Happy Birthday to you! - WORLD FOOTBALL
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| FIFA.com |
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.
30. Vladimir Jugovic (46) represented Yugoslavia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup France™, where he made four appearances, including his nation’s tight Round-of-16 defeat versus the Netherlands. Two years later, the skilful midfielder reached the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2000, where the Yugoslavians were again eliminated by the Dutch. At club level, he made his name at Red Star Belgrade, winning three Yugoslav First League titles, a UEFA Champions League crown and an Intercontinental Cup, prior to signing for Sampdoria, with whom he lifted the Coppa Italia. In 1995, the talented Serbian put pen to paper with Juventus, and later inspired his new team-mates to success in Serie A, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup. He then embarked on spells at Lazio, where he again hoisted the Italian Cup, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Monaco, where he held aloft the French League Cup. Jugovic saw out the last two years of his career in Austria (with Admira Wacker) and Germany (with Ahlen).
31. Roque Junior (39) was a key member of the Brazil XI that secured the country’s last World Cup to date, at Japan/Korea 2002, where he played seven times in a defence that conceded just five goals throughout the tournament. The towering centre-half later starred at the 2001 Copa America and the 2005 FIFA Confederation Cup, where the Verde-Amarela emerged victorious. He rose to prominence at Palmeiras, bagging a Brazilian Cup, a Sao Paulo State Championship and a Copa Libertadores and piquing the interest of AC Milan, who secured his signature in 2000. After claiming an Italian Cup and a Champions League title with the Lombardy side, he joined Bayer Leverkusen, but not before short loan stints at Leeds United and Sienna. Further brief stays at Duisburg and Qatari outfit Al-Rayyan followed, as did a return on loan to Palmeiras, where he earned another winners’ medal in the Campeonato Paulista.
1. Henning Berg (46) is regarded as one of Norway’s greatest defenders, having competed at two World Cups, including France 1998, where he and his team-mates reached the knockout stages for the first and thus far only time. The commanding centre-back also played at EURO 2000, in what was Norway’s UEFA European Championship debut, and at the 1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup. After impressing with Valerenga and Lillestrom in his homeland, he exported his defensive skills to England, where he landed a Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers and a host of trophies with Manchester United, including two Premier League crowns, an FA Cup, a UEFA Champions League title, an Intercontinental Cup and a Norwegian Footballer of the Year award. While with the Red Devils, Berg took part in the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup, held in 2000. Upon returning to Blackburn, he brandished the English League Cup, before bringing the curtain down on his playing career in Scotland with Rangers. A move into coaching saw the astute Norwegian take charge of Lyn, Lillestrom, Blackburn and current club Legia Warsaw, whom he has guided to success in the Polish League and Cup over the past couple of seasons.
2. Javi Martinez (27) triumphed with Spain at the 2010 World Cup and at EURO 2012, and reached the final of the 2013 Confederations Cup. The composed defensive midfielder also participated in Brazil 2014, the 2012 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament, the 2011 UEFA European U-21 Championship, and the 2007 UEFA European U-19 Championship, lifting the trophy at the last two competitions. A product of Osasuna’s youth set-up, he established himself in Athletic Bilbao’ starting XI while still a teenager, and attained the finals of the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and UEFA Europa League during his time in the Basque Country. In 2012, Martinez moved to Bayern Munich, with whom he has since amassed three Bundesliga titles, two German Cups, a Champions League title, a UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup.
3. Olof Mellberg (39) donned the colours of Sweden at Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006, where he wore the captain’s armband, and at four European Championships, between 2000 and 2012. The robust defender started out Degerfors and AIK, where he clinched the Swedish Championship. Mellberg later pulled on the jerseys of Racing Santander, Aston Villa, Juventus and Olympiacos, winning two Greek Superleague titles and a Greek Cup with the Piraeus-based side. The 2003 Swedish Footballer of the Year went on to play for Villarreal and Copenhagen, before hanging up his boots in 2014.
4. Kerstin Garefrekes (36) held aloft the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ with Germany in 2003 and 2007, and reached the quarter-finals on home soil in 2011. The prolific striker enjoyed similar success at continental level, adding the UEFA Women’s EURO to her CV in 2005 and 2009. At the Women’s Olympic Football Tournaments of 2004 and 2008, she earned a bronze medal. Garefrekes began her career with Heike Rheine, prior to committing herself to FFC Frankfurt, with whom she has since captured three Frauen-Bundesliga titles, three German Cups and two UEFA Women’s Cups. In 2014, she enjoyed a short loan spell in the United States with Washington Spirit.
5. Felipe Caicedo (27) appeared in three matches for Ecuador at Brazil 2014, but could not prevent La Tri from exiting at the group stage. The talented attacker contributed fully to his nation’s successful qualifying campaign, after they had previously missed out on South Africa 2010. He has also starred at two Copa America contests, getting on the scoresheet twice in 2011. Caicedo turned professional with Basel, where he won the Swiss League and Swiss Cup. During a subsequent three-year stint with Manchester City, he turned out for Sporting Lisbon, Malaga and Levante on loan. The energetic Ecuadorian signed a permanent deal with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2011, but moved to Emirati outfit Al-Jazira two years later. In July 2014, he joined Espanyol.