Round 13 Name: Tomas Rosicky D.O.B: 4/10/1980 Place of Birth: Prague, Czech Republic Position: Attacking Midfielder Clubs: Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal Caps: 67 Goals: 18 Career An attacking midfielder nicknamed 'the Little Mozart', Rosický is known for his phenomenal skill and his ability to orchestrate the midfield with good passing and the composure to keep the ball in the final third. He won three Czech League titles in 1999, 2000 and 2001. He won a Bundesliga title with Borussia Dortmund in 2002, the same year in which the German side lost to Dutch giants Feyenoord. Rosický made his international debut in 2000 aged 19, against the Republic of Ireland. He played for his country at Euro 2000 and Euro 2004 and helped the side qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Rosický shone for his country in the group stages of the qualification campaign, scoring several goals from the penalty spot and setting up **** and **** in particular with accurate and precise passing. He also scored the winning goal in the second leg of the Czech Republic's play-off against Norway, to ensure qualification for the finals. In the 2006 World Cup finals, Rosický scored two goals in the Czech Republic's 3–0 victory over the United States, one of which was nominated for the 2006 World Cup best goal in their opening match, on 12 June 2006. The Czech Republic went out at the World Cup in the group stages, with Rosický forced to move into the attack after injuries to both of the country's star strikers, **** and ****. At the beginning of the 2006–07 season, Rosický was made captain of the Czech Republic national side, replacing the retiring Pavel Nedvěd which he has taken up very well, greatly helping the Czech Republic qualify for Euro 2008. Rosický missed Euro 2008 due to injury.
Round 14 Name: Rafael Marquez D.O.B: 13/2/1979 Position: Central Defender Place of Birth: Zamora, Mexico Clubs: Atlas, Monaco, Barcelona Caps: 84 Goals: 10 Career Rafael Marquez is a defender for Barcelona and the captain of the Mexican national team. At Monaco, he won a Ligue 1 title, Super Cup and Coupe de la Ligue. At Barca, he has won three La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey and the 2006 Champions League. For his country, he has played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2007 Copa America tornaments.
Round 14 Selection José Manuel "Pepe" Reina DOB: 31 August 1982 (26 years old) Clubs: Barcelona B (1999–2000), Barcelona (2000–2002), Villarreal (2002–2005), Liverpool (2005–present) Country: Spain National team: 13 caps Position: goalkeeper Peak: 2005/06 - 2008/09 (206 appearances, 106 clean sheets) Style of play Pepe Reina is a Spanish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for English Premier League club Liverpool FC and the Spain national team. He is a shrewd and agile keeper, on the cutting edge of his profession – a genuine innovator who is in the process of redefining what modern goalkeepers are meant to do. This innovation is as much about Reina being an ‘attacking’ player as it is about his method of shot-stopping. His first great offence against conventional English football wisdom is that he likes to punch balls as well as catch them. The Reina fist rarely seems to slide off the ball. It goes right through it - and as a result the punched ball can travel 20-30 yards very quickly. If it falls to an opposition player they are consequently too far out to make instant use of it. If it falls to a Liverpool player it can become the spark that produces a swift counter-attack. But Reina’s ability to punch cleanly means he also reaches crosses that most other goalies avoid. In other words the punch, if properly done, works on both offensive and defensive grounds - added to which there is probably a subtle deterrent effect at work. He is the consummate professional and like all true professionals he is constantly in a state of learning. The most obvious and gratifying result of this scholarship is his penalty-saving. Not only does Reina always seem to go the right way, he saves them. Due to studying the penalty-taking habits of his opponents and working out from the distribution of a kicker’s bodyweight the most likely direction of a shot he remains the best in the world at this art. Pepe Reina's style of play is also characterised