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The Kaizer Chiefs are one of the most successful football clubs in African history despite having a much shorter one than most. Founded in 1970, the Chiefs have won a long list of titles in South Africa while also finding success on a continental basis. Throughout team history, there have been dozens of coaching stints, with some that stand out more than others.

Today we look at those that made their mark with our picks for the five greatest coaches in Kaizer Chiefs history. Before we begin the list, some of the coaches who just missed the cut include Steve Komphela, Vladimir Vermezovic, Trott Moloto, and Kaizer Motaung.

Ernst Middendorp

The first spot on the list belongs to Ernst Middendopr, a German native who had a decade-long playing career between the 1970s and 1980s. He has coached more than two dozen clubs during his managerial career, which started with Eintracht Nordhorn in 1987. Middendorp first managed the Kaizer Chiefs from 2005 to 2007, then returned for a stint from 2018 to 2020.

Middendorp struggled a bit to start his career with the Chiefs but was still able to win 21 of his first 53 matches. He found more success in his second tenure, which saw him win 31 out of 60 matches. Middendorp was able to help the club win the 2006-07 MTN8 Cup, too.

Muhsin Ertugral

Muhsin Ertugral was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1959 and had dreams of playing professional football, but his playing days were brief. He made just one professional appearance in the late 1980s, then settled in both Belgium and Germany where he learned how to manage a football team. His first big job was becoming the head coach of Zaire’s national team during the mid-1990s while he continued to learn.

In 1999, Ertugral was named the head coach of the Kaizer Chiefs and held the position for four years. That wasn’t the only stint that Ertugral had with the team, either. After coaching five different clubs including Ajax Cape Town, Ertugral made his return to Kaizer Chiefs in 2007. He stuck around for another two years and has coached multiple teams since then. Ertugral was able to keep the club toward the top of the PSL standings for most of his combined stays.

Stuart Baxter

Unlike Ertugral, Englishman Stuart Baxter had a lengthy professional playing career. In 1973 he came onto the scene with Preston North End, then played for several clubs over the course of the next 11 years including South Melbourne FC, Stockport County, and Orebro SK. Baxter retired in 1984 and immediately went into managing, starting with the team he last played for.

During his managerial career, Baxter has made a lot of stops, including leading South Africa’s national team. In 2012, he took over Kaizer Chiefs and his first tenure was three years. He left in 2015 and managed three other clubs, as well as the South African national team again, before returning to Kaizer Chiefs in 2021. Baxter’s squads won the Premier Soccer League title twice, as well as the Nedbank Cup and MTN 8. He was named the PSL Coach of the Season in both 2012-13 and 2014-15.

Ted Dumitru

The late Ted Dumitru went all around the world during his long managerial career. The Romanian began coaching in 1966 in his native country before Dumitru made his way to the United States during the 1970s, then Africa in the 1980s. It was then that he took over Kaizer Chiefs for the first time in 1985, with his first stint lasting three years. 15 years after leaving, Dumitru began his second run with the team.

It proved to be his final time coaching club football, as he left in 2005 to manage South Africa’s national team before retiring in 2006. Under Dumitru, the Kaizer Chiefs won the Premier Soccer League Championship in back-to-back years (2003-04 and 2004-05). They also won the BP Top Eight Cup, Coca-Cola Cup, and Charity Spectacular Cup multiple times while adding a Vodacom Challenge and Mainstay Cup. 

Jeff Butler

Another Englishman to make the list, Jeff Butler may have stretched the truth when it came to his playing career. As a coach, he said that he had played for many professional teams across England, but those turned out to be tall tales. However, that doesn’t take away from his long managerial record. After coaching Nkana Red Devils and Al Ahly during the mid-1980s, he took over Kaizer Chiefs in 1988.

Butler had four different stints as the club’s manager. He coached from 1988-89, 1991, 1992, and 1995-1996. In his combined career, Butler was able to win the NSL First Division title three times, as well as multiple Knockout Cups, BP Top Eight Cups, and Telkom Charity Cups. The late manager left for the final time in 1996, briefly coaching Botswana in 1999 before retirement.

