Friday, February 20, 2009
Biography of the Wall of India rahul Dravid
Rahul- means "able, efficient" in Sanskrit. The earliest meaning found in the Upanishads is "conqueror of all miseries." Doubtlessly, Mr. Dravid fully lives up to his name.Born on 11 January 1973 in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and brought up in Indiranagar, Bangalore, he is a true capricorn who is practical, sure-footed, energetically conservative and strong willed. For him, hardships are the path to fulfillment and happiness. Rahul Dravid, a Karnatakan of Maharashtrian brahmin origin, is an affable human being, born to Sharad Dravid and Pushpa Dravid (Professor of Architecture in College). He has a brother named Vijay Dravid who has done his engineering and plays cricket too. Dravid’s father worked for Kissan, a company known for jams and preserves and thus he earned the nickname Jammy from his teammates at St. Joseph’s, Bangalore. Rahul Dravid has a degree in commerce from St Joseph’s College of Commerce.With a strong technique, he has been the backbone for the Indian cricket team. Infact the selectors are never in two minds,when it comes to including Dravid in the team.He is a strong leader who firmly believes that the team should be motivated by the very fact that they are representing their country.
The Dada of Indian Cricket a Tribute
He made his ODI debut in 1992 but his talent was noticed in India's 1996 tour of England when he scored centuries in both innings of his debut test match .He became only the third cricketer ever to score a century in his first two innings after Lawrence Rowe and Alvin Kallicharan. He scored 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in the 1999 cricket World Cup, the highest by an Indian in World Cup cricket.His record is good both in test and one-day cricket: 11 centuries in tests and 22 in one-dayers at an average of around 42 in both. He has scored over 9,000 runs in one-dayers. At the first class level as well as in List A limited overs cricket, he has scored over 10,000 runs with 19 first class centuries. He has scored more centuries at the international level than in domestic cricket. He scored 7 ODI centuries in the year 2000.
With Sachin Tendulkar, he formed what was arguably the most successful opening pair ever in one-day cricket. This pair has the highest number of century partnership (16) for the first wicket. They together have scored 5621 runs at an average of 49.30. His position as opener has now been replaced by Virender Sehwag. He is known for hitting the "big sixes". He is also a useful extra bowler as a medium pacer.Ganguly's record as captain is outstanding. Numerically, he has more test wins to his credit than any other Indian captain. He is the only Indian Captian to win both the One Day and Test Series in Pakistan Soil. More importantly, he has been credited with transforming the Indian players into a vibrant team with an excellent team spirit.On the other hand, he is a temperamental player and has often attracted controversy. He is religious, and, some commentators have suggested, also superstitious. It appears that he makes various decisions — some trivial, such as the number on his jersey, and others important, such as batting position — based on numerological considerations.
Bigraphy of Sachin the Master Blaster
The first batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket, making the record in the third game of a five-match series against Australia on the 31st of March 2001. He reached the landmark when he scored 34 runs in his 266th match and 259th innings. Tendulkar, 27, in his amazing 12-year career, has scored a world record 28 hundreds and 50 half-centuries in his 10,000 runs.A genius without a doubt, this little master made his International debut in ODI’s and Tests at the age of 16 against Pakistan against the fiery pace of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. He then went to England as a part of the national side, and has not looked back ever since. The name itself strikes terror in the hearts of bowlers all around the world. Hailed as the next master-blaster following the legacy of the great West Indian Vivian Richards, this man has every shot in the book, and can kill any attack in the world when in full swing. There is nothing this man cannot do.In batting, he has reached a stage that others can only dream of. He has destroyed practically every bowling attack in the world. Tendulkar's 'specialties' include the straight drive , the cover drive, the square cut, the pullshot over midwicket/square leg, the delicate leg glance, the late cut, the lofted shots over mid-on and mid-off and not to mention the improvisations he keeps coming up with, time and again. He has tremendous power in his forearms and can hit the ball out of almost every ground in the World. He plays each of his shots amazingly and has even employed the reverse sweep to good effect. Some of his shots are hit with so much power that the ball simply rockets to the fence as if he was trying to dismiss the ball from his presence. On the other hand, some of his shots are neatly timed and placed well. His timing can be quite exquisite and it is this blend of timing and raw power which makes him the world's best/greatest batsman. Mentally very strong, Tendulkar is best when confronted by a challenge.
