Round 17 Selection Eidur Gudjohnsen DOB: 15 September 1978 (30 years old) Clubs: Valur Reykjavík (1994), PSV (1994–1997), KR Reykjavík (1998), Bolton (1998–2000), Chelsea (2000–2006), FC Barcelona (2006–present) Country: Iceland National team: 57 caps, 23 goals Position: second-striker, central midfielder, winger Peak: 2001/02 - 2004/05 Style of play Although Gudjohnsen's best position is as an attacking midfielder, linking with the deeper-lying midfielders and the forwards, his tactical intelligence and work rate meant he was able to play in any midfield or forward role from a holding midfielder to playing as a centre-forward. His dribbling, close-control and strength on the ball, combined with his deadly finishing made him a lethal player in and around the penalty area. Added to this, his touch, vision and accurate passing made him able to open up defence's with a single pass, (as shown by his approx. 60 assists in his 6 seasons with Chelsea) or play a more possession oriented game with quick, simple passes. Profile (Chelsea) In the 2000 close season, during a period of financial troubles at Bolton, he was signed by Chelsea for a fee of £4 million by Gianluca Vialli (who was sacked in September of that year to be succeeded by Claudio Ranieri). He formed a deadly partnership with Dutch striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink during the 2001–02 season, scoring 23 goals himself and helping Hasselbaink to a tally of 27. Early in 2003, he admitted to a gambling problem, confessing to having lost £400,000 in casinos over a five-month period. His dribbling and close-control, combined with his deadly finishing, saw him score some remarkable goals during his time at Chelsea. His overhead kick against Leeds in the 2002–03 season for Chelsea is perhaps his finest strike to date. Other notable goals came against Fulham at Stamford Bridge in 2003–04, ranked ten in the 2004–05 Premier League Goals of the Season against Southampton in 2005, and his first professional hat-trick against Blackburn Rovers in October 2004, he also made around 60 assists during his time with Chelsea. His touch and vision saw Chelsea manager José Mourinho deploy Guðjohnsen into a deeper midfield role, to which he took readily. He ended up as a utility player: he performed as a central-midfielder; as a right or left winger; as a holding-defensive midfielder or as a striker. After the arrival of Roman Abramovich as the owner of Chelsea in 2003, and the subsequent influx of expensive and high-profile players including ****, Didier Drogba and Hernán Crespo, his first team place seemed under threat. Despite this, he played regularly throughout the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons, playing a significant role in the Premier League title triumph in 2005, scoring a total of 12 league goals. Eiður also scored in Chelsea 4-2 win over Barcelona in the 2004-05 Champions League quarter-final. With Chelsea making several big-name signings in the 2006 close season, notably strikers Andriy Shevchenko and ***** and midfielder Michael Ballack, there was growing speculation concerning Guðjohnsen's opportunities for playing time in the 2006-07 Premier League season and his future at Chelsea. Despite being linked with Manchester United and Real Madrid, amongst others, on 14 June 2006, it was announced that he had joined Barcelona on a three year contract, with the option of an additional year. Guðjohnsen joined the Iceland national team in 1996 and since then he has been capped 57 times and scored 23 times he is the highest goalscorer for Iceland. He surpassed Ríkharður Jónsson's Icelandic record of 17 international goals on 13 October 2007 by scoring twice in a 2-4 home loss to Latvia. He is the only player to come on as a substitute for his own father. Honours PSV Eindhoven Dutch Eredivisie: 1997 Dutch Cup: 1996 Dutch Super Cup: 1996 KR Reykjavík VISA-bikar cup: 1998 Chelsea FA Premier League: 2004-05, 2005-06 Football League Cup: 2005 FA Community Shield: 2000, 2005 Barcelona Spanish Super Cup: 2006 Copa del Rey: 2008-09 La Liga: 2008-09 UEFA Champions League: 2008-09
