Rafinha

Márcio Rafael Ferreira de Souza, commonly known as Rafinha, (born 7 September 1985) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a right back for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.His name translated to English literally means 'Little Rafa'.
Rafinha began his football career at the age of seven, playing for Gremio Londrinense, a futsal team from his home town of Londrina in Paraná. By the age of twelve, he had begun training with PSTC, a local football club, before signing for Londrina Esporte Clube in 2001, at the age of 16. At the end of his first year with Londrina Rafinha was signed by Coritiba Foot Ball Club. This meant moving hundreds of kilometres from his home town, but allowed Rafinha to display his talents on the national stage.
At Coritiba Rafinha eventually found his way into the Brazilian Under-20 team, and played in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. During the tournament Rafinha scored two goals and played an integral part in Brazil's progress to the bronze medal. Rafinha's performance at the tournament alerted numerous European teams to his ability, and eventually it was Schalke who were able to prise the right-back from Coritiba for an estimated €5 million on a four-year contract.
Schalke 04 (Rafinha) along with Werder Bremen (Diego) and Barcelona (Lionel Messi) did not want to release their players for the olympic games so that they could help them in their domestic and European competitions. The case was taken to FIFA who ruled that all clubs should release their players aged under 23 for the Olympic Games.
Schalke, Bremen and Barcelona took their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) who eventually ruled in the clubs favour stating that "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the appeals filed by FC Schalke 04, SV Werder Bremen and FC Barcelona against the decision issued on 30 July 2008 by the Single Judge of the Fifa's Players' Status Committee that consequently has been set aside in its entirety"
Schalke continued to refuse Rafinha from attending the Olympics. However, Rafinha competed as part of the Brazilian team, who won bronze, despite the wishes of his club. On 24 September 2008, Schalke handed Rafinha a record fine of €700,000 as they believed his 35 days in Beijing were "in serious breach of contract".
On 1 June 2011, along with Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich confirmed Rafinha's transfer from Genoa. He signed a three-year contract and reports say Bayern Munich paid €5.5 million for him

Rafinha Welcome/Willkommen to Bayern Munich

Javi Martínez

Javier "Javi" Martínez Aguinaga (born 2 September 1988 in Estella-Lizarra, Navarre)is a Spanish footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, as a central midfielder.Martínez also played for the Spanish national team and was a member of the squad that won the 2010 World Cup.Athletic de Bilbao signed Martínez as a raw 17-year old for €6 million, in the summer of 2006, from fellow La Liga team CA Osasuna, despite him never having played a first team game.Martínez soon became a regular in the side in his debut season with powerful displays, his highlight being scoring twice against Deportivo de La Coruña, in a 16 December 2006 2–0 away success.He finished the campaign with 35 matches and three goals, and again was everpresent in the following two, helping Athletic to the 2009 Copa del Rey final.In the 2009 summer, Martínez was the subject of transfer speculation linking him to Liverpool, as a replacement for Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso, but rumors eventually died down.The midfield engine of the team once more - 46 official matches, nine goals - he scored a career-best six times in the league campaign, as Athletic narrowly missed on another UEFA Europa League qualification.At the age of 19, Martínez began appearing for Spain's U21, representing the nation at the 2009 UEFA European Championships in Sweden, in a group stage exit.On 20 May 2010, he was named in the senior side's list of 23 for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, by manager Vicente del Bosque.On the 29th, he made his full debut, replacing FC Barcelona's Xavi in the 81st minute of a 3–2 friendly win against Saudi Arabia, in Innsbruck, Austria. On 3 June he started in another friendly, with South Korea (1–0 triumph, in the same venue), playing 80 minutes until David Silva took his place.Martínez played once in the final stages, replacing injured Xabi Alonso for the final 20 minutes of the group stage 2–1 win against Chile, on 25 June, as Spain emerged victorious in the tournament. He returned to the under-21 setup for the 2011 European Championships in Denmark, captaining the national team to its third title in the category.

