Draft Rules 1 - Squad Make-Up - all drafters will (in the draft order specified) select a squad of 18 players. At least one player must be a goalkeeper but there is no need for a second goalkeeper. There are no other restrictions based on positions. 2 - Player Eligibility - Any player who has had at least 100 league appearances between the 99-00 season and 08-09 season. 3 - Form and Injuries - You are selecting a 18 man squad to compete in a tournament. Seeing as players who have retired will be eligible, there is no need to worry about injuries. Judges will determine a four year peak period for players [between 99/00 & 08/09], so that players whose peak coincides with the decade don't have an advantage against others. Drafters are allowed specify the period they want a player to be judged on if they want to (rather than defer to the judges), but it is not mandatory. 4 - Draft Order - the draft order has been determined. Any drafter missing their turn will have to wait until the end of that round to make their next pick. 5 - Judges - at present 4 judges have been selected for the draft, Dark Savante, lanman, Nicephoras and Twenty26Six. 6 - Post-draft Tournament - with 13 teams, the tournament will be run along the lines of the European Championships. 4 randomly drawn groups of 4, with the top 2 advancing into a straight knock out tournament. The format of the knock out tournament will be copied exactly from that format. If for any reason there are less than 16 teams then some of the groups will only contain 3 teams. 7- Flexibility - the rules are set in stone. If you are not happy with them then you are under no obligation to take part. 8. Missing your turn - You forfeit your place in the round and will pick at the end of the round. If you wont be around at the time the round ends make sure you PM somone your pick. You will be given a 2hr window at the end of the round to post your pick, otherwise you are forfeit again and will have to make your outstanding pick at the end of the current round. 9. Drafters are not permitted to talk about as yet unchosen players in the Draft. We'd also request that observers of the Draft adhere to this rule. 10. If BS is playing up or down completely and others can corroborate they have had trouble getting on the site, leniency with missing timeslots will be OK and allowances can be made under such circumstance. 11. Players will be judged strictly on their performances for club and country between the time period specified. Any performances or achievements before the 99 - 00 season will not be considered by the judges 12. During your window, you may only pick if 1) the drafter prior to you has picked or 2) if the prior drafter's time has run out. Even if it is your window, you cannot pick before either 1) or 2) have occured. 1. BillyIreland - 1pm to 3pm 2. Os_mutante - 3pm to 5pm 3. Argentine Soccer Fan - 5pm to 7pm 4. SirManchester – 8pm to 10pm 5. Comme + FraserMC - 9pm to 11pm 6. Kevin833 + Partner - 11pm to 1am 7. Man_in_the_middle - 2am to 4am 8. PeruFC – 3am to 5am 9. ExcapeGoat - 5am to 7am 10. GringoTex - 7am to 9am 11. Impaleplz – 8:30am to 10:30am 12. Grinners89 - 10am to 12pm 13. Dor02 – 11:30am to 1:30pm* At the end of the first round, the order reverses so the order becomes 1. Dor02 2. Grinners89 3. Impaleplz 4. GringoTex 5. Excape Goat 6. PeruFC 7. Man_In_The_Middle 8. Kevin833 + partner 9 Comme and Fraser MC 10. SirManchester 11. Argentine Soccer Fan 12. Os_Mutante 13. BillyIreland + Sweetness Then it reverts back to the order of the first round. in rounds 2,4,6 etc a drafter has a 4 hour window in which to pick starting from when the previous drafters made their pick. If you miss this slot you may pick when you return (unlike on rounds 1,3,5 etc). THIS THREAD IS FOR SELECTIONS ONLY. DO NOT POST COMMENTS IN HERE. PLEASE USE THE DISCUSSION THREADS
Round 1, pick 1 Thierry Henry Club(s): Arsenal / Barcelona Country: France Timespan selected: 2001-2006 1999, the year the draft begins, is also the year Henry really began to make his mark on world football. Having been seen as a winger at Juventus who had failed to impress yet with huge potential he was brought to Arsenal for £10.5mn, becoming an instant success and bagging 48 goals and 12 assists in his first two year at the North London club. However it was the 2001-02 season that saw Henry break the 30 goal mark for what would be the first of five consecutive seasons, as well as getting upwards of 50 assists in that timeframe as well. Named the PFA Player of the Year back-to-back in 02-03 and 03-04, as well as being French player of the Year for an incredible four consecutive seasons (2003-06), Premier League top scorer 2001/02, 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06, he also picked up consecutive European Golden Boots in 2004 and 2005. Known for his incredible pace, control, passing as well as shooting abilities, Henry has produced some of the most magical moments and goals of the decade, and shattered the Arsenal all-time goalscoring record in doing so. He is a rare, rare breed in that he is not only a great scorer of goals AND a scorer of great goals, but also a creator of many goals for others. The very peak of Henry's powers came during Arsenal's unbeaten league campaign of 03/04, where he managed to get upwards of 30 goals and 20 assists, despite often being double or treble marked by the opposition. Having been made captain of Arsenal in 2005, Henry would then lead them to the first Champion's League Final in the club's history where they lost 1-0 to Barcelona, having been sent down to 10 men very early on. Henry's last year at Arsenal saw the two fall out of love with each other to some extent, and despite struggling in his first season at Barcelona, the Frenchman is now a certain starter and the 'old head' in Barcelona's attacking trio, who have just put up numbers that are simply unheard in the modern game and are set to break a myriad of La Liga records in the process.
