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Soccer Greats: Johann Neeskens

Distrokeeper — Sun, 16 May 2010 08:00:48 +0000

Johannes Jacobus Neeskens, or better known as Johan Neeskens, is a Dutch soccer manager and former player.

Neeskens was born on September 15, 1951 in Heemstede, Netherlands. Neeskens started his career with RCH Heemstede in 1968. The impressive 17 year old caught the attention of Rinus Michels, who signed the youngster with Ajax in 1970. Neeskens started with Ajax as a right-back and helped the club won the 1971 European Cup. In the following season, Neeskens spent more time as a midfielder to support the club’s other Johan, Johan Cruyff, in the team’s Total Football system. The changed paid off, and Ajax won two more UEFA Champions in 1972 and 1973. With the two Johans, Neeskens was often referred to as Johan Segon (Johan the Second).

Neeskens continued his club career with Barcelona in 1979. His highlight in his five seasons with Barça was winning the Copa del Rey in 1978 and the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup in 1979. Neeskens flew halfway around the world to join the New York Cosmos from 1979 to 1984, and then played for FC Groningen, Minnesota Strikers, Fort Lauderdale Sun, and winding down his career with Löwenbrau, FC Baar, and FC Zug.

Neeskens collected 49 caps for his country and scored 17 goals. He debuted in 1974 against East Germany and scored crucial goals in the 1974 and 1978 World Cup games. Neeskens scored the opening goal in the 1974 World Cup final in the 80th second in the Oranje’s unfortunate loss to West Germany. In 1978, although Neeskens again played an important role in the World Cup, it was not enough for Netherlands to win against host nation Argentina. Neeskens never saw another World Cup final, although he did play in th 1982 World Cup qualifier game against France.

Neeskens hung up his boots in 1991. He then turned to coaching for clubs as well as becoming the assistant manager for national teams including Netherlands and Australia. He is currently the assistant manager Galatassaray SK. As a tribute to his talents, Pelé named Neeskens as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in 2004.

Soccer Greats: Michel Platini

Distrokeeper — Sun, 09 May 2010 08:00:50 +0000

Before the reign of Zidane, Michel Platini was France’s soccer hero. Platini is a former French soccer player, coach, and the current UEFA president.

Michel François Platini was born on June 21, 1955. Platini began with Nancy as a reserve player with injury-plagued seasons, but ended his seven year career in the club with 175 caps and 98 goals. He also took the team to win the Ligue 2 Championship and the Coupe de France. In 1979, Platini signed with Saint-Etienne. His three years there was of mixed success. The club won the Ligue 1 Championship in 1981, but only made it as Coupe de France runner-ups in 1981 and 1982.

The following season, Platini moved to Italy to play for Juventus. He was placed in a star-studded team, so he had to play even harder to show how his skills. The first season was difficult, but later in his first season Platini saw a turn of events. In his five years with Juventus, Platini took the club to winning the Coppa Italia (1983), European Cup Winners’ Cup (1984), UEFA Super Cup (1984), Serie A (1984 and 1986), European Cup (1985), and the Intercontinental Cup (1985).

Platini became a member of the French team during the 1976 Olympics. France went on to the finals, but lost the quarter finals 0-4 to Germany. Platini also took France to three World Cup tournaments. In 1978, France made it to the first round qualifiers against Italy, but Italy’s defense gave Platini only little room to move and France lost 1-2. In 1982, Platini led his country as team captain. In the semifinals against West Germany, France lost 4-5 in a penalty shoot-out. Platini’s last World Cup was in Mexico in 986. He was not in his best physical condition and the team had its second semifinal loss to West Germany. With Platini, France won the European Championship (1984), Artemio Franchi Trophy (1985), and placed third in the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

After taking his last bow as a player, Platini took a year off before becoming the coach of France. Platini stepped down after failing to take the team to the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1992. Platini turned to administrative roles. He was the co-organizer for the 1998 World Cup in France. Platini spent time on the UEFA Technical Development Committee and was a member of the UEFA Executive Committee. He climbed the UEFA ranks and was finally elected as the UEFA President in 2007.

Soccer Greats: Pelè

Distrokeeper — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 08:00:58 +0000

Pelè is a former Brazilian player, a national hero, a soccer legend, and the greatest soccer player of all time. Pelè’s story is truly a tale of rags to riches.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born October 23, 1940, in Três Corações, Brazil. He practiced soccer when he was young with a stuffed sock ball because he couldn’t afford a real soccer ball. Edson received the nickname Pelè in grade school due to his mispronunciation of his favorite goalie Bilé.

After a season in the Santos FC junior team, Pelè joined their senior team a month before he reached 16. Pelè’s career in Santos spanned 18 years. Over those 18 years, Pelè took the team to numerous honors. The club honors include Campeonato Paulista (10 times), Torneio Rio-São Paulo (3), Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (1968), Taça Brasil (5 times), Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup (both on 1962 and 1963), South American Recopa (1968), and Recopa Intercontinental (1968).

