jose - soccer

Tottenham Hotspur bukan termasuk klub hebat di Inggris, jika dibandingkan dengan Liverpool dan Manchester United. Tapi klub berjuluk The Spurs ini pernah memiliki kkebesarn di era 1980-an. Dan, penyihir yang membawa kebesaran itu tak lain adalah Glenn Hoddle. Gelandang yang membuat permainan Tottenham selalu efektif, berbahaya dan menarik.
Padahal ketika Hoddle masih remaja, nyaris tak ada yang memperhatikan kemampuannya. Maklum, waktu itu Hoddle belum memiliki klub karena hanya bermain dari satu klub ke klub kecil lainnya di Middlesex, kampung halamannya. Beruntung ada teman yang juga striker Tottenham, Martin Chivers. Atas sarannya, Hoddle masuk The Spurs sebagai pemain magang. Bahkan Chivers memberi rekomendasi, sehingga Hoddle diterima.
Belum lama magang di Tottenham, manajer The Spurs kala itu, Bill Nicholson dipecat. Ini justru memberi berkah buat Hoddle. Manajer baru Terry Neill, tak memandangnya sebelah mata seperti pelatih sebelumnya. Neill melihat bakat Hoddle luar biasa dan dengan berani memberi kepercayaan kepadanya saat masih berusia 18 tahun. Agustus 1975 ketika Hotspur berjumpa Norwich, Hoddle diturunkan sebagai pengganti Ian Smith. Sejak itu Hoddle sering dipasang dan menunjukan bakatnya sebagai gelandang kreatif dan punya tendangan keras. Lalu memasuki tahun 1976, dia sudah menjadi pemain inti dan mulai tampil penuh saat lawan Stoke City di bulan Februari. Bahkan berkontribusi untuk kemenangan 2-1 tim ibukota lewat gol tendangan jarak jauh yang memperdayai kiper kenamaan Peter Shilton.
Inilah awal kebintangan Hoddle, tak berapa lama dia segera jadi pahlawan White Hart Lane, markas Tottenham. Permainannya selalu mengundang kagum dan punya gocekan maut serta akurasi umpan yang berbahaya. Meski begitu, baru di era 1980-an, Hoddle membawa kebesaran bagi tim London. Bukan cuma dalam negeri tapi juga tingkat Eropa. Puncaknya dia mempersembahkan gelar Piala FA 2 tahun berturut-turut dan trophy Piala UEFA 1983-1984 kepada klub. Publik White Hart Lane ingat betul, pemain kesayangannya ini berandil besar dalam sukses tersebut. Salah satunya pada partai final FA Cup 1982, Hoddle mengukir gol untuk menaklukan Liverpool.
Terakhir, dia memperkuat Tottenham di final Piala FA tahun 1987, namun sayang The Spurs kalah dari Coventry City 2-3. Setelah itu Hoddle pindah ke Liga Perancis bersama AS Monaco dengan transfer 750.000 pounds. Torehan kenangan Hoddle selama berkostum The Whites adalah 490 laga dan mengoleksi 110 gol.
Meski tergolong uzur, 30 tahun, Hoddle ternyata masih tampil bagus berseragam Monaco yang saat itu diarsiteki calon “Professor” Arsene Wenger. Bahkan Hoddle menjadi motor serangan klub. Puncaknya dengan raihan juara Ligue 1 musim 1987-1988. Ini satu - satunya gelar kompetisi liga yang pernah diraih. Usai membantu Monaco merengkuh trophy Le Championnat, cedera lutut kanan yang dia derita sejak di Hotspur sering kambuh hingga Hoddle jarang diturunkan pelatih.
Tahun 1993 dia pindah ke Chelsea sebagai pemain nonkontrak, bertahan dua bulan kemudian hijrah ke klub Divisi I, Swindon. Hoddle merangkap menjadi pemain – manager dan menunjukan kemampuan sebagai calon manager brilian. Berkat sentuhannya pula Swindon promosi ke Premier League season 1993. Musim itu juga dia langsung kembali ke Chelsea juga sebagai pemain merangkap manager. Sekali Hoddle menjalankan tugasnya dengan baik. Chelsea seperti bangun dari tidur dan mampu bersaing di papan atas dengan para raksasa Premiership lainnya. Cedera yang terus menjerat memaksanya pensiun lalu berkonsentrasi sebagai pelatih.
Bagi public White Hart Lane, Hoddle dinobatkan menjadi pemain terbaik sepanjang masa dan rakyat Inggris menilainya sebagai pemain berbakat St. George Cross era 1980an. Memperkuat The Three Lions 53 caps dan 8 goal.

(reference: soccer classic 23th dec03)

Cristiano Ronaldo beat off competition from Lionel Messi, Xavi, as well as Fernando Torres, and last year’s winner Kaka, to win the FIFA World Player of the Year Award with a total of 935 vote points. In second place was Barcelona star Lionel Messi with 678, while Liverpool striker Fernando Torres finished third with 203. AC Milan star Kaka was not far behind in fourth with 183, while Barcelona's Xavi ended up fifth with 155.

