Football Players Trivia

1. Goalkeepers have a reputation for longevity, and many have played well into their forties. Which African country fielded a 45-year-old goalkeeper in the 2018 World Cup?

From Quiz A Safe Pair of Hands

Answer: Egypt

England's Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton, Italy's Gianluigi Buffon and Denmark's Peter Schmeichel are among the big name goalkeepers who played into their forties (Shilton was 48 when he retired!). Essam El-Hadary, then playing for Egyptian side Ismaily, was 45 when he played in goal for Egypt in 2018. The four-time AFCON winner set a world record that year for being the oldest player to play in a World Cup. However, these keepers are mere spring chickens compared to Israeli goalkeeper Isaak Hayik, who was still playing at the ripe old age of 73! Although playing over the age of forty is rarer for outfield players, a few have managed it, such as Wales and Manchester United's Ryan Giggs, or Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

From Quiz Brothers United

Answer: Charlton

The Charlton brothers both joined their respective clubs aged 15, and both had a spell at other occupations before signing a professional contract. Bobby began an apprenticeship as an electrical engineer, while Jack followed in their father's footsteps and worked in the coal mines. Their talent was evident however and soon both were established first team members, with Jack playing 629 games for Leeds between 1952 and 1973 while Bobby played 606 games for Manchester United between 1956 and 1973 before ending his top flight career with Preston North End, for whom he turned out 38 times. Between them, they played 141 times for England and while Bobby may have had the more successful England career with 106 of those 141 caps, Jack had the more successful international career, spending ten years, between 1986 and 1996 as manager of Republic of Ireland, losing only 30 of the 93 games in which he led the team. Extended Family Fact - Bobby and Jack's uncles include Leeds United players Jack Milburn, George Milburn and Jim Milburn; Rochdale great, Stan Milburn; and Newcastle United legend, "Wor" Jackie Milburn.

From Quiz Fathers' Day

Answer: Martin Koeman

Despite being regularly called up to represent his country, Martin Koeman was only capped once for the Netherlands, against Austria. As well as playing for Heerenveen, he briefly managed them in 1987. He died in 2013. Ronald Koeman was one of Barcelona's top scoring defenders, and was capped 78 times for the Netherlands, while Erwin had 31 caps. Both brothers went into management after retiring; Erwin managed Utrecht, RKC Waalwijk and the Hungarian national team, while Ronald's managerial CV includes Ajax, Valencia, Feyenoord, Everton, Southampton and the Dutch national team (with Erwin as assistant manager in the last three cases). One of the stands in Groningen's Euroborg stadium is named the Koeman Stand after the three players. Martin Koeman's grandsons, Ronald Jr. and Len, are also footballers.

From Quiz A Kevin XI

Answer: Alex Ferguson

Alex Ferguson was accused of playing 'mind games' when he suggested in an interview that teams such as Nottingham Forest would not make as much of an effort against Keegan's Newcastle as they would against Manchester United. In a Sky Sports interview after Newcastle had beaten Leeds United 1-0, Keegan stated that Ferguson had gone down in his estimation, and ended his interview with the above quote. Newcastle drew 1-1 with Forest. Keegan resigned as manager in January 1997 and was replaced by Kenny Dalglish, who had also replaced him as Liverpool's number 7 in their playing days.

From Quiz Yours Exclusively

Answer: 100th career goal.

Rogério Mücke Ceni was the goalkeeper for the Brazilian giants São Paulo for his entire career. A very agile and keen goalkeeper, Ceni was also the set-piece free kicker and took the penalty kicks on the team. Amazingly, in a 2011 match against Corinthians, Ceni's free kick goal became the 100th of his career (and the eventual game-winner). He finished his career with 129 goals and was in the top-10 for São Paulo all-time. Ceni was a great goalkeeper and leader on the team. Despite some serious injuries, Ceni was always able to recover and to return to the team to defy the expectations. He was team captain, and was also called up to the Brazilian national team many times though only playing 16 games for them.

From Quiz Pele vs. Maradona

Answer: Edson Arantes do Nascimento

Edvaldo Jizídio Neto was the 1958 team mate of Pele better known as Vava. Vava scored twice in the first half of the 1958 final which Brazil won 5-2 against Sweden. Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo was also a 1958 team mate of Pele better known as Zagallo and was also the first man to win the World Cup as a player (1958 and 1962) and a coach (1970). He was also a coordinator in 1994. Manuel Francisco dos Santos better known as Garrincha and was also a 1958 World Cup winner with Pele. He was regarded by many as the greatest Brazilian player of all time, ahead of Pele. Despite this he featured in the first two Brazil World Cup wins of 1958 and 1962. After the 1966 finals, in England, he retired from international football.

