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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.