Raul scored a penalty goal against Espanyol making it 200 La Liga goals joining an elite group of players that have scored 200 and more including ex Real stars, Hugo Sanchez and Alfredo Di Stefano.

The «king of Spain» as I like to call him is the 5th highest goal scorer ever in La Liga and he needs 52 more goals to be all time leading goalscorer.

It is debatable if he would ever achieve this honour as he is 30 years of age now and he is not getting any better. Some would say he is back to his best as he is having a good season but if the truth be told he has peaked and at this point in time he is just the best that he can be not back to his very best.

He has had 3 wasted years where I feel that he would have easily been the league’s highest ever goalscorer by now if not for that period. His problems seem to start from the obsession of Real Madrid presidents had with the so called galaticos. A term used to describe football players of immense popularity and marketing ability.

This was fine with the acquisitions of Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane as they always played the ball on the ground and depended more on skill than pace which was fine with Raul.

By the time, Ronaldo and then David Beckham were bought then Real’s style of play changed with Beckham always looking for the long accurate punts that suited the more athletic and quick Ronaldo than it did Raul. Raul found himself being part of a cog to feed Ronaldo rather than in a system that suited his style of play. It was alleged that he fell out of love with the game and his damaging knee ligaments did not help his mood either. All in all it was a bad time at Madrid with there been reports of 2 camps. Raul, Guti, Michel Salgado and others said to be in 1 and Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Robinho and others said to be in the other although Carlos was more friendly towards the Raul camp than Ronaldo was.

The arrival of Fabio Capello and the subsequent leaving of Ronaldo helped to alleviate the tension at Real Madrid as far as raul was concerened and he appeared to get back his appetite for the game.

It is no coincidence that this season with Raul playing where he likes and mainly just supporting Ruud Van Nistlerooy that his goal output has improved again because last season under Fabio Capello, even though his fitness improved he was played far from the opposition’s goal as it was either in midfield or in the wings.

It has been said in the past and even Guillem Ballague, sky sports’ Spanish football expert stated that Raul is a player that is not a perfect 10 in any capacity as he felt Raul could not dribble, did not possess great pace or could use his right foot.

I have heard all this before labelled against Raul that he did not excel with any particular attribute but I disagree strongly. At his best and that was before Alex Ferguson put the kibosh on his career by labelling him the best player in the world after he tore apart Manchester United; he was the most intelligent striker in the world as he seemed to have a computer for a brain.

He knew instinctively when to lob a goalkeeper or when to round him and he really should have won the European footballer of the year on countless occasions. After all if Michael Owen can be awarded such an award then so should Raul.

He may not have been blessed with blistering pace and frankly I do not understand some people’s obsession with pacy players but he was a great player when he was at his very best. He could dribble past opponents on a 1 on 1 basis as much as any striker out there and his 1st touch was better than any striker out there save for Alessandro Del Piero of Juventus.

Perhaps he could not go past 3 or 4 opponents and unlike players like Thierry Henry, he could not exploit space afforded him because of his lack of blistering pace but unlike Henry he could exploit a modicum of room afforded him as he could turn on a sixpence and make something happen out of nothing.

He is the highest ever goalscorer in the Champions’ league with 61 goals and his country’s highest goalscorer with 44 goals in 102 matches. He is widely respected in Spain and I guess by the whole football community as 1 of the greatest if not the greatest Spanish player of all time.

Samuel Eto’o, although he seems to have been playing at the top level for such a long time, was, in fact, born in March 1981 in Nkon, Cameroon. Seemingly followed by controversy, Eto’o signed for Real Madrid as a 16 year old and had, to put it mildly, a strange relationship with the club from then on.

Firstly, upon his arrival at Madrid airport, young Samuel was famously forgotten about – a young black African with no Spanish hanging around an airport; an inauspicious beginning. After uneventful loan spells at Leganés and Espanyol, the coltish-looking Eto’o found himself loaned out to Mallorca, where he really began to show off his credentials.

Scoring 54 goals, Eto’o became the islanders’ highest league goal scorer and developed a real affinity with the supporters there – and he famously scored a spectacular individual goal against Madrid in the Bernabeu! Eto’o enjoyed his relationship with Mallorca so much that, when they reached the Copa del Rey final in 2003, he paid out EUR30,000 on a meal for them!

