A Profile of Samuel Eto’o

One of the ironies of Samuel Eto’o playing for FC Barcelona is that he originally joined arch-rivals Real Madrid, who immediately put him out on loan; first to second division CD Leganes; then to first division Espanyol after playing just one league match for Madrid; and finally to Mallorca. He did so well at the latter club that they signed him for a club record and became the highest scorer in the history of the club with a total of 54 goals between 2000 and 2004.

The Cameroon striker signed to FC Barcelona after a series of negotiations between Barcelona, Mallorca and Real Madrid who had retained an option on him. On one hand Madrid didn’t require him in the team as they already had two strikers in the form of Ronaldo and Raul; on the other hand they didn’t want him to play for Barcelona, a club that was looking for a quality striker to cement the attack after they were unable to come to an agreement with midfielder Edgar Davids, who had spent the second half of the 2003-2004 season on loan to the Catalan club.

With Eto’o in place as striker and Ronaldinho as attacking mid-fielder, Samuel Eto’o quickly proved to be good value for money and scored a total of 24 league goals in the 2004-2005 season. Although he helped FC Barcelona to take the league title, he narrowly missed the title of top goal scorer in La Liga.

However, at the celebrations that followed at the Nou Camp he gave speech in which he openly criticised Real Madrid, apparently venting the bitterness he felt for being passed over by the club in favour of being put on loan. He later had to retract his statement and issue an apology.

The following year Samuel Eto’o was able to improve of his league score and with a total of 26 goals he narrowly took the «Pichichi» crown, just one goal ahead of David Villa from Valencia. His strong performance on the pitch saw him also score six Champions League goals, helping to propel Barcelona all the way to the final against Arsenal. He was strongly implicated in the result as first the Arsenal goalkeeper was sent off for a foul against Eto’o in the first 20 minutes; failing to capitalise on the one man advantage, Eto’o equalised in the 76th minute from a pass from Larsson and Belletti scored the winning goal a few minutes after.

On the basis of a strong season Samuel Eto’o was awarded the title of UEFA Champion’s League Best Forward as well as Best African Player for the third year running.

FC Barcelona Players – Samuel Eto’o

Samuel Eto’o, although he seems to have been playing at the top level for such a long time, was, in fact, born in March 1981 in Nkon, Cameroon. Seemingly followed by controversy, Eto’o signed for Real Madrid as a 16 year old and had, to put it mildly, a strange relationship with the club from then on.

Firstly, upon his arrival at Madrid airport, young Samuel was famously forgotten about – a young black African with no Spanish hanging around an airport; an inauspicious beginning. After uneventful loan spells at Leganés and Espanyol, the coltish-looking Eto’o found himself loaned out to Mallorca, where he really began to show off his credentials.

Scoring 54 goals, Eto’o became the islanders’ highest league goal scorer and developed a real affinity with the supporters there – and he famously scored a spectacular individual goal against Madrid in the Bernabeu! Eto’o enjoyed his relationship with Mallorca so much that, when they reached the Copa del Rey final in 2003, he paid out EUR30,000 on a meal for them!

At the end of his loan spell, the Real Madrid supporters were almost unanimous in their desire for Samuel to return to the capital and compete for the forward positions with Raul and Ronaldo. What followed was a summer of continuous speculation and argument and eventually, for EUR24 million, the player signed for Barcelona – something that still annoys many Real Madrid fans.

Since then, Eto’o has scored goals galore for the Catalan giants. In his first, championship-winning season, Eto’o scored 25 league goals, including the title-clinching strike at Levante. He reached 50 goals in just 67 matches – a club record.

In addition to wining African Footballer of the year a record three times in succession from 2003, Samuel was part of the Cameroon side that won the African Cup in 2000 and 2002 and was runner-up in 2008. Previously, he had been the youngest player, at 17 years and 3 months, in the 1998 World Cup. He was the pichichi, top goal scorer, in La Liga in 2005/06, when, of course, he scored an equalising goal in the Champions’ League final against Arsenal.

Controversy has never been far away, however. After winning the league in 2005, Eto’o made the mistake of singing an abusive song about Madrid during the on-pitch celebrations. He has also been famously outspoken in his denouncements of racial abuse chanted in grounds – even threatening to walk off during one league game at Zaragova. Furthermore, there were times during 2007/08 season when Samuel Eto’o seemed a very forlorn figure, when his relationship with some of the other players was not at its best. At the end of the season, it seemed that the club were determined to transfer Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto’o, the perceived bad influences at the club. Eto’o, though, with typical determination, was adamant that his future was still with Barcelona – and he has proved to be absolutely correct.

