SEBASTIAN COATES BIOGRAPHY

SEBASTIAN COATES PROFILE

Full name: Sebastián Coates Nion
Date of birth: 7 October 1990
Place of birth: Montevideo, Uruguay
Height: 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight: 96 Kg
Playing position: Centre Back
Current club: Liverpool

Sebastian Coates Nion (born 7 October 1990) is a Uruguayan football player who plays for Liverpool. Uruguayan fans call him Luganito or Little Lugano.

Coates was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, to a Scottish father and Uruguayan mother.

Coates joined Club Nacional at 11, and worked his way up through the age groups, appearing as captain at every level. In 2009, aged 18, he signed a contract and began playing for the first team. His first appearance came against Bella Vista, a performance for which he was named man of the match by El País. He then started every single game for Nacional, withstanding suspension and national duty.
In August 2011, Coates was the subject of substantial interest from English Premier League club Liverpool. He was given permission to have a medical at Melwood ahead of his proposed move on 26 August, and the following day watched Liverpool's match against Bolton Wanderers. On 30 August, after receiving a work permit, Liverpool announced that they had signed Coates on "a long-term contract" for an undisclosed fee.Liverpool officially announced that Coates would wear the number 16 shirt, last worn by Sotirios Kyrgiakos who had recently departed to Wolfsburg.

On 18 September, Coates made his debut for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur, replacing the injured Daniel Agger in a 4-0 defeat. Coates went on to make his first start for the club on 21 September against Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup in which Liverpool won 2-1. He also started in the next round of the cup against Stoke City, a game that Liverpool won 2-1 despite Coates being primarily at fault for Stoke's goal.

After playing for the Uruguay Under 20 international team he was called-up for Uruguay's first leg match in the CONMEBOL–CONCACAF playoff against Costa Rica where he was an unused substitute. He made his full international debut against Chile in the 2011 Copa América. Coates went on to win the award for the Best Young Player at the end of the tournament|source:wikipedia|

MILOS CRASIC BIOGRAPHY

Milos Krasic born 1 November 1984 in Kosovska Mitrovica, SFR Yugoslavia is a Serbian professional footballer who plays for Juventus and the Serbian national team.

Krasic is a right-sided midfielder/winger, noted for his powerful dribbling technique and speed.

After starting out with the hometown side FK Rudar Kosovska Mitrovica, Krasić was noticed by FK Vojvodina in 1999 and he made a switch northwards at age 14. He spent the next 4 and a half seasons in Novi Sad where he further raised his level and became the team captain.

After much speculation in the summer of 2010, Juventus and CSKA Moscow agreed on a fee for Krasić reported to be in the range of about €15 million. Krasić officially became a Juventus player on 21 August and was given shirt number 27. Krasić was instrumental in his home début against Sampdoria, assisting a goal and creating many chances. The game ended 3–3. In his second away game in the Serie A, against Udinese, Krasic proved once again instrumental in their 4–0 victory, assisting Quagliarella and Marchisio for a goal each. Krasić scored his first Juventus goals against Cagliari on 26 September 2010, hitting a hat-trick. He scored his first European goal for Juventus, helping his side salvage a point against Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg in the Group A tie of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, in a match which finished 1–1. On 26 October 2010, he was given a two-match ban after diving, although successfully winning a penalty (the penalty was then missed), during the league match against Bologna. Krasic scored a goal in a 0-2 away win over Genoa after Eduardo put a ball in his own net on 18th minute. On December 12th 2010, in the game against Lazio, Krasic scored a very late, match winning goal in which his attempted cross deflected off Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and into the net. The match ended immediately after the goal in a 2-1 victory for Juventus.He scored a screamer which guided the Bianconeri to a 2-1 victory against Brescia.

MILOS CRASIC PHOTOS

Miloš Krasić

Miloš Krasić

Miloš Krasić

MILOS CRASIC AND GIRLFRIEND

Miloš Krasić Girlfriend

Miloš Krasić Girlfriend

Miloš Krasić Girlfriend

Milos Krasic Girlfriend

Miloš Krasić

MIKEL ARTETA PROFILE

MIKEL ARTETA BIOGRAPHY

Mikel Arteta Amatriain born 26 March 1982 is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal as a midfielder.