At the end of his loan spell, the Real Madrid supporters were almost unanimous in their desire for Samuel to return to the capital and compete for the forward positions with Raul and Ronaldo. What followed was a summer of continuous speculation and argument and eventually, for EUR24 million, the player signed for Barcelona – something that still annoys many Real Madrid fans.

Since then, Eto’o has scored goals galore for the Catalan giants. In his first, championship-winning season, Eto’o scored 25 league goals, including the title-clinching strike at Levante. He reached 50 goals in just 67 matches – a club record.

In addition to wining African Footballer of the year a record three times in succession from 2003, Samuel was part of the Cameroon side that won the African Cup in 2000 and 2002 and was runner-up in 2008. Previously, he had been the youngest player, at 17 years and 3 months, in the 1998 World Cup. He was the pichichi, top goal scorer, in La Liga in 2005/06, when, of course, he scored an equalising goal in the Champions’ League final against Arsenal.

Controversy has never been far away, however. After winning the league in 2005, Eto’o made the mistake of singing an abusive song about Madrid during the on-pitch celebrations. He has also been famously outspoken in his denouncements of racial abuse chanted in grounds – even threatening to walk off during one league game at Zaragova. Furthermore, there were times during 2007/08 season when Samuel Eto’o seemed a very forlorn figure, when his relationship with some of the other players was not at its best. At the end of the season, it seemed that the club were determined to transfer Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto’o, the perceived bad influences at the club. Eto’o, though, with typical determination, was adamant that his future was still with Barcelona – and he has proved to be absolutely correct.

Samuel Eto’o is fast, two-footed, brave and a totally committed team player and arguably the best centre forward in modern football.

One of the ironies of Samuel Eto’o playing for FC Barcelona is that he originally joined arch-rivals Real Madrid, who immediately put him out on loan; first to second division CD Leganes; then to first division Espanyol after playing just one league match for Madrid; and finally to Mallorca. He did so well at the latter club that they signed him for a club record and became the highest scorer in the history of the club with a total of 54 goals between 2000 and 2004.

The Cameroon striker signed to FC Barcelona after a series of negotiations between Barcelona, Mallorca and Real Madrid who had retained an option on him. On one hand Madrid didn’t require him in the team as they already had two strikers in the form of Ronaldo and Raul; on the other hand they didn’t want him to play for Barcelona, a club that was looking for a quality striker to cement the attack after they were unable to come to an agreement with midfielder Edgar Davids, who had spent the second half of the 2003-2004 season on loan to the Catalan club.

With Eto’o in place as striker and Ronaldinho as attacking mid-fielder, Samuel Eto’o quickly proved to be good value for money and scored a total of 24 league goals in the 2004-2005 season. Although he helped FC Barcelona to take the league title, he narrowly missed the title of top goal scorer in La Liga.

However, at the celebrations that followed at the Nou Camp he gave speech in which he openly criticised Real Madrid, apparently venting the bitterness he felt for being passed over by the club in favour of being put on loan. He later had to retract his statement and issue an apology.

The following year Samuel Eto’o was able to improve of his league score and with a total of 26 goals he narrowly took the «Pichichi» crown, just one goal ahead of David Villa from Valencia. His strong performance on the pitch saw him also score six Champions League goals, helping to propel Barcelona all the way to the final against Arsenal. He was strongly implicated in the result as first the Arsenal goalkeeper was sent off for a foul against Eto’o in the first 20 minutes; failing to capitalise on the one man advantage, Eto’o equalised in the 76th minute from a pass from Larsson and Belletti scored the winning goal a few minutes after.

On the basis of a strong season Samuel Eto’o was awarded the title of UEFA Champion’s League Best Forward as well as Best African Player for the third year running.

OK the guy is not quite a kid but he seems to have transformed Tottenham from being perennial underachievers to winners once again. In this article, I delve into this pro manager’s past to see where he gets it from.

Like most managers, Ramos used to play for several top sides but his career was cut short by injury.

He coached a number of teams since 1993, the most famous being Betis and Espanyol, however his achievements with Sevilla are what brought him to the attention of the international football scene.