by his extraordinary pace around the box. His priority is always to inject pace into the game when he has the ball. The first move is, invariably, a rapid run to the edge of the box. The second, is a quick release and an accurate pass of high velocity (whether thrown or kicked). The release itself is a thing of beauty because Reina, being committed to speed of delivery, only believes in a flat parabola. Hence the superb kicking technique that sees the foot making contact with the ball almost at shoulder height (instead of the usual shin height). Player's like Fernando Torres have constantly benefited from his distribution. Reina, has also shown, to be a player with a big character, and players with character and skill, like Reina, always end up in winning teams. Anyone who has seen Reina celebrate a Liverpool goal knows how important winning is to him and anyone who has seen the footage of him celebrating with his Spanish teammates after their Euro victory knows that he’s the ultimate team player. Profile Reina was signed by Liverpool from Villarreal in July 2005, with manager Rafael Benítez hailing him as "the best goalkeeper in Spain". Reina made his Liverpool debut against Total Network Solutions, now known as The New Saints F.C. in the first qualifying round for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League. For the 2005–06 season, Reina took over as Liverpool's first choice goalkeeper, relegating 2005 Champions League hero ***** to the bench. Also at the start of the season Reina made his international debut for Spain in a friendly match against Uruguay on 17 August 2005. Spain won 2–0. The season turned out to be a successful one for Liverpool as they improved upon the previous season's league placing and won the FA Cup. It was also a huge success personally for Reina as he notched up various new Liverpool records. On 3 December 2005 Reina kept his sixth consecutive clean sheet against Wigan Athletic F.C. in the Premier League to break the Liverpool club record for successive clean sheets in the Premiership era. He surpassed ***** record of five games from the 1996–97 season. Reina's incredible run ended at eight league games when Everton F.C.'s James Beattie headed past him into the Liverpool net in Liverpool's 3–1 win over their Merseyside rivals on 28 December 2005. Reina also broke Liverpool FC's consecutive clean sheet record with 11 between October and December 2005 with Mineiro of São Paulo finally scoring past him on 18 December 2005 during the FIFA Club World Cup Final. A big talking point in the season occurred on 5 February 2006 in a league game against Chelsea. Reina, having made a challenge on ********** moments earlier, was controversially sent off for patting Arjen Robben's face, who fell down theatrically, described as "going down like he'd been sledgehammered" by pundit Alan Hansen. Liverpool ended up losing the game 2-0 and Reina was given a three match ban. On 16 April 2006 Reina celebrated his 50th appearance for Liverpool by keeping a clean sheet against Blackburn Rovers. As a result he holds a Liverpool record for the fewest number of goals conceded by a keeper in their first fifty games. The previous record was held by Ray Clemence in 1970–71 for conceding only 32 goals, while Pepe conceded only 29. In May 2006 Reina was awarded the Premier League's Golden Glove award for keeping 20 clean sheets in the 2005–06 season. In the final domestic game of the season — the FA Cup Final on 13 May 2006 — Reina made a number of errors to allow the Hammers to lead 3–2. Steven Gerrard saved Reina's blushes with a late equaliser, and then Reina made a crucial save in extra-time. The match ended 3–3 and went to penalties, where Reina saved three out of four penalties to gain the cup win. During the 2006–07 season, despite making early season blunders (most notably against Liverpool city rivals Everton in a 3–0 defeat), Reina's status as Liverpool's number one keeper was further cemented by Dudek conceding nine goals within a week in two cup ties against Arsenal. After the 2007 Champions League semi-final first-leg against Chelsea, Reina was awarded man of the match by Liverpool supporters thanks to a string of superb saves, including two stunning saves from England midfielder Frank Lampard. He repeated his good form in the second-leg, keeping