Round 1, Pick 2 Ronaldinho Gaúcho Clubs: Grêmio, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, AC Milan Country: Brazil In 2005, Nike released a clever viral video of "handheld" footage showing Ronaldinho at the training ground receiving his new golden Nike boots in a golden Nike suitcase. After admiring the shoes and placing them on his feet, he calmly juggles a ball to about 20 yards from goal and volleys the ball goalward. The ball rebounds off the crossbar with a loud thwack back to Ronaldinho, who smoothly chests it and shoots again. Thwack! Again the ball rebounds viciously off the crossbar back to him, and after a little bit of playful balancing on his head, again he volleys it and again it rebounds straight to him, his touch ensuring the ball never hits the ground. He does this four times in a row. Fake, of course, but the amount of debate the video generated around the internet was massive. People argued heatedly for months over whether Ronaldinho really could do that. It's 2009, and there's still blogs that argue about the veracity of the video. And why not? For a period in the 2000's, there was no other footballer in the word you would rather pick who could make you believe the video was genuine. There was no other who could seemingly create magic out of nothing, who could create plays and goals that challenged your own eyes to believe what they were seeing. Who could make you believe that he, let alone the ball, never touched the ground. There was the flip-flap skill. The 35 yard free kick against England in the 2002 World Cup. The sneaky seeing-eye goal from the top of the box against Chelsea. That assist to Giuly against AC Milan. The two slalom runs against Real Madrid. There were so many moments, all delivered with that gleam in his eye and that permanent grin on his face that seemed to say, hey... I was pretty amazed by that too. At his best his combination of speed, touch, and vision were unparalleled, and in 2004 and again in 2005 he deservedly picked up the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. His best year statistically was the 05/06 season, where he notched up 25 goals and 18 assists, but the stats only tell part of his story. By May of 2006, FC Barcelona were the reigning Champions League champions, the reigning La Liga champions, and Brazil were the reigning World Cup champions, and Ronaldinho was a vital reason for all three.
1st Round, Pick # 3 Selection: FRANCESCO TOTTI Club: Roma Country: Italy Position: attacking midfielder, striker Characteristics: Totti is a creative genius with great skill and technique, a brilliant passer, a prolific goal scorer, and a team leader. He is also a flexible player who has played as a wing in a 4-3-3 formation, as a midfielder in the hole behind two strikers in a diamond 4-4-2 formation, as a support striker in either a 4-4-2 or a 3-5-2 formation, and as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation. So, he will provide plenty of options to my team Career: Francesco Totti is a rarity among today’s superstars, in that he has played his whole career for a club based in his hometown. He was born in Rome, is a product of the AS Roma youth system, and has been playing first division football for AS Roma for seventeen years. He is the top goal scorer and the most capped player in the history of the club. He is also the top goal scorer still active in Italy’s Serie A. Totti made his first division debut for Roma in 1992 at the age of 16, and by 1995 was a regular starter. By the start of the 1999-2000 season, at age 23, he was already well established as a starter and as team Captain, but the peak of his career came during the time frame of this draft. Totti made his debut with Italy’s national team in 1998, and played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup. Highlights during the 1999-2009 time frame: Won the Serie A Scudetto and the Supercoppa Italia in 2000-01, a season in which playing as an attacking midfielder he scored 16 goals in 35 matches. Playing as a second striker he scored 20 goals 32 matches in 2003-04. Playing as a lone striker he scored 32 goals in 50 matches in 2006-07, as Roma won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana. Roma also won the Coppa Italia in 2007-08. Overall he scored 218 goals for Roma, with 172 goals coming during this decade. For Italy he scored 9 goals, all during this decade. Keep in mind that for Italy he normally played in midfield, behind two strikers. And of course, he also won the World Cup with Italy in 2006, scoring one goal on a penalty shot. Peak Period: It is hard for me to select a peak period, as Totti played consistently well throughout the decade. I would like to include the scudetto winning season of 2000-2001, and also his highest scoring season, which is 2006-2007, but that’s a seven-year span. When healthy he has always played consistently at a high level, but in my opinion he was playing his best football during the 2005-06 season, before his injury in March of 06. So, I’ll let the judges go with the time of their choice, between 2000-2007, including 2005-06 before his injury. For more information, here’s wiki’s entry on Totti, including all his individual honors and his stats with Roma and with Italy’s national team. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Totti
Round 1 Team SirManchester selects Alessandro Nesta AC Milan & Italy Central Defender Considered by many the best central defender of his generation, Nesta is a four time member of the Uefa Team of the Year, surpassed only by Henry with five nominations. Growing up through the Lazio youth system, he was first promoted to the senior team at 17 years old and was brought to the attention of fans by a training ground incident involving the breaking of Paul Casgoine's leg. He assumed the team captaincy in 1997, and helped Lazio win the 1998 Coppa Italia after beating Milan in the final, in which he was one of the goalscorers. This was followed by a Uefa Cup winner's Cup and European Supercup in 1999, and a rare Scudetto and Coppa Italia double in the 99-00 season, in addition to two Italian Super Cups. In 02-03 he was sold to Milan and immediately won another Coppa Italia and the Champions League. The following year he won his second career scudetto and European Supercup. He played another vital part in the 06-07 season which helped Milan win yet another Champions League trophy. Hailed for his speed of thought and exceptional ball-playing and reading abilities, he is the complete central defneder, not slow on pace and physically compatible, as well as good in the air. He is above all a leader having captained his Lazio team and the Milan team on several occasions. Honours: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Nesta
