Milan Baroš

Milan Baroš (born 28 October 1981 in Vigantice, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) is a Czech international footballer.

He is a striker who currently plays for Portsmouth, on loan from Lyon until the end of the season. He has previously played for Liverpool, Aston Villa, and FC Baník Ostrava, where he earned the nickname Ostrava's Maradona.

Liverpool

Baroš joined Liverpool in 2002, making his debut in a Champions League tie away to Barcelona. It was his only appearance of the 2001/02 season. The following season Baros scored twice on his Premiership debut away to Bolton Wanderers and ended the season with 12 goals for the club. For the 2003/04 season Baros was expected to feature more prominently but he broke his ankle in a match at Blackburn Rovers. He didn't play again for 6 months and scored just two goals all season as Gerard Houllier preferred both Emile Heskey and Michael Owen. Baroš would later claim that had Houllier stayed at the club after the summer of 2004 he would have put in a transfer request. As it was Houllier was sacked and replaced by Rafa Benítez.

On returning from Euro 2004, where he had been the top goalscorer, Baroš hit his best form for his club early in the 2004/05 season. With Michael Owen and Emile Heskey now sold and new signing Djibril Cissé out with a long term injury Baroš was now seen as the club's senior striker. Despite being the club's joint top scorer with thirteen goals, including a hat trick against Crystal Palace, Baroš was surprisingly dropped for the Carling cup final defeat to Chelsea. However, he played an important role in Liverpool's run to the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, playing virtually all the games in the competition as a lone striker as the club clinched its fifth title. Baroš reportedly dropped the trophy during the team's celebration, leaving a dent, but Liverpool decided not to mend it.

In June 2005, Baroš' future at Liverpool looked bleak, with the player seemingly poised to leave Liverpool to rejoin former manager Gérard Houllier at Lyon who had expressed interest in bringing him to France. Baroš, however, rejected the move, saying that he wanted to prove himself at Liverpool. It was widely reported, however, that Liverpool would try to sell Baroš before the transfer window closed on 31 August. Adding fuel to these rumours was Liverpool's purchase of Peter Crouch from Southampton, along with the decision by manager Rafael Benítez not to play Baroš in any of Liverpool's Champions League qualifying-round ties. By not playing Baroš, Benítez assured that Baroš would not be cup-tied to Liverpool, Cup-tied players are considerably less valuable, especially to teams that could reasonably afford the transfer fee that Liverpool would likely require for Baroš. Indeed, two clubs that had already qualified for the group phase, Lyon and Schalke, strongly pursued Baroš, but he expressed a desire to stay in the Premiership or to move to Spain.

He played as a substitute in the first 2 games of Liverpool's 2005-6 season but they were his last for the club. Baroš' name was still chanted from the crowd proving that despite his immiment departure he was a very popular player.

Aston Villa

Baroš moved to Premiership side Aston Villa for a fee of £6.5 million in August 2005, signing a four year contract. He was given the number 10 shirt. Just ten minutes into his Aston Villa debut, he scored the only goal in his new team's victory over Blackburn Rovers. He finished the season with 8 goals from 25 appearances. He also scored 3 goals in as many games in the FA Cup that season, as well as 1 goal from two Carling Cup appearances. But he never really won over the fans due to his perceived lack of effort and commitment to wearing the shirt.

The following season proved to be a nightmare for Milan as he simply could not score. He began the season as first-choice striker under Martin O'Neill and played alongside Juan Pablo Ángel but he soon got injured and lost his place to Luke Moore and the emerging Gabriel Agbonlahor. Boss Martin O'Neill challenged Baros to prove himself before the January transfer window. He subsequently opened his account for the season on December 11 with a close range equaliser against Sheffield United in a 2-2 draw. This didn't prove good enough and he was soon dropped from the squad altogether. January was just around the corner and it seemed destined that Baroš would be leaving the club. Following his final goal for Aston Villa in a 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup he was sold to Lyon in a part exchange deal for John Carew.

He finished his Aston Villa career with 14 goals from 51 appearances.

Lyon

On 22 January 2007, Baroš signed with French side Lyon, reuniting with former manager Gérard Houllier from his time at Liverpool. The deal swapped Baros with Lyon striker John Carew, who joined Aston Villa on a three-and-a-half-year deal. On January 24, 2007, he made his Lyon Ligue 1 debut against Bordeaux.

On April 18, 2007, during Lyon's match against Rennes, Baroš was accused of making a racist gesture towards his Cameroon-born opponent Stéphane Mbia. After having been fouled by Mbia several times, Baroš held his nose in front of Mbia and waved his hand as if to waft away an unpleasant smell. In the ensuing controversy, Baroš insisted that his gesture was not intended to be racist in any way, and he was only trying to tell Mbia to get out of his face and leave him alone. [5] On May 4, Baroš and Mbia were brought before an official disciplinary hearing of the LFP. The jury ruled that Baroš was innocent of racist behavior, but he was nevertheless suspended for the remainder of the season for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Following the departure of Gérard Houllier, Baroš played significantly less under new manager Alain Perrin in the 2007/8 season. On November 1, Baroš was arrested in France while driving at 271 km/h in his black Ferrari F430, on a freeway limited to 130 km/h. Stopped by French Police between Lyon and Geneva in the region of Ain, the local authorities said the radar reading of 271km/h (168.4mph) was the fastest speed ever recorded in the region, beating the 248km/h (154mph) set by a motorcyclist in 2000. As a result, Baroš had his car and licence confiscated, had to take a taxi back to Lyon. In the awaiting court case, his driving licence may be suspended for up to three years and he will have to pay a significant fine.

