Soccer Rising Star

Ezequiel Garay

Personal information

Full name : Ezequiel Marcelo Garay
Date of birth : October 10, 1986 (1986-10-10) (age 20)
Place of birth : Rosario, Argentina
Height : 1.89 cm
Playing position : Defender

Club information

Current club : Racing de Santander
Number : 4

Ezequiel Marcelo Garay (born October 10, 1986 in Rosario, Argentina) is an Argentine football player, who currently plays for Racing de Santander in the Spanish La Liga. His favoured positions are on the right wing and in central defence. His previous club were Newell's Old Boys of Argentina. He has been linked with a move to Manchester United F.C. and has been quoted as being very pleased with this, but will continue concentrating on Racing de Santander.

"It's a joy that such a great team as Manchester (United) is paying attention to me, but at the moment there is nothing official. I had not had a chance to speak with my agent about this news. The club hasn't said anything either, so there's no point getting overexcited."

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Nani

Personal information

Full name :Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha
Date of birth :17 November 1986
Place of birth :Amadora, Portugal
Height :1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position : Wing forward

Club information

Current club : Sporting Lisbon
Number : 18



Nani started his career at his local club Massama on the outskirts of Lisbon before joining Sporting Clube de Portugal youth system.

Nani is the latest outstanding talent to be produced by Sporting’s seemingly endless conveyor belt of world-class wingers. The same system that produced Luis Figo, Simão, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma appears to have unearthed another sensation capable of attaining the heights of such exalted company.

His speed, strength and skill have led many to compare him with Cristiano Ronaldo. He is equally at home on either flank.

He broke into the first team at 18 years of age, and made an immediate impression with his dazzling footwork and extreme speed, scoring 6 goals in his debut season.

Nani enjoyed a blistering start to the 2006/07 season with two goals in Sporting’s first two matches and another on his international debut where he gave a man-of-the-match display against Denmark.

He has been compaired to Cristiano Ronaldo, and Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has stated, that he would love bringing another major talent to the club.

He has attracted the interest of English Champions Manchester United and Premiership Losers Chelsea, with rumours coming out of Manchester believing that he is a transfer target for Sir Alex Ferguson this summer (2007) as a replacement for veteran left winger Ryan Giggs. Nani could join Ronaldo in Manchester, making arguably the most lethal wingers on the planet playing in the same Manchester United team.

News Out Field

O'NEILL LANDS BARCLAYS AWARD

source : www.premierleague.com


Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has been named Barclays Manager of the Month for April.

O'Neill's side recorded three successive away wins in the Barclays Premiership and spent the entire month unbeaten in the league.

Villa enjoyed their travels last month with victories at Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough and Manchester City.

And their strong away form was complemented by solid home draws against Everton, Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth.

This is the first monthly award O'Neill has collected since November 1999 when he was manager at Leicester City and is his fourth overall.
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Ronaldo nets Football Writers' Association award

Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association.

The Manchester United winger topped the journalists' poll ahead of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

Ronaldo's team-mates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were third and fourth respectively.

It caps a superb season for the Portugal international, who also collected both the PFA Player and Young Player of the Year trophies.

Ronaldo, 22, has been in awesome form for United, as the Red Devils remain on course for a Barclays Premiership and FA Cup double, having reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The achievement is all the more remarkable considering the somewhat harsh criticism the Portuguese winger received from some fans during the early stages of the season following England's demise at the World Cup.

Ronaldo will be presented with his latest prestigious accolade at the FWA Footballer of the Year dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on May 17.

Chairman of the FWA, Paul Hetherington said: 'After the events of last summer at the World Cup, the vote of the Football Writers' Association shows that what we are all interested in is honouring the best player in the country.

'There has been no agendas carried over from last summer.

'This was a heavy poll of our members. Cristiano has been a runaway winner, and deservedly so.'

Hetherington added: 'We also know we have a player who is absolutely delighted and honoured to receive this accolade.'

Former England captain Alan Shearer - voted Footballer of the Year himself when at Blackburn in 1994 - will propose the toast the FWA, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary.

MANCHESTER CITY v MANCHESTER UNITED, 0-1

Cristiano Ronaldo demonstrated his resilience to inspire Manchester United to a derby victory which leaves them on the brink of clinching the Barclays Premiership title.

The Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year was the centre of attention as early as the third minute when he was left needing treatment after a stamp from Michael Ball.

The City full-back escaped punishment as the incident occurred outside of referee Rob Styles' eyeline, but Ronaldo exacted a fitting punishment when he drew a foul from the same player to earn the penalty from which he scored the only goal.

Ball later won a spot-kick at the other end but Darius Vassell was denied by Edwin van der Sar as City drew yet another blank to pick up an unwanted record for the fewest home goals - 10 - in a Premie League season.