Samuel Eto’o is fast, two-footed, brave and a totally committed team player and arguably the best centre forward in modern football.

The Best Ways to Get Tickets For a FC Barcelona Football Game

FC Barcelona has Europe’s biggest football/soccer stadiums. Built in the 1950s, Camp Nou, or the New Camp has earned the fans of Barcelona the nickname of «Les Cules» – literally meaning «the arses» as the opposing supporters could see the back of the bums on seats of the loyal Barça fans from outside the stadium. Match day is a fantastic day out, especially against bitter rivals Real Madrid, or local derby matches against RCD Espanyol – indeed such is the draw of the venue, that the last world tour of U2 was performed here, due to the enormous capacity – around 99,000 people, with plans already approved to increase the capacity to 106,000. So how do I get to see a match, I hear you cry?! Well relax; there are some foolproof techniques you can employ before resorting to those ticket websites.

First of all, you can try the official website. Tickets go on sale approximately 2 weeks before match day, and you can be lucky and find seats this way. Alternatively, if you’re already in town, you can make your way down to the ticket office at the stadium – with such a high capacity, it’s rare for games to sell out – unless we’re talking about the previous fixtures of Real Madrid or a semi final in the Champions League, of course! However, this information is readily available on the website or any affiliate program of Barcelona. What I’m going to reveal are the tricks.

Season ticket holders to FC Barcelona can only ever give their ticket back to the club, or maintain that ticket with the surname. So many older generation season ticket holders, simply hold on to their relatives’ season tickets and sell on these seats on match day. Let me explain. Say my father and his 4 brothers were all season ticket holders, but of those 5 siblings, only 1 had children (me). I would renew those season tickets each year, due to their privileged location within the stands, and simply turn up 30 minutes before kick off each home game and sell on those tickets for face price, with the guarantee of having better view than the box office tickets and probably paying off my own season tickets from the profits by the end of the season. This is perfectly legal within the eyes of the club and the governing bodies of football, as long as money doesn’t change hands. So those clever OAP’s you see hanging around the metro station are the ones with the best tickets! The security guards at the turnstiles know the score, but as long as they haven’t seen money changing hands, then its fine by them. This is the best way to get tickets for the match, as you are effectively escorted in by the seller (you will sit next to them), so no security risks with regards fake tickets. It does however, have its risks in that if anyone sees you pay for the ticket, then you run the risk of losing your money and the ticket.

Tickets for matches are released to the general public after the FC Barcelona Members can buy them. You pay an annual subscription to the club if you can’t get a season ticket (based on my previous paragraph, you won’t be surprised to hear that the waiting list for a season ticket extends back to the 1970`s) and then have first refusal for the tickets before the public. In this way, many «touts» will buy up their share of the ticket allocation, often meaning they take all of the second tier seats in the stadium or the second best seats, after the season ticket holders. They then have a mark up of around 5 Euros per ticket, which for the majority of tourists is a steal, considering the better seat you will be able to get for this first time experience.

My final tip is again, not one that is well publicised and although this means that you don’t have the choice of the better seat allocation, it’s an official way of going about getting a ticket. You may be surprised to hear that ATMs or cash machines of the bank «La Caixa» also sell FC Barcelona tickets. The Catalan bank sells concert tickets, opera entrances and theatre stalls, so it’s no surprise to be able to find seats for the football, either. The reason why I left this tip for last is that due to the previous methods, the Cash point tickets are usually always the last to be sold, meaning you will have the cheapest seats (therefore be higher up in the stadium) which is not to put you off, as any seat in the stadium is well worth the price, but just so that you know you have various options. This option, for example, is great for larger groups who all want to stay together, as it means tickets can be bought in bulk – this way guaranteeing adjacent seating arrangements.

My last tip is to wrap up warm if you happen to go to a winter fixture! Although the winters in Barcelona are fairly mild, the height of the stadium coupled with its geographic location means that often the wind chill factor is very high within the stadium.

