Today, Olaf Thon is 59 years old. Between 1983 and 2002 the midfielder played for Schalke 04, Bayern Munich and again Schalke 04. With Bayern, Thon won three national titles (1989, 1990 and 1994) and with Schalke he won two DFB Pokals (2001 and 2002) as well as the UEFA Cup (1997). In 1984, Thon made his debut in the (West) German national football team and eventually played 52 international matches, in which he scored three goals. With Germany, Thon became world champion in 1990 and reached the semi-finals of the European Championship in 1988 (photo: Thon on the right in duel with Hans-Uwe Pilz during Dynamo Dresden vs Bayern Munich on 26 November 1990).

Oliver Bierhoff, one of the greatest headers in history
(May 1, 1968) 🇩🇪

Position: Forward
Matches (Goals): 586 (249)
1996-02 Germany 🇩🇪 70 (37)

Clubs:
Bayer Uerdingen 🇩🇪
Hamburger SV 🇩🇪
Borussia Mönchengladbach 🇩🇪
Austria Salzburg 🇦🇹
Ascoli 🇮🇹
Udinese 🇮🇹
Milan 🇮🇹
Monaco 🇫🇷
Chievo 🇮🇹

Honours:
European cup: 1996
Serie A: 1998–99
World Cup runner-up: 2002

Individual:
Serie A top scorer: 1997–98
Serie B top scorer: 1992–93
Goal of the Year (Germany): 1996
Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1998
FIFA XI (reserve): 1998
A.C. Milan Hall of Fame

Leonardo Bonucci, the great Italian defender and Juventus legend
(May 1, 1987) 🇮🇹

Matches (Goals): 799 (54)
2010-23 Italy 🇮🇹 121 (8)

Clubs:
Viterbese 🇮🇹
Inter Milan 🇮🇹
Treviso 🇮🇹
Pisa 🇮🇹
Genoa 🇮🇹
Bari 🇮🇹
Juventus 🇮🇹
AC Milan 🇮🇹
Juventus 🇮🇹
Union Berlin 🇩🇪
Fenerbahçe 🇹🇷

Honours:
Serie A: 9
Coppa Italia: 4
Supercoppa Italiana: 5
European cup: 2020
Coppa Italia primivera: 2006

Individual:
FFIFPro World11: 2
Serie A Team of the Year: 4
Serie A Footballer of the Year: 1
UEFA Team of the Year: 1
Europa League Squad of the Season: 2
CL Team of the Season: 2016–17
ESM Team of the Year: 2016–17
L'Équipe Team of the Year: 2016
IFFHS Men's World Team: 2017, 2021
IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
IFFHS Men's UEFA Team of the Year: 2021
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2020
Globe Soccer Awards Best Defender of the Year: 2021

Darijo Srna, one of the greatest Croatian footballers in history
(May 1, 1982) 🇭🇷

Position: Defender, Midfielder
Matches (Goals): 782 (79)
2002-16 Croatia 🇭🇷 134 (22)

Clubs:
Hajduk Split 🇭🇷
Shakhtar Donetsk 🇺🇦
Cagliari 🇮🇹

Honours:
Prva HNL: 2000–01
Croatian Cup: 2
Vyshcha Liha/Ukrainian Premier League: 10
Ukrainian Cup: 8
Ukrainian Super Cup: 8
UEFA Cup: 2008–09

Individual:
Heart of Hajduk Award: 2003
Best Ukrainian PL Player: 2
ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 2009
UCL Team of the Season: 2010–11
Europa League Squad of the Season: 2015–16

Christian Benitez, one of the greatest footballers in the history of Ecuador, was born 39 years ago
(May 1, 1986 - July 29, 2013 (27)🇪🇨

Position: Forward
Matches (Goals): 381 (167)
🇪🇨 58 (24)

Clubs:
El Nacional 🇪🇨
Santos Laguna 🇲🇽
Birmingham City
Club América 🇲🇽
El Jaish 🇶🇦

