Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Javi Rodriguez
Javier Rodriguez Nebreda currently plays for FC Barcelona Alusport and is widely regarded as the best Spanish Futsal player ever.
Ricardinho Compilation Video
Here is a video I have made of the Portuguese Futsal magician Ricardinho !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIJK3xcjiKE
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Ricardinho
Ricardo Filipe da Silva Braga, more commonly known as Ricardinho, currently plays for Japanese champions Nagoya Oceans and the Portuguese National Futsal team.
An All-Round outfield player possessing unbelievable flair and acrobatic skill, Ricardinho is deadly to any opposing defence and a great addition to any side he plays in. An accurate passer of the ball and master of control, Ricardinho primarily plays the role of a playmaker. Lightning fast and capable of finding a way out of the tightest of situations, his endless array of tricks never fails to surprise spectators and opponents. Over the past years Ricardinho has earned himself total sponsorship by Nike and is regarded by many as the world's greatest Futsal player.
Ricardinho started his professional career at Portuguese club Miramar at the age of 17 in 2001 and was signed by SL Benfica two years later. During the seven years Ricardinho spent at SL Benfica, he helped the club win four domestic league titles, three national cups and four supercups, as well as the UEFA Futsal Cup in April 2010. Shortly after the historic UEFA Futsal Cup win that saw Benfica proclaimed as the first Portuguese club to ever win the tournament, Ricardinho transfered to Japanese Futsal champions Nagoya Oceans.
It was at the 2007 UEFA Futsal Championships, which were held in Portugal, that Ricardinho's talent was fully recognised around the world. Ricardinho scored a total of 4 goals in the tournament, falling just one short of getting the Adidas Golden Shoe award, but claimed the UEFA Golden Player award for proving crucial to his side's progress within the tournament, entertaining fans with a multitude of tricks and, most noteably, for his spectacular bicycle-kick goal against Spain in the Semi Final of the tournament. Portugal finished 4th after losing 3 - 2 to Russia in the Match for Third Place, but Ricardinho proved his worth and was offered contracts by European greats MFK Dinamo Moskva and Interviú Madrid.
Only a year later, at the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil, Ricardinho sought out to erase the bitter-sweet memory of the previous year's European Championships and once again showed his talent, scoring another four goals, but Portugal failed to make it past the Group Phase at the hands of Italy, who went on to finish 3rd in the tournament.
Having missed the 2010 edition of the UEFA Futsal Championships in Hungary due to injury, Ricardinho watched on as his side progressed to the Final but lost 4 - 2 to Spain, the title being Spain's third consecutive in the European competition. Many were convinced that, had Ricardinho been on the team, Portugal would have won their first European title.
Things however turned from the worst possible to the absolute best for Ricardinho as he led SL Benfica to a UEFA Futsal Cup win after eliminating Italian champions Luparense Calcio a 5 in the Semi Final, crushing them 8 - 4, Ricardinho scoring twice. In the Final, Benfica defeated Interviú Madrid 3 - 2 after extra time. One of Ricardinho's best ever performances, the Potruguese international was unstoppable as he assisted two of Benfica's goals and left fans on the edges of their seats, creating many chances for his side and helping Benfica claim victory on home soil (the Knockout Tournament was played in Lisbon).
Ricardinho will make a return to playing for the Portguese National side in 2012 as Portugal look to claim their first UEFA Futsal Euro and FIFA Futsal World Cup titles.
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| Ricardinho playing for Japanese Futsal club Nagoya Oceans |
An All-Round outfield player possessing unbelievable flair and acrobatic skill, Ricardinho is deadly to any opposing defence and a great addition to any side he plays in. An accurate passer of the ball and master of control, Ricardinho primarily plays the role of a playmaker. Lightning fast and capable of finding a way out of the tightest of situations, his endless array of tricks never fails to surprise spectators and opponents. Over the past years Ricardinho has earned himself total sponsorship by Nike and is regarded by many as the world's greatest Futsal player.