FC Barcelona Fixtures Published

With the draw for the Spanish League now published we now know the full details of FC Barcelona’s fixtures for the 2007-2008, listed below:

26 Aug Racing v Barcelona

2 Sep Barcelona v Athletic

16 Sep Osasuna v Barcelona

23 Sep Barcelona v Sevilla

26 Sep Barcelona v Zaragoza

30 Sep Levante v Barcelona

7 Oct Barcelona v At. Madrid

21 Oct Villarreal v Barcelona

28 Oct Barcelona v Almeria

31 Oct Real Valladolid v Barcelona

4 Nov Barcelona v Betis

11 Nov Getafe v Barcelona

25 Nov Barcelona v Recreativo

2 Dec Espanyol v Barcelona

9 Dec Barcelona v Deportivo

16 Dec Valencia v Barcelona

23 Dec Barcelona v Real Madrid

6 Jan Mallorca v Barcelona

13 Jan Barcelona v Murcia

20 Jan Barcelona v Racing

27 Jan Athletic v Barcelona

3 Feb Barcelona v Osasuna

10 Feb Sevilla v Barcelona

17 Feb Zaragoza v Barcelona

24 Feb Barcelona v Levante

2 Mar At. Madrid v Barcelona

9 Mar Barcelona v Villarreal

16 Mar Almeria v Barcelona

23 Mar Barcelona v Real Valladolid

30 Mar Betis v Barcelona

6 Apr Barcelona v Getafe

13 Apr Recreativo v Barcelona

20 Apr Barcelona v Espanyol

27 Apr Deportivo v Barcelona

4 May Barcelona v Valencia

7 May Real Madrid v Barcelona

11 May Barcelona v Mallorca

18 May Murcia v Barcelona

While the season gets off to a fairly easy start, the clash against Real Madrid at the Nou Camp will take place on December 23rd this year, a great time for anyone who want to make the most of a football and last minute shopping weekend, while Barcelona visit Spain’s capital city on May 7th 2007.

We’re still awaiting details of the Champions League draw, which will kick off in September. After losing the League title to Madrid at the last minute and being knocked out of the European title Barcelona’s supporters eagerly await the start of the season to see what difference the new signings, like Thierry Henry, make to FC Barcelona’s fortunes.

Barcelona Beats Sporting Gijon But Still 10 Points Behind Madrid

Week 26 of the Spanish League took place on the weekend of 3rd and 4th march 2006, with Real Madrid going into the weekend a full ten points clear of FC Barcelona, the previous year’s title holders and bitterest rival. Madrid was to face the second team of the city of Barcelona, Espanyol, at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, while FC Barcelona was to play host to Sporting Gijon, sitting down in the relegation zone.

While on paper at least, Sporting looked to be a walk over, football matches don’t always follow mathematical logic in that respect and so Barcelona were fully prepared for whatever their visitors could throw at them.

However, Pep Guardiola was forced to field an under strength team, with Leo Messi sitting the match out due to his first ever suspension owing to five yellow cards picked up in previous matches, and Alexis started out on the bench; the Catalans were certainly looking a little short up front.

Much of the first half looked like a stalemate, with neither team able to score despite some effort to do so from both teams. However, four minutes from the half time break a nice bit of team play from Keita and Adriano set up Iniesta for the first goal of the match from 6 yards; minutes later Cesc almost made it two.

After the break Sporting’s de las Cuevas got in past the Barcelona defence and Pique challenged him; de las Cuevas went down and out came a red card for the Catalan defender. Replays showed that the decision was harsh and Pique was quick to criticise after the match.

With Barcelona thrown off balance Sporting managed to score. Once they did get back on their feet with 10 players though Iniesta and Xavi were looking like real stars. However, it was Keita who put Barcelona back in the lead 20 minutes before the end; and Xavi finished it off for the home team when he scored a few minutes from the end.

With three points in the bag, attention was then focused on Real Madrid to see what would happen with Espanyol, who went into the weekend in eighth place in la liga. Unfortunately for Barcelona, Madrid also took all three points available to them too, with a comfortable 5-0 win against Espanyol. While it is mathematically possible still for Barcelona to win the league, the likelihood of it happening at this stage, with Real Madrid still so strong, it close to zero. However, it looks like they won’t stop playing their best and still have the Champions League to play for.

FC Barcelona Fixtures 2008-2009

With the fixture list for the Spanish league now published we are now in a position to start planning which matches to go and see. One of the top two clubs in Spain is normally considered to be FC Barcelona, and here we discuss the highlights of the fixture list for the year.

