18 October: Vasco Olarticoechea and the header that saved a World Cup
Julio Olarticoechea
«el Vasco»
- Racing Club 1975-1981 · 13 goals
- Club Atlético River Plate 1981-1984 · 3 goals
- Boca Juniors 1985-1986 · 4 goals
- Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors 1987-1988 · 2 goals
- Football Club Nantes 1987 · 3 goals
- Racing Club 1988-1990
- Club Deportivo Mandiyú 1990-1993 · 4 goals
The player Bilardo wanted
He was the kind of footballer coaches love: disciplined, tireless and able to play in four positions. He played for the three big Buenos Aires clubs, Racing, River and Boca, and for Argentinos Juniors, and in Europe he played for Nantes in France.
Azteca, 22 June 1986
The quarter-final of the World Cup in Mexico between Argentina and England is the match of Maradona's two goals: the one with his hand and the greatest goal in World Cup history. But in the closing minutes, at 2-1, England were throwing everything forward.
John Barnes went down the left and crossed to the far post, where Gary Lineker, who had already scored, was arriving. Olarticoechea threw himself backwards and cleared the ball with the back of his head, almost on the line. Argentina went through to the semi-finals and won the World Cup. In Argentina that clearance is remembered almost as much as Maradona's goals: without it, there might have been no final.
Also born on 18 October
Javier Saviola, el Conejito
He was not born on this day, but it is his date. On 18 October 1998, aged sixteen years and ten months, Ramón Díaz gave him his debut for River Plate in Jujuy, and he scored one of the goals in a 2-2 draw.
In 2001 he was the top scorer and best player at the World Youth Championship won by Argentina, and that summer Barcelona signed him. He then played for Monaco, for Sevilla, with whom he won the 2006 UEFA Cup, for Real Madrid and for Benfica. With Argentina he won Olympic gold at Athens 2004.
- Club Atlético River Plate 1998-2001 · 45 goals
- Fútbol Club Barcelona 2001-2007 · 49 goals
- A.S. Monaco F.C. 2004-2005 · 7 goals
- Sevilla Fútbol Club 2005-2006 · 9 goals
- Real Madrid Club de Fútbol 2007-2009 · 4 goals
- Sport Lisboa e Benfica 2009-2012 · 24 goals
🔴⚪ 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.
Germán Menéndez 🔴⚪
- Real Sporting de Gijón 1948-1956 · 8 goals
- Caudal Deportivo 1956-1960
Another 51 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.
📅 The almanac: pick any date
Every day of the year has its story. Highlighted days are already out: click to see who was born or what happened on that date. The faded ones go live on their day, at midnight (Spain time). 32 published.
Football almanac · Elopi23
January
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February
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March
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April
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May
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June
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July
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August
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September14 ★
- 11 September: Ruud Gullit
- 1111 September: Franz Beckenbauer
- 1818 September: Ronaldo
- 2020 September: Henrik Larsson
- 2121 September: Sándor Kocsis
- 2222 September: Thiago Silva
- 2323 September: Quini
- 2424 September: Marco Tardelli
- 2525 September: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
- 2626 September: Michael Ballack
- 2727 September: Francesco Totti
- 2828 September: Javi Poves
- 2929 September: Andriy Shevchenko
- 3030 September: Frank Rijkaard
October18 ★
- 11 October: George Weah
- 22 October: Alisson Becker · Roberto Firmino
- 33 October: Zlatan Ibrahimović
- 44 October: Jorge Valdano
- 55 October: Kopa, Rial, Di Stéfano, Puskás and Gento
- 66 October: Bruce Grobbelaar
- 77 October: Diego Costa
- 88 October: Zvonimir Boban
- 99 October: Gheorghe Popescu
- 1010 October: Tony Adams
- 1111 October: Bobby Charlton
- 1212 October: Cristhian Stuani
- 1313 October: Raymond Kopa
- 1414 October: Matt Le Tissier
- 1515 October: Didier Deschamps
- 1616 October: Paulo Roberto Falcão
- 1717 October: Sergio Goycochea
- 1818 October: Julio Olarticoechea
November
Nothing from this month is out yet. One goes live each day, on its own date.
December
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★ published · ✎ written, waiting for their day · the red circle is today
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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.