Xavi Hernandez Wallpaper: March 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Totti

Francesco Totti

andrei arshavin

Russian midfielder Andrei Ashavin lit up Euro 2008 and is now a top Premiership target. Here's the important stuff you need to know.
1) Andrei Arshavin was born in St Petersburg on 30 May 1981. He started playing football at the age of 7, and graduated from the Smena football school.
2) In 1999 Arshavin joined Russian Second Division side Zenit-2, the de facto reserve side of his local side Zenit St. Petersburg.
3) A year later he made his full debut for the seniors in an Intertoto Cup tie in the none-more-salubrious surroundings of Bradfords Valley Parade ground. Zenit St Petersburg beat the home side 3-0.

4) Arshavin quickly made a name for himself, claiming the runner-ups spot in the Russian Player Of The Year list in 2001, 2002 and 2004, before bagging the main prize in 2005 and 2006.
5) This YouTube compilation shows just why the Russians value him so highly. Not sure why they chose to soundtrack it with Radiohead, mind.

6) He made his debut for the Russian senior side on 17 May 2002 against Belarus. Arshavin scored his first goal a year later, in a friendly against Romania on 13 February 2003. He has so far scored 15 goals in 41 appearances.
7) In 2007, Arshavin helped Zenit St. Petersburg to the Russian Premier League title, the clubs first since winning the old Soviet Top League in 1984. As Rangers fans know to their cost, he was also instrumental in the Russians 2008 UEFA Cup winning side.
8) Arshavin lists his hobby as creating goals for the team, which must make those long Russian winter nights fly by.
9) When not setting up team mates, he also likes to dabble in fashion. He once wrote a thesis on the development of the sports wear production process, and graduated with a diploma in fashion design. Surely a transfer to Milan would appeal?
10) Arshavin's agent reckons a move to one of Europe's big three leagues is on the cards. We know that there are several clubs in Spain, England and Italy who are all interested in Arshavin and the key leagues for the player are the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, said his man. Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal have all been linked with him

Sunday, March 20, 2011

ramos

sergio ramos

The 2008/09 season is about to begin. The first title at stake for Real Madrid will be the Spanish Super Cup, for which they will fight with Valencia. Sergio Ramos gave an exclusive interview to Realmadrid.com to talk about the upcoming matches.

The first title of the season is at stake. How does the squad feel?

I’m very happy with how the previous season went for me both at Real Madrid and with Spain. I am excited about starting again and winning more titles.

No one seems to think the Super Cup is important because of the time it’s held at. What does Real Madrid think of it?

We naturally think it’s important. It’s one more title and we want to win as many as we can; at the end of the day, that’s what people will remember us for. We are recovering our form and getting used to the new work we’re doing and the new players who’ve joined us. The Super Cup is held at a good time and we will do our best to try to win it.

Valencia had a rough year last season, but they’ve made reinforcements. What do you think of them?

All teams strengthen themselves. They have a new coach who has brought new ideas to the team. I’ve talked to Villa, Silva and Joaquín and they all seem very happy and excited about achieving something important this season. They will give their all in the Super Cup against us and I think people will enjoy both games.

You won 5-1 at Mestalla last year…

We normally do well at that stadium and I hope we do so again this weekend because it would be nice to celebrate winning the title at the Bernabéu.

The league champions always have the privilege of playing the return leg at home…

We had to have something in our favour. We will nevertheless try to score a few goals over there and concede none.

By winning the Super Cup, you personally would have won three titles in barely three months. You’ve had an unbelievable summer…

It’s been unforgettable. Winning the Euro 2008 still hasn’t sunk in. We have to enjoy it because these things don’t happen every day. Our country deserved it because it hadn’t won an important title in many years. I hope we continue to win many more.

Do you still think about the 29 June?

Of course I do. It was one of the greatest times in my life and I enjoyed it as a kid would. I’ve cut every article or photo that mentioned it. Sometime in the future I will be able to tell my kids and grandchildren that I was there.

Van der Vaart recently arrived, but the squad is basically the same as it was last year…

That’s something essential to us. The most important thing is to maintain the unity we have, which is what I believe makes us successful. We’ve come up with a rather good group of players that combines veterans with younger footballers. We will always welcome those who can help the team. There’s only been one signing this year, but I think he can do much for us.

How is he coming along in his first few days?

Very well; he reminds me of myself when I first joined he team. You seem to be a bit lost at first both on the squad and in the city, but we try to make life easier for him. He has it slightly easier than I did because several teammates of his from the Dutch national team play with us and he can speak his language.

He said he will be able to speak Spanish in two months.

They mostly learn very fast. Van Nistelrooy, Drenthe, Sneijder, Robben… They speak the language well.

The Champions League must be the team’s main goal this year…

I think so. It is a different competition in which every team makes an even greater effort than it usually does. Both the King’s Cup and the league are very important, but we experience them differently. It’s been a while since Real Madrid won their last European Cup, so taking yet another would be very important for us.

What do you expect of the coming campaign?

I am very excited about it. I was more irregular this past year than in the previous two. I’ve had time to relax and disconnect, so I’ve come back with renewed strength, hoping to help the team considerably. I want to be the player everybody expects me to be.

Has Schuster told any of you what he expects you to do this year?

We understand each other with a mere look. He understands us perfectly well because he used to be a player. He knows what we like and what we don’t. He is interested in what goes on in our lives. One look is enough.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

samir nasri

Samir Nasri born 26 June 1987 is a French footballer who plays forArsenal in the Premier League and the France national football team.

A youth product of Marseille, Nasri plays primarily as a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield in the absence of Cesc Fàbregas due to injury. During his time at boyhood club Marseille, Nasri's Algerian background, technical prowess and playmaking on the field earned him direct comparisons to French football great Zinedine Zidane – and the mantle of the 'French Pele'. In December 2010, he was named the French Player of the Year for his performances during the calendar year.

Nasri was a regular for France at the youth level and was a member of the country's UEFA Euro 2008 squad, though he saw limited playing time.

INTERNATIONAL CAREER

Nasri has been involved in the French national set up for a long time, progressing through the Under-16s, 17s, 18s, 19s and 21s. He was part of the team that won the 2004 UEFA U-17 Championship, scoring the game-winning goal in the final match against a Spanish side that contained future team mate Cesc Fabregas. Nasri received his first cap for the senior team on 28 March 2007 against Austria, in a home friendly match at the age of 19. He delivered a free kick low into the box from which teammate Karim Benzema scored the only goal of the match. He scored his first senior international goal in his third appearance for the senior team in a 1–0 win against Georgia on 6 June 2007 in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier. Nasri was named in Raymond Domenech's final squad for Euro 2008; at age 20, he was one of the youngest members of the French squad selected for the final tournament. He made two appearances as a substitute and played for 26 minutes, scoring 0 goals. However, he was left out of France's initial 30 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was recalled by new coach Laurent Blanc for the international friendly against Norway on 11 August 2010.