Michael Essien

Michael Essien


Michael Kojo Essien (also referred to as Mickaël Essien) (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian footballer who currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League. He is an all-round midfielder who can play multiple midfield roles (defensively and offensively). He has often been touted as a box-to-box midfielder for his ability to exert boundless energy in supporting offensive and defensive play. At Chelsea, his versatility as a player has been put to effective use in various roles. He has often been deployed as a defensive midfielder, but has also played as a centre midfielder, a right-sided lateral defender or a right-sided midfielder, even as a Right Back, and a Center Back. For the Ghana national football team, Essien has played primarily in a central midfield role, with combined opportunities to go forward or support defensive play. He also has a good eye for goal and has on occasion scored important, sometimes breath-taking goals for both club and country. One of his trademark abilities is to hit a shot from distance. Between the summer of 2007 and the summer of 2009, Essien was the most expensive African footballer on account of his £24.4 million move from French club Olympique Lyonnais to Chelsea FC.[2] This achievement is now surpassed by Togolese player Emmanuel Adebayor, who moved from Arsenal to Manchester City for £25 million in the summer of 2009. Essien is often referred to as "the Bison" for his tough tackling style, boundless energy and physical presence on the pitch.


Background

Born in Accra to Ghanaian parents, Aba Gyandoh and James Essien, Essien began his football career after graduating from St. Augustine's College in Cape Coast, playing in a local club in his native Ghana, called Liberty Professionals. He broke through when he played in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand.This led to considerable attention from European scouts, and he even had a trial at Manchester United in April 2000, playing in the club's youth team's defeat by Derby County.

Club career

Bastia

In July 2000, Essien was signed by French club Bastia. He did not immediately command a consistent place in the team, being deployed in various positions in the back four; however, because of an injury to one of his team-mates, he was given a temporary opportunity to play in central midfield, and flourished in this new role; he was even compared to Frenchman Patrick Vieira because of his ability to go from box to box.[citation needed] In the 2002–03 season, he helped Bastia to qualify for the UEFA Cup, scoring six goals that season. Soon, Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon and Marseille made offers for him.

Olympique Lyonnais Paris Saint-Germain made Bastia the best offer and it was accepted,but Essien rejected PSG's contract offer, and instead agreed terms with Lyon, who paid Bastia €7.8 million for the transfer.[6] At Lyon, Essien played more of a defensive midfield role, featuring regularly in the Lyon team that won the third and fourth of their ongoing string of consecutive Ligue 1 titles. He was also voted the 2005 Player of the Year by France's National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP).He was also nominated for the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year Award. He placed 22nd in 2005.

Chelsea

On August 14, 2005, Lyon and Chelsea agreed a £24.4 million fee for the Ghanaian, finally ending one of the longest-running transfer sagas.[8][9] At the time, the fee made Essien Chelsea's most expensive signing of all time, beating the £24 million they paid for Didier Drogba the previous summer. The transfer went through on August 19. The transfer came under scrutiny in the Stevens inquiry report, which expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents Pinhas Zahavi and Barry Silkman.

He made his debut as a second half substitute against Arsenal on August 21, 2005, wearing the number 5 on his shirt.The game ended with a 1-0 victory to Chelsea.[12] He made an assist in his full debut against West Bromwich Albion, and he replaced the injured Claude Makélélé in the defensive midfield role against Sunderland in the 2–0 win on September 10, 2005. He soon cemented his place in José Mourinho's side, starting in 31 domestic league games, and 11 appearances in the other cup competitions.

On May 15, 2007, Chelsea fans voted Essien as Chelsea Player of the Year for his contributions in the 2006–07 season, becoming the first African to receive the honour. His late dramatic equalising goal against Arsenal was also voted as Chelsea Goal of the Season for 2006–07.

On August 13, 2007, Essien grabbed the winner with his first goal of the 2007–08 Premier League campaign, as Chelsea defeated Birmingham City, to set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home – eclipsing Liverpool's previous top-flight record of 63 set between 1978 and 1981.

On October 10, 2007, he was nominated for the prestigious 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Award for the third consecutive year and on October 21, 2007 Essien was also nominated for the 2007 Ballon d'Or Award for the third consecutive year as well. He was voted 15th Best Player in the World at the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Awards. On December 12, 2007, Essien was nominated for the 2007 African Footballer of the Year a third consecutive time he had been nominated.He was Runner-up to that year's winner Frédéric Kanouté.
On July 22, 2008, Essien signed a new five-year deal with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2013.

