Gareth Bale

Gareth Frank Bale, was born 16 July 1989. He is a Welsh footballer who currently plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team. He is a left wingback who can also play as a left winger.

Bale began his professional career with Championship side Southampton in 2005 and was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur two years later.


Bale was born in Cardiff to parents Frank, a school caretaker, and Debbie, an operations manager; he attended Eglwys Newydd Primary School at Whitchurch. He is the nephew of former Cardiff City footballer Chris Pike. It was while at this school he first came to the attention of Southampton at nine years old, when he was playing in a 5-a-side tournament with his first club, Cardiff Civil Service Football Club.

Bale then attended Whitchurch High School in Cardiff, where, as well as football, he played rugby and hockey and was a distance runner. Because of his superior skills, the school's PE teacher, Gwyn Morris, had to write special rules. These restricted Bale to playing one-touch football and not using his left foot. Whilst at Whitchurch, Bale trained at Southampton's satellite academy in Bath, although there was initially some doubt if Southampton would give him a scholarship due to his height.

Despite being only 16 at the time, he helped the school's under-18 side win the Cardiff & Vale Senior Cup. He left school in the summer of 2005 with a Grade A in PE amongst his GCSE results. In his final year at school, he was awarded the PE department's prize for services to sport. In the presentation, Morris commented:

"Gareth has a fierce determination to succeed and has the character and qualities to achieve his personal goals. He is one of the most unselfish individuals that I have had the pleasure to help educate."


Southampton

On 17 April 2006, at the age of 16 years and 275 days, Bale became the second youngest player ever to play for Southampton (after Theo Walcott) when he made his debut against Millwall. Southampton won the match 2–0. On 6 August, Bale scored his first league goal, a free kick, to level the score at 1–1 against Derby County. The final score at Pride Park was 2–2.

He scored again, at St. Mary's, against Coventry City in the team's second game of the 2006–07 season with another free kick. Bale further developed his reputation as a free kick specialist when he struck the post from one against West Bromwich Albion. By 16 December 2006, Bale's goal count had risen to five, thanks to a late equaliser against Sunderland and free-kicks away to Hull and at home to Norwich City.

In December 2006, he won the Carwyn James Award for the BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year, and was named the Football League Young Player of the Year on 4 March 2007. This capped what was described in the local press as an "incredible" first full season as a professional footballer in which he was one of the Saints' "most creative players even (though operating) from the left-back position whilst his defending improved immeasurably as the season progressed."

His final game for Southampton was in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final against Derby County on 12 May 2007. Bale suffered an injury during the second half, preventing him from appearing in the second leg. In total, he made 45 appearances for Southampton, scoring five goals.

Tottenham Hotspur

Bale completed a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur on 25 May 2007, arranging a four-year deal, with Tottenham making an immediate payment of £5 million, with further additional payments that could see Bale's transfer go up to £10 million.

He played his first game for Spurs in a friendly against St. Patrick's Athletic on 12 July 2007, but was substituted on the 80th minute with a minor dead-leg. He then made his competitive debut for Tottenham Hotspur on 26 August away against Manchester United. In just his second Spurs appearance, he scored his first goal for Tottenham in the 3–3 draw with Fulham on 1 September when he latched on to Robbie Keane's flick, charged down the left flank unopposed and coolly slotted past goalkeeper Antti Niemi. Bale then went on to score again against Arsenal in the North London Derby, scoring a free kick inside the near post. He then scored in the League Cup home tie against Middlesbrough, making it three goals in four starts for the then 18-year-old. He also set up Spurs' goal against Anorthosis Famagusta in the UEFA Cup.

Bale was substituted after sustaining an injury resulting from a tackle from Fabrice Muamba in the league fixture against Birmingham City on 2 December 2007. A scan revealed that Bale had suffered ligament damage to his right ankle, consigning Bale to an extended period on the sidelines. Spurs' sporting director Damien Comolli announced in February 2008 that Bale would miss the rest of the season through injury. He signed a new four-year deal with the club in August 2008.

Bale played a record 24 Premier League games for Spurs without being on the winning side. His first involvement in a Premier League victory came against Burnley on 26 September 2009 – more than two years after signing for Spurs – when he came on as an 85th minute substitute.