Portsmouth

As of 27 January 2008, Milan completed a loan signing that will keep him at English side Portsmouth F.C. until the end of the 2007/2008 English Premier League season with a view to a permanent deal (7.000.000 €). Baros made his Portsmouth debut against Manchester United on 30 January 2008

The new arrival of Jermaine Defoe prompted what seemed to be a great strike partnership. In Defoe's debut Baros assisted him for the equaliser against Chelsea.

International career

At the 2004 European Football Championship, Baroš scored the first goal for the Czech Republic in their first game of the tournament, a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Latvia. He went on to score goals in the Czechs' other two group matches. His second goal was an equalizer against the Netherlands; the Dutch team had a two-goal lead over the Czechs until the 22nd minute, when Jan Koller scored from a Baroš pass. The Czechs went on to win that game. The last was a game-winning goal against Germany. Baroš and Dutch star Ruud van Nistelrooy were the only two players in the tournament to score in all three of their group matches.

Baroš added two goals in two minutes of the second half of the Czechs' quarterfinal win over Denmark, and finished as the tournament's Golden Boot with five goals.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a persistent foot injury kept him out of games against the United States and Ghana. He did appear in the Czech's final group game against Italy, but was considered unfit and was subsequently withdrawn after 65 minutes.

Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard (born 30 May 1980, Whiston, Merseyside) is an English football player. He is the captain of Liverpool, where he wears the number 8 shirt. He is the England vice captain, for which he wears the number 4 shirt. He has been called an influential and versatile midfielder, and is known for his long-range shots and defence-splitting passes, he is usually employed in the "box-to-box" midfield role, although he has often been deployed as a right-sided midfielder, and occasionally as a second striker. Throughout his career he has won the PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, European Midfielder of the year, Premier League Most Valuable Player (twice), and UEFA Most Valuable Player. He has also been awarded the MBE for his outstanding contributions in both the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2006 FA Cup Final in which he greatly inspired his team's comeback. He has been nominated three times for the FIFA Player of the Year, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. On February 5th 2008 it was announced he had been voted by fans, the Nationwide England Player of the Year for 2007.

International career

Gerrard was given his international debut by Kevin Keegan against Ukraine on 31 May 2000. It was 18 months and only 44 games since his debut for the Liverpool first team. That summer, he was picked for the England squad for Euro 2000. In an unsuccessful campaign for England, Gerrard only made one substitute appearance, coming on for Michael Owen after 61 minutes, in the team's sole victory — a 1-0 defeat of Germany.

Gerrard was one of three Liverpool players including Michael Owen (3 goals) and Emile Heskey (1 goal) who scored in the World Cup qualifying game in September 2001 against Germany (1– 5 away victory), this being his first international goal. England successfully qualified for the 2002 World Cup, but Gerrard was forced to pull out of the squad to undergo surgery on a problematic groin injury. This operation finally put an end to injury problems that had plagued Gerrard since his early teens.

The 2004 European Football Championship saw Gerrard finally get a starting role in a major international tournament. Late in England's first game against France, Gerrard's back-pass was intercepted by Thierry Henry, who was then brought down by David James, winning France a penalty. Zinedine Zidane duly scored to give France victory 2-1. England went on to win their next two group games to progress in second place, with Gerrard scoring his first goal at a finals competition with the third goal against Switzerland. England lost in the next round to Portugal, with Gerrard being substituted in the 81st minute.

Gerrard suffered an injury scare days before the 2006 World Cup in Germany, when it was suggested that he might be ruled out of England's first game of the tournament; however, he was deemed fit to make his first ever World Cup appearance, and started in the side that beat Paraguay 1-0. He then went on to score twice in the group stages of the tournament – first netting England's second goal in a 2-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago with a long-range, curled strike (coincidentally, again past Hislop) in injury time. This victory, in which Gerrard's Liverpool team-mate Peter Crouch also scored, ensured England's progress to the second round of the tournament with a game to spare. Gerrard was then initially rested for the final group game against Sweden, as a precaution against picking up a second booking that would have ruled him out of the second round match (having already received one against Paraguay). He came off the bench to score a powerfully headed goal in the 85th minute, giving England the lead in a game that finished 2-2. Gerrard was one of three England players to see their penalty saved by Ricardo Pereira in the quarter-final penalty shoot-out which was won by Portugal. Gerrard finished the tournament as England's top goalscorer with two goals.

Gerrard was regarded by both the footballing media and bookmakers to be one of the prime candidates for the England captaincy after David Beckham resigned the post. William Hill gave odds of 2/1 for Gerrard (with John Terry as favourite on 1/2 odds). With 47 caps at that time, Gerrard was a more experienced international player (as opposed to Terry's 29), but Steve McClaren chose to give the post to the Chelsea skipper, with Gerrard as vice-captain. On October 13, 2007, Gerrard captained the England squad for the first time in a competitive match. Due to England failing to qualify for The European Championshipsin 2008, Steve McClaren was fired by The F.A. Fabio Capello was hired who is responsible deciding who the captains arm band will be given to. He could decide that John Terry will remain the captain, but could give the responsibility to Gerrard.

Personal life

Gerrard is married to Alex Curran, and the couple have two daughters: Lilly-Ella Gerrard (born February 23, 2004) and Lexie Gerrard (born May 9, 2006). They married at Cliveden on June 16, 2007, the same day as the weddings of England team-mates Gary Neville, Michael Carrick and rock star Rod Stewart, a day after England captain John Terry's. He has an older brother named Paul. His parents are divorced.

