Top 10 Unforgettable World Cup Moments Of The Decade

As we approach a new decade, Goal.com looks back at the Top 10 unforgettable World Cup moments of the noughties. 1) Zinedine Zidane’s Headbutt At No.1 it could only be France legend Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt on Italy’s Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final. With the score tied at 1-1 in extra time in Berlin, Zidane was infamously sent off after he head-butted the Inter hardman in the chest in extra time. This would be Zidane’s last act of his career as he retired after the game, while Italy would go on to win their fourth World Cup on penalties. There was much speculation over what Materazzi said to prompt this violent reaction, but it was eventually revealed that the stopper had insulted Zizou’s sister. The Matrix even successfully sued a number of English newspapers for libel. 2) Byron Moreno Italy were eliminated from the 2002 World Cup in the last 16 by co-hosts South Korea following former Perugia star Ahn Jung-Hwan’s extra time golden goal. However, this all happened after one of the most infamous matches in World Cup history. Giovanni Trapattoni’s men had a perfectly good golden goal disallowed by Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno, had Francesco Totti sent-off for diving when replays showed that he had only lost his footing, while South Korea were awarded a dubious penalty and continually went unpunished for foul play. After the match Italy declared that there had been a conspiracy against them, claims that were given strength by the fact that not only had they had four perfectly fair goals disallowed in their two previous matches against Croatia and Mexico, but by the refereeing errors that saw Korea eliminate Spain in the next round. Moreno would be the villainous symbol of 2002. Later that year he received a 20 match ban, after he played an extra 13 minutes of stoppage time during a match between Deportiva Universita de Quito and Barcelona Sporting Club. During this time Deportiva scored twice to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 victory. After retuning from his suspension, Moreno was suspended again after controversially sending off three players in one match. He retired from officiating shortly after. 3) Hand Of Henry Without doubt the most controversial moment of 2009, and the most infamous World Cup handball of all time after Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in 1986. Ireland’s World Cup playoff against France was delicately balanced as the tie moved into extra time in Paris, with the score 1-1 on aggregate. Then, France striker Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball in the run-up to William Gallas's decisive equaliser on the night, but it was not seen by the referee or his assistants. The goal stood and the Irish went out, causing a furore after the game. The FAI later made a request to FIFA that the game be replayed, but FIFA turned them down. Henry was lambasted, and even unsuccessfully offered a replay himself after FIFA had made their decision. The FAI even asked to be admitted as the 33rd nation in South Africa. Unsurprisingly this was turned down too. 4) Ronaldinho’s Lob With the Top 3 dominated by depressing moments, Ronaldinho provides the most positive flash from the last 10 years – that is if you are not an England fan or David Seaman. The Brazilian magician settled the 2002 World Cup quarter final against England in Fukuroi with an outrageous 40-yard free kick that looped over veteran goalkeeper Seaman. To this day the debate still rages as to whether Ronnie attempted the lob or he was just crossing the ball. Either way, Brazil won the game 2-1 and although Ronaldinho would later be sent off in chaotic circumstances the Selecao went on to win their fifth World Cup trophy. 5) Diego Maradona’s Belly Slide When Peru's Hernan Rengifo scored an unlikely equaliser in the final minute of the penultimate 2010 World Cup qualifier against Argentina at the Monumental stadium, it seemed that Diego Maradona's and the Albicelestes’ World Cup dream had come to an abrupt end. So close, but now so far, coach Maradona's face said it all. Argentina's World Cup chances were practically over. The torrential rainfall didn't help one bit, it actually made things all the more depressing. To lose it to Peru was one thing, but to lose in this manner was nothing less than heartbreaking. But wait...all of a sudden, and pretty much out of nowhere, appeared Martin Palermo to hand Argentina a dramatic victory in the 93rd minute! The veteran fired the ball home at the back post after a deflection went into his path. Maradona's celebration said it all. 'El Pibe de Oro' dived along the touchline despite the storm to celebrate one of the most important goals in Argentine football history, one that paved the way for the nation to qualify for South Africa after they beat Uruguay in their final qualifier. 6) Fabio Grosso’s Scream The most famous World Cup celebration of all time has to be Marco Tardelli’s scream after scoring Italy's second goal in their 1982 World Cup final victory over West Germany. This iconic moment was copied by Azzurri full back Fabio Grosso in the epic semi final of Germany 2006 when he whipped home a dramatic winner against the hosts in the penultimate minute of extra time. Every Italian will tell you that they were overcome with tears of joy during this unforgettable moment. 7) The Good, Bad & The Ugly Of Argentina In the 2006 World Cup Argentina offered us a bit of everything. During the group stages they were absolutely sublime, putting on an exhibition of irrepressible football during their 6-0 dismantling of Serbia & Montenegro. Argentina were the hot favourites for the World Cup as they moved into the knockouts, but then in their quarter final against hosts Germany they got nervous. Coach Jose Pekerman made the fateful decision of substituting star man Juan Riquelme and leaving Lionel Messi on the bench, and Germany grabbed a late equaliser to force extra time and then penalties. The ice-cool Germans converted all their spot-kicks, which led to a riot after the game. There were flying-kicks and punches thrown as Argentina exited with their customary bang. (8) Graham Poll's Three Yellow Cards Former English referee Graham Poll already didn't have the best record in international tournaments going into the 2006 World Cup. He had been involved in controversial games at both Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002, in the latter competition he wrongly disallowed two valid Italy goals during a 2-1 defeat to Croatia. In 2006 he took charge of the decisive Group F clash between Australia and Croatia. The Europeans had to win to go through at the expense of the Socceroos. Croatia defender Josip Simunic was booked three times before Poll eventually sent him off, meaning a nervous finish for the Australians who held on for a 2-2 draw which booked their place in the knockouts. FIFA President Sepp Blatter said after the game that it is likely a replay would have been ordered had Croatia had won because of Poll's error. Did Blatter say the same about the 'Hand of Henry in 2009'? - scroll down to find out. 9) Rivaldo's Play-Acting At the turn of the century Rivaldo was one of top three players in the world, and although he was on the slide by 2002 he would offer one final hurrah at that year’s World Cup by scoring five goals and playing an influential role in the Selecao’s triumph. However, his tournament was somewhat marred by a playacting incident in the first group match against Turkey. Hakan Unsal kicked a ball that struck Rivaldo’s thigh, but the Brazilian went down clutching his face. The Galatasaray defender was sent off for a second yellow card, while Rivaldo was branded a cheat after the game. His punishment was a fine of 11,670 Swiss Francs. (10) Senegal Shock France Just like at Italia ’90, the 2002 World Cup began with a shock victory for an African nation over the holders. France, who were also the European champions, and contained the top scorers from the English, Italian and French leagues were stunned by Senegal. Papa Bouba Diop scored the winner on the half-hour mark, before Senegalese players joined together for a choreographed dance celebration. France would be eliminated first round without scoring a goal.