First of all, Ramos took Sevilla to two consecutive UEFA cup wins and a third place in La Liga, the Spanish domestic league. This propelled him to the top of the second tier of world club managers today.

Despite Sevilla playing in the Champions League in this current season, Ramos was flattered by an incredible 6 million Euros per year offer from Tottenham that he simply could not refuse.

Incredibly, Ramos has transformed a team that have always had talent but underachieved into successful winners as seen by their recent Carling Cup win. Along the way he has claimed scalps such as a 5-1 thumping of their greatest North London rivals, Arsenal.

It seems that Ramos is a great manager and able to extract the best from his players. Just look at this quote from an interview during his time as Sevilla manager: «Sevilla don’t have any stars but we win the games on the basis of humility and a level of physical exertion that is very, very high.»

This typifies Ramos’s style and it is said that his approach to fitness and diet since joining Tottenham have played a very large part in their recent turn of form.

With the fixture list for the Spanish league now published we are now in a position to start planning which matches to go and see. One of the top two clubs in Spain is normally considered to be FC Barcelona, and here we discuss the highlights of the fixture list for the year.

The top matches are undoubtedly the games between Barcelona and Real Madrid due to the huge rivalry between the two cities and the rejection of a centralised Spain by many Catalans. The two clubs are life long archrivals and the matches eagerly awaited. The first round clash takes place in Barcelona on December 13th or 14th, with the return match at the Santiago Bernadeu stadium in Madrid taking place on May 2nd/3rd.

One of the other great clashes is against Barcelona’s second team, RCD Espanyol. This season the first leg is played at the Estadi Olimpic on the last weekend of September, with Espanyol crossing town for the Nou Camp on February 21st/22nd. While Espanyol aren’t at the same level as Barcelona, they do have a hardcore fan base and the results are not a forgone conclusion by any means.

Other top matches include Barcelona versus Getafe, a hard fighting team from Madrid. Although they only gained promotion to the top division several years ago, they quickly established a reputation as a worthy rival under the management of Bernd Schuster who is now at Real Madrid. They visit the Nou Camp on November 22nd/23rd, with Barça making the return match on April 18th/19th and other matches of note include Valencia and Sevilla, both worthy opponents.

Just in case anyone was a little confused or not up to date with major international competitions, there is a little tournament called the World Cup that is going on. This international competition happens every four years, and gives the best national teams the opportunity to participate in a soccer tournament that names the best in the world. To win the Cup, a team has to prove itself for a long time, first qualifying and then finally winning after rounds of different games. Unfortunately some of those games are played during the day, but with satellite internet you can still keep up with what is going on, even while you are at work (shh!).

Satellite internet offers a high-speed internet connection anywhere across the contiguous U.S. Therefore, even if you live in a place that has been impossible for broadband internet to reach, you can still sign up with a satellite connection. This form of internet is available anywhere because you receive a satellite connection from the sky. Therefore even in small towns you can connect your business to satellite internet to improve efficiency.

When you are trying to enjoy the intense games even from the office now it is possible with the help of a high-speed connection. Not that you would necessarily get a high-speed connection just for the World Cup (although who would blame you…) but it is an extra perk that comes along with the service. Now there are hundreds of different websites where you can stream the game for free. If you are in a business where that won’t be quite as acceptable you can also follow the play-by-plays on the official FIFA webpage, or just about any major online newspaper. Although you don’t actually get to see the goals, every time there is one the score is updated quickly to give you an idea how the game is going along.

Even if it isn’t your nation’s team, it is fun to rally for teams of distant relatives or even friends. If you have some sort of connection to a country, however small, it is really a great sign of international acceptance and global expansion when you can root for their team. The world cup is a great way to accept other countries’ cultures and create more global awareness.

Satellite internet is the choice internet for anyone living in towns that are less-populated or more rural, where in many cases broadband speed internet still hasn’t been developed. Instead of going with the slow alternative of dial-up, now you can sign up with a quality provider that can offer you packages just as economic as adding another line in your home for dial-up. Satellite internet offers an alternative that is just as fast as broadband, and as cheap as dial-up, meaning it is simply more rational to choose this form of internet over any other. With the right provider you have more options for packages and the quality assurance that you’re going to be hooked up with reliable service.

