Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen

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Spain international striker RAUL GONZALEZ is congratulated by Peru international forward JEFFERSON FARFAN (17) as well as Holland international attacker KLAUS-JAN HUNTELAAR (25) after scoring one of his three goals in Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen’s 4-0 rout of Werder Bremen at the Veltins Arena on November 20, 2010. (Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images)
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Players In
—————–
fw – 33 – RAUL Gonzalez Blanco ——– Spain — fr CF Real Madrid (Spa)
fw – 27 – Klaas-Jan HUNTELAAR —— Holland int’l — fr AC Milan (Ita)
fw – 23 – Erik JENDRISEK —————– Slovakia int’l — fr 1.FC Kaiserlautern
mf – 24 – Jose Manuel JURADO ——— Spain — fr Atletico Madrid (Spa)
mf – 24 – Ciprian DEAC ———————- Romania int’l — fr CFR Cluj (Rom)
df – 34 – Hans SARPEI ———————– Ghana int’l — fr Bayer Leverkusen
df – 29 – Christoph METZELDER ——- Germany int’l — fr CF Real Madrid (Spa)
df – 29 – Nicolas PLESTAN —————- France — fr OSC Lille (Fra)
df – 25 – Tim HOOGLAND —————— Germany — fr FSV Mainz 05
df – 21 – Sergio ESCUDERO —————- Spain — fr CF Real Murica (Spa)
df – 18 – Kyriakos PAPADOPOULOS — Greece — fr Olympiakos Piraeus (Gre)

Players Out
——————-
fw – 32 – Gerald ASAMOAH ———- Germany int’l — to FC St. Pauli
fw – 30 – Vicente SANCHEZ ———- Uruguay int’l — to Club America (Mex)
fw – 28 – Kevin KURANYI ———— Germany int’l — to Dynamo Moscow (Rus)
fw – 25 – RAFINHA ———————– Brazil int’l — to FC Genoa (Ita)
mf – 35 – MINEIRO ———————– Brazil int’l — released
mf – 27 – Carlos GROSSMUELLER — Uruguay int’l — to US Leece (Ita)
mf – 21 – Jan MORAVEK ————— Czech Rep int’l — to 1.FC Kaiserlautern
mf – 21 – Emin YALIN ——————- Turkey — to AS Goztepe Izmir (Trk)
mf – 20 – Lewis HOLTBY ————— Germany int’l — to FSV 05 Mainz
df – 34 – Marcelo BORDON ———– Brazil int’l — to SC Al Rayyan (Qatar)
df – 27 – Heiko WESTERMANN — Germany int’l — to SV Hamburg
df – 24 – Tore REGINIUSSEN —— Norway int’l — to US Leece (Ita)
df – 21 – Carlos ZAMBRANO ——— Peru int’l — to FC St. Pauli
gk – 21 – Mohamed AMSIF ———— Germany — to FC Augsburg

(Holtby, Moravek, Reginiussen, Zambrano are all out on loan for the 2010-11 season; Grossmueller had been out on loan for the 2009-10 season to Uruguay side FC Danubio)

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SCHALKE 04 GELSENKIRCHEN squad
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34 – GK – Mathias SCHOBER
24 – GK – Manuel NEUER ——————- (GERMANY – 13 caps)

34 – DF – Hans SARPEI ———————– (GHANA – 34 caps, 0 goals)
29 – DF – Christoph METZELDER ——– (GERMANY – 47 caps, 0 goals)
29 – DF – Nicolas PLESTAN —————– (France)
27 – DF – Christian PANDER —————- (GERMANY – 2 caps, 1 goal)
25 – DF – Tim HOOGLAND
22 – DF – Atsuto UCHIDA ——————– (JAPAN – 32 caps, 1 goal)
22 – DF – Benedikt HOEWEDES
21 – DF – SERGIO ESCUDERO ————- (Spain)
18 – DF – Kyriakos PAPADOPOULOS — (Greece)

29 – MF – Peer KLUGE
28 – MF – Jermaine JONES ——————- (GERMANY – 3 caps, 0 goals)
25 – MF – Ivan RAKITIC ———————- (CROATIA – 25 caps, 8 goals)
24 – MF – Jose Manuel JURADO ———– (Spain)
24 – MF – Ciprian DEAC ———————— (ROMANIA – 7 caps, 0 goals)
23 – MF – Hao JUNMIN ———————— (CHINA – 28 caps, 5 goals)
23 – MF – Alexander BAUMJOHANN
22 – MF – Vasileios PILATSIKAS ———- (GREECE – 4 caps, 0 goals)
21 – MF – Lukas SCHMITZ
20 – MF – Christoph MORITZ
19 – MF – Levan KENIA ———————— (GEORGIA – 15 caps, 3 goals)
19 – MF – Joel MATIP ————————— (CAMEROON – 5 caps, 0 goals)

33 – FW – RAUL Gonzalez Blanco ———- (SPAIN – 102 caps, 44 goals)
28 – FW – EDU Goncalves de Oliveria —- (Brazil)
27 – FW – Klaas-Jan HUNTELAAR ——– (HOLLAND – 41 caps, 25 goals)
25 – FW – Jefferson FARFAN —————– (PERU – 40 caps, 12 goals)
23 – FW – Erik JENDRISEK ——————- (SLOVAKIA – 23 caps, 2 goals)
20 – FW – Mario GAVRANOVIC ———— (Switzerland)

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

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BORUSSIA DORTMUND players celebrate the injury-time victory over 1.FC Koeln won with a 90th minute strike from Turkey international midfielder Nuri Sahin at the RheinEnergie Stadion on October 15 which put the club atop the Bundesliga standings for the first time in 2,64 days. (Reuters photo)
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BALLSPIELVEREIN BORUSSIA DORTMUND, who were founded in December of 1909, were the first German team to ever capture a major European title with the Cup Winner’s Cup success in 1966; the club also added a prestigous UEFA Champions League trophy in 1997.

On the domestic front, Die Borussen have captured the Bundesliga championship on six occasions, the last title coming in 2002, and have won the DFB Pokal (German Cup) twice, as well.

Borussia Dortmund return the third-leading goal-scorer in the German top flight last season, Paraguay World Cup striker LUCAS BARRIOS, the 25-year-old who found the net 19 times in 33 Bundesliga games his first year for die Schwarzgelben after signing from Chilean club Colo Colo of Santiago for a reported 4.2 million Euros.

In a bid to strenghten the attack for the 2010-11 season, Borussia sold Barrios’ countryman and fellow World Cup striker NELSON VALDEZ to Spanish side CF Hercules Alicante for what was thought to be roughly 5.0 million Euros and then purchased Poland international forward ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI from KKS Lech Poznan for a reputed 5.0 million Euros.

A real pleasant addition for Borussi Dortmund this season has proved to be 21-year-old Japan international midfielder SHINJI KAGAWA, who was signed from J-League club Cerezo Osaka in exchange for 350,000 Euros last May.

