competition winner!

A few weeks back, in conjunction with Shorefields Technology College ICT department in Liverpool, fantasista10 ran a competition for Year 9 (13-14 year-old) students to come up with a relevant article to place on the blog. The winning student would have their work uploaded and displayed for the world to see!
Head of ICT Mr. David Muirhead said the competition would demonstrate the power of the Internet by reaching a world-wide audience whilst also allowing students to realise they can enhance their knowledge and subsequent impact on a global scale from the comfort of their classroom desk.

I must say, on visiting and delivering my presentation for the competition, I was met by a lot of enthusiastic, excited and bright-minded students and it was a pleasure to be involved.

So without further ado, let me present to you the winning article...

Congratulations Ahmed Adan on your excellent piece!

My all-time favourite fantasista football legend by Ahmed Adan.

Claudio Reyna...

When deciding who I would write about, as a fan I wanted to consider the ex-Liverpool defender Alan Kennedy, who scored the only goal against Real Madrid in the 1981 European Cup final. However, in fitting with the blog I wanted to choose a player who wore the number 10 shirt for most of his career. I also wanted to choose an unsung hero, someone who is good but didn’t get a lot of credit, so after searching through the sports section in the library, I found the book More Than Goals based on Claudio Reyna’s career.
There was an introduction from Pele, who ranks as one of the greatest players in football history. So, I thought, this player must be held in high esteem. The fact that he could have signed a 5-year deal with Barcelona at the age of 19 proves a lot. He was a player who practiced as a youngster by using a hole in a tree as part of a goalpost, and kicked a ball against a wall to perfect his passing.

Claudio Reyna was recognised around the world as America’s most accomplished player. He captained the US national team and played in the top-flight of three major European leagues, captaining teams like Wolfsberg in Germany, Scotland’s Glasgow Rangers and England’s Sunderland. He is a two-time Olympian (1992 & 1996) and played in three World Cup’s (’94, ’98 & 2002). Indeed, he was captain during the USA’s most impressive showing at a World Cup in 2002 which led to him being included in the FIFA Mastercard World Cup All-Star Team.

From backyard games with his brother and nightly games with his dad, soccer has always been an integral part of Reyna’s life. In high-school he was named Player of the Year by a national magazine in 1989 and 1990, and was New Jersey State’s Player of the Year in the same year. Reyna went onto become one of the most decorated players in college soccer history. He helped lead the University of Virginia to three straight NCAA titles (’91, ’92, ’93) – no doubt helping him win the future award of Soccer American College Player of the Century in 2000.

In 1994 at the age of just 21, Reyna signed a pro contract with Germany’s Bayer Laverkusen. Three years later he joined Wolfsberg where he became the first American to captain a German top-flight club. In 1999, Reyna was transferred to Glasgow Rangers, where he established himself as a key midfielder helping them win the Scottish title. Reyna moved to Sunderland in 2001 and then Manchester City in 2003 where he was an influential playmaker.

I didn’t know about this player before, but after reading about him, I chose to write about Claudio Reyna as he is like an unsung hero and one I would call a legend.