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2006 FIFA World Cup squads
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This article lists the confirmed national football squads for the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament held in Germany, between June 9 and July 9, 2006. Before announcing their final squad, several teams named a provisional squad of 23 to 33 players, but each country’s final squad of 23 players had to be submitted by May 15, 2006. Replacement of injured players was permitted until 24 hours before the team’s first world cup game. Players marked (c) were named as captain for their national squad. Number of caps counts until the start of the World Cup, including all pre-tournament friendlies. Club information is that used by FIFA.[1] Players for whom this information changed during or in the run up to the tournament are indicated by footnotes.

Contents [hide]
1 Group A
1.1 Costa Rica
1.2 Ecuador
1.3 Germany
1.4 Poland
2 Group B
2.1 England
2.2 Paraguay
2.3 Sweden
2.4 Trinidad and Tobago
3 Group C
3.1 Argentina
3.2 Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
3.3 Netherlands
3.4 Serbia and Montenegro
4 Group D
4.1 Angola
4.2 Iran
4.3 Mexico
4.4 Portugal
5 Group E
5.1 Czech Republic
5.2 Ghana
5.3 Italy
5.4 United States
6 Group F
6.1 Australia
6.2 Brazil
6.3 Croatia
6.4 Japan
7 Group G
7.1 France
7.2 Korea Republic
7.3 Switzerland
7.4 Togo
8 Group H
8.1 Saudi Arabia
8.2 Spain
8.3 Tunisia
8.4 Ukraine
9 Player representation by league
10 Player representation by club
11 Footnotes
12 References

[edit] Group A

[edit] Costa Rica
Head coach: Alexandre Guimarães

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Álvaro Mesén 24 December 1972 38 Club Sport Herediano
2 DF Jervis Drummond 8 September 1976 56 Deportivo Saprissa
3 DF Luis Marín (c) 10 August 1974 120 LD Alajuelense
4 DF Michael Umaña 16 July 1982 18 Brujas
5 DF Gilberto Martínez 1 October 1979 57 Brescia
6 MF Danny Fonseca 7 November 1979 22 C.S. Cartaginés
7 MF Christian Bolaños 17 May 1984 16 Deportivo Saprissa
8 MF Mauricio Solís 13 December 1972 107 CSD Comunicaciones
9 FW Paulo Wanchope 31 July 1976 69 Club Sport Herediano
10 MF Walter Centeno 6 October 1974 93 Deportivo Saprissa
11 FW Rónald Gómez 21 January 1975 80 Deportivo Saprissa
12 DF Leonardo González 21 November 1980 36 Club Sport Herediano
13 FW Kurt Bernard 8 August 1977 3 Puntarenas
14 MF Randall Azofeifa 30 December 1984 5 Deportivo Saprissa
15 DF Harold Wallace 7 September 1975 78 LD Alajuelense
16 MF Carlos Hernández 9 April 1982 17 LD Alajuelense
17 DF Gabriel Badilla 30 June 1984 7 Deportivo Saprissa
18 GK José Porras 8 November 1970 16 Deportivo Saprissa
19 FW Álvaro Saborío 25 March 1982 23 Deportivo Saprissa
20 MF Douglas Sequeira 23 August 1977 29 Real Salt Lake
21 FW Victor Núñez 15 April 1980 3 C.S. Cartaginés
22 DF Michael Rodríguez 30 December 1981 3 LD Alajuelense
23 GK Wardy Alfaro 31 December 1977 2 LD Alajuelense

[edit] Ecuador
Head coach: Luis Fernando Suárez

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Edwin Villafuerte 12 March 1979 15 Deportivo Quito
2 DF Jorge Guagua 28 September 1981 18 El Nacional
3 DF Iván Hurtado (c) 16 August 1974 130 Al-Arabi
4 DF Ulises de la Cruz 8 February 1974 84 Aston Villa
5 DF José Luis Perlaza 6 October 1981 3 Olmedo
6 MF Patricio Urrutia 15 October 1977 6 LDU Quito
7 MF Christian Lara 27 April 1980 19 El Nacional
8 MF Edison Méndez 16 March 1979 64 Liga Deportiva Universitaria
9 FW Félix Borja 2 April 1983 6 El Nacional [2]
10 FW Iván Kaviedes 24 October 1977 44 Argentinos Juniors
11 FW Agustín Delgado 23 December 1974 68 LDU Quito
12 GK Cristian Mora 26 August 1979 8 LDU Quito
13 DF Paul Ambrosi 14 October 1980 24 LDU Quito
14 MF Segundo Castillo 15 May 1982 11 El Nacional
15 MF Marlon Ayoví 27 August 1971 74 Deportivo Quito
16 MF Luis Antonio Valencia 4 August 1985 17 Villarreal [3]
17 DF Giovanny Espinoza 12 April 1977 56 LDU Quito
18 DF Neicer Reasco 23 July 1977 31 LDU Quito [4]
19 MF Luis Saritama 20 October 1983 15 Deportivo Quito
20 MF Edwin Tenorio 16 June 1976 68 Barcelona de Guayaquil
21 FW Carlos Tenorio 14 May 1979 29 Al Sadd
22 GK Damián Lanza 10 April 1982 5 Aucas
23 FW Cristian Benítez 1 May 1986 5 El Nacional

[edit] Germany
Head coach: Jürgen Klinsmann

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Jens Lehmann 10 November 1969 32 Arsenal
2 DF Marcell Jansen 4 November 1985 7 Borussia Mönchengladbach
3 DF Arne Friedrich 29 May 1979 36 Hertha Berlin
4 DF Robert Huth 18 August 1984 16 Chelsea
5 MF Sebastian Kehl 13 February 1980 27 Borussia Dortmund
6 DF Jens Nowotny 11 January 1974 46 Bayer Leverkusen
7 MF Bastian Schweinsteiger 1 August 1984 28 Bayern Munich
8 MF Torsten Frings 22 November 1976 52 Werder Bremen
9 FW Mike Hanke 5 November 1983 6 Wolfsburg
10 FW Oliver Neuville 1 May 1973 55 Borussia Mönchengladbach
11 FW Miroslav Klose 9 June 1978 55 Werder Bremen
12 GK Oliver Kahn 15 June 1969 85 Bayern Munich
13 MF Michael Ballack (c) 26 September 1976 65 Bayern Munich [5]
14 FW Gerald Asamoah 3 October 1978 40 Schalke 04
15 MF Thomas Hitzlsperger 14 May 1982 15 VfB Stuttgart
16 DF Philipp Lahm 11 November 1983 18 Bayern Munich
17 DF Per Mertesacker 29 September 1984 23 Hannover 96
18 MF Tim Borowski 2 May 1980 20 Werder Bremen
19 MF Bernd Schneider 17 November 1973 64 Bayer Leverkusen
20 FW Lukas Podolski 4 June 1985 25 FC Cologne [6]
21 DF Christoph Metzelder 5 November 1980 22 Borussia Dortmund
22 MF David Odonkor 21 February 1984 1 Borussia Dortmund
23 GK Timo Hildebrand 5 April 1979 3 VfB Stuttgart

[edit] Poland
Head coach: Paweł Janas

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Artur Boruc 20 February 1980 17 Celtic
2 DF Mariusz Jop 3 August 1978 12 FC Moskva
3 DF Seweryn Gancarczyk 22 November 1981 2 Metalist Kharkiv
4 DF Marcin Baszczyński 7 June 1977 32 Wisła Kraków
5 MF Kamil Kosowski 30 August 1977 45 Kaiserslautern [7]
6 DF Jacek Bąk (c) 24 March 1973 72 Al Rayyan [8]
7 MF Radosław Sobolewski 13 December 1976 19 Wisła Kraków
8 MF Jacek Krzynówek 15 May 1976 58 Bayer Leverkusen [9]
9 FW Maciej Żurawski 12 September 1976 50 Celtic
10 MF Mirosław Szymkowiak 12 November 1976 29 Trabzonspor
11 FW Grzegorz Rasiak 12 January 1979 30 Tottenham Hotspur [10]
12 GK Tomasz Kuszczak 23 March 1982 4 West Bromwich Albion
13 MF Sebastian Mila 10 July 1982 27 Austria Vienna
14 DF Michał Żewłakow 22 April 1976 56 Anderlecht [11]
15 MF Euzebiusz Smolarek 9 January 1981 13 Borussia Dortmund
16 MF Arkadiusz Radomski 27 June 1977 20 Austria Vienna
17 DF Dariusz Dudka 9 December 1983 7 Wisła Kraków
18 DF Mariusz Lewandowski 18 May 1979 25 Shakhtar Donetsk
19 DF Bartosz Bosacki 20 December 1975 11 Lech Poznań [12]
20 MF Piotr Giza 28 February 1980 4 Cracovia Kraków
21 FW Ireneusz Jeleń 9 April 1981 9 Wisła Płock
22 GK Łukasz Fabiański 18 April 1985 2 Legia Warszawa
23 FW Paweł Brożek 21 April 1983 4 Wisła Kraków

[edit] Group B

[edit] England
Head coach: Sven-Göran Eriksson

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Paul Robinson 15 October 1979 21 Tottenham Hotspur
2 DF Gary Neville 18 February 1975 79 Manchester United
3 DF Ashley Cole 20 December 1980 46 Arsenal
4 MF Steven Gerrard 30 May 1980 42 Liverpool
5 DF Rio Ferdinand 7 November 1978 47 Manchester United
6 DF John Terry 7 December 1980 24 Chelsea
7 MF David Beckham (c) 2 May 1975 89 Real Madrid
8 MF Frank Lampard 20 June 1978 40 Chelsea
9 FW Wayne Rooney 24 October 1985 29 Manchester United
10 FW Michael Owen 14 December 1979 77 Newcastle United
11 MF Joe Cole 8 November 1981 32 Chelsea
12 DF Sol Campbell 18 September 1974 68 Arsenal
13 GK David James 1 August 1970 34 Manchester City
14 DF Wayne Bridge 5 August 1980 23 Chelsea [13]
15 DF Jamie Carragher 28 January 1978 25 Liverpool
16 MF Owen Hargreaves 20 January 1981 30 Bayern Munich
17 MF Jermaine Jenas 18 February 1983 15 Tottenham Hotspur
18 MF Michael Carrick 28 July 1981 6 Tottenham Hotspur
19 MF Aaron Lennon 16 April 1987 1 Tottenham Hotspur
20 MF Stewart Downing 22 July 1984 2 Middlesbrough
21 FW Peter Crouch 30 January 1981 7 Liverpool
22 GK Scott Carson 3 September 1985 0 Liverpool [14]
23 FW Theo Walcott 16 March 1989 1 Arsenal

[edit] Paraguay
Head coach: Aníbal Ruiz

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Justo Villar 30 June 1977 39 Newell’s Old Boys
2 DF Jorge Núñez 22 January 1978 15 Estudiantes de La Plata
3 DF Delio Toledo 10 February 1974 30 Real Zaragoza
4 DF Carlos Gamarra (c) 17 February 1971 106 Palmeiras
5 DF Julio César Cáceres 5 October 1979 32 River Plate
6 MF Carlos Bonet 2 October 1977 29 Libertad
7 FW Salvador Cabañas 5 August 1980 15 Jaguares[15]
8 MF Edgar Barreto 15 July 1984 15 NEC Nijmegen
9 FW Roque Santa Cruz 16 August 1981 42 Bayern Munich
10 MF Roberto Acuña 25 March 1972 93 Deportivo La Coruña
11 MF Diego Gavilán 1 March 1980 39 Newell’s Old Boys
12 GK Derlis Gómez 12 November 1972 5 Sportivo Luqueño
13 MF Carlos Paredes 16 July 1976 68 Reggina [16]
14 DF Paulo da Silva 1 February 1980 33 Toluca
15 DF Julio Manzur 22 June 1981 13 Santos
16 MF Cristian Riveros 16 October 1982 9 Libertad
17 MF José Montiel 19 March 1988 6 Olimpia Asunción
18 FW Nelson Haedo Valdez 28 November 1983 11 Werder Bremen[17]
19 MF Julio dos Santos 5 May 1983 17 Bayern Munich
20 FW Dante López 16 August 1983 7 Genoa
21 DF Denis Caniza 29 August 1974 74 Cruz Azul [18]
22 GK Aldo Bobadilla 20 April 1976 5 Libertad
23 FW Nelson Cuevas 10 January 1980 35 Pachuca

[edit] Sweden
Head coach: Lars Lagerbäck

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Andreas Isaksson 3 October 1981 39 Rennes
2 DF Mikael Nilsson 24 June 1978 27 Panathinaikos
3 DF Olof Mellberg (c) 3 September 1977 64 Aston Villa
4 DF Teddy Lučić 15 April 1973 81 Häcken
5 DF Erik Edman 11 November 1978 37 Rennes
6 MF Tobias Linderoth 21 April 1979 58 FC Copenhagen
7 MF Niclas Alexandersson 29 December 1971 87 Göteborg
8 MF Anders Svensson 17 July 1976 66 Elfsborg
9 MF Fredrik Ljungberg 16 April 1977 57 Arsenal
10 FW Zlatan Ibrahimović 3 October 1981 38 Juventus
11 FW Henrik Larsson 20 September 1971 89 Barcelona[19]
12 GK John Alvbåge 10 August 1982 2 Viborg
13 DF Petter Hansson 14 December 1976 13 Heerenveen
14 DF Fredrik Stenman 2 June 1983 1 Bayer Leverkusen
15 DF Karl Svensson 21 March 1984 1 Göteborg[20]
16 MF Kim Källström 24 August 1982 34 Rennes[21]
17 FW Johan Elmander 27 May 1981 18 Brøndby
18 MF Mattias Jonson 16 January 1974 53 Djurgården
19 MF Daniel Andersson 28 August 1977 47 Malmö
20 FW Marcus Allbäck 5 July 1973 56 FC Copenhagen
21 MF Christian Wilhelmsson 8 December 1979 29 Anderlecht
22 FW Markus Rosenberg 27 September 1982 8 Ajax
23 GK Rami Shaaban 30 June 1975 1 Fredrikstad

