Interesting Facts about Cristiano Ronaldo

Lets take a look at the Interesting Facts about Cristiano Ronaldo that You might not know:

1 Ronaldo was nicknamed "cry-baby" as a child. His mother Dolores Aveiro said: "When he got home from school I'd tell him to do homework but he'd say he didn't have any. I'd be making dinner and he would jump out of the window and run off until late. He used to cry when he passed and his friends didn't score. People called him 'cry-baby' and 'little bee' because nobody could catch him."

2 He was an amazing player even at 11 years old. Paulo Cardoso, his first coach at Sporting Lisbon, said: "When he got the ball he went past two or three players. At the end of the game the players gathered around him, they knew he was a special kid."

3 Jose Mourinho likened Ronaldo to Marco van Basten, the former Holland striker. Mourinho said: "I remember the first time I saw him play. It was for Sporting youth. I told my assistant, 'There goes Van Basten's son.' He had great technique. He stood out."

4 As a teenager Ronaldo would train in the gym using weights on either foot and then dribbling with the ball. He thought it would improve his technique because without weights he would be even faster.

5 Liverpool decided Ronaldo wasn't good enough a year before he signed for United for £12.2 m from Sporting in 2003. After the winger played against United in a friendly Sir Alex Ferguson said: "At half-time I knew I had to sign this boy. He was sensational."

6 There is only one Cristiano Ronaldo but there are two Ronaldos. As coach of Brazil, Luiz Felipe Scolari, who worked with the other Ronaldo, said: "I hoped Cristiano would be as good one day. He just doesn't stop, no matter how much you demand of him."

7 Ferguson had no hesitation in handing Ronaldo the No 7 shirt. He said: "We've had some fantastic No 7s, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, some wouldn't want that jersey but his confidence was high even at 18. When he made his debut as substitute against Bolton he took the place by storm."

8 His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. The name Ronaldo was inspired by Cristiano's father's favorite actor and US President, Ronald Reagan.

9 Cristiano's father, Jose Dinis Aveiro passed away at the age of 52 from alcoholism. While Ronaldo has sworn off alcohol as a result, he has been spotted by the press drinking the gin and juice.

10 Couture King - Cristiano is a known Fashionisto. Along with his two sisters, Ronaldo opened up the fashion boutique CR7 in Portugal.

11 He makes big bucks modeling - Revered for his style savvy and other worldly good looks, Ronaldo models for major brands such as Armani Exchange and Nike, of which he was reportedly paid $25 million.

12 Lucky Number Seven - Speaking of sportswear, when the world's other sexiest man David Beckham left Manchester United, Ronaldo took his available lucky Number 7 for his own team shirt when he joined the club and won FIFA's World's Best Player.

13 Waxy Cristiano - Being a sports idol has its privileges—like you get a wax replica made of you. Two days before Ronny played in the World Cup this June he was immortalized in wax at the famed Madame Toussaud's in London.

14 Cocky much? - Ronaldo has oft-been quoted as saying, “I know I'm the best”. While the billion dollar baby's statement may not be humble, his scars, bruises, welts and killer body prove his words.

15 Kissing Fool - Cristiano is a known player on the field and off. He was recently caught canoodling with Kim Kardashian at an LA eatery. Spectators say they kissed during dinner. Get a room, kids!

16 Model Girlfriend - Even though he was spotted with Kim Kardashian and fathered a child, Cristiano remains with his girlfriend, Russian model, Irina Shayk. Denial can be a very useful thing.

Source: The Telegraph & Shine Yahoo 

Interesting Facts about Lionel Messi

Here are some of Interesting Facts about Lionel Messi:

Full name: Lionel Andres Messi 
Date of Birth: 24 June 1987 
Birth place: Rosario (Argentina) 
Height: 5'6 and a half" (1.69 metres) 
Club: FC Barcelona 
National team: Argentina 
Shirt number: 19 
Position: Attacking midfielder (right/centre) 

Lionel Messi is the heir apparent to the throne left vacant by Diego Armando Maradona. The waters are divided between those who consider him to be far from being close to "The 10", and those who believe that Messi will be even better than Maradona. 

Born in Rosario on June 24th, 1987, he cut his teeth in the youth ranks of Newell's Old Boys, until a hormonal problem that affected his growth changed the plans of his family and, of course, his personal future. 