1st Round selection for comme & fraser mc O Fenômeno Luis RONALDO Nazario de Lima - Internazionale; Real Madrid; Milan; Brazil With our first selection we've chosen one of the greatest goalscorers to every grace the game. Ronaldo had taken the world, and defenses by storm in the mid to late 90's but a ruptured tendon in his right knee while at Internazionale looked likely to have serious repercussions to his career. He spent the first year and a half of this decade rehabbing. That sort of time frame would have finished off most human beings but not 'The Phenomenon'. He came back as strong as ever. Returning in April to Serie A he worked on his match fitness and got himself ready for the 2002 World Cup in S.Korea and Japan. He finished top scorer with 8 goals and with the exception of England, he scored against every opponent he faced including two in the final against Germany as he led his country to a record 5th World title. He returned to Spain after the finals to Real Madrid. In his first season with Real he helped them to the title and won the FIFA World Player of the Year award for a third time and also the Ballon D'or for a second time. Remarkable achievements considering what he'd gone through to get back to this level. 2002 proved that here was a striker that truly was unplayable when he was at the top of his game. Old Trafford witnessed this as his superb hat trick scored in less than an hour put paid to their CL dreams for that season. In his first three seasons with Real Madrid he played in 97 league matches scoring 67 goals. Unlike other strikers these stats aren't padded with penalties. He also won the Pichichi in 03/04. All in all he played 127 league matches for Real Madrid and scored 82 goals. He finished his career with Brazil with 61 goals in 97 appearances. Incredibly fast with the ball at his feet. Strong and a lethal finisher of chances. Ronaldo, O Fenômeno.
Round 1- Kevin8833 and Friend (semillag I believe his username is) select... Zinedine Yazid Zidane of Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus, Real Madrid and France. One of the true legendary players of our time, he was one of the greatest players ever to play an unfortunatly dying role in the game as a true number 10. An absolute magician on the field that can score, assist, dictate the tempo and direction of the game, get teammates playing at a higer level and ultimately pick apart defenses with his brilliance. He will be an excellent pickup for us, he may not be good enough for Algeria but he is good enough for France, Real Madrid, Juventus and our team. Not only is he a phenominal technical player he is also very smart and tactical in moving and finding holes in the other team (as long as he isn't headbutting centerback's in the chest). He also possesses very good size so he is an aerial threat although many people never think of him this way, he is very hard to knock off the ball and can defend pretty well especially for the position that he plays. His career accomplishments include helping France win the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000, in addition to winning the 2002 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. FIFA World Player of the year three times in 1998, 2000, and 2003 as well as European Footballer of the year in 1998. Zidane is truly one of the best players of our time, and can create magic on the field at any given moment to break a game.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a man at the peak of his powers. But his pace and skill have been creating havoc for opposing defenses since his breakout Euro 2004. This still rising star already has three UEFA team of the year honors (03-04, 06-07, 07-08). But it was the 07/08 season that saw Ronaldo win every individual award there is to win to go along with his Champions League and Premiership trophies. He has followed that historic year with another excellent season in 09. His diving, whining, and self centered approach have made him a much maligned star. But winning and consistent displays on the pitch have silenced many of the critics including myself. In the end Ronaldo will go down as one of the greatest wingers of the modern era, and these last few seasons have been some of the most impressive in recent memory.
My selection: Luís Figo Country: Portugal Club: Sporting Clube de Portugal, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Madrid Peak: 2000-2005 Major trophies: Sporting CP Cup of Portugal: 1995 FC Barcelona La Liga: 1997-98, 1998-99 Copa del Rey: 1997, 1998 Supercopa de España: 1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997 UEFA Super Cup: 1997 Real Madrid La Liga: 2000-01, 2002-03 Supercopa de España: 2001, 2003 UEFA Champions League: 2002 UEFA Super Cup: 2002 Intercontinental Cup: 2002 Internazionale Serie A: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 Coppa Italia: 2006 Supercoppa Italiana: 2005, 2006, 2008 Portugal FIFA World Cup: (4th Place) 2006 European Football Championship: (runner-up) 2004, (3rd Place) 2000 FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1989, 1991 Individual Ballon d'Or: 2000 FIFA World Player of the Year: 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year: (runner-up) 2000 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2006 FIFA 100 UEFA Team of the Year: 2003 Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Portuguese Golden Ball: 1994 Best Portuguese player in the past 5 years (A Bola)
First Round: Steven Gerrard - Midfielder Liverpool/England "Team, get thee on mine shoulders." UEFA Cup (2001) UEFA Champions League (2005) UEFA Super Cup (2005) English League Cup (2001, 2003) English FA Cup (2001, 2006) English FA Community Shield (2006) English League Young Footballer of the Year (2001) UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (2005)
For my First Round Pick i select the man who has made AC Milan tick for the better half of this decade: Andrea Pirlo - Internazionale, Reggina, Brescia, AC Milan/Italy. Position: Midfielder Timespan selected: 2003 - 2007
