Soccer Star - Riccardo Montolivo, Italian footballer

Riccardo Montolivo (born 18 January 1985 in Caravaggio, Province of Bergamo) is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Fiorentina and the Italian national team. He will join Milan on 1 July 2012.

Montolivo is a prototypical "regista" (deep-lying playmaker), similar to Andrea Pirlo. Though he prefers to play in the middle, he can play anywhere including defensive midfield but he is more comfortable in an attacking role. Montolivo was born to an Italian father and German mother.

Montolivo began his career in Serie B with Atalanta. At the age of 18, he made his debut during the 2003–04 season. He played 41 matches and scored four goals, helping Atalanta gain promotion to Serie A. In his first season in Serie A, he played 32 times and scored three goals. However, his efforts were in vain as Atalanta were relegated back down to Serie B.

In May 2012, Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri announced that Montolivo would join the club on a free transfer when his contract with Fiorentina expired on 30 June. "Next season Montolivo will arrive and he is a very talented player with great technique," said Allegri to Milan Channel.

 

Soccer Star - Andrea Pirlo, Italian brilliant playmaker

Andrea Pirlo (born 19 May 1979), is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus and for the Italian national team. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy and is regarded as a leading exponent of this position. Praised for his inventive play and his long passing ability, he is also a set-piece specialist.

Pirlo has played for the Italian youth teams U-15, U-18 and U-21, captaining and leading the latter to victory in the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship as the Golden Player and Top Scorer of the tournament. He joined the Italian senior side during the qualification round for World Cup 2002 and captained the national team to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Later, he was instrumental in their victory in the 2006 World Cup. He was named man of the match three times, including the final, more than any other player in the tournament, and ultimately won the Bronze Ball (third best player in tournament).

With Milan, he has won two UEFA Champions League (2003 and 2007), two European Super Cups (2003 and 2007), two Scudetti (2004 and 2011) an Italian Super Cup (2004), a FIFA World Cup (2006), and the Italian Cup in 2003. In 2012, he added another Scudetto with Juventus.

He came in third and second in IFFHS World Playmaker of the Year awards in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Fellow players on the Italian team gave him the nickname "l'architetto" (the architect) because his long passes frequently set up goal-scoring opportunities for the Azzuri.

 

Soccer Star - Mario Mandžukić, Croatian footballer

Mario Mandžukić (born 21 May 1986) is a Croatian footballer, who plays as a striker for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and the Croatian national team.

Mandžukić made his first footballing steps at the German club TSF Ditzingen, based near Stuttgart, in 1992. Upon his return to his home city he spent the period between 1996 and 2003 at Marsonia, before spending a season at the city minnows NK Željezničar. The next season he returned to Marsonia and in the summer of 2005 he made a move to NK Zagreb. He thrived under the tuition of Miroslav Blažević and earned a lot interest from other clubs. In the summer of 2007 he was bought by the Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb for €1.3 million as a replacement for their star striker Eduardo da Silva. He finished his first season at Dinamo with 12 goals and 11 assists throughout 29 matches, but also had a bad discipline record, collecting 8 yellow cards. In the 2008–09 Prva HNL Mandžukić was league's top goalscorer, bagging 16 goals in 28 appearances. After the 2008–09 season had finished he was linked with German side Werder Bremen, but the €12m offer was rejected by Dinamo Zagreb board who were of opinion that Mandžukić's price was at least €15m. On 17 September 2009, after Dinamo lost 2–0 at home to Anderlecht in Europa League, Mandžukić was controversially fined €100k after being accused for poor performance. It was the first time in the history of the club that the player was financially fined. On 20 September, Mandžukić captained Dinamo to a 6–0 victory against Rijeka in Prva HNL. In a post–match interview Mandžukić rejected any speculations about him leaving the club after the fine, stating that it was his childhood dream to captain Dinamo side and that he tends to give his best in any match he plays for the club.

Soccer Star - Pepe, Portuguese footballer

Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira (born 26 February 1983), commonly known as Pepe, is a footballer who plays for Real Madrid in La Liga and the Portuguese national team, mainly as a central defender. He is a talented defender known for his pace, tackling and attacking play.

During his career, he has played for Marítimo, Porto and Real Madrid, with individual and team success with the latter two clubs.

Born in Brazil, Pepe represented the Portuguese national team at the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships.

Soccer Star - Bruno Alves, Portuguese footballer

Bruno Eduardo Regufe Alves (born 27 November 1981 in Póvoa de Varzim) is a Portuguese, descendant of Brazilians, footballer who plays for FC Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia and the Portuguese national team, as a central defender.

Alves is noted for his strength, tough tackling and aerial ability. He spent most of his professional career at F.C. Porto, winning a total of nine titles, seven as first-choice.

 

Soccer Star - Nani, Portuguese footballer

Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha (born 17 November 1986), commonly known as Nani, is a Portuguese footballer currently playing as a winger for English club Manchester United in the Premier League and the Portugal national team. Although predominantly right-footed, he has been utilised on the left-wing on many occasions.

Nani was born in Cape Verde and emigrated to Europe with his family at an early age. He was raised in Portugal and began his football career playing for local side Real Massamá. At the age of 16, he began training with Sporting Clube de Portugal and S.L. Benfica on alternate days, eventually joining Sporting's youth squad after they offered him pre-season training. In 2005, he made his professional debut with the club and won the Portuguese Cup during his second season with them. Nani was named the SJPF Young Player of the Month for May 2007 and his performances with Sporting culminated into a move to English club side Manchester United in July 2007 for a fee of €25 million. Nani won the Community Shield on his competitive debut at the club and has since added a number of trophies which included the Premier League and Champions League during his debut season at the club. He has established himself as first-choice winger at Manchester United and has won a further Premier League title, the Football League Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, and three Community Shield titles. Individually, Nani has been included into the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Premier League Team of the Year on one occasion and was a nominee for the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2011.

 

Soccer Star - Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, (born 5 February 1985), commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract. In 2012, Diego Maradona declared that Ronaldo was "the best player on the planet."

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup. He also played at Euro 2004 with Portugal and scored his first international goal in the opening game of the tournament against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of this competition.

Ronaldo was the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. He was third in the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year award and second in the 2007 Ballon d'Or award. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, was named best forward and player of the tournament and was the competition's top goalscorer as well as winning the European Golden Shoe, becoming the first winger to do so, and topping the Premier League Golden Boot award. He won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies, only missing the PFA Young Player of the Year, and was named the FIFPro, World Soccer, Onze d'Or, and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years. Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the FIFA Puskás Award, in 2009, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year. He scored that goal from 40 yards out against Porto in a UEFA Champions League quarter-final match, while playing for Manchester United. Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United." He was second in the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award and also second in the 2009 Ballon d'Or award.