It was feared Essien would miss the 2008-09 season after sustaining anterior cruciate ligament damage on September 5 whilst playing for Ghana. However, on March 7 2009, he came on as a substitute in the second half of the FA Cup game against Coventry City. In his second game back from the knee injury, just before half time, Essien scored to give Chelsea a vital away-goal versus Juventus in the Champions League round of 16. Chelsea went on the draw the match 2-2 and through to the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate. He made his first league start from injury against Manchester City, and scored the only goal in the match.

On May 6 2009, Essien scored a stunning left-footed volley in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona, a tie which Chelsea ultimately lost due to the away goal rule. The goal was later voted 2008-09 goal of the season by the Chelsea fans.

International career

Even though he was one of the youngest players in the tournament, Essien took part in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina. His exceptional performances captured the attention of many and was widely tipped to be one of Africa's next rising stars. He made his competitive senior debut in the 2002 African Nations Cup against Morocco on 21 January, 2002.but had played for Ghana in a Pre-Tournament friendly against Egypt on January 4, 2002.
On May 16, 2006, Essien was selected to be part of the team that represented Ghana at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played in midfield with team captain Stephen Appiah formerly of Fenerbahçe and Sulley Ali Muntari of Internazionale. Essien played in Ghana's 0–2 defeat to Italy, their 2–0 victory over the Czech Republic, and the 2–1 victory over the United States, and helped Ghana become the only African team to reach the second round of the 2006 World Cup. However, Essien was suspended for Ghana's second round match against Brazil and could only watch as Ghana lost 0–3.


Honours

Club

Lyon

* Ligue 1: 2003–04, 2004–05

Chelsea

* Premier League: 2005–06
* FA Community Shield: 2009
* FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09
* Football League Cup: 2006–07

Individual

* 2005 French Player of the Year
* BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2006
* Chelsea Goal of the season: 2006-07 vs Arsenal, 2008-09 vs Barcelona
* 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament

Personal information

Full name Michael Kojo Essien
Date of birth December 3, 1982 (1982-12-03) (age 26)
Place of birth Accra, Ghana
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position Midfielder, Defender

Club information

Current club Chelsea
Number 5

Youth career

1999–2000 Liberty Professionals

Senior career*

Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2000–2003 Bastia 65 (11)
2003–2005 Lyon 71 (7)
2005– Chelsea 109 (11)
National team‡
2002– Ghana 45 (8)

Obafemi Martins

Obafemi Martins

Obafemi Akinwunmi Foluwashola Oshadi Martins (born on 28 October 1984) is a Nigerian football player who plays as a forward for the Nigeria national team, and for the German Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.

Martins has two brothers who also play football professionally: his elder brother, Oladipupo Olarotini Martins, and his younger brother John Ronan Martins.[1] The name 'Obafemi' translates literally to 'the king loves me' in the Yoruba language

Personal information

Full name Obafemi Akinwunmi Oshadi Martins
Date of birth 28 October 1984 (1984-10-28) (age 24)
Place of birth Lagos, Nigeria
-weight:bold;">Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information

Current club Wolfsburg
Number 11

Youth career

1999–2000 F.C. Ebedei
2000–2001 Reggiana
2001–2002 Internazionale

Senior career

Years Club App (Gls)*
2002–2006 Internazionale 88 (28)
2006–2009 Newcastle United 88 (28)
2009– Wolfsburg 06 0(2)

National team
2004– Nigeria 24 (13)

Club career

Early years

Born in Lagos, Martins joined the local football club F.C. Ebedei at the age of 14, having been scouted by manager Churchill Oliseh while playing on the streets of his hometown. After a year with the club, Italian Serie C side A.C. Reggiana made a move for the player. After a two-month trial, Martins and fellow Ebedei teammate Stephen Makinwa signed youth contracts with the club in 2000. His first season in Italy saw Martins break into the first team squad, and later in the year Serie A sides Perugia and Inter made offers for the forward.

Internazionale

A €750,000 transfer fee took Martins to Internazionale in 2001, and in his first season he scored 23 goals for the youth team, helping them to the Italian Under-18 title. His form for the youth side led to his first-team league debut the following season, in a match against Parma in December 2002. He didn't become a regular member of the first team squad until the 2002–03 season. He played in his first UEFA Champions League match that season, and came on as a substitute against his future employers, Newcastle United, at St. James' Park. He scored his first Champions League goal in a match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen to secure Inter's place in the quarter finals; footage of his celebratory somersaults were subsequently used by UEFA to advertise the following season's competition. He scored again in the semi-final match against Inter's arch-rivals A.C. Milan, but couldn't prevent the club losing out on away goals to the competition's eventual winners. He ended the season with one league goal in four games.