Another astute signing for die Schwarzgelben is Poland international defender LUKASZ PISZCZEK, who arrived on a free transfer from SC Hertha Berlin after his contract was canceled by the capital city club on account of their relegation to the second division.

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BORUSSIA DORTMUND off-season transactions
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Players In
—————-
22 – fw – Robert LEWANDOWSKI — Poland int’l — fr KKS Lech Poznan (Pol)
32 – mf – Antonio DA SILVA ———— Brazil — fr SC Karlsruher
28 – mf – Florian KRINGE —————- Germany — fr SC Hertha Berlin
21 – mf – Shinji KAGAWA —————- Japan int’l — fr Cerezo Osaka (Jap)
25 – df – Lukasz PISZCZEK ————– Poland int’l — fr SC Hertha Berlin
22 – gk – Mitchell LANGERAK ——— Australia — fr. Melbourne Victory (Aus)

(Kringe had been out on loan for the season; da Silva had been out on loan at Swiss club FC Basel for the 2009-10 season)

Players Out
——————-
27 – fw – Dimitar RANGELOV —– Bulgaria int’l — to FC Maccabi Tel Aviv (Isr)
26 – fw – Nelson VALDEZ ———— Paraguay int’l — to CF Hercules (Spa)
32 – mf – TINGA P.C.F. Nascimento — Brazil int’l — to SC Internacional (Brz)
24 – mf – Bajram SADRIJAJ ——– Germany — released
24 – df – Uwe HUENEMEIER —— Germany — to FC Energie Cottbus
19 – df — Julien KOCH —————– Germany — to MSV Duisburg
34 – gk – Marc ZIEGLER ————- Germany — to Vfb Stuttgart

(Koch, Rangelov are out on loan for the 2010-11 season)

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BORUSSIA DORTMUND squad
=======================

30 – GK – Roman WEIDENFELLER
22 – GK – Mitchell LANGERAK ——————- (Australia)

32 – DF – DEDE Leonardo de Deus Santos — (BRAZIL – 1 cap, 0 goals)
30 – DF – Patrick OWOMOYELA —————- (GERMANY – 11 caps, 0 goals)
25 – DF – Lukasz PISZCZEK ———————— (POLAND – 11 caps, 0 goals)
24 – DF – FELIPE Augusto SANTANA ——– (Brazil)
22 – DF – Marcel SCHMELZER
21 – DF – Neven SUBOTIC ————————- (SERBIA – 19 caps, 1 goal)
21 – DF – Mats HUMMELS ————————- (GERMANY – 1 cap, 0 goals)
19 – DF – Marc HORNSCHUH
19 – DF – Lasse SOBIECH

32 – MF – Antonio DA SILVA ———————- (Brazil)
30 – MF – Sebastian KEHL ————————– (GERMANY – 31 caps, 3 goals)
29 – MF – Tamas HAJNAL ————————– (HUNGARY – 36 caps, 4 goals)
28 – MF – Markus FUELNER
28 – MF – Florian KRINGE
24 – MF – Jakub BLASZCZYKOWSKI ———- (POLAND – 35 caps, 4 goals)
22 – MF – Nuri SAHIN ——————————— (TURKEY – 24 caps, 1 goal)
22 – MF – Kevin GROSSKREUTZ —————- (GERMANY – 1 cap, 0 goals)
21 – MF – Shinji KAGAWA ————————— (JAPAN – 17 caps, 3 goals)
21 – MF – Sven BENDER
18 – MF – Mario GOETZE

28 – FW – Mohamed ZIDAN ———————— (EGYPT – 35 caps, 8 goals)
25 – FW – Lucas BARRIOS ————————— (PARAGUAY – 11 caps, 4 goals)
22 – FW – Robert LEWANDOWSKI ————- (POLAND – 29 caps, 7 goals)
20 – FW – Damien LE TALLEC ——————— (France)
19 – FW – Daniel GINCZEK
19 – FW – Marco STIEPERMANN

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NOTE — Bulgaria international striker DIMITAR RANGELOV was sent out on loan to Israeli club FC Maccabi Tel Aviv at the beginning of September; Rangelov, who scored one goal in 10 Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund last term, made one substitute appearance in the league this season for die Schwarzgelben before being sent out on loan.

FSV 05 Mainz (Germany)

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Midfielder LEWIS HOLTBY, who went out on loan to Vfl Bochum for the latter half of last season and talliled two goals in 14 Bundesliga games, has, once again, been loaned out by Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen — this time for the entire 2010-11 campaign to FSV 05 MAINZ, for whom Holtby has already scored two goals in nine league games to open the new year. (Frank Augstein/AP)
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Traditionally a modest club with a mostly a second divison resume since the advent of the Bundesliga in the early 1960s, the Rhineland club FUSSBALL-und-SPORT VEREIN MAINZ 05 has certainly captured the attention, if not imagination, of the country with their ascension to the top of the table this season in the German first division.

FSV Mainz, who spent roughly a decade in the third division from the late 1970s thru the late 1980s, had a run of three consecutive years in the Bundesliga but were relegated again at the end of the 2006-07 campaign; die Nullfuenfer again won promotion to the first division last season and ended up a respectable ninth in the standings under the direction of youthful first-year coach THOMAS TUCHEL.

FSV Mainz made several moves to strengthen the attack in the off-season that have worked out rather well so far.

The loan of Hungary international striker ADAM SZALAI from Spanish giant Real Madrid was made permanent in exchange for a fee of a reported 500,000 English pounds in July. The 22-year-old, who started his career with the Vfb Stuttgart reserves before playing two and a half years with Castilla in the Segunda Division, returned to Germany last January and scored one goal in 15 games with FSV Mainz to finish out the term. This season, Szalai has already struck for three goals in nine Bundesliga games for die Nullfuenfer.

Tunisia international striker SAMI ALLAGUI has shown himself to be a wise addition with three goals in his first six games in the Bundesliga; the 24-year-old Dusseldorf-born attacker, who started his career in Belgium with RSC Anderlecht in Brussels, had scored 27 goals in 66 games for 2.Bundesliga club SpVgg Greuther Fuerth before his transfer to FSV Mainz this summer.

And, Denmark international MORTEN RASMUSSEN has arrived on loan from Scottish club Glasgow Celtic; the 25-year-old striker has contributed two goals in four games (three starts) to begin his tenure in the Bundesliga.

All three players have teamed up well with returning Germany U-21 international attack ANDRE SCHUERRLE, who has made five of his eight Bundesliga appearances this season as a substitute of the bench; nevertheless, the 19-year-old, who scored five goals in 33 league games for FSV Mainz a year ago, already has four goals in the Bundesliga to lead die Nullfuenfer this term.

