Players analysis, in distribution.

What month were most goalkeepers born? Do attackers cluster differently from defenders? Where do the GOATs (Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff, Messi, CR7, R9…) fall on the curve — on the modal month or as outliers?

Tournament window — click to toggle
2,878
Players in window
132
Teams
21.8
Avg squad size
7
Tournaments
1930, 1938, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1990, 2018

Squads by position

Players in the selected window, split by role
GET /aggregates/players?years=1930,1938,1962,1966,1970,1990,2018

By confederation

Where the players come from
GET /aggregates/players?years=1930,1938,1962,1966,1970,1990,2018

Hemisphere split

Northern vs Southern hemisphere national teams
Northern2,266 (78.7%)
Southern612 (21.3%)
ApiTeam.country × hemisphere classification

Birth month, by position

One chart per role. GOAT pin-marks (gold dots above the bars) call out where iconic players sit. Look for the “relative-age effect” — many youth-academy systems privilege Q1 birthdays (Jan-Mar) for early physical development, and you sometimes see the same skew in elite squads.

Goalkeepers

Birth-month distribution + 1 GOAT marker
GK
Lev Yashin· Oct
Modal month: Mar39 players (10.6%). Range: 2139.

Defenders

Birth-month distribution + 2 GOAT markers
DF
Franz Beckenbauer· Sep
Fabio Cannavaro· Sep
Modal month: Mar105 players (12.3%). Range: 56105.

Midfielders

Birth-month distribution + 10 GOAT markers
MF
Bobby Charlton· Oct
Diego Maradona· Oct
Michel Platini· Jun
Zico· Mar
Zinedine Zidane· Jun
Ronaldinho· Mar
Kaká· Apr
Andrés Iniesta· May
Xavi Hernández· Jan
Luka Modrić· Sep
Modal month: Jan91 players (11.1%). Range: 5391.

Attackers

Birth-month distribution + 17 GOAT markers
FW
Pelé· Oct
Garrincha· Oct
Eusébio· Jan
Gerd Müller· Nov
Johan Cruyff· Apr
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge· Sep
Paolo Rossi· Sep
Romário· Jan
Ronaldo (R9)· Sep
Cristiano Ronaldo· Feb
Lionel Messi· Jun
Kylian Mbappé· Dec
Neymar· Feb
Robert Lewandowski· Aug
Mohamed Salah· Jun
Karim Benzema· Dec
Vinícius Jr· Jul
Modal month: Feb77 players (9.6%). Range: 4977.

All players

Every player from the 1930, 1938, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1990, 2018 squads. Search by name or filter by country, position, birth year or birth month. The C badge marks captains.