[edit] Trinidad and Tobago
Head coach: Leo Beenhakker

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Shaka Hislop 22 February 1969 24 West Ham United [22]
2 DF Ian Cox 25 March 1971 16 Gillingham
3 DF Avery John 18 June 1975 57 New England Revolution
4 DF Marvin Andrews 22 December 1975 98 Rangers
5 DF Brent Sancho 13 March 1977 40 Gillingham
6 DF Dennis Lawrence 1 August 1974 63 Wrexham [23]
7 MF Christopher Birchall 5 May 1984 19 Port Vale
8 DF Cyd Gray 21 November 1973 39 San Juan Jabloteh
9 MF Aurtis Whitley 1 May 1977 24 San Juan Jabloteh
10 MF Russell Latapy 8 August 1968 66 Falkirk
11 MF Carlos Edwards 24 October 1978 51 Luton Town
12 FW Collin Samuel 27 August 1981 18 Dundee United
13 FW Cornell Glen 21 October 1980 35 Los Angeles Galaxy
14 FW Stern John 30 October 1976 95 Coventry City
15 FW Kenwyne Jones 5 October 1984 29 Southampton
16 MF Evans Wise 23 November 1973 16 Waldhof Mannheim
17 DF David Atiba Charles 29 August 1977 19 W Connection
18 MF Densill Theobald 27 June 1982 38 Falkirk
19 FW Dwight Yorke (c) 3 November 1971 54 Sydney FC
20 FW Jason Scotland 18 February 1979 25 St Johnstone
21 GK Kelvin Jack 29 April 1976 32 Dundee
22 GK Clayton Ince 12 July 1972 63 Coventry City
23 MF Anthony Wolfe 31 December 1981 4 San Juan Jabloteh

[edit] Group C

[edit] Argentina
Head coach: José Pekerman

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Roberto Abbondanzieri 19 August 1972 22 Boca Juniors
2 DF Roberto Ayala 14 April 1973 100 Valencia
3 DF Juan Pablo Sorín (c) 5 May 1976 71 Villarreal
4 DF Fabricio Coloccini 22 January 1982 23 Deportivo La Coruña
5 MF Esteban Cambiasso 18 August 1980 22 Internazionale
6 DF Gabriel Heinze 19 April 1978 29 Manchester United
7 FW Javier Saviola 11 December 1981 31 Barcelona [24]
8 MF Javier Mascherano 8 June 1984 15 Corinthians
9 FW Hernán Crespo 5 July 1975 55 Chelsea
10 MF Juan Román Riquelme 24 June 1978 31 Villarreal
11 FW Carlos Tévez 5 February 1984 21 Corinthians
12 GK Leo Franco 29 May 1977 3 Atlético Madrid
13 MF Lionel Scaloni 16 May 1978 6 Deportivo [25]
14 FW Rodrigo Palacio 5 February 1982 2 Boca Juniors
15 DF Gabriel Milito 7 September 1980 15 Real Zaragoza
16 MF Pablo Aimar 3 November 1979 40 Valencia
17 DF Leandro Cufré 9 May 1978 2 Roma
18 MF Maxi Rodríguez 2 January 1981 13 Atlético Madrid
19 FW Lionel Messi 24 June 1987 7 Barcelona
20 FW Julio Cruz 10 October 1974 15 Internazionale
21 DF Nicolás Burdisso 12 April 1981 8 Internazionale
22 MF Lucho González 19 January 1981 27 FC Porto
23 GK Oscar Ustari 3 July 1986 0 Independiente

[edit] Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Head coach: Henri Michel

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Jean-Jacques Tizié 7 September 1972 24 Espérance
2 MF Kanga Akalé 7 March 1981 22 Auxerre
3 DF Arthur Boka 2 April 1983 23 Strasbourg
4 DF Kolo Touré 19 March 1981 42 Arsenal
5 MF Didier Zokora 14 December 1980 38 Saint-Étienne
6 DF Blaise Kouassi 2 February 1974 36 Troyes
7 MF Emerse Faé 24 January 1984 14 Nantes
8 MF Bonaventure Kalou 12 January 1978 49 Paris Saint-Germain
9 FW Arouna Koné 11 November 1983 17 PSV
10 MF Gilles Yapi Yapo 13 January 1982 26 Young Boys Bern
11 FW Didier Drogba (c) 11 March 1978 32 Chelsea
12 DF Abdoulaye Méïté 6 October 1980 18 Marseille
13 DF Marco Zoro 27 December 1983 13 Messina
14 FW Bakari Koné 17 September 1981 16 Nice
15 FW Aruna Dindane 26 November 1980 34 Lens
16 GK Gérard Gnanhouan 12 December 1979 6 Montpellier
17 DF Cyril Domoraud 22 July 1971 50 Créteil
18 MF Abdul Kader Keïta 6 August 1981 26 Lille
19 MF Yaya Touré 13 March 1983 14 Olympiacos
20 MF Guy Demel 13 June 1981 7 Hamburger SV
21 DF Emmanuel Eboué 4 June 1983 11 Arsenal
22 MF Koffi Ndri Romaric 4 June 1983 8 Le Mans
23 GK Boubacar Barry 20 December 1979 6 Beveren

[edit] Netherlands
Head coach: Marco van Basten

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Edwin van der Sar (c) 29 October 1970 109 Manchester United
2 DF Kew Jaliens 15 September 1978 1 AZ Alkmaar
3 DF Khalid Boulahrouz 28 December 1981 11 Hamburg
4 DF Joris Mathijsen 5 April 1980 8 AZ Alkmaar
5 DF Giovanni van Bronckhorst 5 February 1975 57 Barcelona
6 MF Denny Landzaat 6 May 1976 23 AZ Alkmaar
7 FW Dirk Kuyt 22 July 1980 19 Feyenoord
8 MF Phillip Cocu 29 October 1970 97 PSV Eindhoven
9 FW Ruud van Nistelrooy 1 July 1976 51 Manchester United
10 MF Rafael van der Vaart 11 February 1983 35 Hamburg
11 MF Arjen Robben 23 January 1984 20 Chelsea
12 DF Jan Kromkamp 17 August 1980 11 Liverpool
13 DF André Ooijer 11 July 1974 19 PSV Eindhoven
14 DF John Heitinga 15 November 1983 18 Ajax
15 DF Tim de Cler 8 November 1978 3 AZ Alkmaar
16 MF Hedwiges Maduro 13 February 1985 11 Ajax
17 FW Robin van Persie 6 August 1983 10 Arsenal
18 MF Mark van Bommel 22 April 1977 37 Barcelona
19 FW Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink 7 November 1978 7 PSV Eindhoven
20 MF Wesley Sneijder 9 June 1984 23 Ajax
21 FW Ryan Babel 19 December 1986 6 Ajax
22 GK Henk Timmer 3 December 1971 2 AZ Alkmaar
23 GK Maarten Stekelenburg 22 September 1982 2 Ajax

[edit] Serbia and Montenegro
Head coach: Ilija Petković

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Dragoslav Jevrić 8 July 1974 40 Ankaraspor
2 MF Ivan Ergić 21 January 1981 1 Basel
3 DF Ivica Dragutinović 13 November 1975 26 Sevilla
4 MF Igor Duljaj 29 October 1979 37 Shakhtar Donetsk
5 DF Nemanja Vidić 21 October 1981 20 Manchester United
6 DF Goran Gavrančić 2 August 1978 25 Dynamo Kyiv
7 MF Ognjen Koroman 19 September 1978 25 Portsmouth
8 FW Mateja Kežman 12 April 1979 47 Atlético Madrid
9 FW Savo Milošević (c) 2 September 1973 98 CA Osasuna
10 MF Dejan Stanković 11 September 1978 58 Internazionale
11 MF Predrag Đorđević 4 August 1972 34 Olympiacos
12 GK Oliver Kovačević 29 December 1974 3 CSKA Sofia
13 DF Dušan Basta 18 August 1984 2 Red Star Belgrade
14 DF Nenad Đorđević 7 August 1979 15 Partizan
15 DF Milan Dudić 1 November 1979 11 Red Star Belgrade
16 DF Dušan Petković[26] June 13, 1974 12 OFK Beograd
17 MF Albert Nađ 29 October 1974 42 Partizan
18 MF Zvonimir Vukić 19 July 1979 25 Shakhtar Donetsk [27]
19 FW Nikola Žigić 25 September 1980 11 Red Star Belgrade
20 DF Mladen Krstajić 4 March 1974 45 Schalke 04
21 FW Danijel Ljuboja 4 September 1978 15 Paris St. Germain [28]
22 MF Saša Ilić 30 December 1977 32 Galatasaray
23 GK Vladimir Stojković 28 July 1983 0 Red Star Belgrade[29]

[edit] Group D

[edit] Angola
Head coach: Luís Oliveira Gonçalves

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK João Ricardo 7 January 1970 26 Moreirense FC [30]
2 DF Marco Airosa 6 August 1984 2 F.C. Barreirense
3 DF Jamba 10 July 1977 35 AS Aviacao
4 DF Lebo Lebo 29 May 1977 15 Petro Atletico
5 DF Kali 11 October 1978 21 F.C. Barreirense
6 MF Miloy 27 May 1981 11 InterClube
7 MF Figueiredo 28 November 1972 22 Varzim
8 MF André 14 May 1978 33 Kuwait S.C.
9 FW Mantorras 18 March 1982 11 Benfica
10 FW Akwá (c) 30 May 1977 77 Al-Wakra [31]
11 FW Mateus 19 June 1984 4 Gil Vicente F.C.
12 GK Lamá 1 February 1981 9 Petro Atletico
13 MF Édson 3 February 1980 7 FC Paços de Ferreira
14 MF Mendonça 9 October 1982 34 Varzim
15 DF Rui Marques 3 September 1977 1 Leeds United [32]
16 FW Flávio 20 December 1979 46 Al-Ahly
17 MF Zé Kalanga 12 October 1983 23 Petro Atletico
18 FW Love 10 January 1982 35 AS Aviacao
19 FW Titi Buengo 11 February 1980 2 Clermont Foot
20 DF Locó 25 December 1984 11 Primeiro Agosto
21 DF Delgado 1 November 1972 17 Petro Atletico
22 GK Mário 1 June 1985 1 InterClube
23 DF Marco Abreu 8 December 1974 3 Portimonense

[edit] Iran
Head coach: Branko Ivanković

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Ebrahim Mirzapour 16 September 1978 64 Foolad
2 MF Mehdi Mahdavikia 24 July 1977 89 Hamburger SV
3 DF Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh 11 September 1972 31 Saba Battery
4 DF Yahya Golmohammadi 16 March 1971 69 Saba Battery
5 DF Rahman Rezaei 20 February 1975 43 Messina
6 MF Javad Nekounam 7 September 1980 71 Al-Sharjah [33]
7 MF Ferydoon Zandi 26 April 1979 10 Kaiserslautern
8 MF Ali Karimi 8 November 1978 90 Bayern Munich
9 FW Vahid Hashemian 21 July 1976 28 Hannover 96
10 FW Ali Daei (c) 21 March 1969 147 Saba Battery
11 FW Rasoul Khatibi 22 September 1978 12 Sepahan
12 GK Hassan Roudbarian 6 July 1978 3 Pas
13 DF Hossein Kaebi 23 September 1985 44 Foolad
14 MF Andranik Teymourian 6 March 1983 7 Abu Moslem
15 FW Arash Borhani 14 September 1983 20 Pas
16 FW Reza Enayati 23 September 1976 15 Esteghlal
17 FW Javad Kazemian 23 April 1981 25 Persepolis
18 MF Moharram Navidkia 1 November 1982 24 VfL Bochum
19 DF Amir Hossein Sadeqi 6 September 1981 1 Esteghlal
20 DF Mohammad Nosrati 10 January 1982 44 Pas
21 MF Mehrzad Madanchi 10 January 1985 6 Persepolis
22 GK Vahid Talebloo 26 May 1982 1 Esteghlal
23 MF Masoud Shojaei 9 June 1984 3 Saipa

[edit] Mexico
Head coach: Ricardo Lavolpe

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Oswaldo Sánchez 21 September 1973 70 Guadalajara
2 DF Claudio Suárez 17 December 1968 178 Chivas USA
3 DF Carlos Salcido 2 April 1980 32 Guadalajara [34]
4 DF Rafael Márquez (c) 13 February 1979 65 Barcelona
5 DF Ricardo Osorio 30 March 1980 39 Cruz Azul [35]
6 MF Gerardo Torrado 30 April 1979 56 Cruz Azul
7 MF Ântonio Naelson 23 May 1976 32 Toluca
8 MF Pavel Pardo 26 July 1976 125 América [36]
9 FW Jared Borgetti 14 August 1973 75 Bolton [37]
10 FW Guillermo Franco 3 November 1976 7 Villarreal
11 MF Ramón Morales 10 October 1975 46 Guadalajara
12 GK José de Jesús Corona 26 January 1981 6 U.A.G.
13 GK Guillermo Ochoa 13 July 1985 1 América
14 DF Gonzalo Pineda 19 October 1982 30 Guadalajara
15 DF José Antonio Castro 11 August 1980 12 América
16 DF Mario Méndez 1 June 1979 32 Monterrey
17 FW Francisco Fonseca 2 October 1979 29 Cruz Azul [38]
18 MF Andrés Guardado 28 September 1986 7 Atlas
19 FW Omar Bravo 4 March 1980 33 Guadalajara
20 MF Rafael García 14 August 1974 52 Atlas
21 MF Jesús Arellano 8 May 1973 69 Monterrey
22 DF Francisco Rodríguez 20 October 1981 32 Guadalajara
23 MF Luis Pérez 12 January 1981 52 Monterrey

