Thursday, May 8, 2008

Jamie Carragher


The ultimate one-club player, and with one of the biggest hearts in football, Jamie Carragher is Mr Liverpool.

The vice-captain has been instrumental in the Reds' success over the last decade, during which he's made more than 500 appearances.

One of the heroes of Istanbul, it's hard to imagine that famous comeback occurring without him.

His Liverpool journey began back in October 1996 when he signed professional terms following a successful apprenticeship.

The Bootle-born youngster had already represented England Under 21s, and earlier that year was part of Liverpool's first FA Youth Cup winning team alongside Michael Owen and David Thompson.

Carra's debut came at Middlesbrough on January 8, 1997, when he was brought on for Rob Jones in the Coca-Cola Cup. Roy Evans handed him a first start in a Premiership clash with Aston Villa on January 18, 1998. Remarkably, he marked his full debut with a rare goal.

His passion, enthusiasm and versatility soon ensured regular starts, whether at right-back, left-back, centre-half or defensive midfield.

Such adaptability also earned him an England call-up, with Kevin Keegan dishing out a first cap against Hungary in April 1999. This substitute appearance didn't put an end to his under-21 career, however, and he went on to play 27 times at this level - a record which has since been broken by clubmate Scott Carson.

Carra was an integral part of Gerard Houllier's treble-winning side of 2001, playing 58 games, most of which were at left-back.

Sadly, like teammate Steven Gerrard, injury ruled him out of the 2002 World Cup, and there was more heartbreak a year later when a fierce tackle from Blackburn's Lucas Neill at Ewood Park forced him to miss six months of the 2003-04 campaign.

Despite this, he was part of the England squad for the 2004 European Championships in Holland and Belgium. Disappointingly, he played no part, but the following season was to be a career-defining one for Liverpool's number 23.

While Carra had always been a first-team regular at Anfield, he'd somehow struggled to get the recognition he deserved. Each new signing was seen as a threat to his place, and the Kop had yet to reveal its dream of a team of Carraghers.

The arrival of new boss Rafa Benitez changed all this, with the Scouser getting the permanent centre-back slot he'd always craved.

Carra was soon being labelled the most underrated defender in the country, not least for his heroics in helping the Reds win the 2005 Champions League.

One of the most iconic images from the club's glorious night in Istanbul is that of him collapsing with cramp after yet another last-ditch interception.

He and Sami Hyypia had formed one of the tightest defensive partnerships in Europe, and it came as no surprise when he was voted Liverpoolfc.tv's Player of the Year.

In July 2005, the defender signed a new four-year deal at Anfield. His loyalty was rewarded a month later when, in the absence of the injured Steven Gerrard, Carra lifted the European Super Cup following victory over CSKA Moscow in Monte Carlo.

There was more silverware at the end of the season despite a 21st minute own goal in the FA Cup final against West Ham. It was the defender's 10th final in as many years - and what better way to prepare for the World Cup.

By now, Carra was a regular in Sven's squad, and he played three games in Germany 2006, including a starting role against Sweden in place of the injured Gary Neville. The competition ended cruelly, however, when he missed a penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out against Portugal. Frank Lampard and Gerrard did the same, and England were out.

At least he had the consolation of being voted seventh in Liverpoolfc.tv's 100 Players Who Shook The Kop series, beating the likes of Alan Hansen, Phil Thompson and Emlyn Hughes to be the highest placed defender.

In August 2006, Carra wore the captain's armband in the Community Shield against champions Chelsea, jointly holding the silver dish aloft with injured skipper Gerrard.

The ensuing season was one of many milestones for the now Liverpool veteran. In December he scored his first league goal of the century against Fulham, taking his overall tally to four. Five months later, in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea, he broke Ian Callaghan's club record of 89 European appearances.

Unsurprisingly, Carra again committed his future to the Reds in the close season by signing another four-year contract.

The summer of 2007 also saw him retire from international football following continued frustration at a lack of opportunities.

It certainly did his club form no harm and six months later he became only the 12th player to make 500 appearances for Liverpool. Carra walked out to a guard of honour which included boss Rafa Benitez when Luton visited Anfield on January 15, 2008. The defender was also made captain for the night at the request of Stevie G.

As if all this wasn't enough, he then wrote a new page in Kop history by becoming the first player to represent the Reds 100 times in continental competition. Fittingly, the milestone was reached in one of Europe's top arenas, the San Siro, as Rafa's Redmen dumped Inter Milan, the runaway leaders of Serie A, out of the Champions League.

John Arne Riise


Left-back John Arne Riise is one of the longest-serving members of the Liverpool squad.

The Norway international, who is famed for his fierce shot, has notched up well over 300 appearances since joining from Monaco in the summer of 2001 for a fee of approximately £4million.

Riise began his career with Aalesunds FK in 1997, though within a year had been lured to the Cote d'Azur.

His form in France led to international recognition, with his debut coming against Iceland in January 2000.

