25th January – Footballing Birthdays
Eusebio would have celebrated his 83rd birthday today. The Portuguese legend passed away in 2014 at the age of 74. A full article about him from the ‘Far Post Header Hall of Fame’ can be found here.
Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Herlander Simões Espírito Santo is 51 today. Nuno played for several clubs in his career in his home country Portugal and Spain. He ended his playing career at Porto and he returned there in 2016 as manager after a spell in charge of Valencia.
Nottingham Forest are the third English club that Nuno has managed after time at Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur. He moved to the City Ground after winning the league and Saudi Super Cup with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad.
Frenchman David Ginola is 58 today. After being signed by Kevin Keegan for Newcastle United from PSG in 1995, Ginola would spend the rest of his career in England after later moving on to Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton. He won 17 caps for France, scoring three goals and has spent time as a television pundit since retiring from the game in 2002.
Former defender Michael Brown celebrates his 48th birthday today. Brown started his career at Manchester City and went on a couple of loan spells during his time at Maine Road.
He then moved to Sheffield United before Tottenham signed him in 2004 for £500,000. After leaving the North London club in 2006, Brown played for Fulham Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth (one of the clubs he spent time on loan at earlier in his career), Leeds United and finally Port Vale.
Brown tried his hand at management with Port Vale between 2016 and 2017, but was sacked after Vale didn’t manage to score a single goal in their first six games of the 2017/18 season.
Francis Jeffers is 44 today. He made just one appearance for England and scored in the game (a 2-1 defeat to Australia in 2003).
After making his name at Everton, Arsene Wenger brought him down to London to sign for Arsenal in the summer of 2001 for £8 million.
Jeffers would go on and play for four more English clubs as well as in Scotland, Australia and Malta. He ended his career in 2013 with Accrington Stanley.
Former Norwich City legend Ian Butterworth is 61 today. He spent eight years at Carrow Road after spells with Coventry City and Nottingham Forest.
Butterworth later spent time in America with Colorado Rapids and Sweden with IK Brage. He also played for non-league King’s Lynn and Stafford Rangers before ending his career at League of Ireland side Cobh Ramblers.
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