Weekly Preview - 19/09 - 25/09

Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 19/09 Atl Madrid(H), 23/09 Racing Santander(A)

Alexandre Pato (AC Milan) - 20/09 Bologna(H), 23/09 Udinese(A)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona) - 19/09 Atl Madrid(H), 23/09 Racing Santander(A)

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona) - 19/09 Atl Madrid(H), 23/09 Racing Santander(A)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - 20/09 Xerez(H), 23/09 Villarreal(A)

Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) - 20/09 Manchester City(H), 23/09 Wolves(A)

Paddy McCourt (Celtic) - 20/09 Hearts(H), 23/09 Falkirk(A)

Fernando Torres (Liverpool) - 19/09 West Ham(A), 23/09 Dirty Leeds(A)

Potential Ballon d'Or 2010 - Fernando Torres

Fernando José Torres Sanz (born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool and the Spanish national team as a striker.

Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth ranks. He made his professional debut in 2001 and finished his career with the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances, earning the nickname El Niño ("The Kid"). Prior to the La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Liverpool in 2007, after Liverpool signed him with the club's record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool's first player, since Robbie Fowler in 1995–96, to score more than 20 league goals in a season.

He is also a Spanish international and made his debut for the country against Portugal in 2003. He has since participated in three major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. He did not score a goal at Euro 2004, but he scored three at World Cup 2006. Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in their 1–0 win over Germany in the UEFA Euro 2008 Final.

Torres made his competitive debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa in a 2–1 win on 11 August 2007. He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League four days later in a 1–0 victory over Toulouse FC, after coming on as a 79th minute substitute. His first Premier League goal came on his Anfield debut on 19 August, in the 16th minute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea. His first hat-trick came in a 4–2 victory over Reading in the League Cup in September, with all of his goals coming in the second half. His first goals in the Champions League came on his third appearance in the competition as Liverpool beat FC Porto 4–1, as he scored twice.

He was named the Premier League's player of the month for February, during which he scored four goals in two league appearances, including a hat-trick against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008. This hat-trick and another in a 4–0 victory over West Ham United on 5 March 2008 meant he became the first Liverpool player since Jackie Balmer in November 1946 to score a hat-trick in successive home matches. Later in March, after he scored a 47th minute header against Reading at Anfield, becoming the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season campaign to score 20 league goals in a season. In April, he scored another Champions League goal, this time against Arsenal in the quarter-final second leg, as Liverpool advanced to the semi-final. This goal took him onto 29 goals for the 2007–08 season in all competitions, eclipsing Liverpool favourite Michael Owen's personal record for goals in a season. On 11 April 2008, it was announced Torres had made a six man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. The Spanish international was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, which was won by Cesc Fàbregas of Arsenal and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. In May, he finished second to Ronaldo for the FWA Footballer of the Year award.

Potential Ballon d'Or 2010 - Paddy McCourt

Patrick "Paddy" McCourt (born 16 December 1983 in Derry), is a Northern Irish footballer who plays as a winger with Scottish Premier League club Celtic. Before joining Celtic from Derry City, played in the League of Ireland. He is the brother of former Derry City striker Harry McCourt. He has played twice for the Northern Irish national team.

McCourt, educated at Steelstown Primary School in Derry, began his career with an early move from Foyle Harps to Rochdale on a youth team contract and was billed as a promising winger.His potential quickly persuaded the Spotland club to sign him on a 3 and a half year contract in December 2001, shortly after making his debut against Kidderminster Harriers. His first season ended with 23 appearances and 4 goals. This was complemented by the 9 caps he received at Under 21 level for Northern Ireland. In June 2002, he seemed to have the world at his feet when the then Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy handed him his senior international debut against the might of Spain at Windsor Park. This came at the peak of McCourt's career, and he attracted the attention of several Premier League clubs during 2002-03, including Blackburn Rovers. A formal bid of £1.5m was made by Manchester City, however, this was rejected by Rochdale and the deal fell through.


In June 2008 Derry City agreed a fee with Celtic, Barcelona, Inter Milan & Bayern Munich for the services of McCourt. Barcelona & Inter Milan had agreed terms with both player and club, but the lure of joining the club he supported as a boy persuaded McCourt to move to Glasgow. On 19 June 2008 Patrick signed for the club for an undisclosed fee after agreeing a three year contract. On 8 July 2008 Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington said that McCourt was likely to be recalled to the national squad. He made his competitive debut for Celtic on 25 October 2008 in the 4-2 win over Hibernian setting up 4 goals. He has featured prominently for the Celtic reserve team and won many plaudits for his performances, particularly in the game on 28 April 2009 against Rangers which clinched the Scottish Premier Reserve League title for Celtic for the 8th season in succession, a career high point for him. He also appeared at the inaugural Wembley Cup in which he excelled for Celtic, an appearance memorable in particular for a mazy dribble past several Spurs players. He featured in another of Celtic's pre- season friendly matches against another English side Manchester City on 8 August 2009 at Eastlands, and he was again in good form, producing another mazy dribble in the second half, which took him past 4 Man City players, before sending a dangerous cross into the box. Paddy is expected to lift the Europa League Cup this season as stand in skipper.

