1.
Real Madrid C.F.
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Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, commonly known as Real Madrid, or simply as Real outside Spain frontiers, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the team has worn a white home kit since inception. The word Real is Spanish for Royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the crown in the emblem. The team has played its matches in the 85, 454-capacity Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in downtown Madrid since 1947. Unlike most European sporting entities, Real Madrids members have owned and operated the club throughout its history. The club was estimated to be worth €3.24 billion in 2015, the club is one of the most widely supported teams in the world. Real Madrid is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never relegated from the top division, along with Athletic Bilbao. The club holds many long-standing rivalries, most notably El Clásico with Barcelona, Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s, winning five consecutive European Cups and reaching the final seven times. This success was replicated in the league, where the club won five times in the space of seven years. In domestic football, the club has won a record 32 La Liga titles,19 Copa del Rey, nine Supercopa de España, a Copa Eva Duarte, and a Copa de la Liga. Real Madrid was recognised as the FIFA Club of the 20th Century on 23 December 2000, the club received the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit in 2004. The club is ranked first in the latest IFFHS Club World Ranking, setting a new ranking-points record, the club also leads the current UEFA club rankings. They founded Football Club Sky in 1897, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa and it split into two clubs in 1900, New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Madrid Football Club. On 6 March 1902, after a new Board presided by Juan Padrós had been elected, three years after its foundation, in 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 4 January 1909. After moving between grounds the team moved to the Campo de ODonnell in 1912, in 1920, the clubs name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted the title of Real to the club. In 1929, the first Spanish football league was founded, Real Madrid led the first league season until the last match, a loss to Athletic Bilbao, meant they finished runners-up to Barcelona. Real Madrid won its first League title in the 1931–32 season, Real won the League again the following year, becoming the first team to have won the championship twice
2.
Galatasaray S.K. (football)
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Galatasaray Spor Kulübü, also known simply as Galatasaray, is a Turkish professional football club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Galatasaray is the most successful Turkish football club and they have won 70 domestic trophies, including 20 Süper Lig titles, a 17 Turkish Cups and a 13 Turkish Super Cups. Internationally, Galatasaray has won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2000, becoming the first and only Turkish team to win a major UEFA competition. In the 1999–2000 season, the club achieved the feat of completing a quadruple by winning the Turkish Süper Lig, the Turkish Cup, the UEFA Cup. Galatasaray is also the only Turkish club to have been ranked 1st on the IFFHS World Rankings, since 2011, the clubs stadium is the 52,652 capacity Türk Telekom Arena in Seyrantepe, Istanbul. The club has a rivalry with other major Istanbul teams, namely with Beşiktaş. As a result of the teams championship for the 2014–15 season of the Süper Lig. Each star corresponds to the teams 5 championships, Galatasaray SK was founded in October 1905 by Ali Sami Yen and other students of Galatasaray High School as a football club. Ali Sami Yen became Galatasaray SKs first president and was given the membership number 1. The teams first match was against Cadi-Keuy FC and Galatasaray won this match with a score of 2–0, there were discussions about the clubs name, in which some suggested Gloria and others Audace, but it was decided that its name would be Galatasaray. According to researcher Cem Atabeyoğlu, Galatasaray took its name one of its first matches. In 1905, during the era of the Ottoman Empire, there were no laws for associations so the club could not be registered officially, but, after the 1912 Law of Association, the club registered legally. Among with the founder Ali Sami Yen, the co-founders were the ones who were keen to do sport, such as Asım Tevfik Sonumut, Reşat Şirvani, Cevdet Kalpakçıoğlu, Abidin Daver. Since there werent any other Turkish teams, Galatasaray joined the Istanbul League that was consisting of English, with their first championship title they won in 1908–1909, they heralded the beginning of Turkish football history. While football in Turkey began to develop, Galatasaray won ten more Istanbul League titles, six Sunday League titles. Upon the initiation of professional football in 1952, the first professional but non-national league of Turkey, Galatasaray won three of these seven titles. This is the professional league in Turkish nationwide football. Galatasaray joined all seasons and won 20 league titles since then, 2=2 The Turkish Football Federation starts to organize Turkish Cup in the 1962–63 season for Turkish clubs to qualify for the UEFA competitions
3.
Spain
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By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spains capital and largest city is Madrid, other urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao. Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago, in the Middle Ages, the area was conquered by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors. Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a power and a major developed country with the worlds fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP. Jesús Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the span is the Phoenician word spy. Therefore, i-spn-ya would mean the land where metals are forged, two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don Isaac Abravanel and Solomon ibn Verga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both men wrote in two different published works that the first Jews to reach Spain were brought by ship by Phiros who was confederate with the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusalem. This man was a Grecian by birth, but who had given a kingdom in Spain. He became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, Heracles later renounced his throne in preference for his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his nephew, Espan, from whom the country of España took its name. Based upon their testimonies, this eponym would have already been in use in Spain by c.350 BCE, Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the Iberians, Basques and Celts. Early on its coastal areas were settled by Phoenicians who founded Western Europe´s most ancient cities Cadiz, Phoenician influence expanded as much of the Peninsula was eventually incorporated into the Carthaginian Empire, becoming a major theater of the Punic Wars against the expanding Roman Empire. After an arduous conquest, the peninsula came fully under Roman Rule, during the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later, much of it was conquered by Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north gradually regained control of the peninsula. The last Moorish kingdom fell in the same year Columbus reached the Americas, a global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe, the leading world power for a century and a half, and the largest overseas empire for three centuries. Continued wars and other problems led to a diminished status. The Napoleonic invasions of Spain led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire, eventually democracy was peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Spain joined the European Union, experiencing a renaissance and steady economic growth
4.
Turkey
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Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental country in Eurasia, mainly in Anatolia in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, parliamentary republic with a cultural heritage. The country is encircled by seas on three sides, the Aegean Sea is to the west, the Black Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, Ankara is the capital while Istanbul is the countrys largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Approximately 70-80% of the countrys citizens identify themselves as ethnic Turks, other ethnic groups include legally recognised and unrecognised minorities. Kurds are the largest ethnic minority group, making up approximately 20% of the population, the area of Turkey has been inhabited since the Paleolithic by various ancient Anatolian civilisations, as well as Assyrians, Greeks, Thracians, Phrygians, Urartians and Armenians. After Alexander the Greats conquest, the area was Hellenized, a process continued under the Roman Empire. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, the empire reached the peak of its power in the 16th century, especially during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. During the war, the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian, Assyrian, following the war, the conglomeration of territories and peoples that formerly comprised the Ottoman Empire was partitioned into several new states. Turkey is a member of the UN, an early member of NATO. Turkeys growing economy and diplomatic initiatives have led to its recognition as a regional power while her location has given it geopolitical, the name of Turkey is based on the ethnonym Türk. The first recorded use of the term Türk or Türük as an autonym is contained in the Old Turkic inscriptions of the Göktürks of Central Asia, the English name Turkey first appeared in the late 14th century and is derived from Medieval Latin Turchia. Similarly, the medieval Khazar Empire, a Turkic state on the shores of the Black. The medieval Arabs referred to the Mamluk Sultanate as al-Dawla al-Turkiyya, the Ottoman Empire was sometimes referred to as Turkey or the Turkish Empire among its European contemporaries. The Anatolian peninsula, comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest permanently settled regions in the world, various ancient Anatolian populations have lived in Anatolia, from at least the Neolithic period until the Hellenistic period. Many of these peoples spoke the Anatolian languages, a branch of the larger Indo-European language family, in fact, given the antiquity of the Indo-European Hittite and Luwian languages, some scholars have proposed Anatolia as the hypothetical centre from which the Indo-European languages radiated. The European part of Turkey, called Eastern Thrace, has also been inhabited since at least forty years ago. It is the largest and best-preserved Neolithic site found to date, the settlement of Troy started in the Neolithic Age and continued into the Iron Age
5.
