- David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (pronounced) (born 2 May 1975) is an English professional football (soccer) midfielder who plays for Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also currently a member of the England national team. He was twice chosen runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year, and as recently as 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer. He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004.
- Michael Essien
Michael Essien (born December 3, 1982 in Accra) is a Ghanaian International footballer. He currently plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League. He is a central midfielder and plays as a deep-lying playmaker for the "Black Stars", the Ghana national football team.
- Francisco Javier González
Francisco Javier González Pérez (born 14 July 1969 in Carreira, A Coruña, Galicia), known simply as Fran, is a Spanish former professional who spent his entire career with Deportivo de La Coruña. A midfielder, Fran is one of the most notable players in Deportivo's history. He arrived at the club in 1988, and made his debut on August 31, 1991. He soon went on to become captain of the squad.
- Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane, popularly nicknamed Zizou, is a French former football midfielder who played for four European clubs, including Juventus FC and Real Madrid. As a member and later captain of the French national team he participated in two World Cup finals - including winning the tournament in 1998 - and in three European Championships, winning that tournament in 2000. Having gained fame in Europe as a playmaker for Juventus, …
- Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is an Argentine former football superstar. He played in four World Cups and received a FIFA award: "FIFA Internet Player of the Century", after being voted in an international fan poll organized by FIFA in 2000 to choose the best football player of all time. Maradona won various trophies with Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli over the course of his career.
- Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German football player. He is the current captain of the German national team, and plays club football for Chelsea F.C. in the English FA Premier League.
- Owen Hargreaves
Owen Lee Hargreaves (born 20 January 1981 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a professional football midfielder. He plays for Manchester United in the Premier League and at international level for England.
- Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo (born May 19, 1979), is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. He currently plays for A.C. Milan, as well as the Italy national team. Pirlo was an important key figure of the Italian team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is known to many fans as the "Maestro" because of his talent for setting up plays.
- Michel Platini
History: Michel Platini (June 21, 1955, Joeuf, Departement Meurthe-et-Moselle) is a former French football player, widely regarded as one of the most elegant midfielders of his generation. ...
- Julie Maurine Foudy
Julie Maurine Foudy (born January 23 , 1971 in San Diego, California ) was a midfielder for the United States women's national soccer team from 1987 through 2004 . She served as the team's captain from 2000 through her retirement in 2004. Foudy also held the captain's position for her WUSA team, the San Diego Spirit . The WUSA suspended operations in September of 2003.
- Diego Simeone
Diego Pablo Simeone (born April 28, 1970 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football manager and former footballer. A midfielder, he is the third most capped player ever for Argentina. When Simeone was 14, his youth coach Victorio Spinetto nicknamed him "Cholo" as his energetic play reminded him of after former Boca Juniors player and Argentine international Carmelo Simeone (no relation). In his club career that started in 1987, Simeone played for Vélez Sarsfield, …
- Bobby Convey
Robert Francis Convey (born 27 May 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) is a footballer who currently plays on the left wing for Reading in the Premier League. He attended the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia. Convey is partially blind in his left eye due to optic nerve damage.
- Patrick Vieira
Patrick Donalé Vieira is a French football midfielder who currently plays for Internazionale Milano. He came to prominence during his time at Arsenal between 1996 and 2005, where he won three FA Premier League titles and four FA Cups, and eventually became club captain. He spent a single season at Juventus before joining Inter in 2006, after Juventus were relegated due to their part in a match-fixing scandal.
- Mauro Camoranesi
Mauro Germán Serra Camoranesi, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born October 4, 1976 in Tandil, Argentina) is an Italo-Argentinian World Cup-winning footballer, who currently plays for Juventus football club. Camoranesi is a member of the Italy national football team and was part of the winning squad at the 2006 World Cup. He is a midfielder, and usually plays on the right wing, where he is most comfortable and effective.
