Swedish professional footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović currently plays as a striker for Serie A club A.C. Milan. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, he is one of the most decorated active footballers in the world. He is Sweden's all-time leading goalscorer. He is a brash person and has been involved in several violent incidents with teammates.
Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, was named the Football Player of the Century by the IFFHS. He called football “The Beautiful Game” and was one of the world’s highest-paid athlete for a while. His 1279 goals in 1363 games is a Guinness World Record.
Italian footballer Francesco Totti is known for his 25-year stint with Roma. Nicknamed “The Golden Boy” and “The Gladiator,” he led Roma to win the Serie A and the Coppa Italia. He was also part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning Italian team. He was named to Pele’s FIFA 100.
Didier Deschamps is a French former professional football player turned manager. He played as a defensive midfielder for many clubs, such as Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea, and Valencia. He was also a French international. He began his managerial career in 2001 and has been the manager of the France national team since 2012. Former tennis player Nathalie Tauziat is his cousin.
Olivier Giroud is a football player and a prominent member of the France national team. He played a key role in helping his team win the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Thanks to his popularity, Giroud has been a major media personality in France, with appearances in commercials for brands like Hugo Boss and Puma.
Widely considered one of the greatest players ever, Bobby Charlton was an important member of the England national football team that emerged victorious at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Ballon d'Or, Charlton received a knighthood in 1994.
Alvaro Morata is a Spanish professional soccer player who has represented popular clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea, and Atlético Madrid. He is also an important player for the national team, having gathered the experience of playing in high-pressure tournaments like the UEFA European Football Championship. A versatile player, Alvaro Morata is best known for his pace, energy, and technique.
Born to Albanian-origin working-class immigrant parents in Switzerland, Xherdan Shaqiri had a tough childhood. His talent in football led him to join Basel’s youth team at age 8. The Swiss footballer is now better known for his stints with clubs such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
Swiss footballer and Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka wasn’t just part of the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning Swiss team but has also been part of 2 FIFA World Cups. In 2022, he posted an apology on social media following his red-card exit in a game against Liverpool.
Retired Serbian footballer Nemanja Vidić is regarded as one of the most skilled defenders of the game. Starting his senior career with Red Star Belgrade, he later had a successful stint with Manchester United, winning 5 Premier League titles with them, among other honors. He was twice named Serbian Footballer of the Year.
Tammy Abraham is an English footballer. He currently plays as a striker for Serie A club Roma and the England national team. He is an academy graduate of Chelsea and made his first-team debut for the club in 2016. Since then, he has played for Bristol City and Aston Villa, scoring 25 goals in a single campaign for the team.
Alex Scott is an English TV presenter and former professional football player. Apart from playing for popular clubs like Arsenal and Birmingham City, Scott also represented the women's national football team. She also played for Great Britain at the London Olympics. In 2019, she was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
Andriy Shevchenko is a former professional footballer who played for the Ukraine national team. One of the greatest Ukrainian football players of all time, Shevchenko scored 48 goals for his national team, making him the all-time top-scorer for Ukraine. He is also only the third Ukrainian to receive the prestigious Ballon d'Or. He is currently serving as Ukraine's head coach.
Belgian footballer Michy Batshuayi now plays as a striker for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. Starting his career with Standard Liège, he later had successful stints with clubs such as Marseille and Chelsea, winning a Premier League and 2 FA Cups with the latter. He also won the Ebony Shoe Award in 2013-14.
Retired Croatian footballer and coach Niko Kovač has headed the Croatian national team as its captain for a long time. He has also had successful stints with Bayern Munich and Red Bull Salzburg as a player. He later tasted success as a manager of Bayern Munich, among other clubs.
Jackson Martínez is a Colombian retired football player who played for the Colombia national football team from 2009 to 2015. Apart from representing his country in important tournaments like the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Copa Américas, Martínez also played for clubs like Atlético Madrid and Porto. In 2014 and 2015, Martínez was named FC Porto Athlete of the Year.
Josef Bican was an Austrian-Czech footballer who played as a forward. According to Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, Bican scored more than 950 goals in 624 official matches, which makes him the second-most prolific goalscorer of all time in recorded history. In 2000, Josef Bican was honored with the Golden Ball by the IFFHS.
French midfielder Mathieu Valbuena, who also plays for the Greek club Olympiacos, is known as le petit vélo, or the little bike, for his short stature. In 2015, he was dragged into a sex scandal, where fellow footballer Karim Benzema had blackmailed him and attempted to extort money over a sex tape.
Bert Trautmann was a German football player who played as a goalkeeper for popular teams like Manchester City and St Helens Town. He made 508 appearances for the Manchester City from 1949 to 1964. Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, Bert Trautmann was made an inductee of the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame in 2005.
David Trezeguet is a French retired football player who helped his national team win the 1998 FIFA World Cup as well as the 2000 UEFA European Championship title. Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation, David Trezeguet was also included in Pele's FIFA 100 list.
The son of former footballer Jiří Rosický, Tomáš Rosický is known as The Little Mozart for setting the tone of the game on the field. He has represented teams such as Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal and has scripted history as the fourth-highest goal-scorer of his country.