Stade Louis II
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The Stade Louis II is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco. It serves primarily as a venue for football, being the home of AS Monaco, from 1998 -2012 this was the location of the annual UEFA Super Cup match. The stadium is used for the Herculis, a track. From 2003 to 2005 it hosted the IAAF World Athletics Final, though certain events, such as the hammer, had to be held elsewhere, the original Stade Louis II was opened in 1939 as the home of AS Monaco. The new stadium was built in the early 1980s, close to the site of the old stadium on land reclaimed from the sea, opening fully in 1985. As of 2016 the capacity was about 18,500 all seated, about half of the population of Monaco, the vast majority of the stadiums facilities are located underground, with a large car park directly under the pitch. The stadium is named after Louis II, Prince of Monaco, on 29 July 2008, Yelena Isinbayeva set the womens pole vault world record of 5.04 metres at the ground. On 1 July 2011, The Eagles played at the ground at the wedding of Prince Albert II to Charlene Wittstock, on 31 May 2004, an explosion, apparently deliberate, caused damage to the Stade Louis II and a neighbouring building, La Ruche, Fontvieille. No injuries were reported and responsibility for the attack remained unclear, the damage, while relatively extensive to portions of the fabric of the buildings, was verified as not having affected the buildings respective structures. The Government of Monaco assumed responsibility for repairs to the damage caused by the explosion, without preempting the results of expert investigations and this explosion constituted a rare exception to the principalitys long-established reputation for safety and absence of violence. The Salle Gaston Médecin indoor arena is located under the stands of the football stadium, Salle Gaston Médecin is able to host basketball, volleyball, and handball games, as well as judo and fencing matches, and weightlifting and gymnastics competitions. Stade Louis II, containing a large complex, also houses the International University of Monaco. Geography of Monaco monaco. net Stadium Guide Article
6.
Monaco
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Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate, located on the French Riviera in Western Europe. France borders the country on three sides while the other side borders the Mediterranean Sea, Monaco has an area of 2.02 km2 and a population of about 38,400 according to the last census of 2015. With 19,009 inhabitants per km², it is the second smallest, Monaco has a land border of 5.47 km, a coastline of 3.83 km, and a width that varies between 1,700 and 349 m. The highest point in the country is a pathway named Chemin des Révoires on the slopes of Mont Agel, in the Les Révoires Ward. Monacos most populous Quartier is Monte Carlo and the most populous Ward is Larvotto/Bas Moulins, through land reclamation, Monacos land mass has expanded by twenty percent, in 2005, it had an area of only 1.974 km2. Monaco is known as a playground for the rich and famous, in 2014, it was noted about 30% of the population was made up of millionaires, more than in Zürich or Geneva. Monaco is a principality governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, although Prince Albert II is a constitutional monarch, he wields immense political power. The House of Grimaldi have ruled Monaco, with brief interruptions, the official language is French, but Monégasque, Italian, and English are widely spoken and understood. The states sovereignty was recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Despite Monacos independence and separate foreign policy, its defense is the responsibility of France, however, Monaco does maintain two small military units. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with the opening of the countrys first casino, Monte Carlo, since then, Monacos mild climate, scenery, and gambling facilities have contributed to the principalitys status as a tourist destination and recreation center for the rich. In more recent years, Monaco has become a major banking center and has sought to diversify its economy into services and small, high-value-added, the state has no income tax, low business taxes, and is well known for being a tax haven. It is also the host of the street circuit motor race Monaco Grand Prix. Monaco is not formally a part of the European Union, but it participates in certain EU policies, including customs, through its relationship with France, Monaco uses the euro as its sole currency. Monaco joined the Council of Europe in 2004 and it is a member of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. Monacos name comes from the nearby 6th-century BC Phocaean Greek colony, according to an ancient myth, Hercules passed through the Monaco area and turned away the previous gods. As a result, a temple was constructed there, the temple of Hercules Monoikos, because the only temple of this area was the House of Hercules, the city was called Monoikos. It ended up in the hands of the Holy Roman Empire, an ousted branch of a Genoese family, the Grimaldi, contested it for a hundred years before actually gaining control
7.
Okan Buruk
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Okan Buruk is a Turkish former international footballer and football manager who played in the midfielder position and currently is the manager of Göztepe. He played for Galatasaray, Internazionale, Beşiktaş, and İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor and he also won 56 caps with the Turkey national football team. Okan played for Turkish giants Galatasaray between 1991 and 2001, winning six Turkish Süper Lig titles and the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup and he was also named man of the match as Galatasary upset Real Madrid 2–1 to win the 2000 UEFA Super Cup. In 2001, he was signed by Italian Serie A club Internazionale and he played two seasons for Beşiktaş before returning to Galatasaray in 2006. After his contract expired with Galatasaray, Okan joined İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor in July 2008, Okan made 56 appearances for the Turkey national football team, representing the country at UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He scored Turkeys opening goal of Euro 2000 in a 2–1 loss to Italy in Arnhem, at the 2002 World Cup, Okan made his only appearance as a substitute in the 3–1 defeat of host nation South Korea in the third-place play-off. Okan married the model and former Miss Turkey winner Nihan Akkuş on 3 July 2007. com Profile at TFF. org
8.
