Samuel Eto'o

Profile Football Stars | Samuel Eto'o | As a member of the Cameroon national team, he was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament, he has participated in three World Cups and six African Nations Cup (being champion twice) and is the leading all-time scorer in the history of the African Nations Cup with 18 goals. Eto'o scored over 100 goals in five seasons with FC Barcelona, and so is the record holder in number of appearances by an African player in La Liga. In 2010, he became the first player to win two European Continental Trebles following his back-to-back achievements with Barcelona and Internazionale. He is the second player to have ever scored in two separate UEFA Champions League finals and the fourth player, after Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa, and Gerard Piqué, to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams. He is the most decorated African player of all time having won the African Player of the Year award a record four times in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010th

Samuel Eto'o joined Real Madrid in 1997 but, he could only train with Real Madrid B, as he was still a minor. The next season, in the winter transfer window, he Transferred to La Liga team RCD Mallorca on loan, scoring six goals in 19 games. At the end of the season, Eto'o left Real Madrid, signing a permanent deal with RCD Mallorca for a club record £ 4.4 million fee. In his second season, he scored 11 goals and began to garner attention throughout the league. Mallorca won the match 3-0, with Eto'o scoring two late goals to seal the victory.

Eto'o departed Mallorca as the club's all-time leading scorer domestic league (54 goals) when he signed for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2004 for a transfer fee of € 24 million after lengthy, three-way negotiations with Mallorca and Madrid. After aggravating a meniscus injury on 28 August during a summer friendly against Internazionale, Eto'o was sidelined indefinitely.  Eto'o recorded his first league hat-trick in a match against Levante UD on 24 February 2008. He finished with a total of 16 league goals in 18 appearances for the season. Only two games later, on 8 November 2008, Eto'o scored four goals in the first half of Barcelona's game against Real Valladolid , Which ended 6-0. On 29 November 2008, he scored his 111th career goal in all competitions in Barcelona a 3-0 road win over Sevilla FC, moving him into the club's top ten all-time goalscorers.  On 14 February 2009, he scored his 99th and his 100th league goals for Barcelona in a 2-2 draw with Real Betis. Eto'o scored his 30th goal of the 2008-09 season in a La Liga match against Real Valladolid.  Eto'o scored the opening goal in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United.

After Maxwell completed the transfer from Internazionale, Joan Laporta confirmed that there was an agreement in principle between Barcelona and Internazionale for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to join the club in exchange for Eto'o and € million 46th after Ibrahimović agreed terms with Barcelona, the club announced Eto'o would travel to Milan for his medical to complete the transfer. On 16 March 2011, Eto'o gave a legendary performance in Munich as he helped eliminate Internazionale Bayern Munich 3-2 (on aggregate with score of 3-3, winning on away goals) in the Champions League. Eto'o is fantastic. " On 29 May, Eto'o scored two goals in the final of the Italian Cup against Palermo to help Internazionale 3-1 win and taking his season total to 37 goals, a new record high for him.

Eto'o scored his sole goal of the 2002 World Cup when he netted the game-winner against Saudi Arabia during the group stage on 6 June, 2002, Which was Cameroon's only win of the competition. On 1 December 2009, Eto'o finished fifth in voting for the Ballon d'Or, Which was won by his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi. On 19 June 2010, Eto'o scored a goal in Cameroon's 2010 World Cup group stage match against Denmark, from a mistake by Christian Poulsen. Cameroon eventually lost the game 2-1 and was eliminated from the World Cup. Eto'o Described it as the biggest disappointment of his career. In December 2010, Eto'o became the first man to be named African Player of the Year for a fourth time.  On 16 December 2011, Eto'o was suspended for fifteen games by the Fédération de Football Camerounaise, after the team refused to play a friendly against Algeria earlier this year.

Personal information
Full name Samuel Eto'o Fils
Date of Birth 10 March 1981 (age 31)
Place of birth Nkon, Cameroon
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information
Current club Anzhi Makhachkala
Number 99

Youth career
1992-1997 Kadji Sports Academy

Senior career
Years Team Apps
1997-2000 Real Madrid 3 (0)
1997-1998 Leganes (loan) 30 (4)
Espanyol in 1999 (loan) 0 (0)
2000 Mallorca (loan) 19 (6)
Mallorca 2000-2004 120 (48)
Barcelona 2004-2009 145 (108)
2009-2011 Internazionale 67 (33)
2011-Anzhi Makhachkala 22 (13)

