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

'30s

1930 1934 1938

'50s

'60s

'70s

'80s

'90s

'00s

'10s

'20s

3,970

Players in window

176

Teams

22.6

Avg squad size

Tournaments

1962, 1974, 1986, 1990, 2006, 2014, 2018

Squads by position

Players in the selected window, split by role

GET /aggregates/players?years=1962,1974,1986,1990,2006,2014,2018

By confederation

Where the players come from

GET /aggregates/players?years=1962,1974,1986,1990,2006,2014,2018

Hemisphere split

Northern vs Southern hemisphere national teams

Northern3,227 (81.3%)

Southern743 (18.7%)

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 — 56 players (10.7%). Range: 32—56.

Defenders

Birth-month distribution + 2 GOAT markers

Franz Beckenbauer· Sep

Fabio Cannavaro· Sep

Modal month: Mar — 136 players (10.4%). Range: 89—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: Jan — 139 players (11.1%). Range: 79—139.

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 — 89 players (9.9%). Range: 61—89.

All players

Every player from the 1962, 1974, 1986, 1990, 2006, 2014, 2018 squads. Search by name or filter by country, position, birth year or birth month. The C badge marks captains.

NameCountryPositionBirth yearBirth month

3,613 / 3,613

Player	Country	Position	DOB	Birth month	WCs	Goals
Gary Lineker	England	Attacker	1960-11-30	Nov	2	10
Careca	Brazil	Attacker	1960-10-05	Oct	2	7
Miroslav Klose	Germany	Attacker	1978-06-09	Jun	2	7
Grzegorz Lato	Poland	Attacker	1950-04-08	Apr	1	7
Cristiano RonaldoC	Portugal	Attacker	1985-02-05	Feb	3	6
Lionel MessiC	Argentina	Attacker	1987-06-24	Jun	3	6
James Rodríguez	Colombia	Midfielder	1991-07-12	Jul	2	6
Mario Mandžukić	Croatia	Attacker	1986-05-21	May	2	6
Neymar	Brazil	Attacker	1992-02-05	Feb	2	6
Rudi Völler	West Germany	Attacker	1960-04-13	Apr	2	6
Harry KaneC	England	Attacker	1993-07-28	Jul	1	6
Salvatore Schillaci	Italy	Attacker	1964-12-01	Dec	1	6
Diego MaradonaC	Argentina	Midfielder	1960-10-30	Oct	2	5
Emilio ButragueñoC	Spain	Attacker	1963-07-22	Jul	2	5
Ivan Perišić	Croatia	Attacker	1989-02-02	Feb	2	5
Lothar MatthäusC	West Germany	Midfielder	1961-03-21	Mar	2	5
Robin van PersieC	Netherlands	Attacker	1983-08-06	Aug	2	5
Romelu Lukaku	Belgium	Attacker	1993-05-13	May	2	5
Thomas Müller	Germany	Attacker	1989-09-13	Sep	2	5
Andrzej Szarmach	Poland	Attacker	1950-10-03	Oct	1	5
Denis Cheryshev	Russia	Midfielder	1990-12-26	Dec	1	5
Johan Neeskens	Netherlands	Midfielder	1951-09-15	Sep	1	5
Tomáš Skuhravý	Czechoslovakia	Attacker	1965-09-07	Sep	1	5
Tim Cahill	Australia	Midfielder	1979-12-06	Dec	3	4
Ahmed Musa	Nigeria	Attacker	1992-10-14	Oct	2	4
Andreas Brehme	West Germany	Defender	1960-11-09	Nov	2	4
Antoine Griezmann	France	Attacker	1991-03-21	Mar	2	4
Arjen Robben	Netherlands	Midfielder	1984-01-23	Jan	2	4
David Villa	Spain	Attacker	1981-12-03	Dec	2	4
Edinson Cavani	Uruguay	Attacker	1987-02-14	Feb	2	4
Fernando Torres	Spain	Attacker	1984-03-20	Mar	2	4
Jan CeulemansC	Belgium	Midfielder	1957-02-28	Feb	2	4
Luis Suárez	Uruguay	Attacker	1987-01-24	Jan	2	4
Míchel	Spain	Midfielder	1963-03-23	Mar	2	4
Xherdan Shaqiri	Switzerland	Midfielder	1991-10-10	Oct	2	4
Alessandro Altobelli	Italy	Attacker	1955-11-28	Nov	1	4
Dražan Jerković	Yugoslavia	Attacker	1936-08-06	Aug	1	4