In June 2009, Bale underwent surgery for a knee injury, ruling him out for up to eight weeks. He missed the pre-season matches and it was projected that he would miss the first few weeks of the 2009–10 season. On 26 September, he made his comeback as a substitute in the Spurs' 5–0 thrashing of Burnley. However, he endured a frustrating time on the bench as Benoît Assou-Ekotto was in good form. When Assou-Ekotto was sidelined with an injury, manager Harry Redknapp decided to give Bale a chance and he impressed in the Spurs' FA Cup third-round 4–0 win over Peterborough. He finally tasted victory for the first time as a starter in a league game in the 2–0 win over London rivals Fulham. His good form continued and he was named Player of the Round after helping the Spurs to a 3–1 win in the sixth round replay of the FA Cup against Fulham. In April 2010, Bale scored another goal against Arsenal after a pass from Defoe he tapped the ball past the Arsenal keeper. Three days later, Bale slammed in Tottenham's second with his weaker right foot in a 2–1 victory over leaders Chelsea and was named Man of the Match. He was named Barclays Player of the Month for April. He signed a new four-year contract at White Hart Lane on 7 May 2010 as a reward for helping the club reach the Champions League qualification place.

On 21 August, Bale scored twice in a 2–1 win at Stoke City, the second of which was a head-high volley into the top right hand corner of the goal. On 25 August, Bale set up all four goals to help Spurs overcome Young Boys 4–0 (6–3 agg.) in a Champions League play-off at White Hart Lane. Although Assou-Ekotto had already returned from injury, Bale continued his good form and cemented his place in the starting eleven, moving forward to left wing to accommodate Assou-Ekotto at left back. On 29 September 2010, Bale scored his first Champions League goal for Tottenham in a 4–1 home win against Dutch champions FC Twente in their second game of the group stages. In recognition, he was named Welsh Player of the Year by the FAW. On 20 October, Bale scored his first senior hat trick against European champions Internazionale at the San Siro in the Champions League. Tottenham lost the match 4–3, having been 4–0 down inside the first 35 minutes and playing with ten men for over 80 minutes of the match after goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes had been sent off in the eighth minute for a professional foul on Inter's Jonathan Biabiany. In the return match at White Hart Lane on 2 November, Bale provided a man of the match performance, setting up goals for Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko to earn Spurs a memorable 3–1 win.

On 4 November, Bale stated that he intended to stay at Tottenham for the remainder of his recently-signed four-year contract, despite reported interest from other clubs.

Davide Santon

Davide Santon, who was born 2 January 1991 in Portomaggiore, Ferrara. He is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Internazionale. He is an attacking full back who can play on both sides and is known for his energetic runs down the flank.

Santon joined Internazionale's youth system at age 14 from Ravenna. He started out as a winger before moving into a defensive role. After helping the Primavera side win the 2006–07 Campionato Primavera and reaching the final play-off for a second consecutive season, he was called-up to join the first team for the 2008–09 pre-season training in South Tyrol and training sessions during the first half of the season.

José Mourinho first named Santon in the line up for a September Champions League game against Panathinaikos and the next three games but did not use him. On 21 January 2009, Santon made his debut in the Coppa Italia quarterfinal win against Roma, playing the entire match. Four days later, he made his Serie A debut in a 1–0 victory against Sampdoria. He made his European debut in the home draw with Manchester United, playing directly against Cristiano Ronaldo and showing great performances against the Portuguese winger. Ronaldo himself said about Santon: "I was impressed by Santon; he is a really interesting lad and a great footballer." Mourinho praised Santon for his personality and tactical versatility and Santon was handed the starting role for the next game. He started 13 league games, making 2 substitute appearances, thus winning his first senior honour, the 2008–09 Serie A title.

Recently, he has also become subject of praise from former Italy head coach Marcello Lippi, who described Santon as "A predestined that reminds of a young Paolo Maldini."


Santon made his first appearance for Inter in the 2009–10 season against Parma on Matchday 3, and subsequently started the game against Cagliari the week after. He was out until the new year after sustaining a knee meniscus injury while on international duty. He made his return in January as a substitute against Bari and called back into the starting eleven for the injured Cristian Chivu. However, his return was short-lived as he injured the same knee again after returning too soon from the previous injury and required surgery, thus sidelining him for another three to five weeks.

In 2010-11 season, as first Santon was a understudy of Chivu, but after Maicon's injury (and later Chivu), Santon returned to starting line-up in November (except the Milan derby and UCL matchday 5). He then played twice as right wing-forward due to the injury crisis of Inter, which the first one is a 5–2 win against Parma; that match the coach preferred Cordoba and Zanetti on both flank of defensive line, which also used in UCL against Twente. Having been told he can leave the club, english side Liverpool FC are currently discussing a move for Santon.


Santon has played for Italy since the U-16 level and made a goal-scoring debut on April 2007 in a 3–1 win over Slovenia. On 31 March 2009, he made his debut for the Italy U-21 squad in a friendly against the Netherlands, played at Parkstad Limburg Stadion, Kerkrade and ended in a 1–1 draw.

