Sport

Lionel Messi

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Personal information
Full name	Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
Birthdate	June 24, 1987
Age	35 years old
Occupation	Soccer player
By-name	Lio
Nationality	Argentine
Spouse	Antonella Roccuzzo
Height	1.70 m
Parents	Jorge Horacio Messi Celia María Cuccittini
Awards	World Champion (2022), Golden Ball Award (7)
Actual team	París Saint Germain (PSG)
Zodiac sign	Cancer

Lionel Messi (Leo Messi) Biography

Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini, known as Lionel Messi or simply “Lio”, is an Argentinian footballer who was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 24, 1987, and plays as a forward or right winger. He comes from a family with fewer economic resources, made up of his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory worker and his mother, Celia María Cuccittini. His maternal grandmother, Celia Olivera, was the one who motivated him to play football as a professional. For that reason, in 1992, when he was 5 years old he began his training as a soccer player in the club.

Abanderado Grandoli, which was one of Rosario’s formative teams. In 1994, Lionel Messi took his step through the lower divisions of Newell’s Old Boys where he began to show his skill with the ball and won several national titles. At the age of 11, Lionel would be diagnosed with a deficiency in growth hormone, which made him look less attractive for the soccer clubs despite the great talent he had. However, this was not an impediment for Messi to continue with his aspirations to be a professional footballer.

FC BARCELONA

His aspirations to achieve his goals took him to Buenos Aires in August of 2000 to try out in the Club Atlético River Plate’s Academy, requested by coach Federico Vairo who saw his great talent. Nevertheless, Messi was never called back to the club because River Plate did not reach an economic agreement with his parents to treat his growth problem. On September, Messi and his father would travel to Barcelona, Spain to look out for a better future and try out in some soccer clubs, including FC Barcelona. The day after his arrival in Barcelona, he was scheduled to attend a practice with one of the FC Barcelona’s Youth Academy teams. However, this practice was canceled because of the absence of Rexach who was in charge of the team’s youth academy.

Weeks later, Lionel Messi had the opportunity to make his first practices with the category Infantile A of FC Barcelona. This was a successful start in which he could score

6 goals and take the lead in his team. Messi’s performance was so good that he was asked to play for the other team in the second half.

On December 14, 2000, Horacio Gaggioli (Manager of Messi at that time) and Carles Rexach signed Messi for the FC Barcelona Youth Academy. In his beginnings in the Masía, Messi teamed with Gerard Piqué and Cesc Fábregas and was directed by Tito Vilanova. His debut in an official game with Infantile B category was on March 7, 2001, against Amposta. That game was a dreamed debut because Messi would score the winning goal for the victory of his team. In the next game, Lionel will fracture his fibula after a player from the other team kicked him and Messi missed the rest of that season.

At the end of 2001, at the beginning of a new season, Lionel Messi was promoted to the Infantile A category, where he was famous for scoring 21 goals in 14 games. The excellent performance showed by “Lio” allowed him to be promoted in 2002 to the Cadet A category, with which he would win all the tournaments that the team played. In the 2003-2004 season, he had a small step through the Juvenil B category where his skills with the ball got him a spot in the Barcelona C team, where he debuted on November 29, 2003, in the third division tournament of Spain.

Messi’s footballing growth was accelerating, so he did not last long in the youth categories. His move to Barcelona B took place on March 6, 2004, and sometimes was called by the professional team to practice with them or play some exhibition games.

Lionel Messi was still part of the Barcelona B when he debuted with the professional team on November 16, 2003, in a friendly game against Porto from Portugal. In the 2004-2005 season, Lionel did the preseason with the professional team, where he participated in 3 games played at the Camp Nou and scored a goal.

His debut in an official game occurred on October 16, 2004, when he was 17 years old. Barcelona’s coach, Frank Rijkaard was the one who gave him the opportunity against Espanyol, a game for the Spanish league.

His first official goal with Barcelona came on May 1, 2005, in the game corresponding to the 34th fixture against Albacete. That season, Barcelona would become champion again after five seasons without any titles. The 2005-2006 season started full of successes for the player since the team managed to be champion of the super cup of Spain on August 13, 2005. In that year, the Catalan Club renewed Messi’s contract until 2014 and improved his salary as a reward for the excellent performance that the player had shown in the main squad. Due to this, Lionel saw great possibilities in the club, so on September 26 of that year, he received the Spanish nationality.

In the middle of November, the first “Clasico” came for Lionel Messi against Real Madrid, the match was won by Barcelona 3-0 and the player gave an assist. Next month, he would win the Golden Boy Award, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in with the second and third position respectively. Through the 2005-2006 season, Messi suffered an injury that kept him away from the team until his total recovery. At that time, Messi had scored 7 goals in 18 games including league and Champions League. At the end of the season, Lio had won two more titles with the Barcelona FC as the team won the Spanish league and the Champions League.

In the 2006-2007 season, the Argentinian star was already a key player in Barcelona’s starting lineup. On March 10, 2007, Messi played another game against Real Madrid in which he scored his first hat-trick in a game that would end up 3-3 and became the youngest player to score in “El Clasico”. Due to all the records, Messi was achieving and the way he played, made the people start comparing him with Diego Armando Maradona.

One of the most famous goals of the player and for which they compared him more with Maradona, was the one he scored on April 18, 2007, in which he escaped from 6 players and defined very coldly. That goal was practically identical to the one Maradona scored in the 1986 World Cup against England. The player finished that season with 14 goals scored in 38 matches.

The 2007-2008 season, Messi scored 16 goals and was included in FIFA’s ideal team and ranked third in the Golden Ball Award. Despite these recognitions, that season, the player did not get any title with the club. On February 27, 2008, he would play his 100th game with the Blaugrana shirt against Valencia.

