Association Football Forwards

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 180. Chapters: Lionel Messi, Pele, Marius Niculae, Wayne Rooney, David Villa, Roque Santa Cruz, Fernando Torres, Karim Benzema, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Alessandro Del Piero, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Robbie Keane, Richard Brodie (footballer), Lee Boylan, Emile Heskey, Luis Suarez, Graham Westley, Mido (footballer), Steve Morison, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, Carlos Tevez. Excerpt: Lionel Andres "Leo" Messi (Spanish pronunciation: , born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team. Messi is Barcelona's all-time top scorer in all official club competitions excluding friendlies. By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year in 2009 he won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, and the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 and 2011. He also won the 2010-11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. Frequently rated by commentators, experts and former players as the best player in the world, Messi is the fourth football player to win three Ballons d'Or and the second player to win three consecutive Ballons d'Or. Messi has won five La Ligas, two Copas del Rey, five Supercopas de Espana, three Champions Leagues, two Super Cups and two Club World Cups. In 2012, Messi made UEFA Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one match. He also matched Jose Altafini's record of 14 goals in a single Champions League season. He also became the first player to top-score in four successive Champions League campaigns. He set the world record for most goals scored in a season during the 2011-12 season, with 73 goals. In the same season, he set the current goalscoring record in a...