[edit] Portugal
Head coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Ricardo 11 February 1976 49 Sporting
2 DF Paulo Ferreira 18 January 1979 30 Chelsea
3 DF Marco Caneira 9 February 1979 14 Valencia [39]
4 DF Ricardo Costa 16 May 1981 3 FC Porto
5 DF Fernando Meira 5 June 1978 30 VfB Stuttgart
6 MF Costinha 1 December 1974 44 Dynamo Moscow [40]
7 MF Luís Figo (c) 4 November 1972 120 Internazionale
8 MF Petit 25 September 1976 36 Benfica
9 FW Pauleta 28 April 1973 82 Paris Saint-Germain
10 MF Hugo Viana 15 January 1983 21 Valencia
11 MF Simão 31 October 1979 43 Benfica
12 GK Quim 13 November 1975 24 Benfica
13 DF Miguel 4 January 1980 28 Valencia
14 DF Nuno Valente 12 September 1974 23 Everton
15 FW Luís Boa Morte 4 August 1977 24 Fulham
16 DF Ricardo Carvalho 18 May 1978 24 Chelsea
17 MF Cristiano Ronaldo 5 February 1985 32 Manchester United
18 MF Maniche 11 November 1977 31 Dynamo Moscow [41]
19 MF Tiago 3 May 1981 22 Lyon
20 MF Deco 27 August 1977 35 Barcelona
21 FW Nuno Gomes 5 July 1976 53 Benfica
22 GK Paulo Santos 11 December 1972 1 S.C. Braga
23 FW Hélder Postiga 2 August 1982 24 FC Porto [42]

[edit] Group E

[edit] Czech Republic
Head coach: Karel Brückner

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Petr Čech 20 May 1982 41 Chelsea
2 DF Zdeněk Grygera 14 May 1980 41 Ajax
3 DF Pavel Mareš 18 January 1976 10 Zenit St. Petersburg
4 MF Tomáš Galásek(c) 15 January 1973 49 Ajax [43]
5 DF Radoslav Kováč 11 November 1979 6 Spartak Moscow
6 DF Marek Jankulovski 9 May 1977 48 Milan
7 MF Libor Sionko 1 February 1977 17 Austria Wien [44]
8 MF Karel Poborský 30 March 1972 115 Dynamo České Budějovice
9 FW Jan Koller 30 March 1973 68 Borussia Dortmund [45]
10 MF Tomáš Rosický 4 October 1980 54 Borussia Dortmund [46]
11 MF Pavel Nedvěd 30 August 1972 87 Juventus
12 FW Vratislav Lokvenc 27 September 1973 72 Red Bull Salzburg
13 DF Martin Jiránek 25 May 1979 24 Spartak Moscow
14 MF David Jarolím 17 May 1979 3 Hamburg
15 FW Milan Baroš 28 October 1981 49 Aston Villa
16 GK Jaromír Blažek 29 December 1972 11 AC Sparta Praha
17 FW Jiří Štajner 27 May 1976 21 Hannover 96
18 FW Marek Heinz 4 August 1977 28 Galatasaray
19 MF Jan Polák 14 March 1981 18 Nürnberg
20 MF Jaroslav Plašil 5 January 1982 14 Monaco
21 DF Tomáš Ujfaluši 24 March 1978 48 Fiorentina
22 DF David Rozehnal 5 July 1980 22 Paris Saint-Germain
23 GK Antonín Kinský 31 May 1975 5 Saturn Ramenskoye

[edit] Ghana
Head coach: Ratomir Dujković

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Sammy Adjei 1 September 1980 31 Ashdod
2 DF Hans Sarpei 28 June 1976 7 Wolfsburg
3 FW Asamoah Gyan 22 November 1985 13 Udinese [47]
4 DF Samuel Kuffour 3 September 1976 58 Roma
5 DF John Mensah (vc) 29 November 1982 33 Rennes
6 DF Emmanuel Pappoe 3 March 1981 27 Hapoel Kfar Saba
7 DF Illiasu Shilla 3 March 1981 2 Asante Kotoko
8 MF Michael Essien 3 December 1982 17 Chelsea
9 MF Derek Boateng 2 May 1983 11 AIK
10 MF Stephen Appiah (c) 24 December 1980 42 Fenerbahçe
11 MF Sulley Muntari 27 August 1984 16 Udinese
12 FW Alex Tachie-Mensah 15 February 1977 5 St Gallen
13 DF Habib Mohamed 10 December 1983 1 King Faisal Babes
14 FW Matthew Amoah 24 October 1980 16 Borussia Dortmund
15 DF John Paintsil 15 June 1981 21 Hapoel Tel Aviv
16 GK George Owu 17 June 1982 6 Ashanti Gold
17 DF Daniel Quaye 25 December 1980 7 Hearts of Oak
18 MF Eric Addo 12 November 1978 6 PSV
19 FW Razak Pimpong 30 December 1982 4 FC Copenhagen
20 MF Otto Addo 9 June 1975 13 Mainz 05
21 DF Issah Ahmed 24 May 1982 10 Randers
22 GK Richard Kingson 13 July 1975 33 Ankaraspor
23 MF Haminu Dramani 1 April 1986 7 Red Star Belgrade [48]

[edit] Italy
Head coach: Marcello Lippi

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Gianluigi Buffon 28 January 1978 60 Juventus
2 DF Cristian Zaccardo 21 December 1981 12 Palermo
3 DF Fabio Grosso 28 November 1977 17 Palermo [49]
4 MF Daniele De Rossi 24 July 1983 17 Roma
5 DF Fabio Cannavaro (c) 13 September 1973 93 Juventus
6 DF Andrea Barzagli 8 May 1981 8 Palermo
7 FW Alessandro Del Piero 9 November 1974 74 Juventus
8 MF Gennaro Gattuso 9 January 1978 43 Milan
9 FW Luca Toni 26 May 1977 18 Fiorentina
10 FW Francesco Totti 27 September 1976 51 Roma
11 FW Alberto Gilardino 5 July 1982 15 Milan
12 GK Angelo Peruzzi 16 February 1970 31 Lazio
13 DF Alessandro Nesta 19 March 1976 74 Milan
14 GK Marco Amelia 2 April 1982 1 Livorno
15 FW Vincenzo Iaquinta 29 November 1979 12 Udinese
16 MF Mauro Camoranesi 4 October 1976 21 Juventus
17 MF Simone Barone 30 April 1978 13 Palermo
18 FW Filippo Inzaghi 9 August 1973 49 Milan
19 DF Gianluca Zambrotta 19 February 1977 52 Juventus
20 MF Simone Perrotta 17 September 1977 24 Roma
21 MF Andrea Pirlo 19 May 1979 24 Milan
22 DF Massimo Oddo 14 June 1976 20 Lazio
23 DF Marco Materazzi 19 August 1973 28 Internazionale

[edit] United States
Head coach: Bruce Arena

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Tim Howard 6 March 1979 16 Manchester United [50]
2 DF Chris Albright 14 January 1979 20 Los Angeles Galaxy [51]
3 DF Carlos Bocanegra 25 May 1979 40 Fulham
4 MF Pablo Mastroeni 26 August 1976 48 Colorado Rapids
5 MF John O’Brien 29 August 1977 31 Chivas USA
6 DF Steve Cherundolo 19 February 1979 35 Hannover 96
7 MF Eddie Lewis 17 May 1974 69 Leeds United
8 MF Clint Dempsey 9 March 1983 21 New England Revolution
9 FW Eddie Johnson 31 March 1984 18 Kansas City Wizards
10 MF Claudio Reyna (c) 20 July 1973 109 Manchester City
11 FW Brian Ching 24 May 1978 20 Houston Dynamo
12 DF Gregg Berhalter 1 August 1973 44 Energie Cottbus [52]
13 DF Jimmy Conrad 12 February 1977 15 Kansas City Wizards
14 MF Ben Olsen 3 May 1977 34 D.C. United
15 MF Bobby Convey 27 May 1983 39 Reading
16 FW Josh Wolff 25 February 1977 47 Kansas City Wizards
17 MF DaMarcus Beasley 24 May 1982 58 PSV
18 GK Kasey Keller 29 November 1969 93 Borussia Mönchengladbach
19 GK Marcus Hahnemann 15 June 1972 6 Reading
20 FW Brian McBride 19 June 1972 92 Fulham
21 FW Landon Donovan 4 March 1982 81 Los Angeles Galaxy
22 DF Oguchi Onyewu 13 May 1982 14 Standard Liège
23 DF Eddie Pope 24 December 1973 80 Real Salt Lake

[edit] Group F

[edit] Australia
Head coach: Guus Hiddink

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Mark Schwarzer 6 October 1972 37 Middlesbrough
2 DF Lucas Neill 9 March 1978 25 Blackburn Rovers
3 DF Craig Moore 12 December 1975 33 Newcastle United
4 MF Tim Cahill 6 December 1979 16 Everton
5 MF Jason Čulina 5 August 1980 13 PSV
6 DF Tony Popović 4 July 1973 56 Crystal Palace [53]
7 MF Brett Emerton 22 February 1979 48 Blackburn Rovers
8 MF Josip Skoko 10 December 1975 46 Wigan Athletic [54]
9 FW Mark Viduka (c) 9 October 1975 33 Middlesbrough
10 FW Harry Kewell 22 September 1978 20 Liverpool
11 MF Stan Lazaridis 16 August 1972 59 Birmingham [55]
12 GK Ante Čović 13 June 1975 1 Hammarby
13 MF Vince Grella 5 October 1979 17 Parma
14 MF Scott Chipperfield 30 December 1975 46 Basel
15 FW John Aloisi 5 February 1976 41 Alavés
16 DF Michael Beauchamp 8 March 1981 2 Central Coast Mariners [56]
17 FW Archie Thompson 23 October 1978 20 Melbourne Victory [57]
18 GK Željko Kalac 16 December 1972 52 A.C.Milan
19 FW Joshua Kennedy 20 August 1982 1 Dynamo Dresden [58]
20 MF Luke Wilkshire 2 October 1981 8 Bristol City
21 MF Mile Sterjovski 27 May 1979 22 Basel
22 DF Mark Milligan 4 August 1985 1 Sydney FC
23 MF Mark Bresciano 11 February 1980 24 Parma

[edit] Brazil
Head coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Dida 7 October 1973 86 Milan
2 DF Cafu (c) 7 June 1970 138 Milan
3 DF Lúcio 8 May 1978 50 Bayern München
4 DF Juan 1 February 1979 38 Bayer Leverkusen
5 MF Emerson 4 April 1976 70 Juventus
6 DF Roberto Carlos 10 April 1973 121 Real Madrid
7 FW Adriano 17 February 1982 32 Internazionale
8 MF Kaká 22 April 1982 38 Milan
9 FW Ronaldo 22 September 1976 92 Real Madrid
10 FW Ronaldinho 21 March 1980 63 Barcelona
11 MF Zé Roberto 6 July 1974 79 Bayern München [59]
12 GK Rogério Ceni 22 January 1973 15 São Paulo
13 DF Cicinho 24 June 1980 10 Real Madrid
14 DF Luisão 13 February 1981 19 Benfica
15 DF Cris 3 June 1977 16 Lyon
16 DF Gilberto 25 April 1976 9 Hertha Berlin
17 MF Gilberto Silva 7 October 1976 36 Arsenal
18 MF Mineiro 2 August 1975 2 São Paulo [60]
19 MF Juninho 30 January 1975 37 Lyon
20 MF Ricardinho 23 May 1976 19 Corinthians
21 FW Fred 3 October 1983 3 Lyon
22 GK Júlio César 3 September 1979 11 Internazionale
23 FW Robinho 25 January 1984 23 Real Madrid

[edit] Croatia
Head coach: Zlatko Kranjčar

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Stipe Pletikosa 8 January 1979 50 Shakhtar Donetsk [61]
2 MF Darijo Srna 1 May 1982 36 Shakhtar Donetsk
3 DF Josip Šimunić 18 February 1978 42 Hertha Berlin
4 DF Robert Kovač 6 April 1974 56 Juventus
5 DF Igor Tudor 16 April 1978 52 Juventus [62]
6 MF Jurica Vranješ 30 January 1980 24 Werder Bremen
7 DF Dario Šimić 12 November 1975 80 Milan
8 MF Marko Babić 28 January 1981 33 Bayer Leverkusen
9 FW Dado Pršo 5 November 1974 29 Rangers
10 MF Niko Kovač (c) 15 October 1971 58 Hertha Berlin[63]
11 DF Mario Tokić 23 June 1975 28 Austria Wien
12 GK Joey Didulica 14 October 1977 4 Austria Wien
13 DF Stjepan Tomas 6 March 1976 48 Galatasaray
14 MF Luka Modrić 9 September 1985 5 Dinamo Zagreb
15 MF Ivan Leko 7 February 1978 13 Club Brugge
16 MF Jerko Leko 9 April 1980 36 Dynamo Kyiv[64]
17 FW Ivan Klasnić 29 January 1980 20 Werder Bremen
18 FW Ivica Olić 14 September 1979 36 CSKA Moscow
19 MF Niko Kranjčar 13 August 1984 21 Hajduk Split
20 MF Anthony Šerić 15 January 1979 14 Panathinaikos
21 FW Boško Balaban 15 October 1978 27 Club Brugge
22 FW Ivan Bošnjak 6 February 1979 13 Dinamo Zagreb[65]
23 GK Tomislav Butina 30 March 1974 28 Club Brugge