The season 2008-2009 would start with the Argentinian star wearing the number 10 and becoming a symbol for Barcelona. This season was full of important titles and goals. He became an important icon in the history of the club, after scoring the goal number 5000 in the league for Barcelona on February 1, 2009. In addition, the two goals scored in the historic Barcelona win against Real Madrid were highlighted by 6- 2 at the Santiago Bernabéu on May 2 of that same year. On May 27, 2009, Barcelona played the final of the Champions League against Manchester United, a match in which Messi scored the second goal in the 2-0 that meant the European title for his club. At the end of the season, the player scored 38 goals in 51 games, including Copa del Rey, the Champions League, and the Spanish League, and became the champion of the three mentioned competitions.

The 2009 season came with excellent news for Lionel Messi since on September 18, 2009, Barcelona decided to renew the player’s contract until 2016 ensuring the player for a good time because whoever wanted him had to pay 250 million euros. By that time the player was already recognized by several journalists and coaches around the world, as the best player in the world never seen before. To the talent, the goals and abilities of the player began to add the great recognition and references; this made that on December 1 of that same year Lionel won his first FIFA Golden Ball (currently called Golden Ball and delivered by the magazine France Football) after obtaining 480 points and being the first player that came out from the Barcelona youth academy in obtaining this award.

At the age of 22, Messi would become the youngest player to score 100 goals with the Blaugrana shirt and the first player in scoring two consecutive hat-tricks. Messi continued to break records, and on April 6, 2010, he scored his first goal-scoring poker game in the quarter-final match of the Champions League, where Barcelona won 4-1. The player became the club’s all-time leading scorer in that competition, after reaching 25 goals. At the end of the season, Lionel added a few more titles with Barcelona as he won the Spanish league, the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup; he managed to score 34 goals in the league, 1 goal in Copa del Rey, 2 in the Spanish Super Cup and 8 in the Champions League and was named the best player of the year on June 3, 2010.

Lionel Messi became the third leading scorer in the history of Barcelona FC after reaching 131 goals on August 29, 2010, which was an excellent start to the season for the player. Between October 20 to November 24, Messi managed to score in 10 consecutive games, a personal record achieved by the Argentinian. In December, Messi would be nominated for the fourth time to the Golden Ball Award, this time contesting against teammates Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. Messi would end up winning this award for the second time in a row, which identified him as the best player in the world. After the end of the 2010-2011 season, the player scored 12 goals in the Champions League, 31 in the league, 7 in Copa del Rey and 3 in the Spanish Super Cup. In addition, he was champion of the Spanish league and the Champions League adding the title number 15 in his football career.

On August 25, 2011, Messi won the award for the best player in Europe in its first edition, beating Xavi Hernández and Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2011-2012 season started with Messi winning the aforementioned prize, also he was chosen as the sports heritage of humanity in Argentina. He played the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid, where he scored 3 goals that contributed to Barcelona winning its tenth Super Cup and the player became the top scorer of that competition with 8 goals, beating the historic Raúl Gonzales.

On August 26, 2011, Barcelona played the European Super Cup against Porto, in which Messi scored a goal that contributed to the 2-0 victory and to get the fourth title of this competition for Barcelona FC. On December 8, 2011, the player was recognized as the second-best player in the history of the UEFA Champions League surpassed only by the historic Zinedine Zidane. A few days later, Messi would play his 293rd match with the Barcelona jersey and became the foreign player with most matches played in the Spanish club. On December 18, 2011, Lionel Messi and Barcelona were crowned champions of the Club World Cup, after defeating Santos (Brazil) 4-0 where he contributed 2 goals to the score, also received the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition.

At the beginning of 2012, Lionel would be given his third consecutive Golden Ball equaling the record of Michel Platini. Messi culminated the 2011-2012 season with a total of 67 goals in all competitions and managed to win the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. On October 27, 2012, Lionel Messi scored two goals in the 5-0 against Rayo Vallecano, which reached a historical figure of 300 goals as a professional and was making history. On January 7, 2013, the player would win the Golden Ball for the fourth time in a row and was part of FIFA’s 11th ideal for the sixth consecutive year. For the 6 of 2013, Messi signed the renewal of his contract, which linked him until 2018 with the Blaugrana team. In the match against Granada of the current season, Lionel Messi scored two goals reaching the global figure of 301 goals in 365 games with Barcelona FC. In addition, he became the first player in the world to score in 17 consecutive fixtures in a professional football league.

On March 30, 2013, the Argentinian crack took the captain’s band for the first time in an official match with Barcelona. On May 11, 2013, Barcelona won the Spanish league with four games in advance and Messi added his twentieth title with Barcelona. He also managed to be the league’s top scorer and got for the third time the top scorer and the league’s golden boot. At the end of the 2012-2013 season, the Argentinian player ended up scoring 46 goals in the Spanish league, 4 in Copa del Rey, 2 in the Spanish Supercup and 8 in the Champions League.

On August 28, 2013, at the start of the 2013-2014 season, Barcelona managed to win the Super Cup of Spain and Messi added his title number 23 with the Blaugrana shirt. On January 22, 2014, reached 400 games with Barcelona FC in the 4-1 victory against Valencia for the knockout stages of the Copa del Rey, the Argentine stood out for giving 3 assists to Cristian Tello. In that season, the Argentinian continued breaking records and in this case reached the figure of 337 goals reaching the third place in the Spanish league’s top scorers along with Raul, surpassing what Alfredo Di Stéfano did. The Argentine managed to finish that season with 41 goals.

