Harald Anton Schumacher (born March 6, 1954 in Düren, Germany), commonly known as Toni Schumacher, was a football goalkeeper of the 1980s, member of the West German national team, with which he won the 1980 European Championship and lost two World Cup finals, in 1982 and 1986.

On the field, Schumacher was an effective goalkeeper, and was one of the first keepers to master a one-armed throw that could propel the ball well into the opponents' half.

Schumacher is remembered in particular for a collision with a French defender, substitute Patrick Battiston, in the semi-final of the 1982 World Cup. Both Battiston and Schumacher were chasing down a long-ball pass, sprinting at each other and the ball from opposite directions. Battiston arrived moments before Schumacher, firing off a shot just over the head and left of Schumacher. Just before the resulting collision, Schumacher jumped and put his hands in the air and to his left, trying to stop the ball that was whizzing past him. He also seemed to oddly twist and contort his legs off to the side of him while mid-flight, resulting in his buttocks actually making the first impact.

Thus we have the controversy : some say he jumped and performed this maneuver assuming that Battiston would dive to the ground in an attempt to avoid the collision, while others say the entire challenge was completely malicious and more akin to a tackle you would see in American football. All that can be said for sure is that the referee was merely a few yards from this play. He had a much better vantage point than any cameras, and he seemed to find no foul play in the incident.

Afterwards, Battiston was prone, unmoving on the pitch, with his two front teeth knocked out and damaged vertebrae. He received oxygen on the pitch. Platini later said that he thought that Battiston was dead, because "he had no pulse and looked pale".

The Dutch referee Charles Corver awarded a goal kick, since Battiston's shot had sailed wide of the goal and rolled out of play.

When West Germany and France met again in World Cup 1986, Battiston said that the incident was "forgiven and forgotten". However, he said that he was wary of getting "close to Schumacher" and said that he would hold a distance of at least 40 meters from the German goalkeeper. Schumacher would not comment on the incident. Germany went on to win the game 2-0.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Schumacher)
Clip of the incident: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziCPQk_Zn80&search=Battiston

Oliver Hans Kahn (born 15 June 1969 in Karlsruhe) is a German football goalkeeper. He played for the German national team (from 1995 to 2006) and plays for Bayern München (since 1994).

Kahn is a player obsessed by perfection, is known to train fanatically, but also has the tendancy to erupt in a berserker rage when things go wrong. Because of his seemingly overambitious attitude in the field he is made fun of sometimes in Germany by some comedians and caricaturists, portraying him as a maniac. In 1996, popular German comedian Harald Schmidt lip-synched Kahn, when he angrily shouted at colleague Andreas Herzog, by using ape noises and calling him (Kahn) "gorilla". This achieved cult fame, and from that moment on, fans of the opposing team would taunt him by making ape noises and throwing bananas at him. But since his stellar performance at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, this has mostly ceased.

Recently, Kahn capitalized on his "mad maniac" image in commercials in which he terrified opposing penalty kickers, bested a stadium lusting for his blood and let out loud animal roars. After Kahn lost the No. 1 goalkeeper spot in the German national team to Jens Lehmann, he even sent himself up in ads. In a commercial for the Paulaner brewery, he sits on a bench with a beer and sighs "on the bench, life is best", and in ads for Burger King, he sits on a bench with the caption Olli Kahn proves his size (in German, "size" also means "composure"), a reference to a new, bigger burger.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Kahn)

Tie Domi's career stats (regular season + playoffs):

Games Played: 1020 + 98
Goals: 104 + 7
Assists: 141 + 12
Points: 245 + 19
Penalty minutes: 3515 + 238

Roy Maurice Keane (born in Cork, 10 August 1971) is the manager of Sunderland A.F.C. in England's Coca-Cola Championship league. He is a former Irish international footballer, Irish team captain, Manchester United team captain and Celtic player.

During his time at United, he was known for his inspirational leadership, excellent tackling and distribution abilities. He is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders to ever play in the modern era. Additionally, ex-player and BBC pundit Alan Hansen is of the opinion that Keane is the best player to have played in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. Manager Alex Ferguson regards him as his best player ever during his 20-year reign at Manchester United. [1]. Keane has led United to nine major honours during his captaincy from 1998 to 2005, making him Manchester United's most successful skipper.