Santon made his debut with the senior Italian team aged 18, on 6 June 2009 in a friendly game against Northern Ireland played in Pisa. He played the whole match and his solid performances earned him praise from his peers as well as coach Marcello Lippi. Lippi was impressed enough to name him in the roster for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, but Santon did not manage to make an appearance in the tournament.

Yongki Ariwibowo

Yongki Ariwibowo football player who started his career from School Football (SSB) Sinar Jaya, Tulungagung, indeed a clever striker typical position in front of the opponent's goal. Agility to bring the ball is also noteworthy. With a height of 175cm and weighs 63kg, he is also adept at eating the balls up.

Familiar or Bowo said Yong, a young man born 21 years ago precisely dated November 23, 1989 menggocek hone his ball on the Sinar Jaya Tulungagung SSB. Furthermore football career continues to Perseta Junior Tulungagung. In Perseta Junior, rather than the more moncer Yong talents, but that instead he often dibangkucadangkan by coach Perseta Junior. Not like in the "cage" itself, he's anchoring his feet to graze the neighboring soccer clubs, PSBI Blitar that in fact as a caste club level higher than Perseta. Yong position as a clever striker position in front of the opponent's goal and has a running speed above the average make Persik Kediri interested administrators and recruited him as a player Peaches Junior.

Although it has been recruited as a player "White Tiger" a caste Junior notch higher than PSBI Blitar, again - again fate Bowo not so lucky. He is more often a late substitute and overshadowed the other young strikers like Aan Andik. While the senior team at the time Peaches filled with top stars such as El Loco league Indonesia Gonzales, Budi Sudarsono, Ronald Fagundez etc., so the name of the players born in Tulungagung 23 November 1989 is very very not taken into account.

Dendi Santoso

Dendi Santoso, was born in Malang, East Java, May 9, 1990, age 19 years. He is an Indonesian footballer. Currently he plays for Super League Arema Indonesia in Indonesia. He started learning football at SSB UB 82, then he netted in Arema Academy in 2004. after that in 2006 he entered the team Arema Jr. Soeratin Cup U-18 National Youth League, in 2007 Arema Jr. He helped bring LRN Soeratin Cup champion U-18. In 2008 he became part of the team B or U-21 team Arema. In the second round of the Indonesia Super League 2008/09 status rose to senior players. He usually plays as a wing attacker. He is a member of the national team squad for U-23 Sea Games 2009, which deployed in Vientiane, Laos.

Hanif Sjahbandi

An Indonesian teenager can experience at the club Manchester United. Sjahbandi Hanif, who is also a member of the national team U-13 Indonesia could get valuable experience studying at Manchester United Soccer School.

Hanif, who was born on 7 April 1997, participated in a short school that was held at Manchester United Soccer School, Manchester, England. There, Hanif also competed in the arena of World Skills Final.

"Hanif first went to MU, July 2009. He was then chosen as the best student and was invited to perform at the World Skills Final in October 2009," said Tia Aryasyah, Hanif's mother to VIVAnews, Tuesday, February 2, 2010.

Hanif joined MU breeding program in the year 2009. There he joined with several other young players from several countries.

This he gan Sjahbandi Hanif, position him as a back gan, a candidate nation shoots Indonesia
he's also already played in the national team aged 13 loh.penerus bambang ultimate cs later gan
hopefully he will be able to bring Indonesia into the World Cup and brought many achievements for Indonesian football!

John Alan Fleck

John Alan Fleck, who was born at 24 August 1991 in Glasgow, Scotland. He is a Scottish footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. He currently plays for Scottish Premier League side Rangers. Due to his style of play, he has drawn comparisons to Manchester United and England footballer Wayne Rooney, from team-mate Steven Whittaker. He is the nephew of former Rangers and Norwich player, Robert Fleck.

Fleck began his career in the Rangers youth teams. He played in Rangers 5–0 Scottish Youth Cup victory over Celtic on 26 April 2007.

On 12 July 2007, Fleck was called up to take part in the full squad pre-season tour of Germany. Fleck was handed his debut for the first team against SV Lippstadt 08 on 15 July 2007, becoming the first 15 year old to play for the first team since Derek Ferguson in 1982. Fleck impressed and scored in a 3–1 friendly victory over Sportfreunde Lotte in the next friendly game.