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Hungary international ADAM SZALAI, the former Real Madrid farmhand who arrived at FSV Mainz last January initially on loan, shows his boots to the home supporters after 4-2 defeat of TSV Hoffenheim, a match in which the 22-year-old striker scored a goal, on October 2 at the Stadion am Bruchweg. (Frank Augstein/AP)
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FSV MAINZ off-season transactions
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Players In
—————-
28 – fw – Haruna BABANGIDA ——— Nigeria int’l — fr Kuban Krasnodar (Rus)
25 – fw – Morten RASMUSSEN ——– Denmark int’l — fr Glasgow Celtic (Sct)
24 – fw – Sami ALLAGUI —————— Tunisia int’l — fr SpVgg Greuther Fuerth
22 – fw – Adam SZALAI ——————– Hungary int’l — fr CF Real Madrid (Spa)
26 – mf – Marco CALIGUIURI ——— Germany — fr SpVgg Greuther Fuerth
20 – mf – Marcel RISSE ——————– Germany — fr Bayer Leverkusen
20 – mf – Lewis HOLTBY —————— Germany — fr Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen
26 – df — Malik FATHI ———————- Germany — fr Spartak Moscow (Rus)
24 – df – Christian FUCHS —————- Austria int’l — fr Vfl Bochum
38 – gk – Martin PIECKENHAGEN — Germany — fr Heracles Almelo (Hol)

(Fathi, Fuchs, Holtby, Rasmussen, Risse are all on loan at FSV 05 Mainz for the 2010-11 season; Szalai had been on loan at FSV 05 Mainz from Spanish giant Real Madrid’s nursery club Castilla since January; Fathi has been on loan at FSV 05 Mainz from Russian club Spartak Moscow since February; Ivanschitz has been on loan at FSV 05 Mainz from Greek club Panathinaikos Athens since the start of the 2009-10 season)

Players Out
——————-
30 – fw – Dragan BOGAVAC —– Montenegro int’l — released
26 – fw – Aristide BANCE ——— Burkina Faso int’l — to Al-Ahli Dubai (UAE)
25 – fw – Chadli AMRI ————- Algeria int’l — to 1.FC Kaiserslautern
27 – mf – Filip TROJAN ———– Czech Rep — to MSV Duisburg
22 – mf – Jahmir HYKA ———– Albania int’l — to GSS Panionios (Gre)
25 – df – Tim HOOGLAND ——- Germany — to Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen
36 – gk – Dimo WACHE ———– Germany — retired

(Trojan is out on loan for the 2010-11 season)

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FSV MAINZ squad
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38 – GK – Martin PIECKENHAGEN
32 – GK – Heinz MUELLER
30 – GK – Christian WETKLO

31 – DF – Nikolce NOVESKI ————— (MACEDONIA – 41 caps, 2 goals)
31 – DF – Zsolt LOEW ————————- (HUNGARY – 25 caps, 1 goal)
31 – DF – Bo SVENSSON ——————– (DENMARK – 1 cap, 0 goals)
30 – DF – Radoslav ZABAVNIK ———- (SLOVAKIA – 50 caps, 1 goal)
24 – DF – Christian FUCHS —————– (AUSTRIA – 30 caps, 0 goals)
26 – DF – Malik FATHI
23 – DF – Niko BUNGERT
20 – DF – Jan KIRCHHOFF
19 – DF – Eugen GOPKO

34 – MF – Miroslav KARHAN ————– (SLOVAKIA – 99 caps, 13 goals)
31 – MF – Jan SIMAK ————————— (CZECH REPUBLIC, 1 cap, 0 goals)
30 – MF – Elkin SOTO ————————– (COLOMBIA – 16 caps, 6 goals)
28 – MF – Florian HELLER
26 – MF – Andreas IVANSCHITZ ——— (AUSTRIA – 49 caps, 7 goals)
26 – MF – Marco CALIGIURI
24 – MF – Eugen POLANSKI
20 – MF – Lewis HOLTBY
20 – MF – Marcel RISSE
20 – MF – Jared JEFFREY ——————– (United States)

28 – FW – Haruna BABANGIDA ———– (NIGERIA – 1 cap, 0 goals)
27 – FW – Felix BORJA ————————- (ECUADOR – 21 caps, 3 goals)
25 – FW – Morten RASMUSSEN ———– (DENMARK – 3 caps, 0 goals)
24 – FW – Sami ALLAGUI ——————— (TUNISIA – 5 caps, 1 goal)
22 – FW – Adam SZALAI ———————– (HUNGARY – 4 caps, 3 goals)
20 – FW – Andre SCHUERRLE
19 – FW – Petar SLISKOVIC

PSV Eindhoven (Holland)

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PSV Eindhoven signed versatile midfielder ATIBA HUTCHINSON, who has won 49 caps and scored three goals for Canada, from Danish club FC Copenhagen on a free transfer at the end of last April; the 27-year-old native of Brampton, Ontario, who started his overseas career in Sweden with IF Osters and IF Helsingborg, has immediately established himself in the first team at the Philips Stadion. (Anoek De Groot/EuroFootball/Getty Images)
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PSV EINDHOVEN are one of the most successful sides in the proud history of professional football in Holland.

Philips Sport Vereniging (Philips Sports Union), who started out as the employees’ team for Gerard Philips’ electronics company in 1913, have won the Dutch Eredivisie championship 21 times and have captured the KNVB Cup on eight occasions, as well.

PSV Eindhoven, who defeated Portuguese powerhouse Benfica Lisbon on penalty kicks after a goalless draw in the 1988 Final, are one of three Dutch clubs to have won the prestigous European Cup of Champions, which is now, of course, the UEFA Champions League.

PSV Eindhoven also won the old UEFA Cup at the conclusion of the 1977-78 season.

This year, PSV Eindhoven has made a clear effort to reduce the average age of the playing staff under the direction of manager FRED RUTTEN — seven players 28 or older have moved on in the off-season while six of the nine new players for the 2010-11 campaign are 23 or younger.

PSV sold 30-year-old Mexico World Cup defender CARLOS SALCIDO, who played every minute for his country in South Africa this summer, to English Premier League club Fulham Athletic for a reported 1.6 million English pounds while 36-year-old Holland World Cup defender ANDRE OOIJER, who has since signed for Ajax Amsterdam, was released outright.

Highly experienced, 33-year-old Belgium international midfielder TIMMY SIMONS (74 caps, 3 goals) has departed for German Bundesliga side 1.FC Nuremberg.

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Holland World Cup squad member IBRAHIM AFELLAY, who scored four goals in 29 league games for PSV Eindhoven last season, has already grabbed four goals in his first seven Eredivisie matches to start the 2010-11 campaign for the Boeren; the 24-year-old midfielder, who has won 28 caps for the Netherlands, had a career-high 13 goals in 28 league games for PSV two seasons ago. (ANP photo)
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Sweden international striker MARCUS BERG has returned to the Dutch Eredivisie on loan for the season to PSV Eindhoven from German club SV Hamburg; the 24-year-old scored 32 goals in 56 league games for FC Groningen over two seasons before netting just four goals in 31 Bundesliga games last year for Hamburg.

PSV Eindhoven’s top league scorer returns in Hungary international striker BALAZS DZSUDZSAK, who scored a career-high 14 goals in 32 Eredivisie matches a year ago. The 23-year-old, now in his fourth year in Holland, is off that pace with just one goal in his first seven league games so far this season. Dzsudzsak does, however, have four goals in the UEFA Europa League for PSV this term.