Arteta started out as a trainee with FC Barcelona but could not break his way into the first team and was eventually loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in the French league. He was then signed by Scottish Premier League club Rangers with whom he would win the domestic treble of the league, Scottish Cup and League Cup in the season of 2002–03. After success in Scotland, Arteta moved to back to Spain to play for Real Sociedad but failed to establish himself within the first team and was loaned to Everton for the remainder of the 2004–05 season, prior to signing permanently in July 2005. He then made a permanent transfer to Arsenal F.C in 2011.

Arteta has represented Spain at under-21 level, but he has not played for the senior national team.

Mikel Arteta is eligible for the Basque Country and the Spanish national football teams. The Basque team are not affiliated to FIFA or a regional confederation but play exhibition games. Arteta has played for Spain at Under his mum, Under 17, Under 18 and Under 21 levels but has not played for the full international team. He represented Spain in the U16 European Championships, UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup, FIFA U17 World Cup and captained Spain in the U21 European Championships qualifying campaign.

In August 2010, several British news organisations erroneously reported that Arteta would be eligible to play for the England national football team due to his eligibility for a British passport. The player is not eligible for England because FIFA Statutes stipulate that the player needs to have held a British passport at the time when he represented Spain at the U16 European Championships and in addition he would have required five years of education in Britain before turning 18.

While initially thought of as a "pivot" or defensive midfielder in the mould of his hero Josep Guardiola,[11] it is only since being moved to a more attacking role by David Moyes that Arteta's career has truly begun to flourish. Although he achieved moderate success from central midfield with PSG and Rangers, his move to a more attacking role saw him rated as the sixth most effective player in the Premier League in 2006–07 by the official player ratings system the Actim Index.

His style of play is characterised by excellent close control and dribbling, which coupled with short bursts of acceleration allows him to eliminate defenders with relative ease. He was also called fat head in primary. When he got arrested for 1 months

With 100 fouls committed against him in the 2006/07 season he was the most fouled player in the Premier League.

Additionally, he has proved an extremely potent creative force thanks mainly to his pinpoint crossing ability and propensity for the killer pass, with his total of 12 league assists in the 2006–07 season being second to Cesc Fabregas and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Arteta although believed to be right footed has himself said that he considers his left foot to be the stronger.

MIKEL ARTETA PROFILE

Birth Name: Mikel Arteta Amatriain
Date of birth: 26 March 1982
Place of birth: San Sebastián, Spain
Height: 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position: Midfielder
Club Carier:

Current club: Arsenal
1999–2002 Barcelona B 42
2000–2002 → Paris Saint-Germain (loan)
2002–2004 Rangers 50
2004–2005 Real Sociedad 15
2005 → Everton (loan) 12
2005–2011 Everton 162
2011– Arsenal 8
Source:wikipedia

MIKEL ARTETA PHOTO

MIKEL ARTETA AND GIRLFRIEND

STEVAN JOVETIC PROFILE

STEVAN JOVETIC PROFILE

Birth Name: STEVAN JOVETIC
Date of birth: 2 November 1989
Place of birth: Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia
Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position: Second striker, Winger
Club Career:
Current club: Fiorentina 2006–2008 Partizan 51 (13) 2008– Fiorentina 66 (17 gol)

STEVAN JOVETIC BIOGRAPHY

A Montenegrin footballer Stevan Jovetic born 2 November 1989 his plays in Serie A club ACF Fiorentina. His impressive dribbling, close control, hair and technical qualities have drawn many critics to compare him to Roberto Baggio.

On 8 April 2006, at the age of 16,he made his senior debut for Partizan under head coach Jürgen Röber during a league match against Voždovac.

He scored three goals during a UEFA Cup qualifying game against Zrinjski on 2 August 2007, in a 5–0 victory for Partizan, making it his first career hat-trick at only 17 years old. During October 2007, he was linked to several high profile clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid. He became Partizan's club captain at age 18 in January 2008, after former captain Antonio Rukavina was sold to German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. This made him Partizan's youngest captain ever, surpassing club legend Albert Nađ who became captain at age 19.

On 10 May 2008, Serie A club Fiorentina signed him for a reported fee of £7.3 million (€8 million). He scored his first goal for La Viola (The Purples) in the league match against Atalanta from the penalty spot on 5 April 2009.

