Victor Valdes

Full Name:Víctor Valdés i Arribas

Date Of Birth:14 January 1982 (age 31)

Place Of Birth:L'hospitalet de Llobregat,Spain

Height:1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)

Position:Goalkeeper

Team:FC Barcelona

Víctor Valdés is a FC Barcelona goalkeeper. He was born on January 14, 1982 in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.

Víctor’s youth career began in 1992 when he joined the CD Tenerife academy. During three years Víctor was one of the academy’s successful students with tremendous displays at his young age. After those three years the player was offered to join the FC Barcelona academy. Valdés had new career perspectives available that led him to the FCBarcelona academy in 1995. During five years Valdés was one of the best goalkeepers in the club’s youth team playing in its main squad. However, he was not good enough for the club’s first team, so when offered a professional contract he could only join the FC Barcelona reserve team. In 2000, Valdés was only 18 and he was not afraid of never playing for the club’s main team. Since 2000 Víctor Valdés has frequently played for the club’s reserve team with the total of 77 matches. In 2002, Víctor got an opportunity to play for the club’s main squad when the team had difficulties with injured goalkeepers. After several agreeable displays in the main squad, in 2003 Víctor was promoted to the club’s first team.

Since 2003 Víctor has been the team’s main goalkeeper. Over many years Valdés has been helping his team to claim national, European and world titles under the management of different coaches. Since 2002 Víctor has played 327 matches for FC Barcelona.

In 2000-2003, Víctor was invited to play for the Spain national youth teams ranging from U-18 to U-21. Over the three years he made 26 international appearances. Since 2010 Víctor has occasionally played for the Spain national team, but generally he backs up Iker Casillas who remains the main goalkeeper.

Shinji Kagawa

• Full Name:Shinji Kagawa
• Squad No: 26
• Position: Midfielder
• Age: 24
• Birth Date: Mar 17, 1989
• Birth Place: Kobe, Japan
• Height: 1.72m
• Weight: 64 kg
• Club:Manchester United

Shinji Kagawa completed a remarkable ascent when Manchester United signed him from Borussia Dortmund in June 2012, just three years after he has been playing in the Japanese second division.

The Kobe-born playmaker's rise to the top began at just five years old with Marino Football Club before he took in junior spells at Kobe NK FC and FC Miyagi Barcelona, the latter of which acts as a feeder club for local professional side Cerezo Osaka. He signed terms with Cerezo aged just 17 and broke through into the first team in 2007, playing 35 matches in Japan's second tier. In 2009, he was top scorer in the division with 27 goals in 44 games and his performances attracted the attention of European clubs, with Dortmund eventually snapping him up for €350,000 in August 2010, halfway through Cerezo's first season back in the J-League.

His international debut came in 2008, when he was also selected to play for Japan at the Olympics, though he missed out on selection for the 2010 World Cup. Kagawa did, though, go on to become a key figure for Alberto Zaccheroni in both the 2011 Asian Cup and the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. The creative midfielder's most impressive performance for the Blue Samuari to date came in the 2011 Asian Cup quarter-final, when he claimed a match-winning brace against Qatar to seal progress to the last four.

Kagawa made an immediate impact in his first season at Dortmund and was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Year despite missing half of the campaign through injury. He endeared himself to the Westfalenstadion faithful when predicting he would score a brace in a derby clash with Schalke and going on to do just that in a 3-1 win.

Dortmund won the league at the end of his first campaign and the tricky midfielder, used mainly in a trequartista role, went from strength to strength after returning from injury in time for the 2011-12 season. He was instrumental in the club retaining the Bundesliga and securing a Double for the first time in their history, with his relationship with striker Robert Lewandowski proving particularly fruitful. From January 2012, speculation was rife that he would leave the club and six months later he was heading out of Dortmund for a new challenge at Old Trafford, becoming the first Japanese player to play for United.

Strengths: A confident dribbler and also accomplished finisher from midfield, with a penchant for a long-range effort. Kagawa's guile and vision are perhaps his best assets though; he boasted an average of nearly two key passes per game and a through-ball accuracy of 55.6% while at Dortmund.

Weaknesses: Not at all imposing in the air and lacks a sense of defensive discipline; he may be required to track back more at United than he was required to at Dortmund but his tackling is about as good as Paul Scholes'.

Career high: His 17 goals and ten assists in 38 starts helped Dortmund to the Double in 2011-12, with his final strike of the season opening the scoring in the German Cup final victory over Bayern Munich.

Career low: Missing out on the 2011 Asian Cup final, which Japan won, after breaking his metatarsal in the semi-final against South Korea.

Style: Technically gifted, a hugely creative playmaker who can also score goals.

Quotes: "I am delighted he has chosen to come to United. I believe he will make an impact upon the team very quickly as he is suited to United's style of play." Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson, June 2012.