Sweden international attacker OLA TOIVONEN, who finished second on PSV last season with 13 goals in 33 league games, also returns; the 24-year-old is midfielder / striker is off to a torrid start this year in the Dutch league with seven goals his first six Eredivise games for the Boeren.

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PSV EINDHOVEN off-season transactions
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Players In
—————–
24 – fw – Marcus BERG ——————— Sweden int’l — fr SV Hamburg (Ger)
22 – fw – Jeremain LENS ——————- Surinam int’l — fr AZ 67 Alkmaar
22 – fw – Stef NIJLAND ——————– Holland — fr Willem II Tilburg
21 – fw – Jonathan REIS ——————— Brazil — unemployed
27 – mf – Atiba HUTCHINSON ——— Canada int’l — fr FC Copenhagen (Den)
32 – df – Wilfred BOUMA —————— Holland int’l — fr Aston Villa (Eng)
23 – df – MARCELO A. G. Filho ———- Brazil — fr Wislaw Krakow (Pol)
22 – df – Jagos VUKOVIC —————— Serbia int’l — fr FK RAD Belgrade (Srb)
28 – gk – Bram CASTRO ——————– Belgium — fr Roda JC Kerkrade

(Nijland had been out on loan; Vukovic had been on loan with PSV for the 2009-10 season; Berg is on loan at PSV for the 2010-11 season)

Players Out
——————-
30 – fw – Andy VAN DER MEYDE —— Holland int’l — released
20 – fw – Reimund MANCO —————- Peru int’l — to Juan Arich Chiclayo (Per)
33 – mf – Timmy SIMONS —————– Belgium int’l — to 1.FC Nuremberg (Ger)
29 – mf – Mike ZONNEVELD ————- Holland — to AEL Limassol (Cyp)
36 – df – Andre OOIJER ——————— Holland int’l — to Ajax Amsterdam
30 – df – Carlos SALCIDO —————— Mexico int’l — to Fulham Athletic (Eng)
28 – df – Steve OLFERS ——————— Holland — to FC Gabala (Azb)
22 – df – Dirk MARCELLIS —————- Holland int’l — to AZ 67 Alkmaar
37 – gk – Bas ROORDA ———————- Holland — retired

(Zonneveld had been out on loan for the 2009-10 season with FC Groningen)

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PSV EINDHOVEN squad
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28 – GK – Andreas ISAKSSON ———————- (SWEDEN – 78 caps)
28 – GK – Bram CASTRO —————————— (Belgium)
23 – GK – CASSIO Ramos —————————– (Brazil)

32 – DF – Wilfred BOUMA —————————- (HOLLAND – 35 caps, 2 goals)
30 – DF – Jan KROMKAMP ————————– (HOLLAND – 16 caps, 0 goals)
28 – DF – Francisco Javier RODRIGUEZ ——- (MEXICO – 52 caps, 1 goal)
24 – DF – Stanislav MANOLEV ——————— (BULGARIA – 16 caps, 0 goals)
23 – DF – MARCELO A.G. Filho ——————– (Brazil)
22 – DF – Erik PIETERS ——————————- (HOLLAND – 2 caps, 0 goals)
22 – DF – Jagos VUKOVIC —————————- (SERBIA – 2 caps, 0 goals)
19 – DF – Funso OJO ————————————- (Belgium)

31 – MF – Orlando ENGELAAR ———————- (HOLLAND – 14 caps, 0 goals)
27 – MF – Atiba HUTCHINSON ——————— (CANADA – 49 caps, 3 goals)
25 – MF – Otman BAKKAL —————————– (HOLLAND – 1 cap, 0 goals)
24 – MF – Ibrahim AFELLAY ————————- (HOLLAND – 28 caps, 0 goals)
24 – MF – Ola TOIVONEN —————————– (SWEDEN – 9 caps, 2 goals)
20 – MF – Stijn WUYTENS —————————- (Belgium)
17 – MF – Zakaria LABYAD

31 – FW – Danny KOEVERMANS ——————- (HOLLAND – 4 caps, 1 goal)
24 – FW – Marcus BERG ——————————— (SWEDEN – 15 caps, 4 goals)
23 – FW – Balazs DZSUDZSAK ———————— (HUNGARY – 29 caps, 2 goals)
23 – FW – Nordin AMRABAT ————————- (Morocco)
22 – FW – Jeremain LENS ——————————- (SURINAM – 3 caps, 2 goals)
22 – FW – Stef NIJLAND
21 – FW – Jonathan REIS ——————————– (Brazil)

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Mexico World Cup defender FRANCISCO JAVIER RODRIGUEZ, for whom CD Guadalajara received a reported transfer fee of $ 1.8 million U.S. dollars in May of 2008, returns for a third season of Dutch football to anchor the defense of PSV Eindhoven. (John Claessens/ProShots)

CF Real Madrid (Spain)

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(Angel Martinez/Getty Images Europe) — The starting XI for Real Madrid take a moment for the team picture before the start of the Champions League contest with Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the capital city of Spain.

Back row : Casillas, Pepe, Xabi Alonso, Khedira, Carvalho, Ronaldo
Front row : Marcelo, Di Maria, Arbeloa, Higuain, Oezil
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Aside from Manchester City in England, no other professional football team in all the world spent more on transfer fees this off-season summer than tradition Spanish giant REAL MADRID, who have won La Liga on no less than 31 occasions.

Now, compared to the 94.0 million Euros (eighty million English pounds) that Real Madrid paid out to English Premier League side Manchester United for the services of Portugal World Cup attacker CRISTIANO RONALDO in June of 2009, the highest transfer fee bankrolled by Los Blancos this summer looks paltry, indeed.

Nevertheless, Argentina World Cup midfielder ANGEL DI MARIA was acquired by Real Madrid from Portuguese club Benfica Lisbon for 25.0 million Euros with a further eleven million on offer via incentive clauses.

A further 32.0 million Euros bought Los Galacticos a pair of midfielders from Germany’s third place World Cup squad; according a German newspaper article detailing the twenty-five most-expensive transfers this summer, Real Madrid sent Werder Bremen 18.0 million Euros for MESUT OEZIL while Vfb Stuttgart received 14.0 million Euros for SAMI KHEDRIA.

Another 10.0 million Euros went to CF Getafe for 23-year-old former Spain U-21 international midfielder PEDRO LEON, Mourinho’s old club Chelsea cashed 7.875 Euros for Portugal World Cup defender RICARDO CARVALHO and Racing Santander received 4.5 million Euros for 19-year-old midfielder SERGIO CANALES.

And still, the total fees spent on the six new players for this season fall well short of the amount that was required to reel in the Portuguese star Ronaldo, who scored 26 goals in 29 games for Real Madrid his first year in the Spanish Primera Division.