a clean sheet. The match went to a penalty shootout where Reina reinforced his penalty-saving reputation, stopping two out of the three Chelsea kicks as Liverpool won 4–1. On his return home from the match, he discovered that his house in Woolton had been burgled. Three weeks later in Athens he became only the third player to follow in his father's footsteps by appearing in a European Cup final. Reina signed a new deal with Liverpool until 2012 on 7 June 2007. In August 2007, Reina once again won the Premier League's Golden Glove Award for the second successive season after keeping 19 clean sheets in the 2006–07 Barclays Premier League campaign. On 2 February 2008, Reina became the quickest goalkeeper in Liverpool history to keep a half century of clean sheets. He hit the milestone during a 3–0 win against Sunderland on his 92nd league outing, beating the previous record by three. During 2008 Reina also won his third consecutive Barclays Golden Glove after keeping eighteen clean sheets during the season. On 22 March 2009, Reina then went on to become the quickest goalkeeper in Liverpool history to keep 100 clean sheets in all competitions. He hit that milestone during a 5-0 win against Aston Villa on his 197th appearance for Liverpool in all competitions. Honours Villarreal UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003–04, 2004–05 Liverpool UEFA Super Cup: 2005 FA Cup: 2006 FA Community Shield: 2006 International UEFA U-17 Championship: 1999 UEFA European Championships: 2008 Individual Barclays Golden Glove: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
Round 14 DM Mahamadou Diarra Country: Mali Clubs(in peak): Lyon and Real Madrid Best years: 04/05 through to 07/08 A top shelf holding midfielder with all the ingredients; neat passing, great reading of the game, indefatigable, tremendous strength, tough tackling and able to stick to his man like superglue. he has played a big role in real madrids two la liga titles as well as the starting DM for 3 (arguably 4) of lyon's titles.
Juan Carlos Valerón Country: Spain Position: Playmaker Clubs: Las Palmas, Real Mallorca, Atlético Madrid, Deportivo La Coruña Known as the "Spanish Zidane", Valerón is an instrumental figure for Deportivoa La Coruna's successes earlier in the decade. He is known for his technical abilities, especially passing skills and ball control.
My fourteenth pick is: FW Giovane ÉLBER Country: Brazil Club(s): Bayern Münich, Olympique Lyon, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Cruzeiro Best years: 1999-2003 Giovane Élber has proved himself to be one of the best strikers in Europe, scoring consistently over a number of years. He wasn't just and accomplished finisher, but boasts quick feet and an eye for a pass too. Élber scored more goals in the Bundesliga than any other foreign player. After a successful time in Stuttgart he signed for Bayern Münich in 1997. Some of his bigger achievements include the UEFA Champions League 2000-2001 and the 2001 Intercontinental Cup. He also won the Kicker Torjägerkanone Award in 2003 for being the top scorer in Germany and he's also the Bundesliga's top foreign scorer of all time. In this time period he also played 15 matches for Brazil along with seven goals. He later went on to play short spells at Olympique Lyon and Borussia Mönchengladbach. In 2005-2006 he was transferred back home to Brazilian side Cruzeiro, where he added 40 appearances to his record and 18 goals. Honours Bayern Münich German Bundesliga: 2000, 2001, 2003 German Cup: 2000, 2003 UEFA Champions League: 2001 Intercontinental Cup: 2001 Olympique Lyon French Championship: 2004, 2005 French Super Cup: 2004 Cruzeiro Campeonato Mineiro: 2006 Individual Kicker Torjägerkanone Award (season top scorer): 2003 German Championship all time foreign top scorer
Round 14: Kevin8833 and Friend (semillag I believe his username is) select... "Jay-Jay - so good they named him twice" Jay-Jay Okocha of PSG, Bolton, Qatar SC, Hull City and Nigeria. Okocha is a supremely talented attacking midfielder with wonderful creativity and technical ability. His pace, skill, and finishing qualities made him an extremely dynamic and dangerous player. Okocha's accomplishment's include BBC African Footballer of the Year 2003 and 2004, FIFA 100 List, and African Footballer of the Year Nominee 2003 and 2004.
