Superstars of Soccer ENGLISH

Andrés Guardado
by Jorge Arturo Miranda Bravo

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Andrés Guardado is a big part of the Mexican national soccer team. From an early age, he rose quickly to become one of the biggest stars on the field today. On and off the field, fans love to follow Guardado's latest moves. Follow the journey of the "Little Prince" from Club Atlas in Mexico to Deportivo in Spain to the World Cup! Although he's a young player, Guardado has had great success during his years in soccer, and he's sure to have much more.

Arnoldo Iguarán
by Ana Valay Sandoval

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In Colombia, the name of Arnoldo Iguarán evokes a respect that approaches veneration. Iguarán is the all-time leading scorer for Colombia's National Team: in 68 games between 1979 and 1993, he tallied 25 times. One of those goals helped Colombia beat Brazil to bring home the 1991 Copa América championship. Iguarán played his last professional game in 1997. But he has continued to contribute to the game and the nation he loves. The Arnoldo Iguarán Academia de Fútbol gives Colombian kids age 4 to 18 the opportunity to play soccer under the tutelage of experts, including the school's namesake. One day, a graduate of the academy may net a goal that brings another Copa América--or perhaps even a World Cup--to Colombia.

Carlos Valderrama
by Juan Domingo Chacoff

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ISBN 978-1-4222-9202-0

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The year 2004 marked the hundredth anniversary of the founding of FIFA, soccer's international governing body. To celebrate the milestone, the legendary Brazilian star Pelé was asked to compile a list of the greatest living players. There was only one Colombian on Pelé's 125-player list: Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama. Few knowledgeable fans would take issue with Valderrama's inclusion. The midfielder is widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of Colombian soccer. He played in a record 111 games for the Colombian National Team. He also shone in leagues in South America, Europe, and the United States. El Pibe retired in 2004 after a sparkling 25-year professional career.

Chicharito Hernández
by Gustavo Vazquez & Fredrico Vargas

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Called by destiny, with soccer as his heritage, Javier Hernández Balcázar was born to shine on the pitch. The grandson and son of players selected for their country's national team in the World Cup, el Chicharito represents a new generation of Mexican soccer stars whose field of play is the globe. This book follows the fortunes of Hernández on his road to the top, from his modest origins with the youth section of the Chivas of Guadalajara to his rousing successes with Manchester United. El Chicharito has scored triumphs that all of Mexico celebrates.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco
by Paco Elzaurdia

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Cuauhtémoc Blanco loves to play soccer, and it shows on the field. Blanco has been part of Mexican professional soccer since 1992, and has since become one of the most famous players around. Cuau has been a part of Club América in Mexico, Valladolid in Spain, and the Chicago Fire in the United States, not to mention the Mexican national team. Discover how Blanco became such a great player--and where his skills have taken him. Wherever he goes, Blanco plays his best and earns fans' attention and admiration!

Diego Forlán
by Daniel Grady

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For Uruguayans, Diego Forlán is a true idol. The forward is the all-time leading goal scorer for Uruguay's National Team. During the 2010 World Cup, he won the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player and was named to the all-star team. Forlán has starred on such top European clubs as Manchester United and Inter Milan, twice winning the coveted Golden Shoe award. Though he currently lives in Europe, he remains deeply connected to his homeland. Among his various humanitarian endeavors, Forlán serves as an ambassador for UNICEF in Uruguay.

Freddy Rincón
by Ariel Pichersky

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For more than a decade, from 1990 to 2001, Freddy Rincón was a solid performer for Colombia's National Team. In 84 appearances for Los Cafeteros--including three World Cup tournaments--the midfielder netted 17 goals. Over the course of his career, Rincón also played for a variety of clubs in Colombia, Europe, and Brazil. He retired in 2004.

Fredy Guarin
by Silvia Meave

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ISBN 978-1-4222-9196-2

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When The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, asked its readers to vote for the best goal of the 2010--2011 European soccer season, one score emerged as the overwhelming favorite. That goal, a blast unleashed by F.C. Porto midfielder Fredy Guarín in a match against Marítimo, found the back of the net from an incredible 40 yards out. The stunning tally caused many European fans to take note, for the first time, of the versatile young player. In Colombia, where he was born in the town of Puerto Boyacá in 1986, the goal cemented Guarín's status as a soccer idol. Guarín's future seems bright indeed. In 2012 he moved to the powerhouse Inter Milan club. And many observers expect him to play a major role in Colombia's bid for the 2014 World Cup.

