LIONEL MESSICRISTIANO RONALDONEYMAR JRLUIS SUAREZ
ROBERT LEWANDOWSKITHOMAS MILLERZLATAN IBRAHIMOVICMANUEL NEURSERGIO EL KUN AGUERODAVID DE GEA
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi] ( listen); born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and rated by many in the sport as the greatest of all time, Messi is the only football player in history to win five FIFA Ballons d'Or, four of which he won consecutively, and the first player to win three European Golden Shoes.[note 2] With Barcelona he has won eight La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles, as well as four Copas del Rey. A prolific goalscorer, Messi holds the records for most goals scored in La Liga, a La Liga season (50), a calendar year (91), a single season (73), a Champions League match (five), and most Champions League seasons (five).
Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child. At age 13, he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona, who agreed to pay for his medical treatment. After a fast progression through Barcelona's youth academy, Messi made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. Despite being injury-prone during his early career, he established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years, finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award, a feat he repeated the following year. His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. At 22 years old, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins
.>
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, GOIH (born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team. He is a forward and serves as captain for Portugal. By the age of 22, Ronaldo had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2008, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He then won the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2013 and 2014. In September 2015, Ronaldo scored his 500th senior career goal for club and country.[4]
Often ranked as the best player in the world[5] and rated by some in the sport as the greatest of all time,[6][7][8][9] in 2015 Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation, during its 100th anniversary celebrations. He is the first player to win four European Golden Shoe awards. With Manchester United and Real Madrid, Ronaldo has won three Premier Leagues, one La Liga, one FA Cup, two Football League Cups, two Copas del Rey, two UEFA Champions Leagues, one FA Community Shield, one Spanish Super Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and two FIFA Club World CupsNeymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Portuguese pronunciation: [nejˈmaʁ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ ˈsɐ̃tus ˈʒũɲoʁ]; born 5 February 1992), commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Brazil national team as a forward or winger, and is also the captain of the national team.
At the age of 19, Neymar won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award, after coming third in 2010.[5] He followed this up by winning it again in 2012. In 2011 Neymar won the FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year.[6] In 2015 he came third for the FIFA Ballon d'Or behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.[7] Neymar is known for his acceleration, dribbling skills, finishing and ability with both feet. His playing style has earned him critical acclaim, with fans, media and former players drawing comparison to former Brazil forward Pelé, who has called Neymar "an excellent player", while Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi have stated "he will be the best in the world".[8][9][10][11][12]
Neymar joined Santos in 2003 and, aged 17, made his debut for the club in 2009 and was voted the Best Young Player of the 2009 Campeonato Paulista. Neymar was named player of the year as Santos won the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, and he was also top scorer in the 2010 Copa do Brasil with 11 goals. He finished the 2010 season with 42 goals in 60 games, as his club achieved the Double. Neymar was again voted the player of the year in 2011 as Santos retained the state title and also won the 2011 Copa Libertadores securing a Continental Double, Santos' first since 1963. Joining Barcelona in June 2013, in his second season at the club in 2014–15, Neymar helped them win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League> Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (American Spanish: [ˈlwis ˈswaɾes]; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team as a striker. In July 2014, he moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for a fee of £65 million (€82 million), making him one of the most expensive players in football history. The transfer took place after he had won the European Golden Shoe in the previous season with Liverpool.[3] Suárez is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.[4][5][6][7] In October 2015, he scored his 300th senior career goal for club and country.[8]
Suárez began his career as a youth player for Nacional in 2003. He signed for Groningen in the Netherlands in 2006 and transferred to Ajax in 2007. In 2010 he helped Ajax win the KNVB Cup while becoming the league's top scorer with 35 goals in 33 games. He was also named Dutch Footballer of the Year, scoring 49 goals in all competitions. In the 2010–11 season, he scored his 100th Ajax goal, joining a group of players which include Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp. In January 2011, Suárez transferred to English Premier League club Liverpool for €26.5 million (£22.8 million). In February 2012, Suárez won the Football League Cup with the club. In April 2014, he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. As the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals he won the Premier League Golden Boot, and shared the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo. In his first season at Barcelona, Suárez starred alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, an attacking trio dubbed MSN (Messi, Suárez, Neymar), and helped the club win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. In his second season at the club, Suárez won his first Pichichi Trophy as well as his second European Golden Shoe, for which, he became the first player since 2009 to win both awards other than Messi or Ronaldo.[9]Robert Lewandowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɛrt lɛvanˈdɔfskʲi] ( listen); born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for German club Bayern Munich, and captains the Poland national team.
