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
596
Players in window
28
Teams
21.3
Avg squad size
2
Tournaments
1938, 1950

Squads by position

Players in the selected window, split by role
GET /aggregates/players?years=1938,1950

By confederation

Where the players come from
GET /aggregates/players?years=1938,1950

Hemisphere split

Northern vs Southern hemisphere national teams
Northern466 (78.2%)
Southern130 (21.8%)
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: Jun8 players (12.3%). Range: 28.

Defenders

Birth-month distribution + 2 GOAT markers
DF
Franz Beckenbauer· Sep
Fabio Cannavaro· Sep
Modal month: Jan16 players (13.2%). Range: 716.

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: Mar19 players (13.6%). Range: 519.

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: May28 players (11.5%). Range: 1028.

All players

Every player from the 1938, 1950 squads. Search by name or filter by country, position, birth year or birth month. The C badge marks captains.

594 / 594
PlayerCountryPositionDOBBirth monthWCsGoals
AdemirBrazilAttacker1922-11-06Nov19
LeônidasBrazilAttacker1913-09-06Sep17
György SárosiCHungaryAttacker1912-09-15Sep15
Gyula ZsengellérHungaryAttacker1915-12-27Dec15
Oscar MíguezUruguayAttacker1927-12-05Dec15
Silvio PiolaItalyAttacker1913-09-29Sep15
Alcides GhiggiaUruguayAttacker1926-12-22Dec14
ChicoBrazilAttacker1922-01-07Jan14
Ernst WilimowskiPolandAttacker1916-06-23Jun14
Estanislau BasoraSpainAttacker1926-11-18Nov14
Gino ColaussiItalyAttacker1914-03-04Mar14
Gustav WetterströmSwedenAttacker1911-10-15Oct14
Telmo ZarraSpainAttacker1921-01-20Jan14
André AbegglenSwitzerlandAttacker1909-03-07Mar13
Arne NybergSwedenAttacker1913-06-20Jun13
Juan Alberto SchiaffinoUruguayAttacker1925-07-28Jul13
Karl-Erik PalmérSwedenAttacker1929-04-17Apr13
PerácioBrazilAttacker1917-11-02Nov13
Stig SundqvistSwedenAttacker1922-07-19Jul13
Atilio CremaschiChileAttacker1923-03-08Mar12
BaltazarBrazilAttacker1926-01-14Jan12
Hasse JeppsonSwedenAttacker1925-05-10May12
Héctor SocorroCubaAttacker1912-06-26Jun12
Jacques FattonSwitzerlandAttacker1925-12-19Dec12
JairBrazilAttacker1921-03-21Mar12
Jean NicolasFranceAttacker1913-06-09Jun12
Kosta TomaševićYugoslaviaAttacker1923-07-25Jul12
Oldřich NejedlýCzechoslovakiaAttacker1909-12-26Dec12
Pál TitkosHungaryAttacker1908-01-08Jan12
Riccardo CarapelleseCItalyAttacker1922-07-01Jul12
RomeuBrazilAttacker1911-03-26Mar12
Silvestre IgoaSpainAttacker1920-09-05Sep12
Ștefan DobayRomaniaAttacker1909-09-26Sep12
Sune AnderssonSwedenMidfielder1921-02-22Feb12
Sven JonassonSwedenAttacker1909-07-09Jul12
Željko ČajkovskiYugoslaviaAttacker1925-05-05May12
ZizinhoBrazilAttacker1922-09-14Sep12
Alfred BickelCSwitzerlandAttacker1918-05-02May21
AlfredoBrazilAttacker1920-01-01Jan11