Flórián Albert	Hungary	Attacker	1941-09-15	Sep	1	4
Garrincha	Brazil	Attacker	1933-10-28	Oct	1	4
Gerd Müller	West Germany	Attacker	1945-11-03	Nov	1	4
Ihor Belanov	Soviet Union	Midfielder	1960-09-25	Sep	1	4
Johnny Rep	Netherlands	Attacker	1951-11-25	Nov	1	4
Jorge Valdano	Argentina	Attacker	1955-10-04	Oct	1	4
Kylian Mbappé	France	Attacker	1998-12-20	Dec	1	4
Leonel Sánchez	Chile	Attacker	1936-04-25	Apr	1	4
Preben Elkjær	Denmark	Attacker	1957-09-11	Sep	1	4
Ralf Edström	Sweden	Attacker	1952-10-07	Oct	1	4
Roger Milla	Cameroon	Attacker	1952-05-20	May	1	4
Valentin Ivanov	Soviet Union	Attacker	1934-11-19	Nov	1	4
Vavá	Brazil	Attacker	1934-11-12	Nov	1	4
Asamoah GyanC	Ghana	Attacker	1985-11-22	Nov	2	3
Clint DempseyC	United States	Midfielder	1983-03-09	Mar	2	3
Diego Costa	Spain	Attacker	1988-10-07	Oct	2	3
Eden HazardC	Belgium	Midfielder	1991-01-07	Jan	2	3
Enzo Scifo	Belgium	Midfielder	1966-02-19	Feb	2	3
Jorge Burruchaga	Argentina	Midfielder	1962-10-09	Oct	2	3
Lukas Podolski	Germany	Attacker	1985-06-04	Jun	2	3
Maxi Rodríguez	Argentina	Midfielder	1981-01-02	Jan	2	3
Mile JedinakC	Australia	Midfielder	1984-08-03	Aug	2	3
Nico Claesen	Belgium	Attacker	1962-10-07	Oct	2	3
Son Heung-min	South Korea	Attacker	1992-07-08	Jul	2	3
Toni Kroos	Germany	Midfielder	1990-01-04	Jan	2	3
Adolf Scherer	Czechoslovakia	Attacker	1938-05-05	May	1	3
Amarildo	Brazil	Attacker	1939-06-29	Jun	1	3
André Schürrle	Germany	Attacker	1990-11-06	Nov	1	3
Artem Dzyuba	Russia	Attacker	1988-08-22	Aug	1	3
David Platt	England	Midfielder	1966-06-10	Jun	1	3
Dušan Bajević	Yugoslavia	Attacker	1948-12-10	Dec	1	3
Enner Valencia	Ecuador	Attacker	1989-11-04	Nov	1	3
Hernán Crespo	Argentina	Attacker	1975-07-05	Jul	1	3
Jesper Olsen	Denmark	Midfielder	1961-03-20	Mar	1	3
Johan CruyffC	Netherlands	Midfielder	1947-04-25	Apr	1	3
Jürgen Klinsmann	West Germany	Attacker	1964-07-30	Jul	1	3
Karim Benzema	France	Attacker	1987-12-19	Dec	1	3
Kazimierz DeynaC	Poland	Midfielder	1947-10-23	Oct	1	3
Lajos Tichy	Hungary	Midfielder	1935-03-21	Mar	1	3
Milan GalićC	Yugoslavia	Midfielder	1938-03-08	Mar	1	3
Paul Breitner	West Germany	Defender	1951-09-05	Sep	1	3
René Houseman	Argentina	Midfielder	1953-07-19	Jul	1	3
Rivellino	Brazil	Midfielder	1946-01-01	Jan	1	3
Ronaldo	Brazil	Attacker	1976-09-22	Sep	1	3
Thierry Henry	France	Attacker	1977-08-17	Aug	1	3
Yerry Mina	Colombia	Defender	1994-09-23	Sep	1	3
Zinedine ZidaneC	France	Midfielder	1972-06-23	Jun	1	3
Blerim Džemaili	Switzerland	Midfielder	1986-04-12	Apr	3	2
Fred	Brazil	Attacker	1983-10-03	Oct	3	2
Javier Hernández	Mexico	Midfielder	1961-08-01	Aug	3	2
Luka ModrićC	Croatia	Midfielder	1985-09-09	Sep	3	2
Rafael MárquezC	Mexico	Defender	1979-02-13	Feb	3	2
Ángel Di María	Argentina	Midfielder	1988-02-14	Feb	2	2
Bastian Schweinsteiger	Germany	Midfielder	1984-08-01	Aug	2	2
Bryan RuizC	Costa Rica	Attacker	1985-08-18	Aug	2	2
Dries Mertens	Belgium	Attacker	1987-05-06	May	2	2
Fernandinho	Brazil	Midfielder	1985-05-04	May	2	2
Granit Xhaka	Switzerland	Midfielder	1992-09-27	Sep	2	2
Jan Vertonghen	Belgium	Defender	1987-04-24	Apr	2	2
Juan Cuadrado	Colombia	Midfielder	1988-05-26	May	2	2
Juan Fernando Quintero	Colombia	Midfielder	1993-01-18	Jan	2	2
Julio Salinas	Spain	Attacker	1962-09-11	Sep	2	2
Keisuke Honda	Japan	Midfielder	1986-06-13	Jun	2	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