Potential Ballon d'Or 2010 - Wayne Rooney

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English footballer who currently plays as a striker for English Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.

Rooney began his career with Everton, joining their youth team at age ten and rising through the ranks. He made his professional debut in 2002 and his first goal made him the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the time. He quickly became part of Everton's first team, spending two seasons at the Merseyside club. Before the start of the 2004–05 season he moved to Manchester United for £25.6 million and became a key member of the first team. Since then, he has won the Premier League three times, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League and also the Football League Cup.

Rooney made his England debut in 2003 and at Euro 2004 he briefly became the competition's youngest goalscorer. He is frequently selected for the England squad and also featured in the 2006 World Cup.

Born on 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside, Rooney is the first child of parents of Irish descent Thomas Wayne and Jeanette Marie Rooney (née Morrey).He was raised in Croxteth with younger brothers Graeme and John, and all three attended De La Salle School. Wayne grew up supporting local club Everton, and his childhood hero was Duncan Ferguson.

With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a record breaking £80m, Rooney would need to step up and score more goals in order to fill Ronaldo's scoring talent. Rooney's start to the new campaign got off to great scoring ways, he scored in the 90th minute of the 2009 FA Community Shield, however United lost the game on penalties. He then scored the only goal of the opening game of the 2009-10 season against Birmingham City, thus taking his overall United tally to 99. He failed to score in the next game, a historic 1-0 defeat to the hands of newly-promoted Burnley at Turf Moor. On 22 August 2009, he became the 20th Manchester United player to have scored over 100 goals for the club, finding the net twice in a 5-0 away win at Wigan Athletic, the game which saw Michael Owen notch his first goal for United.. On 29 August 2009, United played Arsenal at The Old Trafford, he scored the equalising goal after Arsenal's Andrei Arshavin opening goal, from a crucial penalty from Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia, which lead to a 2-1 win after Abou Diaby's own goal. Five days later Rooney commented on his penalty against Arsenal: "Everyone who watches me play knows I am an honest player, I play the game as honestly as I can. If the referee gives a penalty there is nothing you can do."

Potential Ballon d'Or 2010 - Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (born 5 February 1985)is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo currently holds the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after having transferred to Real Madrid in a deal worth £80 million (€94m, US$132m). His contract with Real Madrid is believed to have made him the highest-paid player in the world.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player at CD Nacional and his successes with the team led to a move to Sporting Clube de Portugal two seasons afterwards. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the UEFA Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal.

In 2008, Ronaldo won his first UEFA Champions League title, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.

Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."

Potential Ballon d'Or 2010 - Andres Iniesta

Andrés Iniesta Luján (born 11 May 1984 in Fuentealbilla, Albacete, Castile-La Mancha) is a Spanish football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona. His willingness to play anywhere on the pitch, coupled with a natural humility, has earned him the sobriquet El Ilusionista, El Anti-Galáctico and most recently San Andrés or Don Andrés from the Catalan press. After the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney asserted that he believed the midfielder to be the best in the world.

Initially, the 12-year-old Iniesta's parents travelled to Barcelona and took a look at the FC Barcelona youth school, La Masia. The trip resulted in Iniesta's enrollment in the Barça youth ranks. Like fellow La Masia graduate Cesc Fàbregas, Iniesta originally started as a volante but his balance, close control and skill on the ball saw him make progress as an attacking midfielder. From that moment on he worked his way up the club ranks. Louis van Gaal handed him his debut on 29 October 2002, a UEFA Champions League game against Club Brugge He appeared 11 times in the league in 2003–04, mostly as a deputy for Camp Nou favourite Ronaldinho, scoring once as Barça sealed second place behind Valencia CF.