comme and frasermc - Rd14 selection Vincenzo Montella - Roma; Fulham; Sampdoria & Italy Montella, seen above in his trademark celebration pose which helped earn him his nickname of 'The Little Aeroplane'. He shot to prominence in Italy through his displays for Sampdoria in the mid to late 90's. Samp were a far cry from the team that lifted their only Scudetto in the '91 season but Montella enhanced his reputation with them by racking up back to back 20 league goal campaigns. Mancini was still at Sampdoria in Montella's first season there and no doubt helped him develop his striking abilities. A bigger stage beckoned and duly arrived when Roma came calling just before the new millenium arrived. An offer of 25mill euros saw him winging his way to the capital where he would become a hero of the Roma fans. In his first full season with Roma he bagged 18 goals in Serie A. The next season he played his part in helping his team win their third Scudetto. Montella had the knack of rising to the big occasion as he proved again and again in the Rome derby much to the despair of Lazio and their supporters. A striker with pace and invention. A taker of chances in and around the penalty area, helped in no small part by his razor sharp reactions.
Round 14 Team SirManchester/ForeverRed Tomáš Ujfaluši Clubs: Sigma Olomouc, Hamburg SV, Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid Country: Czech Republic Position: Centre Back, Right-Back A hard tackler, and good on the ball, Ujfalusi has played for four different clubs this decade with experience at the highest stages. He is also a versatile defender having played across the backine, but being most comfortable at the heart of the defense and as right-back which he played for Fiorentina. Standing at 1.85m, the Czech is a tall and domineering player in the air with good leadership abilities having captained the Czech Republic in the Euro 2008 finals.
Argentine Soccer Fan’s 14th Round Pick: Angelo Peruzzi Clubs: Roma, Hellas Verona, Juventus, Internazionale, Lazio Country: Italy Position: Goalkeeper Characteristics: (From Peruzzi’s profile at Juventus.theoffside.com) Peruzzi was one of the best keepers in the world. His reactions were incredible, and he never hesitated to come flying out to collect the ball. This guy was a brick wall, at his peak he was probably the best keeper in the world. I remember header after header where somehow Peruzzi would instantly react and deflect the shot past the post. Not only was he tremendous at reaction-saves, he was a decent penalty-saver too. Lastly, his positioning was damn near perfect. I can’t recall a single game where he was ever caught badly out of position. Career: (sorry, I’m on vacation so I’ll rely on good old wiki) Peruzzi began his Serie A career with A.S. Roma in 1987. He was loaned to Hellas Verona in 1989, but was suspended for a year in October 1990 after failing a doping test because an appetite suppressant he was taking at the time contained a banned substance. His signing with Juventus in 1991 successfully revived his career, and he soon surpassed (deleted) as the Turin giants' starting goalie. Peruzzi won three Scudetti, a UEFA Cup, and was part of Juventus' 1996 Champions League title squad that defeated AFC Ajax in the final on penalties. After one season with Internazionale, he transferred to Lazio for €17.9 million in 2000, and made over 200 appearances in Serie A and European competition with the club. Although his contract with the Biancocelesti ran until 2008, Peruzzi announced that he would call it quits at the end of the '06-07 season after Lazio's 0-0 draw with Cagliari Calcio on October 15, 2006. "I will retire at the end of the campaign," he said. "I know the Lazio president and fans will not be happy but had I not made this decision, I would remain at the club for another six or eight years." He later backtracked on this decision, claiming that his comments were a joke and that it was premature to talk about retirement at this early stage of the season, emphasizing that his potential retirement was being considered "one season at a time." After the 0-0 draw with Roma April 29, 2007, Peruzzi confirmed that he had indeed played his last match due to the frustration of nagging injuries, but he was put on for the final few minutes in Lazio's final home match of the season, a goalless draw against Parma F.C. on May 20, as a goodbye to the fans. He was named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for the third time in his career on January 28, 2008; only he and compatriot Gianluigi Buffon have won the award more than once since its inception in 1997. International career Peruzzi was capped 31 times in 11 years with Italy. He was also a member of the national squad that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and Euro 96. He was scheduled to be the starter at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but suffered a late injury and was replaced by (deleted). He momentarily left the national team in 1999 after a match against Norway, but returned to the Azzurri the following year, with whom he hoped to start at Euro 2000, but a last-minute injury once again cost him the starting spot as Francesco Toldo led the team to the final. Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni wanted to call up Peruzzi as the third goalkeeper in the squad for the 2002 World Cup, but Peruzzi refused, saying, "The mascots for the World Cup have already been chosen." Two years later, though, he was called up as the third keeper behind Buffon and Toldo at Euro 2004. He didn't start for Italy again until a friendly against Spain on April 28, 2004, then was the first choice for a pair of WC qualifiers against Scotland and Belarus in August 2005 while Buffon was shelved with a shoulder injury. Peruzzi served as second keeper behind Buffon in the 2006 FIFA World Cup as Italy captured their fourth crown. He retired permanently from international play after the conclusion of the tournament. Peak Period During the relevant time frame Peruzzi spent one season, 1999-00, with Inter, and then he excelled with Lazio until he retired at the end of the 2006-07 season. Any and all of those seasons will do just fine.
