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?

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'30s

1930 1934 1938

'50s

'60s

'70s

'80s

'90s

'00s

'10s

'20s

2,334

Players in window

101

Teams

23.1

Avg squad size

Tournaments

1930, 1982, 2014, 2022

Squads by position

Players in the selected window, split by role

GET /aggregates/players?years=1930,1982,2014,2022

By confederation

Where the players come from

GET /aggregates/players?years=1930,1982,2014,2022

Hemisphere split

Northern vs Southern hemisphere national teams

Northern1,790 (76.7%)

Southern544 (23.3%)

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

Lev Yashin· Oct

Modal month: Apr — 33 players (11.3%). Range: 15—33.

Defenders

Birth-month distribution + 2 GOAT markers

Franz Beckenbauer· Sep

Fabio Cannavaro· Sep

Modal month: Jan — 79 players (10.6%). Range: 45—79.

Midfielders

Birth-month distribution + 10 GOAT markers

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: Jan — 88 players (12.0%). Range: 46—88.

Attackers

Birth-month distribution + 17 GOAT markers

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: Feb — 55 players (9.9%). Range: 29—55.

All players

Every player from the 1930, 1982, 2014, 2022 squads. Search by name or filter by country, position, birth year or birth month. The C badge marks captains.

NameCountryPositionBirth yearBirth month

2,243 / 2,243

Player	Country	Position	DOB	Birth month	WCs	Goals
Lionel MessiC	Argentina	Attacker	1987-06-24	Jun	2	11
Guillermo Stábile	Argentina	Attacker	1905-01-17	Jan	1	8
Kylian Mbappé	France	Attacker	1998-12-20	Dec	1	8
Enner ValenciaC	Ecuador	Attacker	1989-11-04	Nov	2	6
Neymar	Brazil	Attacker	1992-02-05	Feb	2	6
James Rodríguez	Colombia	Midfielder	1991-07-12	Jul	1	6
Paolo Rossi	Italy	Attacker	1956-09-23	Sep	1	6
Olivier Giroud	France	Attacker	1986-09-30	Sep	2	5
Thomas Müller	Germany	Attacker	1989-09-13	Sep	2	5
Karl-Heinz RummeniggeC	West Germany	Attacker	1955-09-25	Sep	1	5
Pedro Cea	Uruguay	Attacker	1900-09-01	Sep	1	5
Xherdan Shaqiri	Switzerland	Midfielder	1991-10-10	Oct	2	4
Bert Patenaude	United States	Attacker	1909-11-04	Nov	1	4
Julián Alvarez	Argentina	Attacker	2000-01-31	Jan	1	4
Robin van PersieC	Netherlands	Attacker	1983-08-06	Aug	1	4
Zbigniew Boniek	Poland	Attacker	1956-03-03	Mar	1	4
Zico	Brazil	Midfielder	1953-03-03	Mar	1	4
André AyewC	Ghana	Midfielder	1989-12-17	Dec	2	3
Ivan Perišić	Croatia	Attacker	1989-02-02	Feb	2	3
Karim Benzema	France	Attacker	1987-12-19	Dec	2	3
Memphis Depay	Netherlands	Attacker	1994-02-13	Feb	2	3
Oscar	Brazil	Defender	1954-06-20	Jun	2	3
Alain Giresse	France	Midfielder	1952-08-02	Aug	1	3
Álvaro Morata	Spain	Attacker	1992-10-23	Oct	1	3
André Schürrle	Germany	Attacker	1990-11-06	Nov	1	3
Arjen Robben	Netherlands	Attacker	1984-01-23	Jan	1	3
Bukayo Saka	England	Attacker	2001-09-05	Sep	1	3
Carlos Peucelle	Argentina	Attacker	1908-09-13	Sep	1	3
Cody Gakpo	Netherlands	Attacker	1999-05-07	May	1	3
Falcão	Brazil	Midfielder	1953-10-16	Oct	1	3
Gerry Armstrong	Northern Ireland	Attacker	1954-05-23	May	1	3
Gonçalo Ramos	Portugal	Attacker	2001-06-20	Jun	1	3
Ivan Bek	Yugoslavia	Attacker	1909-10-29	Oct	1	3
László Kiss	Hungary	Attacker	1956-03-12	Mar	1	3
Marcus Rashford	England	Attacker	1997-10-31	Oct	1	3
Peregrino Anselmo	Uruguay	Attacker	1902-04-30	Apr	1	3