Martins signed a long-term contract with Inter Milan in 2005 which ran until 2010 and was worth around €2.5 million annually.[6] His good form for Inter continued and he was called to play in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations for Nigeria.
Although he had some success with Inter, scoring 28 goals for the club in 88 league games as well as 11 goals in European competitions, the young Nigerian was sold in August 2006. This was due to Inter bringing in two new strikers; first Argentinian Hernán Crespo was brought in on loan from Chelsea and then the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic was bought by Inter from Juventus.

With Martins handing in a transfer request in August 2006, a number of English clubs were alerted to his availability. From the onset, Newcastle were thought to be the front runners and it was no surprise when on 24 August 2006, Martins completed his move to Newcastle United from Internazionale, signing for around £10 million in a five year deal. He was paraded in front of the Geordie fans before their UEFA cup tie against FK Ventspils. It was later confirmed he would be taking the famous number 9 shirt, replacing club-record goalscorer Alan Shearer following his retirement.

Martins made his debut on 27 August, in the 2–0 defeat to Aston Villa, in which he was stretchered off with a knee injury. It turned out that Martins suffered a severe dead leg and internal bleeding. His unremarkable first few appearances for Newcastle caused manager Glenn Roeder to speak out in his defence.
Martins scored 6 goals in 12 league games during the first half of the 2008–09 season before a torn hamstring ruled him out for several games.[11] It was confirmed on 7 January 2009, that Martins would undergo hernia surgery in Germany the next Monday. He was be operated on by renowned specialist Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck.He did make it back in time for the last two games of the season but could not stop Newcastle being relegated to the Coca-Cola Championship.
During his three-year spell on Tyneside, Martins became a firm favourite of the fans and amassed 39 goals in all competitions from 105 games.

Just by coincidence, Martins played 88 league games and scored 28 Serie A goals for Inter and also played and scored the exact same amounts in the Premiership for Newcastle.

Wolfsburg

On 29 July 2009 Newcastle United accepted a £9million bid from Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg, the transfer was confirmed on 31 July with Martins signing a four year contract.[13] The four year deal was finished on August 12, with the club officially unveiling the Nigerian international to the press and Wolfsburg supporters'.[14] For his debut, Martins came on as a second half substitute against FC Koln at the Rhein Energie Stadion, with his team deadlocked at 1-1. He helped in the buildup to the second goal and capped off his first appearance in the Bundesliga for Wolfsburg with a well-taken goal after dribbling past two on-rushing defenders in the arc, and then cooly finishing from six yards out, slotting the ball past the Cologne keeper to the far post.


Honours

Nigeria Individual:

* Confederation of African Football 'Young Player of the Year' 2003
* Confederation of African Football 'Young Player of the Year' 2004

Italy Internazionale:

* Italian Serie A - Winner: 2005–06
* Coppa Italia - Winner: 2004–05, 2005–06
* SuperCoppa Italiana - Winner: 2004–05, 2005–06

England Newcastle United:

* UEFA Intertoto Cup - Winner: 2006.

JOHN MIKEL OBI

Mikel John Obi

John Michael Nchekwube Obinna was born 22 April 1987,He is commonly known as Mikel John Obi, John Obi Mikel or John Mikel Obi, is a Nigerian footballer, who currently plays as a Midfielder for Chelsea.

Chelsea

2006–07 season

On September 12, 2006, Mikel made his first start for Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League against Levski Sofia and took a powerful shot which the goalkeeper failed to save and Didier Drogba pounced on the rebound. Mikel received many positive comments for his performance in the match. However, since being sent off in a match against Reading on October 14, 2006, Mikel was fined on three separate occasions by Chelsea for turning up late to training.

2007-2008 season

Mikel was sent-off for the third time in his career in September 2007, when Mike Dean dismissed him for a tackle on Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. Chelsea appealed against the red card but the three-match suspension was upheld.

He was also sent off in the semi-final of the Carling cup against Everton, for a challenge on Phil Neville. Despite this, he came back strongly to round off what has been a good first two seasons for him at Chelsea Football Club.