On 25 August 2007, just a day after his 16th birthday, Fleck was included for the first time in the Rangers first team squad for a competitive match against Kilmarnock. He made his competitive debut on 23 January 2008 in the Scottish Cup game against East Stirling. Fleck made his league debut for Rangers on 22 May 2008 in the final league game of the season against Aberdeen. Two days later, he became the youngest player to play in a British Cup final, by appearing as a substitute in the 2008 Scottish Cup Final against Queen of the South. Fleck gained his first start for Rangers against Falkirk on 17 January 2009. Five days before this, The Times Newspaper placed Fleck seventh in their Top 50 Rising Stars of European football.

Fleck scored his first competitive goal in a 2–0 league victory over Dundee United at Ibrox on 31 January 2009. The goal was a 78th minute penalty, awarded after Mihael Kovacevic's challenge had brought Fleck to the ground. On 26 March 2010, Fleck signed a new three-year contract.

On 12 September 2006, Fleck captained Scotland Under 16s to an 11–0 victory over Jersey Under 17s, scoring a hat trick in the process. He was the captain of the Scotland side at the 2006 Victory Shield competition. He also captained the Scotland Under 17 side throughout 2007 and 2008 and is a regular at Under 19 level. He made his debut for the Scotland U21 side on 29 March 2009.

Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (born 2 September 1989), commonly known as Alexandre Pato or simply Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Milan and the Brazilian national team. His nickname, Pato, refers to his place of birth, Pato Branco, it is also a reference to his nickname "the duck", the literal translation of pato in Portuguese.

He started playing indoor football in his hometown at the age of three. Soon, his ability became known all around the south Brazilian state of Paraná for being a skillful and talented goal scorer and, after being praised by many of his managers, the teenager went to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, to try out for Grêmio. He was turned away by Grêmio, the club whom he had supported since a boy – but local rivals Internacional convinced him to play for them. Despite the two clubs being bitter enemies, Pato’s parents convinced their youngster to switch his allegiance.

Pato said in an interview with the Brazilian television program, Esporte Espetacular that at age 11, he broke his arm and while examining the injuries, doctors found a tumour in the arm and feared the arm needed to be amputated. A successful operation removed the tumour.

In June 2006, at only 16 years of age, Pato was signed by Sport Club Internacional to compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20. Despite the fact that he was competing against players up to four years older than him, Pato became top scorer of the competition as Internacional Sub-20 defeated Grêmio 4–0. Ready to join the Inter first team in November that same year, his debut finally happened at the Estádio Palestra Itália against São Paulo giants Palmeiras for the Campeonato Brasileiro. Alexandre Pato met and surpassed any and all expectations of what was expected of him as he scored his first professional goal within the first minute of the game. The rest of his participation was spent dribbling and confusing defenders as he made two assists (and almost scoring another himself) to help Internacional rout Palmeiras 4–1. He was substituted off in the 77th minute.

Pato was included in the Internacional squad that won the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. During this event, Pato broke Pelé's long standing record as he became the youngest ever player to score in a FIFA organised competition at the age of 17 years and 102 days old against African club champions Al-Ahly. Pelé was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against Wales during the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

Keeping up with his promising figure, Pato debuted at the Campeonato Gaúcho on February 24 against Veranópolis and scored a goal in the 2–1 victory. He also debuted in Copa Libertadores on February 28 against Emelec of Ecuador (also his first game at Beira-Rio) and scored once during the 3–0 thumping. But the biggest highlight of Pato's time with Internacional was during the Recopa Sudamericana as he helped Internacional win their first ever title. Against Pachuca of Mexico, he scored one goal in the 2–1 defeat in Mexico. But on the return game on June 7 and with more than fifty-one thousand Colorados present, Pato had a luxurious performance as he scored once and led the 4–0 thrashing to win Internacional's third international title.

Aaron Ramsey

Aaron James Ramsey, was born on 26 December 1990. He is a Welsh professional footballer, who plays for the Wales national football team and Nottingham Forest as a central midfielder on loan from Arsenal. He can also play as a winger and at fullback.

Ramsey played for Cardiff City as a schoolboy where he spent eight years in youth football before making appearances for the senior team 16 times. He moved to Arsenal in 2008 and suffered a serious injury, breaking his leg, in 2010. Following his recovery, he played for the Arsenal reserve team before being loaned to Nottingham Forest until early January 2011.

After impressing in an Urdd tournament as a youngster he signed for Cardiff City, who beat off competition from Newcastle United, as a schoolboy at the age of eight, working his way through the club's youth system. After a few more years he eventually made his Cardiff City debut in the last home game of the 2006–07 Championship season, coming on to replace Paul Parry in the final minute of the 1–0 defeat to Hull City on 28 April 2007. In doing so, Ramsey became the youngest player to ever play for Cardiff City, aged just 16 years and 124 days, beating the previous record holder John Toshack. In June 2007, Cardiff City turned down a bid of over £1m for Ramsey from a London-based Premier League club. The club was not named, but it was widely believed that they continued to watch Ramsey at every available opportunity during the 2007–08 season. Cardiff also turned down a £1m offer, although the deal was to start with a payment of £200,000 and rise depending on his future achievements, from Everton.