He started the 2009–10 season with a goal against Sporting Clube de Portugal in a 1–1 return leg draw at Stadio Artemio Franchi, which gave Fiorentina their entrance into the Champions League group stages. Other decisive goals included goals against Palermo, Sampdoria and Livorno. On 29 September 2009, he scored both goals in a 2–0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League group stage. On 9 March 2010, Jovetic scored two goals in Fiorentina's 3–2 win over Bayern Munich, however they lost the tie on away goals, and he scored again against Napoli on 13 March. He scored in a 4–1 win against Udinese on 28 March. During pre-season training for the 2010–11 season, he suffered an injury to his cruciate ligament in his right knee which, eventually, saw him out for the whole season. Jovetic returned to form in the 2011-2012 season, scoring a double in a 3-0 win with Parma, his first goals in over a year. On October 15th, 2011, Jovetic signed a contract that would keep him in Florence through 2016.

Jovetić was a founding member of the Montenegro national team who played their first game against Hungary in March 2007, and is also a regular for the Montenegro U-21 team.

Fiorentina supporters gave Jovetić the nickname "Jo-Jo". Because of his hairstyle, Jovetić is frequently compared by press and Fiorentina supporters to the famous Queen guitarist Brian May, most people think of him as the "next Baggio". His idol is Juventus forward and fellow Montenegrin international Mirko Vucinić, from whom he took the Montenegro U21 captain's armband at the age of 17.
|source:wikipedia|

STEVAN JOVETIC WALLPAPERS

WALTER PANDIANI PROFILE

Walter Pandiani Profile

Name: Walter Pandiani
Date of birth: 1976-04-27
Height: 181 cm (5 feet, 11 inch)
Nationality: Uruguay
Birth Name: Walter Gerardo Pandiani Urquiza
Nick Name:
Current team: Espanyol
Position: Striker
Number: 11

Walter Gerardo Pandiani Urquiza (born 27 April 1976) is an Uruguayan footballer who plays for RCD Espanyol as a striker.

Nicknamed El Rifle, his best assets are his strength and aerial ability, and he spent most of his professional career in Spain, where he made a name for himself at his first and last clubs - Deportivo de La Coruña and Osasuna - appearing for a total of four teams.

Born in Montevideo, Pandiani started his career with local C.A. Progreso, moving on to Basañez and C.A. Peñarol, the latter also in the country's capital, before signing with Deportivo de La Coruña in 2000. Never an undisputed starter in Galicia, he was one of the team's most important offensive elements, often scoring as a substitute (he netted 13 in the 2003–04 season).

Pandiani, who had a successful loan stint at RCD Mallorca while still at Depor, moved to Birmingham City in the Premier League, also on loan, in January 2005, after a series of run-ins with then coach, Javier Irureta. He scored a goal on his debut against Southampton in a 2–1 win,[3] and went on to score three more in the season, prompting manager Steve Bruce to sign him on a permanent contract for a fee reported as £3 million.

Failing to continue to display his previous form, Pandiani returned to Spain on January 13, 2006, after completing a move to RCD Espanyol for £1m. During his first full season, he netted seven La Liga goals, while also being instrumental in the Catalan's UEFA Cup runner-up campaign, as he led the competition's goal charts.

For 2007–08, Pandiani joined CA Osasuna.Scarcely used in his first year, he was instrumental for the Navarrese in the following campaign, especially after the arrival, in mid-October, of coach José Antonio Camacho, finishing as the club's topscorer.

Osasuna's first goal of the 2010–11 season only came in the fourth matchday, and 34-year old Pandiani scored it through a header, as the team came from behind to win it 3–1 against Real Sociedad, at home. On 30 January 2011, during half-time of a 1–0 home win against Real Madrid, he was involved in a verbal spat with Cristiano Ronaldo, later classifying the Portuguese's antics as those of one "having a screw loose".

Despite his relatively successful career in Spain, Pandiani only received four caps for Uruguay, the first coming on 28 March 2001, in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, a 0–1 home defeat.(source)

ANTONIO NOCERINO PROFILE

ANTONIO NOCERINO BIOGRAPHY

Antonio Nocerino (born 9 April 1985 in Naples) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Milan and the Italian national team.
Antonio Nocerino was born in Naples on the 9 April 1985 to Ciro and Giovanna.

He started his career at Juventus and, after a loan spell at U.S. Avellino, Genoa bought him in a co-ownership deal, as part of Domenico Criscito and Francesco Volpe went to Turin. He was priced €450,000 for half of his rights. In June 2006 the co-ownership deal was renewed, but soon sold to Piacenza in July for undisclosed fees from Genoa.

