hwvsil
Friday, March 14, 2008
  Cristiano Ronaldo Biography
Cristiano Ronaldo Biography Foreword

There aren't a lot of soccer players in the world today that can honestly state they are more popular than Cristiano Ronaldo. Except for a few already established super stars such as Ronaldinho or David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the most popular rising star on the pitch.

His good looks combined with his awesome repertoire of Cristiano Ronaldo soccer tricks and a hint of trademarked Cristiano Ronaldo goals made him reach the level of fame on which he is basking in the spotlight sun today.

This Cristiano Ronaldo biography will try to take you through his career and although it's a rare case that a player who is still in his early 20s receives a biography, I'm sure you'll agree that a Cristiano Ronaldo profile is in order, considering his huge talent and fame.

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography Youth Clubs

Born in Madeira to a family where soccer was cherished, Cristiano Ronaldo started playing for a local amateur youth team called Andorinha, where his father handled the equipment and acted as a kit man.

Cristiano was 8 when he joined Andorinha and by the time he was 10, he already sparked the curiosity of some of Portugal's biggest clubs. This led him to sign for the local first-division team CD Nacional, where he would join the youth club and immediately make an impact, helping his team win the youth championship the following year.

After just 1 year at Nacional, he was offered a youth contract by bigwigs Sporting Lisbon, who are internationally renowned for having one of the best youth training facilities in the World.

The young player fit right in at Sporting and started scoring regularly, although he was way too fond on his dribble at that point. Despite this short coming, he was taken in to various levels of the Portugal national youth squad, finally getting his big break at the UEFA under 17 Championship in 2001.

His great performance there drew the eyes of Liverpool's scouts, but Ronaldo was just 16 years old and the Liverpool officials decided he needs more time in the Portuguese league before they sign him.

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography Sporting Lisbon

Being taken in the senior squad of Sporting meant the young player's first contact with professional football. Although he didn't play regularly, the few moments that he did get on the pitch were greeted with cheers from the Sporting fans, who loved Cristiano Ronaldo's soccer tricks. In 2 seasons with Sporting's senior squad, Ronaldo got to play 28 matches, scoring 3 times before he was picked up by Manchester United's scouts, at age 18.

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson, manager and coach of Manchester United desperately needed a quality right midfielder in 2003, as David Beckham had just left the club for Real Madrid.

Bringing an 18-year old Portuguese player to replace an international super-star like Beckham didn't seem like a good idea at first, but from his first season Cristiano Ronaldo's goals proved decisive and he quickly gained the love of the Red Devils' fans.

In his following seasons at Manchester, with more and more trust coming from Sir Alex Ferguson and the team's fans, Cristiano Ronaldo developed into an extraordinary player that is now feared by even the sturdiest defenders out there.

Despite the fact that he is just 22 years of age right now, Cristiano Ronaldo already has 208 professional matches and 53 goals (190 matches and 50 goals for Manchester, the others for Sporting) and 46 caps in the national squad, with a tally of 17 goals for Portugal. Impressive stats for such a youngster.

The best part is that with each passing year Cristiano Ronaldo improves his game even further, so don't be surprised if in a couple of years he steps up to become the greatest footballer in activity.

Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of http://www.soccer-fans-info.com a website that provides information on various topics related to soccer such as the history of soccer, rules, famous soccer players, real time news, statistics, and training guides.

 
  Explanation of the Offside Rule
Offside Rule - Usually, soccer rules are easy to grasp even by someone that's watching the game for the first time in his life. You foul someone, you get penalized. You hit him in the box, his team gets a penalty. The ball goes beyond the marked area, it's an out throw. Everything is really basic, except the soccer offside rules. This is one tricky rule and although it's not in the original soccer cookbook (as in, it was added over the course of time) it's a much needed one, so that's why I'll try to explain it a bit.

The offside trap rule only applies to attackers and it is meant to regulate both team's positions on the pitch. Without an offside rule, an attacker could simply stay in the other team's penalty box, receive balls and try to score. This would pin down the defenders and they would virtually be unable to play anywhere else outside their own penalty box, since their main job would be marking the striker that is lazying off in there.

It's also a known fact that attackers generally don't have the same effort requirements on the pitch, since they only need to participate in one phase of the game (the offense), unlike defenders and midfielders who have to participate in both the offense and defense, thus having to run more. So now that you know WHY the soccer offside rule is there, let's see WHAT it is anyway.

There are two phases of the offside soccer rule: the offside position and the offside trap sanction. If an attacker is in an offside position, he will only be sanctioned if the ball is heading towards him and he has an intention to play it. Otherwise, if he skips the game, he will not be called, despite having a clear offside position.

An attacker is in an offside position if he is closer to the other team's goal line than the ball and the second last opponent. You'll often hear people say "he was in offside, because he was further towards the goal than the LAST defender". This is actually not a correct statement, since this doesn't take the goalkeeper into account, so the LAST defender is actually the second last, as the above mentioned offside rule shows.