Ricardinho started his professional career at Portuguese club Miramar at the age of 17 in 2001 and was signed by SL Benfica two years later. During the seven years Ricardinho spent at SL Benfica, he helped the club win four domestic league titles, three national cups and four supercups, as well as the UEFA Futsal Cup in April 2010. Shortly after the historic UEFA Futsal Cup win that saw Benfica proclaimed as the first Portuguese club to ever win the tournament, Ricardinho transfered to Japanese Futsal champions Nagoya Oceans.
 |
| Ricardinho playing for Portuguese Futsal club SL Benfica |
Having missed the 2010 edition of the UEFA Futsal Championships in Hungary due to injury, Ricardinho watched on as his side progressed to the Final but lost 4 - 2 to Spain, the title being Spain's third consecutive in the European competition. Many were convinced that, had Ricardinho been on the team, Portugal would have won their first European title.
 |
| Ricardinho playing for Portugal in the 2012 UEFA Futsal Championship Qualifying Round against Macedonia |
Ricardinho will make a return to playing for the Portguese National side in 2012 as Portugal look to claim their first UEFA Futsal Euro and FIFA Futsal World Cup titles.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Futsal: The Basics
Starting in Uruguay and perfected in Brazil, Futsal is a fast-paced, indoor version of Football. Played on a hard court field 38-42 metres in length and 18-25 metres in width, utilising goals 3 metres in length, as well as boundary lines and a smaller and heavier ball than in conventional Football, Futsal encourages a more technical style of play than it's counterpart.
Futsal has become a highly entertaining sport following its vast imporvements in the past decade, such as the introduction of the stop-clock, meaning that play is stopped whenever the ball exits the boundaries of the field, allowing matches to be played for the full 40 minutes (20 minute halves). The modern game is also far more renowned worldwide than it was a mere ten years ago, players and teams now being endorsed by sporting franchises such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and Umbro. Since the 2007 UEFA Futsal Championship in Portugal, all major Futsal tournaments have been broadcast live on Eurosport, and a rapid rise in awareness and popularity for the sport has been evident since. The greatest rise in popularity occured during the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil, as all matches were streamed live on the internet via. FIFA's official webiste, FIFA.com, when record audiences tuned in to view the tournament's proceedings.
Requiring a high level of technical skill and ball control, as well as teamwork and fitness, Futsal is an unpredictable game filled with swift passing, sharp shooting, combination play, tactical awareness and fancy footwork. In recent years players such as Brazilian legend Falcão, Spanish captain Javi Rodriguez and Portuguese star Ricardinho have showcased their extraordinary talent to the world; the Spanish and Brazilian national sides have been by far the most successful in Futsal on the international stage, and at a club level Spanish giants Interviú Madrid have been dominant, especially in the UEFA Futsal Cup.
Futsal has become a highly entertaining sport following its vast imporvements in the past decade, such as the introduction of the stop-clock, meaning that play is stopped whenever the ball exits the boundaries of the field, allowing matches to be played for the full 40 minutes (20 minute halves). The modern game is also far more renowned worldwide than it was a mere ten years ago, players and teams now being endorsed by sporting franchises such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and Umbro. Since the 2007 UEFA Futsal Championship in Portugal, all major Futsal tournaments have been broadcast live on Eurosport, and a rapid rise in awareness and popularity for the sport has been evident since. The greatest rise in popularity occured during the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil, as all matches were streamed live on the internet via. FIFA's official webiste, FIFA.com, when record audiences tuned in to view the tournament's proceedings.
Requiring a high level of technical skill and ball control, as well as teamwork and fitness, Futsal is an unpredictable game filled with swift passing, sharp shooting, combination play, tactical awareness and fancy footwork. In recent years players such as Brazilian legend Falcão, Spanish captain Javi Rodriguez and Portuguese star Ricardinho have showcased their extraordinary talent to the world; the Spanish and Brazilian national sides have been by far the most successful in Futsal on the international stage, and at a club level Spanish giants Interviú Madrid have been dominant, especially in the UEFA Futsal Cup.
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