Marco Van Basten

Marco Van Basten Biography   Marco Van Basten grew up when his and every Dutch soccer fan's idol, Johan Cruiff was on top form. Little did he know that in a few years, he would play side by side with his idol and even follow his footsteps to fame. But let's take this Van Basten biography bit by bit and see how the Flying Dutchman advanced in his career to a point where he would almost rival Cruyff's title as all time best Dutch player. Marco Van Basten Biography Van Basten started playing soccer for the first time when he was just 7 years old, for local team EDO Utrecht's youth club. He moved to UW shortly, playing there for 10 years, before spending another youth season at another Utrecht team, Elinkwijk, before he was spotted by Ajax Amsterdam. He did not go straight to Ajax's first team though, since he was just 17 when he joined the club, so he played for another season at the last youth level in Ajax's U-18 team, before being taken to the first squad in 1982. Marco Van Basten Biography – Ajax Amsterdam When van Basten was finally taken in Ajax's first squad, one of his childhood dreams would come true: playing alongside his greatest idol, Johan Cruiff. Actually, van Basten's debut for Ajax was in a 5-0 win against NEC Nijmegen, where the young Dutchman would replace Johan Cruiff on the pitch. He scored his first professional goal in that match but his substitution for Cruiff was a symbol in itself, as one young brilliant soccer player would replace an aging one. Van Basten did not get a first team spot immediately though, as he had to wait for the 1983-84 season, when Ajax's top goal scorer, Wim Kieft, was sold to Pisa. That opened up a spot for the young striker and he took the chance with both hands. In the following 4 seasons played at Ajax, he would become one of the most productive strikers in its history, scoring 117 goals in 112 matches, a truly outstanding performance, especially considering the high level of the Dutch league. His 1985-86 season was his best at Ajax, as he scored no less than 37 goals in 26 matches that year and was given the European Golden Boot award. But Ajax wasn't exactly the same team that won the European Cup three consecutive times during Johan Cruiff's reign and Marco Van Basten was hungry for glory, so he decided to move to a stronger team, AC Milan.

