Telé Santana, one of the best coaches in South American history, ( July 26, 193 - April 21, 2006) (74)

Matches (Goals): 557 (165)

Clubs:
Fluminense 🇧🇷
Guarani
Vasco da Gama 🇧🇷

Honours:
Campeonato Carioca: 2
Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 2
Copa Rio: 1

AS COACH Clubs:
Fluminense 🇧🇷
Atlético Mineiro 🇧🇷
São Paulo 🇧🇷
Botafogo 🇧🇷
Grêmio 🇧🇷
Palmeiras 🇧🇷
Brazil 🇧🇷
Al-Ahli 🇸🇦
Flamengo 🇧🇷

Honours:
Taça Guanabara: 2
Campeonato Carioca: 1969
Campeonato Mineiro: 1970, 1988
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1971, 1991
Campeonato Gaúcho: 1977
King's Cup: 1983S
audi League: 1984
Gulf Club Champions Cup: 1985
Campeonato Paulista: 1991, 1992Copa Libertadores: 1992, 1993Intercontinental Cup: 1992, 1993Recopa Sudamericana: 1993, 1994Supercopa Sudamericana: 1993Copa CONMEBOL: 1994

Individual:
Belfort Duarte PrizeSouth American Coach of the Year: 1992Best football coach in the world (El País): 1992, 1993
13th All-Time Coach of World Soccer: 2013
35th Major Coach of All Seasons of France Football: 2019

 Toninho Cerezo, one of the greatest Brazilian midfielders in history, ( April 21, 1955)

Position: Midfielder
Matches (Goals): 479 (44)National Brazil 🇧🇷 57 (5)

Clubs:
Atlético Mineiro 🇧🇷
Nacional 🇧🇷
AS Roma 🇮🇹
Sampdoria 🇮🇹
São Paulo 🇧🇷
Cruzeiro 🇧🇷
Paulista 🇧🇷
São Paulo 🇧🇷
América Mineiro 🇧🇷
Atlético Mineiro 🇧🇷

Honours:
Campeonato
Amazonense: 1974
Campeonato Mineiro: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Copa dos Campeões da Copa Brasil: 1978
Campeonato Mineiro: 1984
Coppa Italia: 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989Serie A: 1990–91
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1990
Supercoppa Italiana: 1991
Campeonato Paulista: 1992
Copa Libertadores: 1993
Supercopa Libertadores: 1993
Recopa Sudamericana: 1993
Intercontinental Cup: 1992, 1993
Individual:South American U-20 Championship Top Scorer: 1977
Bola de Ouro: 1977, 1980
Bola de Prata: 1976, 1977, 1980
FIFA XI (Reserve): 1979
World XI Soccer: 1983
Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player of the Match Award: 1993
A.S. Roma Hall of Fame: 2016

Six years ago today, Celtic legend William “Billy” McNeill died at the age of 79. The defender won nine league titles, seven Scottish cups and six Scottish League Cups with Celtic, as well as the European Cup I in 1967 by beating Internazionale in the final. McNeill himself was named Scottish footballer of the year in 1965. McNeill, who also played 29 international matches for the Scottish football team, is the record holder at Celtic with the number of a total of 822 matches played. After his playing career, McNeill became coach of Celtic, among others. In two periods, McNeill won four league titles, three Scottish Cups and once the League Cup (photo Nationaal Archief: Celtic manager Billy McNeill with Roy Aitken on 28 September 1982 in Amsterdam, the day before the Ajax v Celtic match)

Jari Litmanen

Birth Date: February 20, 1971 🇫🇮

Position: Midfielder, Forward
Matches (Goals): 736 (259)National
Finland 🇫🇮 137 (32)

Clubs: Reipas 🇫🇮 MyPa 🇫🇮 Ajax 🇳🇱 Barcelona 🇪🇸 Liverpool 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ajax 🇳🇱 Lahti 🇫🇮 Hansa Rostock 🇩🇪Malmö FF 🇸🇪 Fulham 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Lahti 🇫🇮 HJK 🇫🇮

Honours: UEFA Champions League: 1994–95
Eredivisie: 5
KNVB Cup: 3
Dutch Supercup: 3
UEFA Super Cup: 1995
Intercontinental Cup: 1995
FA Cup: 2000–01
Football League Cup: 2000–01
FA Community Shield: 2001
UEFA Cup: 2000–01
UEFA Super Cup: 2001Finnish Cup: 1992
Veikkausliiga: 2011
Finnish Cup: 2011
Nordic Football Championship: 2000–01

Finnish Sports Journalists Player of the Year: 8
Finnish Football Association Player of the Year: 9

Veikkausliiga Player of the Year: 1990
Dutch Footballer of the Year: 1993
Dutch league top scorer: 1993–94 (26 goals)
UNICEF European Footballer of the Season: 1994–95
Ballon d'Or: 1994 (8th), 1995 (3rd)Finnish Sports Personality of the Year: 1995
ESM Team of the Year: 1994–95, 1995–96
UEFA Champions League top scorer: 1995–96 (9 goals)
Captain's Ball: 2002UEFA Jubilee Awards – Greatest Finnish Footballer of the last 50 Years: 2003
FC Lahti Hall of Fame: 2016

