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Lionel Messi (Argentina) |
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Lionel Messi is the winner of the 2009 Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball). He was an integral part of Barcelona's season as his team won the Champions League, the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey.
Messi scored 9 goals in last season's Champions League, 6 goals in the Copa del Rey and put away 23 goals in the Spanish league.
Messi in the news:
Messi scored in the 19th and 90th minutes as Barcelona got by Tenerife 4 - 1 at the Camp Nou. (Tue May 4)
Messi scored 2 goals in Barcelona's win over Villarreal at the Estadio El Madrigal. (Sat May 1)
Messi scored all 4 goals as Barcelona dumped Arsenal out of the Champions League by a score of 4 - 1. (Tue Apr 5)
Lionel Messi of Barcelona deposed David Beckham as the top earner in football, according to the magazine France Football. Messi, the Argentine winger and the reigning FIFA player of the year, was said to have made (US)$44 million last year in salary and endorsement income. Beckham, who has been first or second in each of the last nine years, took home $40.5 million in 2009, according to the report. (Wed Mar 24)
He has done it again. Messi scored a hat-trick to help Barcelona beat Real Zaragoza 4 - 2. His second goal was a beauty to behold as he dribbled past defenders to score a memorable goal. (Sun Mar 21)
Barcelona has booked their place in the quarter final after beating Stuttgart 4 - 0 at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi again was the star player with 2 goals in the 13th and 60th minute. (Wed Mar 17)
Lionel Messi scored a spectacular hat-trick as Barcelona beat Valencia 3 - 0 at Camp Nou. Messi scored in the 56th, 81st and 83rd minutes to increase his La Liga-high goal tally to 22 through 26 matches. (Sun Mar 14)
Lionel Messi scored two goals to help 10-men Barcelona secure a point as they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Almeria in La Liga on Saturday. (Sat Mar 6)
Lionel Messi curled in a superb left-foot effort in the 6th minute as Barcelona defeated Getafe 2 - 1. That was his 16th goal of the season. (Sat Feb 6)
Messi scored the third goal in Barcelona's 3 - 0 win over Real Valladolid. (Sat Jan 23)
Barcelona beat Sevilla 4-0 at the Camp Nou. World player of the year Lionel Messi scored twice as he became the youngest Barcelona player to score 100 goals, at the age of just 22. (Sat Jan 16)
Lionel Messi scored a hat trick to help Barcelona demolish Tenerife 5 - 0. He scored 2 goals in the first half and his third was a delicate lob in the 75th minute. (Sun Jan 10)
Lionel Messi has won the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award. Messi, who was runner-up the last two years, received 1,047 points in voting. Ronaldo was second with 352 points, followed by Xavi with 196 points. The Argentine had high praise for the rest of the candidates and thanked Crisitano Ronaldo for his warm compliments, saying that the arrivals of Ronaldo and Kaka to La Liga will strengthen the Spanish league. (Mon Dec 21)
After falling behind to Mauro Boselli’s surprise opener, Barcelona's Pedro netted an 89th minute equalizer and Lionel Messi secured victory for Barcelona in the second period of extra-time of the FIFA Club World Cup. (Sat Dec 19)
Messi put on a splendid display against Dynamo Kiev and scored a fantastic free-kick in the 86th minute to help Barcelona secure a 2-1 victory. (Wed Dec 9)
Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona got the better of Deportivo La Coruna with a 3-1 win. (Sat Dec 5) |
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Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) |
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Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2008 Ballon d'Or winner and 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year is now playing for Real Madrid after 6 years at Manchester United. While at Manchester United he scored 118 goals in 292 matches and helped United win 3 Premier League Titles, 1 FA Cup Title, 2 Carling Cup Titles, 1 UEFA Champions League Title and a FIFA Club World Cup Title.
He is still considered by some as the best footballer around because he is equally adept with his right and left foot, he is deadly in the air, goalkeepers fear his swerving free-kicks and he has speed to burn most defenders. He once scored a goal with his thigh although that was more a case of luck rather than skill. During the 2007/2008 season at Man United he scored a record 42 goals in all competitions. He and his Man United teammates lifted the Champions League Trophy in May 2008.
