Happy Birthday to you! - WORLD FOOTBALL
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| AFP |
In our regular Sunday feature, FIFA.com presents you with some of the biggest names in football who will be celebrating their birthdays over the coming week.
10. Andreas Andersson (42) helped Sweden reach the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™, after the Scandinavian side had missed out on France 1998. At the tournament proper, the striker played in four matches as he and his team-mates reached the last 16, where they were eliminated by Senegal. At club level, Andersson rose to prominence at IFK Gothenburg, where he topped the Swedish scoring charts, prior to pulling on the jerseys of AC Milan and Newcastle United.
11. Roberto Cabanas (55) represented Paraguay at the 1986 World Cup, where he made four appearances and scored two goals, but he could not prevent his country from exiting at the Round of 16. After starting out in his homeland with Cerro Porteno, the imposing forward signed for New York Cosmos, where he won several national honours, and then for America de Cali, where he claimed two Colombian Championships. The South American frontman later donned the colours of French outfits Brest and Lyon, Boca Juniors, where he won an Argentinian League title, Paraguayan side Libertad and Colombian clubs Independiente Medellin and Real Cartagena.
12. Mateja Kezman (37) was part of the Serbia and Montenegro team that qualified for Germany 2006, where he starred in two group stage matches. The prolific goalscorer also participated in UEFA EURO 2000. He made his name with Partizan Belgrade, bagging a First League of Serbia and Montenegro title and earning a move to PSV Eindhoven, where he obtained two Dutch League titles, three Dutch Super Cups and a Dutch Footballer of the Year award. The Belgrade native then put pen to paper with Chelsea, with whom he secured an English Premier League title and an English League Cup, before joining Atletico Madrid and then Fenerbahce, where he added a Turkish League crown and a Turkish Super Cup to his CV. After lifting the Coupe de France with Paris Saint-Germain, he claimed the Hong Kong FA Cup and Hong Kong League Cup with South China. In August 2011, Kezman tried his luck with Belarusian giants BATE Borisov. In terms of individual achievements, the clinical Serbian finished top scorer in the Dutch League (three times), the UEFA Cup and the First League of Serbia and Montenegro.
13. Claudio Bravo (33) enjoyed one of the most successful campaigns of his career last season, amassing a Liga title, Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League crown, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with Barcelona. In addition, the dependable goalkeeper played a key role in Chile’s first-ever Copa America triumph, having previously appeared at two World Cups and three other Copa America tournaments since 2004. He turned professional at Colo Colo, where he landed a Chilean League title, but packed his bags for Europe in 2006, spending eight productive campaigns at Real Sociedad, during which time he inspired his team to the Segunda Division title. In 2014, Bravo committed himself to Los blaugrana, who, as current Spanish League leaders, may well provide him with yet more silverware come the end of the season.
14. Buru (40) competed in the first six FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups, scoring a total of 35 goals in 32 matches. The defender, who earned both the adidas Golden Shoe and Golden Ball awards at the 2007 event, hoisted the prestigious trophy on four occasions, in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, lost in the final in 2011, and finished third in 2005.
15. Katie Bowen (22) appeared for New Zealand at the 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ tournaments, as well as at the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and at two FIFA U-17 World Cups (in 2008 and 2010). The promising defender played for Auckland-based Glenfield Rovers and the University of North Carolina (USA) at youth and university level respectively, and then embarked on a professional career with NWSL side FC Kansas City.
16. Freddie Ljungberg (39) showcased his skills in two successive World Cups with Sweden, at Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006, where he took part in four encounters and scored the winning goal against Paraguay. The sprightly winger also played at three consecutive UEFA European Championships, in 2000, 2004 and 2008. He started out with Halmstads, where he won a Swedish League title and a Swedish Cup. A transfer to Arsenal saw his career take on a new dimension, as two English Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three FA Community Shields and two Swedish Player of the Year awards were captured over the course of nine seasons, a period during which the Gunners also lost a Champions League final to Barcelona. The Swedish wide man later turned out for West Ham United, Seattle Sounders, with whom he lifted the US Open Cup, Chicago Fire and Celtic, where he held aloft the Scottish Cup. After two brief spells with Shimizu S-Pulse (Japan) and Mumbai City (India), Ljungberg hung up his boots in 2014.