The biggest off-season arrival at Real Madrid, of course, is that of world-renowned Portuguese manager JOSE MOURINHO, who won everything in sight last season with Inter Milan including the Serie A scudetto, the Italian Cup and, most importantly, the prestigous as well as lucrative UEFA Champions League.

No other team, as is well known, has won more European Champions’ Cup / UEFA Champions League trophies all-time than the nine lifted by Real Madrid.

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REAL MADRID off-season transasctions
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Players In
—————–
23 – mf – Sami KHEDIRA ——— Germany int’l — fr Vfb Stuttgart (Ger)
23 – mf – Pedro LEON ————— Spain — fr CF Getafe
22 – mf – Angel DI MARIA ——– Argentina int’l — fr Benfica Lisbon (Por)
21 – mf – Mesut OEZIL ————– Germany int’l — fr Werder Bremen (Ger)
19 – mf – SERGIO CANALES —– Spain — fr Racing Santander
32 – df – Ricardo CARVALHO — Portugal int’l — fr FC Chelsea (Eng)

Players Out
——————-
33 – fw – RAUL Gonzalez —— Spain int’l — to Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen (Ger)
33 – mf – GUTI J. M. Gutierrez — Spain int’l — to JK Besiktas Istanbul (Trk)
27 – mf – R. VAN DER VAART — Holland int’l — to Tottenham Hotspur (Eng)
29 – df – C. METZELDER — Germany int’l — to Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen (Ger)
23 – df – Royston DRENTHE —— Holland — to CF Hercules Alicante

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REAL MADRID squad
================

37 – GK – Jerzy DUDEK —————————– (POLAND – 59 caps)
29 – GK – Iker CASILLAS ————————– (SPAIN – 113 caps)
23 – GK – Antonio ADAN

32 – DF – Ricardo A. S. de CARVALHO —— (PORTUGAL – 69 caps, 5 goals)
27 – DF – PEPE Kepler L. L. Ferreira ———- (PORTUGAL – 27 caps, 0 goals)
27 – DF – Alvaro ARBELOA ———————— (SPAIN – 18 caps, 0 goals)
25 – DF – Raul ALBIOL ——————————- (SPAIN – 23 caps, 0 goals)
24 – DF – SERGIO RAMOS Garcia ————- (SPAIN – 69 caps, 5 goals)
23 – DF – Ezequiel GARAY ————————- (ARGENTINA – 1 cap, 0 goals)
23 – DF – David MATEOS
22 – DF – MARCELO V. da Silva Junior ——- (Brazil)

29 – MF – Mahamadou DIARRA —————— (MALI – 57 caps, 2 goals)
28 – MF – KAKA Ricardo I. d.S. Leite ———- (BRAZIL – 82 caps, 27 goals)
28 – MF – XABI ALONSO Olano —————— (SPAIN – 79 caps, 9 goals)
25 – MF – Lassana DIARRA ————————- (FRANCE – 28 caps, 0 goals)
24 – MF – Fernando Ruben GAGO ————— (ARGENTINA – 29 caps, 0 goals)
23 – MF – Sami KHEDIRA ————————— (GERMANY – 14 caps, 1 goal)
23 – MF – Pedro LEON
23 – MF – Ernesto GRANERO
22 – MF – Angel DI MARIA ————————– (ARGENTINA – 15 caps, 2 goals)
21 – MF – Mesut OEZIL ——————————— (GERMANY – 19 caps, 2 goals)
19 – MF – SERGIO CANALES Madrazo

25 – FW – Cristiano RONALDO d.S. Aveiro — (PORTUGAL – 76 caps, 23 goals)
22 – FW – Karim BENZEMA ————————– (FRANCE – 29 caps, 9 goals)
22 – FW – Gonzalo HIGUAIN ———————— (ARGENTINA – 11 caps, 7 goals)

========================================================
========================================================
(Denis Doyle/Getty Images) — With France international striker KARIM BENZEMA (9) watching, Argentina World Cup midfielder ANGEL DI MARIA (22) makes a circle with his hands after scoring a goal for Real Madrid against famous Uruguayan outfit CA Penarol of Montevideo in the the pre-season friendly of late August at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the capital city of Spain.

FC Bayern Munich (Germany)

========================================================

In direct contrast with English Premier League club Manchester City or Spanish La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid, the defending German champions and Champions League runners-up, BAYERN MUNICH, spent not one Deutsche Mark on new players this off-season summer.

One new arrival to watch is Germany World Cup midfielder TONI KROOS; the 20-year-old spent last season out on loan at Bayer Leverkusen.

One player Bayern Munich will have to make do without for a while is injured Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN, who led the Bavarian club last season with 16 goals in the Bundesliga.

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BAYERN MUNICH off-season transactions
==============================

Players In
—————-
26 – mf – Andreas OTTL ————— Germany — fr 1.FC Nuremberg
20 – mf – Toni KROOS —————— Germany int’l — fr Bayer Leverkusen
27 – def – Edson BRAAFHEID —— Holland int’l — fr Glasgow Celtic (Sct)
20 – def – BRENO V. R. Borges —– Brazil — fr 1.FC Nuremberg

(Kroos had been out on loan for the season, Breno, Ottl had been out on loan since January, Braafheid had been out on loan since February)

Players Out
——————-
33 – fw – Luca TONI ———————— Italy int’l — to FC Genoa (Ita)
26 – mf – Michael RENSING ———— Germany — released
25 – mf – Jose Ernesto SOSA ———– Argentina int’l — to SSC Napoli (Ita)
20 – mf – Mehmet EKICI —————– Germany — to 1.FC Nuremberg
28 – df – Andreas GOERLITZ ———- Germany — to FC Ingolstadt 04
26 – df – Christian LELL ——————- Germany — to SC Hertha Berlin
24 – df – Georg NIEDERMEIER —— Germany — to Vfb Stuttgart

(Sosa had been out on loan at Estudiantes de La Plata in Argentina since October, Toni had been out on loan at AS Roma in Italy since January, Niedermeier had been out on loan at Vfb Stuttgart since January; Ekici is out on loan for the 2010-11 season)

—————————————————————————————————————————-

BAYERN MUNICH squad
==================

36 – GK – Hans-Joerg BUTT ——————– (GERMANY – 4 caps)
22 – GK – Thomas KRAFT

32 – DF – Daniel VAN BUYTEN ————— (BELGIUM – 56 caps, 9 goals)
29 – DF – Martin DEMICHELIS —————- (ARGENTINA -30 caps, 2 goals)
27 – DF – Edson BRAAFHEID ——————- (HOLLAND – 8 caps, 0 goals)
26 – DF – Philipp LAHM ————————— (GERMANY – 73 caps, 4 goals)
21 – DF – Holger BADSTUBER —————– (GERMANY – 6 caps, 1 goal)
20 – DF – Diego CONTENTO
20 – DF – BRENO V. R. Borges —————— (Brazil)

