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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of 11 players. It is played by approximately 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field called a pitch with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by moving the ball beyond the goal line into the opposing goal.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national association football teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea and Japan, with its final match hosted by Japan at International Stadium in Yokohama.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003. Thirty-one teams qualified from this process, along with the host nation, Germany, for the finals tournament. It was the second time that Germany staged the competition, the first as a unified country, and the tenth time that it was held in Europe.
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English professional footballer and captain for Championship club Derby County. He has played much of his career as a forward, and he has also been used in various midfield roles. Widely considered to be one of the best players of his generation, Rooney is the record goalscorer for both the England national team and Manchester United.
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional football coach and former player who is currently the manager of Major League Soccer club Montreal Impact. He is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time and has often been debated by pundits and journalists as the greatest player in the history of the Premier League. In 2003 and 2004, Henry was the runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year, and was runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in the former year. He was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, the FWA Footballer of the Year three times, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year six-times in a row. He was also included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI once and the UEFA Team of the Year five times. Formerly a figurehead for Nike, he was one of the most commercially marketed footballers during the 2000s.
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in men's international football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos AveiroGOIH ComM is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus and captains the Portugal national team. Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballons d'Or and four European Golden Shoes, both of which are records for a European player. He has won 29 major trophies in his career, including six league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA European Championship, and one UEFA Nations League title. A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for the most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League (128) and for the most hat-tricks in recorded history (56). He is one of the few recorded players to have made over 1,000 professional career appearances and has scored over 700 senior career goals for club and country.
Frank James Lampard is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Chelsea. As a player, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest Chelsea players of all-time and one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan. Ibrahimović is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation. He is one of the most decorated active footballers in the world, having won 31 trophies in his career. He has scored over 540 career goals, and has scored in each of the last four decades.
Peter James Crouch is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was capped 42 times by the England national team between 2005 and 2010, scoring 22 goals for his country in that time, and appearing at two World Cups. Crouch is one of 28 players to have scored 100 or more Premier League goals, holding the record for the most headed goals in Premier League history.
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record six Ballon d'Or awards, and a record six European Golden Shoes. He has spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won a club-record 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles and six Copas del Rey. A prolific goalscorer and a creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (440), a La Liga and European league season (50), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (177) and the Copa América (12). He has scored over 700 senior career goals for club and country.
Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo, colloquially known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Argentine national team. He wears "Kun" on his shirt, a childhood nickname based on the title character from the cartoon Kum-Kum. He is widely considered as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the best players in Premier League history.
Karim Mostafa Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Real Madrid and the France national team. He has been described as an "immensely talented striker" who is "strong and powerful" and "a potent finisher from inside the box".
Robert Lewandowski is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bayern Munich and is the captain of the Poland national team. He is renowned for his positioning, technique and finishing, and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar Jr. or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. He is widely considered as one of the best players in the world.
Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang is a professional footballer who plays as a forward and is the captain of both English Premier League club Arsenal and the Gabon national team. He is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world, known for his pace, finishing, and off-ball movement. Aubameyang plays mainly as a striker, but has also been deployed as a wide forward.
Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Liverpool and the Egypt national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his finishing, dribbling, and speed.
Timo Werner is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Germany national team. He will join English Premier League club Chelsea on 1 July 2020.
Marcus Rashford is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.