1.
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
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The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team, represents Bosnia and Herzegovina in association football and is governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Until 1992, Bosnian and Herzegovinian players were part of the Yugoslavia national football team, Bosnia and Herzegovina achieved their best result when they reached the 2014 FIFA World Cup as winners of their qualifying group. They were eliminated after group stage narrow losses to Argentina and Nigeria, Bosnia and Herzegovinas home ground is Bilino Polje Stadium in the city of Zenica. The teams highest FIFA World Ranking was 13th in August 2013, Bosnia and Herzegovina have seen a steady rise in their fortunes on the international football stage in recent times. Historically, Bosnia, a war torn and divided nation, has managed multiple playoff appearances and has qualified to one FIFA World Cup, more often than not, the team produces solid results in qualifiers and challenges for a top spot. From 1920 to 1992, the players lined out for Yugoslavia, but following the outbreak of the Bosnian war and subsequent independence, the early period saw Bosnia-Herzegovina have to wait until the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to compete for a place in a major competition. Bosnia finished fourth in a group that included Greece, Denmark and this was then subsequently followed by further disappointment with lackluster campaigns in the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers, as well as the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This early period was followed by Bosnia coming very close to qualifying directly for their first ever major competition, UEFA Euro 2004, narrowly missing out by a single goal against Denmark. Bosnia failed to make the grade in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, despite being unbeaten at home, and the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers, which saw their poor home form cost them. Bosnia managed to finish a third in a group which included Argentina at their first ever major competition. Nigeria pipped Bosnia for second place in the group with a 1–0 win marred with controversy following an incorrectly disallowed goal scored by Edin Džeko in the first half, Bosnia finished third in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers behind Belgium and Wales. After the slow start, the Bosnian performance improved dramatically, with five wins in their six matches, including victories over Wales. However, they failed to qualify after a two legged playoff encounter with the Republic of Ireland. On 9 November 2015, the Bosnian FA extended the contract with Baždarević through the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Bosnia-Herzegovina was drawn to face Belgium, Greece, Estonia, Cyprus and Gibraltar during the qualifying stage. The following players were called up for the game against Albania on 28 March 2017. Caps. The following players have called up for the team within the last twelve months. During qualifiers for 1998 World Cup, Bosnias first home match against Croatia was played at Bologna, the match was held at the neutral venue due to the renovation of the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium. The team finished in place during 2006 World Cup qualifying, recording two draws with Spain along the way
2.
Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea, in the region of Dalmatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport, in 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. After repair and restoration works in the 1990s and early 2000s, the names Dubrovnik and Ragusa co-existed for several centuries. The name Dubrovnik of the Adriatic city is first recorded in the Charter of Ban Kulin. It is mostly explained as a Slavic name of the type, referring to an oak grove or oak forest. The historical name Ragusa is recorded in the Greek form Ῥαούσιν in the 10th century and it was recorded in various forms in the medieval period, Rausia, Lavusa, Labusa, Raugia, Rachusa. Various attempts have been made to etymologize the name, a connection to the name of Sicilian Ragusa has also been proposed. The classical explanation of the name is due to Constantine Porphyrogenituss De Administrando Imperio, the name is explained as a corruption of Lausa, the name of the rocky island on which the city was built. Excavations in 2007 revealed a Byzantine basilica from the 8th century, the size of the old basilica clearly indicates that there was quite a large settlement at the time. There is also evidence for the presence of a settlement in the pre-Christian era, after the fall of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, the town came under the protection of the Byzantine Empire. Dubrovnik in those medieval centuries had a Roman population, after the Crusades, Dubrovnik came under the sovereignty of Venice, which would give its institutions to the Dalmatian city. After a fire destroyed almost the whole city in the night of August 16,1296, by the Peace Treaty of Zadar in 1358, Dubrovnik achieved relative independence as a vassal-state of the Kingdom of Hungary. Between the 14th century and 1808, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a state, although it was a vassal from 1382 to 1804 of the Ottoman Empire. The Republic reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries, for centuries, Dubrovnik was an ally of Ancona, the other Adriatic maritime republic rival of Venice, which was the Ottoman Empires chief rival for control of the Adriatic. Ancona and Dubrovnik developed a trade route to the Venetian, starting in Dubrovnik it went on to Ancona, through Florence. The Republic of Ragusa received its own Statutes as early as 1272, statutes which, among other things, codified Roman practice, the Statutes included prescriptions for town planning and the regulation of quarantine. An almshouse was opened in 1347, and the first quarantine hospital was established in 1377, slave trading was abolished in 1418, and an orphanage opened in 1432. A20 km water supply system, instead of a cistern, was constructed in 1438 by the Neapolitan architect and he completed the aqueduct with two public fountains
3.
Defender (association football)
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In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals. There are four types of defenders, centre-back, sweeper, full-back, the centre-back and full-back positions are essential in most modern formations. The sweeper and wing-back roles are more specialised for certain formations, a centre-back defends in the area directly in front of the goal, and tries to prevent opposing players, particularly centre-forwards, from scoring. Centre-backs accomplish this by blocking shots, tackling, intercepting passes, contesting headers, with the ball, centre-backs are generally expected to make long and pinpoint passes to their teammates, or to kick unaimed long balls down the field. For example, a clearance is a long unaimed kick intended to move the ball as far as possible from the defenders goal, during normal play, centre-backs are unlikely to score goals. In this case, other defenders or midfielders will temporarily move into the centre-back positions, in the modern game, most teams employ two or three centre-backs in front of the goalkeeper. The 4–2–3–1, 4–3–3, and 4–4–2 formations all use two centre-backs, the sweeper is a more versatile centre-back who sweeps up the ball if an opponent manages to breach the defensive line. This position is more fluid than that of other defenders who man-mark their designated opponents. Because of this, it is referred to as libero. For example, the system of play, used in Italian football in the 1960s. The more modern libero possesses the qualities of the typical libero while being able to expose the opposition during counterattacks. The Fundell-libero has become popular in recent time with the sweeper transitioning to the most advanced forward in an attack. This variation on the position requires great pace and fitness, while rarely seen in professional football, the position has been extensively used in lower leagues. Modern libero sit behind centre-backs as a sweeper before charging through the team to join in the attack, some sweepers move forward and distribute the ball up-field, while others intercept passes and get the ball off the opposition without needing to hurl themselves into tackles. If the sweeper does move up the field to distribute the ball, they will need to make a speedy recovery, in modern football, its usage has been fairly restricted, with few clubs in the biggest leagues using the position. Though it is used in modern football, it remains a highly respected. A recent and successful use of the sweeper was made by Otto Rehhagel, Greeces manager, Rehhagel utilized Traianos Dellas as Greeces sweeper to great success, as Greece surprisingly became European champions. The full-backs take up the wide positions and traditionally stayed in defence at all times
4.
FK Krajina Cazin
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Fudbalski Klub Krajina Cazin, commonly referred to as FK Krajina Cazin or simply Krajina Cazin, is a Bosnian football club based in Cazin. They currently play in the Second League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of six divisions at the third tier and they last competed in the Bosnian Premier League in the 2000–01 season. FK Krajina Cazin was founded in 1932, and competed in the regional and amateur leagues in Yugoslavia until the independence of Bosnia. In 1993, the joined the First League of Herzeg-Bosnia. In the 2000–01 season, the participated in the inaugural Bosnian Premier League season. Krajina performed poorly in this season, finishing bottom with just three wins in 42 fixtures with 149 goals conceded. They also suffered the highest defeat in the history, as of summer 2011. In the 2000s, the club has competed in the First League of FBiH. This is one of two second divisions, for clubs of Croat and Bosniak ethnicity, Serbian clubs instead compete in the First League of the Republika Srpska. In recent seasons they have close to gaining promotion to the Premier League for a second time. In the 2010–11 season they finished the First League of FBiH campaign in third place, FK Krajina at Football Association of Bosnia-Hercegovina
5.
NK Zagreb
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Nogometni klub Zagreb, commonly known as NK Zagreb or simply Zagreb, is a Croatian football club based in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb, currently playing in the First Croatian Football League. The club was founded in 1908, NK Zagrebs home ground since 1946 is Stadion u Kranjčevićevoj with reduced capacity of 8,850 where they only play their official competitive matches. The teams traditional colours are white shirts, shorts and socks which is the reason why they are referred to as Bijeli in Croatian. Also, NK Zagreb participated several times in the European competitions like UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup Winners Cup, UEFA Intertoto Cup, the club was founded in 1903 as PNIŠK, being one of the first to be formed in Croatia. First secretary was Dragutin Baki, the president was Vilhelm Witte, since there werent any clubs to play with, the first official match was played between the clubs players divided into two groups in 1904. Ticket income from the match was 3 krone and 3 filirs, the first international match was played in 1905. Against Magyar champions Ferencváros on Magyar Athleticai Clubs pitch, home team won with a high 11–1 score. The players who played for Zagreb were, Filipčić, Schwarz, Todl, Mutefelija, Slavnič, Ugrinić, Polivka, Uhrl, Višinger, Koruna, and Torbić. However, after World War II, NK Zagreb has been overshadowed by larger, more successful clubs. One of the most notable matches Zagreb played was on 19 July 1973 when Great drama in Maksimir took place – a match between NK Zagreb and NK Osijek on Maksimir stadium. It was a second of two qualifying matches for entering the first league, the first one in Osijek ended 0–0 with attendance of 25,000. The second match was played in Maksimir because of demand for tickets – the attendance was 64,138 which broke the stadium record. Zagreb won the match after penalty kicks, lineup for this team was, Horvat, Gašparini, Tucak, Antolić, Ivanišević, Lipovac, Markulin, Čopor, Močibob, Rukljač, Smolek. Among NK Zagrebs more notable players was Ivica Olić who led the club to its first championship of the Prva HNL in 2002 with 21 goals scored in 29 appearances for NK Zagreb, also worth mentioning here is Joško Popović, 2nd top-goalscorer ever in Prva HNL. In the championship of 2002, NK Zagreb broke the duopoly of NK Dinamo, standard lineup for the champion team was, Vasilj, Stavrevski, Pirić, Ješe, Bulat, Poldrugač, Duro, Hasančić, Franja, Lovrek, Olić. There are two football competitions being played in Croatia – Cup and Supercup. NK Zagreb were finalist of Cup in 1997 and finalist of Supercup in 2002, the club was in debt, players not receiving wages for six months. Zagreb president Dražen Medić had several offers for players that would at least somewhat stabilized the situation in the first division club from Kranjčevićeva, strike was ongoing for a week ahead of matchday with players demanding to be paid at least partially
6.
