Now You Know Big Book of Sports. Doug Lennox

speedy winger with the nickname Garrincha, which means “little bird.” He won the World Cup in 1958 and 1962. He died of alcohol poisoning in 1983 at the age of 49.

       World’s Top Ten Richest Teams According to Forbes

1. Manchester United	$1,800 million U.S. ( 1,333 million/£897 million)
2. Real Madrid	$1,285 million ( 951 million/£640 million)
3. Arsenal	$1,200 million ( 888 million/£598 million)
4. Liverpool	$1,050 million ( 777 million/£523 million)
5. Bayern Munich	$ 917 million ( 679 million/£457 million)
6. AC Milan	$ 798 million ( 591 million/£398 million)
7. Barcelona	$ 784 million ( 580 million/£391 million)
8. Chelsea	$ 764 million ( 566 million/£381 million)
9. Juventus	$ 510 million ( 378 million/£254 million)
10. Schalke 04	$ 470 million ( 348 million/£234 million)

       Why did David Beckham turn down an appearance on The Simpsons ?

      In a 2004 episode of The Simpsons, Marge Simpson makes a Christmas speech mocking David Beckham for an alleged extramarital affair. Apparently Boy Spice didn’t laugh, and when an offer came for him to do a cameo in Springfield, he turned them down.

       What creative endeavours has Pelé engaged in since retiring?

      Pelé has published several autobiographies, starred in documentary and semi-documentary films, and composed various musical pieces, including the entire soundtrack for the film Pelé in 1977. He has acted in fictional TV shows and films, most notably appearing alongside other footballers of the 1960s and 1970s, Michael Caine, and Sylvester Stallone, in the 1981 film Escape to Victory, about an attempted escape from a Second World War Nazi POW Camp. Pelé was also the first sports figure featured in a video game with the Atari 2600 game “Pelé’s Soccer.”

       What is the most lucrative contract ever awarded to a professional soccer player?

      In January 2007 it was announced that midfielder David Beckham was leaving the Real Madrid squad to join the Los Angeles Galaxy, part of Major League Soccer (MLS), the North American men’s pro league. The contract included a $6.5 million annual salary, sponsorship deals estimated at $25 million per year, merchandise sales worth approximately $10 million per year, and a $10 million per year share of club profits. In total, the five-year contract would award him in the range of $250 million, putting him third at the time on the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, behind only Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher.

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that David Beckham’s agent is none other than Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol?

       Why did spies kill Lutz Eigendorf?

      On March 20, 1979, after a friendly match between the East German team Berliner FC Dynamo and West German club 1. FC Kaiserslautern, East German midfielder Lutz Eigendorf defected to the West. It might not have been the wisest move, given that FC Dynamo was under the patronage of the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police. After German reunification in 1990 and the subsequent opening of Stasi files it was revealed that the traffic accident on March 5, 1983, that led to Eigendorf ’s death two days later had been staged as an assassination by the Stasi.

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that when a schoolmate of Pelé’s came up with his nickname, Pelé punched the boy and received a two-day suspension?

       What does “Pelé” mean?

      The name “Pelé” has no meaning in Portuguese, the language of Pelé’s homeland, Brazil. The nickname was given to him as a taunt by a schoolmate when Pelé was young. In Hebrew, it means “miracle.” It is also the name of a Hawaiian volcano goddess. It also resembles the Irish language word peile, meaning football.

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that Sir Stanley Matthews, who played over 80 international games for England, played in a major contest on his 50th birthday?

       What is the FIFA World Player of the Year award?

      The FIFA World Player of the Year is an Association Football award given annually to the player thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams.

       Quickies …

       Did you know …

      that Alex Villaplane, France’s captain in the first World Cup match, was shot dead by French resistance fighters in July 1945 for alleged collaboration with the Nazis?

       Why are there 125 players on the FIFA 100 list?

      The FIFA 100 is Pelé’s list of the “greatest living footballers.” He chose 125 players to be on the list, which seems incongruous with the list’s name until you understand that the list was unveiled on March 4, 2004, at a gala ceremony in London, marking part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The “100” of the list name refers to the anniversary, not the number of players Pelé chose.

       Who was “The Great Dane”?

      Peter Schmeichel has been called the greatest goaltender to have ever played the game. Nicknamed “The Great Dane,” he was born in Gladsaxe, Denmark, and played in his home nation until 1992, when the Danish team took the UEFA European Championship. He then joined Manchester United and was captain of their 1999 squad that won an unprecedented Treble (to win a country’s top division and two cup competitions in the same season), taking the English Premiership, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League all in the same season.

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that in his debut professional season, playing for Brazilian club Cruzeiro