Soccer Star - Dirk Kuyt, Dutch footballer

 

Dirk Kuyt (born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Liverpool as a forward.

Kuyt began his professional career with FC Utrecht in 1998 and quickly became part of their first team. He spent five years at the club and in his final season he won his first senior honour, the Dutch Cup, and was chosen as the season's Dutch Golden Shoe Winner. Following this, he left Utrecht in a €1 million transfer to Feyenoord. He became the club captain in 2005 and was a prolific goalscorer at the Rotterdam club; he was the club's top scorer for three consecutive seasons, the top goalscorer in the 2004–05 Eredivisie season, and the 2005–06 Dutch Footballer of the Year. Kuyt missed only five games over seven seasons from 1999 until 2006 and appeared in 179 consecutive matches between 2001–06, striking up a fruitful partnership with fellow Feyenoord teammate Salomon Kalou.

He left Feyenoord after three years, having scored 71 league goals in 101 appearances, and joined Premier League side Liverpool for £10 million. He made his Premier League debut late in 2006 and became part of the first team squad. He scored in his first ever UEFA Champions League final with Liverpool against AC Milan.

Kuyt scored several important goals for Liverpool elsewhere, including seven goals in the 2007–08 Champions League, including a goal in the quarter-final against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and in the semi-final against Chelsea, and two penalty kicks against Everton in the derby the same season. He scored his first hat-trick for Liverpool against Manchester United in March 2011. After coming on as a substitute, his extra time goal at Wembley for Liverpool against Cardiff City in the 2012 League Cup Final helped win the trophy for Liverpool, and was also his first trophy as a Liverpool player.

He made his international debut in 2004 and has represented the Netherlands at three major international tournaments, the 2006 and 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008.

 

Soccer Star - Wesley Sneijder, Dutch footballer

Wesley Sneijder (born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch footballer. He was named UEFA midfielder of the season as well as one of the three best midfielders in the world for 2010 by FIFA.

Due to his impeccable placement and confirmed ability to score from free kicks, Sneijder earned the reputation as a dead-ball specialist. With short stature, he is quick, strong on the ball, and his passing range is enhanced by his ambidexterity.

A product of the Ajax Academy, he previously played for AFC Ajax with whom he won six trophies and during which time he was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award (for best young player in the Netherlands) in 2004. He was later sold to Real Madrid for €27 million in 2007, winning La Liga in his first season with the club and later being sold to Internazionale for €15 million.

Sneijder previously represented various Youth squads for the Netherlands. He is now a regular player for the Dutch national team, having made his debut in April 2003 at the age of 18, and having represented his country at the World Cup in 2006 and 2010 as well as UEFA Euro 2004 and 2008. Individually he was awarded the 2010 Bronze Boot, the 2010 Silver Ball and included in the team of the tournament for UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup as well as named man of the match for six out of eleven games played by "Oranje" at these two tournaments.

 

Soccer Star - Mark van Bommel, Dutch professional footballer

Mark Peter Gertruda Andreas van Bommel (born 22 April 1977 in Maasbracht) is a Dutch professional footballer who currently plays for Milan and captains the Netherlands national team as a midfielder.

He is also the son-in-law of the Dutch national team manager, Bert van Marwijk. He served as the first non-German captain for FC Bayern Munich. During this period, he led the team to two Championship titles, and finished runner-up in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final.

He won the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final with FC Barcelona and was part of the team that finished runner-up of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His 2010 FIFA World Cup profile describes him as "a tackling machine and expert ball-winner, but he also boasts a fine array of passes and a powerful shot, having been a free-kick specialist during his PSV days."

 

Soccer Star - Arjen Robben, Dutch footballer

Arjen Robben (born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch footballer who plays for the German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Though often classified as a forward, he usually plays behind the forwards (inside position) as a winger, and he is also known for his dribbling skills, speed, crossing ability and his accurate long-range shot. He is also a part of the Netherlands national team and has appeared at Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008 and at the 2010 World Cup.

Robben first came to prominence with Groningen, for whom he was player of the year for the 2000–01 Eredivisie season. Two years later he signed for PSV, where he became the Netherlands' Young Player of the Year and won an Eredivisie title. The following season Robben's signature was pursued by leading English clubs, and after protracted transfer negotiations he joined Chelsea in the 2004 close season.

Robben's Chelsea debut was delayed through injury, but upon returning to fitness he helped Chelsea to consecutive Premier League titles, and was the FA Premier League Player of the Month in November 2005. After a third season in England which was punctuated by injury, Robben moved to Spanish club Real Madrid for €35 million. In August 2009, Robben transferred to Bayern Munich for a fee of around €25 million, scoring two goals on his debut. In his first season in Munich, Bayern won the league title, Robben's fifth league title in eight years, and got to the Champions League final. After his first season with the Bavarian club, the player was also named Footballer of the Year in Germany.

