Curated playlist
FIFA 100
- Michael OwenBefore he turned twelve, footballer Michael Owen had broken Ian Rush's goalscoring record.
- Djalma SantosDjalma Santos sat out the 1958 World Cup until the final, then made the All-Star Team. Brazil beat Sweden 5-2.
- Didier DeschampsDidier Deschamps is one of only three men to win the World Cup as both player and manager.
- Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)Hours before the 1998 World Cup final, Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit. He was dropped, then reinstated.
- Gerd MüllerGerd Müller scored 68 goals in 62 games for West Germany. He averaged more than one goal per game for eight years.
- Davor ŠukerDavor Šuker won the 1998 World Cup Golden Boot in Croatia's first World Cup. He scored six goals in seven matches.
- Thierry HenryThierry Henry was thirteen years old in 1990 when a Monaco scout named Arnold Catalano went to watch him play. Henry's team won 6-0, and Henry scored every one of the six goals. Catalano did not ask for a trial. He asked the boy to join…
- Sepp MaierA car crash in July 1979 nearly killed goalkeeper Sepp Maier. Doctors first found only a few rib fractures.
- RonaldinhoRonaldinho scored his first La Liga goal for Barcelona at 1.30 in the morning on the 3rd of September 2003. The match against Sevilla had kicked off at five minutes past midnight. He took a pass from his own goalkeeper inside his own half,…
- Diego MaradonaDiego Maradona punched in one World Cup goal, then dribbled past five English players for another.
- Zinedine ZidaneZinedine Zidane scored two headers from corners in the 1998 World Cup Final. France beat Brazil 3-0 in Paris.
- Gary LinekerGary Lineker played 654 competitive games and never got a yellow or red card.
- Paolo RossiPaolo Rossi won the 1982 World Cup after a two-year ban for a betting scandal. The press had written him off.
- David BeckhamSir David Beckham became something of a household name on the 17th of August 1996, the opening day of the Premier League season, with a single shot from 57 yards. Manchester United were already 2-0 up against Wimbledon when Beckham noticed…
- PeléAt 17, Pelé passed out on the field after scoring twice in the 1958 World Cup final. His teammate Garrincha revived him.
- EusébioPortugal trailed North Korea 0-3, then Eusébio scored four goals. Portugal won that 1966 World Cup quarter-final 5-3.
- Franco BaresiInter Milan turned Franco Baresi away and signed his older brother instead. He went to AC Milan and became a legend.
- Just FontaineJust Fontaine scored thirteen goals in six matches at the 1958 World Cup.
- RomárioRomário told reporters he would finish Uruguay, then scored both goals in a 2-0 win.
- Jürgen KlinsmannJürgen Klinsmann scored sixteen goals in one match at age eight. He later lifted a World Cup with West Germany.
- Oliver KahnOliver Kahn won the 2002 World Cup's best player award after fumbling a goal in the final.
- Franz BeckenbauerFranz Beckenbauer won the World Cup as a captain, then again as a manager.
- Gabriel BatistutaGabriel Batistuta, Argentina's top scorer, once asked a doctor to amputate his legs.
- Gianluigi BuffonGianluigi Buffon reached three Champions League finals and lost all three. The Italian goalkeeper never won the trophy.
- Hristo StoichkovHristo Stoichkov led an underdog Bulgaria past defending champions Germany at the 1994 World Cup.
- Lothar MatthäusIn the 1986 World Cup final, Lothar Matthäus was assigned to mark Diego Maradona personally.
- Michel PlatiniMichel Platini scored nine goals in five matches at the 1984 European Championship. That record stood for 37 years.
- Teófilo CubillasAt 20, Peruvian midfielder Teófilo Cubillas was named Pelé's successor by Pelé himself.
- Mario KempesMario Kempes scored the 105th-minute winner in the 1978 World Cup final against the Netherlands.