Soccer Maestro

Born in Lanus, Argentina. Diego Armando Maradona became Argentina's youngest ever international in 1977, transferred to Boca Juniors for ₤ 1 million as a teenager, and in 1982 became the world's most expensive footballer when he joined Barcelona for 5 million. He broke the record again in 1984 when the Italian club Napoli paid ₤ 6-9 million for him. He captained Argentina to their second FIFA World Cup win in 1986, having eliminated England in the quarter-finals when he scored a highly controversial goal. At the height of success, his career then foundered amid accusations of drug-taking. Following a 15-month ban, he returned by popular demand, though without a club, to the World Cup side as captain in 1994, but was again suspended from the team following a positive drug test. He signed for Santos in 1995 and announced his retirement in 1997. In 2000, he developed a severe heart condition following cocaine use, subsequently moving to Cuba for two years treatment for drug abuse. In 2003, he was reunited with the son he had previously refused to recognize as his own. His health improved by 2005 when he began a new career as a television chat-show host. Most guests were drawn from the worlds of football and show business, including Zidane and Ronaldo, but also included interviews with other notable personalities such as Fidel Castro and Mike Tyson.

Ronaldo

Name at birth: Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima

Born: 22 September 1976

Birthplace: Bento Ribeiro,

Brazil Best known as: FIFA Player of the Year 1996-97

A brilliant and fluid forward, Ronaldo became one of international soccer's great stars of the 1990s and Brazil's biggest soccer hero since Pele. At age 17 he was a member of Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning squad, though he did not play. The same year he joined the Dutch professional team PSV Eindhoven. His professional contract was purchased by Barcelona in 1996; the next year he moved again to Italy's FC Internazionale Milano, remaining until 2002 when he transferred to Real Madrid. He was named FIFA's World Footballer of the Year in 1996 and 1997, becoming both the youngest player to win the award and the only player to win the award in consecutive years. He also starred in the 1998 World Cup, scoring four goals in leading Brazil to the Cup finals, but he was criticized for their 3-0 loss to France in the championship game. Slowed by injuries in the 21st century, Ronaldo nonetheless made a triumphant return by leading Brazil to the World Cup championship in 2002. He won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer (with eight goals) and scored both goals in Brazil's 2-0 final game win over Germany. Despite accusations that he had become overweight and less than energetic, Ronaldo scored three goals in the 2006 World Cup, giving him a total of 15 in World Cup play - a new record. He transferred from Real Madrid to A.C. Milan in January of 2007; he was injured in early 2008 and his contract was not renewed later that year.

Extra credit:
Ronaldo wears jersey number 9 ... He should not be confused with Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese soccer star. It's a Brazilian soccer tradition for stars to be known by their first name alone ... Ronaldo was named for Dr. Ronaldo Valente, who attended his birth ... Ronaldo's 1994 World Cup jersey read "Ronaldinho" to distinguish him from an older teammate with the same name; by the 2002 World Cup he had become the undisputed Ronaldo and was joined by a younger teammate who was called, in turn, Ronaldinho ... World Cup 2006 was won by Italy; Brazil crashed out in the quarterfinals ... Ronaldo became engaged to model Daniella Cicarelli in July of 2004, but they later broke off the engagement. Ronaldo previously was married to Brazilian soccer player Milene Domingues from 1999-2003, with whom he has a son, Ronald (b. 2000).

King of Soccer

Athlete, professional soccer player. Born Edson Arantes de Nascimento on October 23, 1940, in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. Although he was poor, Pelé grew up to be an international sports superstar. Throughout his childhood, he played soccer whenever and wherever he could, sometimes using a stuffed sock for a ball. He joined his first soccer team at the age of 12.

Pelé started playing professional soccer while in his teens. In 1958, he helped Brazil win its first World Cup victory. His performance in the finals-scoring two goals-made him an international sensation. He also played for the professional Brazilian team Santos from 1956 to 1974 and scored more than 1000 goals during his time with the club. He retired from Santos in 1974, but was lured back to the game with an offer from a team in the United States the next year. He joined the New York Cosmos, a part of the North American Soccer League. As a member of the Cosmos, Pelé became a household name in the United States and fans flocked to see him play.

Retiring for the second time after the 1977 season, Pelé has pursued his own business opportunities, such as a coffee company and a sports and marketing firm. Along with his ventures, he has served as a spokesman for numerous international companies. Pelé does a lot of charity work, especially for children's organizations.