After being the top scorer in the third and second tiers of Polish football with Znicz Pruszków, he moved to top-flight Lech Poznań, and was the top scorer in the league as they won the 2009–10 Ekstraklasa. In 2010, he transferred to Borussia Dortmund for a reported €4.5 million, where he won honours including two consecutive Bundesliga titles. Before the start of the 2014 season, he moved to their rivals Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga in each of his first two campaigns. He has totalled over 100 goals in Germany's top division, and reached the century mark quicker than any other foreign player.
A full international for Poland since 2008, Lewandowski has earned over 70 caps and was a member of their team at Euro 2012. With 34 goals, he ranks fifth among their top scorers of all time. On 22 September 2015, while playing for Bayern Munich, Lewandowski scored five goals against Wolfsburg in nine minutes, the fastest in any major European football league since records have been kept.
[2]>
Thomas Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈtʰoː.mas ˈmʏ.lɐ]; born 13 September 1989) is a German professional footballer who plays for Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Müller plays as a midfielder or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles – as an attacking midfielder, second striker, centre forward and on either wing. He has been praised for his positioning, teamwork and stamina, work-rate, and has shown consistency in scoring and creating goals.
A product of Bayern's youth system, he made his first-team breakthrough in the 2009–10 season after Louis van Gaal was appointed as the main coach; he played almost every game as the club won the league and cup double and reached the Champions League final. Müller scored 23 goals in the 2012–13 season as Bayern won a historic treble; the league title, cup and Champions League.
Müller earned a call-up to the German national team in 2010. At the 2010 World Cup he scored five goals in six appearances as Germany finished in third place. He was named the Best Young Player of the tournament and won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer, with five goals and three assists. At the 2014 World Cup he played a major role in helping the team win the trophy, scoring five goals and receiving the Silver Boot as the tournament's second top goalscorer, and was also named in the World Cup All Star XI.> Zlatan Ibrahimović (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈslaːtan ɪbraˈhiːmɔvɪtɕ] ( listen), Bosnian: [zlǎtan ibraxǐːmoʋitɕ] ( listen); born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Sweden national team for which he is captain.[4]
Ibrahimović began his career at Malmö FF in the late 1990s before being signed by Ajax, where he made a name for himself. He signed for Juventus and excelled in Serie A in a strike partnership with David Trezeguet. In 2006, he signed for rival side Inter Milan and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. In addition, Ibrahimović would finish as the league's top scorer in 2008–09 and win three straight Scudetti. In the summer of 2009, he transferred to Barcelona, before moving back to Serie A football the following season, joining A.C. Milan in a deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in the world.[5] He won another Scudetto with A.C. Milan in the 2010–2011 season. He joined Paris Saint-Germain in July 2012. During his four-season stay at PSG, Ibrahimović won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles, three Coupes de la Ligue, one Coupe de France and was the top scorer in Ligue 1 for three seasons. In October 2015, he became the club's all time leading goalscorer.[6]
Ibrahimović is one of ten players to have made 100 or more appearances for the Swedish national team. He is the country's all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals. He represented Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2004, 2008, and 2012 UEFA European Championships. He has been awarded Guldbollen (the Golden Ball), given to the Swedish player of the year, a record ten times, including nine consecutive times from 2007 and 2015.[7]
>
Manuel Peter Neuer (German pronunciation: [ˈmaːnu̯ɛl ˈnɔʏ.ɐ]; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He has been described as a "sweeper-keeper" because of his unique playing style and speed when rushing off his line;[4] he is also known for his quick reflexes, excellent shot-stopping abilities, command of his area and accurate control and distribution of the ball.[5][6][7]
The current holder of the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award (for three years in a row)[8][9][10][11] and regarded as one of the best and most complete goalkeepers of all-time,[11][12][13] Neuer won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany as well as the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament,[14] and is considered by some in the sport to be the best goalkeeper in football since Lev Yashin.[4][15]
In 2014, Neuer finished third in the voting, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award. The same year, he was ranked the third-best player in the world by The Guardian.[16]
>
Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈserxjo aˈɣweɾo]; born 2 June 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for English club Manchester City and the Argentina national team. On 5 July 2003, he became the youngest player to debut in the Argentine Primera División at 15 years and 35 days, breaking the record previously established by Diego Maradona in 1976.