On 24 September 2008, Andrés Iniesta was chosen as one of the new Barcelona captains, with the former vice-captain Ronaldinho departing for AC Milan. According to local newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, Iniesta will be the Barça fourth-choice captain, behind fellow Spaniards, Carles Puyol (1st-choice), Xavi (second-choice), and Víctor Valdés (third-choice). This new achievement by Iniesta has been welcomed by all Culés worldwide, and, especially, by the pro-Barcelona press throughout Spain. In mid November 2008, Iniesta suffered a leg injury and was expected to return to action in 6 weeks. Iniesta, however, did not want to come back until he was 100 percent and finally returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a 65th minute substitute against RCD Mallorca. After only 10 minutes he scored a crucial goal and completed a Barcelona comeback in front of the Camp Nou. His performances in the 2008–09 season have been highly lauded, receiving standing ovations both in Barcelona at the Camp Nou, as well as from rival supporters in away matches.

On 5 February, Iniesta made his 250th appearance for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey match against Mallorca. Iniesta once again got injured in Barcelona's home match against Málaga CF, but returned to action for the first leg Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich, which Barcelona won 4–0.

His current contract with Barcelona ends in June 2014. On July 19 2007, he was linked with a move to rivals Real Madrid, with reports in newspapers suggesting Real was prepared to pay €60 million for him, which would trigger his release clause. Iniesta disregarded the rumours and reiterated his desire to remain with Barça by saying "I can’t do anything about it but I’d like to insist once again that I want to stay here. When I say I want to retire in Barça, I say it with all my heart.". Iniesta's release clause has since been raised to €150 million, to dissuade possible suitors.

Potential Ballon d'Or 2010 - Zlatan Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish football player of Bosnian and Croatian parentage who plays for Spanish La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Swedish national team.

As of February 2009, Ibrahimović, along with Kaká, were the highest salaried football players in the world with an annual pay of €9 million. Ibrahimović won the Capocannoniere on 31 May, 2009 with 25 domestic goals during the season. He currently holds the record for the second highest transfer fee in football history, with a total of €69 million.

Ibrahimović was born to a Bosniak father, Šefik, and a Croatian mother, Jurka, who emigrated to Sweden, where they first met. Ibrahimović grew up in Rosengård, a Malmö neighbourhood known for its immigrant communities, along with his three sisters and two brothers. After receiving his football boots, Ibrahimović began playing football at the age of six, alternating between local junior clubs Malmö BI and FBK Balkan. While in his early teens, he was a regular in his hometown club Malmö FF. At the age of 15, Ibrahimović was close to quitting his football career, in favor of working at the docks in Malmö, but his manager convinced him to continue playing. Ibrahimović successfully completed junior high school in the ninth grade, and though he was admitted to Borgarskolan, he soon dropped out of high school to focus on his football career.

Potential Ballon d'Or 2010 - Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (born 2 September 1989 in Pato Branco, Paraná), commonly known as Alexandre Pato, is a Brazilian striker, currently playing for Italian Serie A club Milan and the Brazilian national team. The nickname "Pato" is in honour of his place of birth, but has led to commentators calling him "The Duck", which is the literal translation of "Pato" from Portuguese. Alexandre started playing indoor football (futsal) in his hometown at the age of three. Soon, his ability became known all around the south Brazilian state of Paraná for being skillful and talented goal scorer and, after being praised by many of his managers, the teenager went to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, to try out for Grêmio. He was turned away by Grêmio, the club whom he had supported since a boy – but local rivals Internacional convinced him to play for them. Despite the two clubs being bitter enemies, Pato’s parents convinced their youngster to switch his allegiance.

In 2000, when he was aged 11, his doctors determined he had a potentially malignant tumor in his left arm, which occurred after he had broken it twice in the same place. If it was not removed, he faced the possibility of it becoming cancerous in two months. His family couldn't afford the surgery but one of their family friends, who is a doctor, operated as a volunteer for free.

On his first team debut, at the age of 17, Pato helped Internacional to a 4-1 win over Palmeiras on November 26, 2006. In this game, Pato had three assists and also scored a goal. His appearance put the spotlight on the young player and created expectations and comparisons with another southern Brazilian superstar, the then Barcelona player, and now current team-mate Ronaldinho.

Incumbent European champions Milan officially confirmed the signing of Pato on 2 August 2007. Due to FIFA football regulations regarding non-EU minors, Pato was unable to play official matches for Milan until 3 January 2008, when the Italian transfer window and registration reopened. However, Milan was allowed to include the player in friendlies and training beginning 3 September 2007, one day after his 18th birthday. Pato made his non-competitive debut in a 2–2 draw against Dynamo Kiev on 7 September 2007 and scored a header. On 4 January 2008, Pato's transfer to Milan became official.

Potential Ballon d'Or 2010 - Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Messi is considered to be one of the best football players of his generation, having received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi his "successor".

Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by FC Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and UEFA Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006–07: he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble winning campaign.

Messi was the top scorer with six goals, including two in the final game of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006 he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In Beijing in 2008 he won his first senior international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.