Round 17 Name: Marek Jankulovski D.O.B: 9/5/1977 Place of Birth: Ostrava, Czech Republic Position: Left-Back, Left-Midfielder Clubs: Banik Ostrava, Napoli, Udinese, AC Milan Caps: 68 Goals: 11 Career (from Wikipedia) Marek Jankulovski currently plays for Milan of the Italian Serie A and was voted Czech Player of the Year for the 2007/08 season. He is well known for his versatility being able to play anywhere up the left wing. He is also known for his ability to cross the ball and his considerable technical ability. Before joining Milan, he played for Baník Ostrava (1994-2000), Napoli (2000-02), and Udinese (2002-05). For the Czech national team, he played in Euro 2000, Euro 2004, Euro 2008, and the 2006 World Cup. Jankulovski joined AC Milan from Udinese at the start of the 2005-06 campaign after having a wonderful season with Udinese. Jankulovski struggled to find form in his first season but has been one of Milan's best players during the 2006-07 season, scoring three goals, including one beautiful 25-yard shot, scored against Livorno. On May 23, 2007, he took part in 2-1 victory in the final of the UEFA Champions League against Liverpool. He also scored the second goal of Milan's victory against Sevilla in the 2007 UEFA Super Cup held on August 31, 2007 with a wonderful volley following a pass from Andrea Pirlo. On 28 May 2008, Jankulovski was named "Czech Player of the Year", with Petr Čech coming in second.
Round 18 Name: Martin Jørgensen D.O.B: 6/10/1977 Place of Birth: Aarhus, Denmark Position: Right-Back, Right-Winger, Attacking Midfielder Clubs: AGF Aarhus, Udinese, Fiorentina Caps: 87 Goals: 12 Career http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Jorgensen
Round 18 Selection Marek Hamsik DOB: 27 July 1987 (21 years old) Clubs: Slovan Bratislava (2004), Brescia (2004–2007), Napoli (2007–present) Country: Slovakia National team: 22 caps, 6 goals Position: attacking central midfielder Peak: 2006/07 - 2008/09 (117 appearances, 32 goals, 21 assists) Style of play Marek Hamsik, a natural attacking midfielder or box-to-box midfielder, is a genuinely two-footed talent, who combines Slovak worth-rate, South American flair and Italian intelligence. He plays the ball very efficiently, with a passing efficiency of above 90% and he seems to move through opposition effortlessly, especially at pace, on counter-attacks. His abilities include his sublime ball control, brilliant technique with both feet and clever movement off the ball but while he's not super quick he can accelerate suddenly and effectively in short bursts. Hamsik has a stunning shot, which he usually strikes sweetly with immense power, but his biggest strength lies in his decision making, positioning and overview of the field. What also makes him stand out is that he's also a tough customer who doesn't have a problem with the physical side of the game. Profile Although Hamšík grew up in Banská Bystrica, he never played for the major team Dukla Banská Bystrica. He started playing for a small youth team called Jupie Podlavice in Banská Bystrica. In 2002 he signed with a major Slovak team Slovan Bratislava. He played for the Slovan A-team inone match, in which he scored a goal. He moved to Brescia in 2004 as a 17 year old young talent from Slovan. The transfer cost Brescia €500,000. His first match in Serie A with Brescia was against Chievo Verona in 20 March 2005 (17 years and 237 days). Later that season, Brescia finished 19th and was relegated to the Serie B. In 2005–06 he played in 24 league matches for Brescia in Serie B, as Brescia finished 10th. He had an impressive 2006–07 season, scoring ten goals in 40 matches. On 28 June 2007 newly-promoted Serie A club Napoli announced Hamšík signed a five-year contract with them. The transfer cost Napoli €5.5 million, the president of the club De Laurentiis described him as a player to look for in the future. He played his first major match for Napoli against Cesena in the first round of the Italian Cup. Napoli won 4-0, Hamšík passed to the opening goal and scored the second goal himself. Scored his first goal in the Serie A on 16 September 2007, in the match against U.C. Sampdoria. His football icon is Czech midfielder Pavel Nedvěd. In 2007 he was voted second best Slovak footballer of the year and also voted best young Slovak footballer (The Peter Dubovský Trophy). Recently former Torino FC manager Walter Novellino stated