In 2006, Agüero moved to Europe to play for La Liga side Atlético Madrid, with Independiente accepting a fee of €23 million. He made a name for himself, attracting attention from Europe's top clubs by scoring 101 goals in 234 appearances while winning the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2010. Agüero moved to Premier League club Manchester City in July 2011 for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £35 million. On the last day of his debut season with the club, Agüero scored a 94th-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers that earned City its first league title in 44 years. At the end of the 2014–15 season, of players who had played at least two seasons in the Premier League, Agüero had the highest goals per minute ratio in the history of the competition since its formation in 1992, averaging a goal every 109 minutes.[6] He also holds the joint-record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League match – five – and the fastest to do so, in 23 minutes and 34 seconds of match time.[7] He is the highest South American scorer in the history of the Premier League, and reached 100 goals in the division faster than any player other than Alan Shearer.
David de Gea Quintana (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ðe ˈxea kinˈtana]; born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Manchester United and the Spain national team.
Born in Madrid, De Gea began his career aged 13 with Atlético Madrid and rose through the academy system at the club before making his senior debut in 2009. After being made Atlético's first-choice goalkeeper, he helped the team win both the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2010. His performances attracted the attention of Manchester United, whom he joined in June 2011 for £17.8 million, a British record for a goalkeeper.
Since joining United, De Gea has made over 200 appearances and won a Premier League winner's medal in 2013 amongst a host of other honours. He has been hailed as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.[3][4] For three consecutive seasons from 2013–14 to 2015-16, he was elected as United's Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, the first player in the award's history to win on three successive occasions. [5]
De Gea was the captain for the Spain under-21 national side that won the European Championship in 2011 and 2013, and also competed in the 2012 Olympics. He made his debut for the senior team in 2014 and was selected for that year's World Cup, and has been tipped by many as the successor to Iker Casillas as Spain's long-term goalkeeper.[6
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi] ( listen); born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and rated by many in the sport as the greatest of all time, Messi is the only football player in history to win five FIFA Ballons d'Or, four of which he won consecutively, and the first player to win three European Golden Shoes.[note 2] With Barcelona he has won eight La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles, as well as four Copas del Rey. A prolific goalscorer, Messi holds the records for most goals scored in La Liga, a La Liga season (50), a calendar year (91), a single season (73), a Champions League match (five), and most Champions League seasons (five).
Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child. At age 13, he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona, who agreed to pay for his medical treatment. After a fast progression through Barcelona's youth academy, Messi made his competitive debut aged 17 in October 2004. Despite being injury-prone during his early career, he established himself as an integral player for the club within the next three years, finishing 2007 as a finalist for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award, a feat he repeated the following year. His first uninterrupted campaign came in the 2008–09 season, during which he helped Barcelona achieve the first treble in Spanish football. At 22 years old, Messi won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award by record voting margins
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, GOIH (born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team. He is a forward and serves as captain for Portugal. By the age of 22, Ronaldo had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2008, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He then won the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2013 and 2014. In September 2015, Ronaldo scored his 500th senior career goal for club and country.[4]
Often ranked as the best player in the world[5] and rated by some in the sport as the greatest of all time,[6][7][8][9] in 2015 Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation, during its 100th anniversary celebrations. He is the first player to win four European Golden Shoe awards. With Manchester United and Real Madrid, Ronaldo has won three Premier Leagues, one La Liga, one FA Cup, two Football League Cups, two Copas del Rey, two UEFA Champions Leagues, one FA Community Shield, one Spanish Super Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and two FIFA Club World Cups
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Portuguese pronunciation: [nejˈmaʁ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ ˈsɐ̃tus ˈʒũɲoʁ]; born 5 February 1992), commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Brazil national team as a forward or winger, and is also the captain of the national team.