A biography to the life of Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio who was born on February 18 1967 in Cladogno in Italy is a Italian football player, considered to be among the best forwards in the world throughout the 1990s.He played for major Italian teams, such as Fiorentina, Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus. Baggio's major World Cup was in 1994 in the United States. After a successful tournament, he missed last penalty in the shoot-out during the final match against Brazil and Brazil went on to become the World Cup holder for the fourth time.He was transferred to Juventus in 1990 for $19 million, which made him the most expensive player ever at that time.Roberto Baggio played for the last time in the national team, against Spain in 2004.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Biography of Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero, is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, generally considered one of the best footballers of all time. He plays for Juventus in Italy. Pelè named Del Piero in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelè as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations while Brazilian star Ronaldinho proclaimed that Del Piero is his idol. Del Piero was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue. Del Piero is still the highest earning Italian Player. Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability. Del Piero usually plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "Trequartista" position. Although he is not very tall, Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching." His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded. Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special " Del Piero Zone", approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal. In terms of goalscoring, Del Piero holds the all-time record at Juventus. On April 6th, 2008, Alessandro Del Piero became the all-time highest-capped Juventus player, ahead of Juve legend Gaetano Scirea. He is in sixth place in the UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer records. Within the Italian national team, he is joint fourth with Roberto Baggio in the all-time scoring records. During the 2008-2009 summer pre-season Del Piero played during Juventus' English tour, in which they played Hamburger SV and Arsenal F.C. in the Emirates Cup, and played a friendly versus Manchester United in Old Trafford. In the match he was substituted and was given a standing ovation by all Manchester United fans. Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri believes Del Piero will have as good of a season,or an even better season than last term. (In August 2008), Del Piero announced that he'll try to keep playing professional football with Juve until he is 40 years old. (On September 17, 2008) Juventus returned to the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Zenit, in which Alessandro scored from a free kick, 38 metres away. Again in the Champions League, he was the match winner for Juventus, (on the 5th of November) he scored both goals at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid, becoming the first Juve player to have scored two goals in the same match in this ground. Near the end of the match he was substituted and was given a standing ovation by the whole crowd including the Real Madrid fans. Del Piero is married to Sonia Amoruso, the two have been together (since 1999) and married (in 2005). The couple announced in July 2007 that they are expecting their first baby. (On October 22, 2007), Amoruso gave birth to baby boy Tobias Del Piero at 0:20 at Sant'Anna hospital in Turin. Del Piero has used his fame and money to promote and support cancer research; in recognition of this he has received from the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro a prize of "Believe in Research" (during November 2006). When the Olympic Flame for the (2006) Winter Olympics passed through Turin, Del Piero was a torchbearer. He has an interest in sports outside of football and in turn has gained fans outside of just football, sport icons such as NBA star Steve Nash and cycling legend Eddy Merckx have stated that they are fans of Del Piero. As well as an interest in other sports, Del Piero also has a keen interest in music. He has even recorded some albums of his own. Del Piero is an Oasis fan and is a friend of Noel Gallagher and appeared in the video for the group's single Lord Don't Slow Me Down; Del Piero claimed Gallagher was Italy's lucky mascot in their (2006 World Cup) success and invited him to the final and the team hotel after victory. Along with Marco Materazzi, Del Piero appeared on stage at a Rolling Stones show in Milan shortly after Italy's World Cup win.
