Players to watch out for in the Euro 2008

Name: Cristiano Ronaldo
Born: , Portugal
Nationality: Portugal
Position: Right midfielder, Left midfielder
DOB: 5/2/1985
Current Club: Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo became Manchester United's newest young hero when he signed from Sporting Lisbon in August 2003 and was immediately given David Beckham's number 7 shirt.

The Portuguese teenager is expected to become one of the world's best players in years to come, but will be trying to offer support to Ruud van Nistelrooy as soon as possible.

Hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson as the most outstanding young talent in Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo is skilful, he has got an awful lot of talent and he can open people up. So much is his adoration for the Portuguese that the Man Utd manager had no hesitation in handing this tricky and unpredictable winger the No7 shirt vacated by David Beckham in summer 2003.

Among his main characteristics there are: terrific physique, balance, pace, two feet and he`s technically terrific. Also he`s got a fantastic personality and great strength of mind.

Born in Madeira in August 1985, Ronaldo joined Sporting Clube de Portugal from CD Nacional in 1997. Made his debut for the Lisbon club against Internazionale FC in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, and went on make 25 appearances - starting eleven of them - in his only season at Sporting. Joined United on 13 August 2003 - the same day as Kleberson - for €17.5m, a world-record fee for a teenager.

Ronaldo is in the mold of a past Manchester United winger, by the name of George Best. Ronaldo is as comfortable on the left as he is on the right side of the pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo produced a performance to remember at the Millennium Stadium as Manchester United claimed a record 11th FA Cup win in 2004.

Ronaldo tortured the Millwall defence with a mesmerising display of wing wizardry that the First Division side simply could not handle.

Played an important role in Portugal's run to the finals of Euro 2004. Ended the tournament with 2 goals and 2 assists.

Name: Michael Ballack

Nicknames: Kapitano, Balle, Michi

Nationality: German

Date and Place of Birth: 26 September 1976 in Görlitz, Saxony, (the former East) Germany

Playing Position: Midfield

Current Club: Chelsea (English Premiership)

Michael Ballack’s footballing career started early when his parents sent him to train with BSG Motor Karl-Marx-Stadt at the tender age of seven. Ballack quickly imposed himself in the team developing his skills and remarkable ability to use both feet with equal confidence which earned him a move onto FC Karl-Marx-Stadt, later to become Chemnitz in 1990.
Michael Ballack received his first professional contract with the club in 1995 and he was highly praised for his commanding performances in the central midfield role. Ballack made his debut on 4th August 1995 and in March 1996 his exceptional talent was recognised as he was called up to the Under 21 Germany National team. Ballack became a first team regular at Chimnitz before being snapped up by FC Kaiserslauten in 1997.Ballack made his Bundesliga debut with Kaiserslauten in the 1997-1998 season by March 1998 he had negotiated himself into the starting line up making a total of 16 appearances for the team. Ballack’s efforts were duly rewarded Kaiserslauten became the first ever newly promoted club to win the Bundesliga title. At only 22 years of age Michael Ballack moved to Bayer Leverkusen in July 1999.

It was Bayern Leverkusen where Ballack made his sensational break through as a top flight player to be reckoned with. Ballack was given a free reign by the management of Leverkusen to control the game from the midfield and he quickly received recognition as one of Europe’s best midfielders.

Ballack left Leverkusen after the 2001-2002 season and signed for Bayern Munich for a fee of €12.9 where he settled into a more defensive midfield role. Ballack won the Bundesliga title in his first season with the club and became an institution at Bayern who was widely regarded as an automatic starter for the team. Ballack did come under heavy criticism at times for his failure to perform in important Champions League matches coupled by attacks that he was motivated by money. Before his high profile move to Chelsea was complete Ballack was jeered by the loyal Bayern supporters who believed that his move to Chelsea was being dictated by his greed.

Ballack signed for London based Chelsea in May 2006 and he made his Premiership debut against Blackburn Rovers FC on 27th August 2006. Many fans and football pundits have criticised Ballack on his weak performances for Chelsea thus far as he has failed to impress. It seems Ballack is finding it difficult to adjust to the style of the Premiership and he has yet to prove his worth to his new team with rumours surfacing that he is only interested in the money.

Ballack has received international success in his career and is the current Captain of the German National side who played in the recent Fifa World Cup. Ballack played a part in the World Cup despite suffering from injury problems and he ended the campaign with no goals, one assist and was named man of the match in Germany’s games against both Ecuador and Argentina. Ballack was included in the FIFA World Cup All Star team.