Riise was an integral part of Monaco's 1999-00 championship-winning side, prompting interest from a host of Premiership clubs.

In June 2001 he signed for the Reds, making his debut in the Charity Shield against Manchester United on August 12.

It was in a fixture against the same opponents three months later that the flame-haired defender won a place in the heart of every Liverpool fan. To this day, the Kop pays tribute to his thunderbolt free-kick by singing: "John Arne Riise, ooh, ah, I want to know how you scored that goal."

The full-back, who can also play left-midfield, remained a first-team regular into the Benitez era.

It was he who opened the scoring against Chelsea in the 2005 Carling Cup final with a volley on 45 seconds - the fastest goal in the fixture's history.

During the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan, Riise provided the cross for Steven Gerrard to head home on 54 minutes - and in doing so helped trigger the greatest comeback European football has ever witnessed. The fact his penalty was saved by Dida in the shoot-out is now a historical insignificance.

The following season was again full of highlights, most notably another opening goal against Chelsea - this time in an FA Cup semi-final.

Three weeks later he erased memories of the Istanbul penalty miss by converting his spot kick to help the Reds clinch their seventh FA Cup.

Riise continued his knack of scoring against Jose Mourinho's men at the start of the 2006-07 campaign, this time in the Community Shield. The full-back ran from inside his own half before lashing the ball beyond Carlo Cudicini to open the scores. Liverpool went on to win the match 2-1.

Liverpoolfc.tv

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Dirk Kuyt


Dirk Kuyt, officially spelled Dirk Kuijt (born July 22, 1980, in Katwijk aan Zee) is a Dutch professional football player, who currently plays for English club Liverpool FC. He plays in the position of striker and is known for his high work-rate and team play. In his early career, and often for the Dutch national team, Kuyt has played on the wing.

Kuyt is an incredibly fit player and has only missed five games over seven seasons from 1999 until 2006, making 233 appearances.[2] Between March 2001 (playing with FC Utrecht) and April 2006 (Feyenoord) Kuyt played 179 consecutive matches.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Ryan Babel



Babel is an accomplished right footed striker and a left winger. He has been likened to a young Kevin Campbell in strength and build. With awareness of the field, great vision, good first touch, and strength on the ball, he handles stressful situations well. It has also been said that Babel has a nice balance in knowing when to run at people, as well as when to release a teammate.

His skill has helped him to receive an international cap against Romania in which he produced two goals, as well as to win the 2007 European Under-21 Championships. His achievements include taking part in the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and the June 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championship.

Currently, Babel plays for Liverpool wearing the number 19 jersey. He was transferred to the Reds after they paid a transfer fee in the area of £11.5 million, which resulted in a 5 year contract being signed on July 13, 2007. On August 11, 2007 he had his debut with the Reds when he appeared as a substitute against Aston Villa in the second-half. Just a month after his debut, Babel feels that he is already a better player than when he was in back in the Eredivisie, due mostly to the help of Reds’ football coach, Rafa Benitez.

Steven Gerrard (Captain)


Born in 1980 and signed as a trainee, Gerrard made his Liverpool FC debut in November 1998 as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers FC. In his first start, against RC Celta de Vigo in the UEFA Cup, Gerrard's ability to tackle, pass and shoot in equal measure shone through.

2001: He proved his worth with a selection of outstanding performances in 2000/01 as Liverpool won the FA Cup, English League Cup and UEFA Cup, where he scored his side's second goal in the 5-4 final win against Deportivo Alavés. Gerrard was voted England's Young Player of the Year that year. He won a second League Cup in Cardiff in March 2003, opening the scoring in a 2-0 victory against Manchester United FC. Having replaced Sami Hyypiä as captain in 2003, Gerrard justified his promotion by almost single-handedly guiding Liverpool to fourth place and turning down a lucrative Chelsea FC offer.

2004/05: A broken bone in his foot left Gerrard sidelined for two months from September, but he returned to strike the late goal against Olympiacos CFP to take Liverpool past the group stage. Although his own goal proved vital in Chelsea winning the League Cup final, Gerrard remained an inspiration and struck the first goal of the dramatic comeback against AC Milan that allowed him to lift the European Champion Clubs' Cup. Although he then seemed set to leave Anfield, he had a dramatic change of heart and signed a new four-year contract. Typically, he struck a hat-trick in the first game after agreeing his new deal, in the Champions League first qualifying round against Total Network Solutions FC.

Fernando Torres


Fernando José Torres Sanz (born 20th march 1984) is a spanish football player currently playing for Liverpool. In the five seasons preceding his move to Liverpool from Torres scored 75 goals in 176 La Liga appearances, with only Ronaldo, Samuel Eto'o and David Villa bettering that tally during the same period. Prior to that, Torres played two seasons in the Atletico Madrid Spanish second division

Liverpool Football Club

Full Name: Liverpool Football Club

Nickname: The Reds

Founded: March 15 1892

Ground: Anfield (Liverpool,England)

Manager: Rafael Benitez