2008–09 season

The summer of 2008 saw veteran midfielder Claude Makélélé transferred to French club Paris Saint Germain, leaving the defensive midfield position vacant. Throughout the 2008/09 season, Mikel saw a great deal of playing time due to an injury to Michael Essien. During this period of increased action, Mikel performed admirably in the role. His ever-improving game was praised by Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, and his importance to the team was underlined when he provided the free kick that Salomon Kalou scored to equalise against Manchester United. He played so well in the 2008–09 season that he was nominated for the club player and young player of the season. On 22 July, Mikel signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea.

International career

Mikel made his debut for Nigeria's senior team on August 17, 2005, when he came on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 friendly win over Libya. He did not play for the national team again prior to being named in the squad for the 2006 African Cup of Nations. In Nigeria's first group game, which was against Ghana, Mikel was an unused substitute. However, he was introduced into the second game, against Zimbabwe, early in the second half. Within ten minutes of coming on, he had supplied both the corner that resulted in Christian Obodo heading the game's opening goal, and scored Nigeria's second goal. He made his first international start in Nigeria's final group game, a 2–1 victory over Senegal. During the cup, Mikel said that he had been instructed not to make any public comments about his club career. FIFA is to investigate claims that Obi had received death threats.

Mikel was suspended from all Nigerian national teams. Berti Vogts, manager of the Nigerian national team, dropped Mikel from the team's squad for the African Nations' Cup qualifier against Niger, for failing to attend their previous match against Uganda. Mikel cited an injury, but because he did not attend an independent check by Nigerian officials, he was dropped. This, and his refusal to play for the Nigerian Under-23 side resulted in his suspension by the NFA. He has now apologized and has been called up to the National squad for the African Cup of Nations. During the 2008 African Nations Cup in Ghana, he scored 1 goal and registered one assist, both against Benin Republic, to help Nigeria qualify for the quarterfinals against hosts, Ghana where they narrowly lost 2–1. Mikel had been called up for the Under-23 side in preparation of the team's last olympic qualifier on March 26, 2008, needing a win to qualify. His failure to show up for any of the qualifiers again setting off some controversy with the U-23 team coach Samson Siasia, who dropped him from the Olympic squad amidst significant furor from the media.

Honours Club

Chelsea

* FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09
* League Cup: 2006–07
* FA Community Shield: 2009

Individual

* African Young Player of the Year (2): 2005, 2006
* Chelsea Young Player of the Year (2): 2007, 2008

EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR

Emmanuel Adebayor

Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor was born on the 26th of February 1984. He is a professional footballer born in Togo to Nigerian parents of the Yoruba ethnic group. He plays for English Premier League team Manchester City and the Togo national team as a striker. Adebayor previously played for FC Metz, AS Monaco and Arsenal, and was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008.

Club career

Early career

Adebayor began his career in his homeland playing for Sporting Club de Lomé. He made it to the U-15 level, and was spotted by French club Metz. After a trial, Adebayor joined the club in 1999 and played at the U-17 level for two years before joining the second team.

In his first season, he played nine games and scored twice. In the 2002–03 season, Adebayor scored 17 goals in 35 games. He signed a new contract with Monaco in 2003, and he scored seven goals in 17 appearances, helping them reach the Champions League final with two goals in 10 games.

Personal information

Full name Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor
Date of birth 26 February 1984 (1984-02-26) (age 25)
Place of birth Lomé, Togo
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position Striker

Club information

Current club Manchester City
Number 25

Senior career

Years Club App (Gls)*
1997–1998 Sporting Club de Lomé 004 0(4)
1999–2001 Metz B 007 0(6)
2001–2003 Metz 018 0(4)
2003–2006 Monaco 044 (15)
2006–2009 Arsenal 079 (18)
2009– Manchester City 104 (46)

National team2

2000– Togo 038 (16)


Manchester City

On 18 July 2009, Adebayor signed a five-year contract with Manchester City, for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of £25 million.[28] He scored a goal on his debut for City against Blackburn Rovers, smashing a shot from 18 yards past Paul Robinson in the third minute.On his home debut, Adebayor scored the only goal in the 17th minute in a 1–0 in over Wolverhampton Wanderers, assisted by fellow summer signing Carlos Tévez. He scored in his third consecutive league match, heading the winner in a 1–0 away victory against Portsmouth.[31] He then scored in his fourth consecutive match, this time against his former team, Arsenal in a 4–2 victory at the City of Manchester Stadium. In the match against Arsenal, Adebayor's former team mate Van Persie accused him of deliberately kicking him in the face, and he was later handed a three-match ban after being found guilty of violent conduct. Adebayor was also criticized for running almost the full length of the pitch to the Arsenal supporters and celebrating in front of them after scoring his goal causing an attempted pitch invasion and objects to be thrown towards him on the pitch. He was booked for this, but did later apologize.[35] Mark Hughes suggested Adebayor did it because he wanted to be loved by Manchester City fans.