Hablas español? If you are living in the United States, there is a good chance that you hear Spanish on a regular basis. Maybe you studied it in high school or college, maybe you moved here from a Spanish speaking country (or maybe your parents or grandparents did), or maybe you have never had direct experience with it, but hear it spoken on the street. Spanish has an extremely important role in the U.S., and is also a beautiful and expressive language. There is no better way to learn Spanish, or to keep contact with it if you already speak it, than by using your satellite TV.

DirectTV offers dozens of channels in Spanish, meaning that no matter what type of programming you prefer, you will be able to find it in Spanish. There are educational and entertaining programs for kids, and it is well known that the younger a person is, the more equipped the mind to learn a new language naturally, almost effortlessly. If your child is enrolled in a Spanish class, then TV can be especially helpful. It’s like fun and effortless homework! With plenty of shows made for children, you don’t have to worry about the content being appropriate.

Spanish programming also includes high-definition entertainment, airing the best movies and show available. Listen with surround sound and watch on your best HD screen, and you won’t be disappointed. If you haven’t studied Spanish in a while, it might take some time to sort things out, but it is definitely worth it. One recommended way to start is by finding a movie or show on one of your Spanish satellite channels that you already know very well. If you already know what the characters are talking about, it makes it a lot easier to start picking up the Spanish language. Sometimes dubbing can be obnoxious, but if you already know all the dialogue in English for E.T. or The Matrix, then you will easily be able to follow along when it has been dubbed into Spanish. It is much more difficult if you stumble on a show that you know nothing about, since you have no context for the dialogue.

Satellite TV packages offer the best sports channels, and there is something undeniably intoxicating about watching soccer with Spanish commentary. The commentators always sound so enthusiastic and well-informed, and there is no need for translation when you hear the famous sound of «Gol!» With any luck, sometime soon networks will create something equivalent to football’s NFL Sunday Ticket for the soccer loving crowd. It is the world’s favorite sport, after all! But if it’s not your favorite sport, not to worry. There are plenty of others available in Spanish, from baseball to basketball.

Whether you want to keep up with the news in Spanish or watch your favorite telenovela, satellite TV has the channels you want. Listening to Spanish is one of the best ways to develop and maintain your language skills, and it can also be fun and entertaining experience.

1960’s – 2011 comparison (Pele)

There is no doubt that Brazilian striker Pele was the best player of the 1960’s. Pele and Maradona are the two players who are always mentioned when the common question is asked, ‘Who was the best player to have ever lived?’ Pele will often be the answer. So what was Pele like? Pele was a natural goal scorer, the Santos striker was incredibly athletic and his dribbling/balance combination was unstoppable for defenders. His ability to go past defenders at such speed and maintain such balance credited him with many goal scoring opportunities, which more likely than not Pele would score emphatically. Pele had technique, the passing ability of a central midfield maestro, the engine of a Marathon runner and the power of a steam train. His statistics are sensational, 1281 goals in 1363 games.

No one can live up to Pele’s name; Manchester United’s George Best in the 70’s was a similar type of player to Pele but was more a winger than a forward. In the modern era, few have been compared to Pele but none have lived up to the reputation that Brazilian Pele possessed. Alexandre Pato of AC Milan was tipped to be the Pele of this era, but he has to yet to show any phenomenal form to even label him the one of the best strikers today let alone ever lived. Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney is the closest of this decade that we have compared to Pele. Rooney possesses the same power and physique that Pele does, the same ability to pick out a 70 yard cross field ball and the same vision and technique. England striker Rooney just doesn’t have same amount of pace that Pele did which combines with the factor that Rooney doesn’t particularly go past players with skill and flair.

Wayne Rooney has scored goals that you wouldn’t think were possible with the stunning volley against Newcastle and the recent potential goal of the season overhead against rivals Manchester City. Pele scored stunning goals in the 60’s and 70’s for Santos and Brazil, one ‘nearly’ goal that would’ve been one of the greatest goals of all time. His dummy against Uruguay that left the keeper for dead when the ball went one way and Pele went around the other way, but his shot off balance and on a tight angle just went wide.