Kaizer Chiefs Football Club doesn’t have a history as long as some of the major football clubs of the world but has found more success than any other in South Africa. Since its founding in 1970, Kaizer Chiefs FC has had many great players on the roster. Today, we’ll celebrate some of those players as we look at the five best in club history. Before we start the list, some of the players who just missed the cut include Ace Ntsoelengoe, Patrick Ntsoelengoe, Pollen Ndlanya, and Siphiwe Tshabalala.

Lucas Radebe

Lucas Radebe was born in Soweto on April 12, 1969, starting his career as a teenager with Diepkloof Wolf Wanderers. In 1987, he made his way to the ICL Birds youth program before joining Kaizer Chiefs Juniors two years later. Radebe didn’t have to spend much time with the youth program before he made his Kaizer Chiefs debut, doing so in the same year. As a defender, “The Chief” would play for five years with the club, making over 110 league appearances and even netting five goals.

Radebe was the favorite player of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela during his time with Kaizer Chiefs. Because of how good he was, there were English Premier League teams looking for his services. With that, Radebe joined Leeds United in 1994 and remained with the prominent club for more than a decade. Even though he played for Leeds longer, Radebe is considered a Kaizer Chiefs legend.

Itumeleng Khune

There’s only one goalkeeper on the list, and that’s of course Itumeleng Khune. Khune wasn’t even a teenager when he became a member of the Kaizer Chiefs organization, joining the youth program in 1999. Interestingly enough, Khune started as a striker but was struggling to keep up and became the team’s ball boy. Trying to keep loose balls from reaching the crowd, Khune showed natural goalkeeping abilities and he changed positions.

In 2004, Khune was moved up to the senior squad in his new position and he spent the first couple of years as a backup. Finally, in 2007, Khune became the regular goaltender and wouldn’t give up the position. Khune has started in well over 250 matches for Khune during his long career and became the goalkeeper of the South African national team starting in 2008. “Spider-Man” has won the PSL title three times and was the PSL Footballer of the Year in 2012-13.

Neil Tovey

Pretoria native Neil Tovey is the only player on the list who didn’t start his professional football career with Kaizer Chiefs. Instead, the defender began with Virginia United’s youth program but made his professional debut with Durban City. Tovey remained with the club for four years and had nearly 175 league appearances before making his way to AmaZulu. Following another three years there, Tovey made his way to Kaizer Chiefs.

Tovey stuck with the club for the final nine years of his career, playing for nearly the entirety of the 1990s. During that time, Tovey scored 27 goals and made over 340 appearances. While Kaizer Chiefs didn’t win the PSL during Tovey’s time, the club still finished in second place three years in a row and won the National Soccer League twice. In 1996, the club won the Coca-Cola Challenge, as well.

Doctor Khumalo

If you want to know where Khumalo got his Doctor moniker, it’s because his full name is Theophilus Doctorson Khumalo. Khumalo, a Soweto native, started his youth career with Moroka Swallows before heading to Kaizer Chiefs in 1986. After a brief stint in the youth program, he made his professional debut in 1987, remaining part of the squad for his entire 17-year career.

Khumalo made 397 of his 444 career appearances with Kaizer Chiefs having been loaned out to Ferro Carril Oeste for four matches and the Columbus Crew for 43. Khumalo scored 30 times during his Kaizer Chiefs career. The highlight came at the end of his career, with Khumalo finally winning the Premier Soccer League title. He also won a trio of National Soccer League titles before his 2004 retirement.

Marks Maponyane

Marks Maponyane takes the top spot on the list, and he proved to be a true Renaissance man during his career. Hailing from Meadowlands, Maponyane started with the Shamrocks youth program before joining Kaizer Chiefs and making his professional debut in 1981. He spent a decade with the club, scoring 85 goals in nearly 200 league appearances.

Maponyane was a big-time snowboarder during his playing days and was even holding down a full-time job while playing football. He was named the Sexiest Man of the Year by Cosmopolitan Magazine and was a legend who ended up with the all-time club scoring record. Maponyane continued to play for seven years after leaving in 1991, including a long stint with Orlando Pirates.