Hugo Sanchez

Hugo Sanchez Biography – Introduction Mexico produced some quality soccer players throughout time, but none of them were as successful and revered as Sanchez, the striker who is rightfully considered the most important person in the history of Mexican soccer. Follow me in this biography to find out how this player went on from playing for a (then) relatively unsuccessful Mexican team, to the queen of European soccer: Real Madrid. Hugo Sanchez Biography – Childhood Born in Mexico City, Hugo Sanchez Marquez was fast to make a name for himself. As a young footballer, Hugo Sanchez managed to get into the ranks of the youth squads of the Mexican national soccer team, playing in over 80 international games before he reached the age of 18 and was eligible for a professional contract. At this time, he was a valuable member of the UNAM Pumas youth club and a hot prospect for the future for Mexican soccer. Hugo Sanchez Biography – UNAM Pumas Full name Hugo Sanchez Marquez Date of birth July 11, 1958 Place of birth Mexico city, Mexico Height 5.9FT - 1.75M Playing position Striker In 1976, being offered his first contract as a professional soccer player, Hugo Sanchez was already uncommonly experienced for his age and made an instant break into the UNAM Pumas' first team. In 1977, he was also selected for the senior squad of the Mexico national team, so his career was well on its way even from an early age. Sanchez' time with the UNAM Pumas was a great launching pad for his career, as he got to play regularly as a striker, scoring no less than 99 goals in 200 matches for the Mexican side, in the 5 seasons he got to play for them. He helped UNAM win the Mexican championship twice and became top scorer in the league twice. With the Mexican league being held during the fall, winter and spring, UNAM agreed to loan Sanchez to the USA team San Diego Sockers twice, during the summers of 1979 and 1980. He proved his worth as a striker with the Sockers as well, scoring 29 goals in 32 games in the short periods he stayed with the club. But his awesome performances would soon bring him a new experience, one that is well sought after by almost all South and Central American players nowadays: the move to Europe. Season Club Games Goals 1976-1981 UNAM Pumas 200 99 1979-1980 San Diego Sockers (loan) 32 29 1981-1985 Atletico Madrid 111 54 1985-1992 Real Madrid 283 253 1992-1993 America 29 2 1993-1994 Rayo Vallecano 29 16 1994-1995 Atlante 32 13 1995-1996 Linz 18 3 1996 Dallas Burn 23 6 1996-1998 Atletico Celaya 12 2 1976-1998 Career 769 477 Hugo Sanchez Biography – Madrid Already an established player in Mexico, Hugo Sanchez still had to prove himself in Europe, after Spanish side Atletico Madrid bought him from the UNAM Pumas in 1981. His start in Spain wasn't the best, as Sanchez needed 2 years to fully adapt himself to the new country and new playing style, before he got himself back to the form that made him the scarecrow of all Mexican goalkeepers a few years earlier. The next 3 seasons spent at Atletico would see Sanchez up his goal tally to a total of 54 in 111 matches. The 1984-1985 would be his best though, as Atletico, with Sanchez in top form, would win the Spanish Cup, the Spanish SuperCup and finish second in the Spanish LaLiga, the Mexican striker also winning the "Pichichi" trophy, awarded for the best scorer in the league each year. His awesome performance drew the attention of town-rivals and European bigwigs Real Madrid, who bought him at the end of his best season so far with Atletico. The Mexican was already an established soccer player when he moved to Real and he was at the peak of his career. However, gaining a first team place wasn't an easy feat for anyone, with Real having some extremely talented and prolific strikers in the squad, such as Emilio Butragueno, or Jorge Valdano. Still, Sanchez managed to sneak his way in and become a regular for Real Madrid. Real had a truly outstanding team during the time Sanchez played for them, winning 5 consecutive league titles (85 to 90), the UEFA Cup in 1986 and the Spanish Cup in 1989. The Mexican striker's contribution was no small feat, as he managed to win four consecutive Pichichi titles as top goalscorers, with a goal tally of 253 in 283 matches, an enormous performance for any world class striker. Years National Team Games Goals 1977-1998 Mexico 60 29 Hugo Sanchez Biography – Retirement In 1992, Sanchez decided it's time to return home, but not at the club that launched him into professional soccer, UNAM Pumas, going for one of their rivals, America. He played for one season here, but his performances were rather poor in comparison to how he played in Spain for the past 10 years, so he decided to go back to La Liga at the end of his first season with America, this time playing for Rayo Vallecano, a smaller team than Atletico or Real Madrid. Although finding his scoring pace again Sanchez was on a constant move for the next years, playing in Mexico again for Atlante (1994-1995), for Austrian side Linz (1995-1996), in the United States for Dallas Burn (1996) and finally in Mexico again, for Atletico Celaya, where he would retire from professional soccer in 1998, age 40. Currently, Sanchez is the coach of the Mexico national team, his declared goal being that of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"Edson Arantes do Nascimento"