Round 1 Pick: 13 Name: Fabio Cannavaro Date of Birth: 13/9/73 Place of Birth: Napoli, Italy Clubs: Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid Caps: 124 Goals: 2 Overview Fabio Cannavaro is rated as one of the greatest CBs of his time and arguably one of the greatest of all-time. A short but tough central defender, he formed a great partnership with another great Italian CB, Alessandro Nesta, for the Azzurri. The highlight of his career is the 2006 World Cup where he was a wall for opposition defences, even without his usual partner Nesta. Club Career Cannavaro initially served as the club's ballboy, and his progress as a player was such that he became a member of the first team alongside some of his childhood idols. Cannavaro's debut in Serie A came on 7 March 1993 in Turin for a game against Juventus. The post-Maradona Napoli were in desperate need of funds and were soon forced to sell Cannavaro to Parma, where Cannavaro won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia, and was named the Serie A Defender of the Year. In the summer of 2001, Cannavaro joined Internazionale for a fee of €23 million. During his spell with the club he reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League 2002-03 and also finished runners up in Serie A. His second season was not as productive and he missed a large chunk of it through injury. After a two-year stint, he signed for Juventus on summer transfer window deadline day. The deal also involved the exchange of Fabian Carini who left for Inter and an additional €10 million. By coming to Turin, he re-joined his ex-Parma teammates Lilian Thuram and Gianluigi Buffon, and together the threesome formed one of the most feared defences in the Serie A. They went on won two consecutive Scudetti in 2005 and 2006, though both were later revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal. Juventus captain Cannavaro won l'Oscar del Calcio: Migliore difensore, the Football Oscar, for his exceptional debut season at the Turin giants. After the 2006 World Cup, the Calciopoli trial verdicts relegated Juventus to Serie B and stripped the club of its 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 Scudetti. Since Juventus was ineligible to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, Cannavaro decided to leave. "Even if I know this may be hard to believe, I would have stayed at Juventus had they remained in Serie A – even with a 30-point deduction." He rejoined coach Fabio Capello at Real Madrid and inherited the number 5 shirt of the legendary Zinédine Zidane. Although no fee was confirmed by either club, press speculation has often set the combined transfer's worth at roughly 20 million euros. On July 25, he officially signed a three-year contract. He scored his first goal for the club on August 18, 2006 in a friendly against Real Betis. He won the '06-07 La Liga title with Madrid, and was named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year.[3] Fabio Cannavaro is the first and so far only defender to win the award (Paolo Maldini came in second place in 1995), as well as the oldest recipient. Fabio Cannavaro is reportedly ready to leave Real Madrid at the end of his contract(at the end of 2008-09 season) and has been linked to former club Napoli, Tottenham, Milan, Bayern Munich and Manchester City and recently with Juventus, club that the italian press has announced as the "winner", even if it isn't any contract signed. The rumour is that Juventus has offered Cannavaro a 4-year contract, that will see him play 1 year, with his option to play longer. When he retires, likely after the world cup, he would serve the remainder of the contract as a member of the board of directors for the team. International Career Cannavaro's first taste of international success came over a decade ago under coach Cesare Maldini with Italy's U-21 side, winning consecutive European Under-21 Football Championship titles in 1994 and 1996. In 1996, he participated in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He played for his country in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups, as well as Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. Cannavaro made his international debut in January 1997 against Northern Ireland and has since earned 124 caps. Only fellow defender Paolo Maldini (126 caps) has appeared in more games for Italy. Cannavaro's first international tournament came at 1998 FIFA World Cup under the mentorship of veteran defender Paolo Maldini, and the squad was coached by Maldini's father Cesare. Italy went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual champions France; Cannavaro suffered a cut on his forehead from an elbow by Stéphane Guivarc'h during the match. The match was decided by a penalty shoot-out after the teams were tied 0-0. In Euro 2000, it was Les Bleus who once again shattered Italy's dreams. Cannavaro had a strong tournament and the Azzurri reached the final, where they led the then world champions 1-0 going into injury time. Near the end of regular time, Sylvain Wiltord found the equalizer, and an extra-time golden goal from David Trézéguet gave France the title. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup he was credited with holding the defence together, almost single-handedly after Alessandro Nesta was injured against Croatia. Italy however went out in the second round, losing to co-hosts and eventual semi-finalists South Korea, again to a golden goal. Cannavaro had a hard act to follow when he took over as captain from Maldini after the 2002 World Cup, but he quickly won the team over with his constant smile, laid-back Neapolitan approach and inspiring performances. After Maldini's international retirement he first captained Italy in a match at Napoli and received a standing ovation on the pitch where he sported the local side's colours between 1991 and 1995. Cannavaro's first international goal was scored on 30 May 2004 against Tunisia, Italy won 4-0. Euro 2004, which was hosted by Portugal, turned out to be a disappointment. Cannavaro picked up yellow cards during the two draws with Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1), forcing him to sit out the final group game. Italy defeated Bulgaria 2-1, but failed to advance on goal difference. 