JAVI MARTINEZ PERFORMANCE

Javi Martínez is a Spanish footballer

Javi Martínez Looks so Handsome

Javi Martínez Looks so Happyness

Javi Martínez Wear Red and White Color Costume

Javi Martínez Playing Ball

Thiago Alcântara

Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento (born 11 April 1991) is an Italian-born Spanish footballer, that currently plays for FC Barcelona.

Thiago Alcântara Looks so Handsome

Thiago Alcântara was born in San Pietro Vernotico, Italy and grew up in Spain. His father is former Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho.He started at the lower levels of Flamengo and at the age of 5 he moved to Spain with his father, and started playing with Galician team Ureca in Nigrán. He returned to Flamengo aged 10 and, in 2005, once again moved back to Spain, signing with FC Barcelona.

Thiago Alcântara Happyness Expression

On 17 May 2009, aged 18 years old, Thiago made his debut with the first team when he came on as a substitute for Eiður Guðjohnsen in the 63rd minute versus RCD Mallorca. On 20 February 2010, after coming on as a subtitute for Yaya Touré in the 76th minute, Thiago scored his first goal for Barcelona's first team in a 4–0 win against Racing Santander at the Camp Nou.His second goal came in a game against UD Almería on 9 April 2011, to make the score 2–1. He scored his third goal against Real Sociedad in a start. He ended the 2010–11 season with 17 games, three goals and three assists under his belt. On 29 June 2011 he signed a contract renewal keeping him at Barcelona through 30 June 2015, with a buyout clause of €90m.

Thiago Alcântara Great Performance

He participated in the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship with Spain, helping his country to eventual victory in the tournament. He was also called up for the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship in France by Spain and played a major role in Spain reaching the final. Thiago was ever-present during Spain's victorious 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship campaign, scoring the second goal of a 2–0 victory with a 40 yard free kick in the final versus Switzerland.Due to his impressive performance he was awarded the man-of-the-match award.

Thiago Alcantara Compilation

Edin Dzeko

Edin Džeko(born 17 March 1986) is a Bosnian association football player who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Bosnian national team. He was named Bosnian Footballer of the Year for 2009 and 2010.In Bosnia and Herzegovina, he is known as the "Bosnian Diamond".[6Džeko made his debut at FK Željezničar, playing as a midfielder between 2003 and 2005, but with little success. He was widely regarded as too tall, and with poor technical abilities.Džeko's coach at the time though, Jiri Plišek, saw his potential and when Plišek returned home to the Czech Republic, he advised FK Teplice to buy him. Željezničar accepted a bid of just €25,000 for Džeko, prompting one of the Bosnian club's directors to say, "[we] thought we won the lottery".He had a loan spell with Ústí nad Labem in 2005, during which he scored six goals in 15 games. Later that year, he moved back to FK Teplice, playing there until 2007. With 13 goals in 30 games, he was the top scorer of the Gambrinus liga in the 2006–07 season. Due to his excellent performances, then manager Felix Magath of VfL Wolfsburg signed him for €4 million.After transferring to Wolfsburg, Džeko was an immediate hit, scoring five goals and recording three assists in 11 games. He was also named by Sportal as the best striker in the first half of the 2007–08 Bundesliga season. During his first season in Germany, Wolfsburg finished in fifth place, qualifying for a UEFA Cup spot for the 2008–09 season. Džeko finished the 2007–08 season with eight goals and seven assists in 17 games started.After Wolfsburg acquired fellow Bosnian international Zvjezdan Misimović, Džeko's performance was explosive in the second season. Despite a slow first half of the season, Wolfsburg found their form and won their first Bundesliga title. In May 2009, Džeko scored a hat-trick against TSG Hoffenheim and another hat-trick against Hannover 96 just two weeks later, contributing towards a very strong finish to the 2008–09 season. He finished with a total of 26 league goals and 10 assists in 32 league matches. His goal tally was second only to teammate Grafite, with whom he formed the most successful strike duo in Bundesliga history.In the DFB-Pokal, he scored six goals in two matches, and in the UEFA Cup, four goals and two assists in eight matches. These performances resulted in him being given the Bundesliga Players' Footballer of the Year award. Despite attracting interest from Milan, Džeko decided to stay, renewing his contract until June 2013.He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on 30 September 2009 against Manchester United in a 2–1 defeat at Old Trafford.He was one of 30 players nominated for the 2009 Ballon d'Or.He was top scorer of the Bundesliga in the 2009–10 season with 22 goals scored.On 28 August 2010, Džeko became the top league scorer in the club's history with 59 goals in 96 appearances, surpassing Diego Klimowicz who scored 57 goals in 149 games.After heavy speculation, Roberto Mancini, manager of Manchester City, confirmed on 3 January 2011 that a fee of £27 million (€32 million) had been agreed with Wolfsburg for Džeko, which was City's second highest transfer figure, after Robinho's £32.5 million (€42.5 million) move from Real Madrid in 2008. The transfer fee was the sixth highest in the English Premier League.Also, the sum broke the Bundesliga record departure transfer fee,Bosnian record transfer fee, as well as that of any player from ex-Yugoslavia.The previous ex-Yugoslav record stood for more than a decade – the transfer fee paid by Real Madrid to Fenerbahçe for Elvir Baljić in 1999 (€26 million).