Andrés PrietoChileAttacker1928-12-19Dec11
Arne BrustadNorwayAttacker1912-04-14Apr11
Atilio LópezParaguayAttacker1925-02-05Feb11
Bror MellbergSwedenAttacker1923-12-09Dec11
César López FretesParaguayAttacker1923-03-21Mar11
Charles AntenenSwitzerlandAttacker1929-11-03Nov11
Egisto PandolfiniItalyAttacker1926-02-19Feb11
Émile VeinanteFranceAttacker1907-06-12Jun11
Ermes MuccinelliItalyAttacker1927-07-28Jul11
Ernesto VidalUruguayAttacker1921-11-15Nov11
Eugen WalaschekSwitzerlandAttacker1916-06-20Jun11
Fernando RieraChileAttacker1920-06-27Jun11
Frank WallaceUnited StatesAttacker1922-07-15Jul11
FriaçaBrazilAttacker1924-10-20Oct11
Fryderyk ScherfkePolandAttacker1909-09-07Sep11
George RobledoChileAttacker1926-04-14Apr11
Géza ToldiHungaryAttacker1909-02-11Feb11
Gino ParianiUnited StatesAttacker1928-02-21Feb11
Giuseppe MeazzaCItalyMidfielder1910-08-23Aug11
Harry AnderssonSwedenAttacker1913-03-07Mar11
Héctor OrtizMexicoMidfielder1928-12-20Dec11
Hendrik IsemborghsBelgiumAttacker1914-01-30Jan11
Horacio CasarínMexicoAttacker1918-05-25May11
Iuliu BaratkyRomaniaAttacker1910-05-14May11
Jenő VinczeHungaryAttacker1908-11-20Nov11
Joe GaetjensUnited StatesAttacker1924-03-19Mar11
Joe MacaUnited StatesDefender1920-09-28Sep11
José MagriñáCubaAttacker1917-12-14Dec11
Josef GauchelGermanyAttacker1916-09-11Sep11
Josef KošťálekCzechoslovakiaMidfielder1909-08-31Aug11
Josef ZemanCzechoslovakiaAttacker1915-01-23Jan11
Juan TuñasCubaAttacker1917-07-17Jul11
Julio PérezUruguayAttacker1926-06-19Jun11
ManecaBrazilAttacker1926-01-28Jan11
Obdulio VarelaCUruguayMidfielder1917-09-20Sep11
Oscar HeissererFranceAttacker1914-07-18Jul11
PateskoBrazilAttacker1910-11-12Nov11
Pietro FerrarisItalyAttacker1912-02-15Feb11
Rajko MitićCYugoslaviaAttacker1922-09-06Sep11
René BaderSwitzerlandAttacker1922-08-07Aug11
RobertoBrazilAttacker1912-06-20Jun11
Rudolf GelleschGermanyAttacker1914-05-01May11
Silviu BindeaRomaniaAttacker1912-10-24Oct11
Stan MortensenEnglandAttacker1921-05-26May11
Stjepan BobekYugoslaviaAttacker1923-12-03Dec11
Tihomir OgnjanovYugoslaviaAttacker1927-03-02Mar11
Tomás FernándezCubaAttacker11
Tore KellerSwedenAttacker1905-01-04Jan11
Vilmos KohutHungaryAttacker1906-07-17Jul11
Vlastimil KopeckýCzechoslovakiaMidfielder1912-10-14Oct11
Wilf MannionEnglandAttacker1918-05-16May11
Wilhelm HahnemannGermanyAttacker1914-04-14Apr11
Erik NilssonCSwedenDefender1916-08-06Aug2
Abdelkader Ben BoualiFranceDefender1912-10-25Oct1
Achmad NawirDutch East IndiesMidfielder1912-06-30Jun1
Adam WolaninUnited StatesAttacker1919-11-13Nov1
AdãozinhoBrazilAttacker1923-04-02Apr1
Adolf StelzerSwitzerlandDefender1908-09-01Sep1
Adolphe HugSwitzerlandGoalkeeper1923-09-23Sep1
Adri van MaleNetherlandsGoalkeeper1910-10-07Oct1
AfonsinhoBrazilMidfielder1914-03-08Mar1

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