Muslim stars in the World Cup 2006
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Now, most people believe that Muslims do not appear prominently on the World Cup scene. There's the Saudi and Iranian teams, of course, but both teams didn't do much to impress and were both kicked out in the first round.
Now, what most people don't know is that there are several prominent football stars in the top teams who actually are Muslims. This thread is just for general interest; I'm just gonna briefly talk about several Muslim stars in the FIFA World Cup 2006.
All pics and descriptions taken from Wikipedia. -
Zinedine Zidane
Zinédine Zidane ( Transliteration: Zin a-Din Zidan, Arabic for "Ornament of the Faith", while his family name is Arabic for "Increases or Grows the Faith". His 'nickname', 'Yazid' is derived from his family name and means 'He Grows') (born June 23, 1972, in Marseille, France), nicknamed Zizou, is a French football player of Kabyle Algerian descent who has starred for both the French national team and for four club teams, most recently Real Madrid. Despite rumor to the contrary, Zidane's family was not a French collaborator, something that he made clear himself.
Zidane is often considered to be the best footballer of his generation, and one of the greatest of all time. His elegant dribbling, balance, passing ability, shot accuracy, shot selection and well placed free kicks have made him one of the game's finest artists and the natural successor of Michel Platini as France's top playmaker.
On 1 July, 2006, France beat Brazil 1-0 in Frankfurt to set up a semifinal meeting with Portugal. Turning in a virtuoso performance complete with one of his trademark "roulette" spins, Zidane provided the free-kick assist from which Thierry Henry scored the winning goal, and was named Man of the Match by FIFA's Technical Study Group.
On 5 July, 2006, France met Portugal in Munich for the semifinal. Zidane scored a penalty kick, which turned out to be the only goal of the game and saw France through to the final.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zin%C3%A9dine_Zidane -
Franck Ribery
Franck Ribéry (born April 1, 1983, in Boulogne-sur-Mer) is a French football player who currently plays for Olympique Marseille either as an attacking midfielder or a left or right-sided winger, and recently has been touted by the media as the successor to the French national team talisman Zinedine Zidane, due to his performances. At an early age he was involved in a car crash that resulted in scars on the right side of his face and his forehead.
Ribéry follows the Muslim faith along with his wife who is of Moroccan descent.
On June 12, 2006, he was named in the starting lineup of the French team for their opener in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Switzerland. His first international goal proved to be a crucial one, levelling France at 1-1 with Spain in the 41st minute of their knockout round match after calmly rounding the Spanish keeper, Iker Casillas. Though Spain were the favourites, France went on to win that game 3-1 to book a quarterfinal slot against Brazil.
Upon facing Brazil on July 1, 2006, Ribéry was substituted in the 75th minute of the 1-0 victory following an impressive performance.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franck_Ribery -
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie (born August 6, 1983 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch footballer currently playing at English FA Premier League team Arsenal as a striker. He can play as a striker (as he normally does for Arsenal) or on either wing, as he primarily does for the Netherlands.
Van Persie began as a youth player for Dutch side Excelsior Rotterdam and later Feyenoord Rotterdam, earning caps in the process for Netherlands U19 and U21 teams. He was unexpectedly called up to Feyenoord's injury-plagued first-team squad soon after he signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the club in January 2002. These performances, including his playing an integral part in the 3-2 UEFA Cup final victory over Borussia Dortmund at the De Kuip on May 8, 2002, earned him the prestigious Best Young Talent award offered by the Dutch PFA for the 2001-02 season.
Robin Van Persie recieved his first full international cap against Romania on 4th June 2005. Despite not being an automatic first choice to start for Arsenal, van Persie was selected as one of Holland's forwards for the 2006 FIFA World Cup by national coach Marco Van Basten. His first World Cup goal came in the group match against Côte d'Ivoire, a powerfully-struck free kick in the 23rd minute. He has now played twelve times for the Netherlands, scoring 2 goals.
Van Persie's mother is a teacher and his father an artist. His father brought him up as a single parent. He grew up in a rough neighbourhood of Rotterdam alongside its large immigrant population. He had a series of behavioural problems at school and was often excluded from classes. He is married to Bouchra, a Dutch-Moroccan. They live in Hampstead, north London. While some sources claim he is a convert to Islam, van Persie has never disclosed his faith in interviews.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_van_Persie -
Zidane and Ribery I know but Persie too? Wow.. Haha..
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Zidane's wife Veronique is Catholic, isn't she?
Besides the Saudis and Iranians, don't forget there is also Tunisia.
I also believe some members of the Ivory Coast team are followers of Islam. -
mohamed nour from saudi, hossam kaebi and madanchi from iran were impressive
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Well, Muslim men are allowed to marry Jews and Christians, though it's discouraged.Originally posted by iveco:Zidane's wife Veronique is Catholic, isn't she?
Besides the Saudis and Iranians, don't forget there is also Tunisia.
I also believe some members of the Ivory Coast team are followers of Islam.
Well yeah, there's also Tunisia and Ivory Coast. I'm just turning the spotlight on some Muslim stars. Do feel free to add more player profiles if you wish. -
I've been trying to find the profile of that Togolese guy who scored against Korea in the group stages, but can't remember his name. Sounds like Mohamed something.Originally posted by fudgester:Well, Muslim men are allowed to marry Jews and Christians, though it's discouraged.
Well yeah, there's also Tunisia and Ivory Coast. I'm just turning the spotlight on some Muslim stars. Do feel free to add more player profiles if you wish. -
mohamed kader, he reminds me of henri camaraOriginally posted by iveco:I've been trying to find the profile of that Togolese guy who scored against Korea in the group stages, but can't remember his name. Sounds like Mohamed something. -
When all else fails, turn to WikipediaOriginally posted by The man who was death:mohamed kader, he reminds me of henri camara
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Mohamed Abdel Kader
Mohamed Abdel Kader Coubadja Touré (born April 8, 1979 in Sokode) is a Togolese football striker. A Togo international, he helped them reach the 2006 World Cup, their first World Cup ever. Kader Mohamed's star rose in his home country after he scored the late winner in the 1998 African Cup of Nations match against Ghana, thus securing Togo’s first ever win at the tournament. The forward later played in the 2000 and 2002 editions, as well as featuring in Togo's disappointing campaign in Egypt this year.
After starting out with Etoile Filante de Lome, he left Togo for CA Bizertin (Tunisia) before landing at AC Parma in Italy in 1998, from where he had loan spells at clubs in Switzerland, Egypt and Italy. In 2003/4 he scored 19 goals in 35 matches for Swiss outfit Servette and was elected best Togolese player abroad. Now playing with Guingamp in France.
On June 13, 2006, he scored Togo's first ever World Cup goal in their first group match against Korea Republic, with a well taken finish. Touré currently plays for EA Guingamp.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kader_Tour%C3%A9