Although Keane attracted praise as a player, he also had disciplinary problems, being sent off eleven times in his career, and notably suspended twice for the same foul on Alf Inge Haaland, once for the foul and again after admitting in his autobiography that the foul was deliberate. At the start of the 2005-2006 season, he left United after publicly criticising his teammates for their lackluster performances, signing with Celtic for the remainder of the Scottish Premier League season.

After the retirement of Éric Cantona in 1997, Keane became team captain, although he missed most of the 1997/1998 season because of a cruciate ligament injury, caused by an ill-timed challenge on Leeds United player Alf Inge Haaland. As Keane lay prone on the ground, Haaland stood over Keane, accusing him of feigning injury. United were top of the league at the time, but their form dropped and they finished the season without a trophy.

In 2001, Keane played against Alf-Inge Haaland for the first time since their clash in 1998, and was sent off for a knee-high tackle which left Haaland with a serious injury. He initially recieved a three game suspension. Keane subsequently admitted in an autobiography that he intended "to hurt" Haaland, which saw him banned for a further five matches and fined £150,000. Haaland retired from football shortly afterwards, previously stating on his website that the cause of this was a recurring problem in his leg, rather than Keane's tackle.

My favorite Keane quote: [To Republic of Ireland team manager Mick McCarthy] “Mick, you're a liar...you're a fucking wanker. I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager, and I don't rate you as a person. You're a fucking wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your bollocks.”

Eric Cantona on Roy Keane:

"The Irish public should bow to the feet of Roy Keane, not slate him as he is the best player they will ever have to boast"

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_keane)

Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born May 24, 1966 in Marseille) is a French former footballer of the 1990s. He ended his professional footballing career at Manchester United where he won four Premiership titles in five years, including two league and FA Cup "doubles". Cantona is often regarded as having played a major talismanic role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse and he enjoys iconic status at the club. In 2001 he was voted their player of the century, and to this day United fans refer to him as "The King".

Cantona then became infamous for an incident that occurred on 25 January 1995. In an away match against Crystal Palace, after being sent off by the referee for a vengeful kick on Palace defender Richard Shaw, (after Shaw had pulled his shirt) he launched a 'kung-fu' style kick against an allegedly abusive Crystal Palace fan, Matthew Simmons. At a press conference called later, Cantona gave what is perhaps his most famous quote. As the journalists gathered to hear him speak, Cantona entered the room, sat down and said, in a slow and deliberate manner: "When the Seagulls... follow the trawlers... it's because they think... Sardines will be thrown into the Sea". He then got up from his seat and left, leaving many of the assembled crowd bemused. He was sentenced to 120 hours of community service after an appeal court overturned a 2 week prison sentence for assault. He was also suspended by The Football Association until the following October. Manchester United eventually lost the Premiership title to Blackburn.

There had been much speculation that Cantona would leave English football when his ban finished, but Alex Ferguson persuaded him to stay in Manchester and Cantona was once again inspirational. United had sold several key players at the start of the season and replaced them with players from the club's youth team and, as in 1992-93, their prospects of winning the league were not looking good. After Ryan Giggs (the one player Cantona claimed had a telepathic understanding with him) had been upended, Cantona scored a penalty against Liverpool in his first game after the ban, and his goals helped United to recapture the league having been twelve points behind Newcastle United in January 1996, virtually going on a one man crusade for the championship title at several important junctures. Often, it would be a spate of 1-0 wins for United with Cantona the goal scorer. Fittingly, he also scored the same 1-0 winning goal in that year's F.A. Cup Final, scoring in his last game of the season against the team he played against in his first game of the season, Liverpool . His redemption was complete after the scandals and lows of a year earlier. Cantona gave a post-match interview saying: "You know that's life. Up and down." Manchester United were the first team to win "the double" twice.


Eric Cantona Quotes:

"Sometimes in life one experiences an emotion which is so strong that it is difficult to think, or to reason. Sometimes you get submerged by emotion. I think it's very important to express it - which doesn't necessarily mean hitting someone. I am very mistrustful of people who are constantly overintellectualising things. It kills passion. You have to allow yourself to lose control from time to time."

