010 work of art on the sexy female models features sexy outfits that quite look like the separate jerseys of the Fifa soccer tournament 2010 players depending on the country they represent. Some soccer tournament 2010 body paint features sexy swim suits underneath the skimpy Fifa soccer games 2010 jerseys. The way that the jerseys are painted in each of the body of the hot female beauties is an artistic feat that is out of this world.
The soccer finals 2010 body paint is truly artistic and something to look send to when watching the Fifa soccer games 2010 aside from its breath taking Fifa matches. There are a merge of artistically impressive grand soccer finals 2010 body arts photographs in the internet which are a sneak peak of what the World Cup 2010 body paint has to offer.
World Cup 2010 Body PaintEvery four years, thirty two teams from around the world compete in one of the biggest tournaments in all of sports. The World Cup is the world championship tournament for the sport of soccer and it brings with it the same excitement and fan-fair as that of the Olympic Games. The most modern tournament, held in 2006, was the eighteenth in the tournaments history and was played in Germany.
Upwards of two hundred countries compete to qualify in the World Cup, which is soccer's biggest stage, but only thirty-two of those teams categorically get to play in the tournament. The bulk of the tournament is played in a round-robin style over the course of nearly a month in the host nation, the final (16th) round is an elimination round in which teams that are defeated are eliminated from the tournament.
Who Won the Championship in 2006?
The last incarnation of soccer's biggest tournament pitted rival nations Italy and France against one another. It was a close and hard fought match that saw Italy take the win, as a effect of penalty kicks after the end of the match's regulation. The game was loaded with excitement and controversy, as in the latter part of the game one of France's most talented and beloved players was ejected due to a flagrant foul. Lots of talk after the game questioned whether the outcome of the game would have been the same if he had been playing while the final minutes and in the penalty kick shootout instead of watching from the sidelines. This was Italy's fourth win, which places them second in wide wins behind perennial soccer powerhouse Brazil.
Host country Germany didn't win the Competition, nor did they play in the final match but they still had a fantastic showing at the 2006 challenge. Germany played in the game to settle third place in the tournament and defeated Portugal, who is often carefully among the best teams in the world, by a score of three to one.
Recent Results
In the three Competition tournaments prior to 2006, the distinguished Brazilian team appeared in each final match - winning the tournament in 2002 by defeating Germany and in 1994 by defeating Italy and losing to France in 1998. The two World Cup wins for Brazil gave the country a total of five since the tournaments inception and development them the winning-est team in history.
The 2002 W.Cup saw two surprise teams vie for third place as two teams who had never before appeared in a final game in the final faced off. The game pitted Turkey against the Korea Republic and saw Turkey edge out a very close three to two victory.
!998's tournament also brought shock in the game for third place as surprise Croatia, who had never before even seen action in the final four of a World Cup tournament, defeated the Netherlands, who seems to always be in contention and who fulfilled, second in both the 1974 and the 1978 tournaments.
Despite the fact that the next final round won't begin for nearly eighteen months, there is already excitement building about the event. The 2010 World Cup tournament will mark the first time in tournament history that the finals have taken place in South Africa. The South African team, as the host country, will receive self-operating qualification to appear in the tournament and 204 other nations will play for the thirty one remaining spots.
The 2006 tournament had the largest viewing audience of any Championship tournament on television and as the popularity of soccer continues to grow and gain momentum in countries the world over - the 2010 version of the tournament promises to have even more viewers watching than 2006.
Who Won the Last World Cup?Soccer, the most watched and played sport in the world, has some fantastic and weird facts that are truly fascinating! Here are some you might enjoy.
During the first World Cup in 1930 at Uruguay, the soccer balls used were monkey skulls wrapped in paper and leather!
Soccer as we know it originated in Britain.
Soccer shirt number 10, Diego Maradona, was just 16 when he made his debut for Argentina.
Talking about number 10, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious numbers in soccer. number 10 soccer jerseys have been worn by legends of the game, such as Michel Platini, Pele, Zico, Zinadane Zidane, Rivaldo, Mario Kempes, including Maradona, of course.
Sheffield Wednesday's goalkeeper Kevin Pressman was truly sent off after 13 seconds against Wolverhampton Wanderers, making it the fastest red card in English soccer!
Goalkeepers were not required to wear different colored soccer uniforms from their teammates until 1913.
Soccer became an Olympic sport in 1908.
Former England international, Paul Gascoigne, was arrested and sectioned under the thinking condition Act in Newcastle.
Sheffield Fc is the world's oldest club, going back to the year 1857!
Ronaldinho scored all 23 goals for his youth team, during which his team beat the opposition 23:0. He was only 13 at the time!
Italian goalie, Walter Zenga, holds the report for the longest unbeaten run in Cup history. He played 517 minutes without letting in a goal during the 1990 tournament!
Pele is the youngest player to score a goal in the World Cup. He was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against Wales in 1958.
Cameroonian, Roger Milla, is the oldest player to play in the World Cup. He was all of 42 years and 39 days when he played against Russia in 1994! during that game, he also scored, making him the oldest goal scorer in the World Cup!
In 1990, the United Arab Emirates suited for the World Cup for the first time. Although they were knocked out during the group stage, two players managed to score goals. Both of them received a Rolls Royce for the goals!
The 1970 World Cup held in Mexico was a landmark tournament since yellow and red cards were used for the first time in its history. Yellow cards were given as a warning, while red cards were used to eliminate players from matches. If a player received two yellow cards, it counted as a red card.
According to video evidence, one of the fastest ever goal scored was in 2.8 seconds by Uruguayan Ricardo Olivera in 1998!
Sweden has truly played against Brazil seven times in World Cup history. No other country has faced Brazil that often.
No host country has ever been eliminated during the first round of a World Cup tournament.
Pele scored as many as 589 goals in only 605 matches for his team Santos!
Wild Soccer Facts!