Curated category
Men's association football forwards
- Michael OwenMichael James Owen was born on the 14th of December 1979 in Chester, Cheshire. He entered the world as the fourth child of Jeanette and Terry Owen.
- Lionel MessiOn the 14th of December 2000, a Barcelona official named Carles Rexach signed a contract for Lionel Messi on the back of a paper napkin.
- Sándor KocsisSándor Péter Kocsis entered the world on the 21st of September 1929 in Budapest. He started his football journey as a junior with Kőbányai TC before joining…
- Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born on the 18th of September 1976 in Itaguaí, a small town near Rio de Janeiro. He grew up playing football on the streets…
- Oldřich NejedlýOldřich Nejedlý began his life in the small village of Zebrak on the 26th of December 1909. He started playing football for his hometown club before moving…
- Gerd MüllerGerd Müller was born on the 3rd of November 1945 in Nördlingen, Germany. He began playing football for his hometown club TSV 1861 Nördlingen youth ranks in…
- Davor ŠukerDavor Šuker was born on the 1st of January 1968 to a Bosnian Croat family from Livno. He began playing football for his hometown club NK Osijek in 1984 at…
- Helmut RahnHelmut Rahn began his football journey in 1938 at the local club Altenessen 1912. He played there until 1946 before moving to SC Oelde 09.
- 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.
- Kylian MbappéKylian Mbappé Lottin arrived into the world on the 20th of December 1998 within the 19th arrondissement of Paris. He grew up in Bondy, a suburb located to…
- Dražan JerkovićDražan Jerković entered the world on the 6th of August 1936 in Šibenik. At that moment, his hometown belonged to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
- Miroslav KloseMiroslav Josef Klose arrived in the Silesian city of Opole, Poland on the 9th of June 1978. His father Josef worked as a professional footballer for Odra…
- Thomas MüllerIn 2000, a ten-year-old boy named Thomas Müller left his home village of Pähl to join the youth academy of Bayern Munich.
- Diego MaradonaDiego Armando Maradona was born on the 30th of October 1960 at the Policlínico Evita Hospital in Lanús, Buenos Aires Province.
- Gary LinekerGary Winston Lineker was born on the 30th of November 1960 in Leicester. His father Barry ran a fruit and vegetable stall at Leicester Market.
- Landon DonovanLandon Timothy Donovan was born on the 4th of March 1982 in Ontario, California. His mother Donna Kenney-Cash worked as a special education teacher while his…
- Paolo RossiPaolo Rossi was born in the Santa Lucia district of Prato, Tuscany, on the 23rd of September 1956. He began his professional journey with Juventus during the…
- Leonel SánchezLeonel Guillermo Sánchez Lineros entered the world on the 25th of April 1936 in Santiago, Chile. His father worked as a professional boxer and brought…
- Arnold HillsArnold Frank Hills entered the world on the 12th of March 1857 in Denmark Hill, Surrey. His father worked as a manufacturing chemist and shaped the early…
- PeléEdson Arantes do Nascimento arrived in the world on the 23rd of October 1940, born in the small town of Três Corações within Minas Gerais.
- EusébioEusébio da Silva Ferreira was born on the 25th of January 1942 in the Mafalala neighbourhood of Lourenço Marques, now Maputo.
- GarrinchaManuel Francisco dos Santos arrived in Pau Grande, a district of Magé, on the 28th of October 1933. His right leg measured six centimetres shorter than his…
- Just FontaineJust Louis Fontaine arrived in the world on the 18th of August 1933 within the borders of French Morocco. His father hailed from France while his mother came…
- Mário ZagalloMário Jorge Lobo Zagallo entered the world on the 9th of August 1931 in Atalaia, a small town within the state of Alagoas.
- RomárioRomário de Souza Faria arrived in the world on the 29th of January 1966. He grew up in a poor neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro.
- 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…
- Flórián AlbertFlórián György Albert entered the world on the 15th of September 1941 in the small town of Hercegszántó. His father worked as a blacksmith while his mother…
- James RodríguezJames David Rodríguez Rubio was born on the 12th of July 1991 in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander. He spent his childhood years in the city of Ibagué, Tolima.
- Jürgen KlinsmannJürgen Klinsmann was born on the 30th of July 1964 in Göppingen, Germany. His family moved to Stuttgart when he was a teenager.
- Lukas PodolskiLukas Josef Podolski was born on the 4th of June 1985 in the Silesian industrial city of Gliwice near Katowice. His father Waldemar played football while his…
- Salvatore SchillaciSalvatore Schillaci was born on the 1st of December 1964 in Palermo, Italy. He grew up in a poor family within that Sicilian city.
- Gabriel BatistutaGabriel Omar Batistuta was born on the 1st of February 1969 in Avellaneda, Argentina. He grew up in the nearby city of Reconquista with three older sisters…
- Hristo StoichkovHristo Stoichkov arrived in the world on the 8th of February 1966. He grew up in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Football found him when he was just eleven…
- Guillermo StábileGuillermo Stábile was born in Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires on the 17th of January 1905. He began his career with local club Sportivo Metán before joining…
- Harry KaneHarry Edward Kane was born on the 28th of July 1993 at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London. He grew up in Walthamstow before his family…
- Leônidas (footballer, born 1913)Leônidas da Silva began his professional journey at the São Cristóvão club in Rio de Janeiro. He moved to Sírio e Libanez under coach Gentil Cardoso.
- Mario KempesMario Alberto Kempes Chiodi arrived in the world on the 15th of July 1954 within Bell Ville, Córdoba. His father Mario Quemp carried German heritage while…
- Oleg SalenkoOleg Anatolyevich Salenko entered the world on the 25th of October 1969 in Leningrad, Russian SFSR. His father was Ukrainian and his mother was Russian.
- VaváEdvaldo Izidio Neto arrived in the world on the 12th of November 1934. He grew up in a region where football was more than a game, it was survival.
- Jesús FerreiraJesús David Ferreira Castro arrived in Dallas, Texas at the age of ten after his father, David Ferreira, signed with FC Dallas.