Curated playlist
Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Didier DeschampsDidier Deschamps was once called "the water-carrier" by a former teammate, and it was not a compliment. Eric Cantona, the flamboyant Manchester United star, used the phrase to suggest that Deschamps's only contribution to the French…
- Luka ModrićLuka Modrić scored the only goal against Chelsea on the 21st of March 2009, a composed finish that silenced those who had called him a lightweight unfit for English football. He was just twenty-three, playing out of position, still…
- Thibaut CourtoisThibaut Courtois made nine saves in the 2022 UEFA Champions League final, a record in the final since Opta began keeping records in 2003-04. Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 that evening, and Courtois was named player of the match. But that…
- Davor ŠukerDavor Šuker scored the goal that silenced a World Cup semi-final. It was the summer of 1998, in France, and Croatia had never played at a World Cup before. Šuker struck first against the host nation, giving his country a lead they would…
- Nicolás OtamendiNicolás Otamendi was born on the 12th of February 1988 in Buenos Aires, and by the time he lifted the FIFA World Cup in December 2022, he had done something almost no outfield player in the history of the tournament could claim: he had…
- Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on the 5th of February 1985 in the São Pedro parish of Funchal, the capital of the Portuguese island of Madeira. His mother, a cook and cleaning woman, wanted to abort him. Her doctor refused.…
- Moisés CaicedoMoisés Caicedo was born on the 2nd of November 2001 in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. In the Mujer Trabajadora neighbourhood where he grew up, football pitches were scrubland, and goals were marked out with piles of stones. He was the youngest of…
- Landon DonovanLandon Donovan scored the only goal of the match in the dying seconds against Algeria at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, off a rebound from a Clint Dempsey attempt, sending the United States to first place in their group for the first time since…
- Emiliano MartínezEmiliano Martínez stood in goal at the Lusail Stadium on the 18th of December 2022, with the FIFA World Cup final against France locked at 3-3 after extra time. In the seconds before the penalty shootout began, he was already working. He…
- Marc OvermarsMarc Overmars grew up on a family farm in Emst, Gelderland, and potato harvest season meant unusual work each year. His family had no machines or tractors. They tied a rope around the boy's waist, connected it to a cart, and made him run.…
- Diego ForlánDiego Forlán Corazo was born on the 19th of May 1979 in the Carrasco neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay. His family history is deeply rooted in professional football. His father Pablo played for Peñarol and São Paulo while representing…
- James RodríguezJames David Rodríguez Rubio was born on the 12th of July 1991 in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, and grew up in the city of Ibagué, Tolima. He made his professional debut on the 21st of May 2006 at the age of 14, becoming the second youngest…
- Jürgen KlinsmannJürgen Klinsmann scored sixteen goals in a single football match at the age of eight. He was playing for an amateur club in the small town of Gingen an der Fils. Football was still years away from becoming his profession. That boy from…
- Lukas PodolskiLukas Podolski scored a goal after just nine seconds in May 2013 against Ecuador. Not nine minutes. Nine seconds. It was the fastest goal in the history of the German national team, and the second fastest international goal on earth at…
- Enzo FernándezEnzo Jeremías Fernández was born on the 17th of January 2001 in San Martín, Buenos Aires. His father Raúl chose his first name as a tribute to Enzo Francescoli. Francescoli was a Uruguayan who had represented River Plate and won the Copa…
- Fabien BarthezFabien Barthez let a teammate kiss the top of his shaved head before kickoff, a ritual meant to bring good luck to France's goalkeeper. Nicknamed Le Divin Chauve, "The Divine Bald One," Barthez turned that bare scalp into one of the most…
- Paul PogbaPaul Labile Pogba was born on the 15th of March 1993 in Lagny-sur-Marne, France, to Guinean parents, and by his early twenties he had become the most expensive footballer on the planet. The number tells the story bluntly: €105 million, the…
- Robert ProsinečkiRobert Prosinečki scored a hat-trick for Portsmouth against Barnsley on the 2nd of February 2002. The match finished 4-4. When someone offered him the customary match ball at full time, he turned it down. His team had not won, and the…