In the 2014-2015 season, Lionel Messi reached 71 goals in the Champions League and managed to equal Raul as the top scorer of that competition. On November 22, 2014, he became the top scorer of the Spanish league reaching the figure of 253 goals, after scoring 3 goals in the 5-1 victory against Sevilla. Three days later, he would score a hat-trick in her team’s 4-0 victory against Apoel for Champions League. That hat-trick helped him to reach 74 goals in that competition and became the leading top scorer. On April 18, 2015, the Argentinian reached 400 goals with Barcelona and became the player with the most goals scored for the same Spanish team. On May 17, 2015, Barcelona defeated Atlético de Madrid 1-0 with a Messi goal that allowed them to reach the Spanish league championship. Messi was also the protagonist 3 days later (May 30, 2015) when he scored two goals in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao, that match was won by Barcelona 3-1 and gave Barcelona the title. On June 6, 2015, the “10” would achieve another treble to Barcelona, after becoming champion of the European champions league, beating Juventus of Italy. At the end of that season, Lionel Messi scored 43 goals for the Spanish league, 5 goals for Copa del Rey and 10 goals for the Champions League. On August 28, 2015, the Argentine star managed to win the best player-in-Europe award for the second time.

The 2015-2016 season did not start very well for Messi and Barcelona, as they lost the final of the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla. Days later, on September 16, Lio would become the youngest player to play 100 games in the Champions League, in the draw against Roma 1-1. On December 17, 2015, the participation of Barcelona in the club world championship began, defeating the Guangzhou Evergrande by 3-0 in semifinals and winning the title after beating River Plate of Argentina 3-0, with a goal of Messi. The beginning of 2016 was very good for Lionel Messi, since on January 11 he won again the Golden Ball as the best player in the world, adding 5 Golden Balls in his soccer career, the player was also part of the ideal team of the FIFA in that year. The course of the league was good for his team, and on March 13, 2016, Lionel managed to equal the world record of assists of Juan Román Riquelme at the club and national level, with 247 goal passes. In that season, the Argentine star achieved 4 titles (Club World Cup, Spanish League, Copa del Rey and European Super Cup) and scored 41 goals.

On August 17, 2016, Lionel Messi managed to win his first championship as captain of Barcelona, winning the Super Cup of Spain to Sevilla by a global score of 6-1. On May 27, 2017, Barcelona was champion of the Copa del Rey 2016-2017, after defeating Deportivo Alaves 3-1 in the final with a Goal and assistance from the Argentinian. On July 5 of the same year, Messi renewed his contract with Barcelona until 2021. On August 7, he was chosen by CIHEFE as the best player in the history of the Spanish league. On October 23, 2017, Messi was part of FIFA / FIFPro World XI chosen by FIFA, which refers to the ideal eleven of the season. On November 24, 2017, Lionel Messi received the Golden Boot for having been the scorer of the European competitions of the 2016-2017 season, where he managed to score 37 goals.

ARGENTINA NATIONAL TEAM

Lio Messi has been part of the Argentina National Team for a long time. In 2014, he played his first game with the U-20 team, in a friendly against Paraguay in which he scored a goal and gave two assists. In July, he would play another game against Uruguay’s U-20 team in which he contributed with two goals for the 4-1 victory of his team. This was enough for him to be taken into account in the squad that faced the South America tournament U-20 in 2005.

The South America tournament was held in Colombia, and Messi scored 6 goals and finally managed to qualify for the Under 20 World Championship to be held in the Netherlands after finishing in the third position of the final hexagonal. In the World Youth Championship in June 2005, Argentina won the final against Nigeria, and the Argentinian crack managed to provide 6 goals to his team and was the top scorer of the competition, lifting the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball to the best player of the tournament.

In 2008, Messi played the Olympic Games held in Beijing. Argentina debuted on August 7 with a 2-1 victory against the Ivory Coast, scoring the first goal of the game. In the second match of the group stage, Argentina won 1-0 to Australia, securing their qualification to the next round. However, in the last match of this phase, Argentina won 3-0 to Serbia, consolidating as leader of their group. In the final rounds, Argentina built its way to the final for the Olympic gold beating the Netherlands and Brazil by 2-1 and 3-0 respectively, where Lio contributed a goal. The Olympic title was won after beating Nigeria 1-0 in the final. This was the second title with National Youth Teams for the player.

After good performances in youth teams, Lionel Messi began to be called to the senior team, where he made his debut on August 17, 2005, in a friendly match against Hungary. In that game, he was sent off after a fight with a defender of the opposing team. His debut in an official match took place on September 3, 2005, when Argentina faced Paraguay for the World Cup qualifiers to Germany 2006.

Messi’s first goal with the senior team was scored in a friendly against Croatia on March 1. 2006. In World Cup in Germany 2006, Lionel Messi was among the list of players called by coach José Pekerman, becoming the youngest Argentinian player to contest the world cup. He debuted on the first game against Serbia in the 6-0 win in favor of Argentina. In this game, Messi would enter the minute 73 and managed to score a goal. In the last group game against the Netherlands, Messi was in the starting lineup. However, in the final stages, he only played 30 minutes until his team was eliminated before Germany.

After the participation in the 2006 World Cup, Messi would keep being called to the national team and on June 5, 2007, he scored his first double with the national team in a friendly match against Algeria prior to the Copa America 2007. His participation in the Copa America 2007 was highlighted, as he scored two goals in the quarterfinals and semifinal, but despite his good performance, his team would not reach the title, because it was defeated in the final by Brazil with a score of 3-0.

Messi continued being called up for the games with his national team, among them those that were competing for the classification of the World Cup in South Africa 2010. In the qualifiers, Messi would end up score 4 goals. By May 19, 2010, Lionel Messi would be called by Diego Maradona, to dispute the World Cup that year. Messi had a good performance in the World Cup, despite not scoring any goal and being eliminated in the quarterfinals against the German national team.

