Archive for the ‘Players’ Category

Bobby Moore: a Real Gentleman and a True Friend 0

October 4th, 2009

If you ever come to Wembley Stadium, you will surely notice bronze statue of Bobby Moore standing outside the main entrance at the new Wembley Stadium. The statue was erected in 2007 to honor the former captain of the England team when they won the 1966 World Cup.

Born in April 12th 1941, Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore — also known as Bobby Moore — won a total of 108 caps for the England team. It remains a record until goalkeeper Peter Shilton and David Beckham collected respectably 125 and 109 caps. He was born in Barking, London, and was known for his superb defending skills.

Moore joined West Ham as a player in 1956, playing his first game against Manchester United on September 8, 1958. His surprising ability to read the game and anticipate opponents’ next move caught the eyes of many UK football fans instantly. He played his first match to replace his mentor, Malcolm Allison, who was suffering from tuberculosis yet he soon became a regular first team player right after that. There is no doubt that Moore was indeed destined for greatness, and he kept showing tremendous playing skills as well as attitude both in the field and on his daily life.

Moore was on the verge of terminating his contract when he played the 1966 World Cup. Only after the intervention of Sir Alf Ramsey that he realized his ineligibility to play and resolved differences he had with West Ham manager Ron Greenwood and renewed his contract with the team. England was down 0-1 at the World Cup final when Moore acted smartly and delivered a quick free kick (after he was fouled midway inside the German half) for an equalizer. He remains calm through the entire final game and helped England won the World Cup title.

King Cantona: The Infamous King with a Kung-Fu Kick 0

September 11th, 2009

Level with me, what is the most memorable moment of Eric Cantona’s career? The answer would be the flying kung-fu kick incident at Crystal Palace, right? How Eric Cantona shocked the world of UK football by kicking Matthew Simmons who was watching the game at that time wasn’t the highlight of his career, yet a lot of people remember the incident perfectly — especially with the help of the famous photograph of the incident now being used as the cover of Ash’s single “Kung-Fu”. The incident which took place on January 25th 1995 resulted Simmons (the so-called victim) banned from English football ground for a year after they discovered series of felon acts previously committed. Cantona stated what appears to be his most famous quote, “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much.”, when a reporter asked him about the incident.

Aside from that particular incident, Eric Cantona enjoyed being titled as “King” in Old Trafford. Manchester United was not at their best when they recruited Cantona, and many thought this marvelous man to be the engine that brought the team to its prime state again. The Manchester United fans refer to him as King Eric after he won the 2001 the title of the game’s player of the century. He won 4 Premiere Leagues titles, 2 FA Cup trophies, and 3 Charity Shields, during his career in Manchester United. He played the total number of 432 games throughout his career, scoring not a goal less than 161 goals — 82 of them was scored for Manchester United.

Eric Cantona now lives as an actor, but he will always be known as British football legend. He deserves the title “King” and will be on his fans’ heart for years to come.