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Roy Makaay rates as one of European football?s most prolific strikers of recent times, with a total of 256 goals in Spain?s La Liga, the Bundesliga in Germany and the Dutch Eredivisie. He reached a personal zenith in 2003, when he claimed the Golden Shoe as the continent?s leading scorer with 29 goals in the Spanish top flight. At the end of last term, Makaay brought down the curtain on his illustrious career, which for all his success at club level, never included a run-out at the FIFA World Cup?.ed hardy clothing
In the build-up to the quarter-finals in South Africa, FIFA.com spoke to the 35-year-old about his impressions of the tournament so far, the best forwards at the finals, and who he is backing to win the trophy. louboutin shoes
FIFA.com: Roy, you?re certain to be following the action at the FIFA World Cup, but where from?
Roy Makaay: At the moment, I?m watching the matches at a theme park in Germany, where I?m taking a few days? vacation with my family. From the quarter-finals onwards, I?ll be watching at home in the Netherlands.
What?s your assessment of the tournament so far?
The tournament?s not really caught fire yet. We?ve had a couple of terrific games, but quite a few poor ones too. But I think it?s beginning to change now we?re in the knockout stages, and the games will be increasingly attractive.jordan shoes
Van Marwijk is an outstanding coach. He?s very calm and collected, he knows exactly what he wants, and he communicates that directly to the players.
Roy Makaay on Bert van Marwijk


What?s the biggest surprise so far, and what?s disappointed you the most?
The biggest surprise is definitely seeing Uruguay and Paraguay or Japan in the last eight. The biggest disappointment has to be the performance of the 2006 finalists, Italy and France.
You played in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. How would you rate the national teams from those countries?NFL jersey
The Dutch qualified for the quarter-finals very comfortably. They?ve been in no trouble at all in any of their matches ? and they can still play a lot better too. Germany fully deserve their place in the quarter-finals. They?ve played some lovely football. Knocking England out of the tournament 4-1 says it all, but now they have to play Argentina, the best team I?ve seen so far. And Spain are a great team. They were a bit unlucky in their first game against the Swiss, but with their potential, I regard them as one of the favourites for the trophy.
You know Netherlands boss Bert van Marwijk very well after playing for him in Rotterdam with Feyenoord. What?s he like as a coach?wholesale NFL jersey
Van Marwijk is an outstanding coach. He?s very calm and collected, he knows exactly what he wants, and he communicates that directly to the players. They know there can only be one target this time, which is winning the World Cup. I rate Van Marwijk as one of the best coaches I ever had.
The Elftal face Brazil in the quarter-finals. How will they approach the game, and how far can the Dutch go at the tournament?
Holland against Brazil is a massive game. I reckon the teams are just as good as each other right now, and I think the winners will go through to the Final. Obviously, I?m hoping the Dutch win the game.
Speaking as a former world-class striker, which forward has impressed you the most so far?
I?ve really enjoyed watching Lionel Messi. He?s my player of the tournament at the moment, despite not scoring himself as yet. But there?s also Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, who I know well from the Eredivisie.
Germany starlet Thomas Muller has received rave reviews at the finals. How do you rate him?
It's not just that Thomas has had a great World Cup, he maintained very high standards throughout last season. He?s brought all the positives from a superb season with Bayern with him to the World Cup ? like all the Bayern players in fact ? and he?s been outstanding so far. He?s young, he?s unaffected by the pressure, and you can see he?s enjoying the tournament.
Who are your favourites for the trophy?
Before it started, I?d have said Brazil and Spain. Now, and as I?ve just told you, I see the winners of Holland versus Brazil meeting Argentina or Spain in the Final, and that could go either way.
You ended your long and successful playing career in May. What does the future hold for you now?
I?m hoping to make a gradual transition to coaching, so I need to earn the necessary qualifications in the Netherlands. As of the new season, I?ll be attached to the Feyenoord youth section, where I?ll be running special training sessions for the young strikers.

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When Alex Rodriguez went from 499 homers to 500, it took him nine games and 28 at-bats to do it. Now that he’s at 599, let’s take a look at how long to expect it to take this time.
If it took him another nine games, that would set him up for No. 600 on July 31st in Tampa against the Rays. This time could be different, though.NHL jerseys
Since 2007, when he hit no. 500, A-Rod has transformed from a “me first” egotistical player to one who is more relaxed, looks like he genuinely has fun, and cares more about winning than personal stats. In other words, it won’t necessarily take him nine games this time.
So let’s look at this realistically. This season, he has 16 homers in 338 at-bats, or a home run just about every 21 at-bats.
With an average of 3.84 at-bats per game, that puts him at about five and a half games before he smacks 600. So if he kept up his season average of homers per at-bat he would do it either Tuesday or Wednesday in Cleveland.nfl jerseys
The thing is, these statistics might as well get thrown out the window, because the Yankees are currently facing the same team A-Rod hit No. 500 against, the Kansas City Royals.
Not only are the Royals in almost the same situation they were in back in 2007, pitching wise, they actually have the same pitcher, Kyle Davies, who gave up No. 500 pitching tomorrow.
So maybe A-Rod homers on Saturday. However, that might be homer No. 601, because before he faces off against Davies, A-Rod faces off against another Royals pitcher whom he’s had success against: Brian Bannister.
He’s only faced Bannister over seven at-bats, but he’s 4-for-7 against him with three home runs. You’ve got to like those odds.louboutin shoes
I’ve already pointed out that Alex is likely to hit No. 600 any time between tonight and July 31st, but where exactly is he going to hit the home run?
SeatGeek.com has actually done some research. They’ve determined that Alex hits most of his homers to left field, which is typical for a right handed power hitter.
The most likely section that he’ll hit it to is section 136 in Yankee Stadium. He’s got a 9.0 percent chance at hitting one. Next is section 135 with a 7.8 percent chance. It then goes 134 (6.9%), 235 (4.7%), and 236 (3.7%).
So if you are looking to catch A-Rod’s 600th homer, head over to Stubhub and start buying up tickets in those sections.jordan shoes
However, if you are really serious about landing the prized ball, you should look into “The Money Seat.” SeatGeek has actually determined that section 135, row 18, seat 6 is the one seat in the entire stadium where A-Rod is most likely to hit the ball.
SeatGeek puts A-Rod’s chances of homering at Yankee Stadium at 54.3 percent right now. I’ve been in touch with them and they’ve told me that should he fail to homer at home this weekend, they will come up with the numbers of where his historic homer will land in either Cleveland or Tampa.
So if he doesn’t get the job done soon, check back before you book your flight to follow the Yankees on the road.