Thank you the report from www.premierleague.com

FC Sevilla 2-0 Osasuna

SEVILLE, Spain, May 3 (Reuters) - Holders Sevilla set up an all-Spanish UEFA Cup final against Espanyol after goals by Brazilians Luis Fabiano and Renato earned a 2-0 win over Primera Liga rivals Osasuna on Thursday.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Sevilla took advantage of a pressure-cooker atmosphere at the Sanchez Pizjuan to turn the heat on the visitors and were rewarded when Luis Fabiano scored eight minutes before the break.Renato made it 2-0 with a deft finish early in the second half and although Osasuna gave them a couple of isolated scares the hosts remained in charge.The victory means coach Juande Ramos's side are on course to become the first team since Real Madrid in 1986 to make a successful defence of the UEFA Cup. They are also still in with a chance of winning the league and the King's Cup.'Getting to two consecutive finals is an achievement which is within reach of very few teams and we've done it,' Ramos told reporters.'I hope we can play well and win the UEFA Cup again, that would cap everything.'Sevilla put Osasuna under intense pressure from the off, striker Luis Fabiano and winger Antonio Puerta firing over the bar.Osasuna defender Carlos Cuellar had to react quickly to steal the ball off Frederic Kanoute's toe when the Sevilla striker looked certain to turn in a cross on the half hour.But as Osasuna seemed as though they might weather the storm, Luis Fabiano found a way through their determined defence.The Brazilian beat Cuellar, who slipped to the ground, brought the ball down with his toe and fended off Jose Izquierdo before stabbing a low shot under keeper Ricardo.There was no respite for Osasuna after the break, midfielder Renato going close in the opening minute with a fierce long-range effort as the home team pressed.Renato was on target in the 53rd minute when he guided the ball into the net on the volley after defender Daniel Alves had spotted his run into the area.Osasuna almost cut short the celebrations when striker Pierre Webo headed against the post and substitute Valdo forced a sharp save from Andres Palop with a dipping volley.But Sevilla remained on top, Alves having two good chances to add a third before the home crowd exploded with delight at the final whistle.The only sour note for the holders was the booking received by French defender Julien Escude which puts him out of the final in Glasgow on May 16 and a suspected thigh muscle tear suffered by Brazilian midfielder Adriano Correia.

AC Milan 3 United 0

United were dumped out of the Champions League as AC Milan outclassed the Reds on a miserable evening in the San Siro. First-half goals from Kaka and Clarence Seedorf, and a late strike from Alberto Gilardino, gave the Rossoneri a 3-0 win and earned the Italians a spot alongside Liverpool in the Champions League final.

On a rain-soaked pitch, a clinical Milan team punished United's defensive frailties, while Gennaro Gattuso and Kaka delivered glittering performances in the midfield. The Reds struggled to create any clear openings and gifted Milan two goals at the other end.

Rio Ferdinand was a surprise inclusion on the bench, as was striker Louis Saha, who's not played since the Reds travelled to Rome for the quarter-final first leg. But arguably the biggest boost came prior to kick-off with news that Nemanja Vidic would start for the first time since sustaining a broken collar-bone against Blackburn in March.

Vidic was tested in the first minute when Milan's dangerman, Kaka, flew by him on the left side of the penalty area. The Brazilian's acceleration was astounding but his low centre flashed across goal and out for a goal kick. It was an early scare for a United side intent on keeping a clean sheet.

Milan almost took the lead in the third minute when a loose ball fell to Clarence Seedorf on the edge of the box. The Dutchman's stinging shot seemed destined to sneak under the bar until Edwin van der Sar thrusted an arm skywards to deflect the ball over for a corner. In slippery conditions and on a brand new pitch, the Reds looked nervy in possession. Kaka shot straight at van der Sar on seven minutes but still United failed to take heed. Indeed, Sir Alex's men were punished four minutes later when the midfield maestro arrived unmarked on the edge of the area to volley the home side in front.

It was all too easy, as Seedorf won a header uncontested in the area and nodded the ball back to Kaka, who lashed at the ball with his left foot to send it arrowing past van der Sar and into the bottom corner. The strike, Kaka's10th in this season's Champions League campaign, levelled the aggregate score at 3-3 but put Milan in pole position on the away goals rule. It was now imperative United scored. But it took the Reds until the 20th minute to fashion a clear chance. When Ryan Giggs did, his 20-yard strike was easily smothered by Brazilian goalkeeper Dida.