International career

Born in Togo, Adebayor was also eligible to play for Nigeria but chose to represent the country of his birth. Adebayor helped Togo qualify for the 2006 African Cup of Nations by scoring 11 goals in the qualifiers, more than any other player in the African qualifiers. On 10 February 2009, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) picked Adebayor as the African Footballer of the Year for 2008 at an awards ceremony held in Lagos, Nigeria. Adebayor beat final nominees Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt and Ghana's Michael Essien in a vote that involved the national team coaches of CAF's 54 member-nations. It was the first time a Togolese won the award as Africa's best player. (reference 11)

Adebayor helped Togo to qualify for World Cup 2006 and started all of Togo's group matches in Germany. He did not score any goals and Togo was eliminated in the group stage. He was made captain after the qualification.

He was called up for the 2006 African Cup of Nations, where he was a substitute for the country's first match, following a row with the coach. Adebayor first vowed to leave the tournament and return home, although he later resumed training with the side. Togo were eliminated after losing all three matches. He was dropped by Togo following the row over bonus payments. However, Adebayor was brought back into the Togo team in September 2007. On 11 October 2008, he scored four goals in Togo's 6–0 hammering of Swaziland during the World Cup qualification rounds.

Despite being injured, Adebayor played for Togo against Cameroon. Within this match he scored the only goal for Togo to seal the win

Honours

Individual

* Goal of the Month: September 2007
* Goal of the Season: 2007–08
* PFA Team of the Year: 2007–08
* BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2007
* African Player of the Year: 2008
* Togo Footballer of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

DIDIER DROGBA

Didier Drogba

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily was born on,11 March 1978 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.He is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League and is the captain and all-time leading scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team. He scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's ninth highest goal scorer of all time.

As a young child Drogba moved to France. After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans. A late bloomer, he signed his first professional contract aged 21 but it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realised his potential, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 1 for Guingamp. During the same season he made his first international appearance for Côte d'Ivoire in September and scored his first international goal the following February. He moved to Olympique de Marseille in 2003 for £3.3 million and his prolific ways continued, finishing as the third highest scorer in the league with 19 goals and making it to the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

Drogba moved to Chelsea the following season for a record breaking fee of £24 million, making him the most expensive Côte d'Ivoire player in history. In addition, Drogba scored decisive goals in the 2005 FA Community Shield and League Cup Final and helped the club win their first ever Premier League title. Drogba came to prominence as one of the world's foremost strikers in 2006 as he won the league title with Chelsea again and captained the national team for the first time. In the 2006 World Cup he scored Côte d'Ivoire's first ever goal of the competition and he was chosen as the 2006 African Footballer of the Year. The next season he finished as top scorer in the 2006–07 Premier League with 20 goals and also scored the winning goals in the 2007 League Cup and FA Cup finals.

Away from the pitch, Drogba is known for his charity work and was appointed by the United Nations Development Programme as a Goodwill Ambassador in 2007. He has three children with his Malian wife, Alla.


Personal information

Full name Didier Yves Drogba Tébily
Date of birth 11 March 1978 (1978-03-11) (age 31)
Place of birth Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1/2 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information

Current club Chelsea
Number 11
Youth career
1996–1997 Levallois
1997–1998 Le Mans

Senior career*

Years Club Apps (Gls)
1998–2002 Le Mans 064 0(12)
2002–2003 Guingamp 045 0(20)
2003–2004 Marseille 035 0(19)
2004– Chelsea 142 0(61)
Total 286 (112)

National team

2002– Côte d'Ivoire 060 0(41)

Early life

Didier Drogba was born in Côte d'Ivoire and at the age of five he was sent to France by his parents to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, a professional footballer. However, Drogba soon became homesick and returned to Abidjan after three years. His mother nicknamed him "Tito", after president Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia whom she admired greatly. He played football every day in a car park in the city but his return to Côte d'Ivoire was short lived. Both of his parents lost their jobs and he again returned to live with his uncle. In 1991, his parents also travelled to France, first to Vannes and then settling in 1993 at Antony in the Paris suburbs, at which point the 15-year-old Drogba returned to live with them and his siblings. It was here that he began playing team football more frequently, joining a local youth side.

