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PEOPLE KNOWN FOR: football (soccer)

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Lionel Messi, wearing Argentina number 10 jersey, looks upward with his hands raised in prayer as he celebrates scoring his team second goal during a FIFA World Cup 2026 group-stage match against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium in Missouri.
Lionel Messi
Argentine-born football player
Lionel Messi is an Argentine-born football (soccer) player who received a record-setting eight Ballon d’Or awards as the world’s top male player (2009–12, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023). In 2022 he helped...
Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing a light green Portugal national team training top, jogs on a soccer field before a FIFA 2018 qualification match.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portuguese football player
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese football (soccer) forward who is one of the greatest players of his generation. Ronaldo is the winner of five Ballon d’Or awards (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017), and...
Alexia Putellas and Harry Kane stand onstage holding Ballon d'Or trophies, Putellas in a white gown and Kane in a black tuxedo.
Harry Kane
English football player
Harry Kane is a football (soccer) player who is a forward on England’s national team and the German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. A prolific striker, Kane is the all-time leading goal scorer for both...
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah
Egyptian football player
Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian soccer (association football) player known for his prolific scoring, which made him an invaluable contributor to both the English Premier League and the Egyptian national team....
Alexia Putellas holds the Women's Ballon d'Or trophy while wearing a black sequined dress onstage.
Alexia Putellas
Spanish football (soccer) player
Alexia Putellas is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and is considered one of the greatest players in the women’s game. She spent 14 seasons with Spanish giants FC...
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Italian football manager and player
Carlo Ancelotti is a professional men’s football (soccer) manager and former player. He is often considered one of the greatest football managers of all time, having won more than 30 titles with clubs...
Aitana Bonmati and Rodri, both in formal attire, hold their Ballon d'Or trophies on stage, with Rodri kissing his award and Bonmati smiling at the camera.
Aitana BonmatĂ­
Spanish football (soccer) player
Aitana Bonmatí is a professional women’s football (soccer) player from Catalonia who plays as an attacking midfielder for FC Barcelona in Liga F (Spanish women’s football league) and for the Spanish national...
VinĂ­cius JĂșnior in 2025
VinĂ­cius JĂșnior
Brazilian football player
VinĂ­cius JĂșnior is a Brazilian football (soccer) player known for his exceptional speed and dribbling, which have made him one of the leading stars of the Spanish club Real Madrid. Playing as a left-wing...
David Beckham
David Beckham
English football player
David Beckham is an English former football (soccer) player who gained international fame for his on-field play as well as for his highly publicized personal life. With Manchester United, Beckham developed...
Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid smiles and holds the UEFA Champions League Trophy on the field after the 2023/24 final at Wembley Stadium.
Jude Bellingham
English football player
Jude Bellingham is a football (soccer) player who is a midfielder for the England national football team and for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid. He ranked third in the 2024 FIFA Ballon d’Or poll, marking...
Liberian President
George Weah
president of Liberia
George Weah is a Liberian politician and a former football (soccer) player who served as president of Liberia from 2018 to 2024. Before entering politics, his impressive football career included being...
Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, stands at a podium gesturing with one hand while speaking, with international flags and a soccer ball visible in the background.
Sepp Blatter
Swiss sports executive
Sepp Blatter is a Swiss sports executive who served as president (1998–2015) of FIFA (FĂ©dĂ©ration Internationale de Football Association), the governing body of international football (soccer) that is best...
Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Brazilian football player
Ronaldinho is a former football (soccer) player who played for Brazil and multiple clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, and AC Milan. He is widely considered one of the greatest players...
French soccer player Kylian Mbappe, wearing jersey number 10, takes a shot on goal during the FIFA World Cup quarter final against England at Al Bayt Stadium.
Kylian Mbappé
French football player
Kylian Mbappé is a French football (soccer) player whose speed and goal scoring as an attacker have made him a dominant force in European club competition. He was part of the French squads that won the...
Erling Braut Haaland in a red Norway jersey celebrates a goal with one arm raised and the other by his ear during a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands at Ullevaal Stadium.
Erling Haaland
Norwegian football player
Erling Haaland is a Norwegian football (soccer) player who is among the most prolific goal scorers of his generation. Since 2022 he has been the leading striker for Manchester City FC in the English Premier...
Neymar of Brazil in a yellow jersey takes a shot on goal as Dejan Lovren of Croatia tries to block him during the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter final match.
Neymar
Brazilian football player
Neymar is a Brazilian football (soccer) player who has scored 79 goals in 128 international appearances to surpass his compatriot and football legend Pelé’s record (77 goals) and become the leading goal...
Sebastiån Piñera
Sebastiån Piñera
president of Chile
SebastiĂĄn Piñera was a Chilean businessman and politician who served two terms as president of Chile (2010–14; 2018–22). He was the first conservative to lead the country since the end of the dictatorial...
Pelé
Pelé
Brazilian football player
PelĂ© was a Brazilian football (soccer) player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history and one of the sport’s first global icons. Emerging as a teenage prodigy at the 1958 FIFA...