The number 7 of Manchester United was designated best football player of the year for 2008 by FIFA this Monday, the second athlete from the Sporting Clube de Portugal school in Lisbon, after Luís Figo, to win this prize. With 23 years and a long time to grow, Cristiano Ronaldo has the world at his feet. At 23 years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot with 42 goals scored in the last season for Manchester United, being Europe's best scorer and best player now the world. He also won the championship of the Premier League in England, and the Champions’ League. He followed this up this term by lifting the Club World Cup in Japan. "The last season for me was the best in the world. And he is a very intelligent player who decides games. When you think he’ll be on the left, then he appears on the right. When you expect him to kick from the left, then there’s a kick from the right."

Ronaldo caps off a clean sweep of the major awards, having also picked up the prestigious Ballon d'Or (European Footballer of the Year) at the end of 2008. The 23-year-old becomes the first English-based player to be named FIFA World Player of the Year, and only the second Portuguese, following in the footsteps of Luis Figo, who triumphed in 2001.

There is no question as to who was the most effective footballer of 2008; like him or not, Cristiano Ronaldo had an on-field effect quite unlike anybody else in the calendar year. The 23-year-old inspired his club side to the Premier League title, Champions League and World Championship and picked up all the individual trinkets and accolades along the way. An exceptional 42 goals in the 2007-08 season stood Ronaldo in phenomenal stead and some murmurs even suggested that the Portuguese forward had overtaken George Best in the affections of the United faithful.

Despite his success and talent, a player of his calibre has never cut such a polemic figure. His detractors often overlook or undersell his achievements and instead point to his posturing, diving, complaining and selfishness as indicators of an overinflated ego and a delusional halfwit foolish enough to believe his own hype, and then some.

The truth probably lies somewhere in between, but our team have given their perception of the best and worst that could come from his winning of yet another award: the FIFA World Player of the Year.

(source: goal.com, etc.)

Manchester United has thrashed Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford as the English Premier League champion moved an ominous step closer to leader Liverpool. Nemanja Vidic headed United in front in first-half stoppage time and Wayne Rooney doubled its advantage on the hour with a close-range volley. Dimitar Berbatov completed the rout in the 87th minute to lift United into third place. Alex Ferguson's side is now just five points behind Liverpool and one behind a Chelsea side which was desperately lacking any spark and wilted alarmingly.

United has two games in hand of both its main title rivals. "(Chelsea) had a lot of good possession and they are a threat when they get possession.. .but I don't think they really got a clear-cut chance," Ferguson told Sky Sports. "We said before that we still had all the main teams at home and we really need to win those games. "Janauary is a big month for us with eight games but we've got the squad to cope."

United faces Wigan Athletic on Thursday morning (AEDT) and Bolton Wanderers next weekend. Should it win both, it will be top of the league before Liverpool faces Everton next Tuesday. Defeat was Chelsea's first on the road in the league this season and continued manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's poor record against the top sides since taking over at Stamford Bridge. "This has done big damage to us," the Brazilian said. "We came here to win and now we need to think about what happened with some players." Wigan won for the sixth time in seven league matches when Maynor Figueroa's late header earned a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, which is third from bottom.

United was dealt a blow before kick-off when central defender Rio Ferdinand was ruled out with a recurrence of a back injury that will require a visit to a specialist next week. However his absence was hardly noticed as keeper Edwin van der Sar barely had a save to make as United made it eight league games without conceding a goal. A yellow card for Frank Lampard after a foul that left Cristiano Ronaldo in a heap set the tone for a messy opening to a match that could be a pivotal point in the season.

United appealed for a penalty when Ashley Cole appeared to block a cross with his arm, but it took it half an hour to force Petr Cech into a save from a Berbatov shot. United began to ratchet up the pressure on the Chelsea goal just before the interval. John Terry was forced into one desperate block from a Park Ji-sung shot before Ronaldo had a headed goal disallowed after referee Howard Webb ordered a crafty United corner to be re-taken - much to the fury of Rooney.

Chelsea failed to learn its lesson and as Giggs delivered the ball again in stoppage time, Berbatov got a slight touch and Serbian defender Vidic crept in at the far post to nod the ball past Cech. The goal knocked the stuffing out of Chelsea and despite Scolari sending on Nicolas Anelka to partner Didier Drogba up front after the break, it was United which moved up a gear. A sweet movement on the hour mark saw Ronaldo's back heel release Patrice Evra and his pacey cross was met first time by Rooney to double United's lead. United could have scored on numerous occasions as Chelsea wilted before Berbatov supplied the final flourish, connecting with a Ronaldo free kick.

(source: www.abc.net.au)