Referee (association football)
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In association football, the referee is the person responsible for enforcing the Laws of the Game during the course of a match. At higher levels of play the referee may also be assisted by an official who supervises the teams technical areas. Referees remuneration for their services varies between leagues, Referees are licensed and trained by the same national organisations that are members of FIFA. Each national organisation recommends its top officials to FIFA to have the honour of being included on the FIFA International Referees List. International games between national teams require FIFA officials, otherwise, the local national organisation determines the manner of training, ranking and advancement of officials from the youngest youth games through professional matches. The referees powers and duties are described by Law 5 of the Laws of the Game, as per Law 9 of the game, if during the game the ball hits the referee there is no stoppage in play. However the officials would be expected to position themselves such that this would be unlikely to occur. Modern day referees and their assistants wear a uniform consisting of a jersey, badge, shorts and socks, since then, most referees have worn either yellow or black, but the colours and styles adopted by individual associations vary greatly. For international contests under the supervision of FIFA, Adidas uniforms are worn because Adidas is the current sponsor, FIFA allows referees to wear five colours, black, red, yellow, green and blue. Along with the jersey, referees are required to wear shorts, black socks. The badge, which displays the referees license level and year of validity, is affixed to the left chest pocket. All referees carry a whistle, a watch, penalty cards, a wallet with pen and paper. Most are encouraged to have more than one of each on them in case they drop a whistle or a pen runs out, often, referees utilize two watches so that they can use one to calculate time lost for stoppages for the purposes of added time. In matches with goal-line technology, the referee will have on their person a device to receive the systems alerts, Referees use a whistle to help in match control. The whistle is sometimes needed to stop, start or restart play but should not be used for all stoppages, fIFAs Laws of the Game document gives guidance as to when the whistle should and should not be used. Overuse of the whistle is discouraged since, as stated in the Laws, the whistle is an important tool for the referee along with verbal, body and eye communication. Before the introduction of the whistle, referees indicated their decisions by waving a white handkerchief, the whistles that were first adopted by referees were made by Joseph Hudson at Mills Munitions in Birmingham, England. The Acme Whistle Company first began to mass-produce pea whistles in the 1870s for the Metropolitan Police Force, Referees in football are first described by Richard Mulcaster in 1581
9.
Austrian Football Association
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The Austrian Football Association is the governing body of football in Austria. It organises the league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup. It is based in the capital, Vienna, since 1905, it has been a FIFA member, and since 1954, a UEFA member. Since 7 April 2002, Friedrich Stickler, the director of executive committee of the Austrian lottery, has been the President of the Austrian Football Association, supporting him is its President, Kurt Ehrenberger, Frank Stronach, Dr. Gerhard Kapl, and Dr. Leo Windtner. In 2004, it was announced there are 285,000 players in Austria playing for 2,309 teams in the federation, thus the federation is the largest sporting organisation the country. Football is, perhaps with the exception of skiing, the most popular sport in Austria, Football possesses a large value, and has a rich history and tradition in Austria. In 1894, the First Vienna Football Club, the first football team in Austria, were founded in Vienna, from this nucleus, the Austrian Football Association was established in 1904. One year after the establishment, Austria became a member of the football federation FIFA. Hugo Meisl was one of the personalities in the early years of the Austrian Football Association, becoming General-Secretary. At the 1936 Summer Olympics, his team won Silver after losing 2-1Italy, meisls team, nicknamed the Wunderteam, remained unbeaten from 12 April 1931 to 23 October 1932 in 14 successive matches. The highlights of this series were the 6-0 and 5-0 victories against Germany, the 1950s saw more achievements with their well-known football greats such as Ernst Ocwirk, Ernst Happel, Gerhard Hanappi and Walter Zeman. The FIFA World Cup 1954 ranks among being most successful in Austrian Football Association history, twenty years after being in 4th place in the FIFA World Cup 1934 held in Italy, Austria returned to the circle of the best teams again. Leo Windtner Austrian Football Association Austria at FIFA site Austria at UEFA site
10.
1999 UEFA Super Cup
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The 1999 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 27 August 1999 between the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League winners, Manchester United, and Lazio, winners of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners Cup. Against the odds, Lazio won the match 1–0, the goal coming from Chilean striker Marcelo Salas in the 35th minute. The match was played at the venue of the Stade Louis II in Monaco in front of 14,461 fans. This was the last Super Cup contested by the winners of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, since 2000, it has been contested by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League. The Stade Louis II in Monaco has been the venue for the UEFA Super Cup since 1998 and it was built in 1985, and is also the home of AS Monaco, who play in the French league system. 1998–99 UEFA Champions League 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners Cup
11.
2001 UEFA Super Cup
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Bayern were appearing in the Super Cup for the third time, their two previous appearances in 1975 and 1976 had ended in defeat. Liverpool were appearing in their fourth Super Cup, they won the competition in 1977, the teams had qualified for the competition by winning the two seasonal European competitions. Both Bayern and Liverpool beat Spanish teams in the finals of the competitions, Bayern won the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, defeating Valencia 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had finished 1–1. Liverpool won the 2000–01 UEFA Cup, beating Alavés 5–4, watched by a crowd of 13,824, Liverpool took the lead in the first half when John Arne Riise scored. Liverpool extended their lead before half-time when Emile Heskey scored, Liverpool scored immediately after the start of the second half to lead the match 3–0 after Michael Owen scored. Hasan Salihamidžić and Carsten Jancker scored in the half, but Liverpool held out until the end of the match to win 3–2. Bayern Munich qualified for the Super Cup as the reigning UEFA Champions League winners and they had won the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League beating Valencia 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had finished 1–1. It would be Bayerns third appearance in the Super Cup and their two previous appearances in 1975 and 1976 against Dynamo Kiev and Anderlecht respectively had both ended in defeat. Liverpool had qualified for the Super Cup as a result of winning the 2000–01 UEFA Cup and they had beaten Alavés 5–4 to win their third UEFA Cup. Liverpool were appearing in their fourth Super Cup and they had previously won the competition in 1977 beating Hamburg. The two other appearances in 1978 and 1984 had resulted in losses to Anderlecht and Juventus respectively, both sides had played several matches already, Bayern had already played four matches in the 2001–02 Fußball-Bundesliga and were fifth. They had won two matches, drew one and lost one, Liverpool had played two legs in the third qualifying round of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League. They beat Finnish team FC Haka 9–1 on aggregate, as winners of the 2000–01 FA Cup, Liverpool faced Manchester United in the 2001 FA Charity Shield, which they won 2–1. Liverpool had also played one match in the 2001–02 FA Premier League, Bayern and Liverpool had injury concerns ahead of the match. Four members of Bayerns Champions League winning side were missing through injury, mehmet Scholl, Stefan Effenberg, Paulo Sérgio and Jens Jeremies were all unavailable for selection for the German side. Liverpool were without Patrik Berger after he had surgery on his knee. Despite being injured for Liverpools previous matches, Steven Gerrard was expected to feature, Bayern kicked off, but Liverpool had the first chance of the match. Michael Owen crossed the ball into the penalty area from the side of the pitch towards Emile Heskey
12.
Association football
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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England
13.