Trivia: Kagawa was the first Japanese player outside of the J-League, to sign a professional contract before finishing high school when he penned a deal with Cerezo Osaka at the age of 17.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Full Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Birth date: February 5th, 1985
Age: 28 years old
Birthplace: Funchal, Madeira - Portugal
Height: 186 cm (1m 86cm)
Weight: 84 kg
Field position: Left/right winger, striker/forward
First professional club: Sporting Clube de Portugal
Career debut: October 7th 2002, against Moreirense
Current club: Real Madrid (since 2009)
International team: Portugal
International debut: August 20th 2003, against Kazakhstan
Nicknames: CR7, CR9, Ronny

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,OIH, (born 5 February 1985),commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballerwho plays as a forward for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and who serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. He became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world,and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup.

Ronaldo was the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or.He placed second in the Ballon d'Or in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was awarded the European Golden Shoe in both 2008 and 2011. In 2008, he won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies and was named the FIFPro Player of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year, Onze d'Or, and the FIFA World Player of the Year.In 2007 and 2008, Ronaldo was named FWA Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo was the inaugural winner of the FIFA Puskás Award in 2009.

Ronaldo is considered as one of the best footballers in the world and within his generation, and as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.He holds numerous former and current scoring records, including records for most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid, most goals scored per minute in La Liga, first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two consecutive years, fastest Real Madrid player to reach one hundred league goals, and the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Liga.In January 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th club goal.

Ronaldo is a Portuguese international and made his debut against Kazakhstan in August 2003. He has since participated in five major tournaments; UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He scored his first international goal in the opening game of the Euro 2004 against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He took over the captaincy of the side in July 2008 and went on to captain Portugal to the semi-finals at the Euro 2012 and finished the competition as the joint best scorer with three goals. On 16 October 2012, Ronaldo won his 100th cap against Northern Ireland, making him the third highest capped player for Portugal and became the third youngest European to reach a century of international appearances.

Wayne Rooney

Full Name:Wayne Mark Rooney

Date Of Birth:24 October 1985 (age 27)

Place Of Birth:Croxteth,Liverpool,England

Height:1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

Position:Forward

Tean:Manchester United

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 198

5) is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.

Rooney made his senior international debut in 2003, becoming the youngest player to represent England (a record since broken by Theo Walcott). He is England's youngest ever goalscorer.He played at UEFA Euro 2004 and scored four goals, briefly becoming the competition's youngest goalscorer. Rooney featured at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups and is widely regarded as his country's best player. He has won the England Player of the Year award twice, in 2008 and 2009. As of June 2013, he has won 83 international caps and scored 36 goals, making him England's fifth highest goalscorer in history.Along with David Beckham, Rooney is the most red carded player for England, having been sent off twice.

Aged nine, Rooney joined the youth team of Everton, for whom he made his professional debut in 2002. He spent two seasons at theMerseyside club, before moving to Manchester United for £25.6 million in the 2004 summer transfer window. The same year, Rooney acquired the nickname "Wazza".Since then, with Rooney in the team, United have won the Premier League five times, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, one FIFA Club World Cup and two League Cups. He also holds two runner-up medals from the Champions League and has twice finished second in the Premier League. In April 2012, Rooney scored his 180th goal, making him United's fourth-highest goal-scorer of all time.

In 2009–10, Rooney was awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. He has won the Premier League Player of the Month award five times, a record he shares with Steven Gerrard. He came fifth in the vote for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or and was named in the FIFPro World 11 for 2011. Rooney has won the 'Goal of the Season' award by the BBC's Match of the Day poll on three occasions, with his bicycle kick against rivals Manchester City winning the 'Premier League Goal of the 20 Seasons' award. Rooney is the third highest-paid footballer in the world after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with an annual income of €20.7 million (£18 million) including sponsorship deals.

Theo Walcott

Full Name:Theo James Walcott

Date Of Birth:16 March 1989 (age 24)

Place Of Birth:Stanmore,London,England

Height:1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

Position:Forward

Club:Arsenal

At the age of 24, Walcott was thrust into the national spotlight when he was named in England's squad for the 2006 World Cup and became the country's youngest ever player in a pre-tournament friendly. Four years later, his shock exclusion from Fabio Capello's selection for the 2010 finals gave weight to accusations that his career has stagnated at Arsenal. Certainly, Walcott's career has not been short of incident.

Signed from Southampton as a raw 16-year-old in January 2006, Walcott had not made a senior appearance for the Gunners when Sven-Goran Eriksson, on the advice of Arsene Wenger, took him to Germany. He did not make an appearance at the World Cup but the forward broke into the Arsenal first-team squad the following season and opened his account for the club in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the final of the 2007 Carling Cup.

Sporadic starts followed over the next two seasons as the youngster, once described as the heir apparent to Thierry Henry, was used largely as a winger by Wenger. However, fitness problems began to take their toll on Walcott, particularly in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 campaigns as he was restricted to only 28 league starts over the two seasons, and his development was not as rapid as expected. A tally of nine goals in 86 games from his first three seasons in the first team did not represent the excellence that some had hoped for.

Though he has shown flashes of brilliance - his famous run against Liverpool in the Champions League, a hat-trick for England against Croatia, a sumptuous finish against Villarreal and a thrilling impact in a Champions League tie against Barcelona in 2010 - Walcott has struggled for consistency and needs to cast aside his fitness problems and prove he can live up to the considerable hype.