The Answer of Basketball

Nicknamed "The Answer" Allen Iverson is one of the greatest guards of his generation and one of the most prolific scorers in the history of basketball. He has played his whole career with the Philadelphia 76ers and has been fundamental to the development of the team over the past decade. His efforts have not been without reward as he has made it to number 53 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA players of all time. At 31 he his now a veteran of the game and is a certain inductee to the NBA Hall of Fame after he withdrawn.

Iverson was born June 7th, 1975 in Hampton, Virginia and was given his mother's maiden name - "Iverson", rather than his father's, Broughton. At school he excelled at both football (as a quarterback) and basketball but would focus solely on basketball after high school.

He had planned to go to College but he nearly did not make it after he became involved in an altercation at a bowling alley with a group of white youths where he was alleged to have a hit a woman in the head with a chair. He was sentenced to 15 year imprisonment with a 10 year suspension which was later overturned on appeal. This was not the only time that Iverson would be involved with the law. In 1997 he was arrested and charged for carrying a concealed weapon and for possession of marijuana for which he was sentenced to community service.

His legal issues behind him, he went on to attend Georgetown University in Washington DC where he played for the Hoyas before leaving after his Sophomore year to the NBA draft.

It was now 1996 and he ended up as first overall pick for the Philadelphia 76ers who he has played for ever since. Having played out the whole of his career with the 76ers he is joined only by Kobe Bryant (who has played for the LA Lakers since he was drafted back in 1996) and Kevin Garnett who has spent his 11 year playing career with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Over this 10 year period he has remained the leading scorer for the team averaging 23.5 points per game in his first season and averaging 28.0 points per game over his whole career. Here he trails behind Michael Jordan by only 2.1 points per game. His prolific scoring has led to him being 4-time NBA regular-season leader, with 26.8 points in 1999), 31.1 points in 2000, 31.4 points in 2002 and 30.7 points in 2005. He achieved a career-high on February 12, 2005, when he scored 60 points against Orlando Magic and despite his critics who call him a ball hog he looks set to remain the 76ers leading points scorer for some years yet.

Kobe Bryant

Born: August 23, 1978 Philadelphia, PA

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Residence: Los Angeles, CA

HT: / Wt: 6'6 "/ 205 lbs

Event (s): Men's basketball

Position: Guard

In defense of Kobe

The reigning NBA Most valuable Player, Kobe Bryant will make his Olympic debut in Beijing. Though he was named to the U.S. men's senior national team in March 2006, Bryant did not suit up for Team USA until 2007; surgery on his right knee in July 2006 kept him sidelined. But in his first event, the 2007 FIBA Americas tournament in which the U.S. went 10-0 and qualified for the 2008 Games, his performance was exactly what USA Basketball had hoped for: someone who can score if he needs to but puts extra emphasis on defense. Bryant started in each game and was third on the team with 15.3 points per game, but he boasted a team-best 1.6 steals and regularly guarded the opponent's best player. "If they have a great guard, whoever the head of the snake is over there, it's my responsibility to try to take him out," Bryant says.

Representing the country

A 12-year NBA veteran, Bryant has been invited to play on previous Olympic teams but declined. In 2004, he did not play for the team as he was facing rape charges that were later dropped. The timing is right for 2008 - even though he's been playing with a Torn ligament in his right pinkie since February. He opted to put off surgery until after Beijing. "It's a chance to represent your country," Bryant says of the Olympics. "This is our way of being soldiers. This is what we do, is play basketball. It's like our way of representing our country - on a small scale." Playing for Team USA is something he's always wanted to do. About his first opportunity in the red, white and blue, Bryant said, "I stayed in my uniform all night long the first night I got it. Just because I always wanted to play for the U.S. since I was a kid; was my chance finally here. I was just extremely excited. "

NBA's finest

The 2008 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team will be rich with talent, but few boast the professional accolades of Bryant. The Los Angeles locker and three-time NBA champion earned his first NBA MVP award this season after averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing all 82 games in the 2007-08 season. Additionally, Bryant has earned All-NBA honors in each of the last 10 Seasons (first team six times), has been named to the NBA's All-Defensive eight times (first team six times) and was voted by the fans as a starter for the Western Conference All-Star Team in each of the last 10 games, leading all NBA players in voting for the 2003 All-Star Game.