The top matches are undoubtedly the games between Barcelona and Real Madrid due to the huge rivalry between the two cities and the rejection of a centralised Spain by many Catalans. The two clubs are life long archrivals and the matches eagerly awaited. The first round clash takes place in Barcelona on December 13th or 14th, with the return match at the Santiago Bernadeu stadium in Madrid taking place on May 2nd/3rd.

One of the other great clashes is against Barcelona’s second team, RCD Espanyol. This season the first leg is played at the Estadi Olimpic on the last weekend of September, with Espanyol crossing town for the Nou Camp on February 21st/22nd. While Espanyol aren’t at the same level as Barcelona, they do have a hardcore fan base and the results are not a forgone conclusion by any means.

Other top matches include Barcelona versus Getafe, a hard fighting team from Madrid. Although they only gained promotion to the top division several years ago, they quickly established a reputation as a worthy rival under the management of Bernd Schuster who is now at Real Madrid. They visit the Nou Camp on November 22nd/23rd, with Barça making the return match on April 18th/19th and other matches of note include Valencia and Sevilla, both worthy opponents.

UEFA Champions League Group Stage

Summer is over. That only means one thing: the Champions League is back. This year’s joint favourites, Barcelona and Chelsea, have fast become bitter rivals in this competition. That rivalry is certain to intensify since they were drawn into the same group at this early stage of the tournament. The format is as follows: 32 teams contest the group stage, divided into eight groups of four. The group winners and runners-up advance to the knockout stages, the eight third-placed teams move into the UEFA Cup third round, and the eight fourth-placed teams are eliminated. Here is an overview of all the groups with predictions on who we expect to win each group.

Group A: Barcelona (-118), Chelsea (+125), Werder Bremen (15/1), Levski Sofia (250/1)

Maybe the Chelsea-Barcelona rivalry won’t be quite as intense at this early stage. Both teams will advance from this group and there is a good chance they will meet again at a later stage of this competition. Chelsea look noticeably shakier this year. Their previously impenetrable defence looks slightly more lax. That will bode ill for the Blues. But unlike the past few years, with two Premiership titles under their belt, this season Jose Mourinho’s explicit goal is to win the Champions League. Still, we have to side with Barcelona here. They are goal scoring machines and should demolish Bremen and Levski, and they are more than capable of scoring against Chelsea. At close to even money, they are worth backing to win this group.

Group B: Bayern Munich (+125), Inter Milan (+163), Sporting Lisbon (6/1), Spartak Moscow (40/1)

Inter is a big price here and are worth backing. They have added strength, quality and depth to their squad and after the Calciopoli scandal were belated awarded last year’s Scudetto in Serie A. Sporting Lisbon are no pushovers, but Inter can and should get past them. There is one slight worry though. Bayern Munich is the sort of team that can run up the score against weak opponents like Spartak Moscow. If Bayern and Inter are level on points, Bayern could well win this group on goal difference.

Group C: Liverpool (-161), PSV Eindhoven (+450), Bordeaux (5/1), Galatasaray (10/1)

Although they are odds-on, it’s hard to look past Liverpool in this group. They are a well-organized side and lifted the CL trophy two years ago. Manger Rafa Benitez is experienced at European competition and should navigate his team through this group with ease. PSV are a shadow of the team they were last season. There is a good chance they won’t finish in the top two of the Dutch league, let alone replicate their above average Champions League form of recent years. Bordeaux and Galatasaray are second-rate clubs in this competition.

Group D: Valencia (-125), Roma (+150), Shakhtar Donetsk (20/1), Olympiakos (29/1)

It’s hard to understand why Roma are underdogs in this group. They are favoured to win this year’s diluted Italian league. Their squad is a lot stronger this season both on paper and judging by their Serie A results so far. But the Romans face tough Spanish competition in this group. Valencia have a disciplined and experienced Champions League side. They are deadly on the counterattack and stifle the offence of their opponents. This looks like a coin flip between Roma and Valencia, so we’ll take the Italians at odds-against. Keep and eye on Olympiakos. They won’t win this group, but, like many Greek teams, they can be dangerous in their home games.