Facing the need of an expensive treatment for his son, Messi's parents moved to Spain, since Newell's was not able to afford the medical costs related to his condition, and even the wealthiest Argentine teams, such as River Plate, refused to foot the bill. 

After his first try with the Catalonian soccer team, the trainers didn't have any doubts: They decided to sign Messi and pay for his medical treatment. His growth was noticeable within Barca, and in little time he came to be considered one of the great talents at the club. 

He made his debut in the first division on October 16th, 2004, against Espanyol, and Barcelona has since adopted him as one of its greatest idols. 

His first championship would come in the Liga season of 2004-2005. Since then, and playing in every season a more prominent role, he has won two more Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League titles, and won other tournaments like the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España and the European Super Cup. 

With the Argentine national team he participated in the 2006 World Cup, but wasn't a sure starter. He also won the U-20 World Cup in 2005 and the Olympic gold medal in Beijing 2008. 

Strengths: His ball skills are second to none. His short spring and his runs from midfield are usually lethal. 

Weaknesses: Way too often, he looks for a way to finish plays by himself without looking for teammates in a better position to shoot at goal. 

Career high: In the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey 2007, against Getafe, he scored one of the most beautiful goals in footbal history, a play that started in midfield and ended in the box of the rival area. The goal was very similar to the second goal scored by Maradona against England at the '86 World Cup. 

Career low: He was unable to display his best level of play in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where Argentina were eliminated in the quarterfinals, with Messi looking on from the bench. 

Style: Outstanding ball control at speed that is just about unmatched in world football. 

Quotes: "Messi is my Maradona," said Maradona himself, as the head coach of the Argentine national team. 

Trivia: His debut with the national team (against Hungary) was completely forgettable: he entered the game in the 18th minute of the second half, and 47 seconds later was sent off. 

Soccernet says: Messi is the undisputed idol of Barcelona. His great challenge will be to earn the respect of the Argentine fans with a great showing at the World Cup. A good performance with the national team is still a debt he owes to the fans. To do that, he will have to forget about the shadow of Maradona. He needs to be Messi. 

4 Unknown Facts You Might Not Like About Messi

He Is Selfish When He Has the Ball

Hard to say a player with 28 assists in a season is selfish.

But Lio is. 

By comparison, we all think Cristiano is selfish and has 14 assists on his own. 

However, when you see him play you get the feeling that because he knows he's that good (which he evidently is) he prefers to finish the play himself instead of playing the ball to better positioned teammates.

If he was a little less selfish, maybe he could make his assisting record even better.

Which, when you think about it, sounds pretty scary. 

He Takes Plays Off

Messi is the only player in Barcelona allowed to walk and to stay away from the offensive pressing that Barça does so effectively. 

If you look for it, it's evident in every match.

But if you want even more proof, you might want to look at UEFA's Distance Covered stat they publish every match. It is here Messi's poor effort is displayed.

The average Barça player runs about 9-10 km per match (Xavi and Alves run more than 12 every match).

How much would you expect Messi to run?

Well, he runs in between 6 and 7 kilometers per match, which is half what Xavi runs, and is also way below average against his other teammates. 

He just doesn't play hard every minute of the game. 

Probably because knows he's so good, he doesn't 

He Wants to Play Every Game

When I say every, I mean EVERY.

That initially sounds very good. It sort of speaks of competitiveness and a desire to win. 

However, beneath the superficial analysis lies another layer to this: the fact he takes minutes off and sometimes seems tired (because he is). 

But also, the very baby-like "angry and moody" attitude he displays when he doesn't play. Even if he's benched because coaches know he's tired. Even if there's nothing to play for. He just doesn't like it when he's on the bench.

This coming from a player that had serious injuries his first seasons because of pushing himself too hard. 

And because Messi is Messi, Guardiola lets him act like a spoiled brat and supersede the decisions of team coaches. 

It's basically a miracle that between opponents kicking him and him playing all those matches, we haven't seen him with a serious injury for quite a while. 

For now, at least. 

He Is Jealous in the Locker Room

You'll never hear this from any sort of official source of course, but the fact is: Messi wants to be a star.

The only star.