While debate rages on over the potential of Walcott, and whether he will ever fulfil it, the forward's stats over the 2010-11 and 2011-12 season demonstrate a decent return, with 24 goals netted in all competitions. He remains susceptible to injury, however.

Strengths: Walcott has the pace of a sprinter and could have taken up athletics. He can make a real impact as a substitute and strike fear into an opposition defence with his speed, movement and dribbling, either on the wing or as a striker.

Weaknesses: His final product can be frustratingly inconsistent, whether crossing, finishing or passing, while he all too often runs with his head down and straight into opponents. Walcott has been accused of lacking intelligence on the pitch.

Career high: A remarkable performance in a World Cup qualifier against Croatia in September 2008 as he scored a hat-trick for Fabio Capello's England.

Career low: His shock exclusion from the 23-man England squad that travelled to the 2010 finals in South Africa.

Style: Pacy, direct, enthusiastic, a tricky forward/winger.

Quotes: "Theo is not only a quality player but he can have an impact when he comes on. However you have to live with the verdict. I've had a little text exchange with Theo and he will bounce back. In fact I think it will make him even more determined for next season. He is a very level-headed guy and very strong." Arsene Wenger on Walcott's World Cup disappointment, June 2010..

Trivia: Walcott's family made a cameo appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but the player himself had to withdraw due to his commitments with England Under-21s and Arsenal.

Pedro Rodriguez

Full Name:Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma

Date Of Birth:28 July 1987 (age 26)

Place Of Birth:Santa Cruz de Tenerife,Spain

Height:1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)

Position:Forward,Winger

Club:FC Barcelona

Pedro Rodríguez is a FC Barcelona wing forward. He was born on July 28, 1987 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.

Pedro’s youth career began in 2003 when he first joined the San Isidro academy where he played till 2004. In 2004, he got the attention of the FC Barcelona academy. Pedro completed the trial at the club and afterwards was invited to enter the Catalan club academy. Rodríguez studied at the academy and played for the club’s youth team till 2005.

Already in 2005, he was offered a professional contract which he signed and a place in the club’s third team which Pedro joined for two years. In 2005-2007 Pedro Rodríguez became one of the third team main players having appeared in 70 matches and scored 10 goals.

The young Spaniard’s impressive displays enabled him to play for the club’s second team starting from 2007. During two years he was less frequent in the starting line-up in comparison with the third team; however, he scored more goals. In 2007-2009 Pedro Rodríguez played 55 matches and scored 17 goals.

Since 2008 Pedro has made occasional appearances for the club’s first team. And since 2009 he has become a permanent member of the club’s main team where he played 98 matches and scored 28 goals.

In 2008, Rodríguez made 2 appearances for the Spain U-21 national team. Since 2010 he has played in 15 matches for the Spain national team and scored 2 goals. Honours with the national team: winner of the UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Gerard Pique

-Full name:Gerard Piqué Bernabeu

-Date Of Birth:2 February 1987 (age 26)

-Place Of Birth:Barcelona,Spain

-Height:1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)

-Position:Centre Back

-Team:FC Barcelona

Pique only burst onto the scene after failing to make his name at Manchester United in 2008, slotting perfectly into the Barcelona defence and cementing a place for his country as well.

Following in the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas when swapping the Barcelona youth programme for the Premier League in 2004, Pique did not enjoy the same stellar rise as the Arsenal midfielder and his most productive season as a United player came in 2006-07 when he impressed back in Spain during a loan spell with Real Zaragoza, often playing as a holding midfielder. With Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in impeccable form, Pique made only five league starts the following season and was left out of the squad for the Champions League final victory over Chelsea.

But his return to the Nou Camp in the summer of 2008, despite the anger generated by his departure four years earlier, marked a rapid upturn in his fortunes and he quickly became a key figure in Pep Guardiola's six trophy winning Barcelona side. His rise was complete as he played a major part in Spain's 2010 World Cup win in South Africa.

Strengths: A commanding presence in the backline thanks to his strength and reading of the game, Pique has also demonstrated a real panache for taking the ball out of defence and was dubbed "Piquenbauer" by a Catalan paper last season when attracting flattering comparisons with legendary German sweeper Franz Beckenbauer.

Weaknesses: Not the quickest defender, Pique can be exposed by real pace on occasions.

Career high: A World Cup win, but also playing against his former employers Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final and beating Sir Alex Ferguson's side 2-0 in Rome, securing an historic Treble in the process.

Career low: Failing to make the bench for United the previous season as they enjoyed a dramatic night in their Champions League win of 2008 in Moscow.

Style: Dominant, dangerous, stylish, a cultured defender.

Quotes: "I have always liked the boy. I did expect him to reach this level so quickly. He has fantastic qualities but most importantly, he has a good self-determination about him. He is a winner and a good professional." Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, May 2009.

Trivia: Pique is one of only three players to have represented two different clubs that have won the Champions League in successive years. The others are Marcel Desailly (Marseille and AC Milan) and Paulo Sousa (Juventus and Borussia Dortmund).