In 2011, he played the Copa America hosted in Argentina, and the pressure Messi had was gigantic since Argentina was the host and the fans demanded that the player show the level he had at Barcelona. Argentina managed to pass the group stage on a regular basis with 5 points. However, in the quarterfinals, Uruguay finished with Argentina’s dream. The qualifiers for the World Cup in Brazil 2014 were fruitful for the player as he scored 10 goals and gave 5 assists that contributed to Argentina finishing first in the South American classification and achieving a place at the World Cup.

In the 2014 World Cup, the name of Messi was indisputable on the squad list. In his debut on June 15, the player scored 1 goal in Argentina’s 2-0 victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the second match, Messi would score the goal with which Argentina beat the Iranian national team on June 21. In the last match of the group stage played on June 25 against Nigeria, the player scored two goals in the victory of his team 3-2, qualifying the next round as first of the group. In the round of 16, Argentina beat Switzerland 1-0, and Lionel gave assistance for that goal. The quarter-final phase would be victorious for Messi and his team, as they beat Belgium 1-0 on July 5. The passage to the final of the competition took place, after beating the Dutch national team in penalties by a score of 4-2, where the player scored the first penalty kick. On July 13 Argentina played the final against Germany, where there was a draw in the first 90 minutes. However, Germany won the world title after scoring a goal at minute 114.

After the failure of Messi and his team, Messi would be awarded the Golden Ball that identified him as the best player in the world, a prize that did not overshadow the sadness of the player for having lost the final. On May 25, 2015, Lionel Messi topped the list of 23 summoned to face the Copa America in Chile. In that competition, Messi reached 100 matches played with Argentina, scored a goal, gave 3 assists and reached the final of the tournament being runner-up, after falling 4-2 in definition from the penalty spot against Chile.

On June 18 of 2016, while playing the 100th version of the Copa America, the player equaled Batistuta as top scorer of the Argentina team with 54 goals. Nevertheless, on June 21st in the semifinal match of that competition, Messi scored a goal that allowed him to beat the Batistuta record. The Argentina team played the final against Chile, where another misfortune for Lio Messi came, as Argentina lost the final again. Despite having contributed a lot and having scored 5 goals, the frustration of the player was such that at the end of the game he decided to retire from the national team, highlighting that he had tried a lot to achieve a title and this had been impossible. Fortunately, thanks to talks with friends and Argentina’s coach, on August 12, Messi would announce that he would return to the national team to play all his competitions.

Lionel Messi played the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup with the Argentine national team, where he remained the maximum symbol for the team and scored 7 goals. In addition, on October 10, 2017, he scored the 3 goals with which Argentina defeated Ecuador 3-1 as a visitor and achieved the qualification for the World Cup in Russia.

MESSI OFF THE FIELD

Apart of his football characteristics, Lionel Messi has been recognized for the willingness to help people who need it, so in 2007 he created the Leo Messi Foundation, whose role is to help children and adolescents with educational and health problems.

Through this foundation, parks, sports centers, and social areas have been built. The player also collaborates in charity events independently by participating in exhibition matches and conducting campaigns to raise funds. This type of social work made Unicef named him the ambassador of good will. From 2008 up to date, the player has a relationship with Antonella Roccuzzo, with whom he has two children: Thiago and Mateo.

In 2013, Messi’s financial movements were investigated and it was found that there were illegal movements to evade taxes related to sponsorship and advertising profits in the period between 2007 and 2009. The player and his father were found guilty of tax fraud and sentenced to 21 months in prison with a fine of more than 3 million euros. However, after reaching an agreement he was granted only the payment of the fine and not pay the sentence in prison.

TITLES SUMMARY

Spanish League: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016. • Super Cup of Spain: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016.
Copa del Rey: 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017.
UEFA Champion League: 2006. 2009, 2011, 2015.
Europe Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015.
FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015.
World Cup U-20: 2005.
2008 Olympic Games.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

FIFA Golden Ball: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015.
FIFA World Player, The Best: 2009.
FIFA Youth Player: 2006.
Best player in Europe: 2009, 2011, 2015.
UEFA Forward of the year: 2009.
UEFA’s best goal of the year: 2007, 2015, 2016.
UEFA team of the year: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016.
Top scorer in the Spanish league: 2015, 2016.
Golden Ball in the FIFA World Cup: 2014.
Golden Ball FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005.
Golden Ball FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011
Spanish league Top Scorer: 2016-2017
FIFA / FIFPro World XI: 207, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.
Named the best player in the history of the Spanish league in 2017.
Golden Boot: 2009-2010, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2016-2017.

Biography

Serena Williams

Serena Williams, From Instagram

Biography of Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams Price (born September 26, 1981) is a professional tennis player from the United States, born in Saginaw, Michigan. Her father, Richard Williams, and her mother, Oracene, divorced in 2001. During her childhood, the family had to face difficulties due to her father’s decisions, who, despite his favorable economic and social position, decided to move the family from Long Beach, on the West Coast of Los Angeles, to Compton, a closed and difficult neighborhood in the center of the city, with the goal of raising his daughters in a tough environment.

Beginnings in tennis

Since she was very young, she started training tennis, a sport that was mostly practiced by people of high economic standing. Serena trained tirelessly every day. Her father, Richard, supported her and saw her great talent, as well as his ambition to take advantage of her potential. Richard was always an ambitious and controlling man, so he became the manager of his two talented daughters. At the age of eleven, a rivalry emerged with her sister Venus, who also trained and had exceptional performance. At that time, she had won 63 consecutive regional level games.

Contract with Reebok

In 1991, Richard decided to seek out a well-known star coach located in Florida, Rick Macci. His father’s decision had quick results and the family moved to a luxurious place in Florida after his daughter signed a contract with Reebok. Although Serena’s progress was not as notable compared to Venus’, she always showed her strength on the court. At the age of fourteen, she had the opportunity to enter the professional circuit with notable success. However, two years passed before she began to compete seriously.

How did she manage to finish her studies?