[edit] Japan
Head coach: Zico

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Seigo Narazaki 15 April 1976 50 Nagoya Grampus Eight
2 DF Teruyuki Moniwa 8 September 1981 8 FC Tokyo
3 DF Yuichi Komano 25 July 1981 8 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
4 MF Yasuhito Endo 28 January 1980 40 Gamba Osaka
5 DF Tsuneyasu Miyamoto 7 February 1977 69 Gamba Osaka
6 DF Kōji Nakata 9 July 1979 55 Basel
7 MF Hidetoshi Nakata(c) 22 January 1977 74 Fiorentina [66]
8 MF Mitsuo Ogasawara 5 April 1979 51 Kashima Antlers
9 FW Naohiro Takahara 4 June 1979 41 Hamburger SV [67]
10 MF Shunsuke Nakamura 24 June 1978 60 Celtic
11 FW Seiichiro Maki 7 August 1980 10 JEF United Ichihara Chiba
12 GK Yoichi Doi 25 July 1973 4 FC Tokyo
13 FW Atsushi Yanagisawa 27 May 1977 56 Kashima Antlers
14 DF Alessandro dos Santos 20 July 1977 72 Urawa Red Diamonds
15 MF Takashi Fukunishi 1 September 1976 62 Júbilo Iwata
16 FW Masashi Oguro 4 May 1980 18 Grenoble
17 MF Junichi Inamoto 18 September 1979 63 West Bromwich Albion
18 MF Shinji Ono 27 September 1979 54 Urawa Red Diamonds
19 DF Keisuke Tsuboi 16 September 1979 33 Urawa Red Diamonds
20 FW Keiji Tamada 11 April 1980 39 Nagoya Grampus Eight
21 DF Akira Kaji 13 January 1980 43 Gamba Osaka
22 DF Yuji Nakazawa 25 February 1978 50 Yokohama F. Marinos
23 GK Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 15 August 1975 89 Júbilo Iwata

[edit] Group G

[edit] France
Head coach: Raymond Domenech

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Mickaël Landreau 14 May 1979 3 Nantes [68]
2 DF Jean-Alain Boumsong 14 December 1979 19 Newcastle United
3 DF Éric Abidal 11 July 1979 8 Lyon
4 MF Patrick Vieira 23 June 1976 87 Juventus
5 DF William Gallas 17 August 1977 40 Chelsea
6 MF Claude Makélélé 18 February 1973 43 Chelsea
7 MF Florent Malouda 13 June 1980 13 Lyon
8 MF Vikash Dhorasoo 10 October 1973 16 Paris Saint-Germain
9 FW Sidney Govou 27 July 1979 19 Lyon[69]
10 MF Zinedine Zidane (c) 23 June 1972 102 Real Madrid[70]
11 FW Sylvain Wiltord 10 May 1974 80 Lyon
12 FW Thierry Henry 17 August 1977 78 Arsenal
13 DF Mikael Silvestre 9 August 1977 39 Manchester United
14 FW Louis Saha 8 August 1978 9 Manchester United
15 DF Lilian Thuram 1 January 1972 114 Juventus
16 GK Fabien Barthez 28 June 1971 80 Marseille [71]
17 DF Gaël Givet 9 October 1981 11 Monaco
18 MF Alou Diarra 15 July 1981 9 Lens
19 DF Willy Sagnol 18 March 1977 38 Bayern München
20 FW David Trézéguet 15 October 1977 63 Juventus
21 DF Pascal Chimbonda 21 February 1979 1 Wigan Athletic
22 MF Franck Ribéry 1 April 1983 3 Marseille
23 GK Grégory Coupet 31 December 1972 18 Lyon

[edit] Korea Republic
Head coach: Dick Advocaat

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Lee Woon-Jae (c) 26 April 1973 97 Suwon Samsung Bluewings
2 DF Kim Young-Chul 30 June 1976 12 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
3 DF Kim Dong-Jin 29 January 1982 34 FC Seoul
4 DF Choi Jin-Cheul 26 March 1971 62 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
5 MF Kim Nam-Il 14 March 1977 66 Suwon Samsung Bluewings
6 DF Kim Jin-Kyu 16 February 1985 23 Júbilo Iwata
7 MF Park Ji-Sung 25 February 1981 60 Manchester United
8 MF Kim Doo-Hyun 14 July 1982 32 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
9 FW Ahn Jung-Hwan 27 January 1976 61 MSV Duisburg
10 FW Park Chu-Young 10 July 1985 18 FC Seoul
11 FW Seol Ki-Hyeon 8 January 1979 67 Wolverhampton Wanderers
12 DF Lee Young-Pyo 23 April 1977 85 Tottenham Hotspur
13 MF Lee Eul-Yong 23 April 1977 47 Trabzonspor
14 FW Lee Chun-Soo 9 July 1981 62 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
15 MF Baek Ji-Hoon 28 February 1985 12 FC Seoul
16 FW Chung Kyung-Ho 22 May 1980 40 Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix
17 MF Lee Ho 22 December 1984 11 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
18 MF Kim Sang-Sik 17 December 1976 42 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
19 FW Cho Jae-Jin 9 July 1981 21 Shimizu S-Pulse
20 GK Kim Yong-Dae 11 October 1979 15 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
21 GK Kim Young-Kwang 28 June 1983 6 Chunnam Dragons
22 DF Song Chong-Gug 20 February 1979 51 Suwon Samsung Bluewings
23 DF Cho Won-Hee 17 April 1983 13 Suwon Samsung Bluewings

[edit] Switzerland
Head coach: Köbi Kuhn

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Pascal Zuberbühler 8 January 1971 40 Basel
2 DF Johan Djourou 18 January 1987 2 Arsenal
3 DF Ludovic Magnin 20 April 1979 30 Stuttgart
4 DF Philippe Senderos 14 February 1985 12 Arsenal
5 MF Xavier Margairaz 17 January 1984 3 FC Zürich
6 MF Johann Vogel (c) 8 March 1977 85 Milan
7 MF Ricardo Cabanas 17 January 1979 37 FC Köln
8 MF Raphaël Wicky 26 April 1977 67 Hamburger SV
9 FW Alexander Frei 15 July 1979 45 Rennes [72]
10 MF Daniel Gygax 28 August 1981 22 Lille
11 FW Marco Streller 18 June 1981 10 FC Köln
12 GK Diego Benaglio 8 July 1983 1 Nacional
13 DF Stéphane Grichting 30 March 1979 6 Auxerre
14 MF David Degen 15 February 1983 3 Basel [73]
15 MF Blerim Džemaili 12 April 1986 3 FC Zürich
16 MF Tranquillo Barnetta 22 May 1985 13 Bayer Leverkusen
17 DF Christoph Spycher 30 March 1978 21 Eintracht Frankfurt
18 FW Mauro Lustrinelli 26 February 1976 5 Sparta Praha
19 MF Valon Behrami 19 April 1985 6 Lazio
20 DF Patrick Müller 17 December 1976 64 Lyon
21 GK Fabio Coltorti 3 December 1980 2 Grasshoppers
22 MF Hakan Yakın 22 February 1977 46 BSC Young Boys [74]
23 DF Philipp Degen 15 February 1983 15 Borussia Dortmund

[edit] Togo
Head coach: Otto Pfister[75]

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Ouro-Nimini Tchagnirou 31 December 1977 9 Djoliba
2 DF Daré Nibombé 16 June 1980 16 Mons
3 DF Jean-Paul Abalo (c) 26 June 1975 65 APOEL
4 FW Emmanuel Adebayor 16 February 1984 29 Arsenal
5 DF Massamasso Tchangai 8 August 1978 34 Benevento
6 MF Yao Aziawonou 30 November 1979 32 BSC Young Boys
7 FW Moustapha Salifou 1 June 1983 34 Brest
8 MF Kuami Agboh 28 December 1977 4 Beveren
9 MF Thomas Dossevi 6 March 1979 10 Valenciennes
10 MF Mamam Cherif Touré 13 January 1981 39 Metz
11 FW Robert Malm 21 August 1973 1 Brest
12 DF Éric Akoto 20 July 1980 32 Admira Wacker[76]
13 FW Richmond Forson 23 May 1980 8 Poiré
14 MF Adékambi Olufadé 7 January 1980 24 Al Siliyah
15 MF Alaixys Romao 18 January 1984 11 Louhans-Cuiseaux
16 GK Kossi Agassa 2 July 1978 49 Metz
17 FW Mohamed Kader 8 April 1979 46 Guingamp
18 MF Yao Junior Sènaya 19 April 1984 16 YF Juventus
19 DF Ludovic Assemoassa 18 September 1980 5 Ciudad de Murcia
20 DF Affo Erassa 19 February 1983 6 Clermont
21 MF Franck Atsou 1 August 1978 13 Al-Hilal [77]
22 GK Kodjovi Obilale 8 October 1984 0 Etoile Filante
23 DF Assimiou Touré 1 January 1988 1 Bayer Leverkusen

[edit] Group H

[edit] Saudi Arabia
Head coach: Marcos Paquetá

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Mohamed Al-Deayea 2 August 1972 181 Al-Hilal
2 DF Ahmed Dokhi 25 October 1976 68 Al-Ittihad
3 DF Redha Tukar 29 November 1975 37 Al-Ittihad
4 DF Hamad Al-Montashari 22 June 1982 32 Al-Ittihad
5 DF Naif Al-Qadi 3 April 1979 28 Al-Ahli
6 MF Omar Al-Ghamdi 11 April 1979 38 Al-Hilal
7 MF Mohammed Ameen 29 April 1980 16 Al-Ittihad
8 MF Mohammed Noor 26 February 1978 63 Al-Ittihad
9 FW Sami Al-Jaber (c) 11 December 1972 160 Al-Hilal
10 MF Mohammad Al-Shalhoub 8 December 1980 48 Al-Hilal
11 FW Saad Al-Harthi 3 February 1984 15 Al-Nasr
12 DF Abdulaziz Khathran 31 July 1973 19 Al-Hilal
13 DF Hussein Sulaimani 21 January 1977 97 Al-Ahli
14 MF Saud Khariri 8 July 1980 34 Al-Ittihad
15 DF Ahmed Al-Bahri 18 September 1980 11 Al-Ittifaq
16 MF Khaled Aziz 14 July 1981 14 Al-Hilal
17 FW Mohammad Al-Bishi 3 May 1987 0 Al-Ahli
18 MF Nawaf Al-Temyat 28 June 1976 56 Al-Hilal
19 DF Mohammad Massad 17 February 1983 5 Al-Ahli
20 FW Yasser Al-Qahtani 10 October 1982 45 Al-Hilal
21 GK Mabrouk Zaid 11 February 1979 33 Al-Ittihad
22 GK Mohammad Khouja 15 March 1982 8 Al-Shabab
23 FW Malek Mouath 10 August 1981 5 Al-Ahli

[edit] Spain
Head coach: Luis Aragonés

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Iker Casillas 20 May 1981 58 Real Madrid
2 DF Míchel Salgado 22 October 1975 50 Real Madrid
3 DF Mariano Pernía 4 May 1977 1 Getafe [78][79]
4 DF Carlos Marchena 31 July 1979 27 Valencia
5 DF Carles Puyol 13 April 1978 47 Barcelona
6 MF David Albelda 1 September 1977 33 Valencia
7 FW Raúl (c) 27 June 1977 95 Real Madrid
8 MF Xavi 25 January 1980 36 Barcelona
9 FW Fernando Torres 20 March 1984 30 Atlético Madrid
10 FW José Antonio Reyes 1 September 1983 19 Arsenal
11 MF Luis García 24 June 1978 10 Liverpool
12 DF Antonio López 13 September 1981 8 Atlético Madrid
13 MF Andrés Iniesta 11 May 1984 3 Barcelona
14 MF Xabi Alonso 25 November 1981 26 Liverpool
15 DF Sergio Ramos 30 March 1986 11 Real Madrid
16 MF Marcos Senna 17 July 1976 3 Villarreal
17 MF Joaquín 21 July 1981 38 Real Betis
18 MF Cesc Fàbregas 4 May 1987 4 Arsenal
19 GK Santiago Cañizares 18 December 1969 45 Valencia
20 DF Juanito 23 July 1976 15 Real Betis
21 FW David Villa 3 December 1981 8 Valencia
22 DF Pablo Ibáñez 3 August 1981 11 Atlético Madrid
23 GK José Manuel Reina 31 August 1982 3 Liverpool

[edit] Tunisia
Head coach: Roger Lemerre

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Ali Boumnijel 13 April 1966 48 Club Africain
2 FW Karim Essediri 29 July 1979 7 Rosenborg
3 DF Karim Haggui 21 January 1984 26 Strasbourg
4 DF Alaeddine Yahia 26 September 1981 13 Saint-Étienne
5 FW Ziad Jaziri 12 July 1978 61 Troyes
6 DF Hatem Trabelsi 25 January 1977 56 Ajax
7 FW Haykel Guemamdia 22 December 1981 13 Strasbourg [80]
8 MF Mehdi Nafti 28 November 1978 29 Birmingham City
9 FW Yassine Chikhaoui 2 September 1986 1 Étoile du Sahel
10 MF Kaies Ghodhbane 7 January 1976 89 Konyaspor
11 FW Francileudo Santos 20 March 1979 28 Toulouse
12 MF Jawhar Mnari 8 November 1976 37 Nürnberg
13 MF Riadh Bouazizi (c) 8 April 1973 85 Kayserispor
14 MF Adel Chedli 16 September 1976 38 Nürnberg
15 DF Radhi Jaïdi 30 August 1975 89 Bolton Wanderers
16 GK Adel Nefzi 16 March 1974 0 US Monastir
17 FW Chaouki Ben Saada 1 July 1984 11 Bastia [81]
18 DF David Jemmali 13 December 1974 2 Bordeaux
19 DF Anis Ayari 16 February 1982 24 Samsunspor
20 MF Hamed Namouchi 12 January 1984 14 Rangers
21 DF Karim Saidi 24 March 1983 15 Feyenoord[82]
22 GK Hamdi Kasraoui 18 January 1983 6 Espérance de Tunis
23 MF Sofiane Melliti 18 August 1978 14 Gaziantepspor