2,695 / 2,695
PlayerCountryPositionDOBBirth monthWCsGoals
Gerd MüllerWest GermanyAttacker1945-11-03Nov110
EusébioPortugalAttacker1942-01-25Jan19
Guillermo StábileArgentinaAttacker1905-01-17Jan18
Uwe SeelerCWest GermanyAttacker1936-11-05Nov37
JairzinhoBrazilMidfielder1944-12-25Dec27
LeônidasBrazilAttacker1913-09-06Sep17
Helmut HallerWest GermanyAttacker1939-07-21Jul36
PeléBrazilAttacker1940-10-23Oct36
Harry KaneCEnglandAttacker1993-07-28Jul16
Salvatore SchillaciItalyAttacker1964-12-01Dec16
Franz BeckenbauerWest GermanyMidfielder1945-09-11Sep25
GarrinchaBrazilAttacker1933-10-28Oct25
Geoff HurstEnglandAttacker1941-12-08Dec25
Denis CheryshevRussiaMidfielder1990-12-26Dec15
György SárosiCHungaryAttacker1912-09-15Sep15
Gyula ZsengellérHungaryAttacker1915-12-27Dec15
Pedro CeaUruguayAttacker1900-09-01Sep15
Silvio PiolaItalyAttacker1913-09-29Sep15
Teófilo CubillasPeruAttacker1949-03-08Mar15
Tomáš SkuhravýCzechoslovakiaAttacker1965-09-07Sep15
Bobby CharltonEnglandAttacker1937-10-11Oct34
Flórián AlbertHungaryAttacker1941-09-15Sep24
Igor ChislenkoSoviet UnionMidfielder1939-09-08Sep24
Leonel SánchezCChileAttacker1936-04-25Apr24
Valeriy PorkujanSoviet UnionAttacker1944-10-04Oct24
Anatoliy ByshovetsSoviet UnionAttacker1946-04-23Apr14
Antoine GriezmannFranceAttacker1991-03-21Mar14
Bert PatenaudeUnited StatesAttacker1909-11-04Nov14
Cristiano RonaldoCPortugalAttacker1985-02-05Feb14
Dražan JerkovićYugoslaviaAttacker1936-08-06Aug14
Ernst WilimowskiPolandAttacker1916-06-23Jun14
Ferenc BeneHungaryAttacker1944-12-17Dec14
Gary LinekerEnglandAttacker1960-11-30Nov14
Gino ColaussiItalyAttacker1914-03-04Mar14
Gustav WetterströmSwedenAttacker1911-10-15Oct14
Kylian MbappéFranceAttacker1998-12-20Dec14
Lothar MatthäusCWest GermanyMidfielder1961-03-21Mar14
Mario MandžukićCroatiaAttacker1986-05-21May14
MíchelSpainMidfielder1963-03-23Mar14
Roger MillaCameroonAttacker1952-05-20May14
Romelu LukakuBelgiumAttacker1993-05-13May14
Valentin IvanovSoviet UnionAttacker1934-11-19Nov14
VaváBrazilAttacker1934-11-12Nov14
Lajos TichyHungaryMidfielder1935-03-21Mar23
Roger HuntEnglandAttacker1938-07-20Jul23
TostãoBrazilMidfielder1947-01-25Jan23
Adolf SchererCzechoslovakiaAttacker1938-05-05May13
AmarildoBrazilAttacker1939-06-29Jun13
André AbegglenSwitzerlandAttacker1909-03-07Mar13
Andreas BrehmeWest GermanyDefender1960-11-09Nov13
Arne NybergSwedenAttacker1913-06-20Jun13
Artem DzyubaRussiaAttacker1988-08-22Aug13
Carlos PeucelleArgentinaAttacker1908-09-13Sep13
David PlattEnglandMidfielder1966-06-10Jun13
Diego CostaSpainAttacker1988-10-07Oct13
Eden HazardCBelgiumAttacker1991-01-07Jan13
Edinson CavaniUruguayAttacker1987-02-14Feb13
Gigi RivaItalyAttacker1944-11-07Nov13
Ivan BekYugoslaviaAttacker1909-10-29Oct13
Ivan PerišićCroatiaAttacker1989-02-02Feb13
José AugustoPortugalMidfielder1937-04-13Apr13
José TorresPortugalAttacker1938-09-08Sep13
Jürgen KlinsmannWest GermanyAttacker1964-07-30Jul13
Luis ArtimeArgentinaAttacker1938-12-02Dec13
Milan GalićCYugoslaviaMidfielder1938-03-08Mar13
PerácioBrazilAttacker1917-11-02Nov13
Peregrino AnselmoUruguayAttacker1902-04-30Apr13
PreguinhoCBrazilAttacker1905-02-08Feb13
RivellinoBrazilMidfielder1946-01-01Jan13
Rudi VöllerWest GermanyAttacker1960-04-13Apr13
Yerry MinaColombiaDefender1994-09-23Sep13
Gianni RiveraItalyMidfielder1943-08-18Aug32
Giacomo BulgarelliItalyMidfielder1940-10-24Oct22
Jaime RamírezChileAttacker1931-08-14Aug22
José SasíaUruguayAttacker1933-12-27Dec22
Kálmán MészölyHungaryDefender1941-07-16Jul22
Luis CubillaUruguayAttacker1940-03-28Mar22
Martin PetersEnglandMidfielder1943-11-08Nov22
Ron FlowersEnglandMidfielder1934-07-28Jul22
Adolfo ZumelzúArgentinaMidfielder1902-01-05Jan12
Ahmed MusaNigeriaAttacker1992-10-14Oct12
Alberto GallardoPeruMidfielder1940-11-28Nov12
Anatoliy BanishevskiySoviet UnionAttacker1946-02-23Feb12
André MaschinotFranceAttacker1903-06-28Jun12
Andreas GranqvistCSwedenDefender1985-04-16Apr12
Bart McGheeUnited StatesAttacker1899-04-30Apr12
Bernardo RedínColombiaMidfielder1963-02-26Feb12
CarecaBrazilAttacker1960-10-05Oct12
Carlos VidalChileAttacker1902-02-22Feb12
Claudio CaniggiaArgentinaAttacker1967-01-09Jan12
Darko PančevYugoslaviaAttacker1965-09-07Sep12
Davor JozićYugoslaviaDefender1960-09-22Sep12
Đorđe VujadinovićYugoslaviaAttacker1909-11-29Nov12
Dragan StojkovićYugoslaviaMidfielder1965-03-03Mar12
Eduard MalofeyevSoviet UnionAttacker1942-06-02Jun12
Eladio RojasChileMidfielder1934-11-08Nov12
Florea DumitracheRomaniaAttacker1948-05-22May12
Gabi BalintRomaniaAttacker1963-01-03Jan12
Héctor CastroUruguayAttacker1904-11-29Nov12
Héctor SocorroCubaAttacker1912-06-26Jun12