PreguinhoC	Brazil	Attacker	1905-02-08	Feb	1	3
Richarlison	Brazil	Attacker	1997-05-10	May	1	3
Ángel Di María	Argentina	Midfielder	1988-02-14	Feb	2	2
Bryan RuizC	Costa Rica	Attacker	1985-08-18	Aug	2	2
Cristiano RonaldoC	Portugal	Attacker	1985-02-05	Feb	2	2
Daley Blind	Netherlands	Defender	1990-03-09	Mar	2	2
Luis Suárez	Uruguay	Attacker	1987-01-24	Jan	2	2
Mario Götze	Germany	Midfielder	1992-06-03	Jun	2	2
Vincent AboubakarC	Cameroon	Attacker	1992-01-22	Jan	2	2
Abdelmoumene Djabou	Algeria	Midfielder	1987-01-31	Jan	1	2
Adolfo Zumelzú	Argentina	Midfielder	1902-01-05	Jan	1	2
Ahmed Musa	Nigeria	Attacker	1992-10-14	Oct	1	2
Aleksandar Mitrović	Serbia	Attacker	1994-09-16	Sep	1	2
Alexis Sánchez	Chile	Attacker	1988-12-19	Dec	1	2
André Maschinot	France	Attacker	1903-06-28	Jun	1	2
Andrej Kramarić	Croatia	Attacker	1991-06-19	Jun	1	2
Antonín Panenka	Czechoslovakia	Midfielder	1948-12-02	Dec	1	2
Asamoah GyanC	Ghana	Attacker	1985-11-22	Nov	1	2
Bart McGhee	United States	Attacker	1899-04-30	Apr	1	2
Bernard Genghini	France	Midfielder	1958-01-18	Jan	1	2
Billy Hamilton	Northern Ireland	Attacker	1957-05-09	May	1	2
Breel Embolo	Switzerland	Attacker	1997-02-14	Feb	1	2
Bruno Fernandes	Portugal	Midfielder	1994-09-08	Sep	1	2
Bryan Robson	England	Midfielder	1957-01-11	Jan	1	2
Carlos Vidal	Chile	Attacker	1902-02-22	Feb	1	2
Cho Gue-sung	South Korea	Attacker	1998-01-25	Jan	1	2
Clint DempseyC	United States	Attacker	1983-03-09	Mar	1	2
Daniel Bertoni	Argentina	Attacker	1955-03-14	Mar	1	2
Daniel PassarellaC	Argentina	Defender	1953-05-25	May	1	2
David Luiz	Brazil	Defender	1987-04-22	Apr	1	2
Didier Six	France	Attacker	1954-08-21	Aug	1	2
Diego Maradona	Argentina	Midfielder	1960-10-30	Oct	1	2
Dominique Rocheteau	France	Attacker	1955-01-14	Jan	1	2
Đorđe Vujadinović	Yugoslavia	Attacker	1909-11-29	Nov	1	2
Éder	Brazil	Attacker	1957-05-25	May	1	2
Enzo Fernández	Argentina	Midfielder	2001-01-17	Jan	1	2
Ferran Torres	Spain	Attacker	2000-02-29	Feb	1	2
Gábor Pölöskei	Hungary	Attacker	1960-10-11	Oct	1	2
Gervinho	Ivory Coast	Attacker	1987-05-27	May	1	2
Giorgian de Arrascaeta	Uruguay	Midfielder	1994-06-01	Jun	1	2
Harry KaneC	England	Attacker	1993-07-28	Jul	1	2
Héctor Castro	Uruguay	Attacker	1904-11-29	Nov	1	2
Islam Slimani	Algeria	Attacker	1988-06-18	Jun	1	2
Jackson Martínez	Colombia	Attacker	1986-10-03	Oct	1	2
John Wark	Scotland	Midfielder	1957-08-04	Aug	1	2
Kai Havertz	Germany	Attacker	1999-06-11	Jun	1	2
Klaus Fischer	West Germany	Attacker	1949-12-27	Dec	1	2
László Fazekas	Hungary	Attacker	1947-10-15	Oct	1	2
Luis Monti	Argentina	Midfielder	1901-05-15	May	1	2
Manuel Rosas	Mexico	Defender	1908-02-29	Feb	1	2
Marco Tardelli	Italy	Midfielder	1954-09-24	Sep	1	2
Mario Mandžukić	Croatia	Attacker	1986-05-21	May	1	2
Mats Hummels	Germany	Defender	1988-12-16	Dec	1	2
Mehdi Taremi	Iran	Attacker	1992-07-18	Jul	1	2
Michel PlatiniC	France	Midfielder	1955-06-21	Jun	1	2
Miroslav Klose	Germany	Attacker	1978-06-09	Jun	1	2
Moderato	Brazil	Attacker	1902-07-14	Jul	1	2
Mohammed Kudus	Ghana	Midfielder	2000-08-02	Aug	1	2
Niclas Füllkrug	Germany	Attacker	1993-02-09	Feb	1	2
Pablo Dorado	Uruguay	Attacker	1908-06-22	Jun	1	2
Pierre Littbarski	West Germany	Midfielder	1960-04-16	Apr	1	2
Rafael Leão	Portugal	Attacker	1999-06-10	Jun	1	2
Ritsu Dōan	Japan	Midfielder	1998-06-16	Jun	1	2
Robert LewandowskiC	Poland	Attacker	1988-08-21	Aug	1	2