In July 2007 Juventus, who held 50% of the player's rights, bought the remainder from Piacenza, for €3.7M.

He was transferred from Juventus to Palermo in a transfer package deal for Amauri for the 08/09 season which Nocerino was priced €7.5M. He signed a 4-year contract. Despite some initial difficulties, he became an integral part of the Palermo's midfield.

On 31 August 2011, the last day of the Italian transfer window and only an hour before the window ended, he joined Milan on a five year contract, for €500,000. He made his debut for the Milan based club in the first 2011-12 Serie A game of the season (on 9 September) coming on as a late substitute for fellow debutante Alberto Aquilani. He made his UEFA Champions League debut in the next game on the 12 September, when Milan drew 2-2 against FC Barcelona. On 15 October 2011 he scored his first goal in the home match won 3–0 against his former club Palermo, completing a great team move lead by Cassano and Robinho. Due to the injury crisis, he played every match for Milan so far (as of 26 October). On 26 October, 2011, Nocerino notched a beautiful hat-trick for Milan in a 4-1 win against Parma.


He played for Italy's U-20 in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and with their U-21 in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. Nocerino also captained the U-21's triumphing over Chile to win the Toulon tournament for the first time for the Azzurrini. He also competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as captain of Italy's Olympic squad. He received his first call up to Italy's national team by Roberto Donadoni In 17 October 2007 in a friendly with South Africa.

ANTONIO NOCERINO PROFILE

Birth Name: Antonio Nocerino
Date of birth: 9 April 1985
Place of birth: Naples, Italy
Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position: Midfielder
Current club: Milan
Number: 22

Club Career
2003–2004 Juventus 0 (0)
2003–2004 → Avellino (loan) 34 (0)
2004–2006 Genoa 5 (0)
2005 → Catanzaro (loan) 21 (0)
2005 → Crotone (loan) 15 (0)
2006 → Messina (loan) 11 (0)
2006–2007 Piacenza 37 (6)
2007–2008 Juventus 32 (0)
2008–2011 Palermo 106 (6)
2011– Milan 8 (4)
|source:wikipedia|

TIM HOWARD PROFILE

TIM HOWARD BIOGRAPHY

An American soccer player Timothy Matthew Howard (born March 6, 1979) his plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team.

Howard started his career with the North Jersey Imperials before making a move to the MetroStars. His appearances soon attracted the attention of Manchester United, who signed him in 2003. He enjoyed relative success with them as they won the 2003 FA Community Shield, the 2003–04 FA Cup and the 2005–06 League Cup. However, after United signed Edwin van der Sar, Howard went out on loan to Everton to play more first-team football and eventually signed permanently with them in February 2007.

Howard first represented the United States national team in 2002 and was third-choice goalkeeper behind Kasey Keller and Marcus Hahnemann for the 2006 World Cup. He later established himself as first-choice and started all of the United States' games at the 2010 World Cup as they reached the Round of 16.

Howard was born in North Brunswick, New Jersey, to Matthew Howard – an African American, and Esther Howard (née Fekete), a native of Hungary. His parents divorced when he was three years old, and Howard lived with his mother, a project manager for a cosmetics distributor. His father, a long-distance truck driver for a health care firm, nonetheless maintained a presence in his life. His father was determined to get Howard and his brother, Chris, involved in sports. Before the two could walk, he bought them equipment for various sports to see which games they preferred. Tim showed a preference for basketball and soccer.

Howard was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he was in the sixth grade.Before Howard was a teenager, Tim Mulqueen, a one time assistant coach for the United States men's national under-17 soccer team, saw his potential at a soccer camp Howard attended and took the boy under his wing.

In high school, Howard proved a star not only in soccer as a midfielder, but also on the basketball court, where he averaged 15 points per game and helped bring his team to the state finals in his senior year. However his talent and abilities as a soccer player were far more impressive. Despite his position on his high school team, Howard was a far better goalkeeper than he was a midfielder. Howard spent the first years of high school attending Montclair Kimberley Academy, a small private school in Montclair, New Jersey. Howard left MKA in his junior year to go back to North Brunswick where he grew up, and graduated from North Brunswick Township High School. By the age of fifteen he began playing in goal for U.S. youth national teams. He made his international debut against Honduras on the U-17 squad. In 1997 Mulqueen became the coach of the North Jersey Imperials, a team in the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL), and served as the goalkeeping coach for Major League Soccer's MetroStars; he immediately considered Howard for a position on the Imperials. In May of that year, a month before graduating from high school, Howard played for the Imperials in his first professional game.

