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

4,460

Players in window

200

Teams

22.3

Avg squad size

Tournaments

1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1994, 2002, 2018

Squads by position

Players in the selected window, split by role

GET /aggregates/players?years=1954,1958,1974,1978,1982,1986,1994,2002,2018

By confederation

Where the players come from

GET /aggregates/players?years=1954,1958,1974,1978,1982,1986,1994,2002,2018

Hemisphere split

Northern vs Southern hemisphere national teams

Northern3,613 (81.0%)

Southern847 (19.0%)

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 — 60 players (10.3%). Range: 35—60.

Defenders

Birth-month distribution + 2 GOAT markers

Franz Beckenbauer· Sep

Fabio Cannavaro· Sep

Modal month: Oct — 136 players (9.8%). Range: 97—136.

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: Feb — 135 players (9.9%). Range: 77—135.

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: Jul — 102 players (9.1%). Range: 83—102.

All players

Every player from the 1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1994, 2002, 2018 squads. Search by name or filter by country, position, birth year or birth month. The C badge marks captains.

NameCountryPositionBirth yearBirth month

4,049 / 4,049

Player	Country	Position	DOB	Birth month	WCs	Goals
Just Fontaine	France	Attacker	1933-08-18	Aug	1	13
Sándor Kocsis	Hungary	Attacker	1929-09-21	Sep	1	11
Grzegorz Lato	Poland	Attacker	1950-04-08	Apr	3	10
Helmut Rahn	West Germany	Attacker	1929-08-16	Aug	2	10
Karl-Heinz RummeniggeC	West Germany	Attacker	1955-09-25	Sep	3	9
Paolo Rossi	Italy	Attacker	1956-09-23	Sep	3	9
Diego MaradonaC	Argentina	Midfielder	1960-10-30	Oct	3	8
Ronaldo	Brazil	Attacker	1976-09-18	Sep	2	8
Andrzej Szarmach	Poland	Attacker	1950-10-03	Oct	3	7
Hans SchäferC	West Germany	Attacker	1927-10-19	Oct	2	7
Johnny Rep	Netherlands	Attacker	1951-11-25	Nov	2	7
Mario Kempes	Argentina	Attacker	1954-07-15	Jul	3	6
Zbigniew BoniekC	Poland	Midfielder	1956-03-03	Mar	3	6
Rob Rensenbrink	Netherlands	Attacker	1947-07-03	Jul	2	6
Erich Probst	Austria	Midfielder	1927-12-05	Dec	1	6
Gary Lineker	England	Attacker	1960-11-30	Nov	1	6
Harry KaneC	England	Attacker	1993-07-28	Jul	1	6
Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	Attacker	1966-02-08	Feb	1	6
Josef Hügi	Switzerland	Attacker	1930-01-23	Jan	1	6
Max Morlock	West Germany	Attacker	1925-05-11	May	1	6
Oleg Salenko	Russia	Attacker	1969-10-25	Oct	1	6
Pelé	Brazil	Attacker	1940-10-23	Oct	1	6
Michel PlatiniC	France	Midfielder	1955-06-21	Jun	3	5
Zico	Brazil	Midfielder	1953-03-03	Mar	3	5
Alessandro Altobelli	Italy	Attacker	1955-11-28	Nov	2	5
Gabriel BatistutaC	Argentina	Attacker	1969-02-01	Feb	2	5
Hans Krankl	Austria	Attacker	1953-02-14	Feb	2	5
Johan Neeskens	Netherlands	Midfielder	1951-09-15	Sep	2	5
Teófilo Cubillas	Peru	Midfielder	1949-03-08	Mar	2	5
Careca	Brazil	Attacker	1960-10-05	Oct	1	5
Denis Cheryshev	Russia	Midfielder	1990-12-26	Dec	1	5
Emilio Butragueño	Spain	Attacker	1963-07-22	Jul	1	5
Jürgen Klinsmann	Germany	Attacker	1964-07-30	Jul	1	5
Kennet Andersson	Sweden	Attacker	1967-10-06	Oct	1	5
Miroslav Klose	Germany	Attacker	1978-06-09	Jun	1	5
Peter McParland	Northern Ireland	Attacker	1934-04-25	Apr	1	5
Rivaldo	Brazil	Midfielder	1972-04-19	Apr	1	5
