Sócrates
Era: 1974 - 1989
Nationality: Brazilian
Position: Midfielder
Team(s): Botafogo FC, SC Corinthians, AC Fiorentina, CR Flamengo, Santos FC
Caps: 60 - 22 goals (Brazil)
Trivia: Considered to be one of the greatest midfielders ever to play the game. Easily recognizable for his beard and headband, Sócrates became the “symbol of cool for a whole generation of football supporters”. He earned a doctor’s degree while concurrently playing professional football. There is a persistent myth that he studied medicine in Dublin, Ireland, and that during this time he played reserve football for University College Dublin A.F.C. Sócrates was also noted for being an intellectual, a heavy drinker and a smoker. He died on 4 December 2011 at the age of 57.
2 notes
Alen Bokšić
Era: 1987 - 2003
Nationality: Croatian
Position: Striker
Team(s): Hajduk Split, AS Cannes, Olympique Marseille, Lazio Roma, Juventus FC, Middlesbrough FC
Caps: 40 - 10 goals (Croatia)
Trivia: Capped 40 times for the Croatia national team, scoring 10 goals. Bokšić played for his country at Euro 96. He missed Croatia’s surprising third place run in the 1998 FIFA World Cup due to injury. This was a devastating blow for the Croatian team as they could not pair him together with Davor Šuker to form arguably the most potent striking force in the tournament. Bokšić finally made his World Cup playing debut in the 2002 World Cup at the age of 32.
2 notes
Stéphane Henchoz
Era: 1992 - 2008
Nationality: Swiss
Position: Defender
Team(s): Neuchâtel Xamax, Hamburger SV, Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool FC, Celtic FC, Wigan Athletic
Caps: 72 (Switzerland)
Trivia: Proved to be an inspirational signing for Liverpool and was popular with the fans during his five-and-a-half year stay. Henchoz formed an effective central defensive partnership with Sami Hyypiä. This partnership played an important part in Liverpool’s historic cup treble in 2001.
0 notes
Jean-Marie Pfaff
Era: 1973 - 1990
Nationality: Belgian
Position: Goalkeeper
Team(s): KSK Beveren, Bayern Munich, Lierse SK, Trabzonspor
Caps: 64 (Belgium)
Trivia: Scored an own goal in his first competition game for Bayern Munich, a big one against Werder Bremen. But Pfaff quickly won over supporters, and both Belgian and German journalists, with his goalkeeping abilities and interviews in which he often spoke a memorable mix of dutch and ‘german’.
2 notes
Jay-Jay Okocha
Era: 1985 - 2007
Nationality: Nigerian
Position: Midfielder
Team(s): Borussia Neunkirchen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahçe SK, Paris Saint-Germain, Bolton Wanderers FC, Qatar SC, Hull City
Caps: 73 - 14 goals (Nigeria)
Trivia: Joined Turkish club Fenerbahçe following Eintracht Frankfurt’s relegation to Bundesliga 2 in 1996. Okocha amassed thirty goals in sixty appearances, many of them coming from direct freekicks which had become something of a trademark for him at the club. During his time in Istanbul he became a dual Turkish-Nigerian citizen, having acquired Turkish citizenship as “Muhammet Yavuz”.
5 notes
Hossam Hassan
Era: 1985 - 2007
Nationality: Egyptian
Position: Striker
Team(s): Al-Ahly, PAOK Thessaloniki, Neuchâtel Xamax, Al Ain, Zamalek SC, Al-Masry Club, Tersana SC, Al-Ittihad Alexandria
Caps: 169 - 69 goals (Egypt)
Trivia: A prolific goalscorer, Hassan amassed well over 150 caps for Egypt, netting more than 50 times. His twin brother, Ibrahim, also played professional football, and they shared teams for most of their extensive careers.
2 notes
RUUD KROL
Era: 1968 - 1986
Nationality: Dutch
Position: Defender
Team(s): Ajax Amsterdam, Vancouver Whitecaps, SSC Napoli, AS Cannes
Caps: 83 - 4 goals (Holland)
Trivia: One of only four players to score both a goal and an own goal in the World Cup; the others being Ernie Brandts (another Dutch player), Mexico’s Gustavo Peña and Serbia’s Siniša Mihajlović.
0 notes
Noureddine Naybet
Era: 1989 - 2006
Nationality: Moroccan
Position: Defender
Team(s): Wydad Casablanca, FC Nantes, Sporting CP, Deportivo La Coruña, Tottenham Hotspur
Caps: 115 - 4 goals (Morocco)
Trivia: Agreed to a dream move to Treble winning Manchester United in August 1999. However, the Red Devils were worried about his injured knee and United subsequently signed Mikaël Silvestre instead. Naybet did eventually make a move to the English Premiership with Tottenham Hotspur in August 2004, aged 34.