"Rambo", as he is known to Cardiff City fans, made his first league appearance of the 2007–08 season on 6 October, when he came on as a late substitute for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the 2–1 home win over Burnley. Ramsey signed his first professional contract in December 2007 and went on to make his first full professional start for Cardiff on 5 January in the FA Cup against Chasetown replacing the suspended Stephen McPhail. An impressive performance from Ramsey saw him head in the second Cardiff goal as they went on to win 3–1. Due to his performance against Chasetown, Ramsey was nominated for the Player of the Round award, eventually losing out to Coventry's Michael Mifsud. On 26 April, he scored his first league goal in a 3–3 draw against Burnley. He went on to make his first career league start three weeks later in a 3–1 win over Queens Park Rangers and began to establish himself in the first team making several more starts in the Cardiff side. He made a total of 22 appearances during the season, his first full season of professional football, and played in five of the club's six FA Cup matches, including the final, becoming the second youngest player to play in an FA cup final after Curtis Weston, who played in the 2004 FA Cup Final for Millwall.

Following Ramsey's impressive performance in the 2–0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Middlesbrough it was revealed that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had talked to Cardiff boss Dave Jones to inquire about Ramsey, who were later joined by Arsenal and Everton in following his progress. Ramsey grew up a Manchester United fan as he looked up to fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs as well as Roy Keane. Cardiff Chairman Peter Ridsdale told the BBC that Arsenal's bid of £5 million up front had been accepted. Arsenal's bid did not include a loan clause that would allow Ramsey to stay at Cardiff for another season. Cardiff City assistant manager and former Arsenal player and coach Terry Burton, who was credited for having brought through Ramsey, also helped recommend him to Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, having retained a longstanding connection to the club. During the transfer negotiations, Burton also advised that Ramsey join Arsenal, citing the similarity between the player and the club's overall style of play.

Sofiane Feghouli

Sofiane Feghouli, was born on 26 December 1989. He is a French football player of Algerian descent who currently plays for Valencia CF in Spain. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and is more noted for creating goals than scoring them.

Sofiane Feghouli began his career with Grenoble, after French giants Paris Saint-Germain decline to sign him after a trial. For the latter portion of the 2006/07 season, he was promoted to the first-team squad and given the number 33 shirt. He made his highly anticipated debut, at the age of 17, for the club on 27 April 2007 in a Ligue 2 match against Reims appearing as a substitute. Grenoble won the match 1–0. He made two more appearances that season including his first start on the final match day of the season against Montpellier. Montpellier won the match 1–0 with Sofiane playing just 56 minutes before being subbed out. Following the season, he signed his first professional contract with Grenoble keeping him with the side until 2010.

The following season, he was handed the first-team number 8 and, despite being 17 years of age, was given a more important role in the squad. Despite having the pressure of being labeled the "new Zidane", his contribution to the squad was successful appearing in 26 matches and scoring 3 goals helping Grenoble achieve promotion to Ligue 1. His first career goal was against the club he made his debut against, Reims in a 4–3 victory.

Feghouli's first season in Ligue 1 was stable as he entered the season as a starter. The young midfielder started in 16 of the club's first 17 matches before being relegated to a substitute's role in December and the early part of January. He returned to the first eleven in mid-January and remained in the squad until 11 April 2009 following a 1–4 defeat to Marseille, in which Feghouli suffered an extensive injury requiring him to miss the rest of the season. Feghouli returned for the 2009–10 season making his debut on 29 August in an 0–1 defeat to Rhône-Alpes rivals Saint-Étienne. After appearing in five more matches, it was discovered by Grenoble officials that Feghouli had tore his meniscus in his right knee. The knee was successfully operated on in October. Following the surgery, Grenoble officials, most notably CEO Pierre Wantiez, were extremely critical of the player. Wantiez questioned Feghouli's long delay in returning to the team and the player's motives regarding a transfer as Feghouli would be out of contract in the summer and was already talking to several clubs, most notably Spanish club Valencia. Wantiez attributed Feghouli's recent moves to "bad advice" from the player's agent. On 20 May 2010, Feghouli completed his much anticipated move to Valencia signing a four-year contract with the club.