On 1 September 2006, Gerrard published his first autobiography, entitled Gerrard: My Autobiography, in which he talks extensively about his personal life, Liverpool and England careers. Gerrard states in his autobiography that his ambition before he retires is to get a "well done" from manager Rafael Benitez. Gerrard's Autobiography was awarded the sports book of the year in the Galaxy British Book Awards by beating other sport books like Pelé: The Autobiography.

On 13 December 2006, councillors of Knowsley voted to make him a Freeman of the Borough. The first person to receive the honour since 1988, other people previously honoured include Lord Wilson the former Labour Prime Minister. The formal ceremony is expected to take place in 2007.

On 29 December 2006, Gerrard was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen in her New Year Honours List, for services to sport.

On October 1, 2007 he had a low-speed car accident in his BMW X5, knocking down a 10 year old boy who ran into the road outside Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Southport. Gerrard later visited the boy and handed him football boots signed by the boy's favourite player, Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, who is a teammate of Gerrard for England's international team. The boy has since recovered fully from his accident.

On December 11, 2007 whilst he was scoring for Liverpool against Marseille, his house was being burgled.

Clarence Seedorf

Clarence Seedorf (born April 1, 1976 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch-Surinamese football midfielder, who currently plays for AC Milan in Serie A. He was the first, and to date, the only person to have won the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs: Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998), and AC Milan (2003, 2007); he has also played for the clubs Sampdoria and Internazionale, and is a member of the Netherlands national team.

Early career

Seedorf started his career as a right midfielder for Ajax Amsterdam during the early 1990s. He made his professional debut on November 29, 1992 against FC Groningen at the age of 16 years and 242 days, making him the youngest debutant for Ajax ever.[1] In his early career, he played a role in Ajax's Eredivisie winning years of 1994 and 1995. He was also a key member during Ajax's 1995 Champions League winning campaign. His performances during the season saw him move to Sampdoria in the summer of 1995.

He will later on join Sampdoria where he spent only one season at the Italian side.

Real Madrid

Seedorf moved to Real Madrid, helping that team regain the La Liga title in his first season. In his second season, 1997-1998, he played a major role in the team's Champions League success as Real Madrid secured a 1-0 victory over Juventus in the final, in his second Champions League title of his career. While playing for Real Madrid, Seedorf scored a notable goal against Atlético de Madrid, a shot from around 60 yards away. Seedorf's spell at Real Madrid ended when he was transferred back to Italy during the 1999-2000 season - this time to Inter Milan.

Inter Milan
Despite helping the team to the Coppa Italia final in 2000, a game that was eventually lost, Seedorf could not help bring any major silverware to the club.

A.C. Milan

After two years with Inter Milan, Seedorf moved to city rivals A.C. Milan in 2002. He won the Coppa Italia with Milan in 2003, which was the first time they had won the competition in twenty-six years. In the same season, Seedorf gained his third Champions League medal with a third different team, after an all Italian final in which AC Milan beat Juventus on penalties after a 0-0 draw. The following season, 2003–2004, Seedorf played a role in the AC Milan side that won Serie A. It was also Seedorf's fourth national league title win of his career, after his two Dutch title wins with Ajax and his one Spanish win with Real Madrid.

Seedorf played a major role as Milan reached the Champions League final again in 2005. He started the Istanbul tie against Liverpool in which Milan contrived to lose a 3-0 lead, eventually losing on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Seedorf did not take one of those spot-kicks. Milan also finished runners-up in the Scudetto to Juventus in 2005.

Another strong season by Milan in 2006, with Seedorf a key figure in most games in partnership with Andrea Pirlo, Kaká and Rino Gattuso, saw the team fall just short of another Champions League final when they were narrowly defeated in the semi-finals by eventual winners Barcelona.

A match-fixing scandal tarnished Serie A and Milan were weakened by the scandal but were allowed to continue in Europe the following season, which led to their best players staying at the club. Seedorf's role as foil to Kaká became increasingly impressive as the pair combined in some style to score and supply the goals which drove Milan past Bayern München and Manchester United to another Champions League final, again against Liverpool FC, beating them 2-1 in Athens, with Seedorf collecting his fourth UEFA Champions League medal.

At the end of the 2006-2007 season, Clarence Seedorf was voted best midfielder of the Champions League.

International career

Seedorf has 85 caps with the Dutch national team.

Seedorf has played in Euro 96, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. However, many have suggested that his national career could have been even more impressive if he had not let an argumentative and rebellious streak get the better of him on several occasions. In addition, he has a long history of underperforming during critical moments while playing for the national team. This was one of the reasons why current national team coach Marco van Basten decided to ignore Seedorf when he was appointed coach after Euro 2004. Thus, Seedorf did not play in the World Cup 2006 qualifying series, as well as missing out on the FIFA World Cup itself.

On 12 November 2006, however, Seedorf was recalled for the first time since June 2004 as a replacement for the injured Wesley Sneijder. He started and played the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 friendly draw against England. He was regularly called up by Van Basten afterward, including the two EURO 2008 qualifiers against Romania (0-0 at home) and Slovenia (1-0 away win),

He was included in the pre-selection for the Oranje's Asian tour in early June, but was ultimately left off the roster along with Ruud van Nistelrooy for a pair of friendlies against South Korea and Thailand.

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970 in Gosforth) is a retired professional English footballer who played as a striker for the England national team and Premiership clubs, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.

