Friday 30 August 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Pavel Nedvěd, Radhi Jaïdi, Juan Ignacio Chela, Andy Roddick, Simone Pepe and Ernests Gulbis

Pavel Nedvěd



Pavel Nedvěd is 41 today. He is a retired Czech footballer, who played as a midfielder and won numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus, including the last ever Cup Winners' Cup. Nedvěd was a key member of the Czech Republic team which reached the final of UEFA Euro 1996, during which he garnered much international attention. He was later given the international captaincy. Well known for his energy and tireless runs, refined dribbling, as well as his powerful shooting and goal scoring abilities, Nedvěd was nicknamed Furia Ceca by Italian fans and The Czech cannon in English-speaking media.

Winning the Ballon d'Or as the European Footballer of the Year in 2003, Nedvěd became only the second Czech player to receive this honour, and the first since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. He was also the recipient of the second Golden Foot award in 2004. Throughout his career, Nedvěd won numerous awards, including being named Czech Footballer of the Year four times and receiving the Golden Ball (Czech Republic) six times. Nedvěd retired after the 2008–09 season after 19 years as a professional. He played 500 league matches at club level, scoring 109 goals, and was capped 91 times for the Czech Republic, scoring 18 times.

Radhi Jaïdi



Radhi Jaïdi is 38 today. He is a retired Tunisian footballer. He played as a centre back for Esperance, Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City and Southampton. After winning 8 Tunisian league titles with Esperance, Jaidi followed in the footsteps of Tunisian Rochdi Karaa, the first Tunisian to play professional football in England (Darlington 83–84).

Juan Ignacio Chela



Juan Chela is 34 today. El Flaco as he's fondly called is a former professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like most Argentine players, he is comfortable on clay courts and owns all six of his career titles on the surface. Chela reached the quarter-finals of the 2004 and 2011 French Open and the 2007 US Open, attaining a career-high singles ranking of World No. 15 in 2004.

Andy Roddick



Andy Roddick is 31 today. He is a retired American professional tennis player and former World No. 1. He was known for his fast services (serves) and powerful groundstrokes.

He became a Grand Slam singles champion when he won the title at the 2003 US Open, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final. He is currently the last North American male player to win a Grand Slam singles event. Roddick reached four other Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and the US Open in 2006), losing to Roger Federer every time. This time last year, during the 2012 US Open and on his 30th birthday, Roddick announced that he would retire after the tournament. Following a fourth-round defeat to Juan Martín del Potro, Roddick retired from the sport with the aim of focusing on his foundation in future years.

Simone Pepe



Simone Pepe is 30 today. He is an Italian footballer who plays as a winger for Serie A club Juventus. He is known for his high versatility and can play on either side of the pitch. He has two Serie A titles to his name and has gathered 23 caps for the Italian national team.

Ernests Gulbis



Ernests Gulbis is 25 today. He is a Latvian professional tennis player. The world number34 is one of the most outspoken players on tour, just a couple of months ago, Sportunes reported a story of him blasting Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal saying fans want blood and war not clones like them (HERE).

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