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.

NameCountryPositionBirth yearBirth month

30 / 30

Player	Country	Position	DOB	Birth month	Goals
Pelé	Brazil	Attacker	1940-10-23	Oct	—
Garrincha	Brazil	Attacker	1933-10-28	Oct	—
Eusébio	Portugal	Attacker	1942-01-25	Jan	—
Bobby Charlton	England	Midfielder	1937-10-11	Oct	—
Lev Yashin	Soviet Union	Goalkeeper	1929-10-22	Oct	—
Gerd Müller	West Germany	Attacker	1945-11-03	Nov	—
Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Attacker	1947-04-25	Apr	—
Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Defender	1945-09-11	Sep	—
Diego Maradona	Argentina	Midfielder	1960-10-30	Oct	—
Michel Platini	France	Midfielder	1955-06-21	Jun	—
Zico	Brazil	Midfielder	1953-03-03	Mar	—
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Attacker	1955-09-25	Sep	—
Paolo Rossi	Italy	Attacker	1956-09-23	Sep	—
Romário	Brazil	Attacker	1966-01-29	Jan	—
Ronaldo (R9)	Brazil	Attacker	1976-09-22	Sep	—
Zinedine Zidane	France	Midfielder	1972-06-23	Jun	—
Ronaldinho	Brazil	Midfielder	1980-03-21	Mar	—
Kaká	Brazil	Midfielder	1982-04-22	Apr	—
Fabio Cannavaro	Italy	Defender	1973-09-13	Sep	—
Andrés Iniesta	Spain	Midfielder	1984-05-11	May	—
Xavi Hernández	Spain	Midfielder	1980-01-25	Jan	—
Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Attacker	1985-02-05	Feb	—
Lionel Messi	Argentina	Attacker	1987-06-24	Jun	—
Luka Modrić	Croatia	Midfielder	1985-09-09	Sep	—
Kylian Mbappé	France	Attacker	1998-12-20	Dec	—
Neymar	Brazil	Attacker	1992-02-05	Feb	—
Robert Lewandowski	Poland	Attacker	1988-08-21	Aug	—
Mohamed Salah	Egypt	Attacker	1992-06-15	Jun	—
Karim Benzema	France	Attacker	1987-12-19	Dec	—
Vinícius Jr	Brazil	Attacker	2000-07-12	Jul	—

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.