2006 World Cup Cannavaro captained Italy throughout their 2006 World Cup campaign. One of his key performances came against Germany in the World Cup Semi-Finals 2006. His crowning moment was lifting the World Cup on July 9, 2006, the night of his 100th cap. Cannavaro did not receive a single yellow or red card during the 690 minutes he played in the tournament. Along with Buffon, Cannavaro played every minute of every match in the tournament for Italy. The Italian defence conceded only two goals throughout the entire tournament, an own-goal against the United States and a Zidane penalty in the final against France. With the injury of defensive partner Alessandro Nesta Cannavaro somehow managed to hold the defense together, earning him a spot on the All-Star Team at the end of the competition - awarded by FIFA's Technical Study Group - alongside six other Italian teammates, Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni, Francesco Totti and Gianluca Zambrotta. He was runner-up in the race for the Golden Ball, finishing behind French counterpart Zinédine Zidane; it was a close contest with Zidane polling 2012 points to Cannavaro's 1977. Euro 2008 On June 2, 2008, Fabio Cannavaro was injured during Italy's first training session for Euro 2008. Cannavaro sustained the knock following a tackle by fellow defender Giorgio Chiellini and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Italy doctor Paolo Zeppilli said: "We have to do tests but it does not look like a minor injury". Test had shown that he tore ligaments in his left ankle. Right after the examinations, Italian journalists awaited Cannavaro, who told them: "I'm going home", with a melancholic smile on his face. After the day was over, Roberto Donadoni called up Fiorentina centre-back Alessandro Gamberini as his official replacement. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon captained the team in his place. Cannavaro added he will stay with the squad to offer support. This would have been Cannavaro's third Euro tournament. Cannavaro has also put his plans to retire from the national team after Euro 2008 on hold and added that it has made him more determined to captain Italy through the 2010 World Cup. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabio_Cannavaro
Round 1, Pick 12 Ruud van Nistelrooy Date of Birth: 1/7/76 (age 32) Place of Birth: Oss, Netherlands Position: centre-forward Clubs: Den Bosch, Heerenveen, PSV, Man Utd and Real Madrid National Team: Netherlands International Caps: 64 International Goals: 33 Peak: 2001/02 season - 2005/06 season Ruud van Nistelrooy is currently the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history sixty goals. He is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues. Spent his early career in the Dutch second tier at FC Den Bosch before an impressive 13-goal debut Eredivisie campaign with SC Heerenveen. Sixty league goals in two campaigns at PSV Eindhoven, forming a potent partnership with Luc Nilis; move to Manchester United FC delayed by a serious knee injury. Van Nistelrooy made up for lost time at Old Trafford; enjoyed five successful seasons, top-scoring (with 25 goals) in their 2002/03 Premier League triumph and scooping the UEFA Champions League top-scorer prize three times in four years; United's record marksman in Europe (38 goals), overtaking Denis Law. First major tournament for the Netherlands was UEFA EURO 2004; scored four goals in his first three games; one goal in three games at the 2006 World Cup but was an unused substitute for the last-16 showdown v Portugal. Left United for Real Madrid in 2006; Pichichi winner with 25 goals as Real regained the title; ten more UEFA Champions League goals in two seasons at Real and won a second title in 2008 (though missed most of the run-in with injury). Van Nistelrooy started off as a central defender and was then moved to central midfield for Dutch second division side, FC Den Bosch, but was converted into a centre forward at SC Heerenveen in 1997
Round 2 Pick: 14 Name: Anderson Luís de Souza aka Deco Date of Birth: 27/8/1977 Place of Birth: São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil Clubs: Corinthians, Alverca, Salgueiros, Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea Caps: 62 Goals: 5 Club Career Deco started off his career at Nacional Atlético Clube in the city of São Paulo, where he was spotted and signed by Corinthians. Despite making a couple of appearances for the Brazilian giant, he was deemed too feeble for professional football and was shipped off to Corinthians' franchise Corinthians Alagoano where he paid his way by moonlighting as an offshore wind farm technician. Deco arrived in Portugal in 1997 at the age of 19 along with fellow Brazilian player Caju, after being acquired by Lisbon side Benfica along with the Corinthians Alagoano franchise. Despite good showings in training, Benfica decided to loan Deco to the Portuguese Liga de Honra side Alverca where he played for a season. Deco performed well and was close to renewing his contract with Benfica and joining the main squad. However, the Lisbon club and the player's representative did not reach an agreement, as the then manager Graeme Souness did not believe that he would develop into a player worth keeping. Subsequently Deco was traded to Portuguese Liga side Salgueiros in the 1998-99 season, playing 12 games and scoring two goals. His performances caught the eye of the Porto staff, and during the winter transfer window, he was sold to Porto. Porto Under the guidance of José Mourinho, Deco was given the role of leading an ambitious Porto team. A key figure in the 2002-03 season, he scored 10 goals in 30 games, but nevertheless received 17 yellow cards and one red card. Deco was one of the key players in Porto's UEFA Cup final 3-2 win over Celtic that year. In the 2003-04 season, Deco helped Porto recapture the national title and led the team to the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final in which Porto won 3-0 over Monaco, scoring the second goal of the match. He was the Champions League's top assist provider and also suffered the most fouls in the Champions League that season. That season, Deco won the UEFA Most Valuable Player, as well as the award for the best midfielder in the competition. FC Barcelona On 17 June 2004, Deco told a Portuguese radio station that he would almost certainly join English side Chelsea (then coached