Honours:
Serie A: 2005 Clausura, 2006
Mexican Primera División: Clausura 2008, Clausura 2013

Individual:
Serie A Best Player: 2006
Liga MX Golden Ball: Clausura 2008, Apertura 2012
Liga MX Golden Boot: Apertura 2010, Clausura 2012, Apertura 2012, Clausura 2013

Olaf Thon, the great German midfielder
(May 1, 1966) 🇩🇪

Position: Midfielder
Matches (Goals): 613 (120)

National Team:
1984-98 Germany 🇩🇪 52 (3)

Clubs:
Schalke 04 🇩🇪
Bayern Munich 🇩🇪


Honours:
Bundesliga: 3
DFB-Supercup: 1
FIFA World Cup: 1990; runner-up: 1986
UEFA Cup: 1996
DFB-Pokal: 2
U.S. Cup: 1993

Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian football legend, was born 50 years ago (May 1, 1975 - June 26, 2003)🇨🇲 (28)

Position: Midfielder
Matches (Goals): 296 (34)
Cameroon 🇨🇲 62 (8)

Clubs:
Canon Yaoundé 🇨🇲
RC Lens 🇫🇷
West Ham United 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Olympique Lyonnais 🇫🇷
Manchester City 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Honours:
Cameroonian Cup: 1993
Division 1: 2
Intertoto Cup: 1999
Coupe de la Ligue: 2000–01
Africa Cup of Nations: 2000, 2002

Confederations Cup Bronze Ball: 2003

Bernard Vukas, one of the greatest footballers in the history of Yugoslavia, was born 98 years ago

Bernard Vukas
Birth Date: May 1, 1927
Place of Birth: Zagreb, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 🇭🇷
Date of Death: April 4, 1983 (55)
Position: Winger
Matches (Goals): +447 (+123)

National Team:
1948-57 Yugoslavia 59 (22)

Clubs:
1945-46 Amater Zagreb 🇭🇷
1946-47 NK Zagreb 🇭🇷
1947-57 Hajduk Split 🇭🇷
1957-59 Bologna 🇮🇹
1959-63 Hajduk Split 🇭🇷
1962-63 Austria Klagenfurt 🇦🇹
1963-65 Grazer AK 🇦🇹
1965-67 Kapfenberger SV 🇦🇹

Honours:
Yugoslav First League: 1950, 1952, 1955
Olympic Games silver medal: 1948, 1952

Individual:
Yugoslav First League top goalscorer: 1954–55
Best footballer in the history of Croatia according to the Croatian Football Federation: 2000

Oliver Neuville, the great German striker, turns 52 today

Oliver Patric Neuville
Birth Date: May 1, 1973
Place of Birth: Locarno, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Position: Forward
Matches (Goals): 698 (187)

National Team:
1998-08 Germany 🇩🇪 69 (10)

Clubs:
1991-92 FC Locarno 🇨🇭
1992-96 Servette 🇨🇭
1996-97 Tenerife 🇪🇸
1997-99 Hansa Rostock 🇩🇪
1999-04 Bayer Leverkusen 🇩🇪
2004-10 Borussia Mönchengladbach 🇩🇪
2010 Arminia Bielefeld 🇩🇪

Honours:
Swiss League: 1993–94
2. Bundesliga: 2007–08
FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2002; Third place 2006

Today, 90 years ago Spanish football legend Luis Suárez Miramontes was born. Suárez was one of the best football players Spain has ever known. Suárez played for Deportivo La Coruna and Sampdoria, but was particularly successful with FC Barcelona (two national titles and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup) and Interazionale (three national titles, two European Cups and two World Cups for club teams). With the Spanish national team, the 32-time international became European champion in 1964. Suárez himself was named European footballer of the year in 1960. In July 2023 Suárez died at the age of 88 years (photo: Suárez during his time with Inter in the mid-1960s).