 Mark van Bommel, the great Dutch midfielder, turns 48 today
(April 22, 1977)🇳🇱

Position: Midfielder
Matches (Goals): 772 (108)
Netherlands 🇳🇱 79 (10)

Clubs: Fortuna Sittard 🇳🇱 PSV 🇳🇱Barcelona 🇪🇸 Bayern Munich 🇩🇪Milan 🇮🇹
Honours: Eerste Divisie: 1994–95
Eredivisie: 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05
KNVB Cup: 2004–05
Johan Cruyff Shield: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2012
La Liga: 2005–06
Supercopa de España: 2005UEFA Champions League: 2005–06
Bundesliga: 2007–08, 2009–10
DFB-Pokal: 2007–08, 2009–10
Serie A: 2010–11
Supercoppa Italiana: 2011
FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2010
Individual:FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010
Dutch Football Talent of the Year: 1999
Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2001, 2005
Dutch Football Golden Boot: 2005
ESM Team of the Year: 2004–

Kaká, winner of the 2007 Ballon d'Or, turns 43 today

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Birth date: April 22, 1982
Place of birth: Gama, Federal District, Brazil 🇧🇷
Position: Midfielder
Matches (Goals): 746 (237)

National Team:
2002-16 Brazil 🇧🇷 92 (29)

Clubs:
2000-03 São Paulo 🇧🇷
2003-09 AC Milan 🇮🇹
2009-13 Real Madrid 🇪🇸
2013-14 AC Milan 🇮🇹
2014-17 Orlando City 🇺🇸
2014 São Paulo (loan) 🇧🇷

Honours:
Supercampeonato Paulista: 2002
Torneio Rio – São Paulo: 2001
FIFA World Cup: 2002
Serie A: 2003–04
Supercoppa Italiana: 2004
FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005, 2009
UEFA Champions League: 2006–07
UEFA Super Cup: 2007
FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
La Liga: 2011–12
Copa del Rey: 2010–11

Individual:
Ballon d'Or: 2007
FIFA World Player of the Year: 2007
FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007
FIFPro World XI: 2006, 2007, 2008
UEFA Team of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2009
UEFA.com Team of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2009
UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2006–07
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2006–07
UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year: 2004–05
UEFA Champions League Bronze Foot: 2005–06
Pallone d'Argento: 2006–07
World Soccer Player of the Year: 2007
Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2006, 2007
Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2007
Bola de Ouro: 2002
Bola de Prata: 2002
South American Team of the Year: 2002
CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2003
IFFHS World's Best Playmaker: 2007
IAAF Latin Sportsman of the Year: 2007
Onze d'Or: 2007
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2007
Time 100: 2008, 2009
Maracanã Hall of Fame: 2008
Samba Gold: 2008
MARCA Legend Award: 2009
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2009
FIFA Confederations Cup Best XI: 2009
AC Milan Hall of Fame: 2010
MLS All-Star: 2015, 2016, 2017
MLS All-Star Game MVP: 2015
UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year: 2015

Jorge Aravena, one of the greatest footballers in Chile's history, turns 67 today

Jorge Orlando Aravena Plaza
Birth Date: April 22, 1958
Place of Birth: Santiago, Chile 🇨🇱
Position: Midfielder, Forward
Matches (Goals): 529 (277)

National Team:
1983-89 Chile 🇨🇱 36 (22)

Clubs:
1978-85 Universidad Católica 🇨🇱
1980 Santiago Morning (loan) 🇨🇱
1981-82 Naval (loan) 🇨🇱
1985-86 Real Valladolid 🇪🇸
1986-88 Deportivo Cali 🇨🇴
1988-91 Puebla 🇲🇽
1991 Portuguesa 🇧🇷
1992 Unión Española 🇨🇱
1993 Audax Italiano 🇨🇱

Honours:
Copa Chile: 1983, 1992
Copa de la República: 1983
Primera División Chilena: 1984, 1989-90
Copa Mexico: 1989-90
Campeon de Campeones: 1989-90
CONCACAF Champions League: 1991

Individual:
Copa Chile top scorer: 1983
FIFA World Cup Qualification top scorer: 1986
Colombian First Division top scorer: 1987
Best Footballer in the Mexican League: 1989-90

John Obi Mikel, one of Nigeria's greatest midfielders, turns 38 today

John Michael Nchekwube Obinna
Birth date: April 22, 1987
Place of birth: Jos, Nigeria 🇳🇬
Position: Midfielder
Matches (Goals): 586 (17)

National Team:
2005-19 Nigeria 🇳🇬 91 (6)

Clubs:
2004-06 Lyn 🇳🇴
2006-17 Chelsea 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
2017-18 Tianjin TEDA 🇨🇳
2019 Middlesbrough 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
2019-20 Trabzonspor 🇹🇷
2020-21 Stoke City 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
2021 Kuwait SC 🇰🇼

Honours:
Premier League: 2009–10, 2014–15
FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12
Football League Cup: 2006–07, 2014–15
FA Community Shield: 2009
UEFA Champions League: 2011–12
UEFA Europa League: 2012–13
Africa Cup of Nations: 2013
Summer Olympics bronze medalist: 2016

Individual:
FIFA World Youth Championship Silver Ball: 2005
CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year: 2005
CAF Team of the Year:2005, 2013
Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2013
African Footballer of the Year runner-up: 2013