FC Shinnik Yaroslavl
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FC Shinnik Yaroslavl is a Russian football club, based in Yaroslavl. From 1957 to 1960 the team was called Khimik, as of 24 February 2017, according to the official FNL site. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Had international caps for their respective countries, players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Shinnik
7.
FC Torpedo Moscow
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Football Club Torpedo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow that was founded in 1924 and currently plays in the Russian Professional Football League. AMO – founded and owned by Avtomobilnoe Moskovskoe Obshchestvo, ZIS – after owners name AMO was changed to Zavod Imeni Stalina. Torpedo Moscow – when they one of the founding members of the Soviet B League. Torpedo-Luzhniki – as they became property of the Luzhniki corporation, Torpedo Moscow Torpedo Moscow Football Club was formed in 1930 by the AMO automotive plant. They played in the Moscow League until 1936 when they one of the founder members of the Soviet B League. In 1938, they were promoted to the A League, Torpedo have won the National League Championship on three occasions, and have lifted the National Cup seven times. In 1957 Torpedo Moscow, as well as other Soviet sport clubs named Torpedo, nicknamed the Black-Whites, Torpedo has not been a major force in Russian football since the days of Eduard Streltsov, the brilliant striker of the 1950s and 1960s, known as the Russian Pelé. After selling Torpedo Moscow in 1996, ZIL created a new team, Torpedo-ZIL, however, ZIL sold the team to MMC Norilsk Nickel in 2003, where it was relaunched as FC Moscow. This new team, however, was dissolved after spending the 2010 season in Amateur Football League when its owner and main sponsor, MMC Norilsk Nickel. After selling Torpedo-ZIL in 2003, ZIL created another team, Torpedo-ZIL and this team, however, was also eventually disbanded in 2011 after its efforts to seek promotion to the First Division failed. Under SC Luzhniki ownership, Torpedo Moscow was relegated to the First Division in 2006, in early 2009, Luzhniki sold the team back to ZiL. In the 2012–13 season, Torpedo barely avoided relegation to the second division, at the end of the championship was again replaced head coach - instead Ignatiev came 42-year-old Vladimir Kazakov, in due time played in Torpedo. Were acquired several players with experience of playing at the highest level, however, in the first 6 matches, black-white were able earn only two points, Kazakov took the blame and resigned. On 5 September 2013, a team led by A. G. Borodyuk began to more competitive, ultimately placing third in the 2013–14 season. The team drew the previous years 14th-placed Premier League team, Krylia Sovetov Samara, in a game held on 18 May 2014 at the stadium in suburban Ramenskoye, which ended 2–0 for Torpedo. On 22 May, in the second leg at Metallurg Stadium in Samara, Torpedo played to a draw, thus prevailing on aggregate. The 2014–15 season began poorly for Torpedo in the top division, in the first matchday, at the end of the season, the team was relegated back to the Russian Football National League after finishing second-last, in 15th. Due to a lack of financing, however, Torpedo could only receive licensing for play in the third-tier Russian Professional Football League for 2015–16 season, the fans of Torpedo are twinned with the fans of Spartak Moscow
8.
FC Lokomotiv Moscow
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FC Lokomotiv Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv won the Russian Premier League in 2002 and 2004, the USSR Cup in 1936 and 1957, the club was the league runner-up in 1959,1995,1999,2000 and 2001, and finished third in 1994,1998,2005,2006 and 2014. Lokomotiv was the Russian Super Cup holder in 2003 and 2005, Lokomotiv was founded as Kazanka in 1923. In 1924, the club united the strongest football players of several roads of the Moscow railway junction as KOR, in 1931, the club was again renamed to Kazanka and in 1936, it was eventually renamed to as it is known today, Lokomotiv. During the Communist rule, Lokomotiv Moscow club was a part of the Lokomotiv Voluntary Sports Society and was owned by the Soviet Ministry of Transportation through the Russian Railways, Lokomotiv debuted in the first-ever Soviet football club championship with a game against Dynamo Leningrad on 22 May 1936. In the first two championships, Lokomotiv finished fifth and fourth respectively. The first Lokomotiv success arrived shortly as in 1936, the railwaymen rose up to the occasion to beat Dynamo Tbilisi 2–0 in the Soviet Cup Final, the following years were rather successful as Lokomotiv were consistent in the national championships. However, performances after World War II suffered and in a five-year span, in 1951, Lokomotiv came second and eventually won the promotion to the Soviet Top League. This kicked off the second Lokomotivs resurgence and until the beginning of the 1960s, in 1957, Lokomotiv won the cup for the second time, and two years later, Lokomotiv won the silver medals of the Soviet League. Second place was the highest position obtained by Lokomotiv during the Soviet era. Another important trademark for Lokomotiv was the authorization of playing matches against foreign opposition. Typically, up to the late 1950s, international contacts with Soviet teams were extremely rare. In the beginning of the 1990s, Lokomotiv was considered the weakest link amongst the top Moscow clubs and it lacked both results on the pitch and fans support in the stands. However, head coach Yuri Semin and president Valeri Filatov were able to lead the clubs progress, historically, Lokomotiv was not considered to be a big club in the same vein as Spartak, CSKA, Dynamo and Torpedo. With the former Soviet republics and their clubs gone, however, solid performances in domestic league and several memorable campaigns in European Cups made Lokomotiv a superclub by Russian scales and brought back fans and supporters back to the stands. In 2002, a new stadium—Lokomotiv Stadium—resembling a traditional, compact English one was built, the arena, at that time considered to be one of the most comfortable, if not the best, in Eastern Europe gave a huge boost to the clubs fan growth rate. Eventually, by 2009, the attendance at the stadium was the second highest in Moscow. In 2002, a match was needed to decide who will be the champion, as Lokomotiv Moscow
9.
Montpellier HSC
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Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is a French association football club based in the city of Montpellier. The original club was founded in 1919, while the current incarnation was founded through a merger in 1974, Montpellier currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football and plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city. The first team is managed by Frédéric Hantz and captained by defender Hilton, Montpellier was founded under the name Stade Olympique Montpelliérain and played under the name for most of its existence. In 1989, after playing under various names, the changed its name to its current form. Montpellier is one of the members of the first division of French football. Along with Marseille, Rennes, Sochaux and Nice, Montpellier is one of only a few clubs to have played in the inaugural 1932–33 season and is playing in the first division. The club won Ligue 1 for the first time in the 2011–12 season, Montpelliers other honours to date include winning the Coupe de France in 1929 and 1990, and the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1999. Montpellier is owned by Louis Nicollin, a French entrepreneur, and has been since 1974, the club have produced several famous players in its history, most notably Laurent Blanc, who has served as manager of the France national team. Blanc is also the clubs leading goalscorer. Eric Cantona, Roger Milla, Carlos Valderrama and Olivier Giroud are other players who have played in Montpelliers colours, in 2001, Montpellier introduced a womens team. The city of Montpellier had been in the process of creating a club in the city since 1914, however. Upon its creation, the club mainly engaged in association football, rugby union, athletics, tennis. The clubs headquarters was located at the local Café de Paris and carried the colours of the city, red, the successful merger with VGAL and the acquisition of the clubs players allowed Montpellier to easily adapt in the sport. The club spent its formative years playing mainly in the Division dHonneur Sud-Est, in 1925, the club was managed by Scotsman Victor Gibson. That same year, Montpellier endured an internal crisis after the French Football Federation discovered that the club had been guilty of financial misfeasance, the clubs president was suspended from football for five years and Montpellier were relegated for the first time. The resulting penalties led to the departure of several players, the rebuilding process was immediate as the club returned to the Division dHonneur after one season. In 1929, the club won its first major trophy, the Coupe de France, in the final, Montpellier faced FC Sète and recorded a 2–0 victory courtesy of goals from Auguste Kramer and Edmond Kramer. In July 1930, the National Council of the French Football Federation voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football
10.