So let's say that team "Yellow" is attacking and "Red" is defending. The ball is at the feet of Yellow's midfielder and the Yellow attacker is a few meters further to the Red team's goal line, than the last Red defender. Then the Yellow attacker is in an offside position, but the referee will only call an offside sanction if the Yellow midfielder passes the ball to the Yellow attacker while the latter is in the offside position.

If you're new to soccer, the offside rule might need a bit of getting used to, but you'll soon be able to spot exactly how and why someone was called offside if you watch a few matches. Note that sometimes, the position of the attacker and the other team's defender are so close together, that the referee will have hard time deciding whether or not an offside should be called.

Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of http://www.soccer-fans-info.com a website that provides information on various topics related to soccer such as the history of soccer, rules, famous soccer players, real time news, statistics, and training guides.

 
  What Are The Characteristics Of Collies?
Collies were initially bred to herd sheep. The AKC classifies the Collie among the Herding Group. This breed is graceful and has plenty of endurance. They weigh between 55 to 80 pounds and stand from 22 to 26 inches tall. Whether brown or blue in color, their almond shaped eyes appear to gleam with intelligence. The prick ears of the Collie give it the appearance of always being alert. They can be smooth or rough coated. the rough coat of a Collie is fuller and longer than a smooth coated Collie. The Collie comes in white, sable, tricolor or blue merle colors.

They are very active and have a protective instinct which makes this breed an excellent family dog. The Collie takes its duties as a watchdog very seriously. He barks at all intruders, whether people, animals or pieces of trash that is blowing around in the yard. Not all Collies are diligent protectors. Some of these dogs can be nervous and very high strung. Most of them are wonderful with children, however. A Collie loves to spend time outside and therefore would not be a good choice for apartment living.

The Collie can be headstrong and can get into a lot of mischief while a puppy. It is recommended that you attend obedience training with your Collie. It is easier to train a puppy that hasnt developed bad habits than an older dog. It is important to be firm with your Collie if you dont want him on your furniture. If allowed on your furniture he will feel he has the right to be there.

The Collie has minimal health problems. PRA and eye diseases are the most common problems for these dogs. Your Collie is much more likely to be taken to the veterinarian because he has injured himself while jumping around and exploring his surroundings than for a health problem.

Collies have a tendency to overeat and can pack away a lot of food. It is recommended that they be given three small meals each day. If he develops a bulging middle, speak with your veterinarian about possible dog foods that promote weight loss.

Collies do not require extensive grooming, but you want to brush through their coats several times a week to avoid matting. Pay attention to the hair around his face, around his legs and behind the ears.

If youre looking for an intelligent family dog, one that will protect your family and play with your kids, then the Collie is the perfect pet for you.

George Adams is a staff writer at http://www.pets-digest.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.recreation-digest.com.

 

ARCHIVES
Oct 18, 2007 / Oct 19, 2007 / Oct 20, 2007 / Oct 21, 2007 / Oct 22, 2007 / Oct 24, 2007 / Oct 25, 2007 / Oct 26, 2007 / Oct 27, 2007 / Oct 28, 2007 / Oct 31, 2007 / Nov 1, 2007 / Nov 2, 2007 / Nov 3, 2007 / Nov 17, 2007 / Nov 18, 2007 / Nov 19, 2007 / Nov 20, 2007 / Nov 21, 2007 / Nov 22, 2007 / Nov 23, 2007 / Dec 26, 2007 / Dec 27, 2007 / Dec 28, 2007 / Dec 29, 2007 / Dec 30, 2007 / Jan 26, 2008 / Jan 27, 2008 / Jan 29, 2008 / Feb 4, 2008 / Feb 5, 2008 / Feb 6, 2008 / Feb 8, 2008 / Feb 18, 2008 / Feb 19, 2008 / Feb 20, 2008 / Feb 21, 2008 / Feb 22, 2008 / Feb 23, 2008 / Feb 24, 2008 / Feb 25, 2008 / Feb 26, 2008 / Mar 4, 2008 / Mar 5, 2008 / Mar 6, 2008 / Mar 7, 2008 / Mar 8, 2008 / Mar 9, 2008 / Mar 10, 2008 / Mar 11, 2008 / Mar 12, 2008 / Mar 13, 2008 / Mar 14, 2008 / Mar 15, 2008 / Mar 16, 2008 / Mar 17, 2008 / Mar 18, 2008 / Mar 19, 2008 / Mar 20, 2008 / Mar 21, 2008 / Mar 22, 2008 / Mar 23, 2008 / Mar 24, 2008 / Mar 25, 2008 / Mar 26, 2008 / Mar 27, 2008 / Mar 28, 2008 / Mar 29, 2008 /


Powered by Blogger