that he would prefer Hamšík on his team over AC Milan forward Ronaldinho. Hamšík ended his first season with Napoli as the club's top scorer, with nine goals from 37 games. At the start of the new 2008/09 season, Hamšík scored in both of Napoli's first two games. He now has 9 goals and 7 assists in the 2008-09 season. In 2009 he was voted second best slovak footballer of the year and repeated his success as best young Slovak footballer. Hamšík has represented Slovakia in the junior caregories. He played for Slovakia at qualification for the UEFA Under-17 European Championships and for the UEFA Under-19 European Championships. He played also for the Slovak U-21 national team. He is the regular member of the Slovak national team. He made his debut on 7 February 2007 in the friendly match against Poland which ended 2-2. He played his second match against Germany in the Euro 2008 qualification, Slovakia lost 2-1, Hamšík played the whole match. He has since then become the key member of the attacking squad. He usually plays (left or middle) attacking midfielder in the national team. Honours Individual Slovak Footballer of the Year (runner-up): 2007, 2008 Best Young Slovak Footballer of the Year: 2007, 2008
SPECIAL!!!! TWO PICKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!!! 1) EXCAPE GOAT'S PICK: NOUREDDINE NAYBET (MOROCCO) Central Defender
2) PERU FC'S PICK: My eighteenth pick is: DM Jens JEREMIES Country: Germany Club(s): Bayern Münich Best years: 1999-2004
Round 18 Team SirManchester/ForeverRed select Claudio Pizarro Clubs: Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, Chelsea Country: Peru Position: Striker 160 goals in 390 games from 1999/2000 to 2008/2009 Hounours: Intercontinental Cup Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu Bundesliga Winner: 2003, 2005, 2006 German Cup: 2003, 2005, 2006 Liga Pokal: 2004
Makeup writeup for Noureddine Naybet Country: Morocco Position: Centerback Clubs: Wydad Casablanca, FC Nantes, Sporting C.P., Deportivo de la Coruña, Tottenham Hotspur. Naybet started his career with Wydad Casablanca. Later, he moved to France and then, Portugal. He finally reached his stardom when he joined Deportivo de la Coruña. Until his departure in 2004, he was the anchor of the Galician club's defenses. He helped them winning their first ever Primera Liga title in 2000. In 2004, he moved to England with Tottenham Hotspur. He also earned 115 caps with Morocco.
Argentine Soccer Fan’s 18th Round Pick: Hamit Altintop Clubs: Wattenscheid 09, Shalke 04, Bayern Munich Country: Turkey Position: Midfielder Characteristics: Altintop is a versatile midfielder who can play both a defensive and attacking position, he has a powerful shot and likes to shoot from distance and is also good at crossing the ball. Career He started his senior career in 2000 at Wattenshcheid, a small german club, where he had 12 goals in 75 appearances. His strong performances captured the attention of the bigger clubs. He was transferred to Shalke, where he was played primarily in a defensive role. He scored eight goals in 113 matches for them before moving to German giant Bayern Munich for the 2007/08 season. For Bayern he’s scored six goals in 33 performances since 2007, and he's often played wide on the right in an attacking position. International For Turkey he has scored two goals in 47 matches. He was one of the best players at Euro 2008, where he began playing at right back but after the first match was moved to right midfield. He was chosen man of the match in the game against Croatia, and was selected to the team of the tournament. Highlights during the 1999-2009 time frame: * Schalke 04 o German League-Cup: 2006 o Bundesliga Runner-up: 2007 * Bayern Munich o German League-Cup: 2007 o Bundesliga Champions: 2008 o German Cup: 2008 * Turkey o Carlsberg UEFA EURO 2008 Man of the Match Award (vs Croatia) o UEFA EURO 2008 Team of the tournament
Round 18 Álvaro Recoba Club (at his peak): Internazionale Country: Uruguay Recoba's strengths are his dribbling, technique, pace and a strong, accurate left-foot shot. He is a free-kick specialist, and has scored goals of great quality, examples of which were his two goals on his debut with Inter. He can play as left winger, striker, and attacking mid.