During his career he enjoyed successes at both club and international level and also in his personal life, becoming one of the most prolific strikers of all time. In total he scored 422 goals for club and country, averaging 25 goals a season for each of his 17 seasons as a player. Shearer currently holds the Premier League goalscoring record with 260 goals. He announced his international retirement following England's exit from Euro 2000 but continued to play for Newcastle United until 2006, when he retired completely from football.

Since 2006 he has worked a football pundit for the BBC.

Southampton (1988-1992)
As a 15-year-old schoolboy at Wallsend Boys Club, Shearer was rejected by Newcastle, with a legendary trial as goalkeeper (he has admitted he was only in goal for a small part of a full day), and instead signed as an apprentice with Southampton. He made his debut as a substitute against Chelsea on 26 March 1988, before prompting national headlines with his full debut at The Dell a month later, on 9 April 1988, when he scored a hat-trick against Arsenal. At the age of 17 years and 240 days, he broke the record for the youngest player to score a hat-trick in top-flight football, held for more than thirty years by Jimmy Greaves.

Despite this auspicious beginning to his career, Shearer was only eased gradually into the first team, making ten goalless appearances for the club the following season. In his early Southampton career his prime asset was his strength, which enabled him to retain the ball and generally lead a line in which others (notably Rod Wallace and Matt Le Tissier) did the scoring. His performances in the centre of the Saints attack were soon recognised by the fans, who voted him their Player of the Year in 1991.

He did not become truly prolific for Southampton until 1992, when he scored thirteen goals in 41 appearances.

Blackburn Rovers (1992-1996)

Taylor selected Shearer for his squad for the finals, but he only featured in one group game - a goalless draw against France - and England were eliminated at an early stage. However, his ability had been noted by Blackburn Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish who, with vast funds at his disposal from benefactor Jack Walker, offered Southampton £3.3 million for Shearer, which was accepted, and the transfer to Blackburn was completed. Shearer was also offered terms by Manchester United but turned them down.

Shearer became an England regular the following season, scoring his second goal in a 4-0 win over Turkey in a qualifier for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. His first season with Blackburn was mixed - he missed half of it (and more World Cup qualifiers) through injury, snapping his right anterior cruciate ligament against Leeds United on 26 December 1992, but scored sixteen goals in the 21 games in which he did feature. The season ended sourly, however, as England failed to qualify for the World Cup.

At Blackburn, he scored 31 goals from 40 games in the 1993-94 season, as they finished a close second in the table behind Manchester United. He also won the honour of the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year for that season. Shearer added three more goals to his England tally before embarking on his most successful domestic season as a player at that time.

The arrival of Chris Sutton for the 1994-95 season established a strong attacking partnership at Blackburn, with the duo acquiring the nickname "the SAS" - Shearer And Sutton. In 42 games, Shearer scored 34 goals, as Blackburn took the Premiership title on the last day of the season. This remains the only club honour that Shearer won in his career, though he quickly followed it up with a personal award, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

In 1995-96 he scored 31 goals in 35 games, although his England strike rate completely dried up, with no goals in the eleven matches leading up to Euro 96. England, now managed by Terry Venables, were hosting the event and therefore hadn't needed a qualification campaign.

Newcastle United (1996-2006)
After Euro 96, Shearer was approached by Manchester United with another offer to buy him from Blackburn.[citation needed] However, Jack Walker wouldn't allow the move under any circumstances so he joined Newcastle United, managed by Shearer's boyhood hero Kevin Keegan, who paid £15 million to secure his services, making Shearer the world's most expensive footballer at the time.

Shearer continued to score goals: 25 in 31 games in his first season at St James' Park. At the end of his first season at Newcastle he picked up his second PFA Player of the Year award.

In the summer of 1997, Shearer suffered an ankle ligament injury in a pre-season match at Goodison Park, an injury which greatly restricted his number of appearances. He still helped Newcastle United (now managed by his old boss at Blackburn, Kenny Dalglish) to the 1998 FA Cup Final, but Arsenal won the game 2-0, although Shearer hit the post during the match.

In the latter part of that season, controversy surrounded Shearer when he kicked Neil Lennon in the head at Leicester City during a Premiership match. FA Chief Executive Graham Kelly later claimed in his autobiography that Shearer threatened to walk out on the World Cup squad if he was punished by the FA.[citation needed] Shearer denied this - and also claimed the incident with Lennon was entirely accidental - and he was not punished.

Shearer announced that he would retire at the end of the 2004-05 season, but, influenced by then Newcastle manager Graeme Souness, he decided to continue playing in a player-coach capacity until the end of the following season. During this time, he broke Jackie Milburn's 49-year-old record of 200 goals for Newcastle United when he netted his 201st strike in a home Premiership fixture against Portsmouth on 4 February 2006. Some media sources have pointed out that, including matches played during World War II, Milburn scored 238 goals for the club. Discounting those games and goals, however, Shearer beat the record in five fewer games than Milburn.

On 17 April 2006, with three games remaining in his final season as a player, Shearer suffered a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee after a collision during the 4-1 win at Sunderland in which he scored his 206th goal. The injury caused him to miss those final three games, effectively ending his career prematurely. On 22 April, 2006, Shearer confirmed his retirement as a player.

On 11 May 2006, Newcastle United played Celtic at St James' Park in Shearer's testimonial match. Guest ex-Newcastle players included Steve Watson, Gary Speed, Rob Lee and Les Ferdinand. Shearer could not play in the testimonial because of injury; however, he initiated the kick-off and scored a penalty to win the game for Newcastle, 3-2. All proceeds from the game went to North East charities, including the NSPCC (for which Shearer is a patron), and the Bobby Moore Fund.