National team
2000 Cameroon U-23 6 (1)
1997-Cameroon 109 (54)

Honours

Club
Mallorca
     Copa del Rey (1): 2003

Barcelona
     La Liga (3): 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09
     Copa del Rey (1): 2009
     Supercopa de España (2): 2005, 2006
     UEFA Champions League (2): 2005-06, 2008-09

Internazionale
     Series A (1): 2009-10
     Coppa Italia (2): 2010, 2011
     Super Coppa Italiana (1): 2010
     Super Coppa Italiana Runner Up: (1) 2011
     UEFA Champions League (1): 2009-10
     FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2010

Cameroon
     African Cup of Nations (2): 2000, 2002
     LG Cup (1): 2011
     Cameroon Olympic Team
     Olympic Gold Medal (1): 2000

Individual
     Young African Player of the Year: 2000
     African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010
     ESM Team of the Year: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11
     FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006
     UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
     African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2006, 2008
     UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006
     La Liga top scorer: 2006
     African Cup of Nations All-Time Top Scorer
     RCD Mallorca All-Time Top Scorer
     Cameroon All-Time Top Scorer
     2005 FIFA World Player of the Year Third
     UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match 2006
     FIFA Club World Cup - Golden Ball 2010
     CAF Starting XI in the Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2006

Deco

Profile Football Stars | Deco | Deco arrived in Portugal in 1997 at the age of 19 along with fellow Brazilian player Caju after being acquired by Benfica of Lisbon. Despite good showings in training, Benfica decided to loan Deco to the Liga de Honra Alverca club, where he played for a season. Deco is one of the few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs - FC Porto in 2004 and FC Barcelona in 2006. Deco was the first player to win the UEFA Best Midfielder Award with two different clubs, Porto and Barcelona. Deco received Portuguese citizenship in 2002, having completed six years of Portuguese residence, opting to play Subsequently internationally for the Portugal national football team. Subsequently, Deco what Salgueiros transferred in the season 1998-99, playing games and scoring 12 two goals.

A key figure in the season 2002-03, he scored 10 goals in 30 games, but nevertheless received 17 yellow cards and one red card. Deco was one of the key players in Porto's UEFA Cup final 3-2 win over Celtic that year. In the 2003-04 season, Deco helped Porto recapture the national title and led the team to the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, in which Porto won 3-0 over Monaco, scoring the second goal of the match. That season, Deco won the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year as well as the award for the best midfielder in the competition.

On 17 June 2004, Deco told a Portuguese radio station that he would almost certainly join English side Chelsea (then coached by Jose Mourinho) following UEFA Euro 2004. Deco scored twice in the Spanish Super cup 2006-07, Barca won Which. Deco won the UEFA Best Midfielder Award yet again for his performance in Barca's Champions League-winning season, enabling him to join the exclusive group of players that have won the same award more than once with different teams, having won the Champions League previously with Porto.

Deco scored on his Chelsea debut and his Premier League debut, with a 30-yard goal in a 4-0 victory over Portsmouth. Deco followed up his performance by scoring in his second game for Chelsea, a curling free kick against Wigan Athletic. Deco made his Champions League debut for Chelsea on 16 September. Deco was Chelsea's 7-1 win in sensational over Aston Villa, creating chances for his teammates and helping Chelsea's midfield flow. On 6 August 2010, Deco signed a two-year contract with Brazilian club Fluminense on a free transfer, joining former Chelsea and FC Barcelona player Juliano Belletti. Also in 2010, Deco has won his first Brazilian Championship, participating Fluminense's victorious campaign in.

Having played six years of club football with Porto Deco allowed to gain Portuguese citizenship that made him eligible to play for Portugal. None of Deco's great grandparents, grandparents or parents were Portuguese and FIFA's player eligibility Therefore under Portuguese citizenship rules required to be Considered eligible. Deco was mentioned several times in the media as an option for the Portuguese national team. Despite the early criticism, Deco was one of the highlights of the Portuguese national team. Deco played for Portugal in their opening game against Côte d'Ivoire.

