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
2,505
Players in window
109
Teams
23.0
Avg squad size
6
Tournaments
1934, 1950, 1954, 1966, 1974, 2022

Squads by position

Players in the selected window, split by role
GET /aggregates/players?years=1934,1950,1954,1966,1974,2022

By confederation

Where the players come from
GET /aggregates/players?years=1934,1950,1954,1966,1974,2022

Hemisphere split

Northern vs Southern hemisphere national teams
Northern1,985 (79.2%)
Southern520 (20.8%)
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: Mar34 players (11.3%). Range: 1634.

Defenders

Birth-month distribution + 2 GOAT markers
DF
Franz Beckenbauer· Sep
Fabio Cannavaro· Sep
Modal month: Jan76 players (11.0%). Range: 4576.

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: Jan79 players (10.9%). Range: 4179.

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: Feb78 players (10.4%). Range: 5178.

All players

Every player from the 1934, 1950, 1954, 1966, 1974, 2022 squads. Search by name or filter by country, position, birth year or birth month. The C badge marks captains.

2,429 / 2,429
PlayerCountryPositionDOBBirth monthWCsGoals
Sándor KocsisHungaryAttacker1929-09-21Sep111
AdemirBrazilAttacker1922-11-06Nov19
EusébioPortugalAttacker1942-01-25Jan19
Oscar MíguezUruguayAttacker1927-12-05Dec28
Kylian MbappéFranceAttacker1998-12-20Dec18
Grzegorz LatoPolandAttacker1950-04-08Apr17
Lionel MessiCArgentinaAttacker1987-06-24Jun17
Erich ProbstAustriaMidfielder1927-12-05Dec16
Helmut HallerWest GermanyAttacker1939-07-21Jul16
Josef HügiSwitzerlandAttacker1930-01-23Jan16
Max MorlockWest GermanyAttacker1925-05-11May16
Juan Alberto SchiaffinoUruguayAttacker1925-07-28Jul25
Andrzej SzarmachPolandAttacker1950-10-03Oct15
Johan NeeskensNetherlandsMidfielder1951-09-15Sep15
Oldřich NejedlýCzechoslovakiaAttacker1909-12-25Dec15
Franz BeckenbauerCWest GermanyMidfielder1945-09-11Sep24
Alcides GhiggiaUruguayAttacker1926-12-22Dec14
Angelo SchiavioItalyAttacker1905-10-15Oct14
Carlos BorgesUruguayAttacker1932-01-14Jan14
ChicoBrazilAttacker1922-01-07Jan14
Edmund ConenGermanyAttacker1914-11-10Nov14
Estanislau BasoraSpainAttacker1926-11-18Nov14
Ferenc BeneHungaryAttacker1944-12-17Dec14
Ferenc PuskásCHungaryAttacker1927-04-02Apr14
Geoff HurstEnglandAttacker1941-12-08Dec14
Gerd MüllerWest GermanyAttacker1945-11-03Nov14
Hans SchäferWest GermanyAttacker1927-10-19Oct14
Helmut RahnWest GermanyAttacker1929-08-16Aug14
Johnny RepNetherlandsAttacker1951-11-25Nov14
Julián AlvarezArgentinaAttacker2000-01-31Jan14
Nándor HidegkutiHungaryAttacker1922-03-03Mar14
Olivier GiroudFranceAttacker1986-09-30Sep14
Ottmar WalterWest GermanyAttacker1924-03-06Mar14
Ralf EdströmSwedenAttacker1952-10-07Oct14
Robert BallamanSwitzerlandAttacker1926-06-21Jun14
Telmo ZarraSpainAttacker1921-01-20Jan14
Valeriy PorkujanSoviet UnionAttacker1944-10-04Oct14
BaltazarBrazilAttacker1926-01-14Jan23