Biography of the Scoring Machine David Beckham
David Beckham is one of Britain's most iconic athletes whose name is also an elite global advertising brand. He was captain of the English national team from 2000 to 2006, scored in three different FIFA World Cups, and played midfield for clubs in Manchester, England and Madrid, Spain, before agreeing to move to Los Angeles, to play for Los Angeles Galaxy team on a five year contract beginning on July 1, 2007.He was born David Robert Joseph Beckham on May 2, 1975, in Leytonstone, East London, England, son of Ted Beckham, a kitchen fitter, and Sandra West, a hairdresser. Beckham's maternal grandfather is Jewish, and he has been mentioning the religion as influence; he wears a tattoo written in Hebrew from the 'Song of Songs' in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), albeit he is not known to practice Judaism or any other faith. Beckham has always played in long sleeve shirts to cover up his tattoos in consideration of others who may feel uncomfortable due to their beliefs.He was brought up by his parents, supporters of Manchester United, attended Bobby Charlton's football school in Manchester, and won a spot in a training session at FC Barcelona as a child. In 1986 he was a Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United. From 1992 - 2003 Beckham made almost 400 appearances for Manchester United and scored 85 goals, although his official record counts only 62 goals in 265 official senior team's matches. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup he played all of England's qualifying matches and scored in several important victories. He received a red card for violent conduct in England's match against Argentina, albeit his opponent later admitted to trying to send Beckham off by over-reacting to their contact during the game and by urging the referee to send Beckham off. After losing the game England was eliminated, Beckham was made a scapegoat and became the target of criticism and abuse in media.He had a good season in 1999 - 2000 and helped Manchester United to win the Premier League. At that time he married singer Victoria Beckham from the popular group Spice Girls, and the couple had their first son, Brooklyn, born in 1999. That same year Beckham was given a permission to miss training routine, in order to look after his son Brooklyn, who suffered from a stomach infection. Meanwhile, the Manchester United's manager, Alex Ferguson, fined Beckham £50,000 (about $80,000 then) the maximum amount that was permitted, for babysitting with his sick child, while his wife was spotted at a London fashion Week event on the same night. Ferguson's claim that Beckham should be able to train if his wife stayed home that day, caused a serious personal tension between two men. In February 2003, following the defeat to Arsenal, the Manchester United's manager Alex Ferguson entered the changing room and kicked a football boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches.David Beckham has been a good scorer and a major attraction for public. On the field he has been demonstrating his consistent ability to see a big picture even under severe pressure during the most rapidly changing and unpredictable games. His field vision has been remarkable, allowing him to create many assists in a number of important matches. Beckham's forte has been his delivery from the right-hand side as well as his efficient free kicks. His superior performances in the midfield position has required a higher physical endurance through the entire game. "David Beckham's right foot" was mentioned, although humorously, as one of British national treasures in the movie Love Actually (2003).He signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid, beginning on July 1, 2003, and worth a potential 40 million dollars. In Madrid, Beckham was not allowed to wear his favorite number seven, because another player had the right to wear it written into his contract. Beckham decided to wear the number 23 instead, being a big fan of Michael Jordan. He immediately became popular with the Real Madrid fans, but the team did not perform well enough to win either the Spanish League or the Champions League. However, Beckham remained a reliable scorer and his performances attracted more public. His shirts sales and other merchandising deals remained lucrative for the club, which continued to under-perform, regardless of the Real's management's higher expectations.In 2005 Beckham became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He was also involved in promoting London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. His third season in Madrid was unremarkable, and he was criticized a lot, mainly because the team finished second to Barcelona in Spanish "La Liga" and lost to Arsenal in the European Champions League. However, during that season, he expanded his international presence by establishing football academies in Los Angeles and East London. During the FIFA World Cup 2006, he played for England, and became the first ever English player to score in three World Cups. In the quarter final game against Portugal, Beckham was replaced because of his injury in the middle of the game. Without him the English team lost and was knocked out of the World Cup.In June 2007 Beckham played his final game for Real Madrid, winning a medal and celebrating with his friends Tom and Katie Cruse, who attended the game. This was his fourth, and last season there, ending his contract with the club. He announced that he had signed a five-year contract to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy from July 1, 2007 through June 2012. The 5-year deal includes up to $10 million a year in direct salary, and with merchandising endorsements and profit-sharing could earn Beckham up to $50 million a year, and may end up worth about $250 million in five years, making him one of the highest earning athletes of all time.