Valencia CF
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Valencia Club de Fútbol are a Spanish football club based in Valencia. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish football, Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups, one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup and two UEFA Super Cups. They also reached two UEFA Champions League finals in a row, losing to La Liga rivals Real Madrid in 2000, Valencia were also members of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs. In total, Valencia have reached seven major European finals, winning four of them, Valencia were founded in 1919 and have played their home games at the 55, 000-seater Mestalla since 1923. They were due to move into the new 75, 000-seater Nou Mestalla in the north-west of the city in 2013, Valencia have a fierce rivalry with fellow Valencian club Villarreal CF, with whom they contest the Derby de la Comunitat. The rivalry is fueled by the fact that they are the two most successful clubs in the region. They also have a rivalry with Levante UD, also located in the city of Valencia. Valencia is the third-most supported football club in Spain, behind heavyweights Real Madrid, over the years, the club has achieved a global reputation for their prolific youth academy, or cantera. Products of their academy include world-class talents such as Raúl Albiol, Andrés Palop, Miguel Ángel Angulo, David Albelda, Gaizka Mendieta, current stars of the game to have graduated in recent years include Isco, Jordi Alba, Juan Bernat, and Paco Alcácer. The club was established on 5 March 1919 and officially approved on 18 March 1919, with Octavio Augusto Milego Díaz as its first president, incidentally, the club played its first competitive match away from home on 21 May 1919 against Valencia Gimnástico, and lost the match 1–0. Valencia CF moved into the Mestalla Stadium in 1923, having played its matches at the Algirós ground since 7 December 1919. The first match at Mestalla pitted the side against Castellón Castalia. In another match the day after, Valencia won against the same opposition, Valencia won the Regional Championship in 1923, and was eligible to play in the domestic Copa del Rey cup competition for the first time in its history. The Spanish Civil War halted the progress of the Valencia team until 1941, in the 1941–42 season, the club won its first Spanish La Liga championship title, although winning the Copa del Rey was more reputable than the championship at that time. The club maintained its consistency to capture the title again in the 1943–44 season. In 1995 they lost 2012 they lost 6-1 to CD Binefar In the 1950s, a restructuring of Mestalla resulted in an increase in spectator capacity to 45,000, while the club had a number of Spanish and foreign stars. Players such as Spanish international Antonio Puchades and Dutch forward Faas Wilkes graced the pitch at Mestalla, in the 1952–53 season, the club finished as runners-up in La Liga behind Barcelona. In the following season, the club won its third Copa del Rey, Valencia beat holders Barça 3–0 in the final in front of over 110,000 spectators at the Estadio Chamartín, then the home ground of Real Madrid
14.
Arsenal F.C.
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Arsenal Football Club is a professional football club based in Highbury, London, that plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 League titles,12 FA Cups, Arsenal was the first club from the South of England to join The Football League, in 1893. They entered the First Division in 1904, and have accumulated the second most points. Relegated only once, in 1913, they continue the longest streak in the top division, in the 1930s, Arsenal won five League Championships and two FA Cups, and another FA Cup and two Championships after the war. In 1970–71, they won their first League and FA Cup Double, between 1989 and 2005, they won five League titles and five FA Cups, including two more Doubles. They completed the 20th century with the highest average league position, Herbert Chapman won Arsenals first national trophies, but died prematurely. He helped introduce the WM formation, floodlights, and shirt numbers, Arsène Wenger has been the longest-serving manager and has won the most trophies. His teams set several English records, the longest win streak, the longest unbeaten run, in 1886, Woolwich munitions workers founded the club as Dial Square. In 1913, the crossed the city to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury. They became Tottenham Hotspurs nearest club, commencing the North London derby, in 2006, they moved down the road to the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal earned €435. 5m in 2014–15, with the Emirates Stadium generating the highest revenue in world football, based on social media activity from 2014–15, Arsenals fanbase is the fifth largest in the world. In 2016, Forbes estimated the club was the second most valuable in England, on 1 December 1886, munitions workers in Woolwich, now South East London, formed Arsenal as Dial Square, with David Danskin as their first captain. Named after the heart of the Royal Arsenal complex, they took the name of the complex a month later. Royal Arsenal F. C. s first home was Plumstead Common, though spent most of their time in South East London playing on the other side of Plumstead. Royal Arsenal won Arsenals first trophies in 1890 and 1891, Royal Arsenal renamed themselves for a second time upon becoming a limited liability company in 1893. They registered their new name, Woolwich Arsenal, with The Football League when the club ascended later that year, Woolwich Arsenal was the first southern member of The Football League, starting out in the Second Division and winning promotion to the First Division in 1904. Falling attendances, due to financial difficulties among the munitions workers, businessmen Henry Norris and William Hall took the club over, and sought to move them elsewhere. In 1913, soon after relegation back to the Second Division, Woolwich Arsenal moved to the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury and this saw their third change of name, the following year, they reduced Woolwich Arsenal to simply The Arsenal
15.
2000 UEFA Cup Final
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The 2000 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place on 17 May 2000 at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark to decide the winner of the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup. The game event pitted Galatasaray of Turkey and Arsenal of England, and was the match of the 1999–2000 season, the 29th final of Europes second largest club football competition. It was Galatasarays first appearance, in a final of a European tournament, whilst there, a total sixteen matches were played, as the two sides advanced through the rounds, including the quarter-and semi-finals to progress to the final. Galatasaray overcame Bologna, Borussia Dortmund, Mallorca and Leeds United on their way, while Arsenal defeated Nantes, Deportivo La Coruña, Werder Bremen and Lens. The match was attended by 38,919 spectators, as Galatasaray won 4–1 on penalties following extra time, making it the first time for a Turkish side to win the contest, the final was somewhat marred by the riots between supporters of the two sides. Galatasaray were required to qualify for the stage, as Turkeys country coefficient only held qualifying places. The Turks entered the qualifying round of the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League, the final qualifying game of the competition. Galatasaray won the first leg with 3–0 at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, and earned their spot in the first group stage following a 1–0 win at their home arena, Galatasaray were scheduled to take part in Group G, containing Chelsea, Hertha Berlin and Milan. Six matches were played, as recorded a total two wins, one draw and three defeats, thus descending into the third round of the UEFA Cup. Galatasaray faced Bologna in the third round. At home, the Turkish side scored twice during the first half, and conceded once, as won the match 2–1. Galatasaray were pitted against Borussia Dortmund in the fourth round, gala won 2–0 away at Westfalenstadion, while a scoreless draw in the homecoming match was enough for Galatasaray to see them through. In the quarter-finals, Galatasarays opponents were Mallorca and they won the first match with 4–1, which was played at Son Moix. They booked their place in the round by clinching a 2–1 home victory in the return leg. Galatasaray were up against Leeds United in the semi-finals, the Istanbul side began their first game on home soil with a 2–0 win, following goals by Şükür and Capone. At Elland Road, their match ended in a 2–2 stalemate, with Gheorghe Hagi and Şükür netting, thus winning the tie 4–2. Arsenal qualified automatically into the Champions League group stage because of Englands country coefficient and they were drawn in Group B, along with AIK, Barcelona and Fiorentina. Each club played six matches, with Arsenal registering two victories, two draws and two defeats and this meant they finished in third place, one point behind second place holders Fiorentina, and hence entered the third round stage of the UEFA Cup
16.