[edit] Ukraine
Head coach: Oleg Blokhin

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club
1 GK Oleksandr Shovkovskiy 2 January 1975 68 Dynamo Kyiv
2 DF Andriy Nesmachniy 28 February 1979 49 Dynamo Kyiv
3 DF Oleksandr Yatsenko 24 February 1985 1 FC Kharkiv [83]
4 MF Anatoliy Tymoschuk 30 March 1979 55 Shakhtar Donetsk
5 DF Volodymyr Yezerskiy 15 November 1976 24 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
6 DF Andriy Rusol 16 January 1983 23 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
7 FW Andriy Shevchenko (c) 29 September 1976 64 A.C. Milan [84]
8 MF Oleh Shelayev 5 November 1976 19 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
9 MF Oleh Husyev 25 April 1983 25 Dynamo Kyiv
10 FW Andriy Voronin 21 July 1979 32 Bayer Leverkusen
11 FW Serhiy Rebrov 6 March 1974 70 Dynamo Kyiv
12 GK Andriy Pyatov 28 June 1984 1 Vorskla Poltava
13 DF Dmytro Chygrynskiy 7 November 1986 0 Shakhtar Donetsk
14 MF Andriy Husin 11 December 1972 64 Krylya Sovetov
15 FW Artem Milevskiy 12 January 1985 0 Dynamo Kyiv
16 FW Andriy Vorobei 29 November 1978 53 Shakhtar Donetsk
17 DF Vladislav Vashchuk 2 January 1975 58 Dynamo Kyiv
18 MF Serhiy Nazarenko 16 February 1980 15 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
19 MF Maksym Kalynychenko 26 January 1979 21 Spartak Moscow
20 FW Oleksiy Byelik 15 February 1981 15 Shakhtar Donetsk
21 MF Ruslan Rotan 29 October 1981 19 Dynamo Kyiv
22 DF Vyacheslav Sviderskiy 1 January 1979 6 Shakhtar Donetsk [85]
23 GK Bohdan Shust 4 March 1986 2 Shakhtar Donetsk

[edit] Player representation by league
Country Players Percentage Outside national squad
Total 736
England 102 13.86% 81
Germany 74 10.05% 54
Italy 60 8.15% 37
France 58 7.89% 45
Spain 52 7.07% 35
Ukraine 25 3.40% 8
Netherlands 25 3.40% 11
Saudi Arabia 24 3.26% 1
Mexico 23 3.125% 4
Portugal 20 2.72% 12
Costa Rica 20 2.72% 0
Others 253 34.38%

The Italian and Saudi Arabian squads were made up entirely of players from the respective countries’ domestic leagues. The Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) squad was made up entirely of players employed by overseas clubs (in fact, only one of their players is employed on the African continent; the other 22 all play in Europe). Although Turkey, Scotland, and Russia failed to qualify for the finals, their domestic leagues were represented by 12, 11, and 10 players respectively: altogether, there were 48 national leagues who had players in the tournament.

[edit] Player representation by club
As of 2006-06-14.
Finalised clubs’ listing as per FIFA, excluding players on standby and loans.

Players Clubs
15 Arsenal
14 Chelsea
13 Milan
12 Juventus, Manchester United
11 Barcelona, Bayern München
10 Real Madrid, Lyon
9 Liverpool, Al-Hilal, Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Dynamo Kyiv,
8 Shakhtar Donetsk, Borussia Dortmund, Deportivo Saprissa, Internazionale, PSV Eindhoven, Hamburger SV, Valencia
7 Al-Ittihad, LDU Quito
6 Benfica, Atlético Madrid, Chivas, Basel, Werder Bremen
5 LD Alajuelense, AZ, Rennes, Roma, Stuttgart, Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, El Nacional, Red Star Belgrade

[edit] Footnotes
^ FIFA World Cup. Official FIFA World Cup website. Retrieved on May 24, 2006.
^ Borja will join Olympiacos after the tournament. Olympiacos sign Ecuador striker. uefa.com (1 May 2006). Retrieved on 18 June 2006.
^ Valencia was on loan to Recreativo Huelva in the run up to the tournament. Luis Valencia. Official FIFA World Cup website. Retrieved on 18 June 2006.
^ Reasco has agreed to join São Paulo after the tournament. Neicer Reasco. Official FIFA World Cup website. Retrieved on 18 June 2006.
^ Ballack has agreed to join Chelsea when his contract with Bayern Munich expires on July 1. Ballack cheered by Chelsea challenge. uefa.com (15 May 2006). Retrieved on 18 June 2006.
^ FC Köln chairman Wolfgang Overath has confirmed that Podolski will play for Bayern Munich in the upcoming season. Podolski ready to join Bayern. uefa.com (1 June 2006). Retrieved on 18 June 2006.
^ Kosowski was on loan to Southampton in the run-up to the tournament. He will become a free agent after the tournament. Kosowski wants last farewell. football.co.uk (25 April 2006). Retrieved on 18 June 2006.
^ Bak will become a free agent after the tournament.
^ Krzynówek will join Wolfsburg after the tournament. Leverkusen capture Swiss starlet. uefa.com (16 May 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Rasiak has spent the run-up of the World Cup on loan to Southampton, and will join the club permanently after the tournament Poland looking to add extra polish. uefa.com (2 May 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Żewłakow will join Olympiacos after the tournament. Iuliano returns to Italy. uefa.com (30 January 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Bosacki was called up after Damian Gorawski sustained an injury and had to withdraw from the squad Injuries spell late squad changes. Official FIFA World Cup website (8 June 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Bridge was on loan to Fulham in the run up to the tournament. Nélson fit for Mersey mission. uefa.com (2 March 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Carson has spent the run-up of the tournament on loan to Sheffield Wednesday. Scott Carson, Liverpool. The Football Association official website. Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Salvador Cabañas will join Club América (México) after the tournament. América returns to Houston. Chron.com (8 June 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Carlos Paredes will join Sporting after the tournament.
^ Nelson Valdez will join Borussia Dortmund after the tournament. Valdez delighted with Dortmund move. uefa.com (30 May 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Denis Caniza will join CF Atlas after the tournament.
^ Larsson has a pre-contract agreement with Helsingborg, and will join them after the tournament. Larsson looks to bow out in style. uefa.com (16 May 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Svensson has agreed to join Rangers after the tournament. Rangers move delights Svensson. uefa.com (26 May 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Källström has agreed to join Lyon after the tournament. Lyon land Swede Källström. uefa.com (27 May 2006). Retrieved on 21 June 2006.
^ Hislop will join Dallas FC after the tournamen.
^ Wrexham are a team from Wales who play in England’s football league. The flag of England is used for the purposes of official records as Wrexham are a team representing The Football Association.
^ Saviola was on loan to Sevilla in the run-up to the tournament
^ Scaloni was on loan to West Ham United in the run-up to the tournament
^ *Mirko Vučinić was forced to withdraw through injury on May 23. He was replaced by Dušan Petković on May 29 [1]. However, Petković, the son of team coach Ilija Petković, decided not to play in the World Cup, because of numerous accusations of nepotism in Serbian press and public. Petković left the training camp on June 6. [2]. Since there was no possibility for replacement, as there was no injury, Serbia and Montenegro national team is the only one in the World Cup to have only 22 players in the squad.
^ Vukić has spent the run up to the tournament on loan to Partizan
^ Ljuboja has spent the run up to the tournament on loan to VfB Stuttgart, and will join VfB Stuttgart permanently after the tournament.
^ Stojković has agreed to join Nantes after the tournament.
^ João Ricardo will become a free agent after the tournament
^ Akwá will become a free agent after the tournament
^ Marques has spent the run-up of the World Cup on loan to Hull City
^ Nekounam will join Osasuna after the tournament.
^ Salcido will join PSV Eindhoven after the tournament.
^ Osorio will join VfB Stuttgart after the tournament.
^ Pardo will join VfB Stuttgart after the tournament.
^ Borgetti will join Al Ittihad after the tournament.
^ Fonseca will join SL Benfica after the tournament.
^ Caneira has spent the run up to the tournament on loan to Sporting
^ Costinha will join Atlético Madrid after the tournament.
^ Maniche has spent the run up to the tournament on loan to Chelsea
^ Postiga has spent the run up to the tournament on loan to Saint-Étienne.
^ Galasek will join Nürnberg after the tournament.
^ Sionko will join Rangers F.C. on a Bosman transfer after the tournament.
^ Koller will join Monaco after the tournament.
^ Rosický will join Arsenal after the tournament.
^ Asamoah has spent the run up to the tournament on loan to Modena.
^ Dramani will join Gençlerbirliği after the tournament.
^ Grosso will join Internazionale after the tournament.
^ Howard will spend the 06/07 season on loan to Everton.
^ Albright was called up after an injury to Frankie Hejduk.
^ Berhalter, who will join 1860 Munich after the World Cup, was called up after an injury to Cory Gibbs.
^ Popovic’s Crystal Palace contract expires after the tournament, and his future will be decided between the end Australia’s tournament and the expiry date.
^ Skoko has spent the run-up of the tournament on loan to Stoke City.
^ Lazaridis will join Perth Glory FC after the tournament.
^ Beauchamp has agreed to join Nuremberg after the tournament.
^ Thompson has spent the run-up of the tournament on loan to PSV Eindhoven.
^ Kennedy has agreed to join Nuremberg after the tournament.
^ Zé Roberto will become a free agent after the tournament
^ Mineiro was called up after an injury to Edmilson
^ Pletikosa was on loan to Hajduk Split in the run-up to the tournament
^ Tudor was on loan to Siena in the run-up to the tournament
^ Niko Kovač will join Red Bull Salzburg after the tournament.
^ Jerko Leko will join Monaco after the tournament.
^ Ivan Bošnjak will join K.R.C. Genk after the tournament.
^ Nakata was on loan to Bolton in the run-up to the tournament.
^ Takahara has agreed to join Frankfurt after the World Cup.
^ Landreau has agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain after the tournament.
^ Govou was called up as a replacement for the injured Djibril Cissé.
^ Zidane will retire from football after the tournament.
^ Barthez will become a free agent after the tournament.
^ Frei will join Borussia Dortmund after the tournament.
^ David Degen will join Borussia Mönchengladbach after the tournament.
^ Yakin was called up after an injury to Johan Vonlanthen.
^ Disputes over the Togo players’ pay bonuses caused Pfister to walk out after Togo’s first match, but he returned before their second match. [3]
^ Akoto have not played for Admira Wacker since the end of 2005 due to a contract dispute, and spent the run up to the tournament training with Austrian club SV Schwechat.
^ Franck Atsou replaced Karim Guede
^ Asier Del Horno was originally named in the squad, but sustained an ankle injury in the build-up to the tournament. He was replaced by Pernía.
^ Pernía will join Atlético Madrid after the tournament.
^ Mehdi Meriah was originally named in the squad but sustained an injury in the week leading up to the tournament. He was replaced by Guemamdia.
^ Issam Jomaa was originally named in the squad but sustained an injury prior to the tournament. He was replaced by Ben Saada.
^ Karim Saidi has spent the run up to the tournament on loan to Lecce
^ Yatsenko was called up as a replacement for the injured Serhiy Fedorov.
^ Shevchenko will join Chelsea after the tournament.
^ Svydersky was on loan to Arsenal Kyiv in the run-up to the World Cup.

[edit] References
(English) Planet World Cup website
FIFA World Cup v • d • e
Uruguay 1930 | Italy 1934 | France 1938 | Brazil 1950 | Switzerland 1954 | Sweden 1958 | Chile 1962 | England 1966 | Mexico 1970 | West Germany 1974 | Argentina 1978 | Spain 1982 | Mexico 1986 | Italy 1990 | United States 1994 | France 1998 | Korea/Japan 2002 | Germany 2006 | South Africa 2010 | 2014 | 2018

Awards Goalscorers History
Hosts Mascots Qualification
Records Team apps Trophy

FIFA Women’s World Cup
China 1991 | Sweden 1995 | USA 1999 | USA 2003 | China 2007 | 2011

FIFA World Cup squads v • d • e
Uruguay 1930 | Italy 1934 | France 1938 | Brazil 1950 | Switzerland 1954 | Sweden 1958 | Chile 1962 | England 1966 | Mexico 1970 | West Germany 1974 | Argentina 1978 | Spain 1982 | Mexico 1986 | Italy 1990 | USA 1994 | France 1998 | Korea/Japan 2002 | Germany 2006

2006 FIFA World Cup stages v • d • e
Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E
Group F Group G Group H Knockout stage Final

2006 FIFA World Cup general information
Qualification Seeding Squads Schedule Discipline
Officials Controversies Broadcasting Sponsorship Miscellany

2006 FIFA World Cup finalists v • d • e
Champions: Italy

Runners-up: France

Third place: Germany

Fourth place: Portugal

Eliminated in Quarter-finals: Argentina | Brazil | England | Ukraine |

Eliminated in Round of 16: Australia | Ecuador | Ghana | Mexico | Netherlands | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland

Eliminated in Group Stage: Angola | Costa Rica | Côte d’Ivoire | Croatia | Czech Republic | Iran | Japan | Korea Republic | Paraguay | Poland | Saudi Arabia | Serbia & Montenegro | Togo | Trinidad and Tobago | Tunisia | United States

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup_squads”
Categories: 2006 FIFA World Cup related lists | FIFA World Cup squads

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UEFA Champions League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Uefa Champions League)• Ten things you may not know about images on Wikipedia •Jump to: navigation, search
“European Cup” redirects here. For other uses, see European Cup (disambiguation).
UEFA Champions League
2007-08 Champions League

Founded
1955
Continent
Europe (UEFA)
Number of teams
32 (Group Stage)
76 (total)
Current champions (2006-07)
AC Milan (7th time)
Most successful club
Real Madrid (9 times)
Website
UEFA Champions League
Television broadcasters
List of broadcasters
Motto
UEFA Champions League Hymn
The UEFA Champions League (also known as the European Cup, UCL, CE1, C1[1] or CL) is a seasonal club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 1955 for the most successful football clubs in Europe. The prize, the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, is considered the most prestigious club trophy in the sport.

The UEFA Champions League is separate from the less prestigious UEFA Cup and the defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.

The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds. The 16 surviving teams join 16 seeded teams in a group stage. Eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout rounds, which end with the final match in May.

The current holders of the UEFA Champions League trophy are AC Milan, who beat Liverpool FC 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece on 23 May 2007.