Leading laker

The son of former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, Kobe was drafted in 1996 straight out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets and No. 13, but traded within weeks to Los Angeles, with whom he has played his entire career. He was the first player in Los Angeles franchise history to make the transition from high school to the pros. At 18 years, two months and 11 days when he made his NBA debut, Bryant was the youngest locker to appear in a regular season game (Andrew Bynum has since eclipsed that mark), and the second-youngest in NBA history (behind Jermaine O 'Neal and now Bynum). In just his second season, the 19-year-old Bryant became the youngest All-Star in NBA history when he was voted a starter for the 1998 game - despite starting just one game all year for the Lakers.

Big man on campus

At Lower Merion High in Ardmore, Pa., Bryant became the all-time leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania history (2,883 points), exceeded the marks of Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (2359). As a senior, Bryant was named USA Today's National High School Player of the Year after averaging 30.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.8 blocked shots and leading Lower Merion to the Class 4A state title. He was also awarded the Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Circle of Champions High School Player of the Year and named to the McDonald's All-American Team.

Married man
Bryant spent eight years of his childhood in Italy and speaks Italian fluently. His parents, Joe and Pam, named him after a type of steak (Kobe) seen on a restaurant menu prior to his birth. He has two older sisters, Sharia and Shaya. Bryant was married to his wife Vanessa in April 2001, and they have two daughters, Natalia Gems and Gianna Maria Onore.

Serena Williams

Born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, MI;

Daughter of: Richard (a security agency owner and tennis coach) and Oracene Williams

Religion: Jehovah's Witness.

Memberships: Women's Tennis Association.

Career: Professional tennis player, 1995 -; actress, 2002 - designer, 2003 --.

Life's Work

Ranked number one in the world among female tennis professionals in 2002, Serena Williams had become one of the sport's most exciting and closely watched young players. With her older sister Venus, she formed half of a tennis-prodigy pair that had been making headlines from an early age. As an African American in an historically white-and European-dominated sport, she found herself in the spotlight and under scrutiny. Serena and Venus Williams were coached by their father, Richard, an unorthodox career-builder whose methods stirred comment and controversy. Beyond all these reasons Serena Williams caught the attention of tennis fans simply because she was a player of extraordinary ability and dynamism. She rose to the very top of her game achieving the No. 1 ranking among female tennis players in the world in 2002 and winning seven Grand Slam events by 2005. Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan, on September 26, 1981, but she and her sister were raised in the economically depressed and often violence-riddled Los Angeles suburb of Compton. Her father, Richard Williams, ran a private security firm, and her mother Oracene (who often uses the name Brandy) was a nurse. A fan of televised tennis, Richard Williams dreamed of the opportunities that might await his offspring-to-be: "I went to my wife and said, 'Let's have kids and make them tennis players,'" he told Newsweek. Venus, born in 1980, and Serena, the youngest daughter, showed promise from the start. "Venus and Serena took to tennis as soon as rackets were put in their hands," older sister Lyndrea told Sport magazine.

The Brain of Cricket

Brian Charles Lara was born on May 2, 1969, in Cantaro, Santa Cruz in Trinidad. He was also known as "The Prince of Port-of-Spain" or simply "The Prince". He is acknowledged as one of the world's greatest batsmen. Lara captained the West Indies from 1997 to 1999.

He is also the father of an eight-year-old daughter called Sydney whom he had with Trinidadian model Leasel Rovedas. Lara loves carnivals, Chinese & Italian food, and is known to be a practical joker.

Batting Style: Left-hand bat
Bowling Style: Leg-break googly

Test Debut

Brain Lara made his test debut in Dec. 6-11, 1990 against Pakistan at Lahore.

ODI Debut

Brain Lara made his ODI debut against Pakistan at Karachi on Nov. 9, 1990.

Turning Point

• In 2004, he has made a historic record of 400 runs in the final Test against England in Antigua. Achievements and World Records

• In 1994, he was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award.

• Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1995.

• In 2001 tour of Sri Lanka he scored a century and a double century in the third Test.

• In 1994 he became the first man to score seven centuries in eight first-class innings, the first being the historic record 375 against England. • He reclaimed the record of scoring 400 not out in 2004.

• He was the fastest batsmen to 9000, 10000 and 11000 Test runs, in terms of number of innings.

• Lara holds the world record of scoring most runs (28) in a single over in Test cricket.