Every tennis player’s dream is to one day reach a grand slam tournament and take on the best of the best with millions in prize money up for grabs. Even making it to the first round is a massive accomplishment, while making it to the final is something only a handful of players get to do. In those finals matches, there have been some all-time tennis classics that have created some of the best moments in the sport’s history.

Let’s take a look at five of those matches that molded grand slam history in the men’s singles side of things. Between upsets and legendary performances from equally matched players, these matches have withstood the test of time.

McEnroe vs. Lendl (French Open 1984)

By the time 1984 came around, the peak of John McEnroe was coming toward the end while Ivan Lendl’s peak was just beginning. The two eras of men’s tennis overlapped in 1984 when they dominated throughout the season. This included the 1984 French Open with McEnroe coming in as the top seed while Lendl was right behind him. 

McEnroe looked like he was going to cruise to the French Open title, winning the first two sets 6-3, 6-2. Lendl wasn’t ready to give up, though, winning the third set 6-4. He then forced a fifth set thanks to a 7-5 win. McEnroe, who had not lost yet during the season, was pushed to the brink, and Lendl came out on top with a 7-5 win in the final set, marking the transition of one era to another.

Agassi vs. Ivanisevic (Wimbledon 1992)

A majority of the matches on the list come from the Wimbledon Championships, as it seems that players end up bringing their A-game for the historic event. The 1992 Wimbledon Championships were no exception, In that edition, not many people expected a final consisting of Croatian Goran Ivanisevic and American Andre Agassi as they were ranked eighth and 12th, respectively. However, that’s exactly what the crowd got.

Each man knocked a fellow legend out of the semifinals, with Agassi beating John McEnroe in straight sets while Ivanisevic defeated Pete Sampras in four. Ivanisevic jumped out to an early lead over Agassi, but the American won the next two sets. Ivanisevic forced a fifth set thanks to a 6-1 win, and in the final set, Agassi came out on top 6-4. It marked the beginning of Agassi’s dominance throughout the 1990s, giving him his first major title.

Djokovic vs. Nadal (Australian Open 2012)

We didn’t want to feature a single player more than once or twice, otherwise, the entire list would probably be Rafael Nadal thanks to his epic matches against some of the all-time greats. The first of the two Nadal matches that we’ll feature is from the 2012 Australian Open. Nadal was the second-seeded player in the tournament with Novak Djokovic in the top spot. The two were on a collision course (a common occurrence) and met in the finals.

The match was back-and-forth the entire way, with Nadal winning the first set 7-5. Djokovic answered back with 6-4 and 6-2 set wins himself. Nadal needed a win in the fourth set and did just that by winning a tiebreaker 7-6. However, Djokovic came up big in the final set, winning 7-5 to take the title after a nearly six-hour match, giving Djokovic his fifth major title.

Federer vs. Nadal (Wimbledon 2008)

Novak Djokovic isn’t the only major rival that Rafael Nadal has had throughout his career. He and Roger Federer formed one of the all-time greatest rivalries in tennis history. It was hard to narrow it down to just one finals match that the two had against each other, but the 2008 Wimbledon Championships final ranks number one for most tennis experts. The two men came in as the top seeds and stormed through the competition to meet for the title.

Nadal came out hot with 6-4 wins in the first two sets. Federer then needed a tiebreaker in the third and fourth sets to force a fifth. This time, though, Nadal would stand strong, earning a 9-7 win to give him the title after a grueling 4 hours and 48 minutes marathon. 

Bjorg vs. McEnroe (Wimbledon 1980)

Speaking of great tennis rivalries, the original big rivalry that caught worldwide attention was between Swede Bjorn Borg and American John McEnroe. The two had a lot of epic battles, but most agree that their meeting at the end of the 1980 Wimbledon Championships ranks as the best in the rivalry and perhaps the best match in tennis history. 

McEnroe dominated the first set, but Bjorg answered back with set wins of 7-5 and 6-3 to give him the edge. The fourth set saw a marathon tiebreaker with McEnroe finally coming out on top. In the deciding set, though, Bjorg got the best of McEnroe with an 8-6 win, giving him his fifth straight major title.

