Sunday, May 13, 2012

Iker Casillas


Profile Football Stars | Iker Casillas | As of 2011 Casillas is one of a very select group of players have won all major who and national club championship titles. In 2010, he was awarded with the Sports Prince of Asturias Award. On 19 October 2010, Became the most capped Casillas Goalkeeper of all time in the UEFA Champions League and in November 2011, he Became the most capped player of all time for the Spanish national team. Casillas has a brother, seven years younger, named Unai, who currently plays as a central midfielder for CD Mostoles.  As a young child, one weekend Casillas forgot to post his father's football predictions on the weekend his father had entered correctly predicted all 14 results.


Casillas had started in the junior squad of Real Madrid's youth system during the 1990-91 season. After the match, he received praise from fellow Spanish England Goalkeepers and Goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who Stated "Casillas' reflexes are incredible. Europa Press reported Casillas That was the 2nd most popular Spanish sportsman on the internet throughout 2010.  During the 2011-12 season, Casillas won IFFHS Best Goalkeeper award, making him the only and first Goalkeeper to win it four times. Casillas played his 600th match for Real Madrid on January 22, 2012 in a 4-1 win against Athletic Bilbao. On 2nd May, 2012, Casillas clinched his 5th league title and his 1st as a captain of Real Madrid, with 3-0 win at Bilbao.


Casillas debuted for the national team in the U-17 level. At age 16, he was the youngest player in the Spanish squad That placed third at the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt. Casillas was the highest ranked Goalkeeper (4th place) in the 2008 Ballon d'Or behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and national teammate Fernando Torres. Also in 2008 Casillas was named the world's best goalkeeper by the IFFHS. He also came in third place in the best Goalkeepers of all time ranking; beating Oliver Kahn.


On 5 September 2009, after a 5-0 win over Belgium in a qualifying match for the World Cup, Casillas equaled Andoni Zubizarreta's national record of 56 clean sheets, and during the Spanish team's next match against Estonia on 9 September 2009, Zubizarreta as he surpassed the record holder for the most international Spanish clean sheets (this being Achieved in Casillas' 98th appearance for the national team, while Zubizarreta made 126 before his retirement). In doing so he Goalkeeper Became the third ever to captain a World Cup winning side (along with Gianpiero Combi in Dino Zoff in 1934 and 1982). He was voted the tournament's best Goalkeeper and awarded the Golden Glove. On 15 November 2011, Casillas Spain's most capped Became player, breaking record after Andoni Zubizarreta's starting for Spain in their 2-2 draw against Costa Rica. On 29 February 2012, in Spain's 5-0 win over Venezuela, Casillas equaled Edwin van der Sar's record of 72 international clean sheets.


Personal information
Full name Iker Casillas Fernández
Date of birth 20 May 1981 (age 30)
Place of birth Mostoles, Madrid, Spain
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1/2 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information
Current club Real Madrid
Number 1

Youth career
1990-1998 Real Madrid

Senior career
years Team
1998-1999 Real Madrid C 26 (0)
1999 Real Madrid B 4 (0)
1999-Real Madrid 456 (0)

National team
1996 Spain U15 1 (0)
1996-1998 Spain U16 19 (0)
1997-1999 Spain U17 10 (0)
1999 Spain U18 4 (0)
1999 Spain U20 2 (0)
1999-2000 Spain U21 5 (0)
2000-Spain 128 (0)


Honours

Club
Real Madrid
     La Liga (5): 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2011-12
     Copa del Rey (1): 2010-11
     Supercopa de España (3): 2001, 2003, 2008
     UEFA Champions League (2): 1999-2000, 2001-02
     UEFA Super Cup (1): 2002
     Intercontinental Cup (1): 2002

Spain-20
     FIFA World Youth Championship: 1999

Spain
     FIFA World Cup: 2010
     UEFA European Championship: 2008
     FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009

Individual
     Bravo Award: 2000
     La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2000
     UEFA Team of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
     Zamora Trophy: 2007-08
     UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 2008
     ESM Team of the Year: 2008
     FIFA / FIFPro World XI: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
     FIFPro FIFPro # Fifa World's Best Goalkeeper: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
     IFFHS Best Goalkeeper: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
     Best European Goalkeeper: 2008, 2010
     FIFA World Cup Golden Glove: 2010
     FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010
     UEFA European Championship Winning Captain: 2008
     FIFA World Cup Winning Captain: 2010

Decorations
     Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2009
     Favourite son of Navalacruz: 2010
     Favourite son of Mostoles: 2010

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Víctor Valdés


Profile Football Stars | Víctor Valdés | He is regarded to be one of Barcelona's better Goalkeepers in franchise history, having won a total of 17 titles Including five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, and one Copa del Rey title. He also has won the Zamora Trophy a record five times. He currently holds the club records as Goalkeeper with most appearances in the league and in official competition, Andoni Zubizarreta's breaking records during the 2011-12 season. Before joining the full team in 2002-03 season, Valdés played for the youth teams and FC Barcelona B. Currently, he has a contract with Barcelona until 2014. Born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, to José Manuel Valdés Arribas and Agueda and has two brothers, elder and younger Alvaro Ricardo, Valdés started his career with FC Barcelona's youth team when he joined from Peña Cinco Copas on 1 July 1992 .