Moscow will host its first European Cup final for the 2007-08 season.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Qualification
3 The stages
4 Champions League finals
5 Records and statistics
6 Hymn
7 Financial
8 See also
9 References
10 External links

[edit] History
Main article: European Cup and Champions League history
The tournament was inaugurated in 1955, at the suggestion of the French sports journalist and editor of L’Équipe Gabriel Hanot,[2] as a continental competition for winners of the European national football leagues, as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, abbreviated to European Cup.

The competition began in 1955/56 using a two-leg knockout format where the teams would play two matches, one at home and one away, and the team with the highest overall score qualifying for the next round of the competition. Entry was restricted to the teams that won their national league championships, plus the current European Cup holder. This qualification system continued until 1992. In the 1992–93 season, the tournament was renamed to UEFA Champions League and eligibility was expanded to include not just domestic champions but also the best performing runners up according to UEFA’s coefficient ranking list[3]. In UEFA’s coefficient system, a team finishing second in the Spanish La Liga would be more deserving of an automatic place in the Champions League than a team finishing first in, for example, Polish Orange Ekstraklasa. As a result, the system was restructured to force “weaker” national champions to qualify for the group stages, while other, “stronger” national runners-up would automatically get places.

The competition system has been undergoing changes since the 1991/92 season (see history). The current system was adopted in 2003.

Between 1960 and 2004 the winner of the tournament qualified for the now defunct Intercontinental Cup (against the winner of the Copa Libertadores of South America). Since then, with FIFA taking over, the winner automatically qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup with other winners of continental club championships.

[edit] Qualification
See also: UEFA coefficients

The Champions League flag is shown on the centre of the pitch before every game in the competitionThe UEFA Champions league is open to the league champions of all UEFA member associations (except Liechtenstein, which has no league competition), as well as to the clubs finishing from second to fourth position in the strongest leagues. Since January 2007 the two lowest-ranked league competitions (currently the Andorra and San Marino leagues) can also represent their domestic champions in the Champions League.

The number of places in the competition depends on the association’s rank in the UEFA coefficients table:

associations ranked 1 to 3 have four positions,
associations ranked 4 to 6 have three positions,
associations ranked 7 to 15 have two positions,
associations ranked 16 or lower have one position.
An association’s rank also determines the stage at which the clubs enter the competition. For example, the three highest-ranked associations have two places in the group stage (for champions and runners-up) and two in the third qualifying round (for third and fourth-placed teams), whereas the lowest-ranked associations have only one place in the first qualifying round for their champions. Nine highest-ranked associations have at least one automatic place in the group stage.

An additional place in the group stage is reserved for the title-holders, in case they don’t qualify via their domestic league. However, an association is limited to sending at most four clubs for a season. This means that if the title-holders come from a league given four positions, but finish out of the top four, it will take the place of the fourth placed team. The fourth placed team will go to the UEFA Cup.

In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions league. To obtain a license, club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements.

There was controversy when Liverpool won the competition in 2004/2005, but finished outside the top four in the Premiership. The Football Association ruled that Everton F.C. (who finished fourth) would get the final spot. However, UEFA came to an agreement that both Merseyside rivals would be allowed to enter the competition with Liverpool starting from the first qualifying round and Everton starting from the third qualifying round. Liverpool became the first team to negotiate all three rounds of qualification and reach the Champions League group phase, a feat matched by Artmedia Bratislava of Slovakia in the same season.

FC Barcelona, Manchester United and FC Porto are the teams that have appeared most often in the group stages: thirteen each. However, each has won the Champions League only once since the group stage was established.

[edit] The stages
The tournament consists of several stages and begins with three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds. Different teams start in different rounds, according to their position in domestic league and the UEFA coefficients of their league, while the sixteen top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualify directly.

In the subsequent preliminary round, participating teams are paired, with aggregate winners proceeding into the next round. Qualifying rounds span from mid-July to late August. The losers of the third qualifying round are transferred to the UEFA Cup, while the sixteen winners of the final qualifying round are joined by the sixteen teams who have qualified directly, to participate in the group stage.

Teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams, each team playing every other team in the group twice (home and away). The group stage is played between mid-September and early December. The teams finishing third in their groups are transferred to the UEFA Cup, while the top two teams from every group qualify for the next round. Here the sixteen remaining teams take part in the knock-out stage, which starts in late February and ends with the final match in May.

All qualifying rounds and knock-out ties are two-legged, with each team hosting one match. The team which scores the greater aggregate number of goals qualifies for the next round. The away goals rule applies. Extra time and penalty kicks are used to determine the winner, if necessary. An exception is the final, which is a single match played at a predetermined venue.

The draws are currently structured to ensure that clubs representing the same national association cannot play each other until the quarter-finals. This rule however was lifted for Liverpools Entry in 2006, as England had 5 representatives in the competition. As a result Liverpool were drawn against Chelsea in the group stages. In addition, seeding of the teams according to their UEFA coefficients is used. The competition system has been undergoing changes since the 1991/92 season (see history). The current system was adopted in 2003.

[edit] Champions League finals
Main article: European Cup and Champions League finals
The Champions League final is the most important match of the season in European club football. The stadium to host the final is selected by UEFA two years before the match.

Season Winner Score Runner-up Venue
2008/09
Details To be played. Stadio Olimpico,
Rome
2007/08
Details To be played. Luzhniki Stadium,
Moscow
2006/07
Details AC Milan 2 - 1 Liverpool FC Olympic Stadium,
Athens
2005/06
Details FC Barcelona 2 - 1 Arsenal FC Stade de France,
Paris
2004/05
Details Liverpool FC 3 - 3 aet,
3-2 pen AC Milan Atatürk Olympic Stadium,
İstanbul
2003/04
Details FC Porto 3 - 0 AS Monaco FC Arena AufSchalke,
Gelsenkirchen
2002/03
Details AC Milan 0 - 0 aet,
3-2 pen Juventus FC Old Trafford,
Manchester

2001/02
Details Real Madrid CF 2 - 1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen Hampden Park,
Glasgow
2000/01
Details FC Bayern München 1 - 1 aet,
5-4 pen Valencia CF San Siro,
Milan
1999/2000
Details Real Madrid CF 3 - 0 Valencia CF Stade de France,
Paris
1998/99
Details Manchester United FC 2 - 1 FC Bayern München Camp Nou,
Barcelona
1997/98
Details Real Madrid CF 1 - 0 Juventus FC Amsterdam ArenA,
Amsterdam
1996/97
Details BV Borussia Dortmund 3 - 1 Juventus FC Olympiastadion,
Munich
1995/96
Details Juventus FC 1 - 1 aet,
4-2 pen AFC Ajax Stadio Olimpico,
Rome
1994/95
Details AFC Ajax 1 - 0 AC Milan Ernst Happel Stadium,
Vienna
1993/94
Details AC Milan 4 - 0 FC Barcelona Olympic Stadium Spiros Louis,
Athens
1992/93
Details Olympique de Marseille 1 - 0 AC Milan Olympiastadion,
Munich
1991/92
Details FC Barcelona 1 - 0 aet UC Sampdoria Wembley Stadium,
London
1990/91
Details FK Crvena Zvezda 0 - 0 aet,
5-3 pen Olympique de Marseille Stadio San Nicola,
Bari
1989/90
Details AC Milan 1 - 0 SL Benfica Prater Stadium,
Vienna
1988/89
Details AC Milan 4 - 0 FC Steaua Bucureşti Camp Nou,
Barcelona
1987/88
Details PSV Eindhoven 0 - 0 aet,
6-5 pen SL Benfica Neckarstadion,
Stuttgart
1986/87
Details FC Porto 2 - 1 FC Bayern München Prater Stadium,
Vienna
1985/86
Details FC Steaua Bucureşti 0 - 0 aet,
2-0 pen FC Barcelona Sánchez Pizjuán,
Seville
1984/85
Details Juventus FC 1 - 0
(see: Heysel tragedy) Liverpool FC Heysel Stadium,
Brussels
1983/84
Details Liverpool FC 1 - 1 aet,
4-2 pen AS Roma Stadio Olimpico,
Rome
1982/83
Details Hamburger SV 1 - 0 Juventus FC Olympic Stadium Spiros Louis,
Athens
1981/82
Details Aston Villa FC 1 - 0 FC Bayern München De Kuip,
Rotterdam
1980/81
Details Liverpool FC 1 - 0 Real Madrid CF Parc des Princes,
Paris
1979/80
Details Nottingham Forest FC 1 - 0 Hamburger SV Santiago Bernabéu,
Madrid
1978/79
Details Nottingham Forest FC 1 - 0 Malmö FF Olympiastadion,
Munich
1977/78
Details Liverpool FC 1 - 0 Club Brugge KV Wembley Stadium,
London
1976/77
Details Liverpool FC 3 - 1 Borussia Mönchengladbach Stadio Olimpico,
Rome
1975/76
Details FC Bayern München 1 - 0 AS Saint-Étienne Hampden Park,
Glasgow
1974/75
Details FC Bayern München 2 - 0 Leeds United AFC Parc des Princes,
Paris
1973/74
Details FC Bayern München 1 - 1 aet,
4 - 0 (replay) Atlético de Madrid Heysel Stadium,
Brussels
1972/73
Details AFC Ajax 1 - 0 Juventus FC Crvena Zvezda Stadium,
Belgrade
1971/72
Details AFC Ajax 2 - 0 FC Internazionale De Kuip,
Rotterdam
1970/71
Details AFC Ajax 2 - 0 Panathinaikos FC Wembley Stadium,
London
1969/70
Details Feyenoord 2 - 1 aet Celtic FC San Siro,
Milan
1968/69
Details AC Milan 4 - 1 AFC Ajax Santiago Bernabéu,
Madrid
1967/68
Details Manchester United FC 4 - 1 aet SL Benfica Wembley Stadium,
London
1966/67
Details Celtic FC 2 - 1 FC Internazionale Estádio Nacional,
Oeiras
1965/66
Details Real Madrid CF 2 - 1 FK Partizan Heysel Stadium,
Brussels
1964/65
Details FC Internazionale 1 - 0 SL Benfica San Siro,
Milan
1963/64
Details FC Internazionale 3 - 1 Real Madrid CF Prater Stadium,
Vienna
1962/63
Details AC Milan 2 - 1 SL Benfica Wembley Stadium,
London
1961/62
Details SL Benfica 5 - 3 Real Madrid CF Olympisch Stadion,
Amsterdam
1960/61
Details SL Benfica 3 - 2 CF Barcelona Wankdorf Stadium,
Berne
1959/60
Details Real Madrid CF 7 - 3 Eintracht Frankfurt Hampden Park,
Glasgow
1958/59
Details Real Madrid CF 2 - 0 Stade de Reims-Champagne Neckarstadion,
Stuttgart
1957/58
Details Real Madrid CF 3 - 2 aet AC Milan Heysel Stadium,
Brussels
1956/57
Details Real Madrid CF 2 - 0 AC Fiorentina Santiago Bernabéu,
Madrid
1955/56
Details Real Madrid CF 4 - 3 Stade de Reims-Champagne Parc des Princes,
Paris

The winning club gets possession of the trophy at the awards ceremony, but must return it to UEFA headquarters two months before the following year’s final. UEFA gives the winners a scaled-down replica of the trophy to keep permanently, and winning clubs are free to make replicas of the trophy as long as they are clearly marked as replicas and are no larger than 80% of the size of the actual trophy. However, the current competition rules also specify that the actual trophy will be permanently awarded to a team that wins three consecutive years or five times in all.[4]

Five clubs have been awarded the UEFA badge of honour and the right to keep the trophy permanently:

Real Madrid, who won the first five competitions from 1956 to 1960, and again in 1966, 1998, 2000 and 2002.
Ajax, who won consecutively in 1971–1973, and again in 1995.
Bayern Munich, who won consecutively in 1974–1976, and again in 2001.
AC Milan, who won for the fifth time in 1994, and again in 2003 and 2007 .
Liverpool, whose 2005 win was their fifth overall.
The first European Cup/UEFA Champions League final to be competed between two clubs from the same country was in 2000, when Spanish giants Real Madrid and Valencia reached the final. This was followed in 2003 when Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus FC reached the final, making it only two intra-national finals since its inception in 1955.

[edit] Records and statistics
Main article: European Cup and Champions League records and statistics

[edit] Hymn

The UEFA Champions League Cup before the final 2002 in GlasgowThe UEFA Champions League Anthem, officially titled simply as “Champions League”, is an arrangement by Tony Britten of Georg Frideric Handel’s “Zadok the Priest” from the Coronation Anthems. UEFA commissioned Britten in 1992 to arrange their hymn, and the piece was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chorus in the three official languages used by UEFA: English, German, and French. The hymn’s chorus is played before each UEFA Champions League game, as well as at the beginning and end of television broadcasts of the matches. The complete hymn is about three minutes long, and has two short verses and the chorus. The hymn has never been released commercially in its original version. However, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chorus can be heard singing the original “Zadok the Priest” on the 2002 album “World Soccer Anthems”. Additionally, Polish trance/dance duo Kalwi & Remi released a remixed version entitled “Victory”, which contains vocal and musical interpolations from the original, in late 2006. The only other version of the anthem available is a full piano version on YouTube.

[edit] Financial
UEFA Champions League is a highly profitable competition for the clubs that reach the group stage. UEFA distributes part of the revenue obtained from television deals between these clubs. For example, the payments for the 2004/05 competition ranged from €3.8m (Sparta Prague) to €30.6 million (Liverpool).[5] UEFA estimates the amount of money to be given to the 32 participants of the 2005/06 group stage at €430 million.[6] Clubs make additional money from ticket sales, corporate hospitality, merchandising and so on.