0 notes
Miklos Molnar
Era: 1987 - 2000
Nationality: Danish
Position: Striker
Team(s): Hvidovre IF, BK Frem, Standard Liège, Servette FC, AS Saint-Etienne, Lyngby BK, FSV Frankfurt, Herfølge BK, Sevilla FC, Kansas City Wizards
Caps: 18 - 2 goals (Denmark)
Trivia: Top goalscorer of the 1989 and 1997 Danish championships, and won the 2000 MLS Cup with American team Kansas City Wizards.
0 notes
Germán Burgos
Era: 1989 - 2004
Nationality: Argentinian
Position: Goalkeeper
Team(s): Ferro Carril Oeste, River Plate, RCD Mallorca, Atlético Madrid
Caps: 35 (Argentina)
Trivia: Earning himself the nickname Mono (Monkey) because of his sometimes extravagant appearance and rock and roll attitude both on and off the pitch. During the early years of his footballing career in Argentina, Burgos was already active in the world of rock and roll with his band ‘Simpatía’. In 2002 they made some changes in their line-up and changed their name to ‘The Garb’.
1 notes
Ronnie Wallwork
Era: 1995 - 2008
Nationality: English
Position: Defender/Defensive Midfielder
Team(s): Manchester United, Carlisle United, Stockport County, Royal Antwerp FC, West Bromwich Albion, Bradford City, Barnsley FC, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday
Caps: -
Trivia: Moved to West Brom in 2002, where he was the voted Player of the Year for 2004-05. Wallwork was not always a regular in the side however, and spent time on loan at Bradford City, Barnsley and Huddersfield Town. His spell at Barnsley was cut short when he was stabbed in a nightclub, causing him to miss more than two months of the 2006–07 season. Wallwork was transferred to Sheffield Wednesday in January 2008, but was released just four months later and has since been without a club. Almost 3 years later, in December 2011, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving stolen goods and handling in stolen cars.
0 notes
VLADIMIR BESCHASTNYKH
Era: 1991 - 2008
Nationality: Russian
Position: Striker/Midfielder
Team(s): Zvezda Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Werder Bremen, Racing Santander, Fenerbahçe, FC Kuban Krasnodar, Dinamo Moscow, FC Rusichi Oryol, FC Khimki, FC Volga Tver, FC Astana-64
Caps: 71 - 26 goals (Russia)
Trivia: The all-time goal leader for the Russian national team (anno 2012) with 26 goals in 71 appearances. Beschastnykh has an identical twin, Mikhail, who also played football professionally, even though he was nowhere near as successful in his career as Vladimir was.
2 notes
CARLOS HERMOSILLO
Era: 1983 - 2001
Nationality: Mexican
Position: Striker
Team(s): Club América, Standard Liège, CF Monterrey, Cruz Azul, Club Necaxa, LA Galaxy, Atlante FC, Chivas Guadalajara
Caps: 90 - 35 goals (Mexico)
Trivia: Gained respect in and out of Mexico for being one of the top all-time goalscorers for the Mexican national team. After his career Hermosillo was named the head of the National Commission for Sports in Mexico. After various scandals however, President Felipe Calderón requested him to resign at his post after only 2 years in office. Hermosillo became the first National Sports Minister to be fired by the President in Mexico.
1 notes
FINIDI GEORGE
Era: 1989 - 2004
Nationality: Nigerian
Position: Midfielder
Team(s): Calabar Rovers, Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Sharks FC, Ajax Amsterdam, Real Betis, RCD Mallorca, Ipswich Town
Caps: 62 - 6 goals (Nigeria)
Trivia: A leading figure for the Ajax team which won eight major titles, including the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League. George also represented Nigeria in two FIFA World Cups, 1994 and 1998. He scored against Greece in a 2–0 win at the 1994 World Cup, famously proceeding to mimick a urinating dog whilst celebrating.
2 notes
MARK FISH
Era: 1991 - 2009
Nationality: South African
Position: Defender
Team(s): Jomo Cosmos, Orlando Pirates, Lazio Roma, Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic, Ipswich Town
Caps: 62 - 2 goals (South Africa)
Trivia: Gained a cult status among Bolton supporters, backed up by his nickname ‘Feesh’ and an eyecatching blue hat in the shape of a fish that was made available in the club shop.
1 notes
