IS FEBRUARY 5 the best-ever day for footballers’ birthdays?
In quite the coincidence, a number of the great players in footballing history were all born today.
Cesare Maldini
Former Italy boss and father of the similarly legendary defender Paolo, Cesare Maldini made over 300 appearances for Milan, winning four Serie A titles and one European Cup in the process.
Neymar
Barcelona star Neymar, who turns 23 today, has been tipped for greatness by Pele, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi, and is already the fifth-highest goalscorer ever for the Brazilian national team, with 42 goals in 60 appearances.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is now 30, yet irrespective of what he does between now and the end of his career, he will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the game’s all-time greats, scoring countless and winning numerous accolades over the course of his career, including three Ballon d’Ors and two Champions League titles.
Gheorge Hagi
Widely regarded as the greatest Romanian footballer ever, Hagi played in three World Cups and thrived at club level too, scoring over 300 goals in the process. He is also one of the few footballers to have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Carlos Tevez
A career that has included Boca Juniors, Manchester United and West Ham, Carlos Tevez is unquestionably one of the best Argentinian players of his generation. In addition to three Premier League titles and one Champions League medal, he has also won South American Footballer of the Year on three occasions — a feat only Zico and Elías Figueroa have matched.
5 February is also the birthday of some less talented but still beloved cult figures…
Jordan Rhodes
Famously discarded by Roy Keane in his early days at Ipswich, even if he’s not exactly on the level of the other players on this list, the 25-year-old has gone on to be a prolific goalscorer for Huddersfield first, and then Blackburn.
Andy Hinchcliffe
Long before Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines came along, Andy Hinchcliffe was catching the eye at Everton in the full-back position. Winner of seven England caps, Hinchcliffe was a renowned set-piece specialist, and made his international debut against Moldova alongside another new notable cap — David Beckham.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
An important player in Barcelona’s 2006 Champions League win, the full-back could perhaps be described as the slightly more skilful Dutch equivalent of Steve Staunton, winning over 100 caps for his country, and also enjoying stints at Rangers and Arsenal.
Billy Dodds
In a career that encompassed almost 200 goals, Dodds played for what seemed like half the clubs in Scotland, including Rangers, Dundee and Aberdeen, while also representing his country on 26 occasions.
John Aloisi
Never the most prolific of strikers, Aloisi was still valued for his hold-up play and was talented enough to become the first Australian to score goals in La Liga, the Premier League and Serie A. However, he will forever be loved and remembered in his country for one goal in particular — his winning penalty against Uruguay in 2005, which enabled Australia to qualify for their first World Cup since 1974.
And finally, one player who could become a great was born on this day…
Adnan Januzaj
He may have a long way to go to fulfil his potential, but the 20-year-old Manchester United winger has shown plenty of promising signs so far. Former boss David Moyes has even compared him to Johan Cruyff.
h/t @pogmogoal, FIFA.com and @DavidJudge87