Miroslav Klose lifts the World Cup trophy surrounded by jubilant German teammates, including Bastian Schweinsteiger and Benedikt Howedes, after winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Miroslav Klose
German football player
Miroslav Klose (born June 9, 1978, Opole, Poland) is a retired German football (soccer) player who played in the center forward position as a striker. Klose is the all-time leading goal scorer for the...
Inter Milan head coach Jose Mourinho holds the Champions League trophy as his players celebrate after defeating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid.
José Mourinho
Portuguese football manager
JosĂ© Mourinho is a professional football (soccer) manager and former player who has won more than 20 titles—including two UEFA Champions League trophies—with six different clubs across Portugal, Spain,...
Il Fenomeno
Ronaldo NazĂĄrio
Brazilian football player
Ronaldo Nazário known by the mononym Ronaldo, is a retired football (soccer) player who helped Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002. He won the Ballon d’Or (1997 and 2002) and three Player of the Year awards...
World Cup glory
RomĂĄrio
Brazilian football player
RomĂĄrio is a retired Brazilian football (soccer) player and politician who is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. A clinical striker renowned for his finishing and movement,...
Soccer player Raphinha of Brazil, wearing a yellow jersey and blue shorts, jumps and pumps his fist in celebration after scoring during a World Cup qualifier match.
Raphinha
Brazilian football (soccer) player
Raphinha is a Brazilian left-footed football (soccer) player who primarily plays as a winger and is known for his dribbling skills and attacking play. He signed for Spanish football club FC Barcelona in...
Pep Guardiola gestures and speaks to Cole Palmer, who wears a Manchester City jersey, during a Premier League match at Etihad Stadium with a referee in the background.
Pep Guardiola
Spanish football (soccer) manager and player
Pep Guardiola is a Spanish professional football (soccer) manager. Formerly a player, he starred as a defensive midfielder for FC Barcelona (1990–2001) and later managed that team (2008–12) as well as...
FIFA president Gianni Infantino stands with United 2026 bid officials, all in suits, holding a framed certificate after announcing Canada, Mexico, and the US as 2026 World Cup hosts.
Gianni Infantino
Swiss football administrator
Gianni Infantino is a Swiss football (soccer) administrator who has served as president of FIFA since 2016. Infantino previously worked in multiple roles at the Union of European Football Associations...
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric passes the ball during the 2025 Copa del Rey final against FC Barcelona in Seville, with a red Copa del Rey banner in the background.
Luka Modrić: Conductor of the Midfield
Croatian football player
Luka Modrić (born September 9, 1985, Zadar, Yugoslavia [now Croatia]) is a Croatian football (soccer) player who is considered one of the greatest midfielders as well as one of the top Croatian footballers...
Gary Lineker, wearing glasses, smiles as he poses for a photograph at the National Theatre Up Next Gala in London.
Gary Lineker
English football (soccer) player and sports broadcaster
Gary Lineker is an English retired football (soccer) player and sports broadcaster. A prolific striker for both club and country, he is widely regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation. He...
Megan Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe
American football (soccer) player
Megan Rapinoe is a former football (soccer) player who is regarded as one of the sport’s legendary athletes, known for her play on the field and her activism off it. A leading winger, she helped the U.S....
Sam Kerr of Australia, wearing yellow, leaps to control the ball ahead of Wu Haiyan of China, in red, during a women's soccer Olympic qualifier match in Sydney.
Sam Kerr
Australian football (soccer) player
Sam Kerr is an Australian football (soccer) player who was named captain of the Matildas, the women’s national team, in 2019. The star striker later became the all-time leading scorer for the team. Kerr...
Alex Morgan
Alex Morgan
American football (soccer) player
Alex Morgan is an American professional football (soccer) player who used her speed and strength to become one of the leading scorers in the sport. She helped the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) win...
Kaka, wearing an AC Milan jersey with red and black stripes, stands on the field before a football also called soccer match, with blurred spectators in the background.
KakĂĄ
Brazilian football player
KakĂĄ is a retired Brazilian football (soccer) player who was named the World Player of the Year by the FĂ©dĂ©ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and won the Ballon d’Or in 2007. Widely regarded...
Frances Ousmane Dembele (11) runs after the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match against Australia at Al Janoub Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on November 22, 2022.
Ousmane Dembélé
French football player
Ousmane Dembélé is a French football (soccer) player with the Ligue 1 (French topflight football league) club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and operates as an attacking winger and forward. Experts consider...
Aitana Bonmati and Rodri, both in formal attire, hold their Ballon d'Or trophies on stage, with Rodri kissing his award and Bonmati smiling at the camera.
Rodri
Spanish football player
Rodri is a Spanish professional football (soccer) player with La Liga (top-tier domestic Spanish professional league) team FC Barcelona. In October 2024 he was awarded the Ballon d’Or, one of football’s...
Zinedine Zidane of France dribbles the ball while being closely pursued by Andrea Pirlo of Italy during the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final in Berlin.