Sevilla FC
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Sevilla Football Club, S. A. D. or simply Sevilla, is Spain’s oldest club solely devoted to football practice. Sevilla FC is based in Seville, capital and largest city of the community of Andalusia. Sevilla FC is one of the teams play in Spain’s top flight. The club was formed on 25 January 1890, Scot Mr. Edward Farquharson Johnston being their first president. A few years later, on October 14,1905, the articles of association were registered in the Civil Government of Seville under the presidency of the Jerez-born José Luis Gallegos Arnosa. Sevilla FC is also the most successful club in Andalusia, winning a league title in 1945–46, five Spanish Cups, one Spanish Super Cup, five UEFA Cups. Sevilla FCs main rivalry is with their cross-city rivals Real Betis de Sevilla, matches between the two are referred to as Seville derby. Its reserve side Sevilla Atlético, founded in 1958, currently play in the Segunda B league, other clubs related to Sevilla FC include their womens team, futsal team and former Superleague Formula team. The Club’s home ground is the 45, 000-seat Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium and it is located in the neighborhood of Nervión and owes its name to Mr. Sánchez Pizjuan, who was Sevilla FC’s President for 17 years. Sevilla FC has contributed many players to the Spanish National Football Team throughout their history, Sevilla Fútbol Club was founded on 25 January 1890 as Sevilla Foot-ball Club. Sevilla was duly formed on 25 January 1890 while a group of young British, mainly Scots, along with young men of Spanish origin. After a deal of talk and a consumption of small beer. Hugh Maccoll, another Scottish young man, an engineer who at that time had moved to Seville to work as the technical manager of Portilla White foundry, was their first captain. One of Maccoll’s partners in the Portilla White foundry in Seville and he was the son of an English entrepreneur who founded the aforesaid company, one of the major foundries in Spain at the end of the 19th century. In order to celebrate the foundation of the club, Isaias White sent a letter to Recreativo de Huelva and that letter was published by the Spanish newspaper La Provincia. Huelva Recreation accepted the invitation and the took place on 8 March 1890. Sevilla FC won that historical match 2–0, with the first goal in a match in Spanish football history scored by the Seville team player Ritson. Isaias lived at Calle Bailen 41 in Seville making this the first home of Sevilla FC, in 1907, Sevilla Balompíe was founded, followed by Betis Football club in 1909, Recreativo de Sevilla and Español de Sevilla
11.
FC Anzhi Makhachkala
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Football Club Anzhi Makhachkala is a Russian football club based in Makhachkala, capital of the Republic of Dagestan. Founded in 1991, the club competes in the Russian Football Premier League, the club was founded in 1991 by former Dinamo Makhachkala player Magomed-Sultan Magomedov, then head of Dagnefteprodukt, and took part in its first season in the Dagestan League the same year. They ended up as champions with an unbeaten record and 16 wins out of 20 matches. Due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the club entered Zone 1 of the Russian Second Division in 1992, a key player in Anzhis early history was Azerbaijani international forward Ibragim Gasanbekov, who was the teams top scorer in all of their first seven seasons. He was league top scorer in 1993 and 1996, in 1999, Anzhi won the First Division, and were thus promoted to the top-flight Premier League for the first time. The side missed out on a bronze-medal finish on the last day of the season, on 20 June 2001, the club played in the final of the Russian Cup for the first time, losing to Lokomotiv Moscow on penalties after a 1–1 draw. In their seventh season in the First Division, Anzhi won the league, on 5 December 2010, defender Shamil Burziyev died in a car accident at the age of 25. Kerimovs investment was immediate as the club made signings in the 2011 winter transfer window, the first significant signing came on 16 February, when the club announced the free transfer of Brazilian left-back Roberto Carlos, a FIFA World Cup winner in 2002. Further signings included €10 million on another Brazilian, the former Corinthians midfielder Jucilei, boussoufas transfer was finalised in the last minute of the window, on 10 March. In summer 2011, the signed the Hungarian Balázs Dzsudzsák. Anzhi also bought Russian midfielder Yuri Zhirkov from Chelsea for a similar fee, on 23 August 2011, Cameroonian striker Samuel Etoo signed from Inter Milan for approximately €28 million on a world-record €20.5 million annual salary. In February 2012, the appointed the experienced Dutchman Guus Hiddink as its new manager following Yuri Krasnozhans two-month-long spell in charge. Hiddinks first signing was Congolese defender Christopher Samba, joining for £12 million from Blackburn Rovers, on 30 January 2012, Roberto Carlos announced his plans to retire at the end of the season. He ended his career on 9 March and took up a role as the clubs director. On 10 October 2012, Anzhi opened an academy, the first in Dagestan in order to develop youth talents for the first team. The academy is being run by Anzhi Sporting Director Jelle Goes, on 22 July 2013, Hiddink resigned from his post as manager, ending an 18-month stint. His newly appointed assistant, countryman René Meulensteen, was promoted to the manager position, however, after 16 days as the team manager, Meulensteen was sacked. On 7 August 2013, Kerimov decided to reduce the annual budget by two-thirds
12.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Bayer Leverkusen, Leverkusen or simply Bayer, is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system, the club was founded in 1904 by employees of the German pharmaceutical company Bayer, whose headquarters are in Leverkusen and from which the club draws its name. In 1999 the football department was separated from the club and is now a separate entity formally called Bayer 04 Leverkusen GmbH. Bayer Leverkusen have won one DFB-Pokal and one UEFA Cup, on 27 November 1903, Wilhelm Hauschild wrote a letter – signed by 170 of his fellow workers – to his employer, the Friedrich Bayer and Co. seeking the companys support in starting a sports club. The company agreed to support the initiative, and on 1 July 1904 Turn- und Spielverein Bayer 04 Leverkusen was founded, on 31 May 1907, a separate football department was formed within the club. In the culture of sports in Germany at the time, there was significant animosity between gymnasts and other types of athletes, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen took with them the clubs traditional colours of red and black, with the gymnasts adopting blue and yellow. Through this period, and into the 1930s, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen played third, in 1936, they earned promotion to the second highest class of play of the period. That was also the year that the club wore the familiar Bayer cross for the first time and they made their first appearance in upper league play in 1951, in the Oberliga West and played there until 1956, after which they were relegated. SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen would not return to the leagues until 1962, just one season before the formation of Germanys new professional league. The next year saw the club in the Regionalliga West, tier II, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen made something of a breakthrough in 1968 by winning the division title, but was unable to advance through the playoff round to the first division. The club was relegated again in 1973, but made a return to what was now called the 2. Bundesliga after just one season spent in the third division, four years later, the club handily secured a place in the Bundesliga to start to play there in the 1979–80 season. By the mid-1980s, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen had played its way into the half of the league table and was well-established there by the end of the decade. It was during time, in 1984, that the two-halves of the club that had parted ways over a half century earlier were re-united as TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen e. V. The new club took red and white as its colours, in addition to becoming an established Bundesliga side, the club earned its first honours with a dramatic win in the 1988 UEFA Cup. Down 0–3 to Espanyol after the first leg of the final, Bayer Leverkusen drew even in the match and then captured the title on penalty kicks. That same year, long-time Bayer Leverkusen executive Reiner Calmund became the manager of the club. This is regarded as one of the most important moves in the history, as Calmund ushered in a decade
13.
Hamburger SV
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Hamburger Sport-Verein e. V. commonly known as Hamburger SV, Hamburg or HSV, is a German sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department. HSVs football team has the distinction of having played continuously in the top tier of the German football league system since the end of World War I. It is the team that has played in every season of the Bundesliga since its foundation in 1963. HSV has won the German national championship six times, the DFB-Pokal three times and the League Cup twice. The teams most successful period was from the mid-1970s until the mid-1980s when, in addition to several domestic honours, they won the 1976–77 European Cup Winners Cup and their outstanding player was German national star Felix Magath. To date, HSVs last major trophy was the 1986–87 DFB-Pokal, HSV play their home games at the Volksparkstadion in Bahrenfeld, a western district of Hamburg. The club colours are blue, white and black but the home kit of the team is white jerseys. The teams most common nickname is die Rothosen, as it is one of Germanys oldest clubs, it is also known as der Dinosaurier. HSV have rivalries with Werder Bremen, with whom they contest the Nordderby, and Hamburg-based FC St. Pauli, HSV is notable in football as a grassroots organisation with youth development a strong theme. The club had a team in the Womens Bundesliga from 2003 to 2012, other club departments include badminton, baseball, basketball, bowling, boxing, cricket, darts, hockey, golf, gymnastics, handball and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation exercises. These departments represent about 10% of the club membership, HSV is one of the biggest sports clubs in Germany with over 70,000 members in all its departments and stated by Forbes to be among the 20-largest football clubs in the world. This was the first of three clubs merged on 2 June 1919 to create HSV in its present form. HSV in its club statute recognises the founding of SC Germania as its own date of origin, the other two clubs in the June 1919 merger were Hamburger FC founded in 1888 and FC Falke Eppendorf dating back to 1906. The merger came about because the three clubs had been weakened by the impact of the First World War on manpower and finance. SC Germania was formed originally as a club and did not begin to play football until 1891. SC Germania had its first success in 1896, winning the Hamburg-Altona championship for the first of five times, Hamburger SC1888 was founded by students on 1 June 1888. It later had links with a team called FC Viktoria 95 and. SC Germania and Hamburger SC1888 were among 86 clubs who founded the Deutscher Fußball-Bund in Leipzig on 28 January 1900, FC Falke was founded by students in Eppendorf on 5 March 1906 but it was never a successful team and played in lower leagues
14.