TIM HOWARD PROFILE

Full name: Timothy Matthew Howard

Date of birth: March 6, 1979

Place of birth: North Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

Playing position: Goalkeeper

Number: 24

Club Career:
Current club: Everton
1997–1998 North Jersey Imperials
1998–2003 MetroStars
2003–2007 Manchester United
2006–2007 → Everton (loan)
2007– Everton
|source:wikipedia|

TIM HOWARD WALLPAPERS

ANTONIO VALENCIA PROFILE

ANTONIO VALENCIA BIOGRAPHY

Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera was born on 4 August 1985 in Nueva Loja, also known as Lago Agrio, Ecuador, which is located in the Amazon Rainforest. Valencia helped his mother sell drinks outside the stadium of his local club at Lago Agrio and would then search for empty bottles for his father to sell to a bottle-deposit in the capital, Quito.Valencia used to play barefoot on the pitch next to the bungalow he shared with his parents, five brothers and sister.

When Valencia was aged 11, scout Pedro "Papi" Perlaza spotted him playing on a dusty field near his home, and signed him to the local FA-run sports academy in Sucumbíos.At the age of 16, Valencia didn't tell his father he left home to take up an offer to play for El Nacional, the military-backed club in Quito.Nobody knew about Valencia’s decision, except his mother and his elder brother, Carlos Alfredo, who paid the fare for his eight-hour bus journey. Valencia began in central midfield and on a salary of 50 dollars a month.

Valencia and his wife, Zoila, have a daughter named Domenik, who was born during the 2006 World Cup finals.Along with former Wigan teammates Maynor Figueroa and Wilson Palacios, Valencia began taking English lessons (although Valencia still requires an interpreter).Whilst at Wigan his English lessons would be once a week, however since his move to Manchester United they are sometimes everyday.Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described Valencia as a quiet and shy boy.His older brother, Éder, is also a professional footballer playing for Independiente José Terán in Ecuador.

ANTONIO VALENCIA PROFILE

Full name: Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera
Date of birth: 4 August 1985
Place of birth: Lago Agrio, Ecuador
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position: Right winger, Right back
Current club: Manchester United
Club Career 1999–2001 Caribe Junior 2001–2004 El Nacional 2003–2005 El Nacional 83 (11) 2005–2008 Villarreal 2 (0) 2005–2006 → Recreativo (loan) 12 (0) 2006–2008 → Wigan Athletic (loan) 37 (1) 2008–2009 Wigan Athletic 47 (6) 2009– Manchester United 47 (6)
|source:wikipedia|

ANTONIO VALENCIA WALLPAPERS

VINCENT KOMPANY PROFILE

VINCENT KOMPANY BIOGRAPHY

Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (born 10 April 1986 in Uccle) is a Belgian footballer who plays for Manchester City and the Belgium national team. He is capable of playing at both centre back and defensive midfielder. Kompany is of partial Congolese ancestry. In the 2011/2012 season he was awarded the captaincy of Manchester City F.C.

Kompany began his professional career at Anderlecht, spending three years at the Belgian club before moving to German club Hamburger SV in 2006. In the summer of 2008, at the age of twenty-two, he completed a transfer to his current club, Premier League side Manchester City. He has since established himself as an integral part the Manchester City squad and is one of the bargain buys of the revolutionised City era, blossoming into one the Premier League's best centre backs as evidenced in his inclusion in the 2010-11 Premier League Team of the Year.

Kompany is an official FIFA ambassador for registered charity SOS Children's Villages. Of Congolese heritage, Kompany represents his father's native Congo, and has invested and engaged in projects which aim to provide an education and safe living accommodation for children living in poverty.Kompany's father, Pierre, is his agent and his brother François Kompany played for Germinal Beerschot and Macclesfield Town. Kompany also has an older sister. Vincent married his Mancunian girlfriend Carla on 11 June 2011, and together they have a daughter, Sienna Kompany, who was born on June 10, 2010.