Sofiane is eligible for both Algeria and France. Sofiane has stated his preference is to play for France and has appeared on several France youth squads. On 12 November 2008, national team manager Raymond Domenech shortlisted the player for his pre-selection squad ahead of their friendly against Uruguay. Despite this, Algeria national team manager Rabah Saadane contacted Sofiane by telephone in an attempt to get the player to play for Algeria in their 19 November friendly against Mali. The team captain Yazid Mansouri contacted the player as well.

Sofiane is currently playing with the French under-21 squad. He made his debut for the side on 9 September 2008 against Bosnia and Herzegovina coming on as a substitute for Anthony Mounier. He would make another under-21 appearance on 19 November, this time against Denmark.

Mohamed Sakho

Mohamed Sakho, was born on 5 August 1988 in Conakry. He is a Guinean footballer, who currently plays for the Kuwaiti team, Al-Shabab.

At the end of 2007, Mohamed Sakho played for Etoile du Sahel at the World Club Championship in Japan, having won the CAF Champions League and the Tunisian league title with Etolie Sportive du Sahel. Additionally, Sacko won the Bronze Medal at the World Club Championship in Japan and subsequently won the CAF Super Cup with Etoile Sportive du Sahel at the end of February 2008 and signed in July 2009 for Olympique Beja.

Sacko was one of the twenty-three players of the Syli National ("National Elephant") who participated at the 2008 26th African Nations Cup (CAN) tournament in Ghana, West Africa, where the National Elephant reached the quarter final for the third consecutive time in six years (2004 in Tunisia, 2006 in Egypt, and 2008 in Ghana). Along with Mohamed Dioulde Bah of Strasbourg football club (a French 1st Division team), Sacko was one of the young Syli National players that impressed at the 2008 CAN.

Sacko was one of several players who featured in all four matches played by the National Elephant at the 2008 CAN.

Miralem Pjanic

Miralem Pjanić (born 2 April 1990) is a Bosnian professional football player who plays for French club Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1. He plays as an attacking midfielder and has been described as an "old-fashioned playmaker with huge technical qualities".

Pjanić developed an interest in football through his father, a former third division football player in SFR Yugoslavia, and began his football career in Luxembourg following his family's arrival to the country shortly before the outbreak of the war in Bosnia. In 2004, after an interest from a host of external clubs, Pjanić joined French club FC Metz and made his debut in the 2007–08 season at the age of 17. After a successful season, in June 2008, he joined Olympique Lyonnais on a five-year contract. With Lyon, Pjanić made his UEFA Champions League debut in 2008 and, in the following season, helped the club reach the semi-finals.

Pjanić was formerly a youth international for Luxembourg and represented the national team at under-17 and under-19 level. He played at the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship scoring the team's lone goal at the competition. In 2008, Pjanić opted to pursue a senior international career with his birth country Bosnia and Herzegovina and made his debut in August 2008. He scored his first international goal two years later in March 2010 against Ghana.

Pjanic was born in the city of Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then a part of SFR Yugoslavia. He developed an interest in football through his father Fahrudin, a former football player who had stints at both Jedinstvo Brčko and Drina Zvornik. At the age of one, shortly before the outbreak of war in Bosnia, Pjanić and his family, which consisted of his father, mother Fatima, brother Mirza, and sister Emina, emigrated through Germany to Luxembourg after his father accepted an offer to play football semi-professionally for a club in the Luxembourg Division of Honour.

While in Luxembourg, Pjanić often attended training sessions and matches with his father. At the age of seven, his father discovered that he had the talent and an interest in football and allowed his son to join local club FC Schifflange 95 in Esch-sur-Alzette. While at Schifflange, Pjanić drew interest from several Belgian, Dutch, German clubs, but agreed to join FC Metz in France. Metz had discovered the player through former player and Luxembourg international Guy Hellers. Despite interest from more established clubs, Pjanić's family allowed the youngster to move to Metz due to the club's close proximity to Luxembourg and its excellent reputation for producing youth talent.

Pjanić joined Metz at age 14 on a youth contract and spent approximately three years in the club's academy. In the 2005–06 season, he played on the under-16 team that won the Championnat National des 16 ans and, following the season, signed a five-year élite contract with the club. After spending the 2006–07 season with the club's under-18 team, Pjanić was promoted to the club's amateur team in the Championnat de France amateur for the 2007–08 season. He appeared in the first two matches of the campaign before earning a call up to the senior team by manager Francis De Taddeo. Pjanić made his professional football debut, at the age of 17, on 18 August 2007 in a league match against Paris Saint-Germain. He appeared as a substitute in a 0–0 draw. The following week, he earned his first start in a 2–0 defeat to Rennes.

