Читать книгу Now You Know Big Book of Sports онлайн

115 страница из 137

Why are there 125 players on the FIFA 100 list?

The FIFA 100 is Pelé’s list of the “greatest living footballers.” He chose 125 players to be on the list, which seems incongruous with the list’s name until you understand that the list was unveiled on March 4, 2004, at a gala ceremony in London, marking part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The “100” of the list name refers to the anniversary, not the number of players Pelé chose.

Who was “The Great Dane”?

Peter Schmeichel has been called the greatest goaltender to have ever played the game. Nicknamed “The Great Dane,” he was born in Gladsaxe, Denmark, and played in his home nation until 1992, when the Danish team took the UEFA European Championship. He then joined Manchester United and was captain of their 1999 squad that won an unprecedented Treble (to win a country’s top division and two cup competitions in the same season), taking the English Premiership, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League all in the same season.