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
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Captain (association football)
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The team captain is usually identified by the wearing of an armband. The only official responsibility of a captain specified by the Laws of the Game is to participate in the toss prior to kick-off. Contrary to what is said, captains have no special authority under the Laws to challenge a decision by the referee. However, referees may talk to the captain of a side about the general behaviour when necessary. At an award-giving ceremony after a fixture like a cup competition final, any trophy won by a team will be received by the captain who will also be the first one to hoist it. The captain also generally leads the teams out of the room at the start of the match. The captain generally provides a point for the team, if morale is low. Captains may join the manager in deciding the first team for a certain game, in youth or recreational football, the captain often takes on duties, that would, at a higher level, be delegated to the manager. A club captain is usually appointed for a season, if he is unavailable or not selected for a particular game, then the club vice-captain will be appointed to perform a similar role. The match captain is the first player to lift a trophy should the team win one, a good example of this was in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final when match captain Peter Schmeichel lifted the trophy for Manchester United as club captain Roy Keane was suspended. In the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, match captain Frank Lampard jointly lifted the trophy for Chelsea with club captain John Terry, a club may appoint two distinct roles, a club captain to represent the players in a public relations role, and correspondent on the pitch. After Neville retired in 2011, regular starter Nemanja Vidić was named as club captain, são Paulos Rogério Ceni is the player who has worn the captains armband the most times. A vice-captain is a player that is expected to captain the side when the captain is not included in the starting eleven, or if, during a game. Examples include Manuel Neuer succeeding Philipp Lahm at Bayern Munich, Marcelo attaining from Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid C. F, gary Cahill being the understudy of John Terry at Chelsea FC and Lionel Messi taking over from Andrés Iniesta at FC Barcelona. Similarly, some clubs also name a 3rd captain to take the role of captain when both the captain and vice-captain are unavailable, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Germany had three captains. Michael Ballack had skippered the team since 2004, including the successful qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. Lahm ended up becoming the permanent captain of Germany, as Ballack was never called up for the national team
16.
2014 FIFA World Cup
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The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for mens national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014 and it was the second time that Brazil staged the competition, and the fifth time that it was held in South America. Thirty-one national teams advanced through qualification competitions to join the host nation in the final tournament, a total of 64 matches were played in 12 venues located in as many host cities across Brazil. For the first time at a World Cup finals, match officials used goal-line technology, FIFA Fan Fests in each host city gathered a total of 5 million people, and the country received 1 million visitors from 202 countries. Every World Cup-winning team since the first edition in 1930 – Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Spain, the title holders, were eliminated at the group stage, along with England and Italy. Uruguay were eliminated in the round of 16, and France exited in the quarter-finals, Brazil, who had won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, lost to Germany 7–1 in the semi-finals and eventually finished in fourth place. Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup staged in the Americas, as the winners, Germany qualified for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. With 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa, it would be the second consecutive World Cup outside of Europe and it was also second in the Southern Hemisphere. Only Brazil and Colombia formally declared their candidacy but, after the withdrawal of the latter from the process, following qualification matches played between June 2011 and November 2013, the following 32 teams – shown with their last pre-tournament FIFA world ranking – qualified for the final tournament. Twenty-four of these teams were returning participants from the 2010 World Cup, Bosnia and Herzegovina were the only team with no previous appearance at the World Cup finals. Colombia qualified for the World Cup after 16 years of absence, while Russia, the highest ranked team to not qualify was Ukraine, while the lowest ranked team that did qualify was Australia. The 32 participating teams were drawn into eight groups, in preparation for this, the teams were organised into four pots with the seven highest-ranked teams joining host nation Brazil in the seeded pot. As with the tournaments, FIFA aimed to create groups which maximised geographic separation. The draw took place on 6 December 2013 at the Costa do Sauípe resort in Bahia, under the draw procedure, one randomly drawn team – Italy – was firstly relocated from Pot 4 to Pot 2 to create four equal pots of eight teams. In March 2013, FIFA published a list of 52 prospective referees, each paired, on the basis of nationality, on 14 January 2014, the FIFA Referees Committee appointed 25 referee trios and eight support duos representing 43 different countries for the tournament. Yuichi Nishimura from Japan acted as referee in the opening match whereas Nicola Rizzoli from Italy acted as referee in the final, as with the 2010 tournament, each teams squad consists of 23 players. Each participating national association had to confirm their final 23-player squad no later than 10 days before the start of the tournament, teams were permitted to make late replacements in the event of serious injury, at any time up to 24 hours before their first game. During a match, all remaining squad members not named in the team are available to be one of the three permitted substitutions
17.
Shinnik Yaroslavl
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FC Shinnik Yaroslavl is a Russian football club, based in Yaroslavl. From 1957 to 1960 the team was called Khimik, as of 24 February 2017, according to the official FNL site. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Had international caps for their respective countries, players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Shinnik
18.
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
19.
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
20.
Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
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Paris Saint-Germain Football Club is a French professional football club based in Paris, whose first team play in the highest tier of French football, the Ligue 1. The club was formed in 1970 by the merger of Paris FC, Paris Saint-Germain remain the only club to have never been relegated from Ligue 1. The Parisians are also one of only two French clubs to win a European title – the other being arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille, PSG are the most successful French club in terms of trophies won, with 32. Domestically, Paris SG have won six Ligue 1 titles, a record ten French Cups, in international club football, Paris have won one UEFA Cup Winners Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup. PSG have always represented both Paris and nearby Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the capital side play their games in Paris at the Parc des Princes, while the Camp des Loges is located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Paris SG spent their formative years using the Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre, located in front of the Camp des Loges, Paris SG shares an intense rivalry with Marseille and contest the most notorious football match in France, known as Le Classique. PSG is the second-highest supported football club in France after OM, red, blue and white are the clubs traditional colours. And Paris est magique. are PSGs most popular mottos, the Red-and-Blues have hosted the Tournoi de Paris at the Parc des Princes since 1975. During the tournaments 2010 edition, PSG unveiled Allez Paris Saint-Germain, to the tune of Go West by Village People, Qatar Sports Investments has been the clubs owner since 2011. The takeover made Paris Saint-Germain the richest club in France and amongst the richest in the world. Currently, PSG have the sixth-highest revenue in the world with an annual revenue of €520.9 million. Towards the end of the 1960s, an group of businessmen decided to create a major club in the French capital. After a petition was signed by 20,000 people, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club were founded on 12 August 1970 with the merger of Paris FC, PSG are today the citys largest club by far, as well as Frances most successful club in terms of trophies won. Paris SG won the Ligue 2 title in their inaugural season, PSG have never formally been relegated from Ligue 1. However, the split into two in 1972. The professional arm of the continued life in the top-flight under the name of Paris FC. Paris returned to Ligue 1 in 1974, ironically the year that Paris FC were relegated. Since then, PSG have always played in Ligue 1, the clubs trophy cabinet welcomed its first major silverware in the shape of the French Cup in 1981–82
21.
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
22.
CA Osasuna
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Club Atlético Osasuna, or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded in 1920, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 19. The teams home kit is red shirt, navy blue shorts, black socks with red back, whereas the one is navy blue shirt, orange shorts. The word osasuna means health in Basque, founded in 1920, Osasuna first reached Segunda División in 1932. It made it to La Liga three seasons later, the club achieved its first ever UEFA Cup qualification in 1985–86 after finishing sixth, eventually reaching the third round in the 1990–91 edition. Finishing last in 1993–94, the spent six years in the second level. In 2005, it reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time, on 27 November 2005, Osasuna played its 1, 000th game in La Liga. Osasuna were drawn in Group D of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup along with Parma, Lens, Odense and Heerenveen. The club qualified for the stage, finishing second in its group, and were drawn against Bordeaux. The Spaniards progressed 1–0 on aggregate, drawing 0–0 away before winning 1–0 in Pamplona through an extra time winner by Javad Nekounam, next up were Rangers, and Osasuna again progressed following a 1–1 draw in Scotland and a 1–0 win at home. The club was drawn against German side Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals, regarded as severe underdogs, Osasuna not only progressed to the semi-finals but did so in style. In the semi-finals, the club was drawn against holders and fellow Spanish side Sevilla, in the following two seasons, Osasuna struggled heavily in the league. Osasuna had varied success following those seasons, but struggled again from 2012 to 2014 and it subsequently won all its playoff games – against Gimnàstic de Tarragona in the preliminary stage and Girona in the final stage – to achieve promotion once again to La Liga. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality, the team was disbanded in June 2014 in the midst of financial turmoil, weeks after the male teams relegation to Segunda
23.
Russian Premier League
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The Russian Football Premier League, or Russian Premier League, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. The competition is administered by the Russian Football Premier League, there are 16 teams in the competition. The cup winner qualifies for the UEFA Europa League without play-offs, the last two teams are relegated to the Russian National Football League at the end of the season. The Russian Premier League was established in 2001 and succeeded the Top Division, the Top Division was run by the Professional Football League of Russia. Creation of the Premier League is considered to give the clubs a greater degree of independence, the league is currently called Rosgosstrakh Russian Football Championship for sponsorship reasons. CSKA Moscow is the current Russian Premier League champion, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, starting in 1992, each former Soviet republic organized an independent national championship. In Russia, the six Russian teams who had played in the Soviet Top League in 1991 were supplemented with 14 teams from lower divisions to form a 20-team Russian Top Division, the Top Division was further divided into two groups to reduce the total number of matches. The number of teams in the Top Division was gradually reduced to 18 in 1993 and 16 in 1994, since then, the Russian Top Division has consisted of 16 teams, except for a short-lived experiment with having two more teams in 1996 and 1997. Spartak Moscow was the dominant force in the Top Division, winning nine of the first ten titles, spartak-Alania Vladikavkaz was the only team which managed to break Spartaks dominance, winning the Top Division title in 1995. Lokomotiv Moscow have won the title twice, and CSKA Moscow six times, in 2007, Zenit St. Petersburg climbed to the top, winning the title for the first time in their history in Russian professional football, they had also won a Soviet title in 1984. 2008 brought the pinnacle of the rise of Rubin Kazan, an entirely new to the Russian top flight. Teams in the Russian Premier League play each other twice, once at home and once away, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. If teams are level on points, the tie-breakers are the number of wins, then the goal difference, if the teams are tied for the first position, the tie-breakers are the number of wins, then head-to-head results. If the teams tied for the first place cannot be separated by these tie-breakers, as of 2010, the champions and the runners-up qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage. The third-placed team qualifies for the Champions League second qualifying round, the fourth- and fifth-place teams qualify for the UEFA Europa League. The bottom two teams are relegated to the First Division, unlike most other European football leagues, the league traditionally ran in summer, from March to November, to avoid playing games in the cold and snowy weather in winter. This was altered ahead of the 2012–13 season, with the planning to run the season from autumn to spring. The transitional season of the began in early 2011 and continued until summer of 2012
24.
