24th October – Jose Luis Calderon

Jose Luis Calderon was a consistent goalscorer but an argument with the now famous Marcelo Bielsa put an end to his international career.

The striker played for Argentina during the 1997 Copa America but a fall out with Bielsa meant he was never picked again for his national side despite the fact that he was a consistent goalscorer all his career.

With over 600 games and over 200 league goals and a career that lasted from 1989 to 2010 you would expect that he would be a name that was a little more well known in the footballing world. His career started at Cambaceres where he was an instant hit as soon as he broke into their first team, scoring 43 times in just 83 games before a move to his boyhood club Estudiantes.

In his career he would play for Estudiantes three times, and also have three spells at Independiente and Arsenal de Sarandi twice. His record during these spells were mpstly succesful and for the majority he hit a goal on average every two games. Despite his goals he did not get much success on the trophy front until 2006 when he won the Apertura with Estudiantes and followed this up with the Copa Sudamericana with Arsenal.

His third spell for Estudiantes was the least he played as most of his appearances were from the bench, however he did manage to be part of the squad that won the 2009 Copa Libertadores. This seemed like the perfect time to retire and on November 25^th 2009 he announced his retirement at the age of 39.

However, this would not be the end as he was convinced to come out of retirement by Argentinos coach Claudio Borghi. He proved his skills once again, by playing a key part in the their 2010 Clausura championship win. He only scored three goals in 19 games but it was his all round play and experience that really helped the side. In the penultimate game of the season he set up a goal in the 93^rd minute to win the match against former side Independiente.

At the end of his contract he left the club and at the age of nearly 40 he decided to play one last game for first club Cambaceres and scored a penalty kick to complete his career.

He did have a brief spell in Europe, following in the footsteps of Diego Maradona, playing for Italian side Napoli. But this only lasted six games and unfortunately he did not manage a goal.

Calderon was a fantastic finisher and his compilation videos on Youtube are definitely worth a look for anyone that particularly enjoys football from the 1990’s.

The final word can go to the man himself, who said on his final game in tears. “I have the gratitude for all the people who supported me. It’s a shame that my legs tell me enough, but I’m going calm because I closed a cycle in the same place where I started.”

16th May – Lionel Scaloni

Lionel Scaloni will be hoping that he can have a big impact this summer at the World Cup, not as a player but as the assistant manager of Argentina.

Scaloni is the number two to Jorge Sampaoli, and with the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain all heading to Russia, he will be hoping that his coaching can take them one step further than the last World Cup where they were narrowly beaten in the final.

During his playing career, Scaloni played mostly at right back and started his career in 1995 with Argentine side Newell’s Old Boys but after only season and 12 league appearances he left for Estudiantes. While there he started getting attention from European clubs because of his performances and in March 1998 he joined Spanish side Deportivo.

He made 200 league appearances and scored 14 goals during his eight and half year spell in Spain. It might seem hard to believe now but at the time Deportivo were competing at the top of the table. Despite only making 14 appearances during the 1999-00 season it was enough to earn a league winners medal as the club won La Liga. He also helped the club win the Copa del Rey.

With the 2006 World Cup round the corner, Scaloni knew he needed to be playing regular football to be guaranteed a place in the squad. So after a falling out with manager Joaquin Caparros, he joined West Ham on loan and made his debut against Sunderland and would help the club reach the FA Cup final that season which they would unfortunately lose to Liverpool. This tactic worked as he was picked by his country for the tournament, however, his performances were not good enough to be offered a permanent deal by West Ham.

Deportivo released the defender and he was subsequently signed by fellow Spanish side Racing Santander. He only stayed for one season but put in some solid performances and helped the club to a comfortable midtable position. Scaloni then made a big move to Lazio on a five year deal but in January of the following year he was sent out on loan to Mallorca for 18 months. After returning to the Italian side he barely featured for the remainder of his contract and in total he only made 52 appearances for the club. Then in January 2013 he joined Atalanta but yet again he failed to become a first team regular.

On the international scene he made his debut for his country in a friendly against Libya on the 23^rd April 2003 and went on to win seven international caps, including one in the 2006 World Cup after playing the full 120 minutes against Mexico.