Still Milan drove forward, looking confident and comfortable in possession in front of a passionate San Siro crowd. The Italian team's full backs, Massimo Oddo and Marek Jankulovski, were seeing a lot of the ball and making strong headway down the flanks. In comparison, United's attacks were laboured and neither Michael Carrick nor Paul Scholes were able to assert themselves on the game.

Things went from bad to worse for the Reds on half-an-hour when Gabriel Heinze put Vidic under pressure unnecessarily in the area. The big Serbian slipped, gifting the ball to Andrea Pirlo, whose cross was headed out to Seedorf on the edge of the area. The 31-year-old skipped past desperate challenges from Vidic and Darren Fletcher before firing low and hard into the same corner Kaka had found less than 20 minutes earlier.

United were 2-0 down and faltering badly. Memories of 1999 came flooding back, when the Reds, inspired by captain Roy Keane, overturned a similar scoreline to dump Juventus out of the competition. Eight years later, Reds' fans were hoping for more of the same. United did begin to ease into the game but never really tested the Milan defence. A Wayne Rooney thunderbolt, which slammed into Alessandro Nesta on its way to goal, was as close as the Reds came to reducing the deficit in the first half.

Neither side made any changes during the interval, although United emerged re-energised and more adventurous. Chances were still at a premium, however, as Gattuso, terrier-like in his pursuit of white shirts, acted like some kind of human forcefield. Milan were content to soak up the pressure and rely on counter attacks and Kaka almost put the home side 3-0 up when he broke quickly down the inside right channel. Vidic was unable to keep upwith the Brazilian, who turned inside and forced a sharp save from van der Sar. The Reds rallied and Fletcher and Scholes combined well to send Ronaldo free on the left wing. But the Portuguese winger was felled by Gattuso and blasted the resulting free-kick into the wall.

United's best chance arrived in the 63rd minute after a rare period of sustained possession inside the Milan half. Wayne Rooney, in a central position about 25 yards from goal, slipped the ball sideways to Darren Fletcher, who came storming through from the midfield only to slice his shot wide of Dida's left-hand upright. Minutes later, Rooney's low cross fizzed across goal and missed everyone, before a clever Ronaldo ball almost found the England striker at the back post.

Louis Saha was introduced on 77 minutes for John O'Shea but United's eagerness to get forward and pull a goal back ultimately cost the Reds. A minute later, Milan substitute Alberto Gilardino, on for Filippo Inzaghi just 10 minutes earlier, skipped through a massive hole in the heart of United's defence. With just van der Sar to beat, he calmly slotted the ball past the Reds' stopper to secure victory and lead Milan to yet another European Cup final.

It was a frustrating night for Sir Alex and his men, who, after such an exhilarating Champions League campaign, never broke out of first gear. United must now return to England and concentrate on the Premiership and the FA Cup.

Team Line-ups

United: Van der Sar; O'Shea (Saha 77), Brown, Vidic, Heinze; Carrick, Fletcher, Scholes, Ronaldo, Giggs; Rooney.
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Ferdinand, Richardson, Eagles, Smith, Solskjaer

AC Milan: Dida; Oddo, Kaladze, Nesta, Jankulovski; Gattuso (Cafu 84), Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf; Kaka (Favalli 86), Inzaghi (Gilardino 67).
Subs not used: Kalac, Favalli, Bonera, Serginho, Brocchi

Football Manager 2007

Football Manager is a series of football management simulation games first released in 1982 by Addictive Games, and lasting until the mid 1990s. In 2004, the series was revived by Sports Interactive to replace the name of their Championship Manager series. The original series is credited as being the first ever computer game to use the concept of managing a football team. Football Manager 2007 is the latest in the series.

In the United States and Canada the series is sold as Worldwide Soccer Manager or WSM. This is similar to the name of the series on the Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast. These games were published by Sega who, incidentally, are now Football Manager's publishers, in the place of Eidos, who published Sports Interactive's Championship Manager series until their split in 2003.

On 8 June 2006, Sports Interactive published details on Football Manager 2007. "Packed full with more than 100 new features, Football Manager™ 2007 is set for release on PC, Mac and Intel Mac, as well as the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Football Manager Handheld on Sony’s PlayStation Portable handheld entertainment system (PSP) completes the format line-up, with all platforms set for a Christmas 2006 release."

On 24 September 2006 it was announced that Football Manager 2007 would be released on the 20 October 2006.

On 1 October 2006, Sports Interactive released a Gold Demo of FM 2007, available in two versions, vanilla and strawberry. Both versions allow users to play 6 months into a season. The strawberry version contains a larger collection of quickstarts so users can try out more leagues. It also contains more graphics than the vanilla version.

As a result of certain retail outlets ignoring the official release date, Football Manager 2007 was actually released on 18 October 2006.