#	Player	Team	Opponent	Stage	Year	Goals
1	Oleg Salenko	Russia	Cameroon	Group	1994	5
2	Ernst Wilimowski	Poland	Brazil	Round of 16	1938	4
3	Ademir	Brazil	Sweden	Final round	1950	4
4	Sándor Kocsis	Hungary	West Germany	Group	1954	4
5	Eusébio	Portugal	North Korea	Quarter-final	1966	4
6	Emilio Butragueño	Spain	Denmark	Round of 16	1986	4
7	Bert Patenaude	United States	Paraguay	Group	1930	3
8	Pedro Cea	Uruguay	Yugoslavia	Semi-final	1930	3
9	Guillermo Stábile	Argentina	Mexico	Group	1930	3
10	Edmund Conen	Germany	Belgium	Round of 16	1934	3
11	Angelo Schiavio	Italy	United States	Round of 16	1934	3
12	Oldřich Nejedlý	Czechoslovakia	Germany	Semi-final	1934	3
13	Leônidas	Brazil	Poland	Round of 16	1938	3
14	Gyula Zsengellér	Hungary	Dutch East Indies	Round of 16	1938	3
15	Harry Andersson	Sweden	Cuba	Quarter-final	1938	3
16	Gustav Wetterström	Sweden	Cuba	Quarter-final	1938	3
17	Oscar Míguez	Uruguay	Bolivia	Group	1950	3
18	Estanislao Basora	Spain	Uruguay	Final round	1950	3
19	Sándor Kocsis	Hungary	South Korea	Group	1954	3
20	Erich Probst	Austria	Czechoslovakia	Group	1954	3
21	Carlos Borges	Uruguay	Scotland	Group	1954	3
22	Suat Mamat	Turkey	South Korea	Group	1954	3
23	Josef Hügi	Switzerland	Austria	Quarter-final	1954	3
24	Just Fontaine	France	Paraguay	Group	1958	3
25	Just Fontaine	France	West Germany	Third place	1958	3
26	Pelé	Brazil	France	Semi-final	1958	3
27	Florian Albert	Hungary	Bulgaria	Group	1962	3
28	Geoff Hurst	England	West Germany	Final	1966	3
29	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Switzerland	Group	1966	3
30	Helmut Haller	West Germany	Switzerland	Group	1966	3
31	Eusébio	Portugal	Brazil	Group	1966	3
32	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bulgaria	Group	1970	3
33	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Peru	Quarter-final	1970	3
34	Andrzej Szarmach	Poland	Haiti	Group	1974	3
35	Dušan Bajević	Yugoslavia	Zaire	Group	1974	3
36	Robbie Rensenbrink	Netherlands	Iran	Group	1978	3
37	Teófilo Cubillas	Peru	Iran	Group	1978	3
38	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Chile	Group	1982	3
39	Zbigniew Boniek	Poland	Belgium	Second round	1982	3
40	László Kiss	Hungary	El Salvador	Group	1982	3
41	Paolo Rossi	Italy	Brazil	Second round	1982	3
42	Gary Lineker	England	Poland	Group	1986	3
43	Igor Belanov	Soviet Union	Belgium	Round of 16	1986	3
44	Tomáš Skuhravý	Czechoslovakia	Costa Rica	Round of 16	1990	3
45	Míchel	Spain	South Korea	Group	1990	3
46	Gabriel Batistuta	Argentina	Greece	Group	1994	3
47	Gabriel Batistuta	Argentina	Jamaica	Group	1998	3
48	Miroslav Klose	Germany	Saudi Arabia	Group	2002	3
49	Pauleta	Portugal	Poland	Group	2002	3
50	Gonzalo Higuaín	Argentina	South Korea	Group	2010	3
51	Thomas Müller	Germany	Portugal	Group	2014	3
52	Xherdan Shaqiri	Switzerland	Honduras	Group	2014	3
53	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Spain	Group	2018	3
54	Harry Kane	England	Panama	Group	2018	3
55	Gonçalo Ramos	Portugal	Switzerland	Round of 16	2022	3
56	Kylian Mbappé	France	Argentina	Final	2022	3

56 hat-tricks · 6with 4+ goals · Salenko's 5 (1994) is the only 5-goal haul on record