Giovani dos Santos
by Ana Patricia Valay

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In Mexico and the world, the name Giovani dos Santos is synonymous with goals. From the time he was a child, his ability with the ball captivated all who saw him play. He won youth scoring titles seemingly at will, but it wasn't until 2005, when Dos Santos was 16, that he became a national hero by helping Mexico beat Brazil to capture the FIFA U-17 (under 17) World Championship. From that point on, the eyes of soccer fans have been on him. Dos Santos led Mexico to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football's 2009 Gold Cup title, and he was named player of the tournament. Two years later, a dazzling Dos Santos goal late in the final match locked up another Gold Cup for Mexico.

Gonzalo Higuaín
by Elizabeth Levy Sad & Esteban Eliaszevich

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ISBN 978-1-4222-9190-0

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From his start on an amateur club in Buenos Aires to his brilliant career with Real Madrid and Argentina's National Team, Gonzalo "Pipita" Higuaín has guaranteed his place among soccer's leading lights. His career is still on the rise, yet Higuaín already ranks among the top 20 all-time goal scorers for Real Madrid, Spain's most fabled club. And as a result of his stellar performance with Argentina's National Team, he is recognized as one of the greatest sportsmen in all of Latin America. A monumental force of will has characterized Gonzalo Higuaín since his childhood. Positive and disciplined, he has overcome many difficulties on the way to the top of his profession. And the final pages of Higuaín's story have yet to be written. Many soccer fans expect that Pipita's greatest work is still to come.

Hugo Sánchez
by Eduardo Martínez Alaníz

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Lots of people agree that Hugo Sánchez is one of the best Mexican soccer players in history. He was the star of the national team and played for Real Madrid, one of the best teams in the world. Read about Sánchez's rise to fame in Mexico and beyond. Although he's retired, the soccer icon has made the transition from player to coach, and even after forty years in soccer, Sánchez is still going strong!

Illustrated Guide to Soccer
by Paco Elzaurdia

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ISBN 978-1-4222-9210-5

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Commonly known as "football" outside North America, soccer is the world's most popular sport. The word soccer is derived from "association football," the traditional name for the game in the British Commonwealth countries. Although ball-kicking games can be traced at least as far back as ancient Greece and China, modern soccer originated in 19th-century England. The Football Association laid down the first set of rules in 1863, and the first organized league was established in 1888. Soccer became a medal sport in the Olympic Games of 1908. In 1930, FIFA organized the World Cup, a tournament held every four years to determine international soccer supremacy. Soccer is played according to the same basic rules almost everywhere. This book acts as an illustrated guide to the rules, regulations, and history of this exciting sport.

Iván Córdoba
by Gustavo Vazquez

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Iván Ramiro Córdoba rose from humble beginnings. Born into a poor family, he grew up playing soccer in the streets of Rionegro, Colombia. After a couple years with the local Rionegro team, he moved to the first-level Atlético Nacional club of Medellín, then to the Buenos Aires--based San Lorenzo de Almagro club. Córdoba's skill at disarming opponents' attacks soon caught the attention of European clubs, and in 1999 he landed with Inter Milan. In a dozen seasons with Inter Milan, Córdoba earned a reputation as one of the world's best defenders. Along the way, he helped the club to a pair of league championships. For Colombians, however, Córdoba will always be remembered for a goal he scored on July 29, 2001. That tally gave Colombia a 1--0 victory over Mexico--and the Copa América title.

Lionel Messi
by Carlos Sosa

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Despite his youth, Argentina's Lionel Messi (born in 1987) is already considered one of the greatest players in the history of soccer. Messi has amassed an impressive list of titles and trophies, and that list seems certain to grow in the coming years. But this international star didn't have an easy road to the top: he surmounted some difficult obstacles. The life of Lionel Messi is a testament to talent, sacrifice, love, pain, and hope. It is a story in which a single decision would change a destiny, a story in which the burning desire to play soccer would carry a desperate young man to heights he never dared imagine. Lionel Messi has shown the world that with grit and perseverance, nothing is impossible.