A Signature biography to the Angry Young Man of the Industry
The trademark deep baritone voice, the tall, brooding persona, and intense eyes, made Amitabh Bachchan the ideal "Angry Young Man" in the 1970s, thereby changing the face of Hindi cinema. The son of the late poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan, he was born in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. After completing his education from Sherwood College, Nainital, and Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, he moved to Calcutta to work for shipping firm Shaw and Wallace. Later, he moved to Bombay and struggled for a while to get his foot in the door of the Hindi film industry. The lanky, dark, and intensely brooding persona did not go down well with directors who were looking for wise-cracking, fair, loverboys - the trademark of the Indian hero in the 1960s. Starting with the low key Saat Hindustani, Bachchan struggled through many roles and was relegated at times to doing voice-overs and in one instance playing a deaf-mute (his deep baritone voice might have overshadowed the other actors!). He broke through with Zanjeer in 1973 playing opposite his real-life love interest and future wife Jaya Bhaduri. His persona seemed apt for the 1970s, capturing the resentment of underemployed youth and the increasing cult of violence. Bachchan reworked the image of the Hindi film hero with major hits like Deewar, Sholay, Trishul, Don, Kala Patthar, and Shakti. Adapting former screen idol Dilip Kumar's mannerisms and adding his own flamboyance, he popularized the violent melodrama. He proved that he had an equal flair for tragedies (Deewar, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Shakti) and comedies (Chupke Chupke, Don, Naseeb, Amar Akbar Anthony) as well. His most memorable performance was as the renegade against a harsh society in Deewar. After Amar Akbar Anthony in which he reveled in the role of the Cathlolic bootlegger - he played similar "masala" roles, movies that required action, comedy, tragedy, and romance in one character. This had disastrous consequences later with movies disintegrating into Amitabh variety shows rather than plot-driven stories. Bachchan was dubbed the Superstar, taking over that title from Rajesh Khanna, something he hung on to until the mid 1980s when the floor widened after his temporary departure. At the height of his popularity he was injured in an accident while shooting for the film Coolie - long lines of people prayed for his recovery at the Breach Candy hospital, underscoring his megastar status. He left films in 1985 to become a Member of Parliament from Allahabad constituency as a Congress party candidate, as a favor to his family friend Rajiv Gandhi - the new Prime MInister of India. A report of involvement in financial irregularities (of which he was completely cleared later) made him decide to step down as MP. His return in 1987 was lukewarm as the Hindi film industry had moved on and newer, younger heroes essayed the part of Angry Young Man with more conviction. Bachchan seemed to have lost his heart in making films as his later roles did not show the flicker of passion that had marked earlier efforts in the 1970s. In 1989, for the first time since 1976, three of his films were flops i.e. they could not recover their money. A series of lackluster films in the 1990s pointed to a long overdue exit, common to many other stars. A seemingly well-thought out venture to start a production company ABCL landed him in immense debts. Astonishingly, he burst back with a double act: one, playing the stern patriarch (the kind against which he had rebelled in the 1970s but which role was suited to his gravelly voice), and two, reinventing himself as a brand that in turn, could market anything. He began the latter by hosting the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Kaun Banegaa Crorepati) and is now back in demand for endorsements, advertisements as well as many movie roles. At sixty plus, Amitabh Bachchan is a greater icon than he was at the height of his popularity three decades ago. His son, Abhishek is considered a talented actor who has not yet broken out as a star.
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