A look at the new star heroes who sprung up at the inaugral IPL tournament

Shaun Marsh

Australia

Full name Shaun Edward Marsh
Born July 9, 1983, Narrogin, Western Australia
Current age 24 years 335 days
Major teams

Australia, Kings XI Punjab, Western Australia
Nickname Sos
Playing role Lower middle order batsman
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
Height 1.84 m
Relations Father - Geoff Marsh, Brother -M Marsh

As a child Shaun Marsh spent a lot of time in the Australian set-up travelling with his father Geoff, the former opening batsman. The international grounding and a backyard net helped develop Marsh into one of the finest young batsmen in the country. It also gave him a taste of what he could expect on his first trip with the national team when he was picked in the one-day squad to tour the West Indies in 2008. That selection came after his most consistent domestic summer that also earned him his first Cricket Australia contract - the selectors view him as a long-term top-order prospect - and the title as Western Australia's Player of the Year. It was quite a response after Marsh was suspended by the state for two games following a drinking session in November. He fought back to finish the summer as the Warriors' leading one-day run scorer with 318 at 39.75, the top Twenty20 batsman in the country with 290 at 58, and a solid Pura Cup contributor with 663 at 60.27.

More gifted than his father - "He's got a few more shots than me," Geoff once said - Marsh is a left-hander who impressed the tough judges of Steve and Mark Waugh while scoring his maiden first-class century in 2003. The milestone arrived with two sixes in a row over midwicket off Mark Waugh's offspin and a rash of compliments. "It's a pretty good feeling when the Australia captain comes up to you and says well done, mate," Marsh said. The second century had to wait until 2004-05 as he struggled with concentration, the finest trait of his father's batting, and was in and out of the state side. However, he picked up 503 runs with two centuries that summer and in 2005-06 continued to show his consistency with five fifties in a collection of 676 at 37.55. In the one-day game he was even more entertaining with 296 runs at 49.33. His next summer was quieter, with a top score of 50 from his six Pura Cup outings as he collected 226 runs at 20.54. An Australia A representative, Marsh attended the Academy before making his first-class debut in 2000-01 and was part of the Australia Under-19 squad that won the World Cup in 2002.

Shane Watson

Australia

Full name Shane Robert Watson
Born June 17, 1981, Ipswich, Queensland
Current age 26 years 357 days
Major teams
Australia, Hampshire, Queensland, Rajasthan Royals,
Tasmania
Nickname Watto
Playing role All-rounder
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Height 1.83 m

Hulklike, blond and spiky-haired, Shane Watson should be the shiny embodiment of modern-day Australian cricket - if only that body didn't keep cracking up. Vivacious in all departments, he was the quintessential young man in a hurry. As a boy he played for Queensland Under-17s at 15, then went to the Academy. As a youth he upped and fled to Tasmania, desperate to gatecrash first-class cricket. Within five games he had clubbed his maiden hundred; within a year he was picked for Australia. Talent-spotted with the 2003 World Cup in mind, he ultimately missed out with stress fractures of the back - the same injury that riddled his teenage years. Until then his batting had lacked nothing in swagger and only a little in gap-finding artifice, while his bowling looked willing if docile. Apart from a nude photoshoot in an arty men's mag he faded swiftly from view, bouncing back in 2003-04 with four hundreds from No. 4 for Tasmania. He smashed an unbeaten 300, too, in a club game for Lindisfarne; then, irked by opposition attempts to thwart him reaching his triple, immediately ripped out 7 for 29.

Watson remains the cleanest of hitters and, several remodelled actions later, decidedly sharp with the ball. Back at home in Queensland (he hated the cold), he is still trying to become Australia's next champion allrounder. "He has all the attributes," noted Alan Davidson in 2002. "A fine physical specimen, good athlete; just give him time." Picked for his first Test in 2004-05, he landed face-down after his opening delivery before finding his feet with Younis Khan's wicket and 31 runs. He didn't play in Australia's Ashes defeat, but his stock rose in the aftermath, as Andrew Flintoff highlighted the benefits of a genuine allrounder. The following season was ruined by a partial dislocation of his shoulder when fielding just minutes after his second Test wicket against West Indies, and he watched his good mate Andrew Symonds fill in during his rehabilitation.

Picked for the one-day tour of South Africa, he missed a return to the Test squad, but a fine 201 in the Pura Cup final demolition of Victoria eased one pain and created another when he hurt his leg. Locked into Australia's one-day team as an opener - he survived food poisoning, which he feared was a heart attack, during a strong Champions Trophy campaign - and lined up as the Test allrounder, he was again floored when his body faltered. A persistent hamstring injury destroyed his Ashes dreams and forced him to wait until the end of the summer to seal his World Cup berth. This time a calf problem interrupted his tournament, but he still managed to make an impressive mark with his batting and fielding - the run-out of AB de Villiers in St Kitts was outstanding. In six innings spent mostly in the lower order, he was dismissed only once and showed power and innovation in clouting 145 runs at a strike-rate of 170. Watson's bowling needs to develop further to be rated above useful, and confidence in his fitness would make the assignment much easier.