In 2002-03, Shearer and Newcastle made a return to the UEFA Champions League. Newcastle lost their first three matches in the first group stage, but then won the remaining three and managed to qualify for the second group-stage (the only club ever to do this), where they were finally eliminated.

After this, Newcastle would have one more chance to enter the Champions League proper in 2003, but were eliminated on penalties by Partizan Belgrade, with Shearer missing his penalty.

Shearer was appointed an OBE for services to Association Football in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2001, and the Freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne was bestowed upon him in March.

International career (1990-2000)

Having earned a regular place in the England U21 team the previous year, scoring thirteen goals in eleven matches in the process (including seven in four games at the Toulon tournament), this potent spell by Shearer was noticed by Graham Taylor, coach of the senior team, and Shearer made his debut against France in February 1992. A month later he made his one and only appearance for the England B team.

Like his full debut at club level, his full debut in international football was successful: Shearer scored a poacher's goal in the first half as England won 2-0. The other goal came from Gary Lineker, who was retiring in the summer after Euro 92 in Sweden, leaving Taylor with the job of finding a successor.

In the opening twenty minutes of the inaugural group game of Euro 96 against Switzerland at Wembley, Shearer scored, breaking his goal-drought. After that game ended 1-1, a victory against Scotland in the next game was crucial. After a tight and goalless first half, Gary Neville swung over a curling cross, and Shearer stooped low to head home at the far post. It set England on their way to a 2-0 win, helped by a penalty save from David Seaman and a second goal from Paul Gascoigne. England now needed to avoid defeat against Holland to be in the quarter-finals, and Shearer and his strike partner Teddy Sheringham helped them win 4-1 with two goals each, with a performance described as "Total Football" by pundits.

In the quarter finals, England were outplayed by Spain but got through to a penalty shootout after a goalless draw. Shearer scored the first England penalty, while the Spaniards failed to score from two of theirs, sending England into the semi-final against Germany. Shearer headed England into the lead after three minutes, but the Germans quickly equalised and the match went to penalties again. This time, Germany won from the spot; although Shearer scored, his team-mate Gareth Southgate missed his kick and England went out. Germany went on to win the final. Shearer's five goals made him the competition's top scorer, and together with team mates David Seaman and Steve McManaman, was listed in the official UEFA Team of the Tournament.

He scored five times in England's steady start to their qualification campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and that summer he was named as England captain. Shearer scored England's first goal of the tournament, in a 2-0 win over Tunisia, but that was his only goal in the three group matches. England faced Argentina in the second round: Shearer scored a first-half penalty in a match that went to penalties after a 2-2 draw. Shearer scored again, but colleagues Paul Ince and David Batty missed, and England were eliminated.

England's Euro 2000 qualifying campaign did not start well, and Hoddle departed the England job, with Shearer's former Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan taking over and maintaining Shearer's role as captain. Newcastle, meanwhile, made the 1999 FA Cup Final - their second consecutive - this time with Ruud Gullit as manager. Again they were defeated, by Manchester United, 2-0.

In September 1999, Shearer scored his first England hat-trick in a qualifier against Luxembourg. England qualified for the European Championships thanks to a play-off victory over two legs against Scotland. By now, Shearer was approaching his 30th birthday, and he announced that he intended to retire from international football after the Euro 2000 tournament.

Shearer did not score in England's opening 3-2 defeat against Portugal, but did so as England defeated Germany 1-0 in Charleroi, ensuring that England beat their European neighbours for the first time since the 1966 World Cup Final. To remain in the tournament, England only required a draw against Romania in the final group match, and Shearer scored a penalty as England went in at half-time 2-1 up, but Romania ultimately won 3-2. England's tournament was over, and so was Shearer's international career. From his 63 caps, he scored thirty goals, joint-fifth in the England all-time goalscorers list with Nat Lofthouse and Tom Finney.

Gary Lineker

Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960 in Leicester) is a former English international football striker who scored ten goals in two World Cups for the England national team and is currently a sports broadcaster for the BBC. He is also known for appearing in adverts for the Walkers crisp brand.

It was his sense of positioning and tap-ins that made him one of England's most prolific strikers of all-time, although this style of play sometimes provoked accusations that he was a "goal hanger" capitalising on the effort of others. However, Lineker was an intelligent player with an understanding of the game and dedication to improvement[citation needed]. He achieved fluency in the Spanish and Japanese languages, which allowed him to adjust better than most of his compatriots when playing for foreign clubs, and also to make a smooth transition into his role as a pundit and sports broadcaster.

Club career

He began his career at his hometown club of Leicester City in 1976, breaking into Leicester's first-team squad in 1978. Lineker began scoring prolifically in the early 1980s, finishing twice amongst the top flight's leading scorers and winning his first England call up. He was Division One top goalscorer in 1984-85 (tied on 24 goals with Kerry Dixon). After transfer to Everton (1985-86), he scored 38 goals in 52 games, and was top scorer in Division One with 30 goals. Barcelona signed him just prior to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. His Golden Shoe-winning performance at the finals led to much anticipation of success at the Nou Camp, and he didn't disappoint, scoring 21 goals in 41 games during his first season, including a hat-trick in a 3-2 win over arch rivals Real Madrid. Barcelona went on to win the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1989. However, Barcelona coach Johan Cruijff decided to play Lineker on the right of midfield and he eventually lost his first team place. Lineker was wanted by Alex Ferguson of Manchester United to partner his ex-Barcelona team-mate Mark Hughes in attack, but Lineker rejected the Manchester club and returned to England to play three seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 67 goals in 105 games and winning the FA Cup. He finished as top scorer in Division One in the 1989–90 season, scoring 24 goals. He ended his career with an injury-plagued spell in Japan's J. League with Nagoya Grampus Eight where he made 23 appearances over two seasons scoring nine times. Lineker was PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1986 and placed third in voting for the inaugural FIFA World Player of the Year in 1991. Despite his long career, Lineker was never cautioned by a referee for foul play (never once receiving a yellow card or a red card).

