18th January – Footballing Birthdays
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is 54 today. He won fifteen trophies during his career, all at Barcelona, but has now carved out a successful career in coaching.
Starting out at his former club Barcelona, Guardiola won fourteen major competitions, before moving to Bayern Munich where he lifted seven trophies.
After joining Manchester City in 2016, Guardiola has won the Premier League six times and the Champions League once.
Peter Beardsley is 64 today. The former England international started his career at Carlisle United and then spent three seasons at Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps.
Newcastle United signed Beardsley in 1983 and after four successful years at St James’ Park, moved to Liverpool in the summer of 1987.
Beardsley was now playing for England and won a total of 59 caps, scoring nine times. He would surprisingly sign for Everton in 1991 before re-joining Newcastle two years later.
Beardsley spent the last few years of the 90s playing for several clubs after leaving Newcastle for Bolton Wanderers in 1997. He then played on loan at Manchester City, then joined Fulham, Hartlepool United before ending his career at Australian club Melbourne Knights.
Former goalkeeper Robert Green turns 44 today. He made his name at Norwich City, before moving to West Ham United in 2006.
After six years at Upton Park, Green moved to QPR, then Leeds United and Huddersfield Town. His final club was Chelsea, where he signed a one-year deal to act as third-choice goalkeeper during the 2018/19 season.
Green was capped twelve times for England and unfortunately be remembered letting an easy shot from Clint Dempsey slide from his grasp in a 1-1 draw with USA at the 2010 World Cup.
Ivan Zamorano celebrates his 58th birthday today. The Chilean played in the 1998 World Cup and won 69 caps over the course of his career.
Zamorano started and ended his career in his homeland, but also spent time in Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Mexico.
Former Portuguese international Paulo Ferreira is 46 today. The full-back won the UEFA Cup and Champions League with FC Porto before Jose Mourinho took him across to Chelsea in the summer of 2004 shortly after joining the London club.
Ferreira spent the next nine years at Chelsea, winning three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups as well as the Champions League and Europa League once.
Former Swiss international Johan Djourou is 37 today. The defender spent ten years at Arsenal (including spells on loan at Birmingham City and Hannover 96), before a loan move to Hamburg was made permanent in 2014.
Djourou later played in Turkey, Italy, Switzerland and finally Denmark for FC Nordsjaelland. He won 76 caps for Switzerland.
Former striker Bob Latcford celebrates his 74th birthday today. Latchford most notably played for Birmingham City and Everton. He won 12 caps for England and scoring five times.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City midfielder Ian Crook is 62 today. After leaving Norwich in 1997, Crook joined Japanese outfit Sanfrecce Hiroshima and finally Northern Spirit of Australia before hanging up his boots in 2000.
Crook managed Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC and had a short spell as the national team manager of American Samoa.
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