When people think about tennis players, their minds tend to go immediately toward singles players, but there’s a lot of interest and money to be made in doubles play. Throughout tennis history, there have been some truly dominant teams, and that includes the current ATP era of tennis where some players found the yin to their yang.

Many players who end up going into doubles are mid-level singles players, and finding a partner you gel with can propel you to a top global ranking. Let’s look at some of those duos who have found unprecedented success, ranking the top five ATP doubles teams in history.

Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh

Representing the Netherlands, Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh had moderate success as singles players with Haarhuis having a winning percentage of just over .500 while Eltingh was below that mark. As a duo, though, they were one of the best in tennis history. Together, Haarhuis and Eltingh won 39 titles, including several majors.

Their first grand slam came at the 1994 Australian Open, and later that year they combined to win the US Open. Haarhuis and Eltingh went on to win a total of six grand slams, including a pair of Australian and French Opens, each. “We know each other through and through,” Eltingh said. “That is precisely why it is perhaps easier for us to tell each other the truth. Paul can advise or point out things to do differently.”

Daniel Nestor and Mark Knowles

While the other doubles teams on the list are from the same country, Daniel Nestor and Mark Knowles are from very different countries. Nestor, a Canadian, had 11 different partners and won 91 doubles titles, but most of his success came from Bahamas native Mark Knowles. Neither man reached the top 50 in the singles rankings but were number one in doubles.

Together, Nestor and Knowles won 40 team titles including three grand slams. Their first major came in the 2002 Australian Open, which was followed up by the 2004 US Open and eventually the 2007 French Open.  Interestingly enough, Nestor and Knowles have squared off against other once in a singles competition. The match occurred in 1997 with Nestor coming out on top in four sets.

Emilio Sanchez and Sergio Casal

The second and final European team on the list is comprised of Spaniards Emilio Sanchez and Sergio Casal. The duo ranks third all-time in titles with 44, while Sanchez won another six without Casal. As singles competitors, Sanchez and Casal were quite accomplished, with the former reaching number seven in the rankings.

What might come as a surprise is that the two won just a pair of grand slam titles in the 1988 US Open and 1990 French Open. Since their playing days came to an end, the two have opened up a tennis academy that has helped train some of the top players in tennis. “Without the training, you can’t succeed,” Sanchez said. “Rafael Nadal trains 90 percent of the time and plays in tournaments only 10 percent of the time.”

Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde

Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde were tennis celebrities and the duo was known simply as The Woodies throughout much of their careers. Together, they won 61 ATP titles including 11 majors. Wimbledon was where they dominated, with The Woodies winning six of them. In 2010, the team was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame and have their statues sitting at Melbourne Park.

Sadly, unlike the other doubles teams on the list, Woodbridge and Woodforde don’t talk to each other much after their careers. “I guess the Woodies drifted into the background for him and he’s developing his own brand,” Woodforde said. He added that “We don’t have a lot to talk about these days…I would love to be able to play some more of the legends events together, but it’s just at a position…it is where it is right now.”

Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan

You’d think that a bulk of the most successful doubles teams in tennis history would be related, but there’s only one set of brothers, and they’re the most successful by a wide margin. The Americans are identical twins born in 1978 and dominated throughout their careers, spending a record 438 weeks as the top-ranked duo. 

The list of accomplishments is amazing, with 119 titles won while playing together, putting them nearly 60 titles ahead of The Woodies. Among those titles are their 16 grand slam wins, including six at the Australian Open. The Bryan brothers are also the only doubles team to hold all four grand slam titles in a calendar year.

Being a football manager is a tough job, and you should probably never expect to stay with one club for more than just a couple of years. Because of this, it can be difficult to stick around long enough to make your mark on a club’s history, but there are some who are considered all-time greats with certain clubs.

Paris Saint-Germain has a rich history of success and there’s a long list of managers who have won titles with PSG. Out of those managers, though, which ones rank as the best? Here are our choices for the top five. Before we begin the list, some of the managers who just missed the cut include Christophe Galtier, Carlo Ancelotti, Ricardo, Artur George, and Robert Vicot.