National team career

He first played for the England national team against Scotland in 1984. He played five games in the 1986 World Cup, and was top scorer of the tournament with six goals, winning the Golden Shoe, making him the first and to this day only English player to have done so. He played most of the tournament wearing a lightweight cast on his forearm. In 1988 Lineker played in the European Football Championship, but failed to score as England lost all three Group games. It was later established that he had been suffering from hepatitis.

In the 1990 World Cup, he scored four goals to help England reach the semi-finals.

He retired from international football with 80 caps and 48 goals, one fewer than Bobby Charlton's England record (although Charlton took 26 more caps to score his one extra goal). In what proved to be his last England match, against Sweden at Euro 92, he was controversially substituted by the unsuccessful England coach Graham Taylor, in favour of Arsenal striker Alan Smith, ultimately denying him the chance to equal the total. He had earlier missed a penalty that would have brought him level, in a pre-tournament friendly against Brazil. He was seen to be visibily upset at the decision, not looking at Taylor as he took the bench.

He scored 4 goals in an England match on two occasions.

Kevin Keegan

Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE (born February 14, 1951 in Armthorpe, Doncaster, England)[1] is a former English football manager and is regarded as one of the all-time greatest British football players. At every club that he managed, he won promotion as champions in his first season; and he is the only Englishman to be named European Footballer of the Year twice.

Life and playing career

Keegan was rejected by local club Doncaster Rovers but made the grade further towards the east coast when Scunthorpe United offered him terms. He made 120 appearances for the club before an offer of £35,000 was accepted from Liverpool manager Bill Shankly in the summer of 1971, the deal was finalised on 10 May.

Liverpool

On 14 August 1971 Keegan made his Liverpool debut against Nottingham Forest at Anfield and after just 12 minutes he scored, albeit with a completely mis-hit shot which was all he could muster after he miscontrolled a pass from Peter Thompson. He quickly established himself as a brave, pacey, incisive goalscorer and fan favourite. Keegan was also being tracked by England, making his debut at under-23 level later in 1971. His full debut wasn't long in coming either; it came in a World Cup qualifier against Wales at Ninian Park the following year. The game finished in a 1-0 victory for the English and, more importantly for Keegan, started him on his way to 63 caps. Keegan's first goal for his country also came in a game against Wales at Ninian Park. This time it was a British Home Championship match that England won 2-0 on 11 May 1974.

In 1973, Keegan won his first domestic honours when he and John Toshack formed the prolific goal-scoring partnership which helped Liverpool win their first League championship in seven years as well as the UEFA Cup. Keegan scored twice in the first leg of the final as Liverpool overcame Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-2 on aggregate. The partnership that he formed with Tosh was almost telepathic at times. One famous piece of commentary by David Coleman emphasises the duo's partnership exactly; all he said was "Toshack, Keegan, one nil", Shoot, the football magazine, got into the act as well, getting Tosh and Keegan to dress up in Batman and Robin costumes for a photo shoot. They were Liverpool's Dynamic Duo.

Late in 1973, Keegan was a substitute as England faced Poland at Wembley, needing to win to secure a place at the World Cup the following summer. With the score at 1-1 and England close to elimination, Keegan started to get changed when he heard manager Alf Ramsey say, "Kevin, get ready". Sadly for Keegan, Ramsey was speaking to Derby County striker Kevin Hector, who was duly introduced as a late substitute and very nearly scored with his first touch. Keegan never got on the pitch, the game ended in a draw and England failed to qualify.

The following year Keegan was again a frequent scorer but Liverpool surrendered the League title to a relentless Leeds United team who had gone unbeaten for a then-record 29 games at the start of the season. However, Liverpool progressed to the FA Cup final. Their campaign in the competition had started with a tie against the club who had spurned Keegan, Doncaster Rovers, and it was their homeboy who scored both goals in a 2-2 draw. Liverpool won the replay. Keegan scored twice more on the way to Wembley, including a stunning lob-volley over the head of England colleague Peter Shilton in the semi-final against Leicester City at Villa Park. In the final, Keegan scored two as Liverpool hammered Newcastle United 3-0 - his first a terrific chest-down and volley from 25 yards after Brian Hall had fooled the Newcastle defence by diving under the ball; his second a far-post stretch and tap-in after great work down the flank between Tommy Smith and Steve Heighway. It was the first brace in an FA Cup final since Mike Trebilcock scored twice for Everton in 1966.

Keegan's next visit to Wembley was three months later in the Charity Shield game, the traditional curtain-raiser to a new season between the League champions and the FA Cup winners. However, Keegan's contribution proved less than charitable - he was sent off, along with Leeds captain Billy Bremner after a scuffle on the pitch. Both players removed their shirts in protest, with Keegan visibly shaken by the decision. The fight was shown that night on BBC television and both were fined £500, with Keegan was suspended for three games and Bremner eight.