VINCENT KOMPANY PROFILE

Name : Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany
Date of birth: 10 April 1986
Place of birth: Ukkel, Belgium
Height: 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position: Centre back / Defensive midfielder
Current club: Manchester City
Number: 4
Club Career:
2003–2006 Anderlecht 75 (5)
2006–2008 Hamburger SV 28 (1)
2008– Manchester City 108 (5)
|source:wikipedia|

VINCENT KOMPANYBIOGRAPHY

JOSHUA KENNEDY PROFILE

JOSHUA KENNEDY PROFILE

Full nam: Joshua Blake Kennedy
Date of birth: 20 August 1982
Place of birth: Wodonga, Victoria, Australia
Height: 1.94 m (6 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Playing position: Striker
Current club: Nagoya Grampus
Number: 16

Club career
1999–2000 Carlton S.C. 4 (0)
2000–2002 VfL Wolfsburg 8 (2)
2002–2003 Stuttgarter Kickers 23 (1)
2003–2004 1. FC Köln 4 (0)
2004–2006 Dynamo Dresden 60 (16)
2006–2007 1. FC Nuremberg 12 (1)
2008–2009 Karlsruher SC 33 (7)
2009– Nagoya Grampus 71 (38)

JOSHUA KENNEDY BIOGRAPHY

Joshua Kennedy, a 1.94 m tall central forward, began playing junior football in Albury/Wodonga, near his hometown of Yackandandah in Victoria, Australia. There, he played with the Twin City Wanderers and later SS&A Boomers. His talents won a scholarship place in the Australian Institute of Sport program, leading to a professional contract at new National Soccer League club Carlton in 1999, alongside fellow AIS graduates Vince Grella and Mark Bresciano.

After a season, he made a move to Europe transferring to Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg. His debut as a substitute coming on five minutes from time in the 4-4 draw against fellow Northern German side Hamburger SV on 13 September 2000, at age 17 made him the youngest player ever to appear for VfL. It was his only appearance for the first team that year, and the following season brought little change for Kennedy as he managed just seven appearances for the Bundesliga side, starting only once. However, he scored two goals in the 2001–02 season, with his first ever Bundesliga goal coming on 8 September 2001 against Energie Cottbus.

At the start of the following season Kennedy was transferred to Regionalliga Süd side Stuttgarter Kickers, where he was a regular feature playing 23 games for the Swabian side. After just one season Kennedy left for Cologne where he joined (at the time) Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln. However he mostly played for their reserve team in the Regionalliga Nord, where he was the club's second-top scorer of the season with nine goals in twenty-three games.

Having just won promotion to 2. Fußball-Bundesliga, Dynamo Dresden were looking for a striker and found it in the then 22-year old Victorian. This transfer, his fourth in four years, proved to be a vital one in Kennedy's career. He immediately found a first-team spot with the Saxon side and played in all of the club's thirty-four league matches – again becoming the second-top scorer of his club with nine goals. The following season he was again an integral part in the club's fight against relegation scoring seven goals and setting up four. This attracted the interest of Bundesliga club 1. FC Nuremberg who signed Kennedy to a three-year contract, and of Australian national coach Guus Hiddink who called the previously uncapped Kennedy up to the Australian Squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In July 2006, during his first training session with Nuremberg, Kennedy ruptured his right achilles tendon.

On 11 January 2008, fellow German Bundesliga club Karlsruher SC announced the signing of Kennedy via an undisclosed transfer fee. He is contracted until June 2011. His first goal for Karlsruhe came on his debut against his former club Nuremberg in what would turn out to be a cruel twist of fate for the latter – just weeks after leaving them. Kennedy went on to score four goals in his first five appearances and was widely praised for his performances. However, following this stunning start he did not manage to score in 21 consecutive Bundesliga matches and finally lost his starting position. After a further disappointing appearance in an important cup tie on 28 January 2009, Kennedy was replaced in the second half of the match and subsequently refused to shake hands with his coach. Due to this behaviour, he was thrown out of the squad. On 2 February 2009, Kennedy once again made negative headlines when he announced his intention to leave the club as soon as possible. After five months without any Bundesliga appearances Kennedy was finally allowed to return to the squad even though he still refused to apologize. On 18 April 2009, he was part of the starting line-up for the first time since his suspension. Altogether, Kennedy started 20 of his 23 appearances but – after 27 goalless games – was only able to score twice in the final match of the season which proved to be of no relevance because Karlsruhe nevertheless was relegated from the Bundesliga.