Ronaldo in the news:
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain scored the goals that gave Real Madrid a 2-0 win at Racing Santander and send Real Madrid to the top of the Spanish Primera Liga. (Sun Apr 4)
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain each scored twice as Real Madrid beat Getafe, 4-2, to return to the top of the Spanish league. (Thu Mar 25)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opening goal as Real Madrid beat Valladolid 4 - 1 to move back to the top of La Liga on Sunday after Barcelona briefly occupied the top spot. (Sun Mar 14)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opening goal in a 1 - 1 draw with Lyon in the Champions League. However Lyon will move on to the quarter finals with a 2 - 1 aggregate. (Wed Mar 10)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the second and third goal in Real Madrid's 3 - 0 win over Xerez. Kaka assisted on both goals. (Sat Feb 13)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals in the first half as Madrid defeated Malaga 2-0 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Unfortunately he was sent off 20 minutes before time for breaking an opponent's nose. (Sun Jan 24)
Ronaldo's magnificent strike against Porto in last season's European Cup quarter-finals was voted the best United goal over the last decade. (Sat Jan 9)
Ronaldo picked up the inaugural Puskas Goal of the Year (2009) trophy for his 40-yard rocket for Manchester United in the Champions League victory in Porto last season. (Sat Dec 22)
Ronaldo scored the fifth goal of a 6 - 0 thrashing of Real Zaragoza. After receiving Marcelo's cross from the left, Ronaldo turned Javier Paredes twice, leaving him on the pitch before smashing the ball past Vallejo. (Sat Dec 19)
Ronaldo scored twice in Real Madrid's 3-1 defeat of Marseille, the first by way of a wicked 30 yard free-kick that flew into the right hand corner, although the goalkeeper got his fingertips to it. (Tue Dec 8)
Ronaldo won a penalty, missed that penalty, scored a goal minutes later and picked up 2nd yellow card and a sending off in Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Almeria. (Sat Dec 5) More Ronaldo News |
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Wayne Rooney (England) |
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Wayne Rooney is having a "dream" season at Manchester United. After last summer's departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Carlos Tevez to Manchester City, a lot more was asked of Rooney. So far he has shown that he can shoulder the goal-scoring burden by netting 33 goals in all competition - 26 in the Premier League (Sunday Mar 21). Rooney claims his improved form is down in part to Capello and his emphasis on team discipline. Capello suggested he conserve his energy, stop running all over the pitch and spend more time in the penalty area. This suggestion has paid off mightily.
Rooney in the news: Wayne Rooney got a rebound from which he scored after he missed a penalty against Liverpool. Rooney and Park Ji Sung ensured Man Utd claim all 3 points after Torres gave Liverpool the lead in the 5th minute. (Sun Mar 21)
Rooney scored two goals during a 3 - 0 thrashing of Fulham at Old Trafford. He has now scored 25 goals in the Premier League and 32 in all competition and closes in on Ronaldo's feat of 42 goals last season. (Sat Mar 13)
Wayne Rooney scored another header against AC Milan and scored his second goal just after half time to dump AC Milan out of the Champions League. Man United 4 - 0 defeat of AC Milan spoiled David Beckham's return to Old Trafford. (Wed Mar 10)
Wayne Rooney was the Carling Cup final hero as Manchester United came from behind to retain the Carling Cup Trophy for the first time with a 2 - 1 victory over Aston Villa. (Sun Feb 28)
Wayne Rooney produced another match-winning performance for Manchester United as he took his tally for the season to 27 by netting 2 goals against West Ham. (Tue Feb 23)
Wayne Rooney's 2 headers against AC Milan represents his 24th and 25th goals of the season. Manchester United defeated AC Milan 3 - 2 at the San Siro for the first time and set themselves up for a keenly anticipated Champions League's second leg at Old Trafford. (Tue Feb 16)