Group E: Lyon (-125), Real Madrid (+163), Steaua Bucharest (10/1), Dynamo Kiev (50/1)

The collapse of Juventus has benefited no team more than Real Madrid. The Spanish giants picked up a handful more Galacticos and one of the world’s top managers, Fabio Capello. They are serious contenders for both the La Liga and Champions League titles this year. But they will have to get past their nemesis in this tournament: Lyon. The French side are perennially underestimated by the bookmakers despite excelling in European competition. We’ll happily back them again to win this group and possibly the whole thing.

Group F: Manchester United (-275), Benfica (+650), Celtic (13/1), FC Copenhagen (50/1)

Man Utd couldn’t have asked for a more favourable draw. But luck is what they’ll need to get any further than this stage. At this short price, it’s not worth betting on the Red Devils to win the group. Copenhagen are a dangerous team, having knocked Ajax out of this competition. They are a huge price to win the group and are worth a small punt. Benfica are solid as ever in Portugal and experienced in the Champions League. They should claim second spot.

Group G: Arsenal (-161), Hamburg (9/1), Porto (9/1), CSKA Moscow (10/1)

Arsenal were the surprise team of the Champions League last year, going all the way to the final and defying expectations with each match. This year, they seem to be overestimated. The Gunners have not yet settled into their new Emirates Stadium. The squad look noticeably uncomfortable and will take more time to jell. In light of the above, it’s worth looking at the others. CSKA are a huge price at 10/1 and the 2005 UEFA Cup champions must be backed to win this group. Russia is an intimidating place for visiting teams and the Muscovites are more than capable of claiming results from their travels.

Group H: AC Milan (-333), Lille (6/1), AEK Athens (25/1), Anderlecht (33/1)

Milan should cruise through this group with relative ease. They are capable of dismantling virtually any team in the world and opponents like Lille, AEK and Anderlecht are hardly dangerous challengers. Lille are solid in France and might hold Milan to a draw in their home leg. As usual, Greek side AEK will be tough at home too, but they are hopeless on their travels. Anderlecht don’t deserve to be in this competition. Even at this short price, take Milan.

Video Games and Theories of Learning: Spotlight on JP Gee and Howard Gardner

Plenty of people in all stages of their lives are fascinated by video games. The games practice can be long, difficult, and challenging, yet the players consider it fun and inspiring. It is hard not to admit that playing games has social and cultural significance in our society. According to J. P. Gee (2003), there are learning principles (LP) that are built into good video games. But these principles do not necessarily boost learning. Several factors are necessary for learning to occur in games and perhaps develop intelligences in the semiotic domain of the daily life. Gee teaches that there are thirty-six learning principles possible to be found and developed in games.

To explain this, Gee defines games as semiotic domain (SD), which, in turn, is part of the wider SD of everyday life. So to speak, a SD is a certain division of the world (whether a location, practice, field of study, etc.) and it can encompass sub-domains. For instance, first and third-person shooter games are a well-defined sub-domain of the games SD. By introducing the concept of SD to games studies, Gee gives us examples of SD like rap, modernist paintings and games of the genre first person shooter. Gee believes that to achieve learning from a SD is necessary three things: 1) learn to experience the world in different ways, 2) learn to form affiliations with members of the SD, and 3) learn how to gain the necessary resources for future learning and problem solving in the domain, as well as in related domains. As we can see, Gee seeks to approximate games to a broader definition of literacy that involves different types of «visual literacy.» Following this notion of literacy, people are literate in a domain only if they are able to recognize and produce meanings in the field. Furthermore, Gee proposes that we think of literacy as inherently connected to social practices. In fact, in the contemporary culture, articulate language (spoken, gestural, or written) is not the only important communication system. Nowadays, images, symbols, charts, diagrams, equations, artifacts and many other visual symbols play a particularly important role in our daily lives. For example, it is important to learn visual literacy to «read» the pictures in an advertisement. Furthermore, words and images are juxtaposed or integrated in many ways: in magazines, newspapers, textbooks, software, etc. Images take more space and have meanings that can be independent of the words in texts. In this sense, games are multimodal texts. They combine moving images and music with language.