At the age of 19, Neymar won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award, after coming third in 2010.[5] He followed this up by winning it again in 2012. In 2011 Neymar won the FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year.[6] In 2015 he came third for the FIFA Ballon d'Or behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.[7] Neymar is known for his acceleration, dribbling skills, finishing and ability with both feet. His playing style has earned him critical acclaim, with fans, media and former players drawing comparison to former Brazil forward Pelé, who has called Neymar "an excellent player", while Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi have stated "he will be the best in the world".[8][9][10][11][12]
Neymar joined Santos in 2003 and, aged 17, made his debut for the club in 2009 and was voted the Best Young Player of the 2009 Campeonato Paulista. Neymar was named player of the year as Santos won the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, and he was also top scorer in the 2010 Copa do Brasil with 11 goals. He finished the 2010 season with 42 goals in 60 games, as his club achieved the Double. Neymar was again voted the player of the year in 2011 as Santos retained the state title and also won the 2011 Copa Libertadores securing a Continental Double, Santos' first since 1963. Joining Barcelona in June 2013, in his second season at the club in 2014–15, Neymar helped them win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League>
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (American Spanish: [ˈlwis ˈswaɾes]; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team as a striker. In July 2014, he moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for a fee of £65 million (€82 million), making him one of the most expensive players in football history. The transfer took place after he had won the European Golden Shoe in the previous season with Liverpool.[3] Suárez is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.[4][5][6][7] In October 2015, he scored his 300th senior career goal for club and country.[8]
Suárez began his career as a youth player for Nacional in 2003. He signed for Groningen in the Netherlands in 2006 and transferred to Ajax in 2007. In 2010 he helped Ajax win the KNVB Cup while becoming the league's top scorer with 35 goals in 33 games. He was also named Dutch Footballer of the Year, scoring 49 goals in all competitions. In the 2010–11 season, he scored his 100th Ajax goal, joining a group of players which include Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp. In January 2011, Suárez transferred to English Premier League club Liverpool for €26.5 million (£22.8 million). In February 2012, Suárez won the Football League Cup with the club. In April 2014, he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. As the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals he won the Premier League Golden Boot, and shared the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo. In his first season at Barcelona, Suárez starred alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, an attacking trio dubbed MSN (Messi, Suárez, Neymar), and helped the club win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. In his second season at the club, Suárez won his first Pichichi Trophy as well as his second European Golden Shoe, for which, he became the first player since 2009 to win both awards other than Messi or Ronaldo.[9]
Robert Lewandowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɛrt lɛvanˈdɔfskʲi] ( listen); born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for German club Bayern Munich, and captains the Poland national team.
After being the top scorer in the third and second tiers of Polish football with Znicz Pruszków, he moved to top-flight Lech Poznań, and was the top scorer in the league as they won the 2009–10 Ekstraklasa. In 2010, he transferred to Borussia Dortmund for a reported €4.5 million, where he won honours including two consecutive Bundesliga titles. Before the start of the 2014 season, he moved to their rivals Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga in each of his first two campaigns. He has totalled over 100 goals in Germany's top division, and reached the century mark quicker than any other foreign player.
A full international for Poland since 2008, Lewandowski has earned over 70 caps and was a member of their team at Euro 2012. With 34 goals, he ranks fifth among their top scorers of all time. On 22 September 2015, while playing for Bayern Munich, Lewandowski scored five goals against Wolfsburg in nine minutes, the fastest in any major European football league since records have been kept.
Thomas Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈtʰoː.mas ˈmʏ.lɐ]; born 13 September 1989) is a German professional footballer who plays for Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Müller plays as a midfielder or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles – as an attacking midfielder, second striker, centre forward and on either wing. He has been praised for his positioning, teamwork and stamina, work-rate, and has shown consistency in scoring and creating goals.
A product of Bayern's youth system, he made his first-team breakthrough in the 2009–10 season after Louis van Gaal was appointed as the main coach; he played almost every game as the club won the league and cup double and reached the Champions League final. Müller scored 23 goals in the 2012–13 season as Bayern won a historic treble; the league title, cup and Champions League.