33 – MF – Mark VAN BOMMEL —————– (HOLLAND – 63 caps, 10 goals)
31 – MF – Anatoliy TYMOSHCHUK ———– (UKRAINE – 95 caps, 1 goal)
28 – MF – Danijel PRANJIC ———————– (CROATIA – 27 caps, 0 goals)
27 – MF – Franck RIBERY ————————- (FRANCE – 48 caps, 7 goals)
27 – MF – Hamit ALTINTOP ———————- (TURKEY – 55 caps, 6 goals)
26 – MF – Bastien SCHWEINSTEIGER —— (GERMANY – 83 caps, 21 goals)
25 – MF – Andreas OTTL
20 – MF – Toni KROOS —————————— (GERMANY – 10 caps, 0 goals)
18 – MF – David ALABA

32 – FW – Miroslav KLOSE ———————— (GERMANY – 103 caps, 55 goals)
31 – FW – Ivica OLIC ——————————— (CROATIA – 70 caps, 14 goals)
26 – FW – Arjen ROBBEN ————————– (HOLLAND – 52 caps, 15 goals)
25 – FW – Mario GOMEZ ————————— (GERMANY – 39 caps, 13 goals)
21 – FW – Thomas MUELLER ——————– (GERMANY – 10 caps, 5 goals)

Manchester United FC (England)

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Although approaching 40 years of age, Dutch international EDWIN VAN DER SAR is still one the top shot-stoppers in all the world; the aging Manchester United goalkeeper is Holland’s record holder with 130 caps for the national team. (dailymail.co.uk photo)
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MANCHESTER UNITED off-season transactions
===================================

Players In
—————-
22 – fw – Javier HERNANDEZ ———- Mexico int’l — CD Guadalajara (Mex)
20 – fw – BEBE Tiago M.D. Correia — Portugal — Vitoria de Guimaraes (Port)
20 – mf – Tom CLEVERLEY ————- England — FC Watford
20 – df – Chris SMALLING ————— England — Fulham Athletic
20 – gk – Ben AMOS ————————- England — FK Molde (Nor)

(Amos and Cleverley had been out on loan)

Players Out
——————
22 – fw – Mama Biram DIOUF ——– Senegal int’l — to Blackburn Rovers
19 – fw – Danny WELBECK ———— England — to FC Sunderland
23 – mf – Zoran TOSIC ——————- Serbia int’ — to CSKA Moscow (Rus)
21 – mf – RODRIGO Pereira Possebon — Brazil — to FC Santos (Brz)
20 – mf – Tom CLEVERLEY ———- England — to Wigan Athletic
21 – df – Craig CATHCART ———— No. Ireland — to FC Blackpool
27 – gk – Ben FOSTER ——————- England int’l — to Birmingham City

(Cleverley, Diouf, and Welbeck are all out on loan for the 2010-11 season; Tosic had been out on loan at 1.FC Koeln last season)

—————————————————————————————————————————

MANCHESTER UNITED squad
=====================

39 – GK – Edwin VAN DER SAR ———– (HOLLAND – 130 caps)
28 – GK – Tomasz KUSZCZAK ————- (POLAND – 12 caps)
20 – GK – Ben AMOS

35 – DF – Gary NEVILLE ——————— (ENGLAND – 85 caps, 0 goals)
31 – DF – Rio FERDINAND —————— (ENGLAND – 78 caps, 3 goals)
30 – DF – Wes BROWN ———————— (ENGLAND – 23 caps, 1 goal)
29 – DF – John O’SHEA ———————— (IRELAND – 65 caps, 1 goal)
29 – DF – Patrice EVRA ———————— (FRANCE – 32 caps, 0 goals)
28 – DF – Nemanja VIDIC ——————— (SERBIA – 51 caps, 2 goals)
22 – DF – Jonny EVANS ———————– (NO. IRELAND – 19 caps, 1 goal)
21 – DF – Ritchie DE LAET ——————- (BELGIUM – 2 caps, 0 goals)
20 – DF – Chris SMALLING
20 – DF – RAFAEL Pereira da Silva ——- (Brazil)
20 – DF – FABIO Pereira da Silva ———- (Brazil)

36 – MF – Ryan GIGGS ————————– (WALES – 64 caps, 12 goals)
35 – MF – Paul SCHOLES ———————- (ENGLAND – 66 caps, 14 goals)
29 – MF – Owen HARGREAVES ———— (ENGLAND – 42 caps, 0 goals)
29 – MF – Michael CARRICK —————- (ENGLAND – 22 caps, 0 goals)
29 – MF – Ji-Sung PARK ———————– (SO. KOREA – 94 caps, 13 goals)
26 – MF – Darren FLETCHER ————— (SCOTLAND – 50 caps, 4 goals)
25 – MF – Antonio VALENCIA ————– (ECUADOR – 43 caps, 6 goals)
23 – MF – NANI L.C.A. da Cuna ————- (PORTUGAL – 38 caps, 7 goals)
22 – MF – ANDERSON L.d.A. Oliveira — (BRAZIL – 8 caps, 0 goals)
22 – MF – Darron GIBSON ——————— (IRELAND – 9 caps, 0 goals)
20 – MF – Corry EVANS ———————— (NO. IRELAND – 5 caps, 1 goals)

30 – FW – Michael OWEN ——————— (ENGLAND – 89 caps, 40 goals)
29 – FW – Dimitar BERBATOV ————– (BULGARIA – 77 caps, 48 goals)
24 – FW – Wayne ROONEY ——————- (ENGLAND – 67 caps, 26 goals)
22 – FW – Javier HERNANDEZ ————- (MEXICO – 19 caps, 10 goals)
21 – FW – Gabriel OBERTAN —————– (France)
20 – FW – BEBE Tiago M.D. Correia —— (Portugal)
18 – FW – Federico MACHEDA ————– (Italy)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany)

========================================================
The big buzz about the North Rhineland this summer is that BAYER 04 LEVERKUSEN trainer JUPP HEYNCKES (right), a former international striker himself, will have Germany’s veteran international midfielder MICHAEL BALLACK (13), returning to the Bundesliga after four years in the English Premier League with FC Chelsea, in the squad this season. (Hermann J. Knippertz/APN)
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BAYER LEVERKUSEN off-season transactions
=================================

Players In
—————-
19 – fw – Nikolai JORGENSEN — Denmark — fr AB Copenhagen (Den)
33 – mf – Michael BALLACK —— Germany int’l — fr FC Chelsea (Eng)
29 – mf – Hanno BALITSCH —— Germany int’l — fr SV Hannover 96
22 – mf – Sidney SAM —————- Germany — fr 1.FC Kaiserslautern
20 – mf – Marcel RISSE ————- Germany — fr 1.FC Nuremberg
19 – mf – Zvonko PAMIC ———– Croatia — fr HNK Rijeka (Cro)
21 – df – Domagoj VIDA ————- Croatia — fr NK Osijek (Cro)

(Risse had been out on loan last year, Sam had been out on loan at Kaiserslautern the past two seasons; Pamic was on loan with NK Karlovac the past two seasons)