In the 2003-04 season, he emerged as first-choice Goalkeeper, and in the 2004-05 season, he played in almost all of Barcelona's matches Barcelona to Helping Their first league title in six years. He also won the Zamora Trophy for the best Goalkeeper in Spain. On 17 June 2007, the last round in La Liga, Valdés matched a goalkeeping record held by Barcelona legend Andoni Zubizarreta; a record of starting, and never being substituted, in all 38 matches of the La Liga season.


Unfortunately, Valdés was beaten twice by Olympique Lyonnais' captain Juninho through a 45-yard free kick and a late penalty at the Stade de Gerland, ending his streak. On 1 April 2008, Valdés made his 250th appearance for Barcelona. In the match, Valdés made two crucial saves from attempts by Cristiano Ronaldo in both halves. On 16 May 2010, Valdés won his fourth title as Barcelona clinched a second successive Spanish league title with Josep Guardiola's side, ending the season with 99 points.  On 29 August 2011, Valdés played his 410th match with Barcelona and equaled Andoni Zubizarreta's record as Barcelona Goalkeeper with most appearances. Valdés went 896 minutes without conceding a single goal during the 2011-12 season.


In July 2010, he won the 2010 World Cup with Spain. Valdés has a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Yolanda Cardona. In 20 August 2009 Cardona gave birth to the couple's first child, son Dylan Cardona in Barcelona Valdés.


Personal information
Full name Víctor Valdés i Arribas
Date of birth 14 January 1982 (age 30)
Place of birth L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information
Current club Barcelona
Number 1

Youth career
1992 Barcelona
1992-1995 Tenerife
Barcelona 1995-2000

Senior career
years Team
2000-2003 Barcelona B 77 (0)
2002 - Barcelona 330 (0)

National team

2000-2001 Spain U18 11 (0)
2001 Spain U19 3 (0)
2001 Spain U20 1 (0)
2002-2003 Spain U21 11 (0)
2010 - Spain 7 (0)
2001 - Catalonia 12 (0)


Honours

Club
Barcelona
     La Liga (5): 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11;
     Runner-up 2006-07, 2003-04, 2011-12
     Copa del Rey (1): 2008-09: Runner-up 2010-11
     Supercopa de España (5): 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
     UEFA Champions League (3): 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11
     UEFA Super Cup (2): 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006
     FIFA Club World Cup (2): 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006

Spain
     FIFA World Cup: 2010

Individual
     Zamora Trophy: 2004-05, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12
     ESM Team of the Year: 2010-11
     La Liga Goalkeeper of the Year: 2010-11

Decorations
     Prince of Asturias Awards: 2010
     Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2011

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Antonio Adán


Profile Football Stars | Antonio Adán | A Real Madrid youth graduate, Adán was the first-choice Goalkeeper for its C side in the 2005-06 season, playing 36 games and conceding 29 goals. After the sale of Codina to neighbors Getafe CF, Adán was Promoted to the senior squad for pre-season training, in the 2009-10 campaign.


On 8 December 2010, Adán made official his Real Madrid debut, Replacing injured Dudek in the 44th minute of the 4-0 home win against AJ Auxerre, for the season's UEFA Champions League; the Merengues had already won its group stage, and manager José Several Mourinho rested starters; Following the month, he played the full 90 minutes in a 0-2 loss at Levante UD, for the season's Copa del Rey (8-2 aggregate win).


In the summer of 2006, Adán captained the U-19 Spanish squad all the way to winning the European Championship Real Madrid alongside four other products: Javi García, Esteban Granero, Juan Mata and Alberto Bueno. Spain lost 1-2 on aggregate.


Personal information
Full name Antonio Garrido Adán
Date of birth 13 May 1987 (age 25)
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information
Current club Real Madrid
Number 13

Youth career
1997-2004 Real Madrid
senior career

Years Team
2004-2006 Real Madrid C 51 (0)
2006-2010 Real Madrid B 84 (0)
2009 - Real Madrid 4 (0)

National team
2002 Spain U16 5 (0)
2002-2005 Spain U17 19 (0)
2006 Spain U19 8 (0)
2007 Spain U20 6 (0)
2007 Spain U21 2 (0)


Honours

Club
Real Madrid
     La Liga: 2011-12
     Copa del Rey: 2010-11
     Supercopa de España: Runner-up 2011

Spain U19
     UEFA U-19 Championship: 2006

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