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
1,611
Players in window
72
Teams
22.4
Avg squad size
3
Tournaments
1970, 1982, 2010

Squads by position

Players in the selected window, split by role
GET /aggregates/players?years=1970,1982,2010

By confederation

Where the players come from
GET /aggregates/players?years=1970,1982,2010

Hemisphere split

Northern vs Southern hemisphere national teams
Northern1,206 (74.9%)
Southern405 (25.1%)
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: Jul26 players (12.0%). Range: 1226.

Defenders

Birth-month distribution + 2 GOAT markers
DF
Franz Beckenbauer· Sep
Fabio Cannavaro· Sep
Modal month: Jan53 players (10.0%). Range: 3253.

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: Mar50 players (10.2%). Range: 3150.

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: May43 players (11.4%). Range: 1943.

All players

Every player from the 1970, 1982, 2010 squads. Search by name or filter by country, position, birth year or birth month. The C badge marks captains.

1,608 / 1,608
PlayerCountryPositionDOBBirth monthWCsGoals
Gerd MüllerWest GermanyAttacker1945-11-03Nov110
JairzinhoBrazilAttacker1944-12-25Dec17
Paolo RossiItalyAttacker1956-09-23Sep16
Teófilo CubillasPeruAttacker1949-03-08Mar25
David VillaSpainAttacker1981-12-03Dec15
Diego ForlánUruguayAttacker1979-05-19May15
Karl-Heinz RummeniggeCWest GermanyAttacker1955-09-25Sep15
Thomas MüllerGermanyMidfielder1989-09-13Sep15
Wesley SneijderNetherlandsMidfielder1984-06-09Jun15
Anatoliy ByshovetsSoviet UnionAttacker1946-04-23Apr14
Gonzalo HiguaínArgentinaAttacker1987-12-10Dec14
Miroslav KloseGermanyAttacker1978-06-09Jun14
PeléBrazilAttacker1940-10-23Oct14
Róbert VittekSlovakiaAttacker1982-04-01Apr14
Zbigniew BoniekPolandAttacker1956-03-03Mar14
ZicoBrazilMidfielder1953-03-03Mar14
Alain GiresseFranceMidfielder1952-08-02Aug13
Asamoah GyanGhanaAttacker1985-11-22Nov13
FalcãoBrazilMidfielder1953-10-16Oct13
Gerry ArmstrongNorthern IrelandAttacker1954-05-23May13
Gigi RivaItalyAttacker1944-11-07Nov13
Landon DonovanUnited StatesMidfielder1982-03-04Mar13
László KissHungaryAttacker1956-03-12Mar13
Luís FabianoBrazilAttacker1980-11-08Nov13
Luis SuárezUruguayAttacker1987-01-24Jan13
RivellinoBrazilMidfielder1946-01-01Jan13
Uwe SeelerCWest GermanyAttacker1936-11-05Nov13
Wilfried Van MoerBelgiumMidfielder1945-03-01Mar22
Alberto GallardoPeruMidfielder1940-11-28Nov12
Andrés IniestaSpainMidfielder1984-05-11May12
Antonín PanenkaCzechoslovakiaMidfielder1948-12-02Dec12
Arjen RobbenNetherlandsAttacker1984-01-23Jan12
Bernard GenghiniFranceMidfielder1958-01-18Jan12
Billy HamiltonNorthern IrelandAttacker1957-05-09May12
Brett HolmanAustraliaAttacker1984-03-27Mar12
Bryan RobsonEnglandMidfielder1957-01-11Jan12
Carlos TevezArgentinaAttacker1984-02-05Feb12
Daniel BertoniArgentinaAttacker1955-03-14Mar12