The final word can go to Mallorca president, Vicente Grande, after signing the player. “We all know Scaloni because he has played many years in Spain, in Deportivo and in Racing, he has won many titles and he is an absolute international with Argentina.”

9th March – Juan Sebastian Veron

Manchester United have spent a lot of money over the years and a lot of this has been on Argentinean midfielders, including Juan Sebastian Veron.

Obviously Angel Di Maria has been grabbing all the headlines lately for his somewhat average performances after a massive money move and to a lot of the Old Trafford faithful it must feel like déjà vu. Veron came to Manchester United with a reputation of being one of the best players in the world and he will forever go down as one of Alex Ferguson’s biggest flops as he struggled to adapt to life in England and failed to produce the goods while in the Premier League.

Now 40, Veron started his career in Argentina with Estudiantes, where he is currently chairman, in 1993. During his second season at the club he became a valuable member of the team and helped the club get promoted to the top flight. After 60 league games he would leave and join Argentinean giants Boca Juniors. While there he lined up alongside Diego Maradona but he would only last 17 league games before moving on to try his hand in Europe.

In 1996 he joined Italian side Sampdoria, who were managed by Sven Goran Eriksson at the time, and was an instant success. This convinced Parma to splash out on the midfielder after an impressive 1998 World Cup and he was once again one of the first names on the team sheet as the club won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup. Despite this success he would only stay the one season and was signed once again by Eriksson, this time for Lazio and he would go on to even better things.

During the 1999-00 season he was the driving force and it was not a surprise that they were so successful as Veron was one of the best attacking midfielders in the world at that point and would create numerous chances for the strikers. Lazio ended the season winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup as well as lifting the European Super Cup. His second season was not quite as productive as he was involved in a lot of off field matters that seemed to affect his performances.

On the 12^th July 2001 Veron was signed by Manchester United for £28.1 million which was a new British transfer record. But the midfielder never lived up to this price tag and despite some impressive performances in the Champions League, he never quite showed his talents in the Premier League. Injuries also didn’t help his situation but he did manage to pick up a Premier League winners medal at the end of the 2002-03 season. After 51 fairly disappointing league games, Veron somewhat surprisingly moved to another English club, signing for Chelsea for £15 million.

At Chelsea he got off to a good start by scoring a winning goal against Liverpool at Anfield but not a lot went right for him after that and he only ended up playing 15 times in total for the club. When Jose Mourinho was appointed manager he loaned Veron out to Inter Milan for two seasons and his performances were better in Italy as he helped the club win the Coppa Italia twice. He did return to Chelsea but it wasn’t for long as he was quickly loaned back out to Estudiantes until the end of his contract. He was back to his best in his homeland and played for a further six seasons and was even voted South American Footballer of the Year in 2008 and 2009 as well as best player of the 2009 Copa Libertadores as his side went on to win the competition.

The final word can go to Alex Ferguson. “He is a marvellous player. He brings a nice pace to the team. What we have done is bring in a really top player, one of the best in the world. He’s a fantastic footballer and will bring a personality to the team.”

2nd June – Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero is one of the best strikers in the world and will be hoping that he can prove it at the World Cup.

The striker has achieved so much in the game and is only just turning 26 today but it is not surprising that he has became one of the best in the world. He made his professional debut for Independiente at the age of just 15 years and 35 days becoming the youngest player to play in the division. He did not play again for seven months but when he did he became the youngest player to play in the Copa Libertadoras. On the 26th November he scored his first goal in a 2-2 against Estudiantes. During the 2005-06 season he became a first team regular and scored 18 times in 36 league games and was being linked with moves the Europe.

On the 30th May he joined Atletico Madrid and Argentina legend Diego Maradona had a lot of praise for the striker. “The fact that people haven’t seen much of him in Europe means he hasn’t got the exposure Messi has had. But Aguero is just as good.”

He didn’t settle straightaway in Spain and only scored six times in his first season but after Fernando Torres left for Liverpool, Aguero became the star man. Still only 19 he finished the season as the third highest goalscorer in La Liga at the end of the year with 19 goals. He scored important goals against Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal that helped the club finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in over 10 years.