Pelè’s reputation with his national team was just as bright, if not brighter. A year after joining Santos, he joined the Brazil national team and helped Brazil win the 1958 World Cup. He became the youngest player of the tournament, youngest World Cup goal scorer ever, and the youngest player to ever win the World Cup, at only 17 years of age. Pelè took the team to the next World Cup in 1962, but missed most of the tournament due to an injury. With Brazil’s wins in 1962 and 1970, Pelè became the only player to win three Word Cup titles.

Pelè was stunning in the field. Thousands flocked to watch him play. Even a nation in civil war agreed to cease fire just to watch Pelè play. Over the years, Pelè was awarded with national as well as international individual recognitions for his services for the game, including an induction to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Knight Commander of the British Empire, UNICEF’s Football Player of the Century, and FIFA Player of the Century (shared with Maradona). In addition, Pelè has scored 77 goals in 92 games for Brazil, and many sources report that he has scored a total of 1281 goals in 1363 professional games, including friendly matches.

Soccer Greats: Emilio Butragueño

Distrokeeper — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 08:00:02 +0000

Emilio “The Vulture” Butragueño Santos is a former Spanish soccer player. The striker was best known for his season with Real Madrid in the mid 1980s to mid 1990s.

Butragueño was born in Madrid, Spain on July 22, 1963. He started as a reserve player for Real Madrid’s junior team, but then earned a spot in the senior team in 1984. In his 11 seasons swith Real, Butragueño helped the team to win five consecutive Spanish League titles (1985-1990, plus another win in 1995), two UEFA Cups, two Spanish Cups, a Spanish League Cup victory, and four Spanish SuperCups. Butragueño left Real in 1995 to join Mexico’s Club Celaya.

Butragueño debuted with the Spanish national team in a game against Wales in 1984. He was a staple to the team by the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Butragueño scored four goals in a second round game against Denmark, making him the first man to do so since Eusebio in 1966. Butragueño also played in the 1990 World Cup in Italy but was placed in the defensive plays and therefore did not score a single goal in the tournament.

The Vulture was known as a lethal striker. He played smart and always seemed to place himself in the right place in the right time. After retiring from playing, Butragueño became Real Madrid’s Director of Football and served as the club’s vice president.

Soccer Greats: Jürgen Klinsmann

Distrokeeper — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:00:47 +0000

Jürgen Klinsmann is a former Germany striker and coach. Born in Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg on July 30, 1964, Klinsmann started playing soccer at a young age. He tried every position in the game before settling in the position of a striker.

Klinsmann’s professional career started with the Stuttgart Kickers in 1982 in the second division. He rose to become the division’s top scorer and then was signed to first division with Vfb Stuttgart in 1984. Klinsmann would play with the club for five successful seasons, including named Bundesliga top scorer and voter German Player of the year in 1988.

In addition to VfB Stuttgart, Klinsmann also played with Internazionale, AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich, and Sampdoria. Klinsmann won the Bundesliga title in 1997 with Bayern Munich. He helped Inter Milan and Bayern Munich win the UEFA Cup in 1991 and 1996, respectively.

Klinsmann collected a total of 108 caps for his country and scored 47 goals. Klinsmann contribution in the 1988 Summer Olympics led to a bronze medal for the team. Germany went to win the European Championship and Klinsmann became the first player ever to score in three different UEFA European Championships in 1988 1992, and 1996. He was just as important in World Cup games. Germany went on to win the 1990 World Cup. Klinsmann’s performance in World Cup games earned him the title of first player ever to score at least three goals in three different World Cup finals (1990, 1994, and 1998). Klinsmann holds the title of second all-time World Cup goals scored by a German with 11 goals.

After retiring from playing, Klinsmann coached the Germany national team from 2004 to 2006. He returned to coach his former team Bayern Munich in 2008 but only lasted for one season. Currently he is working as a 2010 FIFA World Cup commentator.

Soccer Greats: Peter Shilton

Distrokeeper — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:00:59 +0000

Peter Leslie Shilton was born in Leicester, England on September 18, 1949. The goalkeeper was only 13 when he first caught Leicester City’s attention, and then was signed on to play at 16 years old. At 19, his saves helped the club made it to the FA Cup but lost to Manchester City.

Over his 30 year career, Shilton played in 11 clubs, appeared in three World Cups, two European Cup finals, and appeared in all-time record of 1,005 competitive matches in world football. In addition, Shilton is England’s most capped player with 125 international caps. He also played in 17 finals games and has an amazing 10 clean sheets in the World Cup finals, a record he shares with French Fabien Barthez.

Toward the end of his career, Shilton became player-manager at Plymouth Argyle. Shilton still played after Plymouth Argyle although only as substitute.

Soccer Greats: Eusébio

Distrokeeper — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 08:00:33 +0000

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, known as simply Eusébio, was a soccer player from Portugal. The former forward, nicknamed The Black Pearl, was born in Mozambique in 1942. As a teenager, Eusébio moved to Lisbon, Portugal to join Benfica. Benfica’s coach Bela Guttman personally flew to Mozambique to handpick Eusébio and offered him a contract of £7,500.