"After his first training session in heaven, George Best, from his favourite right wing, turned the head of God who was filling in at left-back. I would love him to save me a place in his team - George Best that is, not God."

George Best on Cantona:

"I'd give all the champagne I've ever drunk to be playing alongside him in a big European match at Old Trafford." (George Best, 1960s Manchester United legend, pays a fine compliment to Eric)

Roy Keane on Eric Cantona:

"Collar turned up, back straight, chest stuck out, he glided into the arena as if he owned the fucking place. Any arena, but nowhere more effectively than Old Trafford. This was his stage. He loved it, the crowd loved him" (Roy Keane, Cantona's successor as Manchester United captain.)

Duncan Ferguson, (born December 27, 1971 in Stirling, Scotland) is a Scottish football player currently unattached to a club, although it is believed he will be signing on a short contract for Perth Glory, a club in the Hyundai A-League, the top division in Australia.

Ferguson began his footballing education at Carse Thistle F.C. before being signed to Dundee United F.C. in 1990 on his first professional contract. From that time he has played for Rangers F.C., Everton F.C. and Newcastle United F.C.; his career often punctuated by controversy and injury.

When not blighted by these mishaps, his strength and stature made him a potent target–man. These characteristics have earned Ferguson a reputation as one of the most difficult players to defend against in the English Premier League.[citation needed] Players such as John Terry and Sami Hyypiä have both named Ferguson as their toughest opponent. This dominating style and a poor disciplinary record has often seen him attract the ire of referees.

In 2001, Ferguson was the victim of a burglary attempt by two men at his then home in Rufford, Lancashire. Ferguson confronted the pair and was able to detain one of them who subsequently spent three days in hospital.

Ferguson has frequently found himself in trouble with the law. This has led to four convictions for assault; two arising from taxi–rank scuffles, one an altercation with a fisherman in an Anstruther pub and the most infamous: his on–field assault of Raith Rovers defender John McStay in 1994 while playing for Rangers.

For the indiscretion of head–butting McStay, Ferguson was punished with a three month sentence in Barlinnie Prison of which he served forty–four days in 1995 while contracted as an Everton player. In addition, the Scottish FA imposed a twelve–match playing ban on Ferguson which is widely considered a primary factor in his decision to withdraw from international football.[citation needed] Oddly, Ferguson played a further two matches for Scotland after these events which would suggest that his reasons are more complex than popular opinion is able to account for.

In contrast to the Scottish FA, Everton were highly supportive of the player. Ferguson’s manager, Joe Royle, visited him in prison and the club argued successfully that any playing ban imposed in Scotland was not enforceable in England, thus enabling Ferguson to play immediately after his release.

Upon conclusion of his sentence he was feted onto the field of play by both club and supporters. This created some sense of anger as many observers believed that such actions condoned Ferguson’s misdemeanours and were thus a poor reflection on the club and game. Ferguson’s idols took the opposing view; that the player had endured a highly unpleasant experience and deserved support in his efforts to return to normality.

This episode of Ferguson’s life inspired the musical piece Barlinnie Nine, composed by Osmo Tapio Räihälä. The name comes about by way of Barlinnie prison and Ferguson’s shirt number; nine. Of his work, Räihälä said: “I got the idea for it when he was facing jail and had just become something of a cult figure for Everton. It takes into account the contradictions in him: he has an aggressive side but there is a lyrical undertone to him, as the fact that he keeps pigeons shows.”

Barlinnie Nine was premiered on April 20, 2005 by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo, in the Finlandia Hall, Helsinki. On this same day Ferguson scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Manchester United at Goodison Park. It was the first time in ten years that Everton had beaten Manchester United in a league encounter and both matches were decided by a Ferguson goal. The significance of this was not lost on Räihälä who said: “There I was describing Duncan as a failure in Finland, and thousands of miles away at Everton he rises like a phoenix from the ashes to score against Manchester United. If there are gods of football up there, this proves they have got a most twisted sense of humour.”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Ferguson)

Michael Gerard Tyson, born on June 30, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York, USA) is a professional boxer and former World Heavyweight Champion. The youngest man to win a heavyweight title belt, he was rated by Ring magazine, in a 1999 listing, as the fourteenth greatest heavyweight of all time. He was nicknamed "Iron" Mike Tyson, Kid Dynamite, and The Baddest Man on the Planet.