Personal information
Full name Anderson Luis de Souza
Date of Birth 27 August 1977 (age 34)
Place of birth São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1/2 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder

Club information
Current club Fluminense
Number 20

Youth career
1995-1996 National-SP

Senior career
years team
1996-1997 Corinthians 2 (0)
1997-1999 Benfica 0 (0)
1997-1998 Alverca (loan) 32 (13)
Salgueiros 1998-1999 (loan) 12 (2)
Porto 1999-2004 154 (32)
Barcelona 2004-2008 113 (11)
2008-2010 Chelsea 42 (5)
2010-Fluminense 53 (5)

National team
2003-2010 Portugal 75 (5)

Honours

Club
postage
     Portuguese League: 1997-98, 1998-99, 2002-03, 2003-04
     Taça de Portugal: 2000, 2001, 2003
     Portuguese Super Cup: 1999, 2001, 2003
     UEFA Champions League: 2004
     UEFA Cup: 2003

Barcelona
     La Liga: 2004-05, 2005-06
     Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006
     UEFA Champions League: 2006

Chelsea
     Premier League: 2009-10
     FA Cup: 2009, 2010
     Community Shield: 2009

Fluminense
     Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2010
     Taça Guanabara: 2012
     Rio de Janeiro State League: 2012

Individual
     Portuguese League Footballer of the Year: 2003-04
     UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2003-04
     UEFA Best Midfielder: 2003-04, 2005-06
     FIFA World Club Cup Golden Ball: 2006
     Premier League Player of the Month: August 2008
     UEFA Team of the Tournament: 2004

Orders
     Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
    (House of Braganza)

Víctor Valdés

Profile Football Stars | Víctor Valdés | He is regarded to be one of Barcelona's better Goalkeepers in franchise history, having won a total of 17 titles Including five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, and one Copa del Rey title. He also has won the Zamora Trophy a record five times. He currently holds the club records as Goalkeeper with most appearances in the league and in official competition, Andoni Zubizarreta's breaking records during the 2011-12 season. Before joining the full team in 2002-03 season, Valdés played for the youth teams and FC Barcelona B. Currently, he has a contract with Barcelona until 2014. Born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, to José Manuel Valdés Arribas and Agueda and has two brothers, elder and younger Alvaro Ricardo, Valdés started his career with FC Barcelona's youth team when he joined from Peña Cinco Copas on 1 July 1992 .

In the 2003-04 season, he emerged as first-choice Goalkeeper, and in the 2004-05 season, he played in almost all of Barcelona's matches Barcelona to Helping Their first league title in six years. He also won the Zamora Trophy for the best Goalkeeper in Spain. On 17 June 2007, the last round in La Liga, Valdés matched a goalkeeping record held by Barcelona legend Andoni Zubizarreta; a record of starting, and never being substituted, in all 38 matches of the La Liga season.

Unfortunately, Valdés was beaten twice by Olympique Lyonnais' captain Juninho through a 45-yard free kick and a late penalty at the Stade de Gerland, ending his streak. On 1 April 2008, Valdés made his 250th appearance for Barcelona. In the match, Valdés made two crucial saves from attempts by Cristiano Ronaldo in both halves. On 16 May 2010, Valdés won his fourth title as Barcelona clinched a second successive Spanish league title with Josep Guardiola's side, ending the season with 99 points.  On 29 August 2011, Valdés played his 410th match with Barcelona and equaled Andoni Zubizarreta's record as Barcelona Goalkeeper with most appearances. Valdés went 896 minutes without conceding a single goal during the 2011-12 season.

In July 2010, he won the 2010 World Cup with Spain. Valdés has a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Yolanda Cardona. In 20 August 2009 Cardona gave birth to the couple's first child, son Dylan Cardona in Barcelona Valdés.

Personal information
Full name Víctor Valdés i Arribas
Date of birth 14 January 1982 (age 30)
Place of birth L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper

Club information
Current club Barcelona
Number 1

Youth career
1992 Barcelona
1992-1995 Tenerife
Barcelona 1995-2000

Senior career
years Team
2000-2003 Barcelona B 77 (0)
2002 - Barcelona 330 (0)

National team
2000-2001 Spain U18 11 (0)
2001 Spain U19 3 (0)
2001 Spain U20 1 (0)
2002-2003 Spain U21 11 (0)
2010 - Spain 7 (0)
2001 - Catalonia 12 (0)

Honours

Club
Barcelona
     La Liga (5): 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11;
     Runner-up 2006-07, 2003-04, 2011-12
     Copa del Rey (1): 2008-09: Runner-up 2010-11
     Supercopa de España (5): 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
     UEFA Champions League (3): 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11
     UEFA Super Cup (2): 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006
     FIFA Club World Cup (2): 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006

Spain
     FIFA World Cup: 2010

Individual
     Zamora Trophy: 2004-05, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12
     ESM Team of the Year: 2010-11
     La Liga Goalkeeper of the Year: 2010-11

Decorations
     Prince of Asturias Awards: 2010
     Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2011

Luís Figo

Profile Football Stars | Luís Figo |  Figo was the 2000 European Footballer of the Year, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and was named amongst the FIFA 100. Figo is one of the few football players to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. He had a career highlighted by Several Successful trophy wins, Such as one Portuguese Cup, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League titles, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and Italian Super Cups three. Figo started his career at Sporting CP. He won his first senior international cap in 1991. Prior to that, he won the Under-21 World Championships and Under-16 European Championships with Portugal junior sides, alongside Rui Costa, Joao Pinto and he was also a significant part of Portugal's "Golden Generation".