After a string of respectable appearances, on 30 November 2007, Pjanić signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal, tying him to Metz until 2010. After becoming professional, he was assigned the number 15 shirt. Pjanić scored his first professional goal for Metz on 15 December 2007 in a 2–1 defeat against Sochaux converting on a penalty in the 88th minute, thus becoming one of the youngest players to score a goal in Ligue 1 history. Among his other positive performances included converting another penalty in a 2–1 loss to Nice and scoring on the final day of the season against Le Mans in a thrilling 4–3 victory.

Pjanić's play in the Coupe de France was with distinction as well appearing in and starting all four matches the club contested. He assisted on several goals in the club's 6–1 demolition of Vesoul Haute-Saône. In the ensuing round, Pjanić scored the final goal in Metz's 3–0 triumph over Strasbourg and played the full 90 minutes in the club's 1–0 win over Lorient in the Round of 16 helping the club who were, at the time, struggling in domestic play, reach the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France. Metz were eventually eliminated by the eventual champions Lyon. In total, Pjanić made 38 appearances and scored 4 goals with Metz. For his efforts, he was nominated for the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award, won by Hatem Ben Arfa.

Though, Pjanić was in great form throughout the season, Metz still suffered relegation back to Ligue 2 prompting speculation on where the young starlet would play the following season with a host of clubs, notably English clubs Arsenal and Chelsea, Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, Italian clubs Milan and Internazionale, and French club Olympique Lyonnais vying for his services.

Sergio Asenjo

Sergio Asenjo Andrés, was born 28 June 1989. He is a Spanish footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid, as a goalkeeper. Born in Palencia, Castile and León, Asenjo began playing in Real Valladolid junior teams, and soon emerged as one of the most talented players in the club. He started the 2007–08 season playing for the reserve team, in the third category, which had just barely avoided relegation the previous campaign. However, poor performances by both first team goalkeepers, Frenchman Ludovic Butelle (on loan from Valencia CF) and veteran Alberto, gave him a chance to make a debut in the top flight, and his first appearance proved a very successful one, as he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 home win over Villarreal CF, on 12 December 2007.

Following great performances, where he conceded one goal in his first five matches, Asenjo retained his starting job, becoming the youngest league goalkeeper that season. In January 2008, he signed his first professional contract, agreeing to extend his former youth contract with Valladolid for another three years, while also increasing his wage.

Asenjo would eventually play in the remaining league matches, retaining his position throughout 2008–09. However, he also missed three months of action, due to a knee injury.

On 8 July 2009, Asenjo transferred to Atlético Madrid for a fee of €5 million, signing a four-year contract. He started the season as first-choice but, after some costly mistakes - and a change of coach in November 2009 - lost his position to younger David de Gea.

In 2006, Asenjo was selected to the Spanish under-17 national team, as it took home the bronze in the 2006 Under-17 European Championship, with Asenjo as a key player, starting all of their matches.

He was again called up, for the 2007 Under-19 European Championship. In the qualification rounds, his role in the team was quite insignificant, as backup. But this changed in the semifinal against France, replacing the injured first-choice. After 0–0 in regulation time, the game was decided in a penalty shootout. Asenjo saved two, as Spain progressed to the final match, where he started against Greece with another excellent display, as Spain won 1–0 to be crowned European champions.

Asenjo made his U-21 debut in August 2008, and was first-choice at the 2009 European Championships; he also played at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.

Mario Balotelli

Mario Barwuah Balotelli, born on 12 August 1990 in Palermo, Italy. He is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester City and the Italian national team. Known for his pace, technical ability, and petulant attitude, Balotelli (often nicknamed Super Mario) can play anywhere along the front line. He is a set-piece specialist and is regarded as a promising yet fiery young striker.

Balotelli was born to Ghanaian immigrants Thomas and Rose Barwuah in the Italian city of Palermo. The family moved to Bagnolo Mella in the province of Brescia, Lombardy shortly after Balotelli was born. As a young child, Balotelli had life-threatening complications with his intestines which led to a series of operations, but his condition improved by spring 1992. However Mario's health problems and cramped lifestyle meant the Barwuahs decided to ask for the help of social services who recommended that Mario should be fostered. In 1993, at the age of three, the Barwuah family agreed to entrust Mario to Francesco and Silvia Balotelli, with the legal move successively formalized by the Court of Brescia. Balotelli later accused his biological parents of "glory hunting", stating that they only wanted him back when he became famous. They lived in Concesio, a town and comune in Brescia. According to Law 91 of 5 February 1992, Balotelli had to wait until his 18th birthday in order to request Italian citizenship, as his adoption was never made definitive. He officially gained citizenship on 13 August 2008.