UEFA Europa League
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The UEFA Europa League, previously called the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organized by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues, previously called the UEFA Cup, the competition has been known as the UEFA Europa League since the 2009–10 season, following a change in format. For UEFA footballing records purposes, the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League are considered the same competition, in 1999, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup was abolished and merged with the UEFA Cup. For the 2004–05 competition a group stage was added prior to the knockout phase, the 2009 re-branding included a merge with the UEFA Intertoto Cup, producing an enlarged competition format, with an expanded group stage and changed qualifying criteria. The winner enters at least at the round, and will enter the group stage if the berth reserved for the Champions League title holders is not used. The title has been won by 27 different clubs,12 of which have won the more than once. The UEFA Cup was preceded by the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971, the competition grew from 11 teams during the first cup to 64 teams by the last cup which was played in 1970–71. It had become so important on the European football scene that in the end it was taken over by UEFA, the UEFA Cup was first played in the 1971–72 season, with an all-English final of Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs taking the first honours. The title was retained by another English club, Liverpool in 1973, Borussia would win the competition in 1975 and 1979, and reach the final again in 1980. Liverpool won the competition for the time in 1976, beating Club Brugge in the final. During the 1980s, IFK Göteborg and Real Madrid won the competition twice each,1989 saw the commencement of the Italian clubs domination, when Maradonas Napoli beat Stuttgart. The 1990s started with two finals, and in 1992, Torino lost the final to Ajax on the away goals rule. Juventus won the competition for a time in 1993 and Internazionale kept the cup in Italy the following year. 1995 saw a third final, with Parma proving their consistency. The only final with no Italians during that decade was in 1996, Parma won the cup in 1999, which ended the Italian club era. Liverpool won the competition for the time in 2001 and Porto triumphed in the 2003 and 2011 tournaments. In 2004, the cup returned to Spain with Valencia being victorious, either side of Sevillas success, two Russian teams, CSKA Moscow in 2005 and Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2008, had their glory and yet another former Soviet club, Ukraines Shakhtar Donetsk, won in 2009. Atlético Madrid would themselves win twice in three seasons, in 2010 and 2012, the latter in another all-Spanish final, in 2013, Chelsea would become the first Champions League holders to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League the following year
17.
UEFA Champions League
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The UEFA Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations and contested by top-division European clubs. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, the UEFA Champions League final is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide. The final of the 2012–13 tournament had the highest TV ratings to date, the pre-1992 competition was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s, the format was expanded, incorporating a round-robin group stage to include clubs that finished runner-up of some nations top-level league. Clubs that finish next-in-line in each top level league, having not qualified for the UEFA Champions League competition. In its present format, the UEFA Champions League begins in mid-July with three qualifying rounds and a play-off round. The 10 surviving teams enter the stage, joining 22 other teams qualified in advance. The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams, the eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in May. The winner of the UEFA Champions League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup, Real Madrid is the most successful club in the competitions history, having won the tournament 11 times, including its first five seasons. Spanish clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories, followed by England, the competition has been won by 22 different clubs,12 of which have won it more than once. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins, Milan were the last holders to defend their title. The reigning champions are Real Madrid, who secured their title in the competition after defeating Atlético Madrid on penalties following a 1–1 draw in the 2016 final. The first pan-European tournament was the Challenge Cup, a competition between clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Mitropa Cup, a competition modelled after the Challenge Cup, was created in 1927, an idea of Austrian Hugo Meisl, and played between Central European clubs. In 1930, the Coupe des Nations, the first attempt to create a cup for national clubs of Europe, was played and organised by Swiss club Servette. Held in Geneva, it brought together ten champions from across the continent, the tournament was won by Újpest of Hungary. Latin European nations came together to form the Latin Cup in 1949 and it was conceived in Paris in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs Cup. The first edition of the European Cup took place during the 1955–56 season, the first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, and ended in a 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan. The first goal in European Cup history was scored by João Baptista Martins of Sporting CP, the inaugural final took place at the Parc des Princes between Stade de Reims and Real Madrid
18.
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
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The UEFA Cup Winners Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA, the first competition was held in the 1960–61 season — but not recognised by the governing body of European football until two years later. The final tournament was held in 1998–99, after which it was absorbed into the UEFA Cup, in the 1985–86 season, English clubs were banned from European competition. Consequently, Manchester United, Everton, Coventry City, Wimbledon, from 1972 onwards, the winner of the tournament progressed to play the winner of the European Cup in the UEFA Super Cup. Since the abolition of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, the UEFA Super Cup place previously reserved for the Cup Winners Cup winner has been taken by the winner of the UEFA Cup, now UEFA Europa League. The competitions official name was originally the European Cup Winners Cup, in common with other UEFA club tournaments, the away goal applied when aggregate scores was parity. Following the influx of new UEFA member nations during the 1990s, however, if this team also qualified for the European Champions Cup then they would default on their place in the Cup Winners Cup and no other team would replace them. In 1998–99, the final year, Heerenveen of the Netherlands entered the Cup Winners Cup despite only reaching the semi-final of the previous seasons Dutch Cup. This was due to both Dutch Cup finalists Ajax and PSV Eindhoven qualifying for the recently expanded Champions League. The European Cup had proven to be a success and the Fairs Cup had also proven popular – as a result. One proposal was for a tournament based upon the format of the European Cup, but with national cup winners rather than league champions taking part, the inaugural Cup Winners Cup was held in the 1960–61 season and was basically a semi-official pilot tournament. It was essentially only in England, Scotland and to a lesser extent Germany, for the tournaments second season in 1961–62, UEFA took over the running of all aspects of the competition and this time all the clubs eligible to enter accepted the opportunity. By 1968, all UEFA member nations had set up domestic cup competitions due to the success of the Cup Winners Cup, UEFA regarded it as the second most prestigious competition, behind the European Cup and ahead of the Fairs Cup. Nevertheless, many commentators and fans regarded the Cup Winners Cup as weaker than the UEFA Cup, no club managed to retain the Cup Winners Cup, although eight times a winning side followed up their victories with a losing appearance in the following seasons final. After the establishment of the UEFA Champions League in the early 1990s, with the expansion of the Champions League in 1997 to allow more than one team from the highest-ranked member associations to enter, the Cup Winners Cup began to look noticeably inferior. Since then, domestic cup winners who do not otherwise qualify for the Champions League are given a place in the Europa League, the Cup Winners Cup trophy itself is a property of UEFA and it is not assigned to any club. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation UEFA website
19.
AS Monaco FC
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Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club is a Monaco-based football club. The club was founded in 1924 and plays in Ligue 1, the team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II in Fontvieille. Monaco is managed by Leonardo Jardim and is captained by Radamel Falcao, though based in Monaco, the club plays in the French football league system. Monaco is one of the most successful clubs in France, having won seven league titles, the club has also competed in European football having been runners-up in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 2004. The clubs traditional colours are red and white, and the club is known as Les Rouges et Blancs, Monaco is also a member of the European Club Association. In December 2011, two-thirds of the club was sold to an investment group led by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, with Rybolovlevs financial backing, the club quickly returned to Ligue 1. AS Monaco FC was founded on 1 August 1919 as a unification of numerous local clubs based in France, then, The multiple sports club of the Association Sportive de Monaco was founded on the 23rd August 1924. AS Monaco FC was then absorbed by the latter and became the section of the enlarged Monegasque sporting club. The clubs early years were spent in the regional divisions of the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region. In 1933, Monaco were invited by the French Football Federation to turn professional, the Monégasques first year of second division football ended in failure however, as they were relegated to the amateur leagues the following year. In 1960, Monacos first iconic coach, Lucien Leduc, led the club to its first professional trophy and this initial success was bettered in the following year with the club winning the French Championship for the first time in its history, qualifying for the European Cup. Leduc subsequently led the club to its first League and Cup Double in 1963, in 1975, Jean-Louis Campora, son of former president Charles Campora, became chairman of the club. In his second season, he brought back Leduc, who won the club promotion to the first division and won them the championship the following year in 1978. Leduc subsequently left the again in 1979, to be succeeded by Lucien Muller and Gérard Banide. The early 1980s saw a stream of successes in national competitions. Monaco won a title almost every year, the Coupe de France in 1980 and 1985. In the 1985–86 season, Monaco hammered Bordeaux 9–0, one of the biggest wins in club history, disappointingly for Monaco fans, the club could not translate its domestic leadership into European success. Up to this point, Monaco had never passed the first round of any European competition, Monaco lost to Dundee United, CSKA Sofia twice and Universitatea Craiova
20.