In 1995, Figo looked poised to join one of the big clubs of Europe, but a dispute Between Italian clubs Juventus and Parma, with Figo having signed contracts with both clubs, resulted in an Italian two-year transfer ban on Figo, Effectively stopping any moves to Italy. However, the situation was eventually resolved for Figo, with a move to Spanish club FC Barcelona for a fee of £ 2.25 million,  under Dutch coach Johan Cruyff. It was with Barcelona from 1995 That his career really took off: Figo won a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996-97, successive Primera División titles and went on to Appear 172 times for Barcelona, scoring 30 goals. In 2000, Figo made a hugely controversial move to Barcelona's bitter rivals Real Madrid. Figo's arrival signaled the beginning of Florentino Pérez's' Galactico era ". With Madrid Figo won La Liga in 2001 and 2003 as well as the 2001-02 Champions League.

During the summer of 2008, Figo's compatriot José Mourinho joined Inter on a managerial level. On 16 May 2009, Figo Announced his retirement from football, the same day Internazionale won the 2008-09 title, and re-confirmed this on 30 May; his final game was on 31 May against Atalanta at the San Siro. At Javier Zanetti's insistence, Figo captained the side for his very last match. Figo said, "I am leaving football, not Inter. Luis Figo was on the sidelines when Internazionale Milano won the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League on 22 May 2010.

Figo captained the squad during the 2006 World Cup, leading the team to the semi-finals, where They were beaten by France courtesy of a penalty from his club-mate and former French captain Zinedine Zidane. The third place playoff Controversy Caused some as Figo did not start; Pauleta captained the team in his place. However, Portugal fell behind 2-0 to hosts Germany and Figo replaced Pauleta in the 77th minute, who handed him back the captain's armband, to cheers from both Portuguese and German fans. Despite having no trophies to show for the "Golden Generation," Figo managed to captain the team to Their best World Cup performance since the Eusebio era in 1966. He finished his international career with 127 caps and scoring 32 goals.

Personal information
Full name Luís Filipe Madeira Figo Caeiro
Date of birth 4 November 1972 (age 39)
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder / Winger

Youth career
União de Pastilhas
1984-1989 Sporting CP

Senior careeryears Team
1989-1995 Sporting CP 137 (16)
Barcelona 1995-2000 172 (30)
2000-2005 Real Madrid 164 (36)
Internazionale 2005-2009 105 (9)
Total 579 (91)

National team
1991-2006 Portugal 127 (32)

Honours

Club
Sporting CP
     Taça de Portugal (1): 1995

Barcelona
     La Liga (2): 1997-98, 1998-99
     Copa del Rey (2): 1997, 1998
     Supercopa de España (1): 1996
     UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1997
     UEFA Super Cup (1): 1997

Real Madrid
     La Liga (2): 2000-01, 2002-03
     Supercopa de España (2): 2001, 2003
     UEFA Champions League (1): 2002
     UEFA Super Cup (1): 2002
     Intercontinental Cup (1): 2002

Internazionale
     Serie A (4): 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09
     Coppa Italia (1): 2006
     Supercoppa Italiana (3): 2005, 2006, 2008

Portugal
     FIFA World Cup (1): 2006 Fourth Place
     UEFA European Football Championship (2): 2000 Semi Finalist,
     2004 Runner-Up
     FIFA U-20 World Cup (1): 1991
     UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship (1): 1989
     UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship (1): 1994 Runner-Up

Individual
     Figo's Ballon d'Or
     Ballon d'Or (1): 2000
     FIFA World Player of the Year (1): 2001
     World Soccer Player of the Year (1): 2000
     FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1): 2006
     UEFA Euro All-Star Team (2): 2000, 2004
     UEFA Team of the Year (1): 2003
     La Liga Foreign Player of the Year (3): 1999, 2000, 2001
     Portuguese Footballer of the Year (6): 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
     Portuguese Golden Ball (1): 1994
     FIFA 100

Gerard Deulofeu

Profile Football Stars | Gerard Deulofeu | On 3 August 2011, Deulofeu Barcelona made his first-team debut, in a 1-4 friendly loss against CD Guadalajara. Deulofeu joined FC Barcelona's youth academy in 2003, aged just nine. On 2 March 2011, still registered with the junior team, he made his senior debut, Appearing for the B team in a 4-1 win at Córdoba CF in the second division, Replacing Eduard Oriol in the 75th minute.