Where do I start writing a biography of Pele, Brazil's finest product in terms of soccer and the same guy that's considered as being the best all-time soccer player in the World? I could start with his achievements and countless records, but I'd rather leave them for later as the cherry on top of the cake. For now, let's take a look at the cake itself, and slice through the striker's career in this Pele's biography.
Full name : Edson Arantes do Nascimento
Date of birth October 23, 1940
Place of birth : Tres Coracoes, Brazil
Playing position : Striker
Biography of Pele – Early Career
Edson Arrantes de Nascimento by his full name, Pele was born in Tres Coracoes in Brazil, in a family that loved soccer, his father being himself a player for Fluminese (his father was known as Dondinho). In this sporty atmosphere, the young Pele learned to enjoy the game, despite the poverty he grew up in.
The family's situation was even harder when his father had to quit playing soccer professionally due to a knee injury. Thus, for young Pele, soccer was what he regarded as the only way out of poverty and he started training daily, but since he had no money to buy a real ball, he used a stuffed sock instead.
Season Club Games Goals
1956-1974 Santos 605 589
1975-1977 New York Cosmos 64 17
After forming up a "shoeless team" with his street kids, Pele and his team participated in a youth tournament, with Pele ending up as top goalscoarer. He was immediately noticed by former Brazilian international Waldemar de Brito, who called him to the youth squad of Baquinho, whom he trained and, for the first time, offered Pele money to play soccer.
During his year at the club's youth team, Pele managed to win the championship after a dazzling performance: 148 goals in just 33 matches.
Biography of Pele – Santos
At just 15 years of age, Pele was bought by Brazil giants Santos, where he would later team up with some of Brazil's finest players of that era and future World Cup winners, such as Zito, Pepe or Coutinho.
Just one year later after he joined Santos, he became the youngest player to start in the Brazilian first division at age 16 and even more incredibly, he became league top scorer at the end of the season! Talk about starting with the right foot.
As it was not yet the era of Brazilian players running for European careers, Pele remained at Santos for almost 20 years, time in which he scored (read carefully) 1087 goals in 1120 matches. Even if you're not that good at maths, I'm sure you can acknowledge that as an astonishing goal per match ratio.
Biography of Pele – 1000th Goal
One of the milestones in the history of Pele was definitely his 1000th goal scored in all competitions. It was both a highly anticipated moment and an emotional one. On November 19th, 1969 Pele already had scored 999 goals in his career, either for Santos or Brazil's national team. Playing on the Maracana Stadium, Brazil's "cathedral of soccer", against arch-rivals Vasco Da Gama, Pele managed to score from a penalty kick and broke all records standing in front of him.
Years National Team Games Goals
1956-1971 Brazil 92 77
Biography of Pele – National Team and Records -
Throughout his 15 years spent at the Brazil national team, Pele managed to break hundreds of records, but we'll just follow up on those that are deemed most important:
>> He became the most prolific striker in Brazil's history, with 77 goals in 92 matches.
>> Pele, the footballer who used to shine shoes in order to raise money for a real soccer ball, scored 12 goals in different World Cup matches, being beaten only by Ronaldo.
>> He is considered by FIFA the most prolific scorer in soccer history, with 1281 goals in 1363 matches in all competitions.
>> He is the only player to have won three World Cups (gasp!), although he did not receive a medal for the one in 1962, since he was injured in the final (he played on several other matches throughout the campaign though)
>> He is one of the few players to achieve the performance of scoring in two different World Cup finals, sharing this record with Paul Breitner, Vava and Zinedine Zidane.

"Eric Cantona"