by Mourinho) following Euro 2004. He said that a transfer deal between Porto and Chelsea had been all but finalized, and that the only remaining steps were passing a physical examination and signing a formal contract with Chelsea. However, on 26 June 2004, he told the Portuguese sports daily O Jogo that he would rather move to FC Barcelona than follow Mourinho to Chelsea. While Bayern Munich gave up on Deco after the Chelsea deal seemed to have been concluded, it was still uncertain whether the German side would make a new bid. The best offer at that time was a €21 million bid from Barça, but this figure was still €4 million short of the request by Porto's board. Portuguese newspapers then reported that Barça would try to offer Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma as part of the exchange in order to ease the deal. Deco with Barça. Finally, a deal was achieved between Porto and Barcelona the day after the Euro 2004 final. Barça agreed on a €12 million fee, plus the complete rights of Ricardo Quaresma to Porto. Deco signed a four year deal with the Catalan side on 6 July 2004. In Barcelona, some suggested Deco would be completely eclipsed by Brazilian star Ronaldinho (a duo that according to Luiz Felipe Scolari "can make rain fall"). Indeed, many Barcelona fans met the transfer with raised eyebrows, as Deco was considered an attacking midfielder - a department which was already well covered. Instead, coach Frank Rijkaard used him in a pure central midfield position, where his tactical knowledge, defensive abilities, and enormous work rate surprised many. In December 2004, he came second in France Football's Ballon d'Or 2004 award, losing to Andriy Shevchenko and beating team mate Ronaldinho by six votes. On 14 May 2005, Deco played in the draw against Levante, which gave Barcelona their 17th La Liga title. He also was named Barcelona's player of the season in the 05/06 season. Deco scored twice in the Spanish Supercup 06-07, which Barça won. Deco won the UEFA Best Midfielder Award yet again for his performance in Barça's Champions League winning season, enabling him to join the exclusive group of players that have won the same award more than once with different teams, having won the Champions League previously with Porto. Other members of this exclusive group include greats such as Clarence Seedorf (Ajax, Real Madrid, and Milan), Marcel Desailly (Marseille and Milan), Frank Rijkaard (Milan and Ajax), Didier Deschamps (Marseille and Juventus), Owen Hargreaves(Bayern Munich and Manchester United) and Edwin van der Sar (Ajax and Manchester United). He was also awarded the Golden Ball at the FIFA Club World Cup and the Man of the Match award despite losing the final to Internacional. Chelsea Deco with Chelsea.On 30 June 2008, Chelsea signed Deco from Barcelona on a three year contract for £10 million. He was the first signing of new Chelsea coach Luis Felipe Scolari, who was formerly the national coach of Portugal. Deco scored on his Chelsea debut and his Premier League debut, with a 40-yard shot, in a 4-0 victory over Portsmouth. Deco followed up his performance by scoring in his second game for Chelsea, a curling free kick against Wigan Athletic. These performances led to him winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for August. Deco made his Champions League debut for Chelsea on September 16. Deco injured himself during a training session, but he returned from the thigh injury on October 19 and came on as a substitute against Middlesbrough. He was sent off in the 3-1 defeat by Roma on 4 November 2008. He then scored a bicycle kick against Bolton Wanderers on 6 December. Deco lost his place in the starting line up because of several poor performances and the sacking of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Rumors have emerged say that Deco will make a possible move to Juventus in the Summer transfer window, however, Deco has denied this and has pledged his future to Chelsea saying he wants to regain his form and help the club achieve "great things". This was backed up by Guus Hiddink stating that he wanted to play Deco in a new creative midfield role as he looked to improve Chelsea`s recent poor form. International Career Never called up to the Brazilian national team, Deco was eligible to play for Portugal, with Deco playing club football with Porto his years in Portugal made him eligble to play for the Portuguese. Deco has mentioned several times in the media as an option for the Portuguese national team. In 2002, having completed six years of Portuguese residence, he received Portuguese citizenship. After many months of public discussion which split Portuguese public opinion, and despite the opposition of a large number of Porto rivals' supporters, he was called up for his first international — coincidentally against Brazil. He scored the free kick that stunned Brazil, leading to a 2-1 win for Portugal. This was Portugal's first win over Brazil since the 1966 World Cup. Since that game, he has been a regular in the national team, in spite of initial criticism by players such as Luís Figo, who later recognized Deco's value. Despite the early criticism, Deco is today one of the highlights of the Portuguese national team. He had scored 4 goals in 55 caps for Portugal by June 2008. 2006 World Cup In the 2006 World Cup, Deco scored the first goal in Portugal's second Group D match against Iran in the 63rd minute minute prior to Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th minute penalty. During the first knockout stage of the competition, Deco received two yellow cards in the game against Netherlands with the first given for a rash tackle on John Heitinga, suspending him from the quarterfinal win against England, as he already picked up a caution in the match with Iran. The win against England in the quarterfinal stage led to Portugal's defeat in the semifinal, which Deco was able to participate in. Euro 2008 On 11 June, Deco scored the opening goal in Portugal's second match of Euro 2008, a Group A clash with the Czech Republic. The game ended 3-1 to Portugal, with Deco aiding his team in their passage to the quarter-finals where Portugal's campaign came to an end against Germany, the eventual runners-up of the tournament. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deco
