Football Clubs and Competitions

Angel di Maria transferred from SL Benfica to Real Madrid in 2010 for around €25 million. Benfica is the Portuguese club where he developed before his big-money move to Spain.

Mesut Ozil played for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga before his high-profile transfer to Real Madrid in 2010. He never played for Lyon, Wolfsburg, or Liverpool before joining Madrid.

Roy Hodgson was appointed Liverpool manager in 2010, succeeding Rafael Benitez. Benitez had just left Liverpool, while Low coaches Germany and Mancini was at Manchester City.

Michael Ballack returned to Bayer Leverkusen in 2010 after leaving Chelsea, coming back to the club where he started his career. Bayern Munich was his former club, while Italian clubs didn't sign him.

Avram Grant replaced Jose Mourinho as Chelsea manager in September 2007 after Mourinho's departure by mutual consent. Ferguson was at Manchester United, Benitez at Liverpool, Wenger at Arsenal.

Manchester United won the Premier League in the 2007-08 season, securing the title under manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Chelsea finished second that season, while Liverpool and Arsenal did not win. This was part of United's dominant period in English football, with Cristiano Ronaldo playing a key role.

Pim Verbeek, a Dutch manager, was the head coach of the Australian national football team (Socceroos) from 2007 to 2010. He led Australia in the 2010 World Cup. The other options (Grella, Kennedy, Beauchamp) were all Australian players.

Andrés Iniesta spent the majority of his career at FC Barcelona, from 2002 to 2018. He was a product of Barcelona's famed La Masia youth academy and became one of the club's most legendary players, winning numerous trophies including multiple UEFA Champions League titles. He never played for the other clubs listed.

Manchester United won the Premier League title three consecutive times from 2006-07 to 2008-09 under manager Sir Alex Ferguson. They were the dominant team during this period, winning the Premier League and also the Champions League in 2007-08.

Wayne Rooney started his professional football career at Everton before joining Manchester United in 2004. He made his debut for Everton at age 16 and became the youngest player to score in the Premier League at that time.

Arsenal's home ground since 2006 has been the Emirates Stadium. They previously played at Highbury (1913-2006). Stamford Bridge is Chelsea's home, Anfield is Liverpool's home, and Kensington is not a football stadium.

In 2009, Barcelona achieved a historic treble by winning La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey under coach Pep Guardiola.