Eric Cantona Biography
One person seeing Eric Cantona play in a match will define him as charismatic, while a different supporter from an opposing stand will define him as a madman. The truth is that Cantona was a little bit of everything and his "madness" combined with his charm and of course, his impressive playing ability earned him a legendary status wherever he played. Let's take a look at how the Frenchman progressed throughout his career:
Eric Cantona Biography – Auxerre - Born in Marseille
Cantona always hoped he would play soccer for local giants Olympique, but since he did not get in their youth team, he was redirected to Auxerre. Auxerre's youth teams would be Cantona's home for 2 seasons, before being taken on to the first squad at age 18.
His promising future with the team was put on hold for a while, as he joined the military and carried out his national service for the entirety of 1984, losing crucial training periods that made him unusable for Auxerre next season.
Therefore, Eric Cantona was loaned to second division team FC Martigues, where he would play 15 matches, scoring his first professional goals. Returning to Auxerre in 1986, he would finally win his place in the first squad and during his next two seasons with the club, he managed to score 23 goals that brought him in the eyes of the team that he was a fan of in his childhood: Olympique Marseille.
Eric Cantona Biography – Olympique Marseille -
Unfortunately,Cantona's time at Marseille would not be without bumps. After just one season with the club, in which he scored only 5 goals, his coach decided to loan him out so he can get more playing experience.
Therefore he went on to Bordeaux on a loan transfer, where he would only play half of 1989's season, before being loaned to another French first division team, Montpellier. Returning to Marseille in 1990, Eric Cantona helped the club win their national title, but he was at odds with Coach Raymond Goethals and Chairman Bernard Tapie.
His difficult and often conflicting nature meant that he had to move from Marseille again, but this time on a transfer to Nimes instead of some short term loan option.
His temper didn't settle down here either: during a match, he threw a ball in anger towards the referee and when he was called up to a hearing committee to explain his actions. There, Cantona walked up to each of the comitee's members and called them "idiot" straight to the face, earning himself a 3-month ban from the pitch.

"Michel Platini"

Michel Platini Until Zinedine Zidane walked on the stage of professional soccer, Platini was undoubtedly France's biggest hero and best all-time player, but now the fight favors Zizou, since Platini only managed to bring France a European Championship, whereas Zinedine Zidane took it through a successful World Cup, a European Championship and helped France reach another World Cup final. Still, Platini remains an important figure in French soccer and most importantly, his career after retirement is equally impressive as the one he spent on the grass. Full name : Michel Francois Platini

Date of birth : June 21, 1955
Place of birth : Joeuf, France
Height : 5.10FT - 1.78M
Playing position : Midfielder
Michel Platini Youth Period and AS Nancy

Born in the town of Joeuf, in North Eastern France, Platini started learning soccer on the streets, together with the other neighborhood children. His father, Aldo, was a former professional soccer player and helped young Michel hone his skills and thought him the importance of anticipating his opponents (a skill that would become a trademark for Platini throughout his career).
He joined his first club, AS Joeuf, when he was 11 years old, for which Platini played for 6 seasons and during this time, he trialed for FC Metz' youth squad twice, Metz being his favorite childhood team. Unfortunately, he missed one of the trials due to injury and he had some breathing problems on his second, so he never managed to move to his favorites, instead he was accepted in the Reserve team of Nancy, a smaller team at that time
Season Club Games Goals
1972-1979 AS Nancy 175 98
1979-1982 Saint-Etienne 107 58
1982-1987 Juventus 147 68
Platini didn't take long to make the first team's eyes turn towards him. Scoring a hattrick for the reserve team in a match against Wittelsheim, he was taken to the first squad but before he could debut as a professional soccer player, Michel Platini had the misfortune of being at the receiving end of a fierce tackle in another reserve match, which left him with a badly injured ankle (he did however recover at the end of the season and made a debut on May 3rd 1973).
His second season with Nancy was also pretty miserable, as Platini suffered an arm fracture that kept him off the pitch for a long time and to top it all, Nancy was also relegated in the second division. With Michel Platini back on the pitch, Nancy managed to get back in the first division after just one year, with the young player scoring 17 goals and having numerous assists. But his contract with Nancy was running short and in 1979, he decided to move to Saint Etienne, hoping for a fresh new start.
Michel Platini Biography – Saint Etienne and Juventus
His 3 seasons with Saint Etienne weren't necessarily memorable, but they did bring Michel Platini his first trophy, namely the league title in 1981. Although he also lost two French Cup finals with Saint Etienne, at last he had a break from his string of injuries and was finally able to show what he was capable of. In 1982, he made the move of his career, when Juventus Torino offered him a contract.
When the Frenchman joined Juventus, he found a star-studded team with many Italian players that were successful in the World Cup that just ended, so he had to fight hard to get a spot in the team. His first season at Juve was unimpressive, but in 1983 he became the Serie A top scorer with 16 goals and he was also named European Footballer of the Year due to his excellent performances in the league and European Cup.
1984 was probably his most impressive: he managed to win the Serie A with Juventus, become top scorer in Italy again (with 20 goals this time), bring the first international trophy for his national side, winning the European Championship practically by himself (he was named player of the tournament and was also top goalscorer of the tournament with 9 goals) as well as being named European Footballer of the Year again and also World Soccer Player of the Year. Take that for a successful year...
The next season would have been almost as successful, if not for the price this success came with...as Juventus with a top form Michel Platini reached the European Cup final; it should have been the moment of triumph he was waiting for. And indeed, Juventus won that final 1-0 against Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium, but a tragic event shadowed their success, as the stadium collapsed under the weight of both clubs' supporters, killing 39 people and injuring 600 more.
Besides this sad European Cup title, Michel Platini was again named European Footballer of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year and won the Serie A top scorer competition yet again.
Unfortunately, at age 32, Michel Platini was getting worn down by his numerous injuries and the high pace he played most of his career in. After the 1986 Mexico World Cup, he played one more season for Juventus, before retiring in full glory.
After 1 year of break, he became the coach of France, Michel Platini staying with the team for 4 years. He took the France soccer team when its chances to qualify for the 1990 World Cup were already slim and failed to turn things around, but their qualifying campaign for Euro 1992 was brilliant and many thought Michel Platini would take France all the way to winning yet another European Championship, this time from a manager's posture.
Unfortunately, France was eliminated after the first round being hit by bad luck and bad form and Platini stepped down as a manager.
15 years later and after serving in several Administrative roles at UEFA and FIFA, Platini was elected to the UEFA presidency position On January 2007.
Years National Team Games Goals
1976-1987 France 72 41