The next year saw Keegan scoring goals and representing his club and country with distinction, but 1975 was a trophyless season for Liverpool and England failed to qualify for the 1976 European Championships. There were honours aplenty for Keegan over the next two years, however, as Liverpool again won the League championship and UEFA Cup. Keegan scored in both legs of the final against FC Bruges, although he had only scored once previously during Liverpool's run in the competition.

Outside football, in 1976, Keegan competed in the BBC's television programme Superstars. Despite suffering severe cuts after crashing his bicycle, he insisted on re-racing and secured second place in the event, before going on to win that edition of the programme. He also advertised Brut aftershave alongside boxing legend Henry Cooper.

In 1977, Keegan was instrumental in Liverpool's charge towards an unprecedented "treble" of League championship, FA Cup and European Cup, though he rocked the boat midway through the season when he announced his intention to leave in the summer to try his luck on foreign soil. Nevertheless, Keegan was irrepressible as Liverpool clinched the title and reached the finals of both Cup competitions. Keegan's last appearance in a Liverpool shirt on home soil was a sad one, however, as Liverpool lost the FA Cup final to bitter rivals Manchester United, ruining the "treble" dream. The vintage Liverpool returned for the European Cup final in Rome against Borussia Mönchengladbach four days later and Keegan's last ever Liverpool appearance was a glorious one. He didn't score, but Keegan did make a run late which led to a foul inside the penalty area by Berti Vogts. This led to a coolly dispatched penalty from Phil Neal which sealed a 3-1 win.

After 323 appearances and exactly 100 goals, Keegan left Liverpool as promised. He had been made many offers from clubs on the continent but chose to join Hamburg SV in Germany for £500,000. Liverpool replaced him with a Scotsman by the name of Kenny Dalglish.

Keegan later said, "The only thing I fear is missing an open goal in front of the Kop. I would die if that were to happen. When they start singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' my eyes start to water. There have been times when I've actually been crying while I've been playing."

In 2006 he was voted in at No.8 in the Liverpool F.C. poll of over 110,000 Liverpool fans, 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.

Hamburg

Hamburger SV won the Bundesliga title for the first time in its history in the 1978-79 season, with Keegan’s unflinching commitment proving decisive. Fans affectionately nicknamed him Mighty Mouse after the cartoon superhero. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979, and played for HSV in the 1980 European Cup final, losing to Nottingham Forest F.C.

His song Head Over Heels in Love, written by Chris Norman and Pete Spencer, was released on 9 June 1979, and peaked at 31 in the charts. He released a second single, England, on his return to England from Germany, but it failed to chart.

Southampton

On 10 February 1980, Lawrie McMenemy called a press conference at the Potters Heron hotel, Ampfield to announce that the European Footballer of the Year would be joining Southampton F.C. in the forthcoming summer. The news caused shock-waves throughout the world of football and around the city of Southampton. The club's fans found it hard to believe that their little club had attracted a player of such pedigree. The club were beginning to become established in the top division, but this signing showed how persuasive their manager could be, especially when Keegan captained England in the 1980 European Championships in Italy.

Keegan made his Southampton debut at Lansdowne Road in a friendly against Shamrock Rovers on 23 July 1980. Keegan's speed and intelligence combined with fitness and determination enabled him to overcome his lack of natural ability. Keegan's two seasons at The Dell were the most enjoyable in the club's history, being part of a flamboyant team also containing Alan Ball, Phil Boyer, Mick Channon and Charlie George and in 1980-81 Saints scored 76 goals, finishing in 6th place, then their highest league finish.

In the following season, Keegan was able to produce some of his best form and at the end of January 1982 Saints sat proudly at the top of the Division 1 table, but a run of only three wins from the end of February meant a rather disappointing 7th place finish. Despite this, Keegan was voted the PFA Player of the Year, and awarded the OBE for services to Association Football. Keegan had scored 26 of the team's 72 goals and was voted the club's Player of the Year.

He finally reached a World Cup when England got to the 1982 finals in Spain. He was duly named in the squad for the tournament but was suffering from a chronic back injury and was unfit to play in all of England's group games. In a last, desperate effort to play in a World Cup (he knew that he would not be around for the 1986 competition) he secretly hired a car and drove from Spain to a specialist he knew in Germany for intensive treatment. It worked to the extent that he came on as a substitute for a crucial second round pool game against the host nation which England had to win. Unfortunately, his few minutes of World Cup football will be forever remembered for a point blank header which he directed wide with the goal at his mercy.

When Bobby Robson became the new England coach after that World Cup, Keegan was left out of his first squad, a decision he learned of from the media rather than Robson himself. Keegan expressed his public displeasure and never played for his country again. He won a total of 63 caps (and almost certainly would have won considerably more had it not been for England's inability to qualify for three major tournaments during Keegan's international career) and scored 21 goals. He captained his country 31 times.

Keegan had fallen out with McMenemy over the manager's failure to strengthen Southampton's defence (which leaked 67 goals in the 1981-82) whilst the team was at the top of the table. There were also rumours that McMenemy had charged the whole team of cheating after a 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa in April 1982 to which Keegan took great exception. Although Keegan joined Saints' next pre-season tour, he had already decided to move on to seek a new challenge, and a few days before the start of the 1982-83 season he signed for Second Division Newcastle United for a fee of £100,000.

Newcastle United

Keegan joined Newcastle United and spent two seasons there, during which time he was adored by the supporters. He played 78 times, scored 48 goals and helped them to promotion from the Second Division in 1984, within a team which also contained Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle and Terry McDermott. Keegan announced his retirement prior to the end of the 1984 season and on the last day of the season left St James' Park ground by helicopter, still in his kit, after an emotional (and goalscoring) farewell. He moved with his family to Spain and lived an exile's life until the call came back from Newcastle and his career as a manager began.