1970’s – 2011 comparison (Johann Cruyff)

Johann Cruyff was part of the Ajax side that inherited the ‘total football’ philosophy introduced by Dutch coach Rinul Michels. Former Barcelona and Ajax front man Johann Cruyff’s style of play was influenced by the total football approach he conducted to his game. His natural position was centre forward but because of the tactical way the Ajax side played the game, he roamed around and ended up playing on the wing and central midfield more often than not. The Holland striker spent half of the 1970’s at Barcelona for Rinus Michels, where he was crowned European Footballer of the Year at his time at Barcelona in consecutive years.

Cruyff was dubbed the ‘Pythagoras in boots’ because of his ability to pick out passes from angles that looked impossible. Not only did he have an eye for a pass but he had tremendous speed and his ability to accelerate away from defenders which was helped by the ‘Cruyff turn’ named after the Dutch maestro is still a turn associated with football 40 years later.

I don’t think any striker could grace Cruyff’s ability to play in multiple positions to maximum effect so I’ve chosen a playmaker and speed merchant who would grace Cruyff’s technical and physical attributes to his game, Ryan Giggs. Both players in their prime had the ability to go past players with flair and tremendous pace creating goal scoring opportunities. Giggs isn’t as prolific as Cruyff as a finisher but Giggs certainly lives up to the playmaking abilities that Cruyff possessed. Ryan Giggs in his prime was lightening over 5-10 yards and could maintain such frightening pace for 40-50 yards which he shared with Cruyff.

However as football has changed much over the years since Cruyff’s successful days at Ajax and Barcelona, the style of play has changed and there aren’t many similar type of players of Cruyff’s calibre that could play naturally upfront and drop back deeper and still be extremely effective.

1980’s – 2011 comparison (Diego Maradona)

Maradona or Messi? There is no doubt that of today’s game, Lionel Messi is the nearest if not potential candidate to surpass Maradona’s ability as a footballer. Former Barcelona striker Diego Maradona along with Pele is one of the best players to have ever graced this planet. He wasn’t as clinical as Pele but taking nothing away from Maradona he still had a very good goal scoring record for club and country. The style of play on the ball for Maradona and Messi is identical. They both dribble with extreme pace and a very low centre of gravity; they both possess extreme dribbling skills with the ability to have 5-10 touches in the space of seconds to make it impossible for defenders to tackle. Many have questioned whether Lionel Messi could do what Maradona did at Napoli. Maradona won what is now the Italian ‘serie A’ with Napoli with what was a very average squad, Maradona being the pivotal part of the Napoli side and no doubt wouldn’t have been title winners if Maradona wasn’t on their books. Could Messi do a similar fate at Blackburn of the English Premiership, Udinese of the Italian Serie A? Many doubt whether Messi could.

In contrast Messi has achieved a lot more than Maradona at this age having already won the Spanish La Liga 4 times and Champions League 2 times. Messi is only 23, Maradona at 23 won the treble with Barcelona in 1983 and an Argentine title with Boca Juniors in 1981 but that was it. So Messi so far has had a better career on silverware success but Maradona’s achievements at Napoli and on the international arena set him aside to Messi. Infamously, Maradona also has a World Cup to his name in 1986 which Maradona made his name.

There is no doubt that Barcelona winger Messi scores goals from all sorts of angles and all sorts of scintillating runs but Maradona’s second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup has been regarded as the goal of the century by many people. Maradona travelled with the ball 60 metres and took on six English players in the process, rounded England goalkeeper Peter Shilton and scored from a tight angle to beat England 2-1 in the quarter finals of the 1986 World Cup which they went on to win. The ex-Napoli striker also scored the very controversial ‘hand of god’ goal in the same game which has been spoken about ever since. Messi hasn’t really shined on the international stage and if he does, it might be what takes him past his boyhood hero’s status.

1990’s – 2011 comparison (Ronaldo)

He was a natural goal scorer of his era and by far the best striker in his generation for simply scoring goal after goal. Ronaldo played at the highest level through the 90’s and early 00’s, he represented PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan in an illustrious career that was disrupted by serious knee injuries.

Brazilian striker Ronaldo was a born goal scorer, he had the ability to go past players with his skill and power but defiantly his threat was in the box. He scored 62 goals in just under 100 appearances for Brazil and has been voted Brazil’s best ever striker since Pele by numerous judging panels. Former Real Madrid striker Ronaldo was indestructible, if he got in the box it was inevitable he was going to score.