"Romario de Souza Faria"

Romario Biography – Introduction
Where to start...how on Earth do you begin a biography with the most interesting detail about the Brazilian striker? Should I mention the fact that he scored 1,000 goals throughout his 23 year career? Should I tell you about the fact that at 41 years of age, he's still playing at the highest professional level? Or should I go on about how he took Brazil to a splendid World Cup win in 1994?
I'm going to try and take it slowly, because this is a player that doesn't deserve to be rushed.
Dawn of Romario's Career
Born in Rio de Janeiro, a hub for world class talented Brazilian soccer players, he went on to play at the local youth club of Vasco Da Gama, one of the big names in the Brazilian championship.
Full name : Romario de Souza Faria
Date of birth : January 29, 1966
Place of birth : Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height : 5.6FT - 1.67M
Playing position : Striker
After 5 years spent at the different youth sections of Vasco, he was finally taken up to the first team in 1985 and was immediately thrown in the fires of the Brazilian championship. His 3 seasons with Vasco earned him experience but also overseas fame and by the time he was 22, he received an offer from one of the most powerful Dutch clubs, PSV Eindhoven.
PSV Eindhoven
PSV was undoubtedly Romario's club career apogee. His 5 seasons spent at the club earned him over 150 goals in roughly the same number of matches and as you can probably guess, that's an impressive goal/appearance ratio for any championship, especially for one as tough as the Dutch one. He managed to win the Dutch league with PSV in 1989, 1991 and 1992, before being bought by Spanish giants FC Barcelona.
FC Barcelona
Romario didn't lose his appetite for goal with his move to Barcelona. In fact, his two seasons there were almost as successful as the ones at PSV, scoring 34 league games for Barca in 46 games, becoming the league's top goalscorer. 1994 was definitely his best year, winning the title with Barcelona, the World Cup with the Brazil national team and being named World Player of the Year. Unfortunately, after a successful 1994-1995 season with Barcelona, his career entered a downfall.
Traveling the Brazil-Spain Route
Moving back to Brazilian side Flamengo in 1995 was not the best of moves for him. Although he did play well here, one season later he found himself going back to Spain to play for Valencia CF for half a season. Returning to Flamengo again, in the 1996-1997 season, only to find himself back at, you guessed, Valencia once more for the second part of the season. And guess where he went back the next year? Yep, Flamengo again.
Season Club Games Goals
1985-1988 Vasco da Gama 47 17
1988-1993 PSV Eindhoven 109 98
1993-1995 FC Barcelona 46 34
1995-1996 Flamengo 16 8
1996 Valencia CF 5 4
1996-1997 Flamengo 7 3
1997 Valencia CF 6 1
1998-1999 Flamengo 39 26
1999-2002 Vasco da Gama 46 41
2002-2003 Fluminense 26 16
2003 Al Sadd SC 3 0
2005-2006 Vasco da Gama 32 24
2006 Miami FC 25 19
2006 Adelaide United 4 1
2007 Vasco da Gama 15 3
This overseas table-tennis that he played between the Brazilian soccer and the Spanish soccer made him lose his efficiency and these 4 years would prove vital later on, as he would try to beat Pele's record of 1,000 official goals.
The next 3 years saw him settle down a bit, at Vasco da Gama, the club that introduced him to professional soccer. Romario found his pace again, scoring 41 times in 46 league matches but in 2002, he found himself playing for another Brazilian club, namely Fluminense, in the 2002-2003 season.
Years National Team Games Goals
1987-2005 Brazil 71 56
When everyone thought the Brazilian striker would settle down, Al Saad came in with a financial offer that no one could have refused, especially Romario who seemed keen to travel the World. His spell with the Quatari side would not be long and by the start of the 2003-2004 season, he was in Brazil again, playing for Fluminense again.
Unfortunately, a conflict with the head coach of the team saw him get fired in 2004, so he decided to go back to the team that launched him into soccer, Vasco Da Gama (it was his 3 spell with the club).
By the time he started the 2005-2006 season for Vasco, no one really gave him a chance of staying at the club for more than one season and that's exactly what happened. 24 Romario goals helped Vasco win the title, but the striker moved on to Miami FC in a lucrative deal.
He did spend a full season in the United States, but only half of it for Miami FC...the second part of 2006 saw him joining Adelaide United, although he barely played for this team.
Nowadays, he plays for Vasco again, for the fourth time in his career, at age 41. Just recently, he managed to score what he believes to be his 1,000th official goal, thus equalizing Pele's record, however many believe that Romario only has 930 goals and not 1000, since he counted goals Romario had scored in unofficial matches as well.
All in all, with a career that spanned over 23 seasons at 9 different teams (he did switch teams 16 times thought, although often returning to a team he played for in the past) and over 930 certain goals under his belt, a World Cup and a long list of trophies won on every continent he played on, he is undoubtedly one of soccer's greatest strikers of all times.

