15 October: Deschamps, world champion on the pitch and in the dugout

Didier Deschamps

The water carrier

Eric Cantona once dismissively called him a «water carrier»: the man who just fetches the water for the good players. Deschamps kept the nickname and turned it into a way of playing. He was not the most talented, but he organised, won the ball back and gave orders, and every big team he played for won with him.

With Marseille he won the 1993 Champions League against Milan as captain, and with Lippi's Juventus the 1996 final in Rome against Ajax.

Captain in 1998

At the World Cup in France, at home, he was Aimé Jacquet's captain. France beat Ronaldo's Brazil 3-0 in the final at Saint-Denis and Deschamps lifted the trophy. Two years later he won the European Championship in Rotterdam against Italy, with a golden goal from Trezeguet, also born on 15 October.

The dugout

As a coach he took Monaco to the 2004 Champions League final, which they lost to the Porto of Jorge Costa, born on 14 October; he brought Juventus back up from Serie B and won the league with Marseille. In 2012 he took charge of the French national team. He lost the Euro 2016 final at home to Portugal, won the 2018 World Cup in Russia against Croatia and reached the final again in Qatar 2022, which he lost on penalties to Messi's Argentina.

Also born on 15 October

Mesut Özil, the king of assists

🎂 turns 38

A playmaker from Gelsenkirchen, from a Turkish family. After the 2010 World Cup he was signed by Mourinho's Real Madrid, where for three seasons he was Cristiano Ronaldo's best supplier and won the 2012 league title. He then spent eight years at Arsenal. With Germany he won the 2014 World Cup.

Born15 October 1988

CountryGermany

Positionmidfielder, attacking midfielder

Clubs

• FC Schalke 04 2006-2008
• Werder Bremen 2008-2010 · 13 goals
• Real Madrid Club de Fútbol 2009-2013 · 27 goals
• Arsenal Fútbol Club 2013-2021 · 33 goals
• Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü 2021-2022 · 8 goals
• İstanbul Başakşehir CF 2022-2023

National teamSelección de fútbol de Alemania

Other awards

Footballer of the monthSilbernes LorbeerblattPremios BambiEquipo del año UEFA

↻ Dates, clubs and individual awards come from Wikidata and update themselves

David Trezeguet, the golden goal man

🎂 turns 49

A French striker brought up in Argentina. In the Euro 2000 final against Italy, in extra time, he volleyed in the golden goal that won the title for France. Six years later, in the World Cup final in Berlin, his penalty was the only one missed in the shoot-out, against the same Italy. At Juventus he scored more than 170 goals.

Born15 October 1977

CountryFrance

↻ Dates, clubs and individual awards come from Wikidata and update themselves

🔴⚪ Sporting Gijón players born this day

They played for Sporting Gijón and were born on this same day. There is only their data here: we would rather name them than leave them out, and rather give the bare facts than invent a story.

Another 46 internationally known footballers were born on this day. We do not list them for the sake of it: only those with a story to tell make it here.

Dates, clubs, individual awards and photos come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, under free licences, and update themselves. Ages are not written anywhere: they are calculated the moment you open the page, so this page always shows the right age, this year and twenty years from now. If any of these players signs for another club or wins an award, their profile picks it up on its own. What is written by hand is the story and the judgement: who the day belongs to, and why.