Round 14, 181st overall Júlio César Soares de Espíndola Clubs: Flamengo, Internazionale Country: Brasil Júlio César is a Brazilian footballer who plays goalkeeper for Italian team Internazionale. Both Brazilian national team manager Dunga and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon have recently stated that they believes Júlio César to be the strongest goalkeeper in the world at the moment.
Round 14, pick 182 Jan Koller Clubs: Anderlecht, Dortmund, Monaco, Nuremberg, Samara Country: Czech Republic Having been bought by Belgian outfit Anderlecht from his then-club Lokeren, the Czech giant that had been converted to striker from goalkeeper was going to make quite a name for himself over the decade. Standing six feet seven inches and built to an extent rarely seen in footballers his size, he would score 58 goals in 90 games before capturing the attention of Borussia Dortmund, who signed him in 2001. Ko0ller would spend five seasons there (missing almost all of the fifth), managing to put up over seventy goals in his time and more importantly, always be a headache for opposition defences to deal with. After moving to Monaco in 2006, it was obvious that age and injuries had cost Koller a step or two of pace, but the real-life giant would now rely on his intelligence and experience to put himself in the right positions and at the right times. After one season with Nuremburg in Germany for 2007-08, Koller moved to Krylia Sovetov Samara of the Russian Premier League at the age of thirty-five. Koller has also had a solid career at international level, scoring an impressive 55 goals in 90 games for the Czech Republic between the years 1999-20009.
Round 15, pick 182 Ashley Young Clubs: Watford, Aston Villa Country: England A versatile player who can line up on either wing or in behind the striker, Ashley Young is a name some may have only heard about in the last 12-18 months, but he has actually been playing first team football since 2004. Earmarked for big things since his mid-teens, Young cut his teeth in the English Championship with Watford and in his second starting season played a huge role in getting them promoted, ending the campaign with 14 goals and 13 assists in the league alone. Rumours of interest from clubs such as Aston Villa & Chelsea were soon to follow but Watford were determined to hold on to him. After impressing on several occasions in his first few months in the Premiership with Watford, Young was eventually pried away to Aston Villa, where he has proven himself to be the best winger playing in England over the past two seasons by a considerable margin. Lightning fast with a delicate touch and great footballing brain, Young can either stretch the line and give in an inch-perfect cross (he is the best in the entire league at this), or cut inside to shoot or put through a team mate. In 2006/07, Young put up a ridiculous 8 goals and 17 assists for a defensively-based, fairly uncreative Aston Villa side and was named in the Premiership team of the season; this season he has finished up with a well-deserved Young Player of the Year award and retained his spot in the league's team of the season.