Venus has always been an inspiration to Serena. So, in 1997, when Venus reached the final stages of the US Open, but lost to then world number one Martina Hingis, it was a hard blow for the family but also a reason to keep training relentlessly. Due to their sporting responsibilities, the sisters finished school irregularly at an exclusive school of only thirty students located in Lake Placid, the Dwightwood Academy. Serena graduated in June 1999, the school administrators allowed her to graduate even though her grades were not the best because they knew that her future and talent was to compete professionally in this sport.

First African American player to win a Grand Slam

Although it seemed that the 1999 season was going to be better for Serena, it ended up being better for Venus. Then, Serena overtook Venus by winning her first Grand Slam title at the US Open. That moment in the history of Serena, her family, the United States, and also the African American population was glorious. It was the first time an African American player had won a Grand Slam. To add to the happiness, on April 5th of that year, Serena was able to enter the top ten and shortly after, in the doubles category, she and her sister won the French Open and the Federation Cup.

The Williams sisters

It is known that, on many occasions, while they were young, the Williams sisters had problems produced by competition and by the specialized press publications that usually compared them. In the year 2000, Venus defeated Serena in the final of the Lipton tournament. Serena showed great serenity and heartily congratulated her sister. Later, she won the Paris Indoor. That year, in the Wimbledon competition, Venus eliminated Serena in the semifinals, and later raised the title against Davenport. Additionally, both won doubles in two major tournaments: Roland Garros and the US Open.

By that time, the Williams‘ dominance was already being talked about and it was natural that when referring to one sister, the other would also be mentioned. Although they rarely competed together, their bond was very strong. Serena was already imposing herself as one of the best in the women’s professional circuit. In 2002, she defeated Venus in the Wimbledon final with a score of 7-6 and 6-3. This was the best moment of her career as she reached the top spot in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking and by that time she already had sixteen international circuit titles.

On September 9th, Serena, 20 years old, amazed at the US Open with her latest display of power by defeating Venus in the final with a score of 6-4 and 6-3 in just 72 minutes. With this victory, she managed to tie with her elder sister in their personal matchups (5-5) and in Grand Slam titles, both with four each. It is important to highlight that Serena’s impressive season included six titles, 45 wins and only 4 losses. An injury to her ankle prevented her from participating in the Australian Open, allowing American Jennifer Capriati to triumph.

Fifth Grand Slam title.

The following year, Serena did not win at Roland Garros, where she surprisingly fell in the semifinals to Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne. However, she did win at Wimbledon, where the Venus-Serena final from the previous year was repeated. Serena added her fifth Grand Slam title. She was involved in a legal conflict with a German man who was harassing her. After being reported, he was arrested and imprisoned on March 3, 2002 for stripping in front of the reception of a hotel in Scottsdale (Arizona), where Serena was staying. Serena’s father threatened the harasser with death and Serena threatened to kill him if her daughter suffered any harm.

Causes of her temporary retirement from tennis.

In September 2003, the family mourned when Yetunde, her sister, was murdered by a common criminal. After this, the sisters were off the courts for a while. Serena started taking acting classes with an experienced teacher in Los Angeles. In acting, she finds a moment of escape and claims to forget about her sporting commitments. Serena received the ESPY Athlete of the Year Award. Her popularity as an athlete allowed her to be a model and official image for several sports brands.

Contracts, performance, marriage.

First she signed with Puma, then with Nike, with whom she signed for an exorbitant amount of money. After studying acting, she began studying design, so now she is the designer of a sportswear brand: Aneres, she usually wears her clothes in competitions. We have not only seen her on the courts and in the advertisements but also in TV series such as ER, Law & Order, and Hair Show, among others. In 2016, she equaled the record of German Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam titles. In addition, she enjoyed a beautiful romantic relationship with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. They got married in 2016 and currently have a son.

Sport

Erling Braut Haaland

Erling Braut Haaland, from Instagram

Biografía de Erling Braut Haaland

Erling Braut Haaland (born July 21, 2000) is a Norwegian-English professional footballer who plays as a forward. He achieved success with Borussia Dortmund, becoming the first player in Champions League history to score a hat trick in his debut match. Haaland began his career at Bryne F.K. at the age of 15, later moving to Molde in 2016 and signing with Salzburg in 2018. With Salzburg, he made history in 2019. With Borussia Dortmund, he became one of the most famous players in the Bundesliga. He has also been a member of the Norwegian national under-20 team.

Early Years

Haaland was born on July 21, 2000 in Leeds, England. He is the son of sports couple Alf Inge Haaland and Gry Marita. His father was a footballer who played for Leeds at the time of his birth, while his mother was an athlete and a Norwegian champion in heptathlon. From a very young age, football became his passion. Even when an injury forced his father to retire from the game, Haaland continued to play.

Erling Haaland’s Early Career

Haaland began his career at the age of 15 with the Norwegian team Bryne F.K. During the 2015-16 seasons, he played for Bryne 2, the team’s reserve squad, where he scored 18 goals in 14 games. In May 2016, Berntsen gave him his first chance with the first team. He made his debut on May 12, 2016 in a first division match against Ranheim. With Bryne, Haaland played in 16 games.

Molde (2017-18)

In February 2017, it was announced that he had signed with Molde. He made his debut for the team on April 26, 2017, scoring his first goal in a 3-2 victory against Volda TI in the Norwegian Cup. Two months later, on July 4, he made his league debut as a substitute against Sarpsborg 08. Haaland scored the winning goal in that match, his first in the Eliteserien. On September 17, 2017, he scored his second goal against Viking FK. Haaland ended his first season with 4 goals in 20 appearances with Molde.

During his second season under coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Haaland scored 16 goals in 30 games. One of his most notable performances during his second season was on July 1, 2018, when he scored four goals against SK Brann in the first 21 minutes of the match. His impressive talent attracted the attention of Juventus and Salzburg.