On 16 September, scored his first goal Deulofeu as a senior, in a 1-2 loss at Hercules CF. On 29 October, he made his first official appearance with the main squad, Replacing David Villa in the 63rd minute of a 5-0 home league success against RCD Mallorca.

Personal information
Full name Gerard Deulofeu Lázaro
Date of birth 13 March 1994 (age 18)
Place of birth Riudarenes, Spain
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Forward / Winger

Club information
Current club Barcelona B
Number 27

Youth career
Barcelona 2003-2011

senior career
years Team
2011-Barcelona B 28 (5)
2011-Barcelona 1 (0)

National team
2009 Spain U16 4 (1)
2009-2011 Spain U17 20 (6)
2011-Spain U19 12 (2)

Honours

Spain
Spain U19
     UEFA U-19 Championship: 2011

Spain U17
     UEFA U-17 Championship: Runner-up 2010

Yaya Touré

Profile Football Stars | Yaya Touré | Touré joined ASEC Mimosas youth academy in 1996 on the recommendation of his long-time mentor Patrick van Reijendam. Touré then moved to Olympiacos in 2005.  After representing Côte d'Ivoire in the 2006 World Cup, Touré was signed by French Ligue 1 side Monaco in August 2006. He played at the Stade Louis II for one season before leaving for Barcelona. Touré joined Spanish side Barcelona for € 9 million and made his official debut for the club on 26 August 2007 during the league opener against Racing de Santander.

In the 2007 Joan Gamper Trophy match against Internazionale of Italy, Toure scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 5-0 victory. He scored his first official goal with Barcelona in a La Liga match against Athletic Club on 2 September 2007. In the 2009 Champions League Final, he played center back due to injuries and suspensions of first-choice defenders, Despite having only played there twice before for Barcelona. In late June 2010 Barcelona confirmed That Touré was allowed to leave the club in the summer.

On 2 July, Touré signed a five-year deal with Manchester City for a fee of around £ 24 million and was allocated squad number 42, the which is the reverse of the number 24 jersey he sported at Barcelona, since Patrick Vieira had That number already been allocated. The move Toure teamed up with his elder brother Kolo, who signed for City in July 2009. On 28 July, Touré made his debut for City in a pre-season friendly against Club América, the which City won 4-1 on Penalties after a 1-1 draw with the Mexican side.

The 2011-12 season began strongly as Manchester City lead the table for the majority of the season, with Touré playing a vital part in midfield.  On 3 January 2012, in a match against Liverpool, Toure scored City's second goal of the game, a 33rd minute header from a David Silva corner. On 5 January, it was Touré Announced That would be heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations and would miss City's FA Cup third round clash with Fierce rivals Manchester United.

Personal information
Full name Gnégnéri Yaya Touré
Date of birth 13 May 1983 (age 28)
Place of birth Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Midfielder

Club information
Current club Manchester City
Number 42

Youth career
ASEC Mimosas 1996-2001

Senior career
years Team
Beveren 2001-2003 70 (3)
Metalurh Donetsk 2003-2005 33 (3)
Olympiacos 2005-2006 26 (3)
2006-2007 Monaco 27 (5)
2007-2010 Barcelona 74 (4)
2010-Manchester City 60 (10)

National team
2004-Côte d'Ivoire 67 (10)

Honours

Club
ASEC Mimosas
     Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: 2001

Olympiacos
     Super League Greece: 2005-06
     Greek Cup: 2005-06

Barcelona
     La Liga (2): 2008-09, 2009-10
     Copa del Rey: 2008-09
     Supercopa de España: 2009
     UEFA Champions League: 2008-09
     UEFA Super Cup: 2009
     FIFA Club World Cup: 2009

Manchester City
     FA Cup: 2010-11

Individual
     African Footballer of the Year: 2011
     PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2011-12

