50 Fun Facts About Famous Footballers

Which Brazilian striker had a convulsive fit hours before the 1998 World Cup final, then scored twice in the 2002 final?

Ronaldo Nazário still won the 1998 Golden Ball as player of the tournament, and in 2002 he also took the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer.

Which Manchester United forward was banned for eight months after a kung-fu kick at a Crystal Palace fan in 1995?

Eric Cantona aimed the kick at supporter Matthew Simmons, who had run down eleven rows of stairs to abuse him; a two-week jail sentence was cut to 120 hours of community service on appeal.

Which number did David Beckham wear at Real Madrid, in tribute to Michael Jordan, because Raúl held his usual 7?

23 was the number of basketball star Michael Jordan, and David Beckham chose it when club captain Raúl kept the number 7 that Beckham had worn at Manchester United and for England.

Which Dutch forward's feint against Sweden's Jan Olsson at the 1974 World Cup became a move named after him?

Johan Cruyff feigned a pass, dragged the ball behind his standing leg and turned 180 degrees in the 22nd minute; from 1970 he also wore the then-unusual number 14.

Which 16-year-old Everton forward ended Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten run with a last-minute winner in October 2002?

Wayne Rooney struck five days before his 17th birthday, becoming the Premier League's youngest ever scorer at the time.

Which Uruguayan striker was banned from all football for four months for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup?

Luis Suárez also got a nine-match international ban, and Barcelona, who had just signed him, could not even let him train until the suspension ended in late October.

Which England captain of 1966 was accused of stealing a bracelet from a jeweller in Bogotá before the 1970 World Cup?

Bobby Moore, England captain from 1963 at the age of 22, was accused by a young shop assistant of taking the bracelet from a hotel shop without paying, while England were in Colombia for a warm-up match.

Which Spain midfielder scored the 116th-minute winner in the 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands?

Andrés Iniesta lifted his shirt to reveal the message 'Dani Jarque, always with us', a tribute to the Espanyol captain and close friend who had died in 2009.

Which Northern Irish winger won the 1968 Ballon d'Or, the year his Manchester United side beat Benfica at Wembley?

George Best quipped that he spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars and 'just squandered' the rest; he won 37 caps for Northern Ireland.

Which Manchester United forward survived the 1958 Munich air disaster and won the 1966 World Cup with England?

Bobby Charlton won the Ballon d'Or in that same year, 1966, and was cautioned only twice in his entire career.

Which England midfielder cried after a 1990 World Cup semi-final booking that would have ruled him out of the final?

Paul Gascoigne was booked for a foul on Thomas Berthold, his second caution of the tournament, and the tears made him hugely popular with the British public.

Which England striker, never booked in his entire career, won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup with six goals?

Gary Lineker never received a yellow or red card and also never won a top-flight league title, despite finishing second in the 1986 Ballon d'Or.

Which Chelsea striker scored an 88th-minute equaliser and the winning penalty in the 2012 Champions League final?

Didier Drogba's equaliser against Bayern Munich capped a season in which he also became the first player to score in four FA Cup finals, netting against Liverpool in the 2012 final.

Whose last-minute goal against QPR in May 2012 won Manchester City their first league title since 1968?

Sergio Agüero had earlier become the youngest player in Argentina's top flight at 15 years and 35 days, breaking a record held by his future father-in-law.

Which Italian, the 1993 Ballon d'Or winner, missed the decisive penalty in the 1994 World Cup final shootout?

Roberto Baggio, nicknamed Il Divin Codino for his ponytail, had been Italy's star performer at the tournament and was also the 1993 FIFA World Player of the Year.

Which Barcelona forward was applauded by Real Madrid's own fans after scoring twice at the Bernabéu in November 2005?

Ronaldinho won the 2005 Ballon d'Or and back-to-back FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2004 and 2005.

Which Brazilian forward's 2017 move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain set a world transfer record of €222 million?