Yusuf Pathan

India

Full name Yusuf Khan Pathan
Born November 17, 1982, Baroda, Gujarat
Current age 25 years 204 days
Major teams

India, Baroda, India Green, Rajasthan Royals
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Relations-Irfan Pathan (brother)

Yusuf Pathan first made his mark as a hard-hitting batsman and offspinner for the Baroda Under-16 team in the Vijay Merchant Trophy in 1999-2000. His impressive showings saw him quickly climb the rungs to the Baroda U-19 and the West Zone U-19 sides. He made his Ranji debut against Saurashtra in 2001-02, but it wasn't until the 2004-05 season, by when younger brother Irfan Pathan was donning the national colours, that he established himself as a regular in the Baroda squad. He ended the 2004-05 season as Baroda's fourth-highest scorer and third-highest wicket-taker.

He has scored more than 250 runs and taken at least 15 wickets in each of the last three Ranji seasons but failed to impress in the two Challenger Trophies he played. His ability to score runs quickly - he had the highest strike rate in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy - and impressive performances in the Deodhar Trophy and Twenty20 domestic tournament in the 2006-07 season was rewarded with a spot in India's squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.

His impressive showing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League in 2008 - 435 runs with four fifties at a strike-rate of 179 - earned him an ODI call-up for the tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan. He recorded the fastest fifty of the IPL's first season - off 21 balls against the Deccan Chargers - and his dazzling all-round show in the final was instrumental in Rajasthan's triumph.

Sohail Tanvir

Pakistan

Full name Sohail Tanvir
Born December 12, 1984, Rawalpindi, Punjab
Current age 23 years 179 days
Major teams

Pakistan, Rajasthan Royals, Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi Rams, Rawalpindi Region

Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Left-arm medium-fast, Slow left-arm orthodox

The Rawalpindi born allrounder made his first-class debut against Peshawar in October 2004 but failed to impress with bat or ball. However, in his second match, against Multan, Sohail Tanvir scored an unbeaten 97 while taking three wickets but has played only 17 first-class matches since (a total of 19 in three seasons).

Tanvir has established himself as a batting allrounder and his unbeaten 124 (his second first-class century) in the Pentangular Cup 2007 match against Sind further established that point. He also represented Pakistan Academy on their tour of Bangladesh and his fine all-round performance on that tour and against Australia A in the ODI series at home prompted the selectors to name him as Shoaib Akhtar's replacement in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. The decision came as a surprise, however, as Tanvir is yet to take a wicket in the ten Twenty20 matches he has played.

His wrong-footed action, however, caused batsmen a lot of problems and emerged as the surprise package in the ICC World Twenty20. Although not picked for the Test team, Tanvir was back in Pakistan colours in the ODI series against South Africa. He went on to record a stunning 6 for 14 for Rajasthan in the IPL - the best figures in a Twenty20.

He also bowls occasional left arm orthodox spin, as demonstrated in his second career Test, against India at Kolkata.

Manpreet Gony

India

Full name Manpreet Gony Born January 4, 1984, Roopnagar Current age 24 years 156 days Major teams

Chennai Super Kings, Punjab
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium

A tall, well-built right-arm seamer who likes to hit the deck, Manpreet Gony made his first-class debut for Punjab in 2007-08. He was consistent in the four-day games but caught the eye in the one-dayers, among the few bright spots in North Zone's dismal Deodhar Trophy campaign which he finished as the highest wicket-taker. That persuaded Chennai Super Kings to include him in their squad for the Indian Premier League though he had no Twenty20 experience. A superb run in the tournament, including a telling performance in the semi-final, made him Chennai's leading wicket-taker and the fourth highest overall. His remarkable rise continued with a call-up to the national side for the tri-series in Bangladesh in June 2008.

Swapnil Asnodkar

India

Full name Swapnil Ashok Asnodkar
Born March 29, 1984, Porvorim, Goa, India
Current age 24 years 71 days
Major teams

Goa, Goa Under-19s, India Blue, Rajasthan Royals
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak

An attacking,diminutive opener, Swapnil Asnodkar has been one of Goa`s leading run-getters.The 2007-08 Ranji season was his best - he scored 640 runs at 71.11 with a personal best of 254 not out ,against Railways.However his feats were largely unrecognised , with Goa featuring regularly in the Plate League.He shot to prominence in the IPL ,where his fearless style evoked memories of Sri Lanka`s Romesh Kaluwitharana and won the praise of his captain Shane Warne.