Round 15, 184th overall Maximiliano Rubén "Maxi" Rodríguez Clubs: Newell's Old Boys, Espanyol, Atletico Madrid (c) Country: Argetina
Argentine Soccer Fan’s 15th Round Pick: Cristian ‘Kili’ Gonzalez Clubs: Rosario Central, BOCA JUNIORS, Zaragoza, Valencia, Inter Country: Argentina Position: Left Wing Characteristics: Kili is a left footed player known for his great strength, fantastic pace, excellent passing and accurate crossing as well as a powerful shot and a fighting spirit. Career Kili played his first professional match for Rosario Central in 1993. His warrior attitude, speed, accurate crosses and general domination of the left flank led to a transfer to Boca Juniors, where he immediately became a crowd favorite. For Boca Juniors he played 37 matches and scored 3 goals. In 1996 he transferred to Real Zaragoza, where he played 82 matches and scored 15 goals. In 1999 he moved to Valencia CF. In 2003, he followed his former Valencia coach Héctor Cuper to Inter Milan. He was released by Inter after the 2005/2006 season, and returned to his first team Rosario Central. Kily González made his name at Valencia CF playing with fellow national squad members Roberto Ayala and Pablo Aimar. Valencia reached the final round of UEFA Champions League twice in a row, and Kili was a crowd favorite. For Valencia he played 92 matches and scored 8 goals. He was then transferred to Internazionale, where he was largely inconsistent, mainly due to injuries. He played 51 matches for Inter. In July 2006 he said goodbye to Inter Milan and got transferred back to Rosario Central, the club of which he is a huge fan and where his career started. He was a key player in helping Central avoid relegation, and he’s played 70 matches and scored 11 goals through the current season. He also was a key player in a political power play that helped Rosario Central get rid of its corrupt president, Pablo Scarabino. Due to his dissaproval of Scarabino, Kili threatened to quit the club, and after Scarabino was dismissed he chose to remain. Kily González was highly rated worldwide; in 2001 he was included in UEFAs 'Team of the year', playing on the left wing. International career Kily has 56 caps and has scored 10 goals for Argentina. He represented his national team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup playing in all 3 games, though as a substitute against Nigeria and Sweden, and substituted against England. As a member of the national side, he won a gold medal at Athens Olympic games in 2004 under the tutelage of previous coach Marcelo Bielsa. Highlights during the 1999-2009 time frame: Valencia * La Liga: 2001-02, 2003-04 Internazionale * Serie A: 2005-06 * Coppa Italia: 2005 * Italian Super Cup: 2005 International • 2004 Summer Olympics: Gold medal Peak Period I guess his time at Boca Juniors is out of range, so I’ll go with his four years at Valencia, from 1999 through 2003.
Round 15 Team SirManchester/ForeverRed select Stefan Effenberg Club: Bayern Munic, Wolfsburg, Al-Arabi Country: Germany Position: Central Midfielder Considered a controversial figure, Effenberg moved from club to club which many consider contributed to his erratic form, that was until he moved to Bayern for the second time in his career that he finally matured as a player and leader, and cemented his place not only as one of the best central midfielders among his peers but his instant status as a Bayern Munich legend, joining the likes of Beckenbauer, Meier, Rummenigge, Mueller, and Breitner. In his four seasons at Bayern, he helped the team to three Bundesliga trophies, and two Champions League finals, one of which the team won in dramatic fashion. That year he also won Uefa Most Valuable player of the year. Criticized by some for his languid style, he was hailed by Bayern fans and football enthusiasts for his cunning intellect and his ability to read the game and pass the ball precisely. He was also a venomous shooter from distance. Honours UEFA European Football Championship runner-up: 1992. UEFA Champions League winner: 2001. UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1999. Intercontinental Cup winner: 2001. Bundesliga champion: 1999, 2000, 2001. Bundesliga runner-up: 1991. DFB Pokal winner: 1995, 2000. DFB-Pokal finalist: 1999. DFB LigaPokal winner: 1998, 1999. UEFA Most Valuable Player of the Year: 2001
Round 15 Make up Pick Team SirManchester/ForeverRed select Michael Carrick Clubs: Swindon Town, Birmingham, Tottenham, Manchester United Country: England Position: Central Midfield
comme and frasermc - Rd15 Selection Shay Given - Newcastle Utd; Manchester City & Rep of Ireland Given, the goalkeeper that Lou Macari stated was too short and allowed him to leave Celtic and go on to be one of the best keepers in the premiership. Twice being named in the premiership team of the season.(thanks Lou... ) Shay performed to consistently high standard for Newcastle over the whole decade and it's no surprise to see them go down in the same season their talismanic keeper left for pastures new. Those pastures being at the money pit that is now Manchester City. Given has already proved his worth to his new club with some sparkling displays in the premiership and even moreso in the UEFA cup. He also has 94 caps for his country.