Mauricio Pochettino

Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino had a quarter-century-long professional paying career, which included two years with PSG following his longer tenures with Newell’s Old Boys and Espanyol. Pochettino finished out his playing days with Bordeaux and returned to Espanyol, becoming that club’s manager following his retirement in 2006. Pochettino then managed Southampton and Tottenham before his brief (but successful) time with Paris Saint-Germain.

Pochettino’s time with PSG may have been brief, but it was indeed prosperous. Pochettino was able to lead the club to three honors, including winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and Trophee des Champions. Pochettino had a 65.48 winning percentage in his 84 matches, but the club decided to part ways with the manager after losing in the Champions League to Real Madrid.

Luis Fernandez

Midfielder Luis Fernandez was already one of the more successful PSG players during the 1980s, spending much of his playing career with the club during that time. The Spaniard ended his career playing for RC Paris and Cannes, including being a player-manager for the latter during the early 1990s. His second managerial job was with Paris Saint-Germain, a job he held from 1994 to 1996.

Fernandez even came back for a second stint from December 2000 until May 2003. Though he might not have the best winning percentage in club history at 51.23%, Fernandez has the most matches under his belt for any PSG manager. Fernandez won five major honours, including becoming the only manager in PSG history to win the UEFA Winners’ Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Thomas Tuchel

Unlike the others on the list, German Thomas Tuchel didn’t have a long professional playing career. He made just 77 professional appearances with two clubs during the 1990s in lower levels, then went into a managerial role with FC Augsburg II in 2007. After stints with Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel was announced as the PSG manager in 2018 before departing in 2020 to lead Chelsea.

Tuchel is just one of two managers in PSG history to win Ligue 1 multiple times, doing so twice in back-to-back years (2019, 2020). Tuchel’s winning percentage (74.80%) is second all-time in club history behind just the number two manager on the list. Tuchel won a few other honors with PSG, too, including the Coupe de France and French League Cup.

Unai Emery

Another Spaniard to make the list, Unai Emery played professionally from 1990 until 2004 with five different clubs, with his longest tenure coming at Toledo. In 2004, he retired from competition after playing for Lorca Deportiva and became the team’s manager. Emery had four more managerial stops including Spartak Moscow before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2016. After leaving PSG in 2018, he has since managed Arsenal, Villarreal, and Aston Villa.

Emery is second in PSG history in terms of major titles won with seven, including winning Ligue 1 in the 2017-18 season. Emergy also won a pair of Coupe de France, French League Cup, and Trophee des Champions titles. No other manager has a higher winning percentage, either, with Emery winning 76.32% of his 114 matches.

Laurent Blanc

The top manager for Paris Saint-Germain just also happens to be the only one on the list that’s from France. Laurent Blanc was born in Ales in 1965 and spent 20 years playing professionally, with the bulk of his time being spent with Montpellier. Blanc also notably played for Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Manchester United then went into management in 2007 with Bordeaux. After managing the French National Team, Blanc became PSG’s manager from 2013 to 2016.

Blanc is third all-time in PSG history with 173 matches managed, and his winning percentage of 72.83% is insane for someone with that many matches. Blanc won 126 of his 173, and no other manager in club history has as many honors. Under Blanc, PSG won Ligue 1 three times (a club record) to go along with a trio of French League Cups and Trophee des Champions.

Football is a game that essentially comes down to a chess match, and your team is lucky to net one goal throughout the entire contest. Because of that, accumulating a lot of goals throughout your career can be incredibly difficult, and having someone who can finish in front of the net and put your team ahead is perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle. If you have one of the best strikes in football, you can achieve incredible things.

Throughout the history of football, which players have been the best at scoring? Instead of measuring by sheer volume, we’ll look at the five best goal-scorers based on talent and their overall accomplishments that came as a result of their abilities. Before we start the list, here are some of the great goal-scorers who just missed the list: Romario, Ferenc Deak, Gerd Muller, Jimmy Jones, and Robert Lewandowski.

Ferenc Puskas

We begin our list with a Hungarian player who helped to grow international interest in football following World War II. Ferenc Puskas spent the first 13 years of his professional career playing in his home country as a member of Budapest Honved. During that time, Puskas netted 358 goals and needed just 350 club matches to do so. He then turned his attention to Spain, joining Real Madrid for the final eight years of his career.