1998 UEFA Super Cup
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The 1998 UEFA Super Cup was a football match that was played on 28 August 1998 at Stade Louis II, Monaco, contested between Champions League winners Real Madrid and Cup Winners Cup holders Chelsea. Neither team had won the trophy. Chelsea won the match 1–0 with a goal from Gus Poyet. This was the first Super Cup to be played as a match at a neutral venue. Previously it was played two legs, although on some occasions, only one match was played, due to special circumstances. The Stade Louis II in Monaco was the venue for the UEFA Super Cup for the second time and it was built in 1985, and is also the home of AS Monaco, who play in the French league system. The 1986 European Super Cup match between Steaua București, then holders of the European Cup and Dynamo Kyiv, holders of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, took place at the same stadium, 1997–98 UEFA Champions League 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners Cup
21.
UEFA Super Cup
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It takes place at the start of the domestic season, in mid-August, normally on a Tuesday. From 1972 to 1999, the UEFA Super Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, the current holders are Spanish club Real Madrid, who won 3–2 against Sevilla in 2016. The most successful teams in the competition are Barcelona and Italian side Milan, the European Super Cup was created in 1971 by Anton Witkamp, a reporter and later sports editor of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. The idea came to him in a time when Dutch total football was Europes finest, Witkamp was looking for something new to definitely decide which was the best team in Europe and also to further test Ajaxs legendary team, led by their star player Johan Cruyff. It was then proposed that the winner of the European Cup would face the winner of the European Cup Winners Cup, All was set for a new competition to be born. However, when Witkamp tried to get an endorsement to his competition. As a result, UEFA refused to endorse the competition until the following season and it was played in two legs and was financially supported by De Telegraaf. Ajax defeated Rangers 6–3 on aggregate and won the first European Super Cup, the 1973 final, in which Ajax defeated Milan 6–1 on aggregate, was the first Super Cup officially recognised and supported by UEFA. Although the two-legged format was kept until 1997, the Super Cup was decided in one match because of schedule issues or political problems in 1984,1986. In 1974,1981 and 1985, the Super Cup was not played at all, in the 1992–1993 season, the European Cup was renamed the UEFA Champions League and the winners of this competition would face the winners of the Cup Winners Cup in the UEFA Super Cup. In the 1994–1995 season, the European Cup Winners Cup was renamed the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, after the 1998–1999 season, the Cup Winners Cup was discontinued by UEFA. The 1999 Super Cup was the last one contested by the winners of the Cup Winners Cup, lazio, winners of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners Cup, defeated Manchester United, winners of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, 1–0. Since then, the UEFA Super Cup was contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup, the 2000 Super Cup was the first one contested by the winners of the UEFA Cup. Galatasaray, winners of the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, defeated Real Madrid, winners of the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League, 2–1. In the 2009–10 season, the UEFA Cup was renamed the UEFA Europa League and the winners of this competition would continue to face the winners of the Champions League in the UEFA Super Cup. To date, Chelsea is the club to contest the Super Cup as holders of all three UEFA club honours, having entered as holders of the Cup Winners Cup, the Champions League. Since 1998, the Super Cup was played as a match at a neutral venue. Between 1998 and 2012, the Super Cup was played at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, since 2013 various stadiums have been used
22.
Iker Casillas
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Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Portuguese club Porto and the Spain national team as a goalkeeper. Casillas began his career with Real Madrid in 1990. After gaining promotion to the team in 1999, he remained with the club for 16 seasons. With 725 appearances for the club, Casillas is Madrids second most capped player of all-time after Raúl, Casillas debuted for the Spain national team in June 2000 at the age of 19. He became the nations first-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and went on to play at UEFA Euro 2004, in 2008, he was made captain of the Spanish team, leading them to their first European Championship in 44 years by winning Euro 2008. Under Casillass captaincy, Spain went on to win its first ever World Cup in 2010, at the 2014 World Cup, Casillas and teammate Xavi joined Andoni Zubizarreta and Fernando Hierro in representing Spain at four World Cups. Nicknamed San Iker for his ability to produce spectacular saves, in his prime he was a goalkeeper, known for his quick reactions. Casillas was nominated for the European Footballer of the Year award in 2008, ranking fourth overall. At the end of 2012, he was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year for a sixth consecutive time. As of 2011, Casillas is one of a select group of players who have won all major club. On 19 October 2010, he became the goalkeeper with most appearances of all time in the Champions League and in November 2011, in September 2015, he became the player with the most appearances in the UEFA Champions League. Casillas was born on 20 May 1981 in Móstoles, Community of Madrid, to José Luis Casillas, a servant in the Ministry of Education, and María del Carmen Fernández González. Both his parents had moved from their home of Navalacruz, Ávila, when Iker was a child, he lived for some years in the Basque Country, but he has always considered Madrid to be his hometown. Casillas has a brother, seven years younger, named Unai, Casillas began his career in Real Madrids youth system, known as La Fábrica, during the 1990–91 season. On 27 November 1997, at age 16, he was first called up to the first team to face Rosenborg in the UEFA Champions League. In 2000, he became the youngest ever goalkeeper to play in a Champions League final when Real Madrid defeated Valencia 3–0, Casillas came on and pulled off several key saves to deny a rampant Bayer Leverkusen the Champions League crown. The 2007–08 season was a season for Casillas, as he helped Real Madrid reclaim their 31st La Liga title. His performances earned him a spot in the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time
23.
Suat Kaya
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Suat Kaya is a Turkish former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and the current coach of Menemen Belediyespor. His career was all but associated with Galatasaray, with which he won major titles including, over the course of 16 seasons, he amassed Süper Lig totals of 353 games and 44 goals. Born in Istanbul, Suat started playing professionally with Turkish first division powerhouse Galatasaray SK, in the following five years, he represented Konyaspor. Returned in 1992, Suat only played eight times in his first season in his second spell, aged nearly 33, in 2000, Suat appeared, as a starter, in both of Galatasarays European conquests, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. In June 2003, he retired from football, starting a career in the following year. In the next seasons, he managed several clubs, namely second divisions Gaziantep Büyükşehir Belediyespor, Suat gained 15 caps for Turkey during seven years, and participated at UEFA Euro 2000. com
24.