From Quiz Men's Soccer Celebrities

Answer: Gordon Banks

Gordon Banks, born in Sheffield, won 73 caps for England. He played in the USA for Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1977 and 1978. He won a League Cup winners-medal with Stoke City in 1972, six years after his World Cup winners-medal with England.

From Quiz Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo

Answer: Portugal and Argentina

Cristiano Ronaldo was born on 5th February 1985 in Madeira Island, Portugal and Lionel Messi was born on 24th June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina.

From Quiz Simply the Best

Answer: Pele

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in October 1940, Pele rose to fame at a very early age. At age 17, he was part of the Brazil squad that won the 1958 World Cup. He also won the World Cup in 1962 and 1970. He played most of his career for Santos, but also played for New York Cosmos for two years (1975-77) at the end of his career.

From Quiz The Holy Grail: Pele v Maradona!

Answer: 1962

Pele injured himself while attempting a long-range shot in Brazil's second group match against Czechoslovakia in the 1962 WC. That said, he did score a fantastic goal against Mexico in the first game, on top of providing an assist. Amarildo was the man who replaced him for the remaining games. He did really well, too, scoring 3 goals, including 1 in the final. His three winning medals were 1958, 1962 and 1970. This has led many to claim that the Brazil side of the 1960s and 1970 was so fantastic (including the likes of Garrincha, Tostao, Didi, Jairzinho, Gerson, Rivelino, Carlos Alberto, Djalma Santos etc) that they would have won those WCs without Pele. It does not detract anything from Pele, in my opinion, though. Actually, the mere fact that he was called the best in spite of the presence of the other greats is all the more special.

From Quiz Identify These Soccer Players

Answer: Lionel Messi

Lionel Andres Leo Messi, commonly known as Lionel Messi is often called by his fans as "New Maradona". Messi joined the Spanish club of Barcelona in 2006.

From Quiz Scandinavian Stars

Answer: Denmark

The Great Dane won a whole host of domestic trophies with Manchester United in his 292 appearances for the Red Devils throughout the 1990s. However, he was a crucial part of the Denmark team that won the European Champions in 1992. Despite being a goalkeeper, Peter scored 10 goals in his career including one for his country.

From Quiz Sons and Daughter

Answer: Gordon Smith

Gordon Sr signed for Hearts in 1976 and made 15 appearances in 3 seasons, scoring 2 goals during that time. Gordon Sr, a Hibernian fan, watched from amongst his team's fans as his son gave Hearts the lead with his first goal for the club.

From Quiz The Greats Of Soccer

Answer: Santos

Pelé played 93 internationals for Brazil, scoring a remarkable tally of 77 goals from 1957 to 1971.

From Quiz Soccer Legends

Answer: Ali Daei

Ali Daei played in German clubs for a long time. He is an Iranian national hero. He set a record for most international goals scored in the world with 109 goals. He resigned from playing after the 2006 World Cup. He later took the role of coaching the Iranian national team.

From Quiz Footballers: Who Am I?

Answer: Juan Sebastián Verón

Juan Sebastián Verón had a long and varied career, playing in Argentina, Italy and England. He also played for the Argentinian national team in the World Cups of 1998 and 2002.

From Quiz Classic Players

Answer: Carlos Alberto Torres

Carlos Alberto was Brazil's left back in the 1970 World Cup, and was named by the Brazilian legend Pele as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

From Quiz FIFA 100 Best Soccer Players

Answer: 125

On the list, 123 men and 2 women players. At the time the FIFA 100 was selected, 50 of the players were still active, with the remaining 75 retired from soccer.

From Quiz Soccer Players With an 'I'?

Answer: Paul Ince & Ince

Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince was born on 21st October, 1967, in London, England. Throughout his career, he played for West Ham United, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ince played for his country 53 times, and scored two goals.

From Quiz Soccer Players With an 'H'?

Answer: Geoff Hurst

Geoffrey Charles Hurst was born on 8th December, 1941, in Ashton-Under-Lyne, England. His hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany was more remarkable by the fact that had Jimmy Greaves not been injured, Hurst would most certainly not have played. England won the game, 4-2.

From Quiz Soccer Players With a 'G'?