Luis Amaranto Perea
by Elizabeth Levy Sad & Esteban Eliaszevich

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ISBN 978-1-4222-9195-5

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From his professional debut with Independiente of Medellín, and later during a stint with the fabled Boca Juniors club of Argentina, Luis Amaranto Perea Mosquera displayed the mettle, tenacity, and ability that would mark him as one of the all-time greats of Latin American soccer. This crafty defender, known for his speed and precise passing, is a total team player. He has enjoyed a brilliant career with Atlético Madrid and is a key piece of Colombia's National Team. A humble superstar, Perea is a favorite of teammates and fans alike. And he's admired equally for his efforts on and off the soccer field. In 2005, Perea received the prestigious "Colombiano Ejemplar" prize, awarded to persons who have helped build a better society.

Luis Suárez
by Gustavo Vazquez & Fredrico Vargas

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The young and talented Uruguayan soccer star Luis Suárez has been a perennial focus of the international press. It's not hard to understand why. Suárez has something to offer just about anyone who follows the game: controversy, brash talk, inspired play, and, above all, goals. This indomitable forward, who was born in the city of Salto and later moved to Montevideo, is the protagonist of one of the most compelling stories in the annals of Uruguayan soccer. Raised along with six siblings by a single mother, Suárez rose through the ranks of Uruguay's Club Nacional before vaulting to international fame during the 2010 World Cup, held in South Africa. Now recognized as a star in the elite leagues of Europe, the man whose shooting skills earned him the nickname "El Pistolero" seems certain to accomplish much more before his career is done.

Mario Yepes
by Daniel Grady

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ISBN 978-1-4222-9205-1

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Mario Yepes is a familiar name, not just inside his native Colombia but throughout the soccer-playing world. The current captain of Colombia's National Team has enjoyed a distinguished career with some of the best teams in Latin America and Europe. He dazzled fans in Argentina while playing for the Club Atlético River Plate, then went on to become the highest-paid player in France. Since 2010 Yepes has been a standout for the powerhouse A.C. Milan club. He's been dubbed "El Rey" for his exceptional ability on the soccer pitch, but off the field this king is humble and down-to-earth--one more reason Mario Yepes is a perennial fan favorite.

Neymar
by Thiago Teixeira

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In 2014, when the World Cup championship is played in Brazil, the hopes of the host country may well turn on the performance of a 22-yearold prodigy known as Neymar. Born and raised in the Santos district of São Paulo, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior has already enthralled Brazilian soccer aficionados with his vast repertoire of dribbles and his impressive and growing catalog of dazzling goals. What heights of success can this charismatic and popular star reach? Only time will tell.

Radamel Falcao
by Elizabeth Levy Sad &  Esteban Eliaszevich

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ISBN 978-1-4222-9194-8

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Striker Radamel Falcao García, who has played soccer professionally since the age of 13, is one of the greats of the game. Falcao's extraordinary discipline and quiet strength have proved key to his early and consistent success in major leagues--first in his native Colombia; then in Argentina; and, more recently, in Spain's La Liga, where he has dazzled as a scorer. In 2011, Atlético Madrid purchased Falcao's contract from F.C. Porto for $57 million. The Colombian star quickly justified that staggering price tag, scoring a team-high 24 goals in his first season with Atlético Madrid. Quick, strong, and equally dangerous with both feet, Falcao has earned his Spanish nickname "El Tigre": he is a true tiger on the soccer pitch.

Rafael Márquez
by Paco Elzaurdia

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Rafael Márquez is one player who has fans all over the world, from Mexico to Monaco to Barcelona. He's no stranger to tough competition during championships and World Cups, and has been an important player on every team for which he's played. Learn about Rafa's journey to the top of the soccer world. Although he can be a controversial player, fans know they can count on Márquez to carry the team to victory!

Ronaldinho
by Aldo Wandersman

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Born into a family that had soccer running through its veins, Ronaldinho Gaucho demonstrated special gifts from a very early age. After emerging from his native Porto Alegre, Brazil, he delighted fans around the world with his magical moves on the pitch. Playing for some of the top clubs on the planet--including A.C. Milan, F.C. Barcelona, and Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro--Ronaldinho assured his place in the annals of modern soccer. He has won championships, twice been named best player in the world, and, in 2009, garnered the coveted Golden Foot.

Ronaldo
by Aldo Wandersman

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One of the greatest names in the history of world soccer, Ronaldo has had a life that can only be described as storybook. Born into grinding poverty in Rio de Janeiro, he went on to become a fan idol while playing for some of Europe's biggest and best soccer clubs. Serious injuries couldn't prevent him from writing his name in the record books as the all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup competition. Three times he was named best player in the world. Read this book to learn more about a true Brazilian phenomenon.