Jonathan Boye Charles Sogbie (born 1 February 1970 [1] ) is a Liberian politician and former professional footballer who played as a forward. At club level Sogbie played for ASEC Mimosas, Lausanne-Sport, Servette, Connecticut Wolves, Rhode Island Stingrays, and Chongqing Lifan. [2] Sogbie also played for the Liberia national team between 1990 and 1998. [1] After his retirement from soccer, he entered politics, and is noted for being an opponent of his former teammate George Weah, who is now the President of Liberia. [3] He previously served as the public relations manager at the National Oil Company of Liberia. [4]
In December 2020, he was elected as a member of The Senate of Liberia, the upper house of the bicameral legislative branch of Liberia, representing River Gee County. [5]
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his nickname Pelé, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record.
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is currently the manager of the France national under-21 team. He is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time, and one of the greatest players in Premier League history. He has been named by Arsenal as the club's greatest ever player. Henry was runner-up for both the Ballon d'Or in 2003 and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He was named the FWA Footballer of the Year a record three times, the PFA Players' Player of the Year a joint-record two times, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year six consecutive times. He was also included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI once and the UEFA Team of the Year five times. In 2004, Henry was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
Marcel Desailly is a French former professional footballer, widely considered to be among the greatest centre-backs and defensive midfielders to ever play football. During a successful career at club level, lasting from 1986 to 2006, Desailly won several titles, including UEFA Champions League medals with both Marseille and AC Milan, and also played for Nantes and Chelsea, among other teams. At international level, he collected 116 caps between 1993 and 2004, scoring three goals, and was a member of the France international squads that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha, often known as Roberto Carlos and sometimes as RC3 is a Brazilian former professional footballer who currently works as a football ambassador. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his career as a left-back and has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the history of the game". In 1997, he was runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year. Widely considered one of the greatest full-backs in history, in 2004 he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
Alessandro Nesta is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is currently manager of Serie B club Reggiana. Usually deployed as a centre-back, he is widely considered one of the best defenders of all time. He was best known for his pace, artistic tackles, elegance on the ball, distribution and tight marking of opponents.
George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is a Liberian politician and former professional footballer who is the incumbent president of Liberia, serving in office since 2018. Prior to his election to the presidency, Weah served as Senator from Montserrado County. He played as a striker in his prolific 18-year professional football career, which ended in 2003. Weah is the first African former professional footballer to become a head of state.
Park Ji-sung is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is one of the most successful Asian players in football history, having won 19 trophies in his career. He is the first Asian footballer to have won the UEFA Champions League, to play in a UEFA Champions League final, as well as the first Asian to have won the FIFA Club World Cup. Park was able to play anywhere across the midfield and was noted for his exceptional fitness level, discipline, work ethic and off-the-ball movement. His remarkable endurance levels earned him the nickname "Three-Lung" Park.
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian football administrator and former player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation since 11 December 2021. In his prime, Eto'o was regarded by pundits as one of the best strikers in the world, and he is regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, winning the African Player of the Year a record four times: in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010.
Míchael Umaña Corrales is a Costa Rican professional footballer who last played as a defender for Comunicaciones in the Liga Nacional. He played for the Costa Rica national team.
Robert Kidiaba Muteba is a Congolese politician and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent most of his club career with TP Mazembe, whilst at international level he collected 61 caps playing for the DR Congo national team.
Michael Kojo Essien is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and is currently a member of Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland's coaching staff. He was also capped for the Ghana national team more than 50 times. During his prime, Essien was considered one of the best midfielders in the world. Essien was known not only for his defensive ability, but also his knack for scoring long-range goals.
Christopher Wreh is a retired Liberian professional footballer who played as a striker. He was a member of the Arsenal side which won the Premier League and FA Cup double during the 1997–98 season.
Luka Modrić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, and as the greatest Croatian footballer ever.
Jonathan Grant Evans is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team.
Boubacar "Copa" Barry is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Having begun his career at ASEC Mimosas, he moved to France in 2001, where he played for Rennes' reserve team. In 2003, he joined Belgian side Beveren where he stayed four years. He then spent ten years at K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen amassing 239 league appearances. At international level, he played for the Ivory Coast national team before his retirement from international football in March 2015, but continued to play for his club, Lokeren. Exactly four years after his international retirement, Barry retired also professionally as a player in March 2019.
Stephen Constantine is an English professional football coach and former player who is the manager of the Pakistan national team.
Kevin-Prince Boateng is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. Born in Germany, he played for the Ghana national team.
Roberto Landi is an Italian football manager and former player.
Cristian Esteban Gamboa Luna, commonly known as Cristian Gamboa, is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Bundesliga club VfL Bochum and the Costa Rica national team.
Timothy Tarpeh Weah is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Serie A club Juventus and the United States national team.