2008–09 Season in Chelsea

Drogba suffered a string of injuries early on in the season and struggled to regain fitness, missing games from August to November due to knee problems. He scored his first goal of the season in mid-November but there was little reason to celebrate: he incurred disciplinary action and a three match ban for throwing a coin back into the stands and Chelsea suffered a League Cup defeat against Burnley.Drogba scored his second goal of the season in a 2–1 victory against CFR Cluj in the UEFA Champions League, while his first Premier League goal of the season came in a 2–0 win against West Bromwich Albion in late December 2008.Having missed many games through injury and suspension, Drogba had lost his first team place and manager Scolari favoured playing Nicolas Anelka as a lone striker rather than pairing the two. However, he resolved to regain his position in the squad and Chelsea remained keen to keep the Ivorian.

Upon the temporary appointment of Guus Hiddink in early February following the sacking of Scolari, Drogba enjoyed a rejuvenation of sorts, returning to his rich goal-scoring form with four goals in five games after the new manager took over.[34][35] His revival in form saw him net twice against Bolton Wanderers, and four times in four Champions League matches, one in each leg of the last sixteen and quarter final of the competition against Juventus and Liverpool respectively, with these goals ensuring Chelsea's passage into the semi-finals. Just four days after his Champions League heroics, Drogba scored a late winner in the FA Cup semi-final match against Arsenal after Frank Lampard's superb pass found Drogba and he carefully rounded Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski before slotting into an empty net. Drogba also caused controversy after Chelsea's Champions League semi-final defeat at the hands of FC Barcelona. Feeling that many decisions had gone against Chelsea, substituted Drogba confronted referee Tom Henning Øvrebø after the final whistle. He received a yellow card in the process and was recorded shouting "it's a fucking disgrace" into a television camera. On 17 June 2009 UEFA subsequently handed him a six game European ban with the final two games suspended.The ban then was cut down by 1 match after an appeal by Chelsea F.C In the 2009 FA Cup Final he scored Chelsea's first and equalising goal as they went on to win 2-1.[39] This was his sixth goal in a major cup final in England.

Although Drogba had previously expressed his desire to switch clubs, he decided to remain with the Blues under new coach Carlo Ancelotti and sign a new contract.

2009-10 Season in Chelsea

Drogba began the season in fine form for Chelsea, netting a penalty during a shoot-out in the Community Shield over Manchester United, before scoring twice in a 2-1 victory over Hull City. Drogba earned himself an assist when he was fouled in the area to give Chelsea a penalty, which Frank Lampard duly converted, in a 3-1 victory over Sunderland. In Chelsea's third game of the season against West-London rivals Fulham, Drogba scored his third goal of the season. Drogba scored his fourth goal of the season, against Stoke City; Chelsea ended winning the game 2-1 with a late strike from Malouda.He added a fifth at home against London rivals Tottenham on 20th September. This was his 99th goal for the club in all competitions.Drogba was again important in the 2-0 win over title rivals Liverpool on 4 October. He was involved in both goals, setting up Anelka and Malouda.

HONORS

Club

England Chelsea
o FA Premier League: 2004-05, 2005-06
o FA Cup: 2006-07, 2008-09
o FA Community Shield: 2005, 2009
o Football League Cup: 2004-05, 2006-07

Individual

* Onze d'Or: 2004
* UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 2004
* Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2004
* Ivorian Footballer of the Year: 2006, 2007
* Barclays Player of the Month: April 2005
* African Footballer of the Year: 2006
* Premier League Top Scorer: 2007
* UEFA Team of the Year: 2007
* PFA Team of the Year: 2007
* FIFPro World XI: 2007
* Ivory Coast all-time Top Scorer

SAMUEL ETO'O FILS

Samuel Eto'o

Samuel Eto'o Fils (born 10 March 1981 in Douala) is a Cameroonian footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Internazionale and is currently serving as captain of the Cameroon national team.

Eto'o scored over 100 goals in five seasons with FC Barcelona, and is also the record holder in number of appearances by an African player in La Liga. As of June 2009, he is the joint 3rd highest goalscorer in Barça's history, along with Rivaldo. He is the second player (the first being Raúl) to have ever scored in two separate UEFA Champions League finals.

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 two World Cups and five African Nations Cups (being champion twice), and is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the African Nations Cup, with 16 goals.