Round 18: Kevin8833 and Friend (semillag I believe his username is) select... Samir Nasri is a French international footballer of Algerian descent who currently plays his club football for the English Premier League side Arsenal. A naturally right-footed player, he generally plays on the left side of midfield for Arsenal. Nasri has been compared to former Gunner Robert Pirès by Arsène Wenger who also described him as a quick and technically outstanding player with mobility and vision. Honours Marseille * Intertoto Cup: 2005 International * UEFA U-17 Championship 2004 Individual * Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2006–07 * Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2006-07
Round 18 comme and frasermc select: Edmilson Brazil Central defender and defensive midfielder Profile from Wikipedia Club career São Paulo Edmílson signed for São Paulo in 1994. He won the São Paulo State titles in 1998 & 2000 as well as the 1994 CONMEBOL Cup and the subsequent Recopa Sudamericana. Before joining Lyon he had a two week trail at West Ham in 2000. Olympique Lyonnais He arrived at Lyon in the summer of 2000. Lyon won the French League Cup in his first season. He went on to aid the club to its first ever Championship title in 2002. He also won the next two titles in 2003 and 2004. FC Barcelona Edmílson signed for FC Barcelona for around €10 million in the summer of 2004. He made his league debut on 19 September in a 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid. While playing with FC Barcelona, Edmílson suffered two serious injuries, but was able to fully recover and played an important role in the team's success on the domestic and European scenes in the 2005-2006 season. After Barcelona's unsuccessful 2007/2008 season, the club stated that Edmílson, among other players, is unlikely to remain at the club for the following season. Edmilson was linked with a transfer to the clubs Villarreal and Júbilo Iwata, and his combination of physical presence and ball playing ability made him of interest to a number of English Premier Leagues clubs. Villarreal On May 23, 2008, Edmilson signed a 1-year deal with Villarreal. The move however, didn't work out and he played few games for the club. Palmeiras On 21 January, 2009, Edmilson moved back home to Brazil after more than eight years in Europe signing a 2-year contract with Palmeiras. He scored his first goal for the club on 29 January in the Copa Libertadores Qualifying round match against Real Potosí. International career Edmílson won his first cap for the Brazilian national team on July 18, 2000, and won the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was forced to withdraw from the Brazil squad for the 2006 World Cup after sustaining a knee injury in training before the tournament. Honours 2002 FIFA World Cup with the Brazil Campeonato Paulista (São Paulo State championship) : 1998 and 2000 with São Paulo F.C. Copa Conmebol in 1994 with São Paulo F.C. Recopa Sudamericana in 1994 with São Paulo F.C. Tournament Rio - São Paulo in 2001 with São Paulo F.C. French Ligue 1 championship in 2002, 2003 and 2004 with Olympique Lyonnais. Trophée des Champions in 2002 and 2003 with Olympique Lyonnais. Coupe de la Ligue (French League Cup) in 2001 with Olympique Lyonnais La Liga (Spanish championship) in 2005 and 2006 with FC Barcelona Supercopa de España (Spanish Supercup) in 2005 with FC Barcelona UEFA Champions League in 2006 with FC Barcelona
Round 16 Make-Up Pick Team SirManchester/ForeverRed select Dirk Kuyt Clubs: Utrecht, Feyenoord, Liverpool Country: Netherlands Position: Winger, Striker 184 goals in 420 matches from 1999/2000 to 2008/2009