[edit] See also
European Cup and Champions League history
European Cup and Champions League finals
European Cup and Champions League records and statistics
List of UEFA Champions League winning players
UEFA Super Cup
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup
UEFA Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Club Football Awards
UEFA Team of the Year
European football records
G-14
UEFA Champions League 2006/2007 Games

[edit] References
^ The terms CE1 and C1, which mean: “European Cup 1″, are rarely used in English, however they exist and are commonly used in many other countries.
^ Matthew Spiro (2006-05-12). Hats off to Hanot (English). UEFA.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-10.
^ http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/format/index.html
^ Regulations for the UEFA Champions League 2006/07 (PDF) (English). UEFA. Retrieved on 2006-07-10.
^ UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - DISTRIBUTION 2002/2003 (PDF) (English). UEFA. Retrieved on 2006-07-10.
^ Higher Champions League revenue (English). UEFA.com (2005-09-26). Retrieved on 2006-07-10.

[edit] External links
UEFA Official Site
MP3 of the UEFA Champions League Music
The only cover of the ‘UEFA Champions League Music
RSSSF European Cups Archive
UEFA European Cup Football - independent site with regularly updated statistics including club and country rankings, tournament seedings, and match results.
European Cup History
European Cup Seasons v • d • e
1955-56 | 1956-57 | 1957-58 | 1958-59 | 1959-60 | 1960-61 | 1961-62 | 1962-63 | 1963-64 | 1964-65 1965-66 | 1966-67 | 1967-68 | 1968-69 | 1969-70 | 1970-71 | 1971-72 | 1972-73 | 1973-74 | 1974-75 1975-76 | 1976-77 | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 | 1980-81 | 1981-82 | 1982-83 | 1983-84 | 1984-85 1985-86 | 1986-87 | 1987-88 | 1988-89 | 1989-90 | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | Champions League |

UEFA Champions League seasons v • d • e
European Cup | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00
2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |

European Cup and UEFA Champions League Finals v • d • e
1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965
1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985
1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995
1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009

International club football v • d • e
FIFA | Club World Cup | Intercontinental Cup (defunct) | CWC/IC statistics | Player of the Year | Teams

Asia: AFC – Champions League
Africa: CAF – Champions League
North America: CONCACAF – Champions’ Cup
South America: CONMEBOL – Copa Libertadores
Oceania: OFC – Champions League
Europe: UEFA – Champions League

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League”
Categories: UEFA Champions League | UEFA competitions | International club football (soccer) competitions | European football (soccer) competitions | 1955 establishments

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AFC Ajax
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Learn more about using Wikipedia for research •Jump to: navigation, search
Ajax

Full name Amsterdamsche
Football Club Ajax NV
Nickname(s) Godenzonen (Sons of the Gods)
Joden (Jews)
Neuzen (Noses)
Founded March 18, 1900
Ground Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam
Capacity 51,628 [1]
Chairman John Jaakke
Manager Adrie Koster
League Eredivisie
2006-07 Eredivisie, 2nd

　
Home colours

　
Away colours

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (Euronext: AJAX), also referred to as AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax, is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. The club is historically one of the three clubs that dominate the Dutch national football league (Eredivisie), the other two being Feyenoord and PSV.

Ajax is one of the five teams that has earned the right to keep the European Cup; they won consecutively in 1971-1973. In 1972, they completed The Treble by winning the Dutch Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup; to date they are the only team to keep the European Cup and accomplish the European Treble , also AFC Ajax are one of the only two teams (with Manchester United in 1999) to win the The Treble and the Intercontinental Cup in the same season/calender year, this was achieved in the legendary 1971/72 season [2]. They are also one of only three clubs (with Juventus and Bayern Munich) to have won all three major European trophies at least once (the European Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup). They were the first team to win what has become the UEFA Intertoto Cup [3]. Ajax has also won the Intercontinental Cup twice.

Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Professional football and the road to the top
1.2 Gloria Ajax
1.3 The 1st Renaissance
1.4 Recent events
2 Youth program
3 Rivalry
4 Satellite clubs
5 Logo
6 Colors
7 Stadium
8 Supporters
8.1 References to Judaism
9 Players and managers
9.1 Current squad
9.2 Notable Ajax players
9.2.1 Notable professional Ajax players (1954-present)
9.2.2 Notable non-professional Ajax players (1900-1954)
9.3 List of Ajax managers
9.4 Number 14
10 Honours
10.1 Official trophies (recognized by UEFA and FIFA)
10.1.1 National
10.1.2 International
10.2 Other trophies
11 See also
12 References
13 Bibliography
14 External links

[edit] History
The club was founded in Amsterdam on March 18, 1900 by Floris Stempel, Carel Reeser and the brothers Han and Johan Dade. It was the second incarnation, after a short-lived previous attempt (as the Footh-Ball Club Ajax) in 1894.

After several years, Ajax succeeded in promotion to the highest level of football in 1911, under the guidance of Jack Kirwan (their first official coach). Besides the achievement itself, this year turned out to be another historical milestone: due to the fact that Sparta Rotterdam (a respected and successful football club in those days) already wore the jersey with the vertical red and white stripes, Ajax was prompted to alter its own design with the famous red-and-white combination that they have donned as their home outfit until this day.

Although their efforts were not unnoticed (Gé Fortgens became a frequent member of the Dutch national team for a while) they were relegated in 1914. While they immediately bounced back, they had to wait until 1917 to regain higher level status again: they did become league champions in both 1915 and 1916, however the 1915 league was declared unofficial (due to World War I), whereas in 1916 they did not make it through the promotion round.

Under the guidance of Jack Reynolds (Kirwan’s successor as of 1915) the club promoted to the highest level in 1917 and won the Dutch national cup final - defeating VSV with 5-0. Ajax went on to win their first national championship in 1918.

The championship was secured in Tilburg (where they faced Willem II in the league), though not without some consternation: Jan de Natris, arguably the club’s first ’star player’, missed the train to Tilburg and opted to stay in Amsterdam instead - earning him a fine of 10 cents. In the following season he even earned a six month ban, but Ajax did well in his absence: not only did they retain the championship title, their 1919 campaign was also an unbeaten run for them - an accomplishment that was only repeated 76 years later by Ajax themselves.

Now a regular contender for the Western Regional championship in the Netherlands, Ajax marched through the twenties with regional titles in 1921, 1927 and 1928, next to a few minor cups. The 1930s would prove to be more successful however; with household names as Wim Anderiesen Sr., Dolf van Kol, Piet Strijbosch, Wim Volkers, Jan van Diepenbeek, Bob ten Have, Erwin van Wijngaarden and prolific striker Piet van Reenen, Ajax’ period from the late twenties until World War II was so successful that many people dubbed it ‘the golden century’ (a pun on the 17th century, the heyday of the Dutch Republic

With no less than six regional titles (1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939) and 5 national championships (1931, 1932, 1934, 1937, 1939) Ajax was the most successful team of that era. The thirties were also notable for the final culmination of the rivalry with Feyenoord, another squad that earned many awards in that time, as well as the creation of the stadium ‘het Ajax-Stadion’ dubbed ‘De Meer’ (named after the borough of its residence). Until the emergence of the Amsterdam ArenA in 1996, this was Ajax’ home ground (alongside the Olympic Stadium for matches of greater notoriety).

As of the 1940’s, perhaps in line with Jack Reynolds’ retirement (he had stayed - save for a few spells of absence - on for the entire time as Ajax’ manager since his entry in 1915), Ajax went through a period of recuperation. Except for Gerrit Fischer and Erwin van Wijngaarden, Ajax got a complete make-over. Now with Joop Stoffelen, Guus Dräger, Gé van Dijk, Jan Potharst and later Rinus Michels and Cor van der Hart as the new icons, Ajax managed to keep its name among the greatest in the Dutch national league. After a Cup Final victory in 1943, Ajax went on to finish second in the championship league in 1946 (behind HFC Haarlem followed by a number one finish in 1947.

They became regional champions in 1950 again, though they never came near winning the championship. Nevertheless, their performance was not an anonymous one, as this contained the famous match against Heerenveen. In that match Ajax were completely overthrown by Heerenveen in the later phase of the match, not even able to maintain a lead with a 1-5 score (the match ended 6-5 in favor of the Frisian side). In March 1941 Ajax performed the opposite: after being 6-0 behind to VUC in The Hague they managed to pull out a draw in the end (6-6).

Until 1954, the year that professional football was introduced in the Netherlands, Ajax had some minor successes, with the regional title in 1952 and a second place in the regional championship in 1954 (equalling in points with fellow Amsterdam club DWS).

[edit] Professional football and the road to the top
While professional football was finally permitted in the Netherlands, Ajax was still far from the international top, as was demonstrated in the European Cup match against Vasas SC, where they overthrown by the Hungarians 4-0 in the Népstadion). Similar disappointing international knock-outs followed in 1960 (by the Norwegian amateurs of Fredrikstad FK, and, in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961 against the Újpesti Dózsa of Ferenc Bene.

But they did fairly well on national level, earning the first Eredivisie-championship in 1957 and again in 1960. Especially that last title became memorable because of the way it was won; after equalling in points with arch-rivals Feyenoord a decisive match had to be played between the two contenders. Ajax cruised to a 5-1 victory with striker Wim Bleijenberg getting his name on the score sheet in threefold.

Bleijenberg was not the great striker of that time however, that title belonged to Henk Groot (although his older brother Cees Groot also scored a 100 goals for Ajax in his 5 year stay.). Arriving in 1959 from Stormvogels he immediately went on a scoring spree, scoring 38 goals in 1959/60 and 41 goals in 1960/61. He was a vital part of the Ajax in the early sixties, virtually replacing Piet van der Kuil (the star in the late fifties, who left to PSV in 1960) as the new ‘man of the hour’. Alongside the man who would later become Mister Ajax, Sjaak Swart, Co Prins, Ton Pronk, Bennie Muller and a young Piet Keizer Ajax added the National Cup in 1961 and the Intertoto Cup 1962 to their trophy cabinet.

After missing the championship after a 5-2 defeat against PSV in 1963, Ajax went descendo in the national competition. Henk Groot left to Feyenoord that summer, and in 1964/65 it went so bad that they were near direct relegation. Things would turn for the better though, especially after former player Rinus Michels replaced Vic Buckingham as the head manager. Ajax managed to secure a midtable spot under Michels, but Buckingham’s second tenure was not a complete disappointment as he was the first coach to introduce Johan Cruijff (during the 3-1 loss at GVAV).

Michels started a revolution in Amsterdam, beginning with the return of Henk Groot and Co Prins, as well as the installment of Gert Bals as the new first goalie. Taking delicate steps on the way to the ‘total football’ that Michels envisioned, he showed no mercy in sacrificing players who he considered not to be good enough. Most notable example of this was defender Frits Soetekouw (who was replaced by Ajax’ new leader Velibor Vasović), whose own goal aided to the victory of Dukla Prague in the quarter-final of the European Cup in 1966/67, after Ajax had knocked out Beşiktaş and defeated Liverpool with 5-1.

Ajax sealed their second consecutive championship in 1967. Not as dominant as the previous year, but with a seemingly unstoppable offensive side: they scored no less than 122 goals (still a national record), of which 33 were from Johan Cruijff, at 20 years old already the star player. It was also the season for another important milestone: for the first time in history, Ajax won the double (after defeating NAC in the cup final).

It earned them a European Cup match-up against Real Madrid in the next season, providing them an even greater reputation than they had last year. However, after two 1-1 draws, Ignacio Zoco scored the winner for Los Merengues in extra time.

Ajax won the Dutch title of 1968 (after Feyenoord had led the league for a long while) and reached the European Cup final of 1969 in Madrid. Getting there proved to be quite difficult though. After deafeating FC Nürnberg in the first round, they were almost knocked out by Benfica in the second one, losing 3-1 to them in Amsterdam. Thanks to an amazing comeback, given shape by goals of Inge Danielsson and Johan Cruijff, Ajax returned their favour in Lisbon and knocked the Portuguese champions out in a decisive match played in Paris (3-0). They repeated this score against the next opponent, Spartak Trnava, but barely survived in the away match.

Keeping the score at 2-0, Ajax went on to be AC Milan’s opponent in the final. The Italians, lauded for their excellent defense and counter-attacks, waltzed over them with ease. Pierino Prati opened the score after 7 minutes and went on to become the man of match with three goals, while Velibor Vasović was the only Ajax player to get one back at Milan by scoring a penalty. Thanks to Milan-striker Angelo Sormani the game ended in 4-1.

[edit] Gloria Ajax
As of the new season, Ajax’ primary team was renewed. Among the new additions were national top scorer Dick van Dijk and midfielders Gerrie Mühren and Nico Rijnders, while second team player Ruud Krol was promoted to the first eleven. They replaced Klaas Nuninga, Inge Danielsson, Theo van Duijvenbode (all sold to other clubs) and Henk Groot (quit football after an injury while playing against Poland, while Ton Pronk and Bennie Muller were no longer as frequently in the first XI after many years of service.

With a refreshed selection, Ajax went for another attempt to win the European Cup. They had lost the Eredivisie title to Feyenoord last season, but conquering this season’s title proved to be an easy task, winning 27 out of 34 games by scoring exactly 100 goals. For a long while Feyenoord stayed close to the men from Amsterdam, but they had to settle for a second place. In the end both clubs could bring a cup home: Ajax won the Eredivisie title while Feyenoord won the European Cup.

After Ajax reached the semi-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 (being knocked out by Arsenal after defeating Hannover 96, Napoli, Ruch Chorzów and Carl Zeiss Jena), 1971 became the long awaited year of glory. For a long while Ajax seemed to be on their way to the treble (a feat only previously performed by Celtic in 1967) if it weren’t for the longer breath that Feyenoord had in the competition. The national cup stayed in Ajax’ hands however (won after a double final against Sparta).

Ajax had defeated (17 Nëntori, FC Basel, Celtic and Atlético Madrid en route to the 1971 European Cup final played at Wembley on June 2. There, 83,000 spectators witnessed how Dick van Dijk opened the score against Panathinaikos. Ajax scored another goal in the dying minutes of the game when Arie Haan’s shot was deflected by defender Kapsis.

