For years, if you were to ask the average Joe on the street to name the best soccer player in the world, those who do not follow soccer closely would probably say something to the effect of, “David Beckham.  He’s the only one I know.”

Times have changed, and it appears there’s a challenger for the world’s most famous soccer playboy.

Cristiano Ronaldo is quickly becoming the new Hollywood-style soccer pro who is stirring up the buzz on and off the field.  The 23-year-old is the first since Beckham to draw the attention of the world outside of futbol with a tabloid and paparazzi following that is starting to rival that of the decade-older Beckham.  He nabbed yet another individual award when he comfortably won the iconic Ballon d’Or trophy Tuesday and his sponsorship deal with Nike is making headlines of its own.

Another sign of the attention he is receiving can be seen in the way that the two compare on Google Trends:

While Beckham still holds the edge on the number of total search results for his name with 18.4 million versus 16.2 million for Ronaldo, a Google search for news about each stacks up differently:

• Google News Results for “Cristiano Ronaldo” - 22,839
• Google News Results for “David Beckham” - 12,211

Both are talented players.  One is rising to prominence on the field while the other is in the twighlight of his career.  Regardless of how Ronaldo fairs in the future and what Beckham does next, the pictures below say a lot about both… they’re in the spotlight, and they know it.  Whether they are in their soccer apparel or not, the pictures will keep on coming.

On the field, their personalities are as bright as they are off the field.

While Ronaldo is in the tabloids regularly with new relationships, Beckham has maintained a long-term marriage.

Any time the shirts come off, the flashbulbs start popping.

Even though they both have Hollywood glamour surrounding them, it's their skills on the field that have propelled them to stardom.

Read more about soccer stars on this soccer blog.

In February, during Madonna’s charity auction in New York City, Salma Hayek had the winning bid for a one-hour soccer lesson from David Beckham.  In the nine months since then, she has been unable to collect her winnings and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. (more…)

Here we have tried to bring out the variety of soccer moves, the style, the effort and implication of the move taken. Let us look at them one by one.
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Learning is a no-ending process. When you are committed to being a decent and good soccer player, you need to keep abreast of the new tactics and maneuvers to match up and be at par. You have to always be on the look out for newer ways to improve the game. Once you understand this, your development as any sports player is unbound. There will always be new drills, new techniques, and new strategies.
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Say soccer and you have the entire crowd staring at you! Such, is the phenomenal magic of one of the most craved international games. After all! The excitement and enthusiasm which is endowed by soccer cannot be attained by any other game. No other sports can compete with it, in terms of adventure, target audience and no doubt, thrill. The ninety minutes of soccer are truly irreversible. In addition to the piling tension, the next move and the wanted goals, soccer proves to me more enthralling than car races. The entire mounting tension revolves around just one item, i.e. the soccer ball.
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Soccer is not just like any other game, it is passionate, hair raising, hectic and frenetic game of 11 players on each side with a single goal in mind to push the ball in a goal and win. It seems quite Easy and comprehensible, isn’t it? But this is not scenario of the game. The soccer game is guarded by plenty of rules whose know how is to be obliged before becoming a player or standing amongst the passionate fan. Anyone can learn and know the tit bits of the game and have the real pleasure of the game. One can sit with his family and enjoy this hour’s play without getting drowned into the dunk of boredom. Or if you are amongst those who are not just a sitter but a go getter, and are very passionate about playing soccer, the following article can help you through.
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There is a certain level of passion that goes into being a sports fan.  Sports brings out certain parts of our nature - competition, pride, extreme emotional ups and downs - that we normally hold back in our daily lives.

No sports do this to the same level as American Football and International Futbol (or soccer, for those in the United States).  Here, we will take a look at the passions as they are best exemplified visually: how we dress up and who we fight.  It’s not a good thing that there are so many physical altercations at these sporting events, but it is a testament to the amazing level of fervor that each sport generates in its fans.

First, let’s take a “tame” look at the lengths to which fans go to demonstrate their support for their team.  The goal: there should be no question which team is getting the support, even from 50 years away.

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Soccer betting has been into numerous debates from time immemorial. For some, it might fit into the category of investment, while others regard it as serious form of gambling. But after, scrutinizing the pros and cons of soccer betting, it appears more as a form of investment. But, the kind of response that it has been receiving from investors and gamblers, on the whole, dilutes the debate.
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Soccer may be an English game, but the origin of soccer dates back to the American land. It is as American as it is Scottish or English. Association football or football experienced great levels of popularity towards late 19th century all over England. The industrial revolution has a big hand in giving boost to recreational sports. People felt the need to relax and play during weekends. The British sailors, tradesmen and worker sectors spread the fame of football all over Europe and the rest of the world.
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A physically demanding game like soccer requires immense amount of physical and mental strength. It is a game, in which the players stand at a high risk of susceptible injuries which could be either trivial or serious in nature. It is a game, in which though the physical contact between players from opposing team is not exactly planned but is inevitable during the course of the game, when players from both the teams are trying to control the ball by snatching it from their opponent.
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