Eusébio proved he was worth the purchase right away. He scored a hat-trick in an early game against Pelè’s Santos. In 1962, he took the club to win the European Cup and contributed two out of the five goals. Eusébio also took Benfica to the European Cup in 1963, 1965 and 1968 where the club emerged as runner-up, as well as 10 Portuguese First Division championships and five Portuguese Cup titles. Eusébio was known for his speed, skill and power, and it’s no surprise he received a handful of individual honors. He was named top goal scorer six times in the Portuguese league and won the Golden Boot twice, in addition to receiving the Golden Ball for being the 1965 European Player of the Year.

Eusébio was Portugal’s all-time leading scorer (41 goals in 64 games) until his record was broken in 2005. He was also the top scorer in the 1966 World Cup, in which he also received the Golden Boot. Although he never played in another World Cup finals tournament, his wax statue was added to Madame Tussaud’s collection.

Toward the end of his career, Eusébio played in North America for several clubs in Mexico and in the U.S. Eusébio retired from the game that made him a worldwide hero in 1978, and is still regarded as one of the best strikers of soccer history.

Soccer Greats: Roberto Baggio

Distrokeeper — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 08:00:50 +0000

“Il Divin Codino” (The Divine Ponytail) better known as Roberto Baggio is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time.

Roberto Baggio was born in Caldogno near Vicenza, Italy on February 18, 1967. He played with Italy’s third division at the age of 15, and joined Serie A’s Fiorentina by the time he reached 18. Much to the chagrin of Fiorentina fans, Baggio signed a record with Juventus in 1990. In the UEFA Cup final, he scored twice for Juventus’ win. Baggio himself was awarded European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

After Juventus in 1995, Baggio signed with other big names like Milan, Bologna, Internazionale, and Brescia. Baggio won the next Serie A with A.C. Milan, making him the first player to win to two consecutive Serie A with two different teams.

Baggio played in three World Cups in 1990, 1994 and 1998. 1994 may have been his best World Cup. He scored twice against Nigeria, once against Spain, and two goals in the semifinal against Bulgaria. He gained fame in the United States for playing with class in that year’s World Cup.

Baggio retired with a number of records over his career. His contract with Juventus of $ 19 million was a record at the time. Baggio is the highest Italian all-time goal scorer in the World Cup (9 goals in 16 matches) and the only Italian to do so in three World Cup tournaments. He is also the highest scoring Italian from penalty shots (106 from 122 penalties).

Soccer Greats: Masashi Nakayama

Distrokeeper — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:00:22 +0000

Masashi Nakayama is a Japanese soccer player. Born in Shizuoka on September 23, 1967, Nakayama started playing at a young age. In high school, Nakayama played for his high school soccer club and did well.

Nakayama’s senior career began with Yamaha Motors (later Júbilo Iwata) in 1990. He scores an average of more than one goal per two games. With his standout playing, Nakayama consistently made the team lineup.

Nakayama was selected to join the national team. In the 1998 World Cup in France, Nakayama scored the only goal and the first goal for Japan against Jamaica in their World Cup history. Nakayama also has the world record of the fastest hat-trick at an international level when he scored three goals against Brunei in only three minutes and three seconds.

Over his career, Nakayama collected a few individual honors. He was awarded with J.League MVP in 1998; J.League Top Scorer in 1998 and 2000; J.League Best Eleven in 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2002; and Japanese Footballer of the Year in 1998.

Today, at 42, Nakayama still plays for Consadole Sapporo. Although his performance is not quite like it used to be due to injuries and age, Nakayama is still a favorite among the fans.

Soccer Greats: Johnny Warren

Distrokeeper — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 08:00:46 +0000

Johnny Warren was an Australian soccer hero. He was a player, coach, administrator, writer and broadcaster. His passion for the game earned him the beloved nickname Captain Socceroo.

Born in Sydney on May 17 1943, Johnny Norman Warren started out with Canterbury-Marrickville in 1959. He played as a midfielder with the club for three seasons, and then joining Budapest and Stockport County for short stints, before signing with St. George-Budapest from 1965 to 1974.

Warren was recruited as a Socceroo in 1965. He debuted in his first international game against Cambodia that same year. Warren became the team captain two years later. He led the Socceroos to its only World Cup finals in 1974.

Warren was also a coach. Warren managed St. George-Budapest in 1974 before founding and coaching Canberra City from 1977 to 1978.

After his retirement, Warren did not stray from the game that raised him. He became a columnist for The Sun-Herald as well as a radio broadcaster covering soccer in Australia. Warren also could not stay away from smoking. His body finally gave up its battle against lung cancer on November 6, 2004.

Warren himself was a decorated Australian. He earned an MBE (1974), Australian Sports Medal (2000), FIFA Centennial Order of Merit (2004), Medal of the Order of Australia (2002) and the Australian Sports Commission Lifetime Achievement Award (2004) for his services for the game that was his passion. In his honor, the A-League named the Johnny Warren Medal for the best peer-judged overall player at the end of the season.