Personal information

Full name Samuel Eto'o Fils
Date of birth 10 March 1981 (1981-03-10) (age 28)
Place of birth Douala, Cameroon
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information
Current club Internazionale
Number 9

Youth career
Kadji Sports Academy

Senior career*
Years Club Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Real Madrid 3 (1)
1997–1998 ? Leganés (loan) 28 (3)
1999 ? Espanyol (loan) 0 (0)
2000 ? Mallorca (loan) 13 (6)
2000–2004 Mallorca 120 (48)
2004–2009 FC Barcelona 145 (108)
2009– Internazionale 7 (3)

National team
1996– Cameroon 86 (41)



Club career

Real Madrid

Samuel Eto'o joined Real Madrid in 1997, but he could only train with Real Madrid B, as he was still a minor. Real Madrid B were relegated to the Segunda División B, where non-EU players are not allowed, and as a result he was loaned to second-division CD Leganés for the 1997-98 season. After making 30 appearances for the club and only scoring 4 goals, he returned to Madrid following the end of the 1997-98 season. In January 1999, he was loaned out to Espanyol,[5] but failed to make any appearances for the club.

2007–2009

Eto'o refused to come on as a substitute in a league match against Racing Santander on 11 February 2007. Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard said after the match, "He did not want to come on; I don't know why." Ronaldinho was critical of Eto'o's actions, saying that Eto'o was not putting the team first but Eto'o rebutted the comment, claiming that he did not come on because he did not have enough time to warm up properly. Three months later, Eto'o said, "These kind of things are usually just speculation and don't come through to me. However, if it is true that I am a problem for my team then I will go. But like I said, I am happy here. The press can write what they want." Following the comments, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta was quick to quash rumours of transfers involving Eto'o and Ronaldinho.

After aggravating a meniscus injury on 28 August during a summer friendly against Internazionale, Eto'o was sidelined indefinitely. On 17 October, in the midst of his recovery period, he gained Spanish citizenship. He was cleared to play again on 4 December, and returned to the side a week later in Barcelona's 2-1 league win over Deportivo La Coruña.

Eto'o recorded his first league hat-trick in a match against UD Levante on 24 February 2008. He finished with a total of 16 league goals in 18 appearances for the season. On 25 October, he recorded the fastest hat-trick in club history after netting three times in 23 minutes in a victory over UD Almería.

On 29 November 2008, he scored his 111th career Barcelona goal in all competitions in 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. The game ended 1-0 and meant that Barcelona kept a 6 point lead over Real Madrid in the league. He also scored against Villarreal CF in the game that put Barcelona one point away from lifting the 2008-09 La Liga.

Eto'o scored the opening goal in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United. Barcelona went on to win the final 2–0, thus completing the Treble.


Honours

Real Madrid

* Intercontinental Cup
o Winner (1): 1998
* UEFA Champions League:
o Winner (1): 1999-00
Mallorca

* Copa del Rey:
o Winner (1): 2002-2003

FC Barcelona

* La Liga:
o Winner (3): 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09
* Supercopa de España:
o Winner (2): 2005–06, 2006–07
* UEFA Champions League:
o Winner (2): 2005-06, 2008-09
* Copa del Rey:
o Winner (1): 2008-09

International

* African Cup of Nations:
o Winner (2): 2000,2002
o Runner up (1): 2008
* Confederations Cup
o Runner up (1): 2003
* 2000 Summer Olympics
o Gold medal (1): 2000

Individual

* African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2006, 2008
* African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005
* FIFPro World XI: 2004-05, 2005-06
* UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006
* UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
* Spanish La Liga Top Scorer: 2006
* World XI Striker: 2004-2005, 2005-2006
* Most Goals Scored In Domestic League RCD Mallorca: 54 Goals
* African Cup of Nations Top Scorer Of All Times: With 16 Goals
* Most Goals Scored In History Of Cameroon National Team
* FIFA World Player of the Year: Third Place: 2005

Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Christian Nwosu Kanu was born on the 1st of August 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria, usually known simply as Kanu and nicknamed Papilo, is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Portsmouth and also for the Nigerian national team. He is a member of the Igbo ethnic group, his name, Nwankwo, meaning "Babyboy born on Nkwo market day" in the Igbo language. He is the most highly-decorated African footballer in footballing history, having won a UEFA Champions League medal, a UEFA Cup medal, three FA Cup Winners Medals and two African Player of the Year awards amongst others. He is the only current Premier League player to have won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Premier League, FA Cup and an Olympic Gold
Medal.He is also a UNICEF ambassador.