Managerial career Newcastle United

In February 1992, after eight years of retirement and golf in Spain, Keegan returned to the game as manager of Newcastle United. Widely heralded by a loving Newcastle public as the Geordie Messiah, he, along with his assistant and close friend Terry McDermott - who Keegan paid out of his own pocket for the first year of their managerial partnership - led Newcastle to promotion to the Premier League as First Division champions in 1993.

Although Keegan was appointed Director of Football in 1994 and agreed a new deal that tied him to the club for next 10 years, he resigned as manager of Newcastle on January 8, 1997.

During Keegan's reign as manager, Newcastle finished runners-up to Manchester United in the Premier League in 1996, with that team christened "The Entertainers". England striker Alan Shearer was transferred from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle for a then world record fee of £15 million.

It was during the 1995-96 season at Newcastle that Keegan had his famous rant on Sky Sports. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson (famous for playing psychological games with opponents) had suggested that teams tried harder against Man Utd than Newcastle. After Newcastle's hard fought victory over Leeds United in their next match, an emotional Keegan was interviewed on Sky Sports. Clearly fired up and fuming, Keegan said:
“ When you do that with footballers like he said about Leeds; and when you do things like that about a man like Stuart Pearce. I'm I, I, I've kept really quiet, but I'll tell you something: he went down in my estimation when he said that - we have not resorted to that. But I'll tell ya - you can tell him now, he'll be watching it - we're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and... and I'll tell you honestly, I will love it if we beat them - LOVE IT!. ”

This rant came as Newcastle's previous 12-point lead at the top of the Premiership had been eroded. By then Man Utd had already got into a better position, and they won the title that season.

Keegan offered his resignation before the start of the 1996-97 season. He was persuaded by the board to stay, but resigned anyway on 7 January 1997 with Newcastle fourth. This season also featured his appearance in a Sugar Puffs advertisement, which led to a boycott of Sugar Puffs by rival Sunderland A.F.C. fans.

He was occasionally employed as a television football pundit in the late 1990s, and delivered some peculiar quotes, such as, "In some ways, cramp is worse than having a broken leg." Several websites have been created listing his more unusual quotes.

Fulham

On 25 September 1997, Keegan was appointed as chief operating officer at Second Division club Fulham, with Ray Wilkins as manager. When Wilkins was sacked as manager in 1998, Keegan took over his coaching role. He won the Second Division in 1999 in a record-breaking season, but left to manage England in an unpopular move amongst Fulham fans. Significantly, however, he signed Chris Coleman, who went on to be their manager.

English International team

Keegan was named new England coach in February 1999 succeeding Glenn Hoddle. He led the team for a winning start with 3-1 win over Poland to reignite England's Euro 2000 qualifying campaign.

After an initial popular period as manager, he began to come under fire for his perceived tactical naivety. This came to a head during the unsuccessful Euro 2000 campaign, as England beat Germany, but lost 3-2 to both Romania and Portugal, despite taking the lead in each game.

Keegan resigned as England coach on October 7, 2000, after England lost to a Dietmar Hamann goal for Germany in their first World Cup qualifier in the last game to be played at Wembley Stadium before its demolition and reconstruction.

When Sven-Goran Eriksson became England manager, Eriksson appointed the 64-year old Tord Grip as his assistant. This caused Keegan to complain that when he was England manager, the FA had told him that he couldn't have Arthur Cox as his assistant because at 60, Cox was too old. Keegan went on, "I wasn't allowed to bring in the people I wanted and that was wrong. Mr Eriksson was and I'm delighted for him because that's the way it should be."

Manchester City

He was appointed manager of first division Manchester City on May 24, 2001 replacing Joe Royle. Keegan signed experienced international players such as Stuart Pearce, Eyal Berkovic and Ali Benarbia. In a breathtaking season City were promoted as champions after scoring 124 goals in all competitions, including 8 against Crewe Alexandra and Barnsley F.C., 9 against Burnley, 10 against Sheffield Wednesday and 11 against Birmingham City.

In preparation for his second season as manager (2002-03) he signed Nicolas Anelka, Peter Schmeichel and Marc-Vivien Foé. This season was again exciting as City won at Anfield and took four points off Manchester United, but conceded five goals at Stamford Bridge and at home to Arsenal, before finishing ninth in the Premier league.

For 2003-04, the club's first season at the new City of Manchester Stadium (Eastlands), Keegan signed more players including Paul Bosvelt, David Seaman and Michael Tarnat. Despite Keegan falling out with Berkovic, City started well and were 5th in the league on 5 November. However, a disappointing draw at home to Polish minnows Groclin led to their elimination from the UEFA Cup and a slump in form. City did not win again in the league until 21 February, and finished 16th in the league, although there was a reminder of Keegan's better times away to Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup on 4 February 2004; despite going in at half time 3-0 behind and with ten men after Joey Barton was sent off, Keegan's team came back to win 4-3.

When the 2004-05 campaign began, Keegan was many people's number one candidate to be the first managerial casualty of the season. City's Premiership form improved that season, but Keegan quit as manager on the 10 March 2005 and decided to retire from football. The club went on to finish eighth under his successor Stuart Pearce, narrowly missing out on a place in Europe.

In May 2006, Keegan was set to join Israeli club Beitar Jerusalem for a reported £1.5 million a year, but he pulled out following the news being leaked to the press.