Given the various forms of human activity in the complex society we live in, it becomes necessary to develop a new model of intelligence that allows us to embrace a pluralistic view of intelligence. Howard Gardner’s (1983) influential definition of intelligence was developed by means of a model of seven basic intelligences known as the theory of multiple intelligences (MI). MI represents a broader and more pragmatic view of human nature. The eight intelligences are defined as the following skills:

1) to use language with competence (linguistic),

2) to use logical reasoning in mathematics and science (logical-mathematical),

3) to perceive details of the visual-spatial world and to manipulate objects in mind (spatial),

4) to understand, create and enjoy music and musical concepts (musical),

5) to use the body skillfully (bodily-kinesthetic);

6) to recognize subtle aspects of the behavior of others and respond appropriately to them (interpersonal),

7 ) to understand the one’s own feelings (intrapersonal), and

8) to recognize patterns and differences in nature (naturalist).

These categories or intelligences represent elements that can be found in all cultures, namely music, words, logic, paintings, social interaction, physical expression, inner reflection and appreciation of nature. Thus, unlike a learning style, which is a general approach that the individual can apply equally to any content imaginable, intelligence, to Gardner, is a capability with its own processes that are geared to specific contents in the world (e.g., musical sounds or spatial patterns).

From this perspective, Gee (2003) and Gardner (1983) value the interplay between learning and skills present in everyday life (culture) of people. So when we think about the SD approach, as developed by Gee, we realized that the interaction between both theories, the SD of everyday life, the largest existing set – where the intelligences are located – encompasses the SD of games. Note that Gardner points out that one of the goals of his endeavor is to examine the educational implications of a theory of multiple intelligences. Considering that, Gee listed thirty-six learning principles present in games, and considering the importance and popularity of games in contemporary culture, it seems interesting to begin to investigate how the learning principles can relate to the multiple intelligences. So we discuss here some possibilities of association between these theories. To accomplish this, the question we want to take up is this: What can the learning principles built into good games could do for the development of multiple intelligences, which are so important to everyday life? In other words: What is the relationship between these semiotic domains? To answer this, we have used the following research methodology: literature review, research on websites, observation of games, construction of the model of interaction between the two learning proposals, and analysis of the model.

Gee describes thirty-six learning principles which can be found in games. It is noteworthy that not all learning principles listed by the author are necessarily found on a single game – there is the possibility that a game conveys one or more of these principles. The analysis shows that to develop one or more intelligences, the learner must be immersed in one or more semiotic domains which have the conditions and qualities needed to facilitate its development. For example: there is no use to an apprentice of a sport modality to have access to only one modality for the full development of his Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence, he needs to have access to various sports, namely various sub semiotic domains which are part of the larger semiotic domain of the sports. Besides that, there are other extrinsic and intrinsic factors (motivation, injuries, and appropriate training materials, etc.) that are important to succeed in the entire domain, like a sport modality. Examples of several prominent athletes demonstrate this fact: Formula 1 drivers, MMA fighters and Olympic athletes. In this sense, our research shows the existence of a binomial unexcelled: without learning principles, there are no good games, while without the valorization of a domain in the semiotic domain of everyday life there is no way forward within that domain. Thus, multiple intelligences cannot be fully developed in certain cultural contexts and the learning principles are worthless in these contexts

Moreover, the Interpersonal intelligence is very important in learning. We found that it is associated to thirty of the thirty-six learning principles. The Interpersonal intelligence clearly arises from cooperative work, community involvement, simulations of large groups, dedication to social issues, etc. Precisely the importance of Interpersonal intelligence, as Gardner notes, has been reduced in the contemporary educational scene: the sensitivity to other individuals as individuals and the ability to collaborate with others are increasingly less important now than it did in the past. Thus, we believe that the results of the comparison between these theories put into question the ways we design and manage education in its various spheres. For this reason, we believe that further analysis of the intersection of the theories studied here may help us in both the use of games as a pedagogical proposal and in thinking about education.

The association between both theories seemed productive for us to reflect on games and learning in general. Firstly, it should be noted that not all games can promote all learning principles. This is because there are many factors in the semiotic domain of everyday life that can hinder learning and development of multiple intelligences. And this occurs even when the game conveys the learning principle or the basic conditions to develop them, which demonstrates a close association between the principles and intelligences.

Secondly, the Interpersonal intelligence is associated to thirty learning principles. This demonstrates the complexity of learning and consequently shows the challenges that contemporary education must face. In fact, the study of the interaction between the theories can help us think about new ways of teaching and learning inside and outside of school. It seems that the relevance of Gee’s is in highlighting the importance of games culturally and for learning, while Gardner’s learning theory emphasizes the necessity of favorable conditions (environment, mentors, cultural appreciation, etc.) for the development of skills. We should remember that skills or intelligences are valued differently between cultures.