During his prime he was the most feared man in the heavyweight division, but his once promising career was undermined by personal problems, lack of preparation, and periods of imprisonment. Upon release following his first prison sentence, he made a heavily anticipated comeback but failed to reclaim his previous dominance. On June 11, 2005, Tyson suffered a defeat to journeyman Kevin McBride, and shortly thereafter retired from the sport.

The Evander Holyfield Clash.

On June 28, 1997, Tyson fought Evander Holyfield with Mills Lane as the referee, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It was dubbed "The Sound and the Fury," the $100-million rematch between these titans, since Holyfield had knocked Tyson out 8 months earlier, and the rematch was drawing more attention than the first bout, with Tyson getting $30 million, Holyfield $35 million, and pay per view fees set at $49.95.

Problems started when a clash of heads in the second round opened a three-inch cut over Tyson's right eye. Tyson had repeatedly complained about head butting in the first bout between the two. A time-out was called briefly, but since there was no indication that Holyfield had intentionally fouled Tyson, no point deduction was taken from Holyfield. Tyson continued the second round with blood trickling into his eye. As the third round was about to begin, Tyson came out of his corner without his mouthpiece, but Lane noticed this and ordered Tyson back to his corner to get his mouthpiece. The two got back into position and the fight resumed. Tyson rushed hard at Holyfield, catching him with a solid right and then a combination. Suddenly, with 40 seconds left in the 3rd round, the fight took an unexpected turn. Holyfield got Tyson in a clinch, and Tyson rolled his head above Holyfield's shoulder. He then bit Holyfield's right ear, severing it. Holyfield pushed Tyson away and started hopping up and down in pain, spinning around in a circle holding his ear.

Lane abruptly called for a time-out, Holyfield turned to walk to his corner, and Tyson ran up to Holyfield to push him in his back, startling the crowd and Holyfield who fell into the ropes. Lane quickly moved Tyson and directed Holyfield back to his corner as Tyson walked calmly back to his. The fight was delayed for several minutes as Lane told Tyson he was penalizing him with a two-point deduction. A physician examined Holyfield's ear and determined he could continue to fight.

The fight resumed with 30 seconds left in the round. The two fought into another clinch. Tyson craned his neck around again and bit Holyfield's left ear with 22 seconds left. Holyfield threw his hands around to get out of the clinch and jumped back as Tyson waved his arms in a "come on" motion. Lane did not stop the fight this time, so the two men continued fighting until time expired. The men walked back to their respective corners when the fight was then stopped. After the fight was stopped, Tyson still tried to get at Holyfield and Holyfield's trainer Brooks while they were still in their corner. Tyson took swings at anyone who got in his way, including a police officer, until he was finally held back into his corner. Announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. read the unprecedented decision: "Referee Mills Lane has disqualified Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield on both of his ears."

Later, Tyson was walking back to his locker room when a fan tossed a full bottle of water in Tyson's direction. Tyson climbed over a temporary railing and up into the stands, made obscene gestures to the crowd, and made his way up the side of a stairway before he was dragged to his locker room. Tyson was suspended and his license withheld.

Tyson tried to justify his behavior when he later told reporters:

Holyfield butted me in the first round and then he butted me again in the second round. As soon as he butted me I watched him. He looked right at me and came right at me. He kept on going down and coming up, then charged into me, and no one warned him. No one took any point from him. What am I supposed to do? This is my career; I can't continue getting butted like that. I've got children to raise and he keeps butting me, tryna get me, stopped on cuts I gotta retaliate. Listen, Holyfield's not the tough warrior everyone says he is. He got a little nick on his ear and he quit. I got one eye, he's got ears, he's not impaired. I got one eye, big deal, if he take one, I got another one. He didn't wanna fight; I'm ready to fight him right now... He didn't want to fight, regardless on what I did...he been buttin me for two fights (Tyson points to his eye) Look at me, man, look at me. I gotta go home and my kids are gonna be scared of me now, look at me!

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_tyson)