GOAT reference

Curated. Inclusion in this list isn't a championship ranking — it's a span of Ballon-d'Or winners + nominees + commonly-cited GOATs across eras, used for the overlay above.

30 / 30
PlayerCountryPositionDOBBirth monthWCsGoals
PeléBrazilAttacker1940-10-23Oct0
GarrinchaBrazilAttacker1933-10-28Oct0
EusébioPortugalAttacker1942-01-25Jan0
Bobby CharltonEnglandMidfielder1937-10-11Oct0
Lev YashinSoviet UnionGoalkeeper1929-10-22Oct0
Gerd MüllerWest GermanyAttacker1945-11-03Nov0
Johan CruyffNetherlandsAttacker1947-04-25Apr0
Franz BeckenbauerWest GermanyDefender1945-09-11Sep0
Diego MaradonaArgentinaMidfielder1960-10-30Oct0
Michel PlatiniFranceMidfielder1955-06-21Jun0
ZicoBrazilMidfielder1953-03-03Mar0
Karl-Heinz RummeniggeWest GermanyAttacker1955-09-25Sep0
Paolo RossiItalyAttacker1956-09-23Sep0
RomárioBrazilAttacker1966-01-29Jan0
Ronaldo (R9)BrazilAttacker1976-09-22Sep0
Zinedine ZidaneFranceMidfielder1972-06-23Jun0
RonaldinhoBrazilMidfielder1980-03-21Mar0
KakáBrazilMidfielder1982-04-22Apr0
Fabio CannavaroItalyDefender1973-09-13Sep0
Andrés IniestaSpainMidfielder1984-05-11May0
Xavi HernándezSpainMidfielder1980-01-25Jan0
Cristiano RonaldoPortugalAttacker1985-02-05Feb0
Lionel MessiArgentinaAttacker1987-06-24Jun0
Luka ModrićCroatiaMidfielder1985-09-09Sep0
Kylian MbappéFranceAttacker1998-12-20Dec0
NeymarBrazilAttacker1992-02-05Feb0
Robert LewandowskiPolandAttacker1988-08-21Aug0
Mohamed SalahEgyptAttacker1992-06-15Jun0
Karim BenzemaFranceAttacker1987-12-19Dec0
Vinícius JrBrazilAttacker2000-07-12Jul0

Hat-tricks (3+ goals in a match)

Every individual 3+ goal performance in World Cup history. Oleg Salenko's 5-goal haul in 1994 v Cameroon is the all-time single-match record.