On 17 June 2009 he signed a contract with Nagoya Grampus until 31 December 2011. Kennedy scored a goal on debut for Nagoya Grampus in his side's 1-1 draw. In the 2010 season, Kennedy helped Nagoya win their first-ever league title, becoming a joint top scorer with Ryoichi Maeda on 17 goals.He was also named in the 2010 J. League Best Eleven. On 23 September 2011, Kennedy scored off a Kensuke Nagai cross to help his side to a 3-1 win over Vissel Kobe. The result put Grampus one point behind leaders Gamba Osaka and gave Kennedy his 15th goal of the 2011 J. League season, putting him one goal above Ventforet Kofu's striker Mike Havenaar.

In 1999, Kennedy represented Australia at the U17 World cup and the Young Socceroos in 2001 at the U20 Youth World Cup in Argentina.

Kennedy received his first international cap in a pre-2006 World Cup friendly against Liechtenstein and made his mark in this game with a headed goal. He came on as a substitute in Australia's first 2006 World Cup game, in which Australia beat Japan 3-1 by scoring three goals in the last eight minutes. Kennedy was touted as Hiddink's secret weapon against the Japanese because he was taller than all of the Japanese defenders. He followed this up with a second appearance as a substitute in Australia's third Group Stage game against Croatia.

Injury prevented Kennedy from participating in Australia's 2007 AFC Asian Cup campaign. Kennedy was recalled to the Socceroos squad to face Argentina in a friendly on 11 September. On 6 February 2008, he scored his second international against goal Qatar in a World Cup qualifier held in Melbourne, his third against South Africa, fourth against Holland and his fifth against Qatar again. On 1 April 2009, he scored his sixth goal for Australia, Kennedy came on as a substitute on the 60th minute for Scott McDonald and scored a header against Uzbekistan giving Australia a 1-0 lead.

Under new Socceroos coach Holger Oseick, Kennedy has flourished scoring 7 goals in just 4 matches. These goals included 2 against New Zealand in June, the equalizer against Thailand in September, a double against Saudi Arabia and a double against Malaysia.
|source:wikipedia.org|

JOSHUA KENNEDY IMAGES

MADELEINE GISKE

MADELEINE GISKE PROFILE

Birth Name: Madeleine Giske

Date of birth: 14 September 1987

Place of birth: Nuremberg, Germany

Height: 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)

Playing position: Midfielder, Forward

Current club: Arna-Bjørnar Fotball

MADELEINE GISKE PROFILE

Madeleine Giske born Nürnberg, Germany, 14 September 1987 is a Norwegian football midfielder who currently plays for Arna-Bjørnar in Bergen, Norway. She is also a member of the Norwegian Women's National Football Team.

Giske is the daughter of Anders Giske, a former professional footballer who captained the Norwegian National Football Team, as well as playing for clubs such as SK Brann, FC Nuremberg, Bayer Leverkusen and 1. FC Köln.

In 2003 as a 15-year-old Madeleine Giske joined the Bergen club IL Sandviken where she debuted in Division-1 on April 26. She was an immediate success and continued with the same club when it was promoted into the Toppserien in 2004, scoring eleven goals in that season and also in the next. In 2006 she moved to Arna-Bjørnar, also in Bergen, where she debuted with Erika Skarbø and Elise Thorsnes. She has contributed a lot to making Arna-Bjørnar one of the top clubs in Norway and it finished 5th in the league table for 2009.

Having progressed through Norway's national youth teams, Giske made her senior national team debut on 25 March 2006 in a match against Greece, and scored her first international goal, also in a match against Greece, on 20 June 2006. In most of her 11 matches for the national team she has started on the bench, but she has played as a back, an attacking midfielder and as a winger. She went with the team to the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China in 2007 and played as a substitute in Norway's match against Ghana which they won 7-2. The team reached the semifinals of the World Cup where they lost to Germany and eventually finished in 4th place behind Germany, Brazil and USA.

In June 2008 Giske heard of her selection as a reserve for the Norwegian national side to travel to China for the 2008 Summer Olympics only minutes after she had an anterior cruciate ligament rupture diagnosed, suffered in a club match against Team Strømmen two days earlier on June 7. The remainder of 2008 was spent recovering and she resumed full training in January 2009.

Giske played 45 minutes for Arna-Bjørnar in a training match against Sandviken on March 7, 2009, resuming her football career exactly nine months after the injury. Since then she has been a regular member of Arna-Bjørnar's starting eleven and in the 2009 season she scored eight goals.|source:wikipedia|

MADELEINE GISKE IMAGES