Neymar's release clause was exactly €222 million, and his representatives paid it in full to free him from Barcelona.

Which France striker's double handball set up the goal that knocked Ireland out of 2010 World Cup qualifying?

Thierry Henry used his hand twice to control the ball in extra time before crossing for William Gallas to score, and FIFA refused the Irish FA's request for a replay.

Which Liverpool captain headed the first goal of the comeback from 3–0 down in the 2005 Champions League final?

Steven Gerrard's header from a John Arne Riise cross began a six-minute burst that levelled the match at 3–3, in what became known as the Miracle of Istanbul.

Which Portuguese winger had a pig's head thrown at him by Barcelona fans in 2002, two years after joining Real Madrid?

Luís Figo's 2000 switch had set a world record fee of €62 million and launched Real Madrid's Galáctico era of a global star signed every year.

Which striker, the 1995 Ballon d'Or winner, was elected president of Liberia in 2017?

George Weah, the first former professional footballer from Africa to become a head of state, was sworn in on 22 January 2018 after beating vice president Joseph Boakai.

Which Cameroonian scored four goals at the 1990 World Cup aged 38, celebrating with a dance at the corner flag?

Roger Milla came out of international retirement after a personal phone call from Cameroon's president Paul Biya, and at 42 he scored against Russia in 1994 to become the World Cup's oldest scorer.

Which West German sweeper lifted the World Cup as captain in 1974 and then won it again as manager in 1990?

Franz Beckenbauer, nicknamed der Kaiser, is one of only three men to win the World Cup as both player and manager, alongside Mário Zagallo and Didier Deschamps.

Which Swedish striker scored all four in a 4–2 win over England in 2012, finishing with a 35-yard bicycle kick?

Zlatan Ibrahimović's overhead kick took FIFA's goal-of-the-year award, and the match was the first ever played at Stockholm's Friends Arena.

Which Colombian goalkeeper cleared a Jamie Redknapp cross with a 'scorpion kick' against England at Wembley in 1995?

René Higuita got the idea after watching a child attempt a similar kick while he was filming an advertisement, and he also scored from free kicks and penalties.

Which Dutch striker volleyed home from an almost impossible angle against the Soviet Union in the Euro 1988 final?

Marco van Basten took the Euro 1988 Golden Boot with five goals, including a hat-trick against England, and went on to win three Ballons d'Or.

Which one-club defender captained AC Milan to Champions League wins in 2003 and 2007 across a 25-season career?

Paolo Maldini retired at 41 in 2009, and Milan retired his number 3 shirt, which his father Cesare had also worn.

Which Soviet goalkeeper, dressed head to toe in black, is the only keeper ever to win the Ballon d'Or?

Lev Yashin won it in 1963, and his all-black kit, in truth a very dark blue, earned him the nickname the Black Spider.

Which Mozambique-born Benfica striker was top scorer at the 1966 World Cup with nine goals as Portugal finished third?

Eusébio, nicknamed the Black Panther, won the 1965 Ballon d'Or and grew up playing barefoot in Lourenço Marques, now Maputo.

Which Hungarian scored four goals for Real Madrid in the 1960 European Cup final, a 7–3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt?

Ferenc Puskás won three European Cups and ten national championships, five in Hungary and five in Spain, and took the Pichichi as La Liga's top scorer four times.

Which West German striker scored the winner in the 1974 World Cup final and never played for his country again?

Gerd Müller's international career ended with that 7 July 1974 win in his home stadium in Munich, leaving him 68 goals from 62 games.

Which French midfielder won three consecutive Ballons d'Or, from 1983 to 1985, while playing for Juventus?

Michel Platini topped the Serie A scoring charts in each of those three seasons, and his nine goals at Euro 1984 remain the record for a single European Championship.

Which German captained West Germany to the 1990 World Cup and became the first FIFA World Player of the Year in 1991?

Lothar Matthäus also won the 1990 Ballon d'Or, and he lifted the last World Cup before German reunification.