Players Out
——————
30 – fw – Theofanis GEKAS ——- Greece int’l — to Eintracht Frankfurt
37 – mf – Tomasz ZDEBEL ——— Poland int’l — to Alemania Aachen
22 – mf – Jens HEGELER ———– Germany — to 1.FC Nuremberg
20 – mf – Toni KROOS ————— Germany int’l — to Bayern Munich
20 – mf – Marcel RISSE ————- Germany — to FSV 05 Mainz
19 – mf – Zvonko PAMIC ———– Croatia — to SC Freiburg
34 – df – Hans SARPEI ————– Ghana int’l — to Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen
24 – df – Lukas SINKIEWICZ —- Germany int’l — to FC Augsburg
24 – df – Sascha DUM —————- Germany — to Fortuna Dusseldorf
19 – df – Thanos PETSOS ———– Greece — to 1. FC Kaiserslautern

(Gekas had been out on loan at SC Hertha Berlin since December, Dum had been out on loan all season at Energie Cottbus; Kroos was on loan from Bayern Munich; Hegeler, Pamic, Petsos, Risse are all out on loan for the 2010-11 season)

————————————————————————————————————–

BAYER LEVERKUSEN squad
=====================

25 – GK – Rene ADLER ————————– (GERMANY – 9 caps)
25 – GK – Benedikt FERNANDEZ
20 – GK – Fabien GIEFER

36 – DF – Sami HYYPIA ————————- (FINLAND – 105 caps, 5 goals)
30 – DF – Manuel FRIEDRICH ————— (GERMANY – 9 caps, 1 goal)
25 – DF – Michal KADLEC ——————— (CZECH REP – 15 caps, 1 goal)
23 – DF – Gonzalo CASTRO ——————- (GERMANY – 5 caps, 0 goals)
21 – DF – Stefan REINARTZ —————— (GERMANY – 1 cap, 0 goals)
21 – DF – Daniel SCHWAAB
21 – DF – Domagoj VIDA ———————– (Croatia)

33 – MF – Michael BALLACK —————— (GERMANY – 98 caps, 42 goals)
29 – MF – Hanno BALITSCH —————— (GERMANY – 1 cap, 0 goals)
28 – MF – Simon ROLFES ———————– (GERMANY – 21 caps, 1 goal)
25 – MF – Tranquillo BARNETTA ———- (SWITZERLAND – 55 caps, 6 goals)
23 – MF – Arturo VIDAL ————————- (CHILE – 27 caps, 1 goal)
22 – MF – RENATO S.d.O. AUGUSTO —- (Brazil)
22 – MF – Sidney SAM
21 – MF – Lars BENDER
20 – MF – Burak KAPLAN ———————— (Turkey)

26 – FW – Stefan KIESSLING ——————- (GERMANY – 6 caps, 0 goals)
26 – FW – Patrick HELMES ———————- (GERMANY – 13 caps, 2 goals)
22 – FW – Eren DERDIYOK ———————- (SWITZERLAND – 22 caps, 2 goals)
19 – FW – Nikolai JORGENSEN —————- (Denmark)

FC Juventus (Italy)

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Serbia World Cup midfielder MILOS KRASIC, seen above on the ball in the Serie A opener at AS Bari at the Stadio San Nicola, has been brought to Italy by FC Juventus of Turin from Russian club CSKA Moscow for a reported fee of 15.0 million Euros. (Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images)
========================================================

FC JUVENTUS off-season transactions
===========================

Players In
—————-
27 – fw – Fabio QUAGLIARELLA ——- Italy int’l — fr SSC Napoli
23 – fw – David LANZAFAME ———— Italy — fr FC Parma
21 – fw – Cristian PASQUATO ———— Italy — fr US Triestina
29 – mf – TIAGO Cardoso Mendes —– Portugal int’l — fr Atletico Madrid (Spa)
27 – mf – Jorge Andres MARTINEZ — Uruguay int’l — fr Catania
26 – mf – Simone PEPE ———————- Italy int’l — fr Udinese
26 – mf – Alberto AQUILANI ————- Italy int’l — fr FC Liverpool (Eng)
25 – mf – Milos KRASIC ——————— Serbia int’l — CSKA Moscow (Rus)
21 – mf – Albin EKDAL ———————– Sweden — fr AC Siena
27 – df – Leandro RINAUDO ————– Italy — fr SSC Napoli
24 – df – Marco MOTTA ——————– Italy — fr Udinese
23 – df – Leonardo BONUCCI ————- Italy int’l — fr AS Bari
20 – df – Armand TRAORE —————– France — fr FC Arsenal (Eng)
33 – gk – Marco STORARI —————– Italy — fr AC Milan
20 – gk – Mario KIREV ———————- Bulgaria — fr FC Thun (Switz)

(Ekdal, Kirev, Pasquato, Tiago had been out on loan; Storari had been out on loan at UC Sampdoria Genoa; Aquilani, Motta, Quagliarella, Rinaudo are all on loan to Juventus for the 2010-11 season)

Players Out
——————-
32 – fw – David TREZEGUET ———- France int’l — to Hercules Alicante (Spa)
24 – fw – Michele PAOLUCCI ———- Italy — to AS Siena
21 – fw – Cristian PASQUATO ——— Italy — to FC Modena
20 – fw – Ciro IMMOBILE ————— Italy — to AS Siena
33 – mf – Mauro CAMORANESI —— Italy — to Vfb Stuttgart (Ger)
30 – mf – Christian POULSEN ——— Denmark int’l — to FC Liverpool (Eng)
29 – mf – TIAGO Cardosa Mendes — Portugal int’l — to Atletico Madrid (Spa)
29 – mf – Sergio ALMIRON ————- Argentina — to AS Bari
25 – mf – DIEGO Ribas da Cunha —– Brazil int’l — to Vfl Wolfsburg (Ger)
23 – mf – Antonio CANDREVA ——– Italy int’l — to Udinese
23 – mf – Sebastien GIOVINCO ——- Italy — to FC Parma
21 – mf – Albin EKDAL ——————– Sweden — to FC Bologna
20 – mf – Luca MARRONE ————– Italy — to AS Siena
36 – df – Fabio CANNAVARO ———- Italy int’l — to Al-Ahli Dubai (UAE)
31 – df – Jonathan ZEBINA ————– France int’l — to Brescia
27 – df – Cristian MOLINARO ———- Italy — to Vfb Stuttgart (Ger)
23 – df – Martin CACERES ————— Uruguay int’l — to FC Barcelona (Spa)
21 – df – Lorenzo ARIAUDO ————- Italy — to Cagliari
40 – gk – Antonio CHIMENTI ———- Italy — retired

(Almiron had been on loan at Bari last season, Molinaro had been on loan at Stuttgart since January, Ariaudo had been on loan at Cagliari since January; Caceres, Candreva, Paolucci had been on loan to Juventus; Giovinco, Immobile, Marrone, Pasquato, Tiago are out on loan for the 2010-11 season)