New Features in the 2007 version of FM include the ability to include pictures for you as the manager; substantially increased media interaction such as approaches from national newspaper journalists about the upcoming match or asking for comments on a player's performance in recent matches; new varying degrees of criticism or praise for players (happy with form or very pleased with form rather that just one generic good term), a similar feature has been included for such actions as admiring players or attempting to unsettle transfer targets. Improvements have also been made to board request interactions.

The main improvement lauded by Sports Interactive for this version of FM is the improved scouting system. Scouts' and coaches' experience is now shown graphically via bar charts and scouts gain knowledge from areas they have scouted previously. To go with this it is now possible to get feeder/parent club status which allows you to either send your players to lower league teams to gain experience, make it easier to get work permits, merchandise sales in other areas etc. or work from a similar angle from the opposite end gaining parachute payments from higher league clubs and their reserve players on loan for no cost. In turn the parent club gains scouting knowledge for the area that the feeder club is in if it is in another country than that club.

A patch has been released to combat some of the main bugs in the game, such as unrealistic scout reports and high amounts of injurys sustained whilst playing on the pitch. The latest build of this patch is 7.0.2 94768.

Wayne Rooney's stunning last-minute winner kept Manchester United's hopes of reaching the Champions League final alive after an Old Trafford classic.

Cristiano Ronaldo's fifth-minute header put United in front, only for AC Milan to draw level through Kaka's angled drive after 21 minutes.

Kaka put Milan ahead from close range before the interval, but Rooney turned in Paul Scholes' cool pass on the hour.

Rooney then lashed a glorious 20-yard finish past Dida in injury time.

It was a moment of magic that gave United a precious lead to defend going into the second leg in Milan next Wednesday.

United opened in sparkling fashion, and it took a desperate intervention from Alessandro Nesta to divert Rooney's shot over the bar.

But they were soon ahead when Ronaldo met Ryan Giggs' corner with a firm header, which Dida palmed into the air and could then only divert into the net.

United were firing on all cylinders up front - but all the time Milan, in the shape of Kaka, were waiting to probe their suspect and under-strength rearguard.

And the strike they feared came after 21 minutes when Kaka took Clarence Seedorf's pass and accelerated away from Gabriel Heinze and fired a left-foot angled drive across Edwin van der Sar.

A high-quality encounter saw Rooney just fail to get on the end of Giggs' cross and Ronaldo bring a crucial block from Dida with a 25-yard power drive.

But Brazilian superstar Kaka was an ever-present threat, and he took advantage of shambolic United defending to grab a crucial second away goal for Milan after 36 minutes.

Kaka chased a long pass, and when Heinze and Patrice Evra collided, he moved smoothly into top gear to slide a perfect finish past Van der Sar.

Evra was then booked for dissent - a yellow card that rules him out of the second leg at the San Siro, an inconvenience United did not need given their lack of defensive resources.

Michael Carrick wasted a glorious opportunity to put United level after 47 minutes when he side-footed wide of an open goal when he arrived unmarked at the far post on the end of another dangerous Giggs corner.

Milan lost captain Paolo Maldini to a knee injury at half-time, then were robbed of Gennaro Gattuso with a knee problem - with the combative midfield man being replaced by Cristian Brocchi.

Kaka was giving a master-class, escaping the offside trap to shoot across the face of goal then playing a sumptuous one-two with Seedorf only to volley narrowly over.

United desperately needed inspiration, and a moment of genius from Scholes provided it as they drew level after 59 minutes.

Scholes instinctively lifted the ball into the path of Rooney, whose finish was half-stopped by Dida but rolled in.

United were suddenly buoyant again, and the unpredictable Dida saved brilliantly from Darren Fletcher after Rooney's cross was headed into his path.

Fletcher forced Dida into a save at his near post as United pressed for what would be a crucial lead to take to Italy.

Dida then finger-tipped Ronaldo's dipping drive inches wide as United mounted a spell of sustained pressure in the closing stages.

United's sheer courage was rewarded when Rooney ran on to Giggs' pass and fired past a startled Dida to send Old Trafford wild in celebration.

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Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Brown, Heinze, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes, Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Smith, Solskjaer, Dong, Richardson, Eagles, Lee.

Booked: Evra, Giggs.

Goals: Ronaldo 6, Rooney 59, 90.

AC Milan: Dida, Oddo, Nesta, Maldini (Bonera 46), Jankulovski, Gattuso (Brocchi 52), Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf, Kaka, Gilardino (Gourcuff 84).
Subs Not Used: Kalac, Cafu, Inzaghi, Favalli.

Booked: Kaka, Bonera.

Goals: Kaka 22, 37.

Att: 73,820

Ref: Kyros Vassaras (Greece).