Round 2 selection Claude Makélélé Date of Birth: 18/2/73 (age 36) Place of Birth: Kinshasa, Zaire/DR Congo Position: defensive midfielder Clubs: Nantes, Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid, Chelsea & PSG National Team: France International Caps: 70 Peak: 2001/02 season - 2005/06 season Club Overview Claude Makélélé is a French international football player who has played for Nantes (1992–1997), Olympique de Marseille (1997–1998), Celta Vigo (1998–2000), Real Madrid (2000–2003), Chelsea (2003–2008) and is currently with PSG. He is widely considered the premier defensive midfielder of the modern game, so much so that his name has become synonymous with the position, which is sometimes called the "Makélélé Role". At Real, Makélélé substantially added to his medal tally, winning two Spanish La Liga championships, the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup (now replaced by the FIFA World Club Championship). As an ever-present in Vicente Del Bosque's Real side, Makélélé also established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the world. In his autobiography, published in 2006, ********* described Makélélé as the most important and yet least appreciated midfielder at Real. Retired former Real Madrid player and captain ****** also criticised Perez for both Makélélé's departure and the manner of his departure, saying: "I think Claude has this kind of gift - he's been the best player in the team for years but people just don't notice him, don't notice what he does. But you ask anyone at Real Madrid during the years we were talking about and they will tell you he was the best player at Real. We all knew, the players all knew he was the most important. The loss of Makélélé was the beginning of the end for Los Galacticos... You can see that it was also the beginning of a new dawn for Chelsea. He was the base, the key and I think he is the same to Chelsea now." Following the sacking of Ranieri and his succession by José Mourinho, Makélélé was the unsung hero in Chelsea's successful 2004–05 season, winning both the Premiership and the League Cup. His defensive qualities allowed the attacking players (not to be named) to parade their attacking skills. Makélélé's importance was recognized by Mourinho, who declared him Chelsea's Player of the Year. In September 2005 he was selected as a member of the World XI at the FIFPro awards. The team was chosen by a vote of professional footballers in 40 countries. He added to his sizeable medal haul the following season, winning both the FA Community Shield and the Premier League. International Overview Makélélé has had a successful international career playing for France. By the end of 2004, he had gained 33 caps, and played for his country at the 1996 Olympic Games, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2004. Makélélé decided to retire from international football in September 2004, in order to focus on club football with Chelsea, but eleven months later, in August 2005, he and compatriots Zinédine Zidane and Lilian Thuram were persuaded out of retirement to help France qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. As a member of the France national football team competing at the 2006 World Cup, Makélélé's performances as a tireless midfield spoiler were invaluable to France's progress to the final as they defeated Spain, the defending champions Brazil and Euro 2004 finalists Portugal in the knock-out rounds. His partnership with Patrick Vieira in the defensive midfield proved effective as the team conceded only 3 goals in 7 games, a tally only bested by world champions Italy. After the defeat to Italy on penalties in the World Cup Final, Makélélé initially commented that he was again going to retire from international football. However, he continued to play for France in their qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2008 and even the Euro 2008 finals. He again announced his retirement from international football on 17 June 2008, after France's 2–0 defeat to Italy, along with Thuram again. Honours French Ligue 1 (1995) Spanish La Liga (2001, 2003) Spanish Super Cup (2001, 2003) UEFA Champions League (2002) European Super Cup (2002) Intercontinental Cup (2002) English Premiership (2005, 2006) English League Cup (2005, 2007) English Community Shield (2005) FA Cup (2007)
For my second round pick i select the pantless one: Gennaro Gattuso - AC Milan/Italy. Position: Midfielder Timespan selected: 2003-2007 Overview simply, the enforcer of milan. what strikes you about gattuso is how can he possibly unite into a midfield consisting of kaka and pirlo but the fact was that gattuso's very style was never to isolate himself from the play and thus ensure when the ball was won, more than not by him, that one of milan's more technically gifted midfielders was nearby. not a tall man but in his peak he was built like a sherman tank with the lungs of an olympic swimmer. His club record speaks for itself with many key performances in big matches which has helped AC Milan to a Serie A title and two european cup final victories. For Italy he has over 60 appearances and will be remembered, forever, for running around the pitch, pantless, after the penalty shootout of the wc06 finals.
2nd Round: Michael Essien - Midfielder Chelsea, Lyon / Ghana Overview simply, the enforcer of chelsea. what strikes you about essien is how can he possibly unite into a midfield consisting of **** and **** but the fact was that essien's very style was never to isolate himself from the play and thus ensure when the ball was won, more than not by him, that one of chelsea's more technically gifted midfielders was nearby. not a tall man but is built like a sherman tank with the lungs of an olympic swimmer. His club record speaks for itself with many key performances in big matches which has helped chelsea to two premiership titles. For Ghana he has over 60 appearances and will be remembered, forever, for running around the pitch, pantless, after the victory against USA in the wc06 finals.
Patrick Vieira Country: France Position: Center midfielder Clubs:Cannes, Milan, Arsenal, Juventus, Inter Milan. Peak: 2000-2006 Patrick Vieira is an awesome powerhouse of a player, whose ball-winning and passing skills helped bind the Arsenal's midfield together for nine years. He possessed fantastic passing and tackling ability and also chips in with important goals. He was a two-way player.
