world cup legends

Jose Andrade

Full Name	:	Jose Leandro Andrade
Nationality	:	Uruguayan
Place of Birth	:	Salto, Uruguay
Date of Birth	:	November 22, 1901
Date of Death	:	October 5, 1957

Until today, the star of the 1930 FIFA World Cup remains a great football idol in his home country, Uruguay.

Andrade was the star of the first ever World Cup tournament and, even earlier, the hero of the “Urus” at the Olympic gold medal victories in 1924 and 1928.

After his appearances in the Olympics in Paris and Amsterdam Andrade was celebrated in Europe as the “footballer with the golden feet”. In England, the home of football, the black midfield star was called the “greatest of all great Uruguayans” after his Olympic feats. The International Olympic Committee, IOC, even awarded him the “Copa Olimpica”, the Olympic Cup.

In 1930, the Uruguayan became the undisputed hero of the first FIFA World Cup tournament in which he scored one goal in four matches and was elected to the All-Star team as right half-back. And all that despite him being older and less fit than when enjoying his two Olympic triumphs.

Andrade, the natural talent, the phenomenon, was revered by the South Americans as “La Maravilla Negra”, the “Black Wonder”.

Giuseppe Meazza

Full Name	:	Giuseppe Meazza
Nationality	:	Italian
Place of Birth	:	Milan, The Kingdom of Italy
Date of Birth	:	August 23, 1910
Date of Death	:	August 21, 1979

Giuseppe Meazza was Italian football's first real superstar. Nicknamed "Peppino", he was a graceful centre forward, always without a single brylcreemed hair out of place. On his international debut against Switzerland in 1930, he scored twice, and he was a virtual ever-present until 1939. Vittorio Pozzo, the Italy coach, moved Meazza from his club role as a centre forward to an inside forward (left side), which helped him take a leading role in the team. In 1934, he was one of only a handful of home-grown talents in an Italian World Cup squad full of players born in South America. When queried on this, the coach said that if the South Americans could die for Italy (as they were eligible for national service), they could play football for the country, and FIFA turned a blind eye. Meazza set up and scored many of Italy's goals in the 1934 World Cup tournament, including a crucial headed goal in the quarter final replay against Spain, to give Italy a 1-0 win. Italy beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 in the final to win the trophy in Rome. He became the captain of the Italy team in the 1938 World Cup in France. He was only one of two players remaining from the 1934 tournament and one of five who won the Olympics. The team also had a more Italian flavour, abandoning all but one of the South Americans. The Italians beat Norway after extra time and cruised past France in the quarter finals. Meazza scored a penalty to help beat the Brazilians 2-1 in the semi final. Italy then went on to gain a 4-2 victory over Hungary in the the final and Meazza won his second World Cup in a row. In a reflection of his importance to Italian football, the grand stadium in Milan (the "San Siro", used by both AC and Inter) is officially named Stadio Guiseppe Meazza.

Michel Platini

Full Name	:	Michel François Platini
Nationality	:	French
Place of Birth	:	Jœuf, France
Date of Birth	:	June 21, 1955

Michel Platini is known as one of the greatest French footballers of all time. He is regarded as one of the most elegant players of his generation, as well as being a great passer of the ball and an outstanding goalscorer, especially from dead-ball situations. Platini's first World Cup was in 1978. France had qualified thanks to his superb 25 yard effort against Bulgaria, but the competition itself did not go well. France were knocked out in the first round after defeats to Italy and hosts Argentina, and although Platini didn't play badly (scoring against the latter), he bore the brunt of the fans' flustrations. Despite the fans' initial reaction after the 1978 World Cup, Platini impressed the French manager enough to be made captain by 1981. One of his trademark free-kicks helped beat the Netherlands in a crucial qualifier for the 1982 World Cup in Spain - a competition in which France unexpectedly reached the quarter finals, losing only in a penalty shoot-out with the West Germans (after a 3-3 draw in normal time). Platini, Alaine Giresse, Luis Fernandez and Jean Tigana formed the famous "carre magique" (magic square) at the heart of the French team. In 1986, Platini was suffering from a groin injury, which kept him from his peak fitness. However, he did contribute to the third place medal, with important goals against Italy in the round of 16, and Brazil in the quarter final (sending the game into extra time and penalties - Platini famously missing his in a victory for France).

Maradona

Full Name	:	Diego Armando Maradona
Nationality	:	Argentinean
Place of Birth	:	Lanús, Argentina
Date of Birth	:	October 30, 1960

At 16 he was Argentina's youngest-ever international.
Captain of the Argentina Under-20 FIFA World Cup winners in 1979 aged 18, given the U-20 FIFA World Cup Most Valuable Player award.
He joined giants Barcelona in 1982 for a world record transfer fee of £5.000.000.
In 1984 he signed for Napoli for another world record fee of £6.900.000.
2nd highest goal scorer for Argentina with 34 goals (held the record until surpassed by Gabriel Batistuta).
In 1986 he was the greatest player in the world and captained Argentina to lift the World Cup after a 3-2 win over West Germany in the final, but he lost against the later after 4 years in 1990 World Cup Final.
Won the Italian League and Cup double in 1987.
He was short, stocky and had a very strong physique. He could withstand physical pressure better than most players because of his low centre of gravity and strong legs.
Many believe his incredible goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final was the best ever goal in a World Cup. Not the infamous "Hand of God" goal scored in the same game.
Balance was the key to his success.
He was very accurate from set pieces.