Which Italian striker, fresh from a two-year betting ban, won the Golden Boot at the 1982 World Cup with six goals?

Paolo Rossi's hat-trick beat Brazil 3–2, and by the end of 1982 he held the Golden Boot, the Golden Ball, the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or, a sweep no other player has matched.

Which Brazilian right-back was the first player to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals, in 1994, 1998 and 2002?

Cafu lifted the trophy as captain in 2002, in the third of four World Cups he played between 1994 and 2006.

Which Manchester United captain was sent home from the 2002 World Cup after a row with Ireland manager Mick McCarthy?

Roy Keane's complaints about the squad's training facilities in Saipan ended with the FAI calling up Colin Healy to replace him.

Which Brazilian was the first footballer of either gender to score at five World Cups and five straight Olympics?

Marta has been named FIFA World Player of the Year six times and won Olympic silver with Brazil in 2004, 2008 and 2024.

Which Brazilian winger scored in every game of the 1970 World Cup, netting his seventh in the final against Italy?

Jairzinho earned the nickname 'Furacão da Copa', the World Cup Hurricane, and played at three consecutive World Cups from 1966 to 1974.

Which winger, born with his right leg six centimetres shorter than his left, led Brazil to the 1962 World Cup?

Garrincha became the first player to win the Golden Ball, the Golden Boot and the World Cup at the same tournament, stepping up after injury sidelined Brazil's biggest star.

Which Brazil captain at the 1982 World Cup was a qualified doctor who co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement?

Sócrates earned his medical degree at the University of São Paulo and practised medicine in Ribeirão Preto after he retired as a player.

Which forward represented Argentina, Colombia and Spain and played in all five of Real Madrid's first European Cup wins?

Alfredo Di Stéfano, the 'Saeta Rubia' or Blond Arrow, had joined Colombia's Millonarios during a 1949 players' strike in Argentina before Madrid signed him.

Which Flamengo legend joined Japan's Sumitomo Metals in 1991 and later managed Japan at the 2006 World Cup?

Zico's Sumitomo side became the Kashima Antlers for the J.League's 1993 launch, and he scored a hat-trick in the club's first league match, a 5–0 win over Nagoya Grampus.

Which Mexican striker celebrated every goal with a somersault and won five Pichichi awards as La Liga's top scorer?

Hugo Sánchez's somersault honoured his sister, a gymnast at the Montreal Olympics, and he finished with 562 career goals for club and country.

Which Iranian striker became the first man to score 100 international goals, with four against Laos in 2004?

Ali Daei finished his international career with 109 goals, since revised to 108, a men's record that stood until September 2021.

Which Argentine striker is the only player to have scored hat-tricks at two different World Cups, in 1994 and 1998?

Gabriel Batistuta also scored in each of the first 11 matches of Fiorentina's 1994–95 Serie A season, breaking a 32-year-old record.

Which German striker, mocked as a diver on joining Tottenham in 1994, celebrated his debut goal by diving to the ground?

Jürgen Klinsmann's winning header came against Sheffield Wednesday, and the self-deprecating celebration won over the fans immediately.

Which Cameroonian won back-to-back Champions League titles with different clubs, Barcelona in 2009 and Inter in 2010?

Samuel Eto'o scored the opening goal in the 2009 final against Manchester United and became the first player to win two continental trebles in a row.

Which Argentina striker, the squad's only foreign-based player, won the Golden Boot at the 1978 World Cup on home soil?

Mario Kempes scored twice in the final and also collected the Golden Ball, the South American Footballer of the Year award and the Onze d'Or in 1978.

Who scored 60 league goals for Everton in 1927–28, still the most in a single English top-flight season?

Dixie Dean hit his 60 in just 39 of Everton's 42 games as they won the title, and no one has matched the mark since.

Which Brazilian left-back scored a bending 40-yard free kick against France to open the 1997 Tournoi de France?

Roberto Carlos was runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year that year, and he later won the 2002 World Cup after losing the 1998 final.