Pavel Nedved Juventus Serie A:2001-02, 2002-03 Supercoppa Italiana: 2002, 2003 Serie B: 2006-07 [edit] Individual Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2003 Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 2003 Ballon d'Or: 2003 Champions League Best Midfielder: 2003 Sportske Novosti award: 2003 Czech Player of the Decade: 2003 Czech Player of the Year: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008 Golden Foot: 2004 FIFA 100 UEFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005
My second pick is: FW Andriy SHEVCHENKO Club(s): AC Milan, Chelsea Country: Ukraine Timespan selected: 2001-2004
Round 1- Kevin8833 and Friend (semillag I believe his username is) select... Edgar Davids of Ajax, AC Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Tottenham, and Netherlands. Edgar Davids will be the engine of the team, he does the dirty work in the midfield but also brings great attacking skills with his technical ability and vision. He is the perfect modern era d-mid who can cover a lot of ground and bring bite to the midfield but also be influential in possession and dangerous getting forward. Building our team around Zidane and Davids will give us a great start to our team and an extremely strong core in the midfield. Davids also brings some fashion to our team with his awesome dreadlocked hair and glasses. His accomplishments include making the FIFA 100 List, Euro 2000 team of the tournament, 2 Dutch Cups, 4 Dutch Super Cups, 3 Dutch Eredivisie Titles, 3 Serie A Titles, 2 Italian Super Cups, 1 Italian Cup, 1 UEFA Cup, 1 Champions League Title, 1 Intercontinental Cup, and 1 European Super Cup.
comme and frasermc - 2nd rd selection Frank Lampard - West Ham Utd; Chelsea & England Frank is Chelsea's top active goalscorer with 121 goals in all competitions. He's on pace this season to score over 20 goals again for the 4th season on the trot. Quite a feat for a midfielder. Regardless of the money Abrahmovic has spent on Chelsea Frank has been the constant heartbeat of the team. Superbly consistent and also highly durable with 283 league appearances for Chelsea since the 01/02 season. As well as his powerful shooting he is also an intelligent player with good vision and passing abilities. His mental strength is an asset which helps towards his consistency. An excellent professional on the pitch too, as witnessed with his behaviour after the recent last minute defeat to Barcelona in the CL semi finals. Frank also has 69 caps for England and has scored 15 times for the national team. His previous coach, Jose Mourinho, said this about him - "He is a complete player. He is very strong in every aspect. I wouldn't swap him for any player: Ronaldinho, Kaka, or Andrei Shevchenko. He plays every game if it rains or snows. Away or home, soft or difficult opponents, whether they play a zonal system against him, or are aggressive. He is my perfect player and I wouldn't change him for anyone."
Round 2 Team SirManchester/ForeverRed select Michael Ballack Club: Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Chelsea Country: Germany Position: Central Midfielder write up coming later. just wanted to get the pick out of the way.
Argentine Soccer Fan’s second Round Pick: ROY KEANE Clubs: Cobh Ramblers, Notingham Forest, Manchester United, Celtic Country: Ireland Position: Midfielder Characteristics: "Determination, strength, passion, goals, breaking up attacks, stamina and drive was just a little about Keane and he thrived on winning." (quoted from stretfordendflags.com) Yeah, I know he was already 28 years old when our relevant time period started, but of all the players eligible for this draft, he is the one I would never want to have to face on a soccer field. Even as he neared the end of his career he brought so many intangibles, including leadership to inspire his teammates and fear from his opponents. Career: Keane was born in Ireland and began playing for Cobh Ramblers. At 18 he was picked up by Notingham Forest and made the first team. In 1993 he was transferred to Manchester United, and eventually settled in the central midfield role. He later became Captain. He played with ManU until 2005, winning seven league titles, four FA Cups, four FA Community Shields, a UEFA champions League and an Intercontinental Cup. He finished his career in 2006 at Celtic, winning the Scotish Premier league and the Scotish Cup Highlights during the 1999-2009 time frame: 1999-2000: Although his finest season was probably 1998-99, when United won the treble, there is no doubt that 1999-00 was right up there with it. During that season Manu repeated as Premier League champions, and Keane won the FWA footballer of the year award and the PFA Players Player of the year award. That November he also scored the only goal of the match as ManU defeated Palmeiras 1-0 and won the intercontinental Cup. 2000-01 was another great season, which unfortunately will be remembered for his dirty tackle against Alfie Inge-Haaland. He won again the premier league title with ManU. 2001-02 was a tough year for ManU, as they were going through some changes in personnel. They started slow and Keane picked up what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury. He miraculously returned after only three weeks, and rallied the team into a strong finish, but they failed to win a trophy, finishing in third place. In 2001 Keane also led Ireland to qualify for the World Cup, scoring three goals. 2002-03: Keane missed some matches due to suspension and hip replacement surgery, but he came back strong, and was once again a key player and team leader as ManU once again won the Premier League. Also in 2002, Keane controversially quit from Ireland’s National team before the World Cup. After 2003, injuries and age started taking their toll, but he continued to be a dominant player with his desire to win, his strong mental game, his leadership ability, his intelligence on the field, his ability to intimidate, and so many other intangibles. One memorable moment was the match at Highbury against Arsenal in the 2004/05 season, when before the match he confronted a stunned Patrick Vieira in the tunnel, and then proceeded to play a brilliant match as Manu won 4-2. But after 2005 Keane left United and retired one year later. During the relevant period for this draft, Roy Keane played 237 matches for Manchester United and scored 27 goals. He also played ten matches with Celtic scoring one goal. For his career, he played 589 matches and scored 78 goals, including 444 matches and 55 goals with ManU, and also seven goals for Ireland’s national team. Peak Period: I want him to be judged primarily for his play during the five seasons from 1999 through 2004. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Keane