21 interesting facts about footballers

Football, also known as soccer in some parts of the world, is one of the most popular sports globally, with millions of fans tuning in to watch the game. Professional footballers are often looked up to as role models by fans worldwide. In this article, we will be presenting some fascinating facts about footballers that you may not have known.

1. The first professional footballer was Andrew Watson, a Scottish player who played for Glasgow’s Queen’s Park FC in the 1880s.
2. The highest-paid footballer in the world is Lionel Messi, who earned over £100 million in 2021, according to Forbes.
3. The youngest footballer to play in the English Premier League is Harvey Elliott, who made his debut for Fulham at the age of 16 years and 30 days in May 2019.
4. The oldest footballer to play in the English Premier League is John Burridge, who played for Manchester City at the age of 43 years and 162 days in 1995.
5. The fastest goal scored in a professional football match was by Nawaf Al Abed, a Saudi Arabian player who scored after just two seconds.
6. The highest-scoring footballer of all time is Josef Bican, an Austrian-Czechoslovakian striker who scored 805 goals in 530 appearances.
7. The shortest footballer to ever play in the Premier League is Argentinean Pablo Hernandez, who stands at 5 feet 4 inches tall.
8. The tallest footballer in the world is Kristof Van Hout, a Belgian goalkeeper who stands at 6 feet 10 inches tall.
9. The most expensive transfer fee ever paid for a footballer is £198 million, which was paid by Paris Saint-Germain to sign Brazilian forward Neymar from Barcelona in 2017.
10. The oldest player to score a hat-trick in the English Premier League is Teddy Sheringham, who scored three goals for West Ham at the age of 40 years and 268 days in 2003.
11. The youngest player to score a hat-trick in the English Premier League is Michael Owen, who scored three goals for Liverpool at the age of 18 years and 59 days in 1998.
12. The most expensive goalkeeper of all time is Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was signed by Chelsea for £71 million in 2018.
13. The footballer with the most international goals is Ali Daei, an Iranian striker who scored 109 goals in 149 appearances for his country.
14. The footballer with the most Premier League appearances is Gareth Barry, who played in 653 games for Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton, and West Brom.
15. The first black footballer to play for England was Viv Anderson, who made his debut in 1978.
16. The first Asian footballer to play for England was Michael Chopra, who played for the national team in 2008.
17. The footballer with the most Premier League goals is Alan Shearer, who scored 260 goals in 441 appearances for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.
18. The footballer with the most Ballon d’Or awards is Lionel Messi, who has won the prestigious award seven times.
19. The first football club to win the European Cup/Champions League three years in a row was Real Madrid in 1956, 1957, and 1958.
20. The youngest player to score a goal in a World Cup tournament is Pelé, who scored for Brazil at the age of 17 years and 239 days in 1958.
21. The oldest player to score a goal in a World Cup tournament is Roger Milla of Cameroon. At the age of 42 years and 39 days, he scored a goal against Russia in the 1994 World Cup held in the United States.

Football, also known as soccer in some parts of the world, is one of the most popular sports globally, with millions of fans tuning in to watch the game. Professional footballers are often looked up to as role models by fans worldwide. In this article, we will be presenting some…