He participated in 4 World Cups 1982,1986,1990, and 1994, featuring in 21 matches and scoring 8 goals.

World Cup honours:
Awards Golden Ball - World Cup Player of the Tournament (1986)
Bronze Ball - 3rd best player at the World Cup (1990)
2 x World Cup Dream Team 11 (1986 1990)..

Roberto Baggio

Full Name	:	Roberto Baggio
Nationality	:	Italian
Place of Birth	:	Caldogno, Italy
Date of Birth	:	February 18, 1967
one of the best players in the world through out the 1990s. In the 1988/89 he won his first cap for Italy after having a very good season scoring 24 goals in 40 games in Italian football (league/cup). Baggio scored two goals as Italy went on to get bronze in the 1990 World Cup on homesoil, after losing on penalties in the semifinals to Argentina. Baggio's best World Cup was in 1994 in the United States. After a slow start he woke up in the second round, scoring twice against Nigeria, then once against Spain in the quarterfinal, and two more in the semifinal against Bulgaria. In the final against Brazil he missed a penalty in the shoot-out which saw Brazil win the World Cup for the fourth time. He made Cesare Maldini's France 98 squad and played in several games although not with the same class as four years earlier.

Ronaldo

Full Name	:	Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima
Nationality	:	Brazilian
Place of Birth	:	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date of Birth	:	September 22, 1976
Born in a poor area of Rio de Janeiro, Ronaldo started playing football on the streets of his neighborhood. In Brazil, the five-time FIFA World Cup winners, the man is the outstanding representative of success’ third generation. The FIFA Player of the Century, Pele represents the period between 1958 and 1970 and therefore Brazil’s three "Coupe Jules Rimet" wins. Idol, Romario stands for the 1994 FIFA World Cup™ triumph. Ronaldo represents modern day Brazilian football. His name is linked with the FIFA World Cup triumph in Japan and South Korea in 2002. Ronaldo made his international debut for Brazil in 1994, in a friendly match against Argentina, and he went to the USA for the 1994 World Cup, but did not play. Having won both the Confederations Cup and Copa America in 1997, Brazil were confident going into the 1998 World Cup in France. They stormed to the final, as Ronaldo scored four goals, with three additional assists. However, the night before the final, he apparently suffered a convulsive fitand was initially removed from the starting lineup although was later reinstated by coach Mario Zagallo in a confusing episode which can't have helped the team prepare. Ronaldo did not perform well in this match (but was later awarded the tournament Golden Ball for best player) and he was injured in a collision with the French goalkeeper; Brazil capitulated to France 3-0. A year after the World Cup he suffered a serious injury to his knee and was out for several months. In his first match back in 2000, he managed only seven minutes before a recurrence of the injury forced him to the sidelines yet again. After two operations and 20 months in rehabilitation, Ronaldo came back just in time for the World Cup of 2002. In an inspired set of performances, he won the golden shoe as top scorer with eight goals, as Brazil eased their way to a fifth World Cup. Ronaldo scored in every game, apart from the quarter final against England, and he scored both goals in a 2-0 final victory over Germany. In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, although Ronaldo was critised for his weight and general fitness, the Brazilian coach stuck with him. He repaid this by socring twice against Japan in the first round group stage and again against Ghana in the third round. This was his 15th World Cup goal, breaking Gerd Muller's previous record of 14. He was unable to improve on this record as Brazil were eliminated by France in the next round.

Zidane

Full Name	:	Zinedine Zidane
Nationality	:	French
Place of Birth	:	Marseille, France
Date of Birth	:	June 23, 1972
Zidane is widely regarded as one of the game's all-time greats. His career accomplishments include helping France win the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, in addition to winning the 2002 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. One of only two three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winners - the other being Ronaldo - Zidane also won the Ballon d'Or in 1998. He retired from professional football after scoring and being sent off in the final of the 2006 World Cup. It is interesting to note that Zidane's international career began with a rejection from the Algerian coach, who thought the player was too slow. The 1998 World Cup, in which France were hosts, started badly for Zidane when he was sent off in their second group game against Saudi Arabia and received a two game suspension. However, he was back for the quarter final against Italy, and played his part in helping France to the final against reigning champions Brazil. With the South Americans unusually poor (not helped by the pre-match Ronaldo fiasco), Zidane scored twice in the first half with near-identical headers from corners to set up France's 3-0 victory. A thigh injury prevented him from playing in France's first two matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which they lost 1-0 and drew 0-0 respectively. He was rushed back to play in the final group game, but, like his teammates, did not perform to his usual level, and France were eliminated without scoring a single goal. France struggled through their group games in the 2006 World Cup, with captain Zidane picking up cautions in the first two matches, resulting in a suspension for the third. He returned for the next round where he set up the second goal and scored the third in a 3-1 victory over Spain. In the quarter final, Zidane was man of the match, creating all sorts of problems for the Brazilians with his trademark dribbling, as France won 1-0. The semi-final against Portugal saw France win 1-0 via a Zidane penalty. In the final, against Italy, Zidane scored another penalty in the 7th minute, but the Italians equalised, and in the 110th minute Zidane had a moment of madness when he head-butted defender Materazzi and was sent off. Italy subsequently won the penalty shootout. Despite this indiscretion, Zidane was awarded the Golden Ball as best player in the 2006 World Cup.