FC Porto
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Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM, commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the football team playing in the Primeira Liga. They are nicknamed Dragões, for the mythical creature atop the clubs crest, the club supporters are called Portistas. Since 2003, Porto have played their matches at the Estádio do Dragão, which replaced the previous 52-year-old ground. Porto is the second most successful Portuguese team, with a total of 74 official trophies,67 were achieved in domestic competitions and comprise 27 league titles,16 Taça de Portugal,4 Campeonato de Portugal, and a record 20 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. Porto is the team in Portuguese league history to have won two titles without conceding any defeat, namely in the 2010–11 and 2012–13 seasons. In the former, Porto achieved the largest-ever difference of points between champion and runner-up in a system, on their way to a second quadruple. In addition, they were runners-up in the 1983–84 European Cup Winners Cup, together with Barcelona and Real Madrid, Porto have the most appearances in the UEFA Champions League group stage. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Porto were 16th in the UEFA club coefficient ranking, Porto was the only Portuguese club that was part of G-14 member. Porto played its first matches with other Portuguese clubs, including one against Lisbons Foot-Ball Club Lisbonense on 2 March 1894. This match had the patronage of King Carlos I and Queen Amélie of Orléans, almeidas enthusiasm and involvement with the club waned due to family pressure, and by the turn of the century, Porto had entered a period of inactivity. In 1906, José Monteiro da Costa returned to Porto after finishing his studies in England, on 2 August 1906, Porto was revived and Monteiro da Costa appointed its president. Although football was the force, the club also promoted other sports, including gymnastics, weightlifting and wrestling, athletics. Shortly after, Porto rented its first ground and recruited a French coach named Adolphe Cassaigne, on 15 December 1907, Porto played its first match against a foreign team, hosting Spains Real Fortuna. In the following month, Porto returned the visit and played its first match abroad, four years later, the club won the inaugural staging of the Taça José Monteiro da Costa, securing its first-ever official title. In 1912, Porto joined efforts with Leixões to establish the Porto Football Association, Porto finished the first season as runners-up, behind local rivals Boavista, but in the following season the club won its first championship. The 1921–22 season was marked by the creation of the first nationwide football competition – the Campeonato de Portugal, organised by the national federation, this knockout tournament gathered the winners of the different regional championships to determine the Portuguese champion. After clinching its fourth consecutive title, Porto defeated Sporting CP in the inaugural edition
25.
Fatih Akyel
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Fatih Akyel is a Turkish football manager and former international footballer, who currently works as manager for Kocaeli Birlik Spor. He played as a defender for clubs such as Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe during his 15-year career and he was capped by the Turkey national football team 64 times from 1997 to 2004, and also won a silver medal with the Olympic team at the 1997 Mediterranean Games. Born in Istanbul, Fatih began his career with local club Galatasaray. He signed his first professional contract with the club on 31 July 1995, however, he did not make any appearances for the team, and was transferred to Bakırköyspor the following season. Fatih made 29 appearances for the club, and earned his first cap for the Turkey national under-21 football team, at the end of the season, he returned to Galatasaray. He played for the club for four years, winning three Süper Lig titles and three Turkish Cup titles and he was also a part of the team that won the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup and 2000 UEFA Super Cup, assisting Mário Jardels game winner against Real Madrid. Fatih joined RCD Mallorca at the beginning of the 2001–02 season, with Fenerbahçe, he won another Süper Lig title in 2003–04. Fatih made 70 appearances for the club before his contract was terminated on 8 November 2004 and he signed with German club VfL Bochum in 2005, making one appearance. PAOK signed him the season, where he made 16 appearances before returning to Turkey at the winter break. He spent one season with the Black Sea club before being transferred to Gençlerbirliği on 1 February 2007, however, he did not make any appearances for the club. Fatih later signed for MKE Ankaragücü on 2 July 2007, but quickly left the club and he spent three years with the club, with the last year on loan at Kocaelispor. On 27 January 2010, Fatih signed with KFC Uerdingen 05, however, two days later he announced via SMS that he would not join the club. Akyel last played for Tepecikspor, making one appearance for the club before he was arrested in March 2010 on allegations of match-fixing in 2007 and 2008, Fatih began his international career with the U-18 team in 1995, earning nine caps. He was promoted to the Turkey national under-21 football team in 1996 and he participated in the 1997 Mediterranean Games, starting all five matches en route to winning a silver medal. In seven years, Fatih won 64 caps for the Turkey national football team and he was a part of the Turkey squad that finished in third place at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was also a part of the Turkey squad that qualified for the stages of UEFA Euro 2000
26.
Guti (footballer)
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José María Gutiérrez Hernández, known as Guti, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Guti played 13 times with Spain, making his debut in 1999, on 2 December 1995 he made his first-team debut against Sevilla FC, with Real Madrid winning 4–1, he finished the season with one goal in nine appearances. In 1997, Guti added two trophies to his cabinet, La Liga and the Supercopa de España, playing 17 games during the season and scoring once. In 1997–98, he helped the Merengues lift the UEFA Champions League, the 1999–2000 season started badly for Guti, struggling with the responsibility of replacing Clarence Seedorf, he was sent off for kicking a fallen adversary. This negative trait was often recurrent in his career, as he was shown his marching orders eight times during his career in the league alone, after the purchase of Ronaldo in 2002, Guti returned to midfield, and his goalscoring rate went down drastically. During the next two seasons combined he would net eight goals in 63 games, contributing with three in nine matches as the 2001–02 Champions League ended in conquest. During the 2004–05 campaign, Guti had his lowest season in terms of goal scoring and he only managed to net one official goal, in an international against San Marino in February 2005, in 2005–06, he played 43 games and scored six goals. With the election of Ramón Calderón as club president and his subsequent vow to bring A. C. Milans Brazilian star Kaká to Real Madrid, Gutis future at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium appeared insecure. He was linked with an away to cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid but, in the end. With Zinedine Zidane retired, Guti found himself as the creative playmaker for 2006–07, on 14 September he netted the clubs 5, 000th league goal, in a 4–3 win over CD Numancia. In 2009–10, already with Kaká on board, Guti still managed to significantly in the early stages of the season. On 25 July 2010, Guti left Madrid after nearly 25 years of service for the club and he said, I have an offer from Beşiktaş JK, but I havent decided yet. The deal was concluded the day, with the player signing a two-year contract. He started in his first official match for the Istanbul-based club, on 28 November 2010, Guti contributed to Beşiktaş victory against Galatasaray SK with one goal and one assist. It was the teams first win at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in eight years, on 11 May 2011, he started as his team won the Turkish Cup against İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor on penalties, it was the first domestic cup of his professional career. Guti was deemed surplus to requirements at Beşiktaş for 2011–12, following the appointment of new manager Carlos Carvalhal, on 15 November 2011, the 35-year-old was released by the club. Guti announced his retirement from football on 21 September 2012, and further went on to say that Im going to train to become a director or a coach. Id really like to coach the Real Madrid youth team, a Spanish international since 5 May 1999, Guti nevertheless failed to appear in any tournaments final stage for his country, winning a total of 13 caps in approximately six years
27.