Personal information

Full name Nwankwo Christian Nwosu Kanu
Date of birth 1 August 1976 (1976-08-01) (age 33)
Place of birth Owerri, Nigeria
Height 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1/2 in)
Playing position Striker

Club information

Current club Portsmouth
Number 27

Senior career*
Years Club Apps (Goals)†
1991–1992 Fed Works 035 (20)
1992–1993 Iwuanyanwu Nationale 025 (15)
1993–1996 Ajax 054 (25)
1996–1999 Internazionale 011 0(1)
1999–2004 Arsenal 119 (30)
2004–2006 West Bromwich Albion 053 0(7)
2006– Portsmouth 084 (15)

National team
1994– Nigeria 079 (13)




Career

Early career

Kanu began his career, aged fifteen, at First Division club Federation Works before moving to Iwuanyanwu Nationale in 1992. After a notable performance at the U-17 World Championships he was signed by Ajax Amsterdam in 1993 for €207,047. He made his Ajax debut in 1994 and went on to play 54 times for the Dutch side, scoring 25 goals; Kanu came on as a sub in Ajax's 1995 Champions League final win over AC Milan. In 1996, Ajax sold him to Serie A side Internazionale for around $4.7 million; that summer he captained the Nigerian team that won gold at the Olympics, famously scoring two late goals in the semi-finals against powerhouses Brazil to overturn a 2-3 scoreline into a 4-3 win in extra time. Kanu was also named African Footballer of the Year for that year.

However, soon after returning from the Olympics, Kanu underwent a medical examination at Inter, which revealed a serious heart defect; he underwent surgery in November 1996 to replace an aortic valve and did not return to his club until April 1997. In interviews, Kanu frequently cites his faith as a Christian,and has often mentioned this trying time of his career as an occasion when he prayed to God. Kanu's experience also led to his founding the Kanu Heart Foundation, an organisation that helps predominantly young African children who suffer heart defects. Kanu is known throughout Africa for his philanthropic work.

Portsmouth

Kanu was a free agent following his departure from West Brom, and he signed for Portsmouth F.C. on a one-year deal shortly before the start of the 2006-07 season. Pompey had undergone a revival in the second half of the previous campaign, following the return of Harry Redknapp as manager, avoiding relegation by four points after being in serious danger at the turn of the year. At the start of the 2006-07 season, they were undefeated in their first five games, during which they did not concede a single goal.

Kanu made his debut for Portsmouth as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers on 19 August 2006, the opening day of the 2006-07 Premier League season. He scored twice and missed a penalty. Though Kanu led the top scorers chart early in the season, he had a goal drought for the rest of the season, but still finished as the top goalscorer for Portsmouth, with 12 goals.

In his second season at Portsmouth, Kanu scored in both the FA Cup 1-0 semi-final win against West Bromwich Albion and the 1-0 win in the final against Cardiff City, earning him a third FA Cup winner's medal.

International career

Kanu has been a member of the Nigerian national team since 1994, making his debut against Sweden in a friendly. He (as of September 2009) has 78 caps and has scored 13 goals for his country. As well as winning the Olympics gold in the football event at Atlanta (1996), Kanu participated in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. Earlier on at the start of his career, Kanu was instrumental in Nigeria's overall success at the FIFA U-17 tournament in Japan (1993) and in their subsequent 2-1 victory over Ghana in the final.

He is the current captain of the Nigerian national team.

Honours

Country

* FIFA U-17 World Cup
o 1993 Winner (Gold Medal)

* FIFA World Cup
o Appearances: 1998 (Second Round), 2002 (First Round)

* African Cup of Nations
o Appearances: 2000 (Silver Medal), 2002 (Bronze Medal), 2004 (Bronze Medal), 2006 (Bronze Medal), 2008 (Quarter Finalist)

* Olympic Games
o 1996 Olympic Games (Gold Medal)

Club

* Nigerian Premier League: 1
o 1992-93, Iwuanyanwu Nationale

* Eredivisie: 3
o 1993-94, selected stars of Mgboushimini in Agip]]
o 1994-95, Ajax
o 1995-96, Ajax

* UEFA Champions League: 1
o 1994-95, Ajax

* UEFA Super Cup: 1
o 1995, Ajax

* Intercontinental Cup: 1
o 1995, Ajax

* UEFA Cup: 1
o 1997-98, Internazionale

* English Premier League: 2
o 2001-02, Arsenal
o 2003-04, Arsenal

* FA Cup: 3
o 2001-02, Arsenal
o 2002-03, Arsenal
o 2007-08, Portsmouth

* FA Community Shield: 1
o 1999, Arsenal

* Barclays Asia Trophy: 1
o 2007, Portsmouth

Awards

* 1996, African Footballer of the Year
* 1999, African Footballer of the Year