Red Bull Salzburg (2018-20)

Haaland joined the Austrian team on August 19, 2018. His first season, however, did not go as expected. He played only five games and scored only one goal, so he was hardly taken into account. In the 2019-20 season, everything changed after he scored 9 goals in the under-20 match against Honduras. After this surprising match, Haaland became a key player for Salzburg. He made history with the team and in the Champions League, by scoring a hat-trick in the first half of his Champions League debut against Genk on September 17, 2019. In his second season with Salzburg, he played a total of 22 games, starting 11, and scored 28 goals.

Borussia Dortmund (2020-22)

At the beginning of 2020, Haaland signed with Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga. He made his debut on January 18, 2020 against FC Augsburg, scoring his first hat-trick in 23 minutes. He became the second player in the team’s history to score three goals during his Bundesliga debut, after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. On February 18, 2020, Haaland scored both goals in the 2-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. He had several standout performances before the league closed due to the pandemia.

On May 16, 2020, he scored the first goal after the league break against Schalke; it was his tenth goal in domestic competition. A month later, he scored two goals in a 2-0 victory against Leipzig, securing a spot in the Champions League for the following season for Dortmund. On September 19, 2020, he scored another double in the 3-0 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Then he returned to score in the 2-3 loss on September 30th against Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup and in the league again against Bayern on November 7th. On November 21st, he scored four goals in 32 minutes in the 5-2 thrashing of Hertha Berlin. On the same day, he became the first Norwegian to win the Golden Boy award. Three days later, on November 24th, he scored a double in the 3-0 victory over Club Brugge. He became the fastest player to reach 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League, with only 12 appearances in the tournament.

In December 2020, Haaland suffered a tendon injury that kept him out of action until January 2021. He returned to the team on January 3, 2021, in the match against VfL Wolfsburg. Six days later, he scored a double in the 3-1 victory as a visitor against Leipzig. Then, he scored two goals in the 2-4 defeat against Mönchengladbach on January 22nd. He scored two goals and recorded an assist in the 2-3 victory against Sevilla F.C. in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, and later scored two more goals in the return match to secure Dortmund’s passage to the quarterfinals. Although Dortmund was eliminated, Haaland became the top goal scorer of the competition (with 10 goals).

With the season finished, Haaland was named the best player of the Bundesliga 2020-21 after scoring 27 goals in 28 matches played.

Manchester City (2022)

On June 13, 2022, the transfer to Manchester City F.C. was completed with a five-year contract. He made his debut on July 30, 2022, in Manchester’s 3-1 defeat against Liverpool.

Teams

Bryne F. K. (2016)
Molde F. K. (2017-18)
C. Red Bull Salzburgo (2018-19)
Borussia Dortmund (2020-22)
Manchester City F. C. (2022-act.)

Sport

Saúl Álvarez

Saul Alvarez, From Instagram

Biography of Saúl Álvarez

Santos Saúl Alvarez Barragán, known in the world of boxing as Canelo Alvarez, was born on July 18, 1990 in San Agustín, Guadalajara, Mexico. His nickname was assigned by his manager, José “Chepo” Reynoso. At five years old, Canelo moved with his family to Juanacatlán. His decision to dedicate himself to boxing came from his brother Rigoberto, who is also a professional boxer. At 13 years old, Canelo began training boxing and quickly participated in tournaments.

2004 – beginnings in boxing

In 2004, Canelo won the silver medal in the National Juvenile Championship in Sinaloa, and a year later, he obtained the gold medal in the 2005 Youth Olympics in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. With an amateur record of 44 wins, several by KO, and two losses, Canelo entered the professional ring in 2005, making his debut at the Chololo Larios Arena in Tonalá, Jalisco, at just 15 years old. He won by technical KO in the fourth round.

2008 – welterweight title of the North American Boxing Federation

Over time, Canelo increased his skill in the ring. In 2008, he obtained the welterweight title from the Latin American Federation of Professional Boxing Commissions, recognized by the World Boxing Association (WBA), by defeating boxer Carlos Adán Jerez. He also participated in the Scotiabank Forum in Mexico City, where he surprised the audience by knocking out Tony “Mazatleco” Fitch, thus becoming welterweight champion of the North American Boxing Federation (NABF).

Latin welterweight title of the World Boxing Organization

That same year in Zapopan, Jalisco, Canelo knocked out Dominican Euri Gonzalez in a long eleven round fight. With this victory, Canelo won the Latin welterweight title of the World Boxing Organization. In 2010, he had the opportunity to debut as a boxer within Golden Boy Promotions, facing José Miguel Cotto, covering the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley in Las Vegas. Canelo Alvarez won by technical KO in the ninth round.

Canelo Alvarez, one of the great boxers of Mexico

With less than 30 years old, this Mexican boxer has conquered the world of boxing, captivating fans all over the world with his action-packed, charismatic and brave fighting style when facing big rivals like Kazakh Golovkin. His figure has been admired and compared to great Mexican boxers like Barrera, Morales, Sanchez and Chavez. The most relevant moment of his career was when he defeated Mathew “Magic” Hatton for the CMB Super Welterweight World Champion title in March 2011.

Since then, Canelo has defended the title against Ryan Rhodes and obtained stoppage victories over Alfonso Gomez and former world champion Kermit Cintron. He also had a fight against veteran Sugar Shane Mosley, for 12 rounds. The victory over Mosley led to the fight against Josesito Lopez on September 15, 2012, in which he knocked out Lopez before finishing the fight with a technical KO in the fifth round.