Puskas’s scoring abilities didn’t wane with higher competition, and he was still able to score 156 goals in 180 club matches. As a member of the Hungarian National Team, Puskas added another 84 goals in 85 matches. With all of his competitions taken into consideration, Puskas scored 729 times during his career, doing it in far fewer continental matches compared to some of the other greats.

Josef Bican

Sticking with players who came around earlier in the 20th century, Josef Bican was from Vienna and started his professional career in 1931 with Farbenlutz. After a few stints throughout his home country, Bican made his way to Slavia Prague where he spent nearly a decade. In 221 league games, Bican netted 427 goals, giving him a nearly two-goal-per-game average. After leaving in 1948, he continued scoring in bunches.

With the likes of FC Vitkovice and Dynamo Prague, Bican continued to average well over one goal per game. Though he ranks just outside of the top five of all-time in career scoring, Bican was known for being the fastest player in the world, allowing him to be a top scorer. Had there been more matches per year during his time, Bican may have been the world’s all-time top scorer.

Pele

Everyone, whether they’re football fans or not, knows who Pele is. The Brazilian star spent most of his professional career with Santos, then capped off his playing days by heading to the United States and drawing interest for the New York Cosmos. During league matches, Pele scored 606 times in 647 appearances.

His scoring prowess didn’t decline on the world stage, either, as Pele added another 77 goals in his 92 international matches representing Brazil. When accounting for all of his goals scored, Pele is third all-time with 762. While the other players on the list needed around 23 to 25 years for these accomplishments, Pele did it in 20.

Cristiano Ronaldo

We now turn to the modern era of football for our top two, and it was difficult to place them in the order that felt the most ‘right.’ In second place is Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most brilliant strikers in football history who has scored more goals in continental play than anyone in football history. Ronaldo’s most memorable playing days have come as a member of Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, as well as the Portuguese National team.

Ronaldo averaged more than one goal per game as a member of Real Madrid, and he has nearly 120 goals in international play. In terms of overall goals, nobody has more than Ronaldo at more than 820. Between his feet and his head, there has always been more than one way for Ronaldo to beat a keeper.

Lionel Messi

You could probably guess who number one was going to be based on number two, and it’s indeed Argentinian Lionel Messi. Messi has spent nearly all of his professional career with Barcelona, scoring 474 times in league play before heading to Paris Saint-Germain. Of course, Messi has also represented his home country, scoring around 100 goals in international play.

Messi ranks second all-time in goals scored behind Ronaldo but has kept the tally close in fewer matches played. Messi’s agility and quickness make him lethal as a scorer, and he scores in much different ways than Ronaldo. While Ronaldo can knock a keeper into the net with a kick, Messi prefers to dance circles around them.

Football is a game for the young and can chew you up and spit you out the second that you lose any of your prime agility. However, not everyone is built the same, and there are plenty of players who were able to continue having success later on in their careers. Most professional football careers end by the time someone turns 30, but then there are those who continue until nearly turning 40.

Who were the best players in football history after age 35, though? Let’s take a look at some of the all-time greats and what they were able to accomplish despite being a decade older than the average player on the pitch.

Ryan Giggs

Welshman Ryan Giggs started off his youth career in the mid-1980s with Manchester City’s youth program before making his way across town to Manchester United in 1987. Three years later, he made his professional debut at just 16 years old and remained with the club for a very, very long time. By the time Giggs celebrated his 35th birthday in 2008, Giggs had already been a professional player with Man U for 18 years.

With Giggs on the squad, Manchester United won four Premier League titles after his 35th birthday, as well as an FA Community Shield. No other player has won as many top division English league titles, and the fact he was able to play for so long while still being productive is the biggest reason.

Gianluigi Buffon

Italian Gianluigi Buffon is a goalkeeper who spent his early career with Parma before making his way to Juventus in 2001. After celebrating a dozen years spent with Juventus, Buffon celebrated his 35th birthday, but that wasn’t the end of his career. In fact, he would spend another five years with Juventus while also playing for Paris Saint-Germain and returning to Parma.