Let's see what happens when a player on the Barça locker room wants to be treated on the same level (both salary-wise and importance) as Lio:

Samuel Eto'o...gone.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic...gone.

“No Feelings” Guardiola says.

Come to think about it, when picking Messi against either of the former two, Pep didn't have a tough decision at all. 

But the fact is he made one, and both players (world-class ones) were cut due to oblivious reasons. 

David Villa, on the other hand, seems to have accepted who is the top dog. 

Messi wouldn't have it any other way. 

So much for "Messi is such a nice guy," then. 

Source: Barcelona Reporters & 11*2 

19th Title for Manchester United in Barclay's Premier League Confirmed

Manchester United came to Blackburn to rain on Manchester City's parade, not produce a damp squib of their own, but until the softest of penalty decisions came to their rescue in the 73rd minute they were in danger of stealing a cue from their rivals and fluffing their lines. The 19th title duly arrived in the end and, although this was hardly the most stirring manner in which to clinch it, it seemed to suit United's strangely stuttering season. It will make no difference to the history books, or the United celebrations.

Blackburn spent the first 20 minutes struggling to get out of their own half, although it turned out they were just lulling their opponents into a false sense of security. No sooner had United been given the impression that all they had to do was use unlimited possession to break down a massed defence than Blackburn launched a few attacks of their own.

For all the visitors' early dominance, the best chance they created was in the fourth minute, when Nani put a header against the bar from Wayne Rooney's cross, yet despite Blackburn seeing much less of the ball, they managed to make their rare upfield excursions count.

Chris Samba had already scooped a shot over the bar and Jason Roberts just failed to take advantage of Tomasz Kuszczak's hesitation in dealing with a back pass by the time a strike by Brett Emerton put the home side in front. Again the substitute United goalkeeper looked nervous and uncertain, first failing to deal with Emerton's original cross then needlessly leaving his line in a vain attempt to recover the ball. Blackburn successfully prevented it from going out, then, when Martin Olsson whipped in a low cross, Emerton was still in position to sidefoot home, with Jonny Evans unable to make an effective challenge.

No matter, there were still 70 minutes of the game left and plenty of time for the famous United cavalry charge. Yet although the champions-elect stayed commendably calm and unhurried after going behind, Paul Robinson only had one save to make before the interval, tipping an effort from Javier Hernández around the post fairly comfortably.

After an hour had passed without Robinson being asked to do much more, Sir Alex Ferguson responded to the United supporters' chant of "attack, attack attack" by sending on Paul Scholes for the disappointing Fábio da Silva and switching Antonio Valencia to right-back. Scholes' first act was to kick Morten Gamst Pedersen up in the air, which was not the sort of attack Ferguson wanted to see, and neither was the Blackburn one that culminated in Olsson striking a post from Emerton's cross when a goal looked certain.

United got lucky in the end, when Robinson rashly brought down Hernández to concede a hotly disputed penalty. There was little doubt the goalkeeper made contact with the Mexican rather than the ball, but that was largely because Hernández had all but knocked the ball dead and had little hope of reaching it. It would be harsh to say he was playing for the penalty, but he was certainly moving away from goal and although, technically, the assistant Phil Dowd consulted was correct in affirming contact had taken place, one could fully understand the Rovers players' protestations.

Rooney scored emphatically from the spot to bring United level and did his best to put the matter beyond doubt two minutes later with a perfect cross from which Nani somehow conjured a miss in front of goal.

Only then did Ferguson send on Dimitar Berbatov, who scored five in the corresponding fixture at Old Trafford.

He was unable to score here, United settling for keep-ball in the last 10 minutes and Blackburn content with a point, but the only score that finally mattered, as several banners in the Darwen End pointed out, was 19-18 to United.

Source: Guardian

Manchester City win Their First Trophy in 35 Years - Title FA Cup

It was the moment Manchester City had craved for longer than they will care to remember, the day they could release all that pent-up frustration. The long, sometimes soul-destroying wait for a trophy is finally over, at the expense of Stoke City. Roberto Mancini has come through with his promise to change the club's history and, from here, his club can surely now look forward to a future in which they could one day have the keys to the football universe.