Volga Nizhny Novgorod
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FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod was a Russian football club from Nizhny Novgorod, founded in 1998. In 2008, FC Volga won the Ural-Povolzhye zone of the Russian Second Division, in 2010 they promoted to the Russian Premier League. After the 2013-14 season, they were relegated to the second once more. On 15 June 2016, the club was dissolved due to inability to service the accumulated debts, the team was founded in 1963 after a merger of two teams from Gorky - Torpedo and Raketa. The team played in the Soviet Top League, where its best result was 14th place in 1964, the team was disbanded in 1984. In 1998, a new club called FC Elektronika Nizhny Novgorod was founded and it played in Russian Second Division. In 2004 it was renamed to Volga, FC Torpedo-Viktoriya Nizhny Novgorod was another squad to claim the legacy of FC Volga Gorky. A farm club called FC Volga-Olimpiyets Nizhny Novgorod is playing professionally in the third-tier Russian Professional Football League beginning with the 2015-16 season, had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Volga
25.
Bundesliga
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The Bundesliga, is a professional association football league in Germany and the football league with the highest average stadium attendance worldwide. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germanys primary football competition, the Bundesliga is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Seasons run from August to May, most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played on weekdays. All of the Bundesliga clubs qualify for the DFB-Pokal, the winner of the Bundesliga qualifies for the DFL-Supercup. A total of 54 clubs have competed in the Bundesliga since its founding, FC Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga the most, winning the title 25 times. However, the Bundesliga has seen other champions with Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Werder Bremen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Bundesliga is broadcast on television in over 200 countries. The Bundesliga was founded in 1962 in Dortmund and the first season started in 1963, the structure and organisation of the Bundesliga along with Germanys other football leagues have undergone frequent changes right up to the present day. The Bundesliga was founded by the Deutscher Fußball-Bund, but is now operated by the Deutsche Fußball Liga, the Bundesliga is composed of two divisions, the 1. Bundesliga, and, below that, the 2, Bundesliga, which has been the second tier of German football since 1974. Below the level of the 3, Liga, leagues are generally subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord, Nordost, Süd, below this are thirteen parallel divisions, most of which are called Oberligen which represent federal states or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below the Oberligen differ between the local areas, the league structure has changed frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany, every team in the two Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations. As in other leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division. Bundesliga teams draw significantly greater levels of fan support, average attendance in the first league is 42,673 per game — more than twice the average of the 2. Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels helps 1, Bundesliga teams attract the most lucrative sponsorships. Bundesliga teams develop substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorships and this allows them to attract and retain skilled players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities
26.
Hertha BSC
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Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V. commonly known as Hertha BSC, Hertha Berlin or simply Hertha, is a German association football club based in the Charlottenburg locality of Berlin. Hertha BSC play in the Bundesliga, the division of German football. Bundesliga table at the end of the 2012–13 season, Hertha BSC was founded in 1892, and was a founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900. The team won the German championship in 1930 and 1931, since 1963, Herthas stadium has been the Olympiastadion. The club is known as Die Alte Dame in German, which translates to The Old Lady, in 2002, the sports activities of the professional, amateur, and under-19 teams were separated into Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. The name Hertha is a variation on Nerthus referring to fertility goddess from Germanic mythology, Hertha performed consistently well on the field, including a win in the first Berlin championship final in 1905. In May 1910, Hertha won a match against Southend United. However, their success was not matched financially and in 1920 the staunchly working-class Hertha merged with the well-heeled club Berliner Sport-Club to form Hertha Berliner Sport-Club. The new team continued to enjoy success in the Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg. Notwithstanding, Hertha emerged as the Germanys second most successful team during the inter-war years, German football was re-organized under the Third Reich in 1933 into 16 top-flight divisions, which saw Hertha playing in the Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg. The club continued to enjoy success within their division, regularly finishing in the half of the table. It faded from prominence, however, unable to advance out of the rounds of the national championship rounds. Politically, the club was overhauled under Hitler, with Hans Pfeifer, after World War II, occupying Allied authorities banned most organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs. Hertha was re-formed late in 1945 as SG Gesundbrunnen and resumed play in the Oberliga Berlin – Gruppe C, by the end of 1949, it had re-claimed their identity as Hertha BSC and earned a return to the top-flight. Tensions between the western Allies and the Soviets occupying various sectors of the city, and the developing Cold War, led to chaotic conditions for football in the capital. Hertha was banned from playing against East German teams in the 1949–50 season after taking on several players, a number of sides from the eastern half of the city were forced from the Oberliga Berlin to the newly established DDR-Liga beginning with the 1950–51 season. Through the 1950s, a rivalry developed with Tennis Borussia Berlin. A proposal for a merger between the two clubs in 1958 was resoundingly rejected, with three of the 266 members voting in favour
27.
VfL Wolfsburg
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Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V. commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg or Wolfsburg, is a German sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. It is best known for its department, but other departments include badminton, handball. The mens professional football play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, the DFB-Pokal in 2015, professional football is run by the spin-off organization VfL Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. Since 2002, Wolfsburgs stadium is the Volkswagen Arena, the city of Wolfsburg was founded in 1938 as Stadt des KdF-Wagen to house autoworkers building the car that would later become famous as the Volkswagen Beetle. The first football club affiliated with the autoworks was known as BSG Volkswagenwerk Stadt des KdF-Wagen and this team played in the first division Gauliga Osthannover in the 1943–44 and 1944–45 seasons. On 12 September 1945, in the aftermath of World War II, on 15 December 1945, the club went through a crisis that almost ended its existence when all but one of its players left to join 1. The only player remaining, Josef Meyer, worked with Willi Hilbert to rebuild the side by signing new players, the new group adopted the moniker VfL Wolfsburg, VfL standing for Verein für Leibesübungen. This can be translated as club for gymnastics or club for exercises, within a year they captured the local Gifhorn title. The club made slow but steady progress in the following seasons, Wolfsburg, however, struggled in the top flight, narrowly missing relegation each season until finally being sent down in 1959. Wolfsburg remained a second division fixture over the dozen years with their best performance being a second-place finish in 1970. That finish earned the entry to the promotion round playoffs for the Bundesliga. From the mid-1970s through to the early 1990s, Die Wölfe played as a third side in the Amateur Oberliga Nord. Consecutive first-place finishes in 1991 and 1992, followed by success in the promotion playoffs, Wolfsburg continued to enjoy some success through the 1990s. Early predictions were that the club would immediately be sent back down, but instead, losing 6–1 away to MSV Duisburg in the final fixture, the Wolves finished in sixth place with 55 points and qualified for next seasons UEFA Cup. They also qualified for the Intertoto Cup in 2000,2001,2003,2004 and 2005 and this was followed by a couple of seasons of little success for the club, just narrowly avoiding relegation with two 15th-place finishes in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. This also enabled the Wolves to qualify for the UEFA Cup for only the time in their history
28.
Manchester City F.C.
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Manchester City Football Club is a football club in Manchester, England. Founded in 1880 as St. Marks, they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887, the club moved to the City of Manchester Stadium in 2003, having played at Maine Road since 1923. After losing the 1981 FA Cup Final, the club went through a period of decline, having regained their Premier League status in the early 2000s, the club was purchased in 2008 by Abu Dhabi United Group and has become one of the wealthiest in the world. Since 2011 the club have won five major honours, including the Premier League in 2012 and 2014, by 2014–15, Manchester City had the sixth-highest revenue in the footballing world with an annual revenue of €463.5 million. In 2016, Forbes magazine estimated they were the sixth most valuable football club. City gained their first honours by winning the Second Division in 1899, with it promotion to the highest level in English football. A fire at Hyde Road destroyed the main stand in 1920, in the 1930s, Manchester City reached two consecutive FA Cup finals, losing to Everton in 1933, before claiming the Cup by beating Portsmouth in 1934. The club won the First Division title for the first time in 1937, after relegation to the Second Division in 1963, the future looked bleak with a record low home attendance of 8,015 against Swindon Town in January 1965. In the summer of 1965, the management team of Joe Mercer, in the first season under Mercer, City won the Second Division title and made important signings in Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell. Further trophies followed, City won the FA Cup in 1969, before achieving European success by winning the European Cup Winners Cup in 1970, beating Górnik Zabrze 2–1 in Vienna. City also won the League Cup that season, becoming the second English team to win a European trophy, the club continued to challenge for honours throughout the 1970s, finishing one point behind the league champions on two occasions and reaching the final of the 1974 League Cup. Former United player Denis Law scored with a backheel to give City a 1–0 win at Old Trafford, the final trophy of the clubs most successful period was won in 1976, when Newcastle United were beaten 2–1 in the League Cup final. A long period of decline followed the success of the 1960s and 1970s, Malcolm Allison rejoined the club to become manager for the second time in 1979, but squandered large sums of money on unsuccessful signings, such as Steve Daley. A succession of managers then followed – seven in the 1980s alone, under John Bond, City reached the 1981 FA Cup final but lost in a replay to Tottenham Hotspur. The club were relegated from the top flight in the 1980s. However, this was only a respite, and following Reids departure Manchester Citys fortunes continued to fade. City were co-founders of the Premier League upon its creation in 1992, after two seasons in Division One, City fell to the lowest point in their history, becoming the second ever European trophy winners to be relegated to their countrys third league tier, after 1. After relegation, the club underwent off-the-field upheaval, with new chairman David Bernstein introducing greater fiscal discipline, under manager Joe Royle, City were promoted at the first attempt, achieved in dramatic fashion in a play-off against Gillingham
29.