Wrapping things up with a 2-0 score, team captain Vasović could finally lift the European Cup (losing the final in 1966 with FK Partizan and again in 1969), showing it later to the crowd that was celebrating on the streets of Amsterdam.

In the following years Ajax established itself as the new ruler of Europe. Staff and team changes could not discourage the team’s power. Whether it was Stefan Kovacs replacing coach Michels in 1971, Rijnders and Vasović’ departure in the same year, Van Dijk’s departure in 1972 - it seemed like nothing could stop them. Perhaps the greatest example of this was their performance chart of 1972, winning all the of the competitions that they participated in (European Cup, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, National Championship and the KNVB Cup), an achievement never shown again by any other club. And 1973 seemed like a simple continuation of that situation, securing themselves of yet another Dutch championship and moreover, the third consecutive European Cup.

It all started to fall apart when Johan Cruijff left the gang for Barcelona in 1973, effectively ending the reign of the ‘Twelve Apostles’ (The usual line-up Heinz Stuy - Wim Suurbier, Barry Hulshoff, Horst Blankenburg, Ruud Krol - Arie Haan, Johan Neeskens, Gerrie Mühren - Sjaak Swart, Johan Cruijff, Keizer plus the usual twelfth man which was Ruud Suurendonk until 1972 and then Johnny Rep). Were clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Internazionale, Arsenal, Juventus and Independiente not too big of an obstacle until then, they could not get past CSKA Sofia in late ‘73. With the European Super Cup of ‘73 as a consolation prize, Ajax had to wait for a couple of decades for another era of European success.

Nevertheless, the ‘total football’ that they had propagated became a lasting memory for many football fans, also because of the great performance of the Dutch national team on the following World Cup - using similar tactics. Manager Tomislav Ivić would later dub the era ‘Gloria Ajax’, illustrating the impact of their years at the top.

[edit] The 1st Renaissance
That same Ivić coached Ajax to their first championship after their heyday, in 1977. After that year Ajax resumed to frequently winning national honours, though impressive international performances were sparse. An unfortunate knock-out against Juventus in the quarterfinal of the European Cup in 1978 and a European Cup semifinal in 1980 (KO by Nottingham Forest) was all that Ajax could do until the late eighties. Especially the run between 1980 and 1986 was disappointing, not getting past the second round for six years in a row. 1987 would become the turning point however, in two different ways.

Until then there was rarely something to complain on national level (although the club went through a period of several internal conflicts) as they won 5 championships after ‘77 as well as 4 cups. Johan Cruijff even came back in 1981, giving the talented youngsters Wim Kieft, John van ‘t Schip, Marco van Basten, Gerald Vanenburg, Jesper Olsen and Frank Rijkaard - Ajax’s trademark players of the 80’s - some guidance. After leaving the club in ‘83 (after a conflict with president Harmsen) for Feyenoord, he returned once again in 1985 as the new manager.

Cruijff’s offensive tactics are immediately illustrated in his first active season, when Ajax ends the season with 120 goals in total on the scoresheet, of which 37 were from Ajax’ new great star, forward Marco van Basten. It was not enough to retain the championship however, losing for two years in a row to PSV.

Despite the lack of a championship Cruijff’s Ajax did bring a European Cup back to Amsterdam. Following the victory against Lokomotive Leipzig, they could once again celebrate on the balcony on the Leidseplein, this time to show Amsterdam the ‘87 Cup Winners Cup. They got close to winning it in the consecutive year, but KV Mechelen proved to be too strong in the final which Ajax ended with 10 men.

By that time Cruijff was already gone, as a result of the declining results in the national league. With most of the 80’s stars also departed, Ajax continued to compete for the title with PSV in the next years, usually ending in favour of the latter party. Other negative aspects of the period 1988-1991 was the fraud-case in 1989, as well as the European suspension after a hooligan threw a bar at the goalie of Austria Wien in a UEFA-Cup match in the same year.

Things seemed to clear up a bit later that year, as they even went on to win the championship race with PSV for a change in 1990, and came shy of two goals in 1991 for a back-to-back run.

Early in the next season, the coach under whom the abovementioned was achieved left; lured by his former club, Leo Beenhakker went back to Real Madrid. His successor was Louis van Gaal, the former assistant-coach. Like Cruijff, Van Gaal rapidly made his mark by altering Ajax’ tactics. Also like Cruijff his efforts were rewarded in his first season at the helm, by winning the UEFA Cup after a thrilling final against AC Torino. Although he did not play the last game of the final, Europe had also definitely met the skills of Ajax’ most talented player: Dennis Bergkamp, who had contributed six goals on the road to their victory.

In the Netherlands, Bergkamp had already won 2 consecutive topscorer titles (1991, 1992) but once again the Eredivisie title had to be left for PSV to take. In 1992/93 Ajax even had to settle for a third spot in the final ranking (for first time since 1984), somewhat making up for it by winning the national cup.

It turned out to be the last award that Bergkamp would win with Ajax, as he and buddy Wim Jonk left to Internazionale. His loss was quickly forgotten by an excellent performance of Jari Litmanen on his position, establishing himself as the new number 10 of Ajax. Aside from Litmanen, Ajax attracted Finidi George and the returned Frank Rijkaard, providing the base for van Gaal to build on.

They won the national title of 1994, followed by a Champions league victory in 1995. Preceded by an unbeaten run in the national league to take the title of 1995, the season was a memorable way for Rijkaard to end his playing career, while striker Patrick Kluivert had an excellent start to his, with the then 18-year-old coming off the bench to score a late winner to beat AC Milan in the final of the Champions League. Ajax went on to beat Brazilian side Grêmio on penalties to win the unofficial World Club Cup — the Intercontinental Cup, also known as the Toyota Cup.

The following season, Ajax continued to succeed on the European front, succumbing only to Juventus on penalties in the final. Van Gaal’s success came to an end in 1997, and he duly parted ways with the Amsterdam club.

Danish coach Morten Olsen was brought in. He attracted Danish national team captain Michael Laudrup to the club, and together they won the Double of league championship and the Dutch cup. In his second year at the club, tension arose between Olsen and the Dutch players Ronald de Boer and Frank de Boer, and Olsen was sacked in 1998.

Soon all the team’s young stars that had heralded the Ajax Renaissance were gone — Clarence Seedorf in 1995 Edgar Davids, Michael Reiziger, Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu in 1996 Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and Winston Bogarde in 1997 Ronald de Boer and Frank de Boer in 1998 and Edwin van der Sar and Jari Litmanen in 1999, together with the retirment of Frank Rijkaard in 1995 and Danny Blind in 1999 every key player of the fabulous 1994/1995 team left Amsterdam; together with the departure of the technical team and the change of homeground from De Meer to the Amsterdam ArenA and the fact that the football club went public by going to the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the AEX it signaled the end of an era for the club.

[edit] Recent events
Since the success with the 1995 Champions league, Ajax have struggled to rediscover their European form. The only minor encouragement came in the 2002/03 season. Led by captain Cristian Chivu, Rafael van der Vaart, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Mido and the return of a legend in Jari Litmanen, manager Ronald Koeman guided a new crop of talent to within seconds of the Champions League semifinal. Ajax surged through to the quarterfinal of the Champions League, getting past two group stages that contained a number of European heavyweights including Inter, Lyon, Valencia, Roma, and Arsenal. Facing AC Milan in the quarterfinals, Ajax held their own against the Rossoneri, but were finally undone by a last-gasp winner in the dying seconds of the second-leg encounter at the San Siro.

Ajax in a match against NEC in the Amsterdam ArenA in 2006Koeman’s early success was short-lived. In 2005, he resigned after Ajax’ defeat to Auxerre in the UEFA Cup tournament. This resignation was also the aftermath of Koeman’s long-standing spat with then football director Louis van Gaal who had questioned Koeman’s managerial abilities after Ajax’ dry spell in the domestic league — which saw them languishing in fifth position at the beginning of 2005. Former Ajax-player Danny Blind, who, aside from working as Koeman’s technical coach and advisor, had virtually no top-level manager experience, was unveiled as their new coach. Blind instantly caused consternation by announcing that the club was to play using a 4-4-2, abandoning the Total Football-oriented 4-3-3 that has become Ajax’ trademark. This season also saw the departure of key players Rafael van der Vaart and Nigel de Jong to Hamburger SV, while six others (Hatem Trabelsi, Tomáš Galásek, Hans Vonk, Nourdin Boukhari, Steven Pienaar and Maxwell) revealed they would leave the club at the end of the 2005-2006 season. Blind was sacked on May 10, 2006 after 422 days in charge. New coach Henk ten Cate, who won the Champions League and La Liga in 2006 as the assistant of Frank Rijkaard with FC Barcelona gave youngsters a shot to enter the selection of the first team. Ten Cate said youngsters Jan Vertonghen, Rydell Poepon and Robbert Schilder would be included in the selection, whereas Greek forward Angelos Charisteas was sold to Feyenoord. Ten Cate announced that he wished to return to form and win the Eredivisie in 2007.

Ajax missed out on a Champions League place in 2006/2007 after their defeat against FC Copenhagen (3-2 on aggregate). As a result, Ajax played against IK Start from Norway in the first round of the UEFA Cup September 14 and 28, and won the match 9-2 on aggregate (2-5 away and 4-0 home). Having then gotten through the Group Stage, they drew German club Werder Bremen in the Round of 32. In the first leg in Germany, Ajax lost 3-0. On the return leg in Amsterdam, they rallied for two second half goals to win 3-1, but lost 4-3 in aggregate.

In the 2006-07 season Ajax also achieved some successes with Henk ten Cate in charge. They won the Johan Cruijff Shield after a 3-1 win over rivals PSV and they also beat AZ 8-9 on penalties in the Dutch Cup final after a 1-1 draw after extra time. Ajax was very close to clinch the Eredivisie title after deducting a 10 point deficit from PSV, but lost it on goal difference on the last matchday to PSV (PSV: 75-25, Ajax 84-35).

In the following 2007-08 season Ajax sold two of the biggest talents, Ryan Babel for 17 million Euros to Liverpool FC and Wesley Sneijder for 27 million Euros to Real Madrid. Luis Suarez came from FC Groningen to replace Ryan Babel. Ajax decided not to buy a replacement for Wesley Sneijder because of the difficulty in finding a similar-position type of player to replace him and also because the deal was finished close to the transfer deadline and Ajax would not rush though any signings.

These events together with Edgar Davids breaking a leg disrupted the preparation for the qualification games for a Champions League place. Opponent Slavia Prague won both matches; with a 2-1 scoreline in Prague and 0-1 victory in Amsterdam. The failure to clinch a position in the Champions League group stage led to great critism from both the supporters and the media, mainly directed at Henk ten Cate and the board of directors. A 1-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven for the Johan Cruiffschaal could not make up for the loss of a Champions League spot. Despite quite a good start in the competition with a lot of goals from both Luis Suarez and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ajax lost ground again in Europe after not making it to the group phase of the UEFA Cup; managing a 0-1 win away against Dinamo Zagreb but lost the tie in Amsterdam after extra time with the score 2-3 to Dinamo. With these string of European failures, coach Ten Cate has already failed to lead the team to the Champions League group stage for two seasons in a row and no European football at the ArenA for the remainder of the 2007/2008 season. With this result, Ten Cate lost the confidence of the supporters who demanded that the board sack him. A more viable solution came when Chelsea (in the same week) offered Ten Cate the job of assistant manager with a 3-year deal. On Tuesday 9 October Ten Cate left Ajax. Adrie Koster was selected to helm the squad.

[edit] Youth program
The club is also particularly famous for its renowned youth program that has introduced many great footballers - Cruijff being the best example. Ajax has also expanded its talent searching program to South Africa and the United States with Ajax Cape Town and Ajax America respectively. Its satellite club is Ajax Cape Town of South Africa from where youth players have been drafted into the Eredivisie squad, such as Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena. In 1995, the year that they won the Champions League, the Dutch national team was almost entirely composed of Ajax players, with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, players such as Michael Reiziger, Frank de Boer and Danny Blind in defense, Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf in midfield, and Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars in attack. The team was coached by Louis van Gaal, and also featured foreign stars such as Jari Litmanen, Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George. Its current successes are mostly domestic, notwithstanding some minor successes in the 2002-03 Champions League. Its youth team continues to develop talented individuals like Wesley Sneijder, John Heitinga, Hedwiges Maduro, Urby Emanuelson, Ryan Babel and Maarten Stekelenburg. At the 2006 World Cup, Sneijder, Heitinga, Babel, Maduro and Stekelenburg were included in the national squad, alongside other players from the youth program who now play elsewhere, such as Edwin van der Sar and Rafael van der Vaart.

[edit] Rivalry
Although Ajax have been vying for the championship with PSV in recent years, its main traditional rivalry is with Feyenoord from Rotterdam, culminating every year in the “Klassieker”. It is a match between the two largest cities of the Netherlands, which are both really distinct from each other. Amsterdam is a business city and is the financial capital of the country (as well as the political capital). Furthermore the city identifies itself with artists, creativity and sophistication. Whilst Rotterdam hosts the biggest port of Europe and thus identifies itself with hard, no-nonsense, industrial labour. There have been violent clashes between the supporters of both clubs, of which the Beverwijk fight in 1997 was the most infamous, resulting in the murder of Ajax supporter Carlo Picornie. Ajax is both the best supported club in The Netherlands and thus the most hated one by supporters of other clubs. Not only Feyenoord from Rotterdam but also fans of FC Utrecht and ADO Den Haag regard Ajax as there main rival.

[edit] Satellite clubs
The following clubs are affiliated with AFC Ajax:

Ajax Cape Town
HFC Haarlem
FC Omniworld[4]
FC Volendam
Ajax America

[edit] Logo
In 1900, when the club was founded, the emblem of Ajax was just a picture of an Ajax player. In 1928, the club logo was introduced with the head of the Greek hero Ajax. The logo was once again changed in 1990, making the old one more abstract. It should also be noted that the portrait of Ajax on the logo is drawn with eleven lines, symbolising the