Zinedine Zidane
French football player
Zinedine Zidane is a French football (soccer) player who led his country to victories in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2000 European Championship. Popularly known as Zizou, he received the Ballon d’Or...
Didier Drogba in a blue Chelsea jersey strikes the ball during his winning penalty at the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, with spectators and team staff in the background.
Didier Drogba
Ivorian football (soccer) player
Didier Drogba is an Ivorian professional football (soccer) player who was Cîte d’Ivoire’s all-time leader in goals scored in international matches and was twice named the African Footballer of the Year...
Landon Donovan of the United States, wearing a dark blue uniform with number 21, controls the soccer ball as a Czech Republic player defends during a 2006 World Cup match.
Landon Donovan
American football (soccer) player
Landon Donovan is an American professional football (soccer) player, widely regarded as the greatest American male player in the history of the sport. Donovan was a star player in high school in Redlands,...
Marta Vieira da Silva of Brazil, wearing number 10, takes a penalty kick during a match against Italy at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, with players watching behind her.
Marta
Brazilian football (soccer) player
Marta is a Brazilian athlete who is widely considered the greatest female football (soccer) player of all time. Marta is a six-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year award (2006–10 and 2018),...
FC Barcelona player Thierry Henry in a red team jacket shakes hands with a teammate before a match at Camp Nou stadium.
Thierry Henry
French football (soccer) player and manager
Thierry Henry is a French football (soccer) player and manager who scored more international goals (51) than any other player in France’s history and who is considered one of the most prolific goal scorers...
Sofia Huerta
Sofia Huerta
American football (soccer) player
Sofia Huerta is an American football (soccer) player who is a dynamic forward and midfielder, known for her deft scoring touch and playmaking abilities. Huerta has had a unique international career, playing...
Wayne Rooney of England in a white jersey with number 9, crouched and focused during a 2006 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match against Portugal.
Wayne Rooney
English football (soccer) player
Wayne Rooney is an English professional football (soccer) player who rose to international football stardom as a teenager while playing with the English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United. Rooney...
German footballer Juergen Klinsmann, wearing jersey number 18, prepares to kick the ball during a match, with the field and blurred spectators in the background.
JĂŒrgen Klinsmann
German football (soccer) player and coach
JĂŒrgen Klinsmann is a German football (soccer) player and coach who helped West Germany win the 1990 World Cup and was twice named his country’s Footballer of the Year. A prolific goal scorer as a young...
Julie Foudy, former United States national soccer team player, smiles while standing on a field wearing a sleeveless floral top.
Julie Foudy
American football (soccer) player
Julie Foudy is a retired football (soccer) midfielder who won two FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup championships (1991 and 1999) and two gold medals (1996 and 2004) during...
In control of the football
Diego Maradona
Argentine football player
Diego Maradona was an Argentine football (soccer) player who is generally regarded as the top footballer of the 1980s and one of the greatest of all time. Renowned for his ability to control the ball and...
Liverpool's Steven Gerrard dribbles the ball as AC Milan Gennaro Gattuso pursues him during soccer match
Steven Gerrard: The Complete Midfielder
English football (soccer) player
Steven Gerrard (born May 30, 1980, Whiston, England) is an English former professional football (soccer) player and manager who was considered one of the most-complete footballers in the world in the early...
Carli Lloyd of the United States, wearing jersey number 10, kicks a penalty shot during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 semifinal against Germany, with a referee and players in the background.
Carli Lloyd
American football (soccer) player
Carli Lloyd is an American association football (soccer) player who, as one of the sport’s leading midfielders, helped the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) win two Olympic gold medals (2008 and 2012)...
Samuel Eto'o Fils of Barcelona, wearing a red and blue jersey, controls a soccer ball on the field during a UEFA Champions League match at Camp Nou stadium.
Samuel Eto’o
Cameroonian football (soccer) player
Samuel Eto’o is a Cameroonian professional football (soccer) player who is considered one of the greatest African footballers of all time. Eto’o attended the Kadji Sports Academy in Douala, Cameroon, and...
René Higuita
Colombian football (soccer) player
RenĂ© Higuita is a former Colombian football (soccer) goalkeeper who won fans over with his ability to move beyond his area, establishing the role of the “sweeper-keeper,” and his famous “scorpion kick.”...
La Liga action
Xavi
Spanish football (soccer) player
Xavi is a Spanish football (soccer) player and manager who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world in the early 21st century. He began playing for FC Barcelona in the late 1990s...
German football (soccer) player Franz Beckenbauer is one of only three people to win the World Cup as a player and as a coach (1974 and 1990, respectively)
Franz Beckenbauer
German football player
Franz Beckenbauer is a German football (soccer) player who is one of only three people to win the World Cup as a player and as a coach (1974 and 1990, respectively). Nicknamed “der Kaiser,” Beckenbauer...
Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer
German football (soccer) player
Manuel Neuer is a German football (soccer) player who, as one of the game’s leading goalkeepers, helped Germany win the 2014 World Cup; for his performance, he received the Golden Glove award as the tournament’s...