Mats Hummels
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Mats Julian Hummels is a German professional footballer who plays as a central defender for FC Bayern Munich and the German national team. He came through the Bayern Munich youth academy before joining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January 2008 and his honours at the club include two league titles and finishing as runner up in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League. In May 2016, Hummels signed a contract with former side Bayern, Hummels has been a full international since 2010, earning 53 caps till date and representing Germany at UEFA Euro 2012,2014 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2016. Hummels is a product of Bayern Munichs youth academy, first entering the club as a six-year-old and he signed his first professional contract on 19 December 2006, until 2010. On 19 May 2007, in the final match, he played his first Bundesliga match with the first team in a 5–2 home routing of 1. In January 2008, Hummels joined Borussia Dortmund, initially on loan, during his first full season, he quickly established himself as first-choice, as he often partnered newly signed Neven Subotić, but also missed a great part of its final months due to injury. In February 2009, he was signed to the club for a fee of €4 million. The 2010–11 season brought increased success for Hummels and he was the regular first-choice center-back, again paired with Subotić. The duo helped Dortmund to the best defensive record in the Bundesliga, Hummels performances that season displayed great quality in tackling, positioning, passing and composure. He has attracted praise from pundits and coaches alike, and he is considered one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, Hummels won the Bundesliga for a second time in 2011–12 as Borussia set a Bundesliga record with the most points in a Bundesliga season with 81 points. Hummels scored a goal in Borussias 5–2 win against Bayern in the 2012 DFB-Pokal Final as the completed the league. On 3 June 2012, Hummels signed a new contract that will keep him at Dortmund until the summer of 2017. On 25 May 2013, Hummels was in the Borussia Dortmund line-up that was defeated 2–1 by Bayern Munich at Wembley Stadium, London, in the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final. On 27 July 2013, Hummels was in the Borussia Dortmund line-up that won 4–2 against Bayern Munich at BVBs Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, on 10 May 2016, it was confirmed that Hummels would re-join Bayern Munich from 1 July 2016, signing a five-year contract. He made his 2016 debut for Bayern on 14 August 2016 in the 2016 DFL-Supercup final, against his old team and he made his senior team debut in a friendly against Malta on 13 May 2010 in Aachen. He came on as a 46th-minute substitute for Serdar Tasci, taking part in a 3–0 win at New Tivoli, Hummels was in the starting line-up for Germanys opening UEFA Euro 2012 match against Portugal and helped them to a 1–0 victory. He subsequently received praise for his performance. Hummels went on to play all 450 minutes in Germanys Euro campaign, along with teammates Philipp Lahm, Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Holger Badstuber, and Manuel Neuer
30.
Borussia Dortmund
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Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund, BVB, or simply Dortmund, is a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. The football team is part of a large membership-based sports club more than 145,000 members. Dortmund plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system, Dortmund is one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund was founded in 1909 by eighteen football players from Dortmund, Borussia Dortmund have won eight German championships, three DFB-Pokals, five DFL-Supercups, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup, and one Intercontinental Cup. Their Cup Winners Cup win in 1966 made them the first German club to win a European title, since 1974, Dortmund have played their home games at Westfalenstadion, named after its home region of Westphalia. The stadium is the largest in Germany and Dortmund has the highest average attendance of any football club in the world. Borussia Dortmunds colours are black and yellow, giving the club its nickname die Schwarzgelben, Dortmund holds a long-standing rivalry with Ruhr neighbours Schalke 04, known as the Revierderby. In terms of Deloittes annual Football Money League, Dortmund is the second biggest sports club in Germany, father Dewald was blocked at the door when he tried to break up the organizing meeting being held in a room of the local pub, Zum Wildschütz. The name Borussia is Latin for Prussia but was taken from Borussia beer from the nearby Borussia brewery in Dortmund, the team began playing in blue and white striped shirts with a red sash, and black shorts. In 1913, they donned the black and yellow stripes so familiar today, over the next decades the club enjoyed only modest success playing in local leagues. They had a brush with bankruptcy in 1929 when an attempt to boost the clubs fortunes by signing some paid professional footballers failed miserably and they survived only through the generosity of a local supporter who covered the teams shortfall out of his own pocket. The 1930s saw the rise of the Third Reich, which restructured sports, the club did have greater success in the newly established Gauliga Westfalen, but would have to wait until after World War II to make a breakthrough. It was during this time that Borussia developed its intense rivalry with Schalke 04 of suburban Gelsenkirchen, like every other organisation in Germany, Borussia was dissolved by the Allied occupation authorities after the war in an attempt to distance the countrys institutions from its so-recent Nazi past. Between 1946 and 1963, Borussia featured in the Oberliga West, in 1949, Borussia reached the final in Stuttgart against VfR Mannheim, which they lost 2–3 after extra time. The club claimed its first national title in 1956 with a 4–2 win against Karlsruher SC, one year later, Borussia defeated Hamburger SV 4–1 to win their second national title. After this coup, the three Alfredos were legends in Dortmund, in 1963, Borussia won the last edition of the German Football Championship to secure their third national title. In 1962, the DFB met in Dortmund and voted to establish a professional football league in Germany. Borussia Dortmund earned its place among the first sixteen clubs to play in the new league by winning the last pre-Bundesliga national championship, FC Köln also earned an automatic berth
31.
Chris Smalling
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Christopher Lloyd Smalling is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team. During his youth, Smalling played for the Millwall academy before joining non-league side Maidstone United, after establishing himself in the Maidstone United first team, he signed for Middlesbrough in May 2008. However, shortly after joining Middlesbrough, Smalling had his contract with the club cancelled after raising concerns over homesickness, soon after, in June 2008, he signed for Premier League side Fulham. He made his debut with them in May 2009 and helped them reach the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final the following season. In January 2010, Smalling signed a agreement with Manchester United and joined them officially in July 2010. He made his debut in the 2010 FA Community Shield victory over Chelsea. Since his debut, he has gone on to more than 200 appearances for the club. Smalling represented the England Schools under-18 team in early 2008, before making his debut for the national under-20 and he made his senior international debut in September 2011 and has appeared at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016. Smalling was born in Greenwich, London, as a youngster he played for Walderslade Boys and Lordswood. After a short spell at Millwalls academy, a 16-year-old Smalling joined Maidstone Uniteds youth set-up and continued his education at Chatham Grammar School for Boys. After making further appearances in the FA Trophy and Isthmian League Cup, Smalling made his debut for the club in December 2007. Smalling scored one goal for Maidstone United, in a 4–2 win at East Thurrock United on 24 March 2008, after attracting strong interest from Fulham, Gillingham, Charlton Athletic and Reading, Smalling signed for Middlesbrough on a two-year deal on 30 April 2008. However, within a month of signing, his contract with Middlesbrough was cancelled, with Smalling concerned about homesickness and he was made captain of the clubs Development Squad by manager Billy McKinlay. On 24 May 2009, Smalling made his Premier League debut for Fulham, replacing Aaron Hughes in the 77th minute in the game of the 2008–09 season. Smalling made his first start for Fulham on 17 September 2009, in a tie with CSKA Sofia in the UEFA Europa League. He was not included in the squad for the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final. The transfer officially went through on 1 July 2010, Smalling made his debut for United on 8 August 2010 in the 2010 FA Community Shield, appearing as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 win over Chelsea. His Premier League debut for United came in their 3–0 home win over West Ham United on 28 August 2010, on 15 September 2010, he made his UEFA Champions League debut, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw at home against Rangers
32.
Manchester United F.C.
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Manchester United Football Club is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Nicknamed the Red Devils, the club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to its current stadium, Old Trafford, in 1910. Manchester United have won a record 20 League Titles, a joint-record 12 FA Cups,5 League Cups, the club has also won three European Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. In 1998–99, the became the first in the history of English football to achieve the treble of the Premier League, the FA Cup. The 1958 Munich air disaster claimed the lives of eight players, in 1968, under the management of Matt Busby, Manchester United became the first English football club to win the European Cup. Alex Ferguson won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles,5 FA Cups and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues, José Mourinho is the clubs current manager, having been appointed on 27 May 2016. As of June 2015, it is the worlds most valuable football brand and it is one of the most widely supported football teams in the world. In August 2012, Manchester United made a public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. The club holds several rivalries, most notably with Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United, Manchester United was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. By 1888, the club had become a member of The Combination. Following the leagues dissolution after only one season, Newton Heath joined the newly formed Football Alliance and this resulted in the club starting the 1892–93 season in the First Division, by which time it had become independent of the railway company and dropped the LYR from its name. After two seasons, the club was relegated to the Second Division, in January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to £260,000 in 2017 – the club was served with a winding-up order. The following season began with victory in the first ever Charity Shield, Manchester United won the First Division for the second time in 1911, but at the end of the following season, Mangnall left the club to join Manchester City. In 1922, three years after the resumption of football following the First World War, the club was relegated to the Second Division, relegated again in 1931, Manchester United became a yo-yo club, achieving its all-time lowest position of 20th place in the Second Division in 1934. Gibson, who, in December 1931, invested £2,000, in the 1938–39 season, the last year of football before the Second World War, the club finished 14th in the First Division. Busby led the team to second-place league finishes in 1947,1948 and 1949, in 1952, the club won the First Division, its first league title for 41 years. With an average age of 22, the title winning side of 1956 were labelled the Busby Babes by the media. In 1957, Manchester United became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, despite objections from The Football League, who had denied Chelsea the same opportunity the previous season
33.