Answer: Ryan Giggs & Giggs

Ryan Joseph Giggs was born on 29th November, 1973. His birth surname was Wilson. Originally on Manchester City's books, Giggs signed with United as a trainee in 1990. As a player with United, Giggs won everything the domestic game had to offer, and also a European Cup in 1999.

From Quiz Soccer Players With an 'F'?

Answer: Marc Vivien Foe

Marc-Vivien Foé was born in Nkolo, Cameroon, on 1st May, 1975. Foé began his professional career with Lens in 1997, before moving to England with West Ham United in 1999. In May 2000, Foé switched back to France with Lyon, and signed for Manchester City on-loan in 2002. On 26th June, 2003, while playing for his country, Foe collapsed and died of an heart attack soon afterwards in hospital. Foe scored eight goals in 65 international games for Cameroon. Manchester City retired the no. 23 shirt in his memory, which was an unknown step for an English football team.

From Quiz Soccer Players With an 'E'?

Answer: Eder

Eder Aleixo de Assis was born on 25th May, 1957 in Vespasiano, Brazil. Eder only played for two teams outside his own country. He started his career with América Mineiro in 1975, and was much travelled until he hung up his boots in 1997. Eder went on to play for Gremio, Atletico Mineiro (twice), Limeira, Palmeiras, Santos, Sport, Botafogo, Paranaense, Cerro Porteno in Paraguay, Fenerbahce in Turkey, Uniao Sao Joao (twice), Cruzeiro, Baya, Gama, and Monte Claros.

From Quiz Fallen Greats: Dead Soccer Legends

Answer: July 22, 1979

Sandor Kocsis has an impressive total of international goals with 75. His friend and teammate, Ferenc Puskas, had more goals, with a total of 84. Sandor Kocsis was nicknamed 'Golden Head' because of his aerial prowess. His career spanned from 1948 to 1956 in which he won several awards including 1954 top scorer, Olympic gold in soccer in 1952, and World Cup 1954 runner-up.

From Quiz European Footballers #1

Answer: Didier Agathe

Didier Agathe began his professional career with French club Montpellier, however, he found things hard and was made to move on in 1999. He joined Raith Rovers in the August where he scored seven goals in his first season, which included a hat-trick on his debut. He moved on to Hibernian but was only offered an original three month contract. He was a revelation but found that Hibernian were to stall on a longer contract. So in 2001, he moved across Scotland from Edinburgh to Glasgow where he signed a three year contract with Celtic. In his first season, he helped the Glasgow Giants to a league title and in the following year played both Champions League and UEFA Cup football, with the pinnacle a place in the UEFA Cup final of 2003.

From Quiz Football Legends: All-Time Greats

Answer: Eusebio

Eusebio was on his way to a trial for Sporting Lisbon when he was virtually kidnapped by Benfica officials who then signed him up.

From Quiz Soccer Players With a 'D'?

Answer: Didi

8th October, 1928 was when Waldyr Pereira, later to become known as Didi came into the world. Throughout his career, he played for 8 professional clubs which were: Rio Branco, Lencoes, Madureiro, Fluminese, Botafogo, Real Madrid, Valencia, and Botafogo. Didi was also inducted into the World Cup Hall of Fame, and was part of the 11 men that were voted the South American team of the 20th Century.

From Quiz Soccer Players With a 'B'?

Answer: George Best & Best

Nicknamed 'El Beatle', Best was once labelled by Pele as the greatest player of all time. He totalled 466 games for United, scoring 178 goals in the process, none more famous than the one in the 1968 European Cup final, which United went on to win 4-1 against the Portuguese giants, Benfica. In the same year, Best was named the youngest winner of the European Footballer of the Year trophy. He won 2 League titles, and 1 European Cup and won 37 international caps for Northern Ireland. After his United career was over, he played for a string of foreign clubs, and three more in England, namely Stockport County, Fulham and Bournemouth.

From Quiz Where Did These Players Start?

Answer: Padova

Del Piero joined the junior squad of Padova at only 13 years old, in 1988, after a brief stint in San Vendemiano. He made his debut with the senior team five years later, in a Serie B match against Messina. In 1993 he was transferred to Juventus, where he played until 2012. His last two clubs were Sydney FC (2012-2014) and Delhi Dynamos (2014).

From Quiz Who Am I? [2]

Answer: Luis Figo

Figo joined Real Madrid from rivals Barcelona in a world record fee.

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