- Kristine Lilly
Kristine Marie Lilly (born July 22, 1971 in New York City) is an American soccer player, who has been a fixture on the U.S. women's national team since 1987. She grew up in Wilton, Connecticut. Kristine attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she won the Hermann Trophy in 1991. Interestingly, her first cousin Derrick Lilly also attended North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, he led the Tar Heels to back to back National Championships in 1992 and 1993.
- Mark Hughes
Mark Anthony Hughes (born 16 September 1983 in Dungannon, Northern Ireland) is a tough tackling, Northern Irish footballer, currently a free agent after leaving Stevenage Borough on May 17th. He is predominantly a central midfielder player. Mark started his career at Tottenham Hotspur, coming through their youth system and breaking into the reserve side.
- Sammy Lee
Samuel "Sammy" Lee (born February 7 1959 in Liverpool) was a diminutive but skilful midfield player in the great Liverpool team of the early 1980s, who played for England 14 times. He is currently the manager of Premier League side Bolton Wanderers following the resignation of Sam Allardyce on April 29, 2007.
- Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Seedorf (born April 1, 1976 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch-Surinamese football midfielder, who currently plays for AC Milan in Serie A. He was the first, and to date, the only person to have won the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs: Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998), and AC Milan (2003, 2007); he has also played for the clubs Sampdoria and Internazionale, and is a member of the Netherlands national team.
- Antonio Nocerino
Antonio Nocerino (born April 9, 1985 in Naples) is an Italian football (soccer) midfielder. He currently plays for Piacenza Calcio. He started his career at Juventus F.C., after a loan spell at U.S. Avellino, Genoa C.F.C. bought him in co-ownership deal, as Domenico Criscito went to Turin, but after 2006 Serie A scandal, Juventus bought back Nocerino for provisional member of the team, and sent Nocerino to Piacenza in mid July.
- John Kerr
John Kerr, Jr., is a former American soccer midfielder who played professionally in the U.S., Canada, England and Ireland. He was named the 1991 Hermann Award winner as the top collegiate player of the year. He also earned 16 caps with the U.S. national team.
- Pavel Nedvěd
Pavel Nedvěd is a Czech professional football player. Nedvěd is a midfielder for Italian club Juventus and formerly for the Czech Republic national team. Before joining Juventus, Nedvěd played for Czech clubs Dukla Prague (1991-92), Sparta Prague (1992-96), and Lazio (1996-2001) in Italy. He has won one Italian "scudetto" championship with Lazio and four with Juventus (though two of these were later stripped from Juventus after the match-fixing scandal).
- John Smith
John Smith (1939-1988) was a footballer, a West Ham Academy product who was born in Shoreditch, London. He made 136 appearances for the club between 1956 and 1960, playing right half and inside right. He scored 23 goals for the East London club before being transferred to Tottenham Hotspur. John Smith Played in the Swindon Town side which beat Arsenal in the 1969 League Cup Final, at the time of his death he was the steward of McVite's social club in Park Royal, …
- Antonio Puerta
Roberto Antonio Puerta Pérez is a Spanish international midfielder. He plays for Sevilla FC in La Liga. Left footed Puerta plays on the left side of midfield, although he has occasionally filled in at left back. His recent impressive performances have earned him international recognition and reported interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid. Puerta has been capped once by the Spain national football team. He was also capped for Spain U-21.
- Osvaldo Ardiles
Osvaldo ("Ossie") César Ardiles (born August 3, 1952 in Córdoba Province) is a football coach and former midfielder who won the 1978 World Cup as part of the Argentinian national team. His latest coaching job was as the coach of Beitar Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League, from which he was fired October 18 2006. A competitive and skilled midfielder, he became a cult hero in England, along with Glenn Hoddle and compatriot Ricardo Villa, …
- Josip Skoko
Josip Skoko (born December 10 1975 in Mount Gambier, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer) midfielder of Croatian descent who plays for Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. He is an Australian international and made his debut for Australia against Macedonia in 1997. Skoko has been a main-stay of the "Socceroos" side since his debut, participating in two World Cup qualifying campaigns.