Thiago Silva
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Thiago Emiliano da Silva, commonly known as Thiago Silva, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazilian national team. After moving to Europe to join Milan in 2009, Silva established himself as one of the highest rated defenders in the world, in July 2012, Paris Saint-Germain signed him for a reported €42 million, making him then the second-most expensive defender in history behind Rio Ferdinand. With PSG, Silva has won four consecutive Ligue 1 championships and he was also part of their squads for the two Olympic tournaments – winning a bronze in 2008 and silver four years later – and as many Copa América editions, earning over 60 caps in all. As a youngster, Silva was admitted into a school in the Campo Grande neighbourhood of Rio – coincidentally a feeder school for Fluminense, at the age of 14, Silva impressed Fluminense coach Maurinho during a friendly in Xerém. He was given a trial, where he was given the role of a defensive midfielder. Silva’s playing opportunities were little, prompting him to trial for other clubs. In 1999, at the age of 15, Silva auditioned at Madureira, Olaria and Flamengo, he was rejected at each club, after another unsuccessful trial at Botafogo, Silva was taken on by Barcelona, a small Brazilian club in the lower divisions. The following year, Silva played at a tournament in São Paulo in the hope of attracting attention of bigger clubs. It is there where he was spotted by Paulo César Carpegiani, by 2001, Silva was a professional and competed in the Brazilian Third Division and other regional tournaments with the first team. In a tournament played in Ancona, Italy, Silva was spotted by Bruno Conti, Conti wanted him to play for Roma, but Silva did not accept the offer. Strong performances in his last season as a defensive midfielder led to Silvas move to Juventude, Silva moved Juventude in 2004, where he played for six months. At 20 years old, Silva transitioned from midfield to defence under the tutelage of Ivo Wortmann, in his only season at Juventude, Silva was regarded as the revelation of the season. He was rated by the sports magazine Placar as the third-best defender in Brazil, Juventude had made a huge leap in league placement during Silva’s time at the club – from finishing 18th with 53 points in 2003, to finishing 7th with 70 points in 2004. Silva’s performances had caught the eye of clubs with his outstanding performances. Silva was bought by Porto for €2.5 million in 2004, after a year in Portugal, he joined Dynamo Moscow, where he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was hospitalised for six months. His illness became worse over time and his doctors told him that if he had been hospitalized two weeks later, he could have died. During his recovery, Silva decided to retire from football but was persuaded to reconsider by his mother, Silva returned to football with the help of his former coach, Ivo Wortmann. In 2006, Wortmann was signed as a coach by Fluminense and requested to bring Silva with him, on January 14, Fluminense announced the signing of Silva from Porto
34.
Sergej Barbarez
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Sergej Barbarez is a Bosnian former professional footballer who played for several clubs in the German Bundesliga and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He is considered as one of the great players of Hamburger SV where he scored 65 goals in 174 Bundesliga games. Mainly used as a striker, he has also played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. In the 2000–01 Bundesliga season while playing for Hamburger SV Barbarez was joint top scorer with 22 goals with Ebbe Sand of FC Schalke 04 at the end of the season. Barbarez was born in Mostar, SFR Yugoslavia, present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina to a Bosnian Serb father, as a young child, Barbarez was actually not very interested in football but in basketball and athletics. However, at the age of eleven, Barbarez started playing football though mostly for fun with friends after school, in 1984, Barbarez took a step further and started playing football for the youth team of FK Velež in his native city of Mostar. Some six years later, Barbarez signed with the first team of FK Velež at the age of 19, however, briefly after, Barbarez served in the Yugoslav Peoples Army in Zagreb in 1991 before returning to Mostar to continue his career. In 1991, Sergej Barbarez returned to FK Velež and soon after everyone realized that Barbarez was a true talent, the same year, Barbarez visited his uncle who was living in Germany. Some time later, Barbarez was preparing to return to Mostar, the uncle had arranged for Barbarez a two weeks try-out practise with Hannover 96. The coach of Hannover 96 was so impressed by Barbarez that he signed him for the club, during those same two weeks the political situation throughout former Yugoslavia was deteriorating by the minute and fighting was even occurring in some places. So Barbarez came to an agreement with his father to stay with his uncle in Germany for the near future, in April 1992, the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina escalated in the city of Mostar. A month prior of the war, the father and sister of Barbarez fled with his high school sweetheart Ana to the city of Hannover in Germany. Barbarezs mother Zlata stayed in Mostar throughout the whole War in Bosnia, Barbarez played for Hannover 96 during the second half of the 1991–92 and the whole 1992–93 season. Between 1993 and 1996, Barbarez played for 1, FC Union Berlin at the third level before signing with Hansa Rostock. Barbarez played here between 1996 and 1998, from 1998, Barbarez played for Borussia Dortmund where he stayed until signing with Hamburger SV in July 2000. During the first season with Hamburger SV, Barbarez became the top scorer for his club with 22 goals, on 17 May 2006, he signed a two-year deal with Bayer Leverkusen. On 14 May 1998, Barbarez made his debut for the Bosnia, before he retired from international football on 13 October 2005, Barbarez was the captain and leader of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. On 2 December 2005, he announced his comeback to the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team and he became captain of the team once again
35.
Substitute (association football)
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In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is performing poorly, unlike some sports, a player who has been substituted during a match may take no further part in it. Most competitions only allow each team to make a maximum of three substitutions during a game, although more substitutions are permitted in non-competitive fixtures such as friendlies. A fourth substitution in extra time is currently being trialled at several tournaments over a two-year period. Each team nominates a number of players who may be used as substitutes, these players typically sit in the area with the coaches. A player who is noted for making appearances, or scoring important goals. The origin of football substitutes goes back to at least the early 1860s as part of English public school football games, the original use of the term substitute in football was to describe the replacement of players who failed to turn up for matches. The substitution of absent players happened as early as the 1850s, the first use of a substitute in international football was on 15 April 1889, in the match between Wales and Scotland at Wrexham. Waless original goalkeeper, Jim Trainer, failed to arrive, local amateur player Alf Pugh started the match and played for some 20 minutes until the arrival of Sam Gillam, however, the use of substitutes in finals matches was not allowed until the 1970 tournament. The number of substitutes usable in a match has increased from zero to one. Substitutions during matches in the English Football League were first permitted in the 1965–66 season, during the first two seasons after the law was introduced, each side was permitted only one substitution during a game. Moreover, the substitute could only replace an injured player, from the 1967–68 season, this rule was relaxed to allow substitutions for tactical reasons. On the same day, Bobby Knox became the first ever substitute to score a goal when he scored for Barrow against Wrexham. Archie Gemmill of St Mirren was the first substitute to come on in a Scottish first-class match, the first official substitute in a Scottish League match was Paul Conn for Queens Park vs Albion Rovers in a Division 2 match on 24 August 1966. In England, the Premier League increased the number of players on the bench to five in 1996, according to the Laws of the Game, A player may only be substituted during a stoppage in play and with the permission of the referee. The incoming player may enter the field at the half-way line. Failure to comply with these provisions may be punished by a caution, a player that has been substituted may take no further part in a match, except where return substitutions are permitted. Unused substitutes still on the bench, as well as players who have been already substituted and these are liable for misconduct, though cannot be said to have committed a foul
36.
Romania national football team
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The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation. Romania is one of four national teams from Europe, the other three being Yugoslavia, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first FIFA World Cup in 1930. Since that performance, Romania have qualified for the 1934,1938,1970,1990,1994 and 1998 editions and they also reached the last eight in 1960 and 1972, and qualified for the 1984,1996,2008 and 2016 tournaments. The Romanian Football Federation was established in October 1909 in Bucharest, Romania played their first international match on 8 June 1922, a 2–1 win over Yugoslavia in Belgrade, being coached by Teofil Moraru. Several temporary coaches were employed, before Moraru resumed control in August 1924, Romania enjoyed some success during the 1930s, manager Costel Rădulescu took them to the first three FIFA World Cup tournaments, a feat matched only by Brazil, Belgium and France. Romania qualified for the next World Cup in 1934 after beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in a repeat of their first international. At the finals, Romania played only one game in a new format, losing 2–1 to Czechoslovakia in Trieste, Italy. Romania qualified by default for the 1938 World Cup after their playoff opponents Egypt withdrew. They suffered a defeat in the finals in France, losing to minnows Cuba, who, like Romania, had only qualified due to the withdrawal of their qualifying opponents. The first match at the Stade Chapou in Toulouse ended 3–3 after extra time, angelo Niculescus promising side were given the toughest of draws, in Group 3 with holders England, giants Brazil and Czechoslovakia. A Geoff Hurst goal gave England a narrow victory in Romanias first match at the Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara, chances were improved with a 2–1 win over the Czechs. Despite going behind early to a Ladislav Petráš goal, Romania turned it around after half-time with Alexandru Neagu, even then, only a win over the excellent Brazilians would take them into the quarter-finals. But Brazil played some of the best football of the competition, with Pelé scoring twice, Romania battled bravely, Dumitrache pulled the score back to 2–1 before the break and a late Emerich Dembrowski goal made it 3–2, but they were out. On 26 September 1973, under new coach Valentin Stanescu, Romania suffered a significant defeat to East Germany in Leipzig, the East Germans won 2–0 to effectively seal their first ever qualification for the World Cup, which would be held over the border in West Germany. With East Germany scoring a predictable 4–1 win in Albania, Romania were out, Romania continued to suffer poor form in the UEFA European Championship. In their qualifying group for the 1976 European Football Championship, they were out-qualified by Spain despite an impressive 1–1 draw in the away match, Romania failed to win matches, drawing twice with Scotland and Spain and dropping points in Denmark with a dismal goalless draw. Romania were again beat by Spain for a place in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, despite a 1–0 win in Bucharest, Romania lost a bizarre match at home to Yugoslavia 6–4 having led 3–2 at half time. Spain won 1–0 in Belgrade to seal passage to South America, Romanias sole successful qualifying campaign was for the European Championships in 1984 in France
37.