Wayne Rooney collected the Player of the Month (January) award before the match against Portsmouth at Old Trafford. He then set off on a quest for another Player of the Month award by scoring the first goal in a 5 - 0 thrashing of Portsmouth. (Sat Feb 6)
Wayne Rooney and Nani were in brilliant form today as Manchester United beat Arsenal 3 - 1 at the Emirates. Rooney was set up by Nani for the second goal of the match and his 100th Premier League goal. (Sun Jan 31)
Wayne Rooney scored the deciding goal in the Carling Cup semi-final match with Manchester City. His goal in stoppage time earned Manchester United a 3 - 1 win at Old Trafford and an aggregate of 4 - 3 that puts them in the final with Aston Villa. (Wed Jan 27)
In a superb display Rooney scored all 4 goals in Manchester United's 4 - 0 win over Hull City. (Sat Jan 23)
"Rooney's spree against Hull City took him to 84 Premier League goals for Manchester United, equalling Ronaldo's United total but achieved far more quickly (179 appearances to the Portuguese's 196) and mainly without the boost of penalties and free-kicks." Henry Winter of The Telegraph
Rooney collected the rebound after Berbatov's shot was parried by the Burnley keeper and, after taking a touch to steady himself, he netted the second goal in Man Utd's 3 - 0 victory over Burnley. (Sat Jan 16)
Wayne Rooney delivered an outstanding performance against Wigan as he started the 5 - 0 goalfest in the 28th minute. (Wed Dec 30)
Rooney broke the 0 - 0 deadlock just before half time at the KC Stadium but then gifted Hull a route back with the mistake that led to Craig Fagan's penalty equaliser. He made up for his error by forcing an own goal from Andy Dawson and setting up a third for strike partner Dimitar Berbatov. Man Utd 3 Hull 1. (Sun Dec 27)
Rooney drilled home his 12th Premier League goal of the season after Ronald Zubar conceded a penalty by handling the ball in the area. Manchester United 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 (Tue Dec 15)
Rooney scored a hat-trick against Portmouth to give Avant Grant an unplesant welcome back to the Premier League. Portsmouth - Man Utd 4 (Sat Nov 28)
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Ricardo Kaka (Brazil) |
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Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite or Kaká, as he is affectionately known, signed a contract this past summer allowing him to transfer from AC Milan to Real Madrid. The fee reported to be about £56m, was a new world record at the time, surpassing the the previous record signing of £45.6m that Real paid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.
Whether he is worth that much is debatable, but what's not, is the fact that Kaka is a very good attacking midfielder. At 27 years old he has pace, height and a lethal right foot capable of scoring a goal from 25 yards out. He won the 2007 Ballon d'Or and was also voted the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year.
Kaká in the news:
After missing the last six weeks with a groin problem Kaka returned with a bang scoring the decider against 10-man Real Zaragoza soon after appearing as a 75th-minute substitute. (Sat Apr 24)
Kaka assisted on Ronaldo's 2 goals in Real Madrid's 3 - 0 win over Xerez. (Sat Feb 13)
Kaka scored the second goal in Real Madrid's 3 - 0 victory over Espanyol. That was the first time he has scored since November as Real Madrid had little trouble beating Espanyol at home. (Sat Feb 6)
Real Madrid playmaker Kaka is set to return from injury in the Spanish league game against Mallorca on Sunday. (Sun Jan 10) |
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Fernando Torres (Spain) |
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Fernando Torres plays for Liverpool FC in England and the Spanish national team. He is considered one of world football's better strikers. The partnership with Gerrard at Liverpool and with David Villa for Spain give defenders headache - just ask Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United. In addition to scoring three goals at the last World Cup, Torres helped Spain to victory at Euro 2008 by scoring the winner in the final against Germany.
Torres scored 33 goals in his first season in the Premier League to surpass the tally set by Ruud van Nistelrooy and became the most prolific foreign debutant in English football.