2013 – World Champion, fight with Floyd “Money” Mayweather

Canelo imposed his dominance by unanimously defeating the AMB Super Welterweight World Champion, Austin Trout, in front of 39,000 fans at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, making him a world champion. On September 14, 2013, Alvarez faced Floyd “Money” Mayweather. This fight was considered the biggest of the year and the highest-grossing in history, and it was the second-highest rated boxing event on television in Mexico. Since then, Canelo has won several championships, defeating boxers such as Alfredo “Perro” Angulo, James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland, Erislandy Lara, James Kirkland, and Liam Smith. The confidence Canelo developed in his talent was such that he dared to challenge champion Gennady Golovkin on camera.

Fight with Gennady Golovkin.

On June 5, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was announced as the location of the fight. In the early rounds, the Kazakh imposed himself, but then Canelo showed a great ability to evade Gennady’s punches. In the end, the result was a split decision draw; this was the second in Saúl Alvarez’s career and the first in Gennady Golovkin’s. This generated great questioning from boxers and sports businessmen. Definitely, Canelo was able to measure up to the great boxer Gennady.

World titles.

The Mexican boxer has several world titles:

WBC Super Welterweight World Champion
WBA Super Welterweight World Champion
WBO Super Welterweight World Champion
WBC and The Ring Middleweight World Champion
WBA Fedecentro Welterweight Champion
NABF Welterweight Champion
WBO Latin Welterweight Champion
WBC Youth Welterweight World Champion
WBC Silver Super Welterweight Champion.

Sport

Dani Alves

Dani Alves, from Instagram

Biography of Dani Alves

Dani Alves (born May 6, 1983) is a professional soccer player. He was born in Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil. He played for Paris Saint-Germain Football Club from 2017 to 2019. His full name is Daniel Samuel Alves da Silva. Since 2006, he has played for the Brazilian national team, with whom he recently won the 2019 Copa America. He made his professional debut in 2001 with Esporte Clube Bahia, winning the Campeonato Baiano and two Copas do Nordeste.

Dani in the Spanish League

He later joined Sevilla Football Club, with a transfer fee of €500,000. In January 2004, the Sevilla team acquired him permanently for €850,000. At this team he played as a fullback, but his style has always been offensive. He also performs well in the midfield and even in the forward position, he played in a game as a forward against Sevilla and Zenit St. Petersburg. In 2003, he made his official debut in the Spanish League against RCD Espanyol. His first goal came on November 9, 2003 against the renowned team Real Madrid. In the summer of 2005, he acquired Spanish nationality.

In August 2007, Dani expressed his desire to play for Chelsea F.C. in the English Premier League, but Sevilla’s high financial demands prevented the transfer from happening. This caused several problems with the team, to the point where he refused to travel to play a crucial match against AEK Athens for their Champions League qualification. A year later, he was finally transferred to Football Club Barcelona.

Alves at Barcelona (2008-2016)

On July 2, 2008, Alves was officially presented as a Barcelona player, with his contract lasting until 2012. At the event, the president of the club, Joan Laporta, referred to him as “the best right-back in the world.” His transfer fee of €35.5 million made him the second most expensive signing in the club’s history after Marc Overmars, later surpassed by Zlatan Ibrahimović. He scored his first goal for Barcelona at the Camp Nou against UD Almería on October 25, 2008.

Alves played for Barcelona until June 2016. He became an integral part of the team’s defense and established himself as the starting right-back. His contributions to the team and his performances were always admired for his attacking ability, speed, assists, and free-kick taking. In the 2013-14 season, he wore the number 22 in honor of his former teammate Éric Abidal. At that time, he was the second foreign player with the most appearances for Barcelona.

In 2014, rumors of his departure from the team began to surface. Barcelona attempted to renew his contract for one more season, until 2016, but the negotiations were unsuccessful. However, Dani later renewed his contract until 2017 with an optional extension to 2018. But in 2016, he left Barcelona to join Juventus in Turin.

From Juventus to PSG

He only played one season with the Italian club, winning two titles and reaching the final of the Champions League. In 2017, he joined Paris Saint-Germain of the French Ligue 1 and was presented as a new player for two seasons. With this team, he was the star player and became the champion of the 2017 French Super Cup.

On May 8, 2018, Dani was crowned champion of the French Cup after defeating Les Herbiers. In June 2019, it was announced through a post on his social media that he was leaving the team.

São Paulo (2019-21)

On August 1, 2019, it was confirmed that he had joined São Paulo FC, signing with the team until December 2022. However, due to delays in paying his salary, he did not show up to training on September 10, 2021, and was fired. Later it was known that the team owed him more than 11 million Brazilian Reals.

Return to Barcelona (2021-22)

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On November 17, 2021, Alves was officially presented as the new player of Barcelona, returning to the team he had played for until 2016. He was called up for the first time since his return to the team on January 5, 2022, starting in the Copa del Rey match against Deportivo Linares. The match ended with a 1-2 victory for F.C. Barcelona. A month later, on February 6, Alves scored his first goal in a 4-2 victory against Atlético Madrid, provided an assist, and was sent off in the 69th minute. On June 15, 2022, his departure from Barca was confirmed after 6 months in the Club.

Pumas UNAM (2022)

On July 21, 2022, Alves signed with Pumas UNAM for the Apertura 2022. This signing marked his entry into the Mexican league. He will wear the #33 shirt.

Brazil National Team

Alves is an international with the Brazilian senior team, he was preparing to play in the 2018 World Cup but was unable to participate due to injury. He has played with the team since 2006, and has been a champion of the 2007 Copa America, the 2009 and 2013 Confederations Cup, and also played in the 2019 Copa America. He has accumulated over 41 national and international titles with clubs and the national team, and is one of the most decorated players in the history of football. In August 2021, Alves was also crowned Olympic champion.

Personal Life

In 2017, he married Spanish model Joana Sanz.