—————————————————————————————————————————

FC JUVENTUS squad
===============

33 – GK – Alex MANNINGER —————- (AUSTRIA – 32 caps)
33 – GK – Marco STORARI
32 – GK – Gianluigi BUFFON —————– (ITALY – 102 caps)
20 – GK – Mario KIREV ————————- (Bulgaria)

33 – DF – Nicola LEGROTTAGLIE ——– (ITALY – 16 caps, 1 goal)
32 – DF – Fabio GROSSO ———————– (ITALY – 48 caps, 4 goals)
30 – DF – Zdenek GRYGERA —————– (CZECH REP – 65 caps, 2 goals)
27 – DF – Leandro RINAUDO
25 – DF – Giorgio CHIELLINI —————- (ITALY – 32 caps, 2 goals)
24 – DF – Marco MOTTA
23 – DF – Leonardo BONUCCI —————- (ITALY – 2 caps, 1 goal)
23 – DF – Paolo DE CEGLIE
20 – DF – Armand TRAORE ——————– (France)

33 – MF – Hasan SALIHAMIDZIC ———– (BOSNIA/HERZ – 43 caps, 6 goals)
27 – MF – FELIPE MELO de Carvalho —– (BRAZIL – 22 caps, 2 goals)
27 – MF – Jorge Andres MARTINEZ ——- (URUGUAY – 18 caps, 3 goals)
26 – MF – Simone PEPE ————————— (ITALY – 18 caps, 0 goals)
26 – MF – Alberto AQUILANI —————— (ITALY – 11 caps, 2 goals)
25 – MF – Milos KRASIC ————————– (SERBIA – 35 caps, 3 goals)
25 – MF – Mohamed SISSOKO —————– (MALI – 26 caps, 2 goals)
24 – MF – Claudio MARCHISIO ————— (ITALY – 6 caps, 0 goals)

35 – FW – Alessandro DEL PIERO ————– (ITALY – 91 caps, 27 goals)
30 – FW – Vincenzo IAQUINTA —————– (ITALY – 40 caps, 6 goals)
30 – FW – AMAURI Carvalho de Oliveira — (Brazil)
27 – FW – Fabio QUAGLIARELLA ————– (ITALY – 22 caps, 5 goals)
23 – FW – David LANZAFAME

SV Werder Bremen (Germany)

====================================================
Peru international CLAUDIO PIZARRO scored 33 goals in 52 Bundesliga matches for Werder Bremen the past two seasons after a lost campaign in England with FC Chelsea. The 31-year-old striker managed just two goals from 28 appearances in all competitions for the London club. Pizarro, who first arrived in Europe at Werder Bremen in the summer of 1999, had moved to the Premier League on a free transfer after six years with FC Bayern Munich.
====================================================

WERDER BREMEN off-season transactions
==============================

Players In
—————-
21 – fw – Marko ARNAUTOVIC —– Austria int’l — fr FC Twente Enschede (Hol)
19 – fw – Felix KROOS ——————– Germany — fr Hansa Rostock
23 – mf – WESLEY Lopes Beltrame — Brazil — fr FC Santos (Brz)
22 – mf – Kevin SCHINDLER ——— Germany — fr MSV Duisburg
33 – df – Mikael SILVESTRE ——— France int’l — fr FC Arsenal (Eng)

(Schindler had been out on loan; Arnautovic spent the 2009-10 season out on loan at Inter Milan in Italy)

Players Out
——————-
27 – fw – Markus ROSENBERG ———– Sweden int’l — to Racing Santander (Spa)
23 – fw – Martin HARNIK ——————- Austria int’l — to Vfb Stuttgart
30 – mf – Jurica VRANJES —————– Croatia int’l — released
26 – mf – Peter NIEMEYER —————- Germany — to SC Hertha Berlin
25 – mf – CARLOS ALBERTO G.d.J. — Brazil int’l — to CR Vasco da Gama (Brz)
24 – mf – Torsten OEHRL ——————- Gemany — to FC Augsburg
21 – mf – Mesut OEZIL ———————— Germany int’l — to Real Madrid (Spa)
21 – mf – Aymen ABDENNOUR ———- Tunisia int’l — to Etoile du Sahel (Tun)
21 – mf – Timo PERTHEL ——————- Germany — to SK Sturm Graz (Aut)

(Harnik had been out on loan all last season at Fortuna Dusseldorf; Vranjes had been out on loan at SK Genclerbirligi in Turkey since January; Carlos Alberto had been out on loan all last season at Vasco da Gama; Oehrl had been out on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf most of last season; Abdennour had been on loan with Werder Bremen from Etoile Sportive du Sahel; Niemeyer, Perthel, Rosenberg have been sent out on loan for the 2010-11 season)

—————————————————————————————————————————

WERDER BREMEN squad
===================

GK – 29 – Christian VANDER
GK – 28 – Tim WEISE ————————– (GERMANY – 3 caps)
GK – 21 – Sebastian MIELITZ

DF – 33 – Mikael SILVESTRE ————– (FRANCE – 40 caps, 2 goals)
DF – 29 – Petri PASANEN ——————- (FINLAND – 57 caps, 1 goal)
DF – 29 – Clemens FRITZ ——————– (GERMANY – 22 caps, 2 goals)
DF – 27 – Ronaldo A. R. NALDO ———- (BRAZIL – 4 caps, 0 goals)
DF – 25 – Per MERTESACKER ———— (GERMANY – 69 caps, 1 goal)
DF – 23 – Sebastian PROEDL ————— (AUSTRIA – 22 caps, 2 goals)
DF – 23 – Sebastian BOENISCH ———– (Poland)
DF – 23 – Dominik SCHMIDT
DF – 22 – Niklas ANDERSEN

MF – 33 – Torsten FRINGS —————— (GERMANY – 79 caps, 10 goals)
MF – 31 – Daniel JENSEN ——————– (DENMARK – 50 caps, 3 goals)
MF – 30 – Tim BOROWSKI —————— (GERMANY – 33 caps, 2 goals)
MF – 23 – Aaron HUNT ———————— (GERMANY – 2 caps, 0 goals)
MF – 23 – WESLEY Lopes Beltrame —— (Brazil)
MF – 22 – Kevin SCHINDLER
MF – 21 – Marko MARIN ———————– (GERMANY – 12 caps, 1 goal)
MF – 21 – Philipp BARGFREDE

FW – 31 – Claudio PIZARRO —————— (PERU – 56 caps, 13 goals)
FW – 26 – Hugo ALMEIDA ——————— (PORTUGAL – 28 caps, 10 goals)
FW – 22 – Said HUSEJINOVIC ————— (BOSNIA + HERZG – 2 caps, 0 goals)
FW – 22 – Sandro WAGNER
FW – 21 – Marko ARNAUTOVIC ———— (AUSTRIA – 5 caps, 0 goals)
FW – 19 – Felix KROOS

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ROSTER UPDATES

9/01/10 — France international defender MIKAEL SILVESTRE purchased by Werder Bremen from Arsenal of the English Premier League

9/01/10 — Sweden international striker MARKUS ROSENBERG sent out on loan for the season to Spanish club Racing Santander