Torres in the news: Torres continued his fine goal scoring form as he scored the opener in the Man Utd - Liverpool rivalry. However his team conceded 2 goals and left Old Trafford with their 10th defeat of this Premier League Season. (Sun Mar 21)
Fernando Torres scored twice, his first European goals in almost a year, to take Liverpool into the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Liverpool advance at the expense of Lille on a 3 - 1 aggregate. (Thu Mar 18)
Fernando Torres scored in the 26th and 77th minutes to lead Liverpool over Portsmouth, 4-1, in the Premier League on Monday night. (Mon Mar 15)
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has been ruled out until the end of February after twisting his knee in the FA Cup defeat to Reading on Wednesday night. (Wed Jan 13)
Fernando Torres became the fastest player in Liverpool's history to score 50 goals, as his injury-time strike gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Aston Villa. (Tue Dec 29)
Fernando Torres failed to score today as Liverpool suffered an embarrasing lost on the road to last place Portsmouth. (Sat Dec 19)
Fernando Torres helped Liverpool secure a much-needed win by scoring the second goal in a 2 - 1 win over Wigan. (Wed Dec 16) |
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Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) |
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After impressive showing in Ligue 1, where he scored 19 goals in 35 appearances during the 2003/2004 season, Jose Mourinho (Chelsea's managaer at the time) made a move for Didier Drogba. Chelsea paid a record £24 million for his services. Drogba scored 16 goals in each of his first 2 seasons, helping Chelsea win back-to-back Premier League titles. He had an impressive 2006/2007 season scoring 33 in all competitions.
Drogba in the news: Drogba scored the opening goal for Chelsea but saw Blackburn fight back to equalize at Ewood Park. (Sun Mar 21)
Ivory Coast captain and Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba was named the Glo-CAF African Footballer of the Year 2009. The announcement came on his 32nd birthday - Thursday March 11 - and it is his second award, after he also won it in 2006. Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o and Ghana's Michael Essien came second and third respectively in the voting for the 2009 award. (Thu Mar 11)
Didier Drogba scored 2 goals against Wolverhampton at Molineux to enable Chelsea to move four points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League. (Sat Feb 20)
Chelsea reached the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 4-1 victory over Cardiff. Didier Drogba put Chelsea in front in the second minute but Michael Chopra stunned the home side with an equaliser before half-time. Second-half goals from Michael Ballack, Daniel Sturridge and substitute Salomon Kalou secured Chelsea's place in the quarter-finals. (Sat Feb 13)
Didier Drogba scored both goals in a 2 - 0 win over Arsenal. The win moved Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League table. (Sun Feb 7)
Didier Drogba scored for Ivory Coast as his team beat Ghani 3 - 1 on Friday to qualify for the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations. (Fri Jan 15)
Substitute Branislav Ivanovic picked out Drogba who rose above Chris Baird at the far post to nod home the equaliser in the 73rd minute. Chelsea beat Fulham 2 - 1. (Tue Dec 29)
Drogba was in fine form today scoring 2 of Chelsea's 3 goals in a 3 - 3 draw with Everton. (Sat Dec 12)
Drogba scored Chelsea's second goal in a 2 - 2 draw with Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League. (Tue Dec 8) |
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Xavi Hernandez (Spain) |
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There is a simple reason why Lionel Messi shines at Barcelona and seems to disappear when playing for Argentina: Xavi Hernandez. When midfield "general" Xavi is having a normal day on the pitch, Messi is the benefactor of some "wicked" passes that allow him to challenge opposing goalkeepers. However, Xavi does not seem to get all the credit he deserves considering that he is the "general" in the midfield for both Barcelona and Spain. Secret of beating Barcelona and Spain? Shut down Xavi. Problem is that is easier said than done.
Xavi in the news: Xavi scored 1 goal and assisted on 2 others as Barcelona defeated Villarreal 4 -1 on the road. (Sat May 1)
Xavi Hernández has been voted 'best playmaker' by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), beating his team mate, FIFA World Player Lionel Messi, into second place. (Wed Jan 13)
Xavi levelled for Barca after Dynamo Kiev took an early lead when Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes spilled a header from Artem Milevskiy after just two minutes. Messi scored his side's second goal to grab a 2 - 1 victory. (Wed Dec 9) |
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Wesley sneijder (NetherLands) |
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Wesley Sneijder is a product of the hugely successful Ajax youth academy. He made his professional debut in a 2-0 win at Excelsior in December 2002. He is one of a handful of attacking midfielders that seem to be a dying breed. He is good with both feet and is clinical at taking free-kicks. He scored 43 goals in 126 games for the Amsterdam club before moving to Real Madrid in 2007. Unfortunately he was unceremoniously shipped out of Real after just 2 years with the club. He now plays for Inter Milan where he made an instant impact during his first game there.
