Curated playlist
Men's association football midfielders
- Wolfgang OverathWolfgang Overath won World Cup medals of all three kinds and never played for a club besides 1. FC Köln.
- Wayne RooneyWayne Rooney was five days short of his 17th birthday when he scored the goal that made his name. On the 19th of October 2002, his last-minute strike for Everton beat Arsenal and ended their run of 30 matches without defeat. It also made…
- Didier DeschampsDidier Deschamps is one of only three men to win the World Cup as both player and manager.
- Luka ModrićLuka Modrić grew up in a hotel car park after his grandfather was killed. He later won the 2018 Ballon d'Or.
- Jürgen GrabowskiJürgen Grabowski's cross set up a last-second equalizer in the 1970 World Cup semi-final. West Germany still lost 4-3.
- Grzegorz LatoGrzegorz Lato scored 7 goals at the 1974 World Cup, and no Polish player has matched it.
- Andrés GuardadoAndrés Guardado retired with 180 games for Mexico, more than any player in its history.
- Thomas MüllerThomas Müller calls himself a Raumdeuter, a space interpreter. He lacks pace and dribbling, yet he beats defenders.
- Moisés CaicedoA local coach paid for Moisés Caicedo's boots, travel and food when he was a child. Caicedo now plays for Chelsea.
- Xabi AlonsoXabi Alonso stood over a penalty in a Champions League final in Istanbul and watched Milan's Brazilian goalkeeper Dida save it. The ball came back out to him. Alonso fired the rebound into the roof of the net. Afterwards he said, "This is…
- 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.
- Marc OvermarsMarc Overmars once pulled potatoes from the ground by running with a rope tied around his waist.
- Amir GhalenoeiWhen Esteghlal fell to the third division, Amir Ghalenoei stayed. Five teammates left, and he became captain.
- Sean ConnerySir Sean Connery was the first actor to play James Bond in the cinema, and the role followed him for the rest of his life. In 2009, he described a taxi ride during the Edinburgh Film Festival. The driver was amazed that Connery could name…
- 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…
- Diego ForlánDiego Forlán was 45 years old when he received a wildcard into the main doubles draw of the 2024 Uruguay Open in Montevideo. It was his first professional ATP tournament. The man walking onto the court had spent two decades as one of the…
- 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.
- Vittorio PozzoVittorio Pozzo is the only manager to win both the Olympics and the World Cup. His Italy won in 1934 and 1938.
- Enzo FernándezEnzo Fernández scored for Argentina at the World Cup, then put the ball in his own net.
- Enzo ScifoEnzo Scifo was only 18 when he played at the 1984 European Championship. He was the youngest player yet in its finals.
- Paul PogbaManchester United paid a then-record €105 million for footballer Paul Pogba in 2016.
- Rafael MárquezRafael Márquez is the only defender to captain a team at five World Cups. The Mexican played in 2002 through 2018.
- Robert ProsinečkiRobert Prosinečki is the only player to score World Cup goals for two national teams.
- José MourinhoJosé Mourinho walked into his first press conference as Chelsea manager in 2004 and made an announcement. "Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one." The British media did not call him…