Round 15: Kevin8833 and Friend (semillag I believe his username is) select... Yaya Toure of Beveren, Metalurh Donetsk, Olympiakos, Monaco, Barcelona, and Ivory Coast. Toure is a defensive midfielder that combines size and athleticism with great technical skills. Toure's accomplishment's include Ivory Coast Premier League Title 2001, Greek Super League 2006, Greek Cup 2006, La Liga Title 2009, and Copa Del Ray Title 2009.
My fifteenth pick is: CB Samuel KUFFOUR Country: Ghana Club(s): Bayern Münich, AS Roma, Livorno, Ajax, Asante Kotoko Best years: 1999-2005 Samuel Kuffour, known for his great physical power, he's remembered for his time with Bayern Münich with whom he played for over a decade. Kuffour spent 11 seasons with Bayern, raising from the youth teams to be a prominent first-squad member who lifted the UEFA Champions League with the club. He was an integral part of the Bayern squad that won the 2000-2001 UEFA Champions League, also scoring the winning goal in the 2001 Intercontinental Cup, being subsequently named man of the match. Also in that year he finished second in African Footballer of the Year's voting by second time. He's one of the most decorated African players of all-time. On 12 January 2007, the Confederation of African Football voted Kuffour as a member of the Top 30 African Players of All-Time. Honours Bayern Münich Intercontinental Cup: 2001 UEFA Champions League: 2001 German Bundesliga: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 German Cup: 2000, 2004 German League Cup: 2000, 2004 Individual African Footballer of the Year: 2001 Golden Ball Nomination: 2001 FIFA All-Star defender Top 30 Best African Players of All-Time member BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2001 Ghana Footballer of the Year: 2001 Most appearances by an African player in the UEFA Champions League Ghana Athlete of the Year: 2001
Round 15: My selection Jerrel (Jimmy) Floyd Hasselbaink Country Holland: Position: Striker Clubs: Telstar, AZ, S.C. Campomaiorense, Boavista, Leeds Utd, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Charlton Athletic, Cardiff City. Peak: 1997-2002 Jerrel (Jimmy) Floyd Hasselbaink was a slow starter. He bounced around different clubs in Holland and Portugal until he reached stardom with Boavista. He scored 20 goals in 29 appearance. He continued his prolific goalscoring record with Leeds, Atletric Madrid and Chelsea. His international career, however, was limited due to fierce competition for the strikers' role, with the presence of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Roy Makaay. For this decade, he began with three straight 20-plus goal seasons. He was the topscorer for Premier League in 2001-2002. He began to slow down on the 4th year, but still managed to score 11 goals and 17 goals for 2002-03 and 2003-2004. he was the top scorer for Chelsea for his last season, despite mainly used as sub.
Mario Jardel Clubs(peak): Porto, Galatasaray, Sporting CP Country: Brazil Peak Years: 99-00, 00-01, 01-02 a man mountain and a goal monster rolled into one. left foot, right foot, head, knee, ear - it didn' t matter to jardel. his 3 year peak, this decade, includes 15 goals in 25 CL games and 102 league goals over 86 games. his 02-03 season was plagued by injury but jardel still managed 11 goals in 19 games.