Following his medical exam in London he travelled to Manchester on 5 January, and on 7 January, Džeko was confirmed as a Manchester City player, joining the club on a four and a half year deal.He made his debut for the club in a 4–3 win over Wolves on 15 January in which he set up Yaya Touré for the third goal of the match.Džeko marked his FA Cup debut on 30 January 2011 with the equalising goal in Manchester City's fourth round match against Notts County which ended in a 1–1 draw.In the replay on 20 February, Džeko again scored, helping Manchester City progress to the next round in a 5–0 romp.Džeko scored twice against Aris Thessaloniki within four and a half minutes at the City of Manchester Stadium in the second leg of the last 32 of the Europa League on 24 February 2011.
On 25 April 2011, Džeko scored his first Premier League goal with a right footed finish against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.This was the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win for Manchester City[30] His second league goal (sixth in all competitions) came on 22 May, the last day of the 2010–11 season against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.Although his first season in the Premier League has fluctuated, Džeko has scored important goals against Notts County to advance in the FA Cup, Blackburn Rovers to all-but-secure a fourth spot in the league for Manchester City, and finally a goal against Bolton Wanderers that guaranteed City third spot and automatic qualification into the group stage of the UEFA Champion's League.
Džeko's first appearance for his home country came with the Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-19 football team. He was also part of the under-21 team and played in the play-offs hosted in the Netherlands in 2007. Bosnia's first challenges in this competition were Armenia and Norway. They beat Armenia 3–2 and tied with Norway 1–1, qualifying for the playoff against the Czech Republic. In the first leg, Bosnia lost 2–1; in the second, the game ended in a 1–1 draw. Džeko scored one goal in the tournament.He made his senior debut against Turkey on 2 June 2007. It was a memorable debut for the player, with a volleyed goal from the bench to the penalty area during the first half stoppage time. The goal levelled the score at 2–2 and Bosnia went on to win 3–2.He scored nine goals in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying and finished as the second best scorer in UEFA qualification, tied with England's Wayne Rooney, both behind Greek striker Theofanis Gekas' 10 goals.On 28 March 2009, Bosnian sports commentator, Marjan Mijajlović, named Džeko the Bosnian Diamond during a game versus Belgium in Genk in which he scored a remarkable goal

Edin Dzeko Performance
Edin Dzeko Wallpaper
Edin Dzeko Serious Expression
Edin Dzeko WEar Green Costume
Edin Džeko is a Bosnian football player
Edin Dzeko on Competition

Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko ( 29 September 1976) is a Ukrainian footballer who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team as a striker. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 2011-03-10, behind Filippo Inzaghi and Raúl. He is also the all-time top scorer of the Derby della Madonnina (derby between A.C. Milan and their local rivals Internazionale) with 14 goals[2] and Ukraine national football team with 45 goals.
Shevchenko's career has been highlighted by many awards, the most prestigious of which was the Ballon d'Or in 2004 (becoming the third Ukrainian, after Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov to receive it). He won the UEFA Champions League in 2003 with Milan, and he has also won various league and cup titles in Ukraine, Italy, and England.
In his illustrious international career, the striker led the Ukraine national football team as captain to the quarterfinals in their first ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 2006.
In 1999, Shevchenko joined Italian club A.C. Milan for a then-record transfer fee of $25 million. He made his league debut on 28 August 1999 in a 2–2 draw with Lecce. Alongside other 5 players (Michel Platini, John Charles, Gunnar Nordahl, Istvan Nyers and Férénc Hirzer) he managed, as a foreign player, to win the Serie A scoring title in his debut season, finishing with 24 goals in 32 matches. Shevchenko maintained his excellent form into 2000-01 season, scoring 24 goals in 34 matches. Andriy also managed to score 9 goals in 14 matches in the Champions League, however Milan failed to get past the second group stage.
Despite netting only five times in 24 matches, mainly due to injuries, Shevchenko became the first Ukrainian-born player to win the Champions League after Milan lifted their sixth trophy in 2002–03. He scored the winning penalty in the shoot out against arch-rivals Juventus in the final, which had ended goalless after extra time. He finished top goalscorer in Serie A (2003–04) for the second time in his career, scoring 24 goals in 32 matches as Milan won the Scudetto for the first time in five years. He also scored the winning goal in the UEFA Super Cup victory over F.C. Porto, leading to Milan's second trophy of the season. In August 2004, he scored three goals against S.S. Lazio as Milan won the Italian Super Cup. Shevchenko capped off the year by being named the 2004 European Player of the Year, becoming the third Ukrainian player ever to win the award after Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov. In the same year, Shevchenko was also inducted into the FIFA 100.
He scored seventeen goals in the 2004–05 season after missing several games with a fractured cheekbone. Shevchenko made Champions League history the following season; on 23 November 2005, he scored all four goals in Milan's 4–0 group-stage drubbing of Fenerbahçe, becoming only the fifth player to accomplish this feat (his company includes Marco van Basten, Simone Inzaghi, Dado Pršo and Ruud van Nistelrooy; Lionel Messi joined that group in the 2009–10 season as well) and the only one to have done it in an away game. Milan eventually lost the tournament when Shevchenko missed the crucial penalty in the final against Liverpool. In the 2005–06 season, he scored his last Milan goal in the second leg of the quarter–finals as they eliminated Lyon after a last-minute comeback in a 3–1 victory.In the semi–finals, Milan lost to eventual winners Barcelona 1–0, a match where Shevchenko controversially had a last minute equalizer denied by the referee. Despite this, he still ended up being the top scorer of the whole competition with 9 goals in 12 games.
On 8 February 2006, he became Milan's second highest all-time goalscorer, behind Gunnar Nordahl, after netting against Treviso.He finished the season as joint 4th top scorer with 19 goals in 28 games. Shevchenko ended his seven year stint with A.C. Milan with 173 goals in 296 games.

Andriy Shevchenko is a Ukrainian footballer

Andriy Shevchenko as a striker

Shevchenko has 100 caps and 45 goals for the Ukrainian national team, whom he represented at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first international goal in May 1996, in a friendly against Turkey.
In March 2000, Dynamo manager Valeri Lobanovsky became the Ukraine coach, with the aim to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. Shevchenko scored 10 goals in the qualifiers, but Ukraine failed to qualify after losing a play-off against Germany. He scored a total of five goals in Ukraine's Euro 2008 qualifying round.
After only playing two games for Milan in the 2008-2009 season, there was a lot of speculation of Shevchenko being past his best[ the silenced his critics after scoring an equaliser in an 2010 World Cup qualifying match against England at the Wembley Stadium, however Ukraine went on to lose the game 2–1 after his former Chelsea teammate John Terry had scored from a free kick delivered by David Beckham.
In a 21 December 2009 interview with UEFA Shevchenko declared that he was keen to play in his home country at Euro 2012. "After a disappointing 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign that is my new challenge, or even dream. I will do everything to achieve that."