 

Soccer Star - Robin van Persie, Dutch footballer

Robin van Persie (born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011. His playing style and ability have drawn comparison to Dutch legend Marco van Basten.

The son of two artists, Van Persie was encouraged to follow in his parents' footsteps, but he instead preferred football and joined SBV Excelsior's youth squad. He made his breakthrough at his hometown club Feyenoord, where he spent three seasons and won the 2002 UEFA Cup. He was named the Dutch Football Talent of the Year for the 2001–02 season. Disagreements with manager Bert van Marwijk culminated in a change of club and Van Persie moved to Premier League side Arsenal for £2.75 million in 2004 as a long-term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp. He won the FA Community Shield and the FA Cup in his first season with the London club and went on to win the 2006 Rotterdam Sportsman of the year award. Van Persie has been named Premier League Player of the Month three times. Van Persie topped the goal assists leader board with 11 assists in the 2008–09 Premier League.

Van Persie was a Dutch youth international, having represented the Netherlands under-17, under-19 and under-21 sides. He made his senior international debut in 2005 in a friendly match against Romania. One month later, he netted his first senior international goal in a 4–0 win over Finland. Van Persie has 62 caps so far and has scored 25 goals for the Netherlands. He has participated in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and UEFA Euro 2008, including a World Cup Final in which he lost.

 

Soccer Star - Salomon Kalou, Ivorian footballer

Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou (born 5 August 1985) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a striker or winger for Chelsea in the Premier League. He is often used on the wings at Chelsea. He has a preference for playing on the left wing as this gives him opportunities to cut inside and take shots with his favoured right foot. He is known for his speed and his ability to take on defenders in wide areas.

Born in Oumé, Côte d'Ivoire, like his older brother Bonaventure, Kalou began his career in local club Mimosas before plying his trade in Europe. Auxerre coach Guy Roux wanted to sign him to unite him with his brother, former Feyenoord player, Bonaventure Kalou. However, Kalou signed for Feyenoord Rotterdam in 2003. In 2004 he was loaned to Feyenoord's "satellite club" Excelsior Rotterdam.

 

Soccer Star - Didier Drogba, Ivorian footballer

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team. He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is currently Chelsea's Fourth highest goal scorer of all time. His key attributes include his physical strength, ability in the air, and his power to retain possession of the ball.

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; it was not until the 2002–03 season that he realized 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. His scoring success at Olympique de Marseille continued, finishing as the third highest scorer in Ligue 1 with 19 goals and helped the club to reach 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 Ivoirian player in history. In addition, he scored decisive goals in the 2005 Football League Cup Final and in the 2005 FA Community Shield 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 Football League Cup Final and FA Cup Finals. He won the FA Cup for the second time in 2009, scoring the equalizer in the final. In the 2009–10 season Drogba proved instrumental in Chelsea winning their first double in the club's history. He won his second Golden Boot with 29 goals, and scored the only goal in Chelsea's victory over Portsmouth in the 2010 FA Cup Final. This goal makes him the only player to score in six English Cup finals.

 

Handsome Soccer Star - Mario Gomez, German footballer

Mario Gómez García (born 10 July 1985 in Riedlingen) is a German footballer who plays as a striker for FC Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Gómez joined Bayern after six years in Stuttgart. The fee was a record for a player transferred in the Bundesliga, estimated to be €30–35 million. When Stuttgart became champions in 2006–07, Gómez contributed 14 goals and was elected German footballer of the year.

Gómez was raised in Unlingen, an Upper Swabian village in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany about 95 km south of Stuttgart and 175 km west of Munich. He was born in the nearby town of Riedlingen. Gómez is of German-Spanish descent (his father is a Spaniard from Granada and his mother is German). He has both German and Spanish citizenship and decided to play for the German national team. His first appearance for the team was in February 2007 against Switzerland and he has been called up regularly since.

 

Soccer Star - Andriy Shevchenko, Ukrainian footballer

Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko (born 29 September 1976) is a Ukrainian footballer who curently plays as a striker for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 10 March 2011, behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and Raúl. With 175 goals scored with Milan, Shevchenko is the second most prolific player in the history of the club, and is also the all-time top scorer of the Derby della Madonnina (derby between Milan and their local rivals Internazionale) with 14 goals, as well as for the Ukrainian national team with 46 goals.

Shevchenko's career has been highlighted by many awards, the most prestigious of which was the Ballon d'Or in 2004 (becoming the third Ukrainian, after Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov, to receive it). He won the UEFA Champions League in 2003 with Milan, and he has also won various league and cup titles in Ukraine, Italy, and England.

In his illustrious international career, the striker led Ukraine as captain to the quarter-finals in their first ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 2006. He is capable of playing center-forward or attacking from the left wing and is effective with set-pieces and penalties.