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Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his 34th birthday on 5 February 2019 but given the performance he delivers week in week out, it is difficult to fathom that he’s now the same age at which Zinedine Zidane retired and past the age at which Philipp Lahm retired from all forms of football.
The Portuguese international is undoubtedly the most famous person born on 5 February but it also the day on which some famous footballers were born.
This list includes three players who were losing finalists at the FIFA World Cups, a current Manchester City player, Ronaldo’s international teammate, two former Manchester United stars, a legendary footballer who represented both Real Madrid and Barcelona, an Inter Milan player and last but not least, one of the best footballers in the world at the moment.
#10. Manuel Fernandes
The whole of Portugal will be celebrating and sending their wishes to Cristiano Ronaldo but spare a thought for his compatriot and international teammate Manuel Fernandes who turns 33.
Fernandes represented Benfica, Portsmouth, Everton, Valencia and Besiktas before joining his present club, Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.
The midfielder who has three goals in 15 appearances for Portugal has won trophies with Benfica, Valencia, Besiktas and Lokomotiv. He was a key member of the Lokomotiv side that won the league title in 2018 which was also the club’s first since 2004.
#9. Patrick Roberts
Patrick Roberts is still a Manchester City player but he has been on loan for three years now.
The now 22-year-old, who is the youngest player on this list, spent two and a half seasons with Celtic winning seven trophies before joining Man City’s partner club, Girona, on loan for the ongoing season.
Although Roberts has been hampered by injury and has played very few minutes for the La Liga side, he averages 11.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in the league, with a very good success rate of 72.6%.
Also see : Women's World Cup 2019, Womens World Cup Schedule, Womens World Cup Standings
#8. Vedran Ćorluka
Vedran Corluka only turns 33 but it seems like he was playing for Tottenham Hotspur ages ago. The Croatian who has 103 caps for his country was one of the players of the squad that reached the World Cup final in 2018.
Corluka started his career at Dinamo Zagreb before going to play for Manchester City and Spurs in the Premier League. He had a brief loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen before moving to his present club, Lokomotiv Moscow, in 2012. The veteran is the current captain of the Russian club.
#7. Stefan de Vrij
Stefan de Vrij is one of the younger players on this list as the Dutchman is only celebrating his 27th birthday.
De Vrij started his career at Feyenoord before joining Lazio after the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played 118 times for the Serie A club winning the Supercoppa Italiana in 2017 before joining rivals Inter Milan at the start of the current season.
De Vrij played every game for the Netherlands at the 2014 FIFA World Cup where they finished third. He even scored against Spain in the famous 5-1 win and was also one of two Dutch players selected for the Team of the Tournament.
#6. Rodrigo Palacio
Rodrigo Palacio is the oldest active player on this list as the Argentine turns 37-years-old.
Palacio rose to fame with Boca Juniors before switching to Europe with Genoa in 2009. He also played for Inter Milan between 2012 and 2017 before joining his present club, Bologna. He has scored 102 goals so far playing for the three Serie A clubs.
The veteran also has three goals in 27 appearances for the Argentina national team and was part of the squad that finished runners up at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
#5. Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is third and final losing World Cup finalist on this list. However, unlike Palacio and Corluka, Bronckhorst played a crucial role for his country at the 2010 FIFA World. In fact, he was the captain of his side and his goal against Uruguay in the semifinal is regarded as one of the best goals in the tournament’s history.
The Dutchman, who turns 44, played for Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona before retiring in 2010 and becoming a manager. As a player, he won trophies with all his clubs including the league title in England, Spain and Scotland. He also won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006.
Bronckhorst is now the manager of Feyenoord and in 2017, he won the club’s first league title since 1999. In total, he has five trophies for Feyenoord as a manager.
#4. Adnan Januzaj
Adnan Januzaj is the second youngest player on this list as the Belgian celebrates his 24th birthday. He was once nicknamed the next ‘Crisitiano Ronaldo’ while he was at Manchester United but the only similarity between the two players is their birthday.
Januzaj started his professional career at Manchester United but the weight of expectations held him back. He played for Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland on loan from United before joining Real Sociedad on a permanent deal in 2017.
After moving away from the limelight, he has found his feet in the La Liga and earned a call-up to the Belgium squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Januzaj scored a superb goal against England in a group stage game but did not feature in any other game.
#3. Gheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi who is celebrating his 54th birthday is the oldest player on this list but during his prime in the 1980s and 1990s, he was considered one of the best-attacking midfielders in Europe and is still considered the greatest Romanian player of all-time.
Hagi started his career in Romania and scored a jaw-dropping 88 goals from midfield in only 118 games for Steaua București. He left București to join Real Madrid and after leaving Real, he went on to play for Brescia, Barcelona and Galatasaray.
After scoring 35 goals in 124 appearances for Romania and trophy-laden club career, he became a manager. Hagi is currently the manager of Romanian club Viitorul Constanța where his 20-year-old son, Ianis Hagi, plays. Under Hagi, Viitorul Constanța won its only Romanian top-flight title in 2016/17.
#2. Carlos Tevez
Also on this list is Carlos Tevez, a former teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo. Tevez turned 35 and is nearing the end of his playing career.
The Argentine started his professional career at Boca Juniors before going on to play for Corinthians, West Ham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus and Shanghai Shenhua.
The veteran Argentine returned to his boyhood club Boca Juniors in 2018 after a poor spell in China. However, he is no longer the influential striker he was during his prime years in Europe.
#1. Neymar Jr.
Completing the list is one of the best players in the world at the moment and a potential future Ballon d’Or winner.
Neymar who turns 27 has already achieved so much for both club and country. He scored 136 goals in 223 games for Santos before going on to score 105 goals in 186 games for Barcelona. The world’s most expensive player has so far scored 48 goals in 53 games for his current club, PSG.
The Brazilian is already the third highest goalscorer for his country and needs only three more goals to surpass Ronaldo Nazario. He is also sure to surpass Pele’s tally of 77 goals before he hangs up his boots.