We believe that good video games represent, in fact, opportunities for direct and indirect learning of content and skills in the semiotic domain of everyday life, given its intimate link to the majority of the intelligences.

Work cited

Howard Gardner. Frames of mind. The theory of multiple intelligences (New York: Basic Books, 1983).

James P. Gee. What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy (New York: Palgrave, 2003).

David Beckham – Exclusive Profile of the Former England Captain

David Beckham is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic footballers the world has ever produced. A former captain of the English senior national team- The three lions, he has remained a focal point in world football, as exemplified by his recent appointment by England towards her unsuccessful bid for the FIFA 2018 and 2022 World Cup respectively.

One of the things that gives the 35 years old Beckham the cutting edge over other footballers, is the wonderful technique he usually deploys when taking free-kicks. He can curve the ball from outside the penalty area into the net with ease. He has scored crucial goals for both club and country via his trademark free-kicks. The accuracy with which he passes the ball and deliver crosses has also endeared him to the heart of football fans world-wide.

His club career has seen him playing for the biggest club in England- Manchester United, before moving over on loan to Preston North end in 1995. David Beckham was eventually signed by Spanish giant-Real Madrid for a whopping £25 million record transfer fee in 2003. This move made him one of the highest paid athletes in the world and created a lot of media buzz around the player.

His stay at Real Madrid were not the most memorable, as he never got to his full potential either through suspension or injury. It wasn’t long before Beckham soon parted way with the Club and pitched his tent with Major League soccer club- Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 for a record transfer fee of US$32.5 million for a 5-year contract deal.

He got married to entertainment icon- Victoria Adams in a lavish ceremony on July 4th 1999 held in Ireland. His marital life has been blessed with three sons- Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. His marriage to Victoria has seen him gaining more global popularity in both the British and world press on a daily basis.

A hugely talented footballer, Beckham has created some enviable records for both club and country in his career which has spanned more than 20 years. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he became the only English player to score in three World cups. He also became the fifth player to score from a direct free kick when he scored against Ecuador in 2006 and Colombia in 1998 via free-kicks. He was also the first British footballer to play one hundred Champions League matches.

He is presently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador with special emphasis on promoting sports development especially in developing countries. His humanitarian gestures have seen him supporting the less privilege children in Africa and beyond.

City or United, But What About Chelsea?

Ignoring the recent derby which ended in a historical defeat for the favor of Manchester City, one can safely say that great performances City and United have been putting up recently place them ahead of everyone else in the premier league race. Analysts and followers have failed to acknowledge Chelsea’s chances in the title despite the many hints of potential the Blues showed.

Andre Villas Boas have managed to create a team that is not only flexible in squad formations but is getting along fairly well compared to Ancelotti’s term. Fernando Torres is getting along greatly with new signings Juan Mata and Raul Meireles with Frank Lampard showing signs of his old brilliance in the recent games.

AVB has also managed to get the best out of players such as Daniel Sturridge who managed to secure a spot in the first team after a successful loan season at Bolton; although he is seen as cocky and arrogant Sturridge has shown that his pace and dribbling techniques are not to be underestimated.

Fernando Torres, a major thorn in Abramovich’s throat has also showed signs of a possible form return after hitting the net several times in the different competitions; the 50 million pound player has caused a lot of controversy since he arrived from Liverpool and his form is a discussion starter before and after any match.

Another factor which will help Boas succeed is the fact that the young players of the team such as Lukaku, Romeu, Bertrand and McEachran have all been given chances in important Carling cup matches against EPL teams such as Fulham and Everton; this will assist Boas in both resting his players and giving the youth a chance to prove their worthiness of a first team spot.

The most important factor AVB changed is the offensive football Chelsea is currently playing, Boas’s attempts to replicate his Porto side’s tactics are not a secret and with a midfield like Chelsea’s it is definitely possible. Many are criticizing this sudden change in Chelsea’s play style claiming that the players are to slow and old but this brings us to his squad flexibility which will help him implement his techniques better; the return of Micheal Essien will also strengthen the midfield especially in the defensive midfield.

Although AVB has changed a lot since his arrival at Stamford, it is still not a certainty whether he will succeed or not so there is nothing that Chelsea supporters can do but wait and hope for the best.