"Diego Armando Maradona "

It's difficult to talk about Diego Maradona without comparing him to Pele. C'mon, despite both former soccer players' flattering declarations towards the other one, there's clearly a rivalry between them for the title of "Best Player of All Time". Still, I'll try to detach myself from this comparison, since they are different players, with different game styles, different positions on the pitch and, most importantly, played in different leagues. If we want to make peace between both sides, we can just say that Pele was the best striker of all times, whereas Diego Armando Maradona was the best midfielder, but that's about as far as I will go with the comparison. So since I covered Pele in his biography, let's take a short look at this Diego Maradona biography that will take you from his youth, all the way to his career's end. Diego Maradona Biography – Early Years Born in poverty in one of Buenos Aires' outskirt areas, Diego Armando Maradona certainly had no favorable conditions to become a soccer player. His numerous family, including 3 older sisters and 2 younger brothers meant that the family budget went into necessities and the small boy couldn't even afford a ball to play with on the streets of his neighborhood. Full name : Diego Armando Maradona Date of birth : October 30, 1960 Place of birth : Villa Fiorito, Argentina Height : 5.5FT - 1.65M Playing position : Attacking Midfielder Luckily, some of the other kids could afford one and invited Diego to play, since he proved to be extremely talented even during his early years. It was in one of these "street matches" that Maradona was first spotted by a talent scout and, at age 10, was offered a place in the youth squad of Argentinos Juniors. Despite being shorter than most of his youth teammates who grew up above him, he used his physical constitution to his advantage. His strong legs and low center of gravity meant that he could fire up short sprints past defenders and also control the ball much quickly on the ground. These characteristics made him debut to the Argentinos Juniors in 1976 and played for the team for 5 more years, before being bought by Argentinian bigwigs, Boca Juniors. Diego Maradona Biography – Boca Juniors and the National squad Since he played well constantly for Boca and already had a few sporadic appearances in the national squad before, Diego Armando Maradona was called for the 1982 World Cup and pretty much to everyone's surprise, the young Argentinean played in all of his country's five matches, without being substituted and even managed to score twice against Hungary. Season Club Games Goals 1976–1981 Argentinos Juniors 168 116 1981–1982 Boca Juniors 40 28 1982–1984 FC Barcelona 58 38 1984–1991 Napoli 259 115 1992–1993 Sevilla FC 29 7 1993 Newell's Old Boys 7 0 1995–1997 Boca Juniors 31 7 His performance attracted the eyes of European giants such as FC Barcelona, who eventually bought him from Boca. Diego Maradona Biography - Barcelona, Napoli & the 1986 World Cup His transfer to Barcelona wasn't the big blast he and the Barca fans had hoped for, as a series of injuries and the adjustment to his new team made him shine out less than at Boca. After just two seasons, he chose to change the Spanish air with the Italian one, transferring at what was then a rather mediocre Italian team, SSC Napoli. It's here that Diego Armando Maradona found his career’s highest point, as he became one of the most adored players in Napoli and Italy and managed to bring this uneventful mid-table team to win its first championship in 1986/87, then went on to be runners up the next two seasons, before eventually winning the "Scudetto" again in 1989/1990. In 1986, with another World Cup closing in, Maradona was on the top of his game and he was expected to be one of the stars of the tournament. He did not let his fans down, as he captained the Argentinean national squad in what was one of the most rampant runs from a World Cup team. Maradona himself scored 5 goals and had 5 assists throughout the tournament, with one of the goal, scored against England in the quarter finals, viewed by many as the "Goal of the Century". Maradona then received the ball in his half, around 60 meters from England's goal, started a madman's sprint, dribbling everything in his way (6 English players and the goalkeeper) and scored a goal that will be remembered for some time. Although he also scored a controversial handball goal, called the "Hand of God" he received the Golden Ball award and was voted player of the year. Diego Maradona – Career End - The end of Diego Armando Maradona's career found him switching teams to find his recently lost spark, as he moved from Napoli to FC Sevilla in 1992, then to Argentinian side Newell's Old Boys in 1993 and eventually back to Boca Juniors in 1995, for which he played two more years. Years National Team Games Goals 1977–1994 Argentina 91 34 The temperamental Argentinean captained his national side in Italy's 1990 World Cup and Argentina was close to defending its title, but despite reaching the final, the team did not play as well as in 1986 and an ankle injury did not allow Diego Armando Maradona to play at his best either. Eventually, they lost the final to West Germany 1-0. His final soccer years found him playing for yet another World Cup, the 1994 one held in the United States, but an aged Diego Maradona, hindered by his numerous mistakes only managed to play in two games, before being sent home after failing a controversial drug test. However, all problems aside, he became part of a select group of players that managed to play in 4 different World Cups and at that, score in all 4 of them!