The club have loftier ambitions but, for now, it is difficult to understate the sheer importance of Yaya Touré's winning goal in the evolving process that, one day, those faraway men in Abu Dhabi, sitting on a 10th of the planet's oil reserves, fully intend for this kind of euphoria to become the norm rather than the exception.

That, however, is for the future, whereas City will want to bask in the glory first. This was their first trophy since the League Cup in 1976, when thousands of the supporters who had travelled to Wembley were not even born. The infamous banner – "35 Years" – at Old Trafford that mocks their lack of silverware will surely have to come down now and, on the balance of play, there was no argument about them deserving to beat a Stoke side that threatened only sporadically.

Thomas Sorensen had been Stoke's best player for long spells, particularly in the first half, with a series of outstanding saves. Tony Pulis's side had a brief flurry at the start of the second half and will reflect on the chance, after 61 minutes, when Kenwyne Jones ran clear only to be thwarted by Joe Hart.

Overall, however, City were the dominant team, culminating in the game's decisive moment when David Silva and Mario Balotelli exchanged passes inside the penalty area, the defender Marc Wilson could not enough on his clearance and when the ball fell invitingly for Yaya Touré he went for power and lashed his shot past Sorensen. A seminal moment in the history of this old club.

Source: Guardian

World's Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2010

David Beckham arrived to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy four years ago amid much hoopla of turning the U.S. into a soccer-loving country. His American summer debut was a media circus with stars like Tom Cruise, Eva Longoria, Mary-Kate Olsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger turning out to catch a glimpse of Becks on the field.

Alas the soccer explosion in the U.S. didn’t happen. Major League Soccer has had success, but it continues to appeal to a niche audience with games averaging 249,000 viewers on ESPN2 last season. The Galaxy failed to make the playoffs during Beckham’s first two seasons and he scored only nine goals in his first four years with the Galaxy as injuries slowed his game.

Yet the move to the U.S. was a huge success financially for Beckham. Despite being in the twilight of his career (he turns 36 next month), Beckham continues to be the highest-paid soccer player in the world with total earnings of $40 million last year

World's Highest-Paid Soccer Players

The best players around the globe continue to pull in deals despite the economic downturn. Our income figures include salaries, bonuses and endorsements earned in 2010.

No. 1 David Beckham

$40 million

Los Angeles Galaxy

Beckham's endorsement deal with Adidas is the biggest in the sport thanks to royalties from soccer apparel and cleats as well as lifestyle lines like ObyO.

No. 2 Cristiano Ronaldo

 $38 million

Real Madrid

Ronaldo is Facebook's most popular athlete with 24 million fans, which is part of the attraction for sponsors like Nike, Armani, Coca-Cola and Castrol.

No. 3 Lionel Messi

 $32 million

Barcelona

Messi's status as the world's best player has started to translate into endorsement opportunities. The Flea has deals with Adidas, Lay's, Konami, Audemars Piguet, Chery and AirEuropa.

No. 4 Ricardo Kaka

 $25 million

Real Madrid

The Brazilian midi was featured on the cover of EA Sports FIFA Soccer 11. The FIFA franchise has sold 100 million units of the popular soccer game for Electronic Arts.

No. 5 Ronaldinho

 $24 million

Flamengo

The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year joined Brazilian club Flamengo in January after two seasons with AC Milan. His new deal runs until 2014.

No. 6 Thierry Henry

 $21 million

New York Red Bulls

Henry bought a New York City apartment for $14.9 million after move to MLS last year. His lucrative Gillette partnership wrapped up at the end of 2010.

No. 7 Wayne Rooney

 $20 million

Manchester United

Coca-Cola and Rooney recently parted ways, ending a deal that had been worth $1 million annually. Remaining sponsors include Nike and Electronic Arts.

No. 8 (tie) Frank Lampard

 $17 million

Chelsea

Lampard earns $11 million in salary on the pitch. His 135 career goals are the most ever by a Premier League midfielder.

No. 8 (tie) Zlatan Ibrahimovic

 $17 million

AC Milan

Barcelona paid a $94 million transfer fee to Inter Milan in 2009 for the rights to Ibrahimovic, which was the second-highest transfer fee ever.

No. 10 Samuel Eto'o

$15 million

Inter Milan

The Cameroonian striker counts Puma and Ford as sponsors. He has won the African Player of the Year award a record four times.

Source and To read more: Forbes