#PlayerTeamOpponentStageYearGoals
1Oleg SalenkoRussiaCameroonGroup19945
2Ernst WilimowskiPolandBrazilRound of 1619384
3AdemirBrazilSwedenFinal round19504
4Sándor KocsisHungaryWest GermanyGroup19544
5EusébioPortugalNorth KoreaQuarter-final19664
6Emilio ButragueñoSpainDenmarkRound of 1619864
7Bert PatenaudeUnited StatesParaguayGroup19303
8Pedro CeaUruguayYugoslaviaSemi-final19303
9Guillermo StábileArgentinaMexicoGroup19303
10Edmund ConenGermanyBelgiumRound of 1619343
11Angelo SchiavioItalyUnited StatesRound of 1619343
12Oldřich NejedlýCzechoslovakiaGermanySemi-final19343
13LeônidasBrazilPolandRound of 1619383
14Gyula ZsengellérHungaryDutch East IndiesRound of 1619383
15Harry AnderssonSwedenCubaQuarter-final19383
16Gustav WetterströmSwedenCubaQuarter-final19383
17Oscar MíguezUruguayBoliviaGroup19503
18Estanislao BasoraSpainUruguayFinal round19503
19Sándor KocsisHungarySouth KoreaGroup19543
20Erich ProbstAustriaCzechoslovakiaGroup19543
21Carlos BorgesUruguayScotlandGroup19543
22Suat MamatTurkeySouth KoreaGroup19543
23Josef HügiSwitzerlandAustriaQuarter-final19543
24Just FontaineFranceParaguayGroup19583
25Just FontaineFranceWest GermanyThird place19583
26PeléBrazilFranceSemi-final19583
27Florian AlbertHungaryBulgariaGroup19623
28Geoff HurstEnglandWest GermanyFinal19663
29Franz BeckenbauerWest GermanySwitzerlandGroup19663
30Helmut HallerWest GermanySwitzerlandGroup19663
31EusébioPortugalBrazilGroup19663
32Gerd MüllerWest GermanyBulgariaGroup19703
33Gerd MüllerWest GermanyPeruQuarter-final19703
34Andrzej SzarmachPolandHaitiGroup19743
35Dušan BajevićYugoslaviaZaireGroup19743
36Robbie RensenbrinkNetherlandsIranGroup19783
37Teófilo CubillasPeruIranGroup19783
38Karl-Heinz RummeniggeWest GermanyChileGroup19823
39Zbigniew BoniekPolandBelgiumSecond round19823
40László KissHungaryEl SalvadorGroup19823
41Paolo RossiItalyBrazilSecond round19823
42Gary LinekerEnglandPolandGroup19863
43Igor BelanovSoviet UnionBelgiumRound of 1619863
44Tomáš SkuhravýCzechoslovakiaCosta RicaRound of 1619903
45MíchelSpainSouth KoreaGroup19903
46Gabriel BatistutaArgentinaGreeceGroup19943
47Gabriel BatistutaArgentinaJamaicaGroup19983
48Miroslav KloseGermanySaudi ArabiaGroup20023
49PauletaPortugalPolandGroup20023
50Gonzalo HiguaínArgentinaSouth KoreaGroup20103
51Thomas MüllerGermanyPortugalGroup20143
52Xherdan ShaqiriSwitzerlandHondurasGroup20143
53Cristiano RonaldoPortugalSpainGroup20183
54Harry KaneEnglandPanamaGroup20183
55Gonçalo RamosPortugalSwitzerlandRound of 1620223
56Kylian MbappéFranceArgentinaFinal20223
56 hat-tricks · 6with 4+ goals · Salenko's 5 (1994) is the only 5-goal haul on record