Having had an unsuccessful trial with Barcelona aged 15, Balotelli was signed by Internazionale in 2006, on a loan deal with an option to purchase. He started in their under-17 squad then joined the Primavera under-20 team at the age of 16. He scored a tie-breaking penalty into the Primavera league final 1–0 win over Sampdoria, prompting high praise from people including Inter chairman Massimo Moratti.

Balotelli made his first team and Serie A debut in December 2007, replacing David Suazo in a 2–0 win against Cagliari. Three days later, he featured in the starting lineup in a Coppa Italia match against Reggina, scoring two goals in a 4–1 win. Balotelli gained national attention after he scored two goals against Juventus in the return leg of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, being instrumental in a 3–2 away win for the Nerazzurri. His first Serie A goal then came in April 2008 in a 2-0 away win against Atalanta. Inter went on to win the 2007–08 scudetto. Balotelli was a substitute in the 2008 Supercoppa Italiana final against Roma. He came on as a replacement for Luís Figo, scoring in the 83rd minute. Inter went on to win the final 6–5 on penalties after the match ended 2–2.

Balotelli in 2008 at 18 years old

Before the start of the 2008–09 season Balotelli signed a three-year contract with Inter. The maximum length he could sign. In November 2008, he scored his first Champions League goal, against Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta, becoming the youngest Inter player ever to score in the Champions League. At 18 years and 85 days he beat the previous record set by Obafemi Martins, at 18 years and 145 days. In April 2009, Balotelli scored Inter's goal in a 1–1 draw with Juventus, and was racially abused by Juventus fans throughout the game, including chants such as "a Black Italian does not exist". This led to Massimo Moratti saying that he would have pulled his team off if he had been present. The racist chants were also condemned by Juventus chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli. Juventus were handed a one game home fan ban because of the incident. Inter won the Serie A for the fourth time in a row.

In his second season with Inter's first team, Balotelli had a number of disciplinary problems, most notably involving Inter head coach José Mourinho who excluded him from the senior team in the second half of January. The Portuguese boss stated "as far as I'm concerned, a young boy like him cannot allow himself to train less than people like Figo, Córdoba, and Zanetti." Earlier that season Mourinho had accused Balotelli of showing a lack of effort in training. Balotelli also continued to be attacked with racist chants throughout the season, becoming the focus of Juventus fans even during games not involving Internazionale at all; such choruses then led to Juventus being fined twice and the club ultimately being punished with a partial stadium closure due to repeated racist chants.

Balotelli's disciplinary problems and difficult relationship with Mourinho continued in the 2009–10 season. In November, Inter drew 1–1 against Roma and Mourinho criticized his players, even going as far as saying that Balotelli "came close to a zero rating". The young striker again incurred the wrath of Juve fans in the heated Derby d'Italia away encounter with Juventus on 5 December 2009 which Inter lost 2–1. When he was elbowed by Juve midfielder Felipe Melo in the shoulder, he fell on the pitch clutching his face and was promptly booked while Melo was sent off for a second yellow card. The incident sparked a fiery altercation between teammate Thiago Motta and Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The falling-out between player and manager reached its peak in the eve of the UEFA Champions League second leg against Chelsea, after the young striker was not called-up following an altercation with Mourinho. The youngster was then criticized by several senior players such as captain Javier Zanetti and veteran defender Marco Materazzi as well as his own agent, in the wake of Inter's 1–0 win at Stamford Bridge, London. In March, he came under heavy criticism from fans after he publicly sported a Milan (Inter's crosstown rivals) jersey on the Italian show Striscia la Notizia.
Zlatan Ibrahimović with Balotelli

In the wake of the recent tense situation, Balotelli released a statement of apology in Internazionale's official website, that reads:“ "I am sorry for the situation that has been created recently. I am the first person who has suffered because I adore football and I want to play, and now I am waiting in silence so I can return to being useful to my team. I want to put the past behind me, look to the future and concentrate on the upcoming commitments and make myself ready."

Mario Balotelli 

After being frozen out of the team due to the situation, Balotelli was recalled to the squad for the match against Bologna and he marked his return with a goal in a 3–0 win. However, he once again caused controversy in a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on 20 April, as he threw his jersey on the ground after the final whistle, in response to Inter fans who had booed him to criticize his poor performance; his reaction, which caused notable disappointment among fans, teammates and football pundits, was succeeded by an attempt by a small group of supporters to physically attack Balotelli after the end of the game.

After such events, Balotelli was excluded from a string of games, including the second leg of the Champions League semifinal versus Barcelona, but was successively featured in the remaining two matches of the Italian league that led Inter to win its 18th national title, as well as the fifth one in a row.