Gheorghe Hagi
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Gheorghe Gică Hagi is a former Romanian professional footballer, considered one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and the greatest Romanian footballer of all time. Galatasaray fans called him Comandante and Romanians call him Regele, nicknamed The Maradona of the Carpathians, Hagi is considered a hero in his homeland. He was named Romanian Footballer of the Year seven times, and is regarded as one of the best football players of his generation, as a creative advanced playmaker, he was renowned for his dribbling, technique, vision, passing and finishing. Hagi played for the Romanian national team in three World Cups in 1990,1994 and 1998, as well as in three European Football Championships in 1984,1996 and 2000. He won a total of 125 caps for Romania, ranked second after Dorinel Munteanu, in November 2003, to celebrate UEFAs Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Romania by the Romanian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. In 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony, Hagi is one of the few footballers to have played for both Spanish rival clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. In 2009, Hagi founded Romanian club Viitorul Constanța and he is currently both owner and chairman of the club. Hagi also established the Gheorghe Hagi football academy, one of the biggest football academies in Southeastern Europe and his son Ianis is also a footballer. Hagi was born in Săcele, Romania, from an ethnic Aromanian family, in 1982 he returned to Constanța, but one year later, aged 18, he was prepared to make the step to a top team. He was originally directed to Universitatea Craiova, but chose Sportul Studențesc of Bucharest instead, in late 1987 Hagi transferred to the Romanian team Steaua București as the team prepared for their European Super Cup final against Dynamo Kyiv. The original contract was for one only, the final. However, after winning the trophy, where Hagi scored the goal of the game, Steaua did not want to release him back to Sportul Studențesc. During his Steaua years, Hagi played 97 Liga I games and he and the team reached the European Cup semi-final in 1988 and the final in the following year, while Hagi finished as one of the competitions top scorers in the former edition of the tournament. Hagi and Steaua were the champions of Romania in 1987,1988 and 1989 and his strong performances had him linked with Arrigo Sacchis A. C. Milan and FC Bayern Munich but Nicolae Ceaușescus communist government rejected any offer. After the 1990 World Cup, he was signed by Real Madrid, the La Liga side paid $4.3 million to Steaua București for him. Hagi played two seasons with Real Madrid and then was sold to Brescia, Hagi started the season 1992–1993 with Brescia but in the first season the club was relegated to Serie B, in the next season Hagi helped Brescia Calcio win Serie B and get promoted to Serie A. After performing memorably during the 1994 World Cup, Hagi was signed by Barcelona, after two years at FC Barcelona, Hagi signed for Galatasaray. At Galatasaray, he was successful and highly popular among the Turkish supporters
28.
Roberto Carlos
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Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha, more commonly known simply as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian footballer. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his career as a left-back and has described as the most offensive-minded left-back in the history of the game. He was nicknamed el hombre bala due to his powerful bending free kicks and he is also known for his stamina, running speed, technical skills, crossing ability, long throw ins and 24-inch thighs. In 1997 he was runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year. Considered one of the best left backs in history, he was chosen on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team, Roberto Carlos started playing for the Brazil national team in 1992. He played in three World Cups, helping the team reach the final in 1998 in France, and win the 2002 tournament in Korea/Japan and he was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 1998 and 2002. At club level, he joined Real Madrid in 1996 where he spent 11 highly successful seasons, playing 584 matches in all competitions, at Real, he won four La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League three times. In April 2013, he was named by Marca as a member of the Best foreign eleven in Real Madrids history, in August 2012, he announced his retirement from football at the age of 39. Roberto Carlos took up management and was named as the coach of Sivasspor in the Turkish Süper Lig in June 2013. He resigned as coach in December 2014. In July 2015, he was appointed player/manager of Indian Super League club Delhi Dynamos, on 24 June 2005, Roberto Carlos was robbed by two gunmen while doing a live radio interview. The thieves did not harm him, however, merely taking his watch, on 2 August 2005, he received dual Spanish and Brazilian citizenship. Roberto Carlos has a son named João Afonso, for his 38th birthday, it was reported that Anzhi Makhachkala owner Suleyman Kerimov bought him a Bugatti Veyron. Roberto Carlos began his career playing for União São João. In 1992, despite playing at what was seen as a club and only being 19 years old. In August 1992, aged 19, he joined Atlético Mineiro on loan, the tour consisted of the B team, as the club was prioritising the first Copa CONMEBOL in South America at the same time. The tour served as a test for players, and those who stood out could be integrated definitively to the main group. Roberto Carlos did not participate in the first two games in Italy but played the match against Lleida in Spain on 27 August in a match for the Ciutat de Lleida Trophy
29.
Geremi
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Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso, known simply as Geremi, is a Cameroonian former footballer. He was a player able to play at right back, right midfield or center back, known for his power, combative style. The most successful periods of Geremis club career came at Real Madrid and Chelsea and he earned 116 caps for Cameroon from 1996 to 2010, scoring 13 goals. He was a member of their squad for 7 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, winning in 2000 and 2002, as well as the World Cup in 2002 and 2010, Geremi was born in Bafoussam, Cameroon. Raised into a family, Geremi was encouraged to remain focused on school by his father. But as duties for his club and national teams pulled him away from his studies, Geremi gave up on studying for his university entrance exams and began playing professionally. Geremi began his career with a side in Bafoussam, Racing FC. In 1996, Geremi was offered a contract with a Paraguayan first division club, Cerro Porteño and he played only a few months in Paraguay, before moving to European club football in 1997 at the age of 18. He spent two seasons in Turkey with Gençlerbirliği, racking up 57 appearances, before a move to Real Madrid materialised for him, in his three years at the Bernabeu, Geremi won two Champions League winners medals with the Spanish giants. He scored two goals whilst at Madrid, his first was a winner in a 2000 FIFA Club World Championship tie against Raja Casablanca after his side had been reduced to eight men. His second came against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, at Real Madrid, Geremi was nominated for the Ballon dOr of 2000. Seeking more regular football, he moved to Middlesbrough for the 2002–03 season on a loan from Real Madrid where he enjoyed a successful season. In 2003, a sentence from FIFA obliged Cerro Porteño to pay Geremi US $450,000. After an impressive FIFA Confederations Cup campaign with Cameroon, Chelsea paid Real Madrid £6.9 million for him in July 2003, and he went on to have an excellent first season at Stamford Bridge. Although towards the end of his career at Chelsea, under José Mourinho, he was played less regularly, however, Geremi was held in high regard by Mourinho. If I need him to play right-back, he can play right-back, if I need him to play right-winger, he can play right-winger. If I need him to pick up a man and mark him out of the game, in his final year at Chelsea, Geremi scored the winning goal in a home match against West Ham United, a free kick from range. This turned out to be his last goal in a Chelsea shirt and his final appearance for Chelsea came against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg, which went to penalties
Real Madrid
Galatasaray
79' (pen.)
103'
66'
32'
100'