As Ronaldo has still being playing till quite recent, there hasn’t been long for anyone to potentially replace Ronaldo’s prowess for being a known goal scorer. However, there a few players that this season in world Football has started to develop their reputation. Javier Hernandez of Manchester United is one striker that could have the potential to live up to Ronaldo’s abilities in front of goal. He already has 16 goals for Manchester United in his first season and is a predator in the box similarly to Ronaldo. It’s doubtful whether Mexican forward Hernandez will have the impact on world football that Ronaldo did, but the Mexican is a very similar striker to what Ronaldo was in his prime.

Barcelona’s David Villa is another striker who is known for his potential in the box. Spanish hit man David Villa has earned his trade at Valencia for several years and finally sealed a move to Barcelona where he already has 21 goals to his name. Villa has also lived up to Ronaldo’s international reputation, having already won the European Championships in 2008 and the World Cup in 2010 with Spain being a key member of the winning side in both tournaments with his contribution of goals.

2000’s – 2011 comparison (Zidane)

One of the most gifted players of this century was French midfielder and former Juventus/Bordeaux midfielder Zidane. One of the most natural players at playing the game, Zidane glided through the game in a nonchalant manner that saw him one of footballs most composed players ever to have graced the game. An out and out central midfielder, Zidane possessed a goal scoring ability from midfield and also the ability to craft out magic in midfield to launch attacks for his side.

Zidane joined Real Madrid from Juventus in 2001 for a world record fee at the time of around 50 million pounds. Zidane enjoyed success in Real Madrid, winning the Champions League and the Spanish La Liga in his 6 years at the club. Not to mention becoming a World cup winner with France in 1998 and a runner up in 2006. Zidane was a tall, strong midfielder at 6’1 he was no fool at defending and wasn’t afraid to challenge for an aerial battle but Zidane came alive in the attacking half and his deft touches on the ball and he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head at times with his awareness of space around him.

Not many footballers have composure as a skill to their game because of the extreme amounts of pressure footballers are put under and now with all the money at stake. However, Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov is one of very few footballers that possess superb composure on the ball which is a very gracious skill to have. Bulgarian striker Berbatov and French midfielder Zidane also share the same style of control and first touch, with Berbatov having one of the greatest techniques in the world today similarly to Zidane in his prime. Although ex-Tottenham striker Berbatov is an out and out forward and Zidane never played upfront, the abilities they both have are very similar. Even their mental approaches are very alike, both are very quiet and don’t particularly talk much when competing competitively. Both have tremendous control on the ball, both have the ability to go past players with the skill on the ball rather than speed or strength.

Great players are easy to come by; it’s the magical players that are hard to come by. Who’s going to replace Barcelona’s Messi’s or Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s of today’s game in a few years? Football has the ability to produce stars to show on the world stage which is what makes football such an amazing sport to watch.

Brazilian dominance in soccer takes a new complexion. There used to be a time when the Brazilian men’s national soccer team were of average size and build. They were small (shorter), fast and skillful. Diminutive in stature but this did not apply to their technical and tactical abilities.

The Brazilian men’s national soccer team might appear to line up in some formal positional formation and set up. Once the game starts it is an all positions for everybody on the team. They seem to play a 1 (goalkeeper) -10 (field) as all the players are in constant motion and are able to play off of each other at any time. The team members do however have certain defensive responsibilities and are accountable for their respective areas.

They truly understand «the game» and are ready to be spontaneous as well as volatile.

The Brazilian team seems to make the opponents play catch up and defensively throughout most of the contest.

A goal scoring opportunity can come from any where and any one on the field and at any time.

The only thing that you can predict is that the goalkeeper will not leave the 18 yard box to act as a forward and score some goals.

Ronaldinho has just acquired his second FIFA international player of the year award in a row. Does he deserve it? Most definitely.
He is a pleasure to observe as he sets up most of his team mates to lead his current team FC Barcelona to the top of the Spanish «La Liga».

Now add the goalkeeper Dida who has been a major part of his team’s successes, in the back and Adriano up front who has seemed to be totally unstoppable goal scoring machine on the forward line for the Italian «Serie A», Roberto Carlos on the left where he still has a command on the free kicks, and Ronaldo the task master who often and still shows flashes of brilliance in the mix and you have a fortress of power and abilities few can match.

