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Curated playlist

UEFA Europa League–winning players

  • Michael OwenBefore he turned twelve, footballer Michael Owen had broken Ian Rush's goalscoring record.
  • Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)Hours before the 1998 World Cup final, Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit. He was dropped, then reinstated.
  • Jürgen GrabowskiJürgen Grabowski's cross set up a last-second equalizer in the 1970 World Cup semi-final. West Germany still lost 4-3.
  • Thibaut CourtoisThibaut Courtois began as a left back before coaches turned him into a goalkeeper.
  • Nicolás OtamendiNicolás Otamendi played every minute of Argentina's 2022 World Cup campaign. He also gave away France's opening penalty.
  • Diego MaradonaDiego Maradona punched in one World Cup goal, then dribbled past five English players for another.
  • Emiliano MartínezEmiliano Martínez tossed the ball away before a World Cup final shootout. He made France's Tchouaméni walk to fetch it.
  • 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…
  • James RodríguezJames Rodríguez chested down a high ball and volleyed it in at the 2014 World Cup. It won the FIFA Puskás Award.
  • 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.
  • Salvatore SchillaciSalvatore Schillaci, known to Italians as Totò, ended the 1990 World Cup ranked above Lothar Matthäus and Diego Maradona as the best player of the tournament. Almost nobody saw that coming. He was a striker from a poor family in Palermo,…
  • Gianluigi BuffonGianluigi Buffon reached three Champions League finals and lost all three. The Italian goalkeeper never won the trophy.
  • Lothar MatthäusIn the 1986 World Cup final, Lothar Matthäus was assigned to mark Diego Maradona personally.
  • Antonio CabriniAntonio Cabrini missed a penalty in a World Cup final and still won. Italy beat West Germany in 1982.
  • Paul PogbaManchester United paid a then-record €105 million for footballer Paul Pogba in 2016.

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