- Mathieu Flamini
Mathieu Flamini (born March 7, 1984 in Marseille) is a French footballer currently playing for Arsenal as a midfielder.
- Jay-Jay Okocha
Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha (born August 14, 1973 in Enugu) is a Nigerian football midfielder who currently plays in the Qatar league for Qatar SC, a move that was completed in July 2006.
- John White
John Anderson White was a Scottish international football midfielder and sometime inside right who played a significant role for Tottenham Hotspur during their Double winning season in 1960-61. His younger brother, Tom White, was also a footballer. White had originally played for Alloa Athletic under the management of Jasper ‘Jerry’ Kerr (the "John White Lounge" is still a feature at Clackmannan) before being sold onto Falkirk F.C., …
- Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva, commonly known as Gilberto Silva, is a Brazilian football (soccer) player. He has played most of his club football for the English club Arsenal, as a defensive midfielder. Gilberto was raised in a poor family and as a child he balanced playing football with various labour jobs. He began his football career in 1997 with América Mineiro, where good form earned him a move to Atlético Mineiro in 2000.
- Park Ji-Sung
Park Ji-Sung (born February 25, 1981 in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do) is a South Korean football player who currently plays for Manchester United, and is widely regarded as the best Asian footballer currently playing in Europe. Park is extremely popular among South Koreans and fans of PSV Eindhoven for being pivotal in helping take South Korea to the Semi-Finals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, PSV Eindhoven to the Semi-Finals in the UEFA Champions League, …
- Demetrio Albertini
Demetrio Albertini (born August 23, 1971 in Besana in Brianza, province of Milan) is a former Italian football (soccer) midfielder, after playing for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga but spending most of his career with AC Milan of Serie A.
- David Albelda
David Albelda Aliqués is a Spanish football player. Albelda is currently captain of Valencia CF. He has also played for Spain and won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He also played in 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Albelda has also been part of the Spanish squad in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup. Albelda is a defensive midfielder who started his career as a centre-back. He is best known for his leadership skills.
- Ibrahim Maaroufi
Ibrahim Maaroufi (born January 18 1989 in Brussels, Belgium) is a Moroccan-Belgian football (soccer) midfielder for F.C. Internazionale Milano Primavera. He was called up to the first team many times, and made his first team and Serie A debut against A.S. Livorno Calcio, 25 October, 2006, as a substitute for Dejan Stanković in the 82nd minute, becoming the second youngest player in the history of Inter, older than Goran Slavkovski but younger than Giuseppe Bergomi.
- Claude Makélélé
Claude Makélélé (born February 18, 1973 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) is a French international football player, who currently plays defensive midfield for Chelsea in the English Premiership. He is married to the French supermodel Noémie Lenoir with whom he has three sons named Kelyan, Hayden and Sam. Prior to joining Chelsea, Makélélé played for Nantes (1992-1997), Olympique de Marseille (1997-1998), Celta Vigo (1998-2000), …
- Ianis Zicu
Iannis Alin Zicu is a Romanian football (soccer) midfielder for Dinamo Bucureşti.
- Mike Sweeney
Mike Sweeney (born December 25, 1959 in Duncan, British Columbia) is a former Canadian soccer player.
- James Henry
James Henry (born 10 June 1989 in Reading, England), is a professional footballer with Reading. Having grown up in Woodley, Henry, a right winger, has risen through Reading's youth academy and signed a one-year professional contract with Reading in June 2006. He missed most of the 2005-06 season with a cruciate knee injury. Following limited first team opportunities during Reading's first season in the Premier League, …
- Anthony Quinn
- Gianluca Zambrotta
Gianluca Zambrotta, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born February 19, 1977 in Como) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. He is extremely fast, and plays either as a full-back defender, or a side midfielder for both club and country. Considered by many the best outside back in the world, he currently plays for FC Barcelona with a contract until 2010. He is married to his wife, Valentina.
- Thomas Häßler
Thomas Häßler is a former German football (soccer) midfielder currently assistant coach with both FC Cologne and Nigeria. With the German national team, Häßler won the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96.