Scandal and Arrest for Alleged Sexual Assault

In January 2023, he was arrested in Spain on suspicion of sexual assault, and a judge ordered him to be held in pre-trial detention without bail while awaiting trial. Despite the accusations, Alves has denied any illegal or inappropriate actions and his wife, a Spanish model, has publicly supported him and stated that the accusation makes no sense. As a result of these events, his contract with Pumas UNAM was terminated.

Sport

Rafael Nadal

Rafel Nadal, from Instagram

Biography of Rafel Nadal

Rafael Nadal Parera was born on June 3rd, 1986 in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain. He is a Spanish tennis player, currently ranked second in the ATP. Nadal is considered one of the best tennis players in history due to his talent and skill on the court. He has won numerous tournaments, including eleven Roland Garros, two Wimbledon, and three US Open. Currently, his main opponent is the Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, who is ranked first in the ATP and winner of the 2019 Australian Open. Nadal’s career began in 2001, when he enrolled in the ATP at rank 818. The following year, he made his debut at the Mallorca Open, where he defeated Paraguayan player Ramón Delgado. Four years later, he was already seen as one of the new figures in tennis, holding the second place in the ATP at the age of nineteen. Later, he became the number one at the age of 22, dethroning Roger Federer. Since then, he has achieved a great number of triumphs, consolidating himself as one of the most outstanding figures in tennis.

Family, beginnings in tennis.

Rafael Nadal Parera is the son of Sebastián Nadal and Ana María Parera, and has a sister named María Isabel, who is his most enthusiastic fan. The young tennis player was raised in a well-off family with a long tradition in Mallorca. His father, Sebastián, is a businessman and the director of a company dedicated to the construction of paddle courts, and also an organizer of sports events. The young tennis player was named Rafael in honor of his grandfather. Since his family was involved in the world of sports, he gradually became interested in it. He played all kinds of sports, such as soccer, in which he stood out playing in the lower categories. A short time later, tennis caught his attention, influenced to a great extent by his uncle, Toni Nadal, who, upon perceiving his talent in the area, became his coach. He guided Rafael in a strict and disciplined manner, and later became his representative.

Giving up academic studies

During his training with his uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal chose to play with his left hand, despite being right-handed in his daily life. This decision has characterized his career as a professional tennis player. Due to the demands of his career, he left school at an early age and focused fully on his career as a professional tennis player. This decision affected his mother, who expected him to complete his education. However, over time, she understood how difficult it would be for him to make a career as a professional while studying at the same time.

Rafael Nadal’s professional career path

Rafael Nadal’s professional career began at the end of 2001, when the young tennis player enrolled in the ATP at the age of 15, occupying the 818th position. At that time, he belonged to the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. He made his debut on April 29, 2002, at the Mallorca Open, where he defeated Paraguayan player Ramón Delgado. After his appearance in Mallorca, he expected to participate in the Roland Garros in 2003, but an injury kept him away from the courts throughout the circuit. At the end of the following year, he returned to the courts, winning the Sopot tournament and the Davis Cup. At that time, his performances on the court earned him a place on the list of the top 100 tennis players in the world.

In 2005, Rafael Nadal won the French Open and Roland Garros, becoming one of the leading figures in tennis. His name spread worldwide and he climbed the ATP rankings to the number three position, a position he surpassed in 2008, when he held the number one spot on the ATP list, surpassing famous player Roger Federer. That same year, he also won the Olympic title in Beijing, winning the Roland Garros and his first Wimbledon Championship consecutively. For his sports achievements, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Sports Prize.

Rafael Nadal Foundation, Awards, Trophies

In 2008, he created the Rafa Nadal Foundation, an organization dedicated to social work, helping children and young people through sport and education, including those with intellectual disabilities. Between 2008 and 2010, he continued to reap successes in the Masters 1000, Grand Slam, Roland Garros tournament, Wimbledon Championship, Australian Open and US Open. After winning the US and Australian Open in 2010, he was recognized with the Laureus Best International Sportsman award. That same year, he returned to be number one in the ATP. The following year, he defeated Federer again in the Grand Slam final with a score of 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7 and 6-1. Later, he won his third Grand Slam title against Novak Djokovic, and shortly after, he again surpassed the Serbian player in the Masters 1000. That same year, he broke the record of the Swede Björn Borg, after winning his seventh title at Roland Garros. At the beginning of 2013, he held the fourth position in the ATP. Throughout the year, he triumphed in Sao Paulo, Acapulco, Indian Wells, and Viña del Mar. He won the Madrid, Montreal, and Cincinnati Masters, as well as the US Open against Djokovic. He closed the year in Beijing, once again occupying the number one position.

2014-2017

The following year he had a tough season, losing consecutively to Novak Djokovic, but later defeated him by winning the Roland Garros again. Later, he was operated due to appendicitis, which kept him out of play at the end of the year. In 2015, he started strong at Roland Garros, but fell in the quarterfinals against Djokovic. The next year, representing Spain at the 2016 Rio Olympics, he won a gold medal in doubles and placed fourth in singles. Throughout 2017, he achieved his tenth title in Monte Carlo, becoming the player with the most clay titles. He also won the Barcelona Open, Roland Garros and US Open.

Eleventh title at Roland Garros, marriage

In the summer of 2018, Rafael Nadal won his eleventh title at the Roland Garros by defeating Dominic Thiem. Later, he participated in the Wimbledon Championship, reaching the semifinals where he was defeated by the Serbian Novak Djokovic. He then took part in the Canadian Masters 1000, in which he defeated Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas. However, due to severe knee pain, he withdrew from the Grand Slam and took a two-month break, announcing his retirement from the season. In the course of 2019, the Spanish tennis player participated in the Australian Open, where he was defeated by the Serbian Djokovic, who currently holds the number one position in the ATP. Shortly after, he married María Francisca Perrello, known as Xisca, whom he has been in a romantic relationship with since 2005.