Andriy Shevchenko

Andriy Shevchenko on Competition

Cris John

Yohannes Christian John (born September 14, 1979 in Banjarnegara, Central Java, Indonesia) is an Indonesian professional boxer. He is the current WBA Super World featherweight boxing champion.
John is the fourth Indonesian to win a boxing world title, following Ellyas Pical, Nico Thomas, and Suwito Lagola.John started boxing in his early childhood and was trained by his father Johan Tjahjadi (aka Thjia Foek Sem), a former amateur boxer.John turned professional in 1997 and is known as "Thin Man" before he proclaimed his new nickname "The Dragon" that he uses until today.
In 2005 John split with trainer Sutan Rambing then joined Harry's Gym in Perth, Australia, where he is currently trained and managed by Craig Christian.
In the year 2008, Chris John was interviewed by ESPN and he stated that he will fight another 5 or 6 fights and will retire as the best featherweight that the world have ever seen.
On October 24, Chris reached and won his 10th milestone world title defense fight, which was also his 5th mandatory fight, against Japan boxer Hiroyuki Enoki in Tokyo, Japan.
On February 28, 2009, Chris John again staked his world title against Rocky Juarez in Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, which served as the main undercard for the Marquez-Diaz lightweight title bout. This was the first time he had fought on American soil. John seemed to take control of the fight in the middle rounds, but Juarez rallied to take the final two, resulting in a seemingly controversial draw. HBO's Harold Lederman and Max Kellerman both had the fight scored 8 rounds to 4 for Chris John. John had a rematch again Juarez on September 19 and the fight was won by the Indonesian via a 12 round unanimous decision.
John defended his title for the 13th time on December 5, 2010, by defeating Argentinian David Saucedo by unanimous decision.

WBA S.Feather Wt. Super Championship : Cris John VS Daud Yordan

Chris John on Competition

Chris John Photo
Chris John Great Performance
John is an Indonesian professional boxer
Chris John is Winner

Kurt Angle

Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former four-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, and recognized by the promotion as a 14-time World Champion (as they also include his amateur accolades). He is also known for his time in World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (WWF/E).
Angle was involved in amateur wrestling during both high school and college. In college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, he won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion. After graduating, he won the 1995 World Championship tournament. Angle then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling. Kurt Angle is also one of only four people in the world to complete the Grand Slam in amateur wrestling which is the junior nationals, the NCAAs, the World Championships and the Olympics. He is also one of only four Americans to win the Krasnoyarsk. He was named the greatest shoot wrestler and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time by USA Wrestling.
Initially turning down an offer to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Angle signed a multi-year contract with the company in 1998. His first big push in the company was in February 2000, when he held both the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship at the same time. Not long after, Angle began pursuing the WWF Championship. He continued to be a part of main event matches until August 2006, when Angle was granted a release from his contract. Throughout his tenure in the company, he was a six-time world champion (four-time WWF/E Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and WCW Champion), he also held the United States Championship, Intercontinental Championship, European Championship, Hardcore Championship and WWE Tag Team Champion once each. In addition, he was the winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 2000, the tenth Triple Crown Champion, and the fifth Grand Slam Champion. In addition, he is one of two wrestlers (Edge being the other) to have held every currently active male championship in the WWE.
After leaving WWE, Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he became the second wrestler in TNA to win TNA's Triple Crown and the first man to hold all three TNA championships simultaneously. While in TNA, his real-life wife Karen began accompanying him to the ring and playing a part in his on-screen storylines. Angle has also made appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling as well as Inoki Genome Federation, where he held their version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In addition, he is a three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, the second Triple Crown winner in TNA history—being the only one to hold all the required titles at once (while also holding the IWGP Title, making him a quadruple champion for a brief time).
Angle is the only wrestler in history to be a Triple Crown winner in both WWE and TNA. He is the first man to have held the WWE Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship, and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in his career. Angle is also a two time King of the Mountain winner, winning at the 2007 and 2009 Slammiversary PPV event, making him the only wrestler to have been both King of the Ring (WWE) and King of the Mountain (TNA). Between WWE and TNA, Angle has won 17 total championships. In 2010 the Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Angle the Wrestler of the Decade of the 2000s.