Carles Puyol

Profile Football Stars | Carles Puyol | He served as a longtime team captain for his club FC Barcelona only after taking over from Luis Enrique in August 2004, going on to Appear in more than 500 official games for the team and win 18 major titles, five Notably La Liga and UEFA Champions three League championships. A Spanish international on more than 100 Occasions, Puyol was part of the squads That won the Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup tournaments. Born in La Pobla de Segur, Lleida, Catalonia, Puyol started playing football for his hometown club as a Goalkeeper. In 1995, he joined FC Barcelona's youth system at La Masia, switching positions again, to play as a defensive midfielder ; two years later, he started playing for the club's B-team, occupying the position of right back. Puyol again struggled with injury in the 2010-11 season, but still Appeared in 28 official games for Barcelona, the which again won the league and the Champions League.

At Euro 2008, Puyol started throughout the vast majority of the the competition, as the defensive back line conceded only two goals in five games, with an eventual final win against Germany. He was named in the Team of the Tournament alongside defensive partner Carlos Marchena, of Valencia CF. He started in three out of five at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and captained the team when Iker Casillas was rested for the last group stage match; as Spain finished third, he and four other teammates were named in the Team of the Tournament.

At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Puyol started every match and played almost every minute (he was substituted by Marchena in the 84th minute of the quarter-final against Paraguay). He scored the only goal in the semifinal against Germany with a powerful header from a corner taken by Barcelona teammate Xavi, sending the national team through to Their first World Cup finals, and scoring his third goal in 89 international matches; in the final, he played the full 120 minutes, as Spain Defeated the Netherlands 1-0. On 1 August 2010, a 32-year Puyol Announced That he would continue to play for the national team for at least another two years. Puyol is also known for his leadership and work Ethic.

Personal information
Full name Carles Puyol i Saforcada
Date of birth 13 April 1978 (age 34)
Place of birth La Pobla de Segur, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Defender

Club information
Current club Barcelona
Number 5

Youth career
1993-1995 Pobla de Segur
Barcelona 1995-1996

Senior career
years Team
1996-1997 Barcelona C
1997-2000 Barcelona B 89 (6)
1999-Barcelona 369 (9)

National team
1995 Spain U18 3 (0)
2000 Spain U21 4 (0)
2000 Spain U23 5 (0)
2000-Spain 99 (3)
2001-Barcelona 5 (0)

Honours

Barcelona
     La Liga: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11
     Copa del Rey: 2008-09: Runner-up 2010-11
     Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
     UEFA Champions League: 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11
     UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006
     FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011; Runner-up 2006

Spain
     FIFA World Cup: 2010
     UEFA European Football Championship: 2008
     Summer Olympics: Silver medal 2000
     FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009

Individual
     La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2001
     ESM Team of the Year: 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06
     UEFA Team of the Year: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
     UEFA Club Best Defender: 2006
     FIFA / FIFPro World XI: 2007, 2008, 2010
     UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament
     2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament
     FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010

Decorations
     Prince of Asturias Awards: 2010
     Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2011

Martin Montoya Torralbo

Profile Football Stars | Martin Montoya Torralbo | Montoya started playing football for hometown club CF Gavà, moving to FC Barcelona's youth system, La Masia, at the age of 9. Torralbo Martín Montoya, is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona B as a right defender. In the 2009-10 season, Montoya Contributed with 22 matches as the Luis Enrique-led team returned to the second division, after an 11-year absence. Towards the end of March 2011, rumors surfaced linking Montoya with Valencia CF, with the Che willing to pay the € 3 million buy-out clause of the player.

In 2011, Montoya earned his first cap with the Spanish under-21 team. He was picked by manager Luis Milla to the squad competed in That That year's UEFA European Football Championship, and started in all the games as the national side won the tournament in Denmark. On 25 August 2011, Montoya was selected for the first time to the full team by coach Vicente del Bosque, for games against Chile and Liechtenstein.

Personal information
Full name Martín Montoya Torralbo
Date of birth 14 April 1991 (age 20)
Place of birth Gavà, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Right back

Club information
Current club Barcelona B
Number 2

Youth career
Gavà
Barcelona 1999-2009

Senior career
years Team
2009-Barcelona B 75 (0)
2011-Barcelona 7 (0)

National team
2008 Spain U17 8 (0)
2009 Spain U18 3 (0)
2009-2010 Spain U19 9 (0)
2010-Spain U21 11 (0)
2012 Spain U23 1 (0)
2011-Barcelona 1 (0)

Honours

Club
Barcelona
     La Liga: 2010-11

Spain U21
     UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2011