Müller earned a call-up to the German national team in 2010. At the 2010 World Cup he scored five goals in six appearances as Germany finished in third place. He was named the Best Young Player of the tournament and won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer, with five goals and three assists. At the 2014 World Cup he played a major role in helping the team win the trophy, scoring five goals and receiving the Silver Boot as the tournament's second top goalscorer, and was also named in the World Cup All Star XI.>
Zlatan Ibrahimović (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈslaːtan ɪbraˈhiːmɔvɪtɕ] ( listen), Bosnian: [zlǎtan ibraxǐːmoʋitɕ] ( listen); born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Sweden national team for which he is captain.[4]
Ibrahimović began his career at Malmö FF in the late 1990s before being signed by Ajax, where he made a name for himself. He signed for Juventus and excelled in Serie A in a strike partnership with David Trezeguet. In 2006, he signed for rival side Inter Milan and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. In addition, Ibrahimović would finish as the league's top scorer in 2008–09 and win three straight Scudetti. In the summer of 2009, he transferred to Barcelona, before moving back to Serie A football the following season, joining A.C. Milan in a deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in the world.[5] He won another Scudetto with A.C. Milan in the 2010–2011 season. He joined Paris Saint-Germain in July 2012. During his four-season stay at PSG, Ibrahimović won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles, three Coupes de la Ligue, one Coupe de France and was the top scorer in Ligue 1 for three seasons. In October 2015, he became the club's all time leading goalscorer.[6]
Ibrahimović is one of ten players to have made 100 or more appearances for the Swedish national team. He is the country's all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals. He represented Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2004, 2008, and 2012 UEFA European Championships. He has been awarded Guldbollen (the Golden Ball), given to the Swedish player of the year, a record ten times, including nine consecutive times from 2007 and 2015.[7]
Manuel Peter Neuer (German pronunciation: [ˈmaːnu̯ɛl ˈnɔʏ.ɐ]; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He has been described as a "sweeper-keeper" because of his unique playing style and speed when rushing off his line;[4] he is also known for his quick reflexes, excellent shot-stopping abilities, command of his area and accurate control and distribution of the ball.[5][6][7]
The current holder of the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award (for three years in a row)[8][9][10][11] and regarded as one of the best and most complete goalkeepers of all-time,[11][12][13] Neuer won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany as well as the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament,[14] and is considered by some in the sport to be the best goalkeeper in football since Lev Yashin.[4][15]
In 2014, Neuer finished third in the voting, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award. The same year, he was ranked the third-best player in the world by The Guardian.[16]
Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈserxjo aˈɣweɾo]; born 2 June 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for English club Manchester City and the Argentina national team. On 5 July 2003, he became the youngest player to debut in the Argentine Primera División at 15 years and 35 days, breaking the record previously established by Diego Maradona in 1976.
In 2006, Agüero moved to Europe to play for La Liga side Atlético Madrid, with Independiente accepting a fee of €23 million. He made a name for himself, attracting attention from Europe's top clubs by scoring 101 goals in 234 appearances while winning the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2010. Agüero moved to Premier League club Manchester City in July 2011 for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £35 million. On the last day of his debut season with the club, Agüero scored a 94th-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers that earned City its first league title in 44 years. At the end of the 2014–15 season, of players who had played at least two seasons in the Premier League, Agüero had the highest goals per minute ratio in the history of the competition since its formation in 1992, averaging a goal every 109 minutes.[6] He also holds the joint-record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League match – five – and the fastest to do so, in 23 minutes and 34 seconds of match time.[7] He is the highest South American scorer in the history of the Premier League, and reached 100 goals in the division faster than any player other than Alan Shearer.
David de Gea Quintana (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ðe ˈxea kinˈtana]; born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Manchester United and the Spain national team.
Born in Madrid, De Gea began his career aged 13 with Atlético Madrid and rose through the academy system at the club before making his senior debut in 2009. After being made Atlético's first-choice goalkeeper, he helped the team win both the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2010. His performances attracted the attention of Manchester United, whom he joined in June 2011 for £17.8 million, a British record for a goalkeeper.
Since joining United, De Gea has made over 200 appearances and won a Premier League winner's medal in 2013 amongst a host of other honours. He has been hailed as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.[3][4] For three consecutive seasons from 2013–14 to 2015-16, he was elected as United's Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, the first player in the award's history to win on three successive occasions. [5]
De Gea was the captain for the Spain under-21 national side that won the European Championship in 2011 and 2013, and also competed in the 2012 Olympics. He made his debut for the senior team in 2014 and was selected for that year's World Cup, and has been tipped by many as the successor to Iker Casillas as Spain's long-term goalkeeper.[6