Jacques FattonSwitzerlandAttacker1925-12-19Dec23
Álvaro MorataSpainAttacker1992-10-23Oct13
Bobby CharltonEnglandMidfielder1937-10-11Oct13
Bukayo SakaEnglandAttacker2001-09-05Sep13
Burhan SargunTurkeyAttacker1929-02-11Feb13
Cody GakpoNetherlandsAttacker1999-05-07May13
Dušan BajevićYugoslaviaAttacker1948-12-10Dec13
Enner ValenciaCEcuadorAttacker1989-11-04Nov13
Ernst StojaspalAustriaAttacker1925-01-14Jan13
Fritz WalterCWest GermanyAttacker1920-10-31Oct13
Gonçalo RamosPortugalAttacker2001-06-20Jun13
Johan CruyffCNetherlandsMidfielder1947-04-25Apr13
José AugustoPortugalMidfielder1937-04-13Apr13
José TorresPortugalAttacker1938-09-08Sep13
Juan HohbergUruguayAttacker1926-10-08Oct13
Karl-Erik PalmérSwedenAttacker1929-04-17Apr13
Kazimierz DeynaCPolandMidfielder1947-10-23Oct13
Léopold AnoulBelgiumAttacker1922-08-19Aug13
Leopold KielholzSwitzerlandAttacker1911-06-09Jun13
Luis ArtimeArgentinaAttacker1938-12-02Dec13
Marcus RashfordEnglandAttacker1997-10-31Oct13
Nat LofthouseEnglandAttacker1925-08-27Aug13
Paul BreitnerWest GermanyDefender1951-09-05Sep13
Raimundo OrsiItalyAttacker1901-12-02Dec13
René HousemanArgentinaMidfielder1953-07-19Jul13
RicharlisonBrazilAttacker1997-05-10May13
RivellinoBrazilMidfielder1946-01-01Jan13
Roger HuntEnglandAttacker1938-07-20Jul13
Stig SundqvistSwedenAttacker1922-07-19Jul13
Suat MamatTurkeyAttacker1930-11-08Nov13
Theodor WagnerAustriaAttacker1927-08-06Aug13
Zoltán CziborHungaryAttacker1929-08-08Aug13
Egisto PandolfiniItalyAttacker1926-02-19Feb22
JairzinhoBrazilMidfielder1944-12-25Dec22
Obdulio VarelaCUruguayMidfielder1917-09-20Sep22
Wolfgang OverathWest GermanyMidfielder1943-09-29Sep22
Abdulrahman FawziEgyptAttacker1909-08-11Aug12
Aleksandar MitrovićSerbiaAttacker1994-09-16Sep12
Alfred KörnerAustriaAttacker1926-02-14Feb12
Anatoliy BanishevskiySoviet UnionAttacker1946-02-23Feb12
Andrej KramarićCroatiaAttacker1991-06-19Jun12
Antonín PučCzechoslovakiaAttacker1907-05-16May12
Atilio CremaschiChileAttacker1923-03-08Mar12
Bernard VoorhoofBelgiumAttacker1910-05-10May12
Breel EmboloSwitzerlandAttacker1997-02-14Feb12
Bruno FernandesPortugalMidfielder1994-09-08Sep12
Cho Gue-sungSouth KoreaAttacker1998-01-25Jan12
DidiBrazilMidfielder1928-10-08Oct12
Eduard MalofeyevSoviet UnionAttacker1942-06-02Jun12
Emmanuel SanonHaitiAttacker1951-06-25Jun12
Enzo FernándezArgentinaMidfielder2001-01-17Jan12
Ernst LehnerGermanyAttacker1912-11-07Nov12
Ernst OcwirkCAustriaMidfielder1926-03-07Mar12
Ferran TorresSpainAttacker2000-02-29Feb12
Géza ToldiHungaryAttacker1909-02-11Feb12
Giorgian de ArrascaetaUruguayMidfielder1994-06-01Jun12
Giovanni FerrariItalyAttacker1907-12-06Dec12
Giuseppe MeazzaItalyMidfielder1910-08-23Aug12
Harry KaneCEnglandAttacker1993-07-28Jul12
Hasse JeppsonSwedenAttacker1925-05-10May12
Héctor YazaldeArgentinaAttacker1946-05-29May12
Igor ChislenkoSoviet UnionMidfielder1939-01-04Jan12

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