Stadionul Ion Oblemenco
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Ion Oblemenco Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Craiova, Romania. It was used mostly for football matches and was the ground of Universitatea Craiova. The stadium used to hold up to 25,252 people before it was demolished, the stadium was entirely demolished and will be replaced with an all-seater expected to open in November 2017. The stadium was opened on 29 October 1967 with national teams of Romania and it hosted many memorable matches during the Craiova Maxima era such as the 1981–82 European Cup Quarterfinal against Bayern Munich and the 1982–83 UEFA Cup Semifinal against Benfica. Following the death of Universitatea Craiova legend Ion Oblemenco in 1996, in 2008, the stadium underwent a major renovation. The following national team matches were held in the stadium, List of football stadiums in Romania
38.
Craiova
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Craiova, Romanias 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians. Craiova is the commercial city west of Bucharest and the most important city of Oltenia. The city prospered as a trading centre despite an earthquake in 1790, a plague in 1795. Eight villages are administered by the city, Făcăi, Mofleni, Popoveni, Șimnicu de Jos, Cernele, Cernelele de Sus, Izvoru Rece, the last four were a separate commune called Cernele until 1996, when they were merged into the city. There are two etymologies for Craiova, Old Slavonic kral, which has been borrowed in Romania as crai. Since no source prior to 1475 mentions the city, its impossible to tell which of the two words is the real etymology, the name is probably of Bulgarian or Serbian origin, due to historical autochthonous minorities in the area. Craiova, which occupied the site of the Dacian and Roman city Pelendava, was formerly the capital of Oltenia and its ancient bans, the highest ranking boyars of the Wallachian state, were initially those of the Craioveşti family. The bans had the right of minting coins stamped with their own effigies – the origin of the Romanian word ban as used for coins, the economic power of the Craioveşti family at the end of the 16th century was about 100 villages. This power gave them a statute of political autonomy so big, in 1395 Craiova was probably the scene of a victory won by the Wallachian Prince Mircea I of Wallachia over Bayezid I, Sultan of the Ottomans. Frequently referred to as a city after the first half of the 16th century, in 1761, under Prince Constantine Mavrocordatos, the bans relocated to Bucharest, leaving behind kaymakams to represent them in Craiova. Under Prince Emanuel Giani Ruset, Wallachias seat was moved to Craiova, a large part of the city was burned down by the rebel pasha Osman Pazvantoğlu in 1800. During the Wallachian uprising of 1821, inhabitants of the present-day Dolj County joined Tudor Vladimirescus Pandurs in great numbers, during the first two decades of the 19th century, Craiova witnessed economic prosperity, centered on handicraft trades and public services. At the time, Craiova exported wheat, furs, leather, live animals, costache Romanescu, a citizen of Craiova, was among the leaders of the Provisional Government during the 1848 Wallachian revolution. Wallachias last two rulers, Gheorghe Bibescu and Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, came from an important boyar family residing in Craiova – the Bibescu family. Around 1860, there were 4,633 buildings in Craiova, the period following the Independence War was a time of economic and cultural progress. As a result, at the end of the 19th century, on October 26,1896, the Craiova power station entered service, Craiova was the first city in the country to be supplied with electric power by internal combustion engines. In 1900, Craiova had 43. 1% of the units of Oltenia
39.
Japan national football team
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The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan. The current head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić, the team has also finished second in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. Their principal continental rivals are South Korea and, most recently, Japan is the only team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in 1999 and 2011. Although they initially accepted the invitation for the 2011 tournament, the JFA later withdrew following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, the Japanese team is commonly known by the fans and media as Sakkā Nippon Daihyō, Nippon Daihyō, or Daihyō as abbreviated expressions. Although the team does not have a nickname as such. For example, under Takeshi Okada, the team was known as Okada Japan. Recently the team has known or nicknamed as the Samurai Blue, while Japanese news media still refer it to by the managers last name, as Halilhodžić Japan. Japans first major achievement in football came in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. However Japan made its first appearance in the Asian Cup in 1988, where they were eliminated in the stage following a draw with Iran and losses to South Korea, United Arab Emirates. The following year Japan hosted and won the Asian Cup in their second appearance, the J. League was officially launched in 1993, causing interest in football and the national team to grow. Japans next tournament was a defense of their title at the 1996 Asian Cup. The team won all their games in the stage but were eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 2–0 loss to Kuwait. The nations first ever FIFA World Cup appearance was in 1998, the first two fixtures went 1–0 in favor of Argentina and Croatia, despite playing well in both games. Their campaign ended with a 2–1 defeat to Jamaica, in the 2000 Asian Cup Japan managed to reclaim their title after defeating Saudi Arabia in the final, becoming Asian Champions for the second time. Two years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea, after a 2–2 draw with Belgium in their opening game, the Japanese team advanced to the second round with a 1–0 win over Russia and a 2–0 victory against Tunisia. However, they exited the tournament during the Round of 16. On June 8,2005, Japan qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, its third consecutive World Cup, however, Japan failed to advance to the Round of 16, losing to Australia 1–3, drawing Croatia 0–0 and losing to Brazil 1–4. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, in the round of the Asian Qualifiers
40.
Dortmund
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Dortmund is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the part of the state and is considered to be the administrative. Its population of 581,612 makes it the 8th largest city in Germany, moreover, Dortmund is the largest city by area and population in the Ruhr Area, an urban area with some 5.1 million inhabitants which is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany. Founded around 882, Dortmund became an Imperial Free City, throughout the 13th to 14th centuries, it was the chief city of the Rhine, Westphalia, the Netherlands Circle of the Hanseatic League. After the Thirty Years War the city was destroyed and decreased in significance until the onset of industrialization, the city then became one of Germanys most important coal, steel and beer centres. Thereby Dortmund was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Germany during World War II, the devastating bombing raids of the 12th March 1945 destroyed 98% of buildings in the inner city center. This bombing raids with more than 1,110 aircraft was a record to a target in World war II. The region has adapted since the collapse of its century long steel and coal industries and shifted to high technology biomedical technology, micro systems technology and also services. In 2009, Dortmund was classified as a Node city in the Innovation Cities Index published by 2thinknow and is the most sustainable city in Germany, the city is known as Westphalias green metropolis. Nearly half the territory consists of waterways, woodland, agriculture. This stands in a stark contrast with nearly a years of extensive coal mining. Dortmund is home to Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V, Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund, a successful club in German football. The first time Dortmund was mentioned in documents was around 882. as Throtmanni. After it was destroyed by a fire, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I had the town rebuilt in 1152 and it became an Imperial Free City. Throughout the 13th to 14th centuries, it was the city of the Rhine, Westphalia. After 1320, the city appeared in writing as Dorpmunde, in the years leading up to 1344, the English King even borrowed money from well-heeled Dortmund merchant families Berswordt and Klepping, offering the regal crown as security. In 1388, Count von Mark joined forces with Archbishop of Cologne, following a major siege lasting 18 months, peace negotiations took place and Dortmund emerged victorious. After Cologne was excluded after the Anglo-Hanseatic War, Dortmund was made capital of the Rhine-Westphalian, the 1661 earthquake made the Reinoldikirche collapse
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Slovakia national football team
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The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association, the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakias home stadium from 2016 is reconstructed Štadión Antona Malatinského in Trnava, Slovakia is one of the youngest national football teams in the world, having split from the Czechoslovakia national team after the dissolution of the unified state in 1993. Slovakia maintains its own national side competes in all major professional tournaments since. Slovakia qualified for two national tournaments, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016. The team have achieved some results, however, such as the aforementioned win over the then title holders Italy at the 2010 World Cup. They also only scored seven goals in the group, only more than minnows Andorra, in these two meetings, the teams drew 2–2 in Bratislava with the Slovaks winning 2–1 in Prague. But before that, they also playing each other in Euro 2008 qualifying, the first official match of the first Slovak Republic was played in Bratislava against Germany on 27 August 1939, and ended in a 2–0 victory for Slovakia. After the Second World War, the football team was subsumed into the team of Czechoslovakia. During this period, they contributed several key players to the Czechoslovak team, Slovakias first official international after regaining independence was a 1–0 victory in Dubai over the United Arab Emirates on 2 February 1994. Their match back on Slovak soil was the 4–1 win over Croatia in Bratislava on 20 April 1994, Slovakia suffered their biggest defeat since independence on 22 June 1995, in Mendoza, against Argentina. Their biggest wins have come against Liechtenstein in 2004 and San Marino in 2007, in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, Slovakia finished fourth in their six-team group with five wins, one draw and four defeats. Their first four games in this were all wins, with one of these against their Czech neighbors, on 14 October 2009, they clinched qualification with a 1–0 away win against Poland. The result led Slovakia to the stage and eliminated Italy. The result of this meant that for the first time in World Cup history, both finalists from the previous tournament had been eliminated from the first round, champion Italy. For Euro 2012 qualification, Slovakia was drawn against Russia, the Republic of Ireland, Armenia, Macedonia and Andorra. In October, however, the nations form slipped steadily, as Repre was easily beaten in Armenia, at that point, Russia topped the group charts with nine points, with Slovakia, Armenia and Ireland all within a two-point gap of the leaders. Playing in Ireland in a six-point match, despite creating better chances, in the final two group matches, Slovakia was beaten at home by Russia and drew 1–1 in Macedonia, finishing in a mediocre fourth-place position and scoring only seven goals in the entire process. Also, for the first time since Euro 1996 qualifying, Slovakia finished a campaign with a negative goal differential
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Japan
Armenia
Portugal
Spain
Estonia