In the next season he continued to get better as his partnership with Diego Forlan was improving and he scored his first Champions League goal in a 3-0 win over PSV. The 2009-10 season was a bit slower for everyone at the club but he managed to score twice against Chelsea in the Champions League. They were knocked out of the competition but won the Europa League with Aguero providing the assists for both goals in the final.

His most successful season was the year after though as he scored 20 league goals and scored in seven consecutive games towards the end of the season. In his final game for the club he scored a hatrick against Mallorca with the second being his 100th for the club in all competitions.

On the 28th July 2011 he joined Manchester City for £38 million and made his debut on the opening day of the season against Swansea City. He came on as a substitute on the 59th minute and scored twice as well as providing a goal for David Silva. On his third start he scored his first hatrick in a 5-1 win over Wigan Athletic. He scored 23 times in his first season but the most important was with the last kick of the season that won the Premier League title for the club.

The 2012-13 season was more difficult as he suffered an injury early on and it took him till the 29th September to score his first of the season. He went on to score another 11 Premier League goals as the club failed to defend their title but after missing the whole of the next preseason he started the season brilliantly by scoring against Newcastle United and then twice against Manchester United in a 4-1 win. On the 24th November he scored his 9th and 10th goals of the season against Tottenham Hotspur which meant that he now had the best minutes to goal ratio ever in the Premier League. He also scored five times in six league Champions League group games. He missed a lot of the season through injury but ended it with 28 goals in 34 games as well as winning back the Premier League title.

The final word can go to Ossie Ardiles. “He’s very, very quick and clever. He’s very intelligent and can score goals very, very easily. He lives to score goals, he’s a proper centre forward, he always wants to be close to the box.”

28th April – Diego Simeone

He was once most well known for being the man that got kicked by David Beckham at France 98 but he is now one of the most wanted managers in Europe.

Diego Simeone is close to giving the Atletico Madrid fans the season of their lives with the club currently leading the way in La Liga and one match away from the Champions League final. He is 44 today and even he couldn’t have imagined this year would have went so well, but as he showed his playing career he will do anything to make sure his team get their hands on the trophies at the end of the season.

As a player he started out at Argentinean side Velez Sarsfield but after 76 league games he was on his way to Europe to play for Italian side Pisa. In his first season he got relegated with the club and when they failed to win promotion he moved to Sevilla in Spain. But it was when he made his move to Atletico Madrid that success came as he won the La Liga title and the Copa Del Rey during the 1995-96 season.

Afterwards he moved back to Italy and won more silverware, with Inter Milan he won the UEFA Cup and with Lazio under Sven Goran Eriksson he won the Italian League title after a dramatic final day and the Coppa Italia. Simeone then returned to Atletico in the summer of 2003 and played for two more seasons before returning to Argentina with Racing.

On the international stage he played over 100 times for Argentina and he will be remembered for that incident in 1998 with David Beckham but in 2002 Beckham got his revenge by scoring a winning penalty. However Beckham learned more about the midfielder that day saying. “He showed me what a gentleman he is by coming up to me at half time and then at the end of the game shaking my hand. I have always said he is a good player and now we have a healthy respect for each other.”

After retiring he first became the manager of his final club Racing and although he was doing a decent job a change in ownership meant he was sacked. It did not take him long to get a new job as Estudiantes appointed him in the same month and Simeone repaid them by guiding them to their first title in 23 years and was later voted as the best manager in Argentina with former Argentine international Roberto Perfumo saying he was born to be a manager.

His next move was to River Plate where he did not have as much success but still had a good win percentage of 45.45%. After not winning for 11 games he handed in his resignation and was on the move to San Lorenzo where once again poor results did not help his cause and he was heavily criticised so he left them after 48 games.

Simeone decided to come back to Europe and managed Catania who he saved from relegation however he did not extend his contract and went back to managing Racing in Argentina but this only lasted 20 games and on the 23rd December 2011 he was appointed manager of Atletico Madrid. At the end of his first season he won the Europa League and then followed this up by beating Chelsea 4-1 in the Super Cup. They are now top of the league and are competing in their first Champions League semi final for the first time in 40 years.

The final word can go to his once nemesis now friend David Beckham. “I’ve been asked countless times if I have forgotten what he did in France 98. You have to forgive and forget. There is no lingering grudge between us – just mutual respect between people who regard each other as good players and professionals.”