Daniel PassarellaCArgentinaDefender1953-05-25May12
Didier SixFranceAttacker1954-08-21Aug12
Diego MaradonaArgentinaMidfielder1960-10-30Oct12
Dominique RocheteauFranceAttacker1955-01-14Jan12
ÉderBrazilAttacker1957-05-25May12
ElanoBrazilMidfielder1981-06-14Jun12
Florea DumitracheRomaniaAttacker1948-05-22May12
Gábor PölöskeiHungaryAttacker1960-10-11Oct12
Gianni RiveraItalyMidfielder1943-08-18Aug12
Javier HernándezMexicoAttacker1988-06-01Jun12
Javier ValdiviaMexicoAttacker1941-12-04Dec12
John WarkScotlandMidfielder1957-08-04Aug12
Kalu UcheNigeriaAttacker1982-11-15Nov12
Keisuke HondaJapanMidfielder1986-06-13Jun12
Klaus FischerWest GermanyAttacker1949-12-27Dec12
Ladislav PetrášCzechoslovakiaAttacker1946-12-01Dec12
László FazekasHungaryAttacker1947-10-15Oct12
Lee Chung-yongSouth KoreaAttacker1988-07-02Jul12
Lee Jung-sooSouth KoreaDefender1980-01-08Jan12
Lukas PodolskiGermanyMidfielder1985-06-04Jun12
Marco TardelliItalyMidfielder1954-09-24Sep12
Michel PlatiniCFranceMidfielder1955-06-21Jun12
Park Chu-youngSouth KoreaAttacker1985-07-10Jul12
Pierre LittbarskiWest GermanyMidfielder1960-04-16Apr12
Raoul LambertBelgiumAttacker1944-10-20Oct12
Roberto BoninsegnaItalyAttacker1943-11-13Nov12
RobinhoBrazilAttacker1984-01-25Jan12
Salah AssadAlgeriaAttacker1958-03-13Mar12
Samuel Eto'oCCameroonAttacker1981-03-10Mar12
SerginhoBrazilAttacker1953-12-23Dec12
SócratesCBrazilMidfielder1954-02-19Feb12
TiagoPortugalMidfielder1981-05-02May12
Tibor NyilasiCHungaryAttacker1955-01-18Jan12
TostãoBrazilAttacker1947-01-25Jan12
Trevor FrancisEnglandAttacker1954-04-19Apr12
Walter SchachnerAustriaAttacker1957-02-01Feb12
Abdullah Al-BuloushiKuwaitAttacker1960-02-16Feb11
Alain CouriolFranceAttacker1958-10-24Oct11
Alan MulleryEnglandMidfielder1941-11-23Nov11
Aleksandr ChivadzeCSoviet UnionDefender1955-04-08Apr11
Alessandro AltobelliItalyAttacker1955-11-28Nov11
Alexandre CzerniatynskiBelgiumAttacker1960-07-28Jul11
Alexandru NeaguRomaniaAttacker1948-07-19Jul11
Allan ClarkeEnglandAttacker1946-07-31Jul11
Álvaro PereiraUruguayDefender1985-11-28Nov11
Andriy BalSoviet UnionMidfielder1958-02-16Feb11
Andrzej BuncolPolandMidfielder1959-09-21Sep11
Andrzej SzarmachPolandAttacker1950-10-03Oct11
Angelo DomenghiniItalyAttacker1941-08-25Aug11
Antolín AlcarazParaguayDefender1982-07-30Jul11
Antonio CabriniItalyDefender1957-10-08Oct11
Antonio Di NataleItalyAttacker1977-10-13Oct11
Antonio LaingHondurasAttacker1958-12-27Dec11
Arne FriedrichGermanyDefender1979-05-29May11
Asparuh NikodimovBulgariaMidfielder1945-08-21Aug11
Bongani KhumaloSouth AfricaDefender1987-01-06Jan11
Bruno ContiItalyMidfielder1955-03-13Mar11
Bruno PezzeyAustriaDefender1955-02-03Feb11
CacauGermanyAttacker1981-03-27Mar11
Carles PuyolSpainDefender1978-04-13Apr11
Carlos AlbertoCBrazilDefender1944-07-17Jul11
Clint DempseyUnited StatesMidfielder1983-03-09Mar11

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