King of Spin

Shane Keith Warne is is an international Australian cricketer. He is well known as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. His 708 wickets is the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket.

However his career was overwhelmed by scandals; these included a ban from cricket for testing positive for a prohibited substance, and charges of bringing the game into disrepute.
He retired from international cricket in January 2007, at the end of Australia’s 5-0 Ashes series victory over England.

Shane Warne Details

Full name: Shane Keith Warne
Born: September 13, 1969, Ferntree Gully, Victoria
Country: Australia
Nickname: Warney
Playing role: Bowler
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Legbreak googly

Quick Career map

Test debut: 2-January-1992 vs India
Last Test: 2-January-2007 vs England
ODI debut: 24-March-1993 vs New Zealand
Last ODI: 10-January-2005 vs {World XI v Asia XI}

Did you know?
1. Shane Warne is one of bowlers who have taken 400 Test wickets
2. Shane Warne is one of bowlers who have taken 5 wickets in a Test innings 25 times or more

3. Shane Warne is one of Cricketers who have achieved the 'All-Rounder's Triple' (3000 runs/300 wickets) in Test matches (142 test match)

4. Ravi Shastri (IND) was his first and Andrew Flintoff (ENG) was his last victim in test cricket

Warn and Cars
Warn is passionate about cars. He has owned two Ferraris: he purchased a 355 Spider in 1996, and in 2001 he bought a 360 Spider in titanium, with red interior. At that time he had six cars - the Ferrari, two Mercedes four-wheel drives, two BMWs and a Holden VK Commodore.

Shane Warne Biographies

Shane Warne: Portrait of a Flawed Genius by Simon Wilde (John Murray, 2007 ISBN)

Spun Out: Shane Warne the Unauthorised Biography of a Cricketing Genius by Paul Barry (Bantam Press, 2006) ISBN

Further readings:

Shane Warn Profile

Warne in pictures

Gilly the Keeper

Full name: Adam Craig Gilchrist

Born: November 14, 1971, Bellingen, New South Wales

Major teams: Australia, ICC World XI, New South Wales, Western Australia

Nickname: Gilly

Role playing: Wicketkeeper batsman

Batting style: Left-hand bat

Bowling style: Right-arm offbreak

Fielding position: Wicketkeeper

Height: 1.85 m

Adam Gilchrist entered the international cricketing scene as a Wicket keep / batsman with the Australian One Day International side against South Africa on 25th October 1996 in Faridabad. Was bowled by Alan Donald is 18, then effected his first dismissal by catching Cronje will be off Paul Reiffel for a duck. South Africa won the match by 2 wickets. In 1998, Steven Waugh elevated Adam to the pivotal position of opening batsman. In his second game, Adam Scored 100 against South Africa and since then, has played a significant part in Redefining the role of an opening batsman in One Day International.

Adam was crucial in the team's winning performance in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups. Adam has taken the world record of over 400 dismissals in one day International and Scored over 8600 runs at a phenomenal strike rates of almost 97 runs per 100 Ball faced.

On 5th-9th November 1999, Adam replaced Ian Healy the wicketkeeper in the Australian test side in Brisbane against Pakistan. He was immediately into stride, taking his first dismissal by catching Mohammad Wasim off Damien Fleming for 18. Adam then Scored 81 before being bowled by Shoaib Aktar. Since that time, Adam has taken almost 370 dismissals in test match and almost Scored 5300 runs at an incredible strike of over 82 runs per 100 Ball faced. Adam reached the 100 and 200 dismissal Marcos faster than any other Wicket keep in test history and he is one of only two players had to averaged greater than 60 going through 3000 test runs.

Adam is the only wicketkeeper in Australia to have captained the Australian Test and One Day teams and is acknowledged for his leadership and outstanding contribution to the Australian team in both forms of The Game.

Several critical believe that Adam is the greatest wicketkeeper / batsman to have played The Game. But more than his statistics, it is the spirit in which Mann and Adam play The Game that makes him one of the world's most exciting and popular Cricketers. He already holds the record for the most Sixes hit in Test cricket (97) and play Test cricket in much the same way he play the One-Day International.

In 2004 Adam was selected in Richie Benaud's All Time Greatest Team. He entered the Sir Donald Bradman, Dennis Lillee and Shane Warne who were also chosen in this illustrious team. Adam said that he was humbled to be chosen in the team in front of so many other outstanding players and by a person who himself is the acknowledged one of the finest to have played The Game.