I think the ball got rolling with the the introduction of Junior Biano as a defenseman in 1998. With the exception of France his presence was a dominant deterant for other teams.
The latest big man to join him is Lucio

Brazil found mass to be a compliment to all their other strengths. It would appear that they have continued to build from there. The average weight of their national team has increased without diminishing their agility and manouverability. Although not a necessity, muscle mass has been a factor in other team sports. This might be true in modern Futbol as speed has become an over-riding factor to the game in the last 15 years.

Most of the elite players are also playing in the Italian and Spanish premier leagues and on similar if not the same teams. They are learning from each other by being rivals and combats as well as compatriots.

Here are the possible candidates for the next world cup roster for Brazil.

Goalkeepers:

DIDA,

JÚLIO CÉSAR

Defenders:

CAFU,

CICINHO,

EDMÍLSON,

GILBERTO Melo,

JUAN,

LÚCIO,

ROBERTO CARLOS da Silva,

José Vítor ROQUE JÚNIOR

Midfielders:

EMERSON Ferreira,

GILBERTO Silva,

JUNINHO Pernambucano,

KAKA’,

RENATO,

ZÉ ROBERTO,

Forwards:

ADRIANO,

Júlio BAPTISTA,

Ricardo OLIVEIRA,

ROBINHO,

RONALDO,

RONALDINHO Gaúcho,

Very impressive roster as was the one in 1998.

A team can only be as good as it is a team and is coached as a team.
A team can only be good if all the members play for the team and with the team.

It does NOT matter how many stars you have and how big the egos or the payroll is either.

Win as a team and lose as a team. Play as individuals and the team will lose. I say this not because outstanding players could change the outcome of games, but because other teams and players are more sophisticated and more knowledgable now than ever before. The opposition can read this and contain the key players rendering the rest of the team less potent.

Imagine looking around and seeing a stadium full of thousands of screaming people, everyone chanting in unison. Team colors are sported by all fans, which turns entire sections of the stadium into rippling team flags. In some places crowds of people are pushing against barriers while lines of riot police wait outside. Could it be a football game? No? «Futbol?» Ah, it’s a soccer match.

It may not be possible to replicate the energy of a Brazilian or Argentine soccer stadium anywhere outside those countries but it is now possible to tune into the games via either cable or satellite television. As the most popular sport in the world picks up steam in the United States, more and more fans are opting to take advantage of new programming packages offered by television providers.

Soccer leagues abound throughout the world. Some of the best teams play in European leagues, able to attract great players by offering salaries that compare with Major League Baseball and National Football League paychecks. England has the Premiership; Italian stars play in the Serie A; Spain’s strongest teams form La Liga; and other leagues abound. Sports fans that pay attention to soccer know that these teams feature stars from Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, the Ukraine, Asia, and South America- all over the world.

In other countries throughout the world soccer is just as popular. Brazilian stars are famous for stories of them playing barefoot with makeshift balls as children. Part of the game’s appeal lies in its simplicity: all that’s needed is a ball. Any stretch of ground, even a street, can serve as a pitch. Anyone can get together to play a pick up game. On weekends, kids swarming around soccer balls fill fields in the United States; the same swarms of kids cover beaches in Morocco and parks in Uruguay.

International sports fans are also fascinated by the success stories and other dramas of soccer. Some kids are able to rise out of their impoverished backgrounds to become international superstars, with t-shirts and jerseys proudly displaying their name all over the world. Drama abounds on the field and off. On the field some players dive to fake fouls in ways that would make acting coaches proud. Other fans are interested in following the latest off-pitch exploits of Diego Maradona, whose «hand of God» play won the World Cup for Argentina before he became well-known for making political speeches and his stints in rehab. Soccer stars don’t seem exempt from the drama that celebrities around the world attract.

Of course, those Americans that tune in may not only want to watch the international matches. Major League Soccer in the United States is taking off as well, attracting international stars and gaining more fans. With good satellite or cable service it may even be possible to catch some games in high definition, with an incredibly sharp picture and crisp digital sound.

Despite what some who haven’t experienced the game may think, soccer is worth checking out for the excitement. After all, millions of fans around the world can’t be that wrong.