Roberto Baggio

"Roberto Baggio"
I'm pretty sure Roberto Baggio needs no introduction to anyone reading this, but I still think he had an interesting career all-round, so I decided to write up this short Roberto Baggio biography.
One of the things I noticed in my studies for this biography is that Roberto Baggio is equally well known in the United States as he is in Europe. Almost no other European soccer player achieved this status, except maybe those that played in US at the end of their career, such as Franz Beckenbauer, Jurgen Klinsmann or more recently, David Beckham.
The explanation is simple: he was one of the heroes of the 1994 World Cup held in the United States and his charm, good gameplay and openness to the public gave him this boost in popularity in all parts of the World. But before we get to the 1994 moment, let's see where this magnificent player chiseled his soccer skills.
Roberto Baggio Biography – Vicenza
Born in a small town near the city of Vicenza, Roberto Baggio was spotted as a future talent early on and he signed with the Vicenza team, who was playing in the third Italian division at that time, when he was only 15 years of age. It's here that he learned the basics of soccer and got accustomed to professionalism and by the time he was 18, he was already on the shortlist of Fiorentina, one of the powers in Serie A (the first Italian division) at that time.
Roberto Baggio Biography – Fiorentina
Although not playing in the first few months at Fiorentina, after one season of getting used to the high air of the Serie A, Baggio was finally given the chance to enter the pitch on September the 1st, 1986. Although his first 2 seasons he wasn’t really a first team regular, over the next 3 he would spend at Fiorentina, he will have one of the biggest boosts of his career, becoming an idol for the fans and one of the most feared strikers in Italy.
This great form brought him in the eyes of the national team staff, but also attracted huge offers for him from bigger, wealthier clubs throughout Europe. In 1990, Italian champions Juventus Torino faxed Fiorentina an offer for Baggio that they and the player could not resist: $20 million, the biggest sum paid for a soccer player at that time.
Roberto Baggio Biography – Juventus
In the 5 seasons played for Juventus, Roberto Baggio was more prolific than ever, scoring almost 80 goals in 141 matches, a feat that's even more important considering it was achieved in the most defensive championship of the World.
But the achievements at Juventus weren't all that great, with the team having a rather low form compared to what was about to follow for the Torino club. He only managed to win the Championship once with Juve, in 1995 when he also won his first and only Italian Cup. 1993 also brought him his only European cup success, as he won the UEFA Cup with his team.
This period was actually his best, as he won the UEFA Cup in 1993, was named FIFA World Player of the Year and World Footballer of the Year as well and qualified Italy's national side to the 1994 World Cup.