Filmography
2009: End Game – as Brad Mayfield
2009: Chain's – as The Deputy (Short Film)
2010: Death from Above – as Thule [189]
2010: Devil Dogs – as Steve Stagger (pre-Production)
2010: Dylan Dog: Dead of Night – as Wolfgang (2010)
2010: River of Darkness – as Sheriff Will Logan (2010)
2010: Beyond the Mat – as Coach Kamen[190]
2011: Warrior – as Koba (2011)

Television
2011:Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – Himself (1 episode)
2009:Howard Stern On Demand – Himself (2 episodes, Eric the Midget Visits the Studio, Kurt Angle Wants Robin)
2009:Criss Angel Mindfreak – Himself (1 Episode, Car Wreck Vanish)
2008:Pros vs. Joes – Himself (1 Episode)
2007:Inside MMA – Himself (2 episodes)
2006:2006 Scream Awards – Himself
2005: MTV's Made – Himself (1 Episode)
2002:Late Night with Conan O'Brien – Himself (1 episode)
2001:The Weakest Link – Himself (1 episode)
2001:The Tonight Show with Jay Leno – Himself (1 episode)
2000:The Big Breakfast – Himself (1 episode)

Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi, (born February 16, 1979 in Urbino),is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – a record seven of which are in the premier class.
Following his father, Graziano Rossi, Rossi started racing in Grand Prix in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category and won his first World Championship the following year. From there, he moved up to the 250cc category with Aprilia and won the 250cc World Championship in 1999. He won the 500cc World Championship with Honda in 2001, the MotoGP World Championships (also with Honda) in 2002 and 2003, and continued his streak of back-to-back championships by winning the 2004 and 2005 titles after leaving Honda to join Yamaha, before regaining the title in 2008 and retaining it in 2009. He left Yamaha to join Ducati for the 2011 season.
Rossi is first in all time 500 cc/MotoGP race wins standings, with 79 victories, and second in all time overall wins standings with 105 race wins (behind Giacomo Agostini with 122).
Valentino Rossi was born in Urbino, and he was still a child when the family moved to Tavullia. Son of Graziano Rossi, a former motorcycle racer, he first began riding at a very young age.[5] Rossi's first racing love was karting. Fuelled by his mother, Stefania's, concern for her son's safety, Graziano purchased a kart as substitute for the bike. However, the Rossi family trait of perpetually wanting to go faster prompted a redesign; Graziano replaced the 60cc motor with a 100cc national kart motor for his then 5-year-old son.
It was more of the same in 2003 for Rossi's rivals when he claimed nine pole positions as well as nine GP wins to claim his third consecutive World Championship. The Australian GP at Phillip Island in 2003 is considered by many observers to be one of Rossi's greatest career moments due to unique circumstances. After being given a 10-second penalty for overtaking during a yellow flag due to a crash by Ducati rider Troy Bayliss, front runner Rossi proceeded to pull away from the rest of the field, eventually finishing more than 15 seconds ahead, more than enough to cancel out the penalty and win the race.
Partnered with increased scepticism that the reason for his success was the dominance of the RC211V rather than Rossi, it was inevitable that Honda and Rossi would part. Mid-season rumours pointed towards a possible move to Ducati, which sent the Italian press into a frenzy; the concept of the great Italian on the great Italian bike seemed too good to be true. Ducati did indeed try to seduce Rossi into riding their MotoGP bike, the Desmosedici, but for numerous reasons Rossi passed the offer up. Critics say that compared to the other manufacturers, Ducati had a significant way to go before being competitive even with Rossi at the helm. This proved to be the truth with Ducati's lacklustre performance in the 2004 season, which had actually been worse than their inaugural year in MotoGP in 2003.
In January 2010, Rossi said that when he retired from motorcycle racing, he hoped to move into rallying. "There are not many changes in a man's body between 22 and 34 so I still have some time left. I would consider shifting to cars, probably rallying, after that before I finally decide to take it easy … I know F1 would've been easier but by the time I finish MotoGP, I will be too old for F1."Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari's Formula One Team principal, however, reasserted his wish to have a third Ferrari on the F1 grid driven by Rossi, whilst confirming that Rossi would test an older Ferrari F1 car on 21 and 22 January 2010.