Sneijder in the news:
Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder scored the only goal of Inter's Champion's League game in the 6th minute. His low free-kick went through the CSKA wall and beyond goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev. (Tue Apr 6)
Wesley Sneijder provided the assist from which Samuel Eto'o scored against Chelsea in today's Champions League match. Inter Milan won the game 1 - 0 and 3 - 1 on aggregate to move into the quarter final. (Tue Mar 16)
Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder has been hit with a two-match ban following his red card against AC Milan. He was shown red for synically clapping in the referee's face for a call he didn't like. (Fri Jan 22)
Wesley Sneijder and Walter Samuel scored late goals as Inter Milan came from behind twice to avoid a shock defeat to Seria A bottom team Siena. In the 35th minute Sneijder expertly steered a free kick into the left corner to give Inter a 2 - 1 lead. In the second half he conjured up another wonderful free kick in the 88th minute to level the score line at 3 - 3 after Maccrone has put Siena into 3-2 lead. (Sat Jan 9)
Regarding his unpleasant departure from Real Madrid, Sneijer recently said "I've always admired Real Madrid, but I can't feel that anymore. The club is being run by two mafiosi."(Sat Dec 26)
After Rivas is called for handball near the penalty box, Wesley Sneijder took a magnificent free kick in the 59th minute to break the 0 - 0 tie with Livorno. (Wed Dec 16) |
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Arjen Robben (NetherLands) |
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With the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema, Arjen Robben along with his Dutch teammates Wesley Sneijder and Klass-Jan Huntelaar were considered surplus at Real Madrid and were shipped out in the summer of 2009. He now plays for Bayern Munich.
Robben is a talented and pacy winger who makes defenders look silly. Unfortunately he has been hindered by occasional injuries that seems to prevent him reaching his true potential. He is expected to be a crowd pleaser at World Cup 2010 if injuries don't hold him back.
Robben in the news: Arjen Robben proved the difference for the second time in four days as he gave Bayern Munich a come-from-behind win against Freiburg. Bayern won the match 2-1 to leapfrog Schalke at the top of the Bundesliga. (Sat Mar 13)
A stunning 30 yard strike from Arjen Robben sent Bayern Munich into the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of an unlucky Fiorentina who won the match 3 -2. Bayern are through on away goals. (Tue Mar 9)
Arjen Robben scored one of Bayern Munich's three goals as Bayern Munich extended its winning streak to eight games to move level with Bayer Leverkusen atop the Bundesliga. Bayern defeated Wolfsburg 3 - 1. (Sat Feb 6)
A fantastic direct free-kick by Arjen Robben helped Bayern Munich snatch a 3-2 away victory over Werder Bremen as the German giants went top of the German Bundesliga table. (Sat Jan 23)
In his first start since his recent injury, Arjen Robben scored a goal and played a part in another against Hertha Berlin. On a counter-attack Gomez beat Steve von Bergen to the byline and sent in a low cross that Drobny could only parry. Robben was first to the ball and found the back of the net. In another counter-attack following Maximilian Nicu's miss, Robben mesmerized the Hertha defense with an inward run from the right side. He slipped a through ball to Thomas Mueller, who controlled superbly before putting the ball past Drobny. (Sat Dec 19) |
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Brazil (1) |
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Spain (2) |
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Portugal (3) |
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Netherlands (4) |
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Italy (5) |
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Germany (6) |
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France (7) |
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Argentina (8) |
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England (9) |
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Cameroon (11) |
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Greece (12) |
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USA (14) |
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Mexico (15) |
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Côte d'Ivoire (16) |
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Chile (17) |
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Switzerland (18) |
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Uruguay (19) |
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Serbia (20) |
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Australia (21) |
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Nigeria (22) |
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Denmark (26) |
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Algeria (28) |
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Paraguay (30) |
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Slovenia (33) |
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Slovakia (34) |
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Ghana (37) |
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Honduras (38) |
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Japan (43) |
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South Korea (52) |
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New Zealand (77) |
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North Korea (84) |
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South Africa (86) |
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