Roberto Baggio	Italy	Attacker	1967-02-18	Feb	1	5
Romário	Brazil	Attacker	1966-01-29	Jan	1	5
Vavá	Brazil	Attacker	1934-11-12	Nov	1	5
Dominique Rocheteau	France	Midfielder	1955-01-14	Jan	3	4
Joe Jordan	Scotland	Attacker	1951-12-15	Dec	3	4
Daniel Bertoni	Argentina	Attacker	1955-03-14	Mar	2	4
Henrik Larsson	Sweden	Attacker	1971-09-20	Sep	2	4
Jorge Valdano	Argentina	Attacker	1955-10-04	Oct	2	4
Kazimierz DeynaC	Poland	Midfielder	1947-10-23	Oct	2	4
Nándor HidegkutiC	Hungary	Attacker	1922-03-03	Mar	2	4
Paul Breitner	West Germany	Defender	1951-09-05	Sep	2	4
Ralf Edström	Sweden	Attacker	1952-10-07	Oct	2	4
Raymond Kopa	France	Midfielder	1931-10-13	Oct	2	4
René Houseman	Argentina	Midfielder	1953-07-19	Jul	2	4
SócratesC	Brazil	Midfielder	1954-02-19	Feb	2	4
Agne Simonsson	Sweden	Attacker	1935-10-19	Oct	1	4
Antoine Griezmann	France	Attacker	1991-03-21	Mar	1	4
Carlos Borges	Uruguay	Attacker	1932-01-14	Jan	1	4
Christian Vieri	Italy	Attacker	1973-07-12	Jul	1	4
Cristiano RonaldoC	Portugal	Attacker	1985-02-05	Feb	1	4
Ferenc PuskásC	Hungary	Attacker	1927-04-02	Apr	1	4
Florin Răducioiu	Romania	Attacker	1970-03-17	Mar	1	4
Gerd Müller	West Germany	Attacker	1945-11-03	Nov	1	4
Ihor Belanov	Soviet Union	Midfielder	1960-09-25	Sep	1	4
Jon Dahl Tomasson	Denmark	Attacker	1976-08-29	Aug	1	4
Kurt Hamrin	Sweden	Midfielder	1934-11-19	Nov	1	4
Kylian Mbappé	France	Attacker	1998-12-20	Dec	1	4
Lajos Tichy	Hungary	Attacker	1935-03-21	Mar	1	4
Leopoldo Luque	Argentina	Attacker	1949-05-03	May	1	4
Mario Mandžukić	Croatia	Attacker	1986-05-21	May	1	4
Martin Dahlin	Sweden	Attacker	1968-04-16	Apr	1	4
Ottmar Walter	West Germany	Attacker	1924-03-06	Mar	1	4
Preben Elkjær	Denmark	Attacker	1957-09-11	Sep	1	4
Robert Ballaman	Switzerland	Attacker	1926-06-21	Jun	1	4
Romelu Lukaku	Belgium	Attacker	1993-05-13	May	1	4
Zdeněk Zikán	Czechoslovakia	Attacker	1937-11-10	Nov	1	4
Daniel PassarellaC	Argentina	Defender	1953-05-25	May	3	3
Dirceu	Brazil	Attacker	1952-06-15	Jun	3	3
Alain Giresse	France	Midfielder	1952-08-02	Aug	2	3
Alfred Körner	Austria	Attacker	1926-02-14	Feb	2	3
Bernard Genghini	France	Midfielder	1958-01-18	Jan	2	3
Didi	Brazil	Midfielder	1928-10-08	Oct	2	3
Falcão	Brazil	Midfielder	1953-10-16	Oct	2	3
Fernando HierroC	Spain	Midfielder	1968-03-23	Mar	2	3
Fritz WalterC	West Germany	Attacker	1920-10-31	Oct	2	3
Gerry Armstrong	Northern Ireland	Attacker	1954-05-23	May	2	3
Jan CeulemansC	Belgium	Midfielder	1957-02-28	Feb	2	3
Marc WilmotsC	Belgium	Midfielder	1969-02-22	Feb	2	3
RivellinoC	Brazil	Midfielder	1946-01-01	Jan	2	3
Roberto Dinamite	Brazil	Attacker	1954-04-13	Apr	2	3
Todor Veselinović	Yugoslavia	Attacker	1930-10-22	Oct	2	3
Walter Schachner	Austria	Attacker	1957-02-01	Feb	2	3
Artem Dzyuba	Russia	Attacker	1988-08-22	Aug	1	3
Bebeto	Brazil	Attacker	1964-02-16	Feb	1	3
Burhan Sargun	Turkey	Attacker	1929-02-11	Feb	1	3
Dennis Bergkamp	Netherlands	Attacker	1969-05-10	May	1	3
Diego Costa	Spain	Attacker	1988-10-07	Oct	1	3
Dušan Bajević	Yugoslavia	Attacker	1948-12-10	Dec	1	3
Eden HazardC	Belgium	Attacker	1991-01-07	Jan	1	3
Edinson Cavani	Uruguay	Attacker	1987-02-14	Feb	1	3
Ernie Brandts	Netherlands	Defender	1956-02-03	Feb	1	3
Ernst Stojaspal	Austria	Attacker	1925-01-14	Jan	1	3
Fernando Morientes	Spain	Attacker	1976-04-05	Apr	1	3

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