After turning 35, Buffon racked up a long list of accomplishments that would be worthy of a Hall of Fame career on their own. That includes seven Serie A titles, several Coppa Italia champions, and even a Ligue 1 title. Buffon won four Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year Awards after turning 35, as well.

Francesco Totti

Another Italian to make the list, Francesco Totti had a lengthy youth career with several clubs, eventually making his way to AS Roma. It was with the club that Totti spent his entire professional career, too, retiring in 2017 after 619 league appearances. Many of those came after Totti’s 35th birthday, and he still spent six more years with Roma before wrapping things up as one of the club’s all-time greats.

Tottie won a slew of awards after turning 35, including multiple sportsmanship awards and the UEFA President’s Award. Totti was able to score a dozen goals in the 2012-13 Serie A season and followed it up with back-to-back eight-goal seasons to show that he could still score with the young bucks. To tell you how long he played, his signature celebration was included with FIFA 17 for the PlayStation 4 while the FIFA franchise had just started on the Super Nintendo when his career began.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of those players that seemed to get better the older he got, and he has a long list of clubs that he has played for. Some of Ibrahimovic’s more notable stints include Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, and Juventus. In 2016, Ibrahimovic celebrated his 35th birthday while he was a member of Manchester United where he played for two years before heading to the United States and then returning to Europe to play for AC Milan.

Shortly after turning 35, Ibrahimovic helped Manchester United win the UEFA Europa League title as well as the EFL Cup and Community Shield. He was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or as one of the world’s best players. He’s been named the Serie A Player of the Month and won several MLS honors including two All-Star Game appearances and a 2019 Player of the Year honor.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo will be remembered as one of the greatest players in football history, and his longevity is one of the reasons for that. The Portugal native started his professional career with Sporting CP before becoming a household name as a member of Manchester United and Real Madrid during the 2000s and 2010s. In 2020, Ronaldo celebrated his 35th birthday and showed no signs of slowing down.

He was with Juventus at the time and made a return to Man U before signing a record-setting deal with Saudi club Al Nassr. Following his 35th birthday, Ronaldo led Juventus to the Serie A championship, as well as the Coppa Italia and Superocppa Italiana. He was also named the Serie A Footballer of the Year and Portuguese Player of the Year.

The United States is known for a lot of things, especially when it comes to sports. The Super Bowl is the most-watched event every year, but the United States is the only country where gridiron football is the most popular. There’s also baseball, basketball, and even hockey, and stock car racing that are watched more than soccer.

However, that doesn’t mean that America hasn’t produced any top-tier talent. Between international and club play, here are the five greatest American soccer players ever. Before we begin the list, some of the Americans who just missed the list include Brad Friedel, Michael Bradley, Tab Ramos, Claudio Reyna, and Damarcus Beasley.

Brian McBride

Illinois native Brian McBride is actually the oldest member of the list despite being born in 1972, which shows you just how much more seriously the US soccer program is taken these days compared to what it was. McBride attended St. Louis University and made his way to play professionally in Germany during the mid-1990s before being part of the early Major League Soccer days as a member of the Columbus Crew.

McBride spent some time playing in the English Premier League, mainly with Fulham where he had 33 goals in 140 appearances. In 2008, McBride returned to the MLS to play for the Chicago Fire before wrapping up his career in 2010. McBride spent 13 years as part of the US National team, scoring 30 goals in 95 appearances. In 2014, McBride was inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame.

Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey had some remarkable moments at the World Cup, giving him a lot of exposure around the globe. Dempsey also spent plenty of time playing in the English Premier League, spending five years with Fulham and another year with Tottenham Hotspur. Outside of that, Dempsey had an extended career in the MLS with the New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders.

Dempsey made over 140 appearances in international matches, scoring 57 goals in total. Dempsey is tied for first all-time in international goals scored with our number two player on the list, though he did it in 26 fewer appearances. Dempsey became a Hall of Famer in 2022 thanks to his long list of accomplishments that include being a four-time MLS All-Star.

Christian Pulisic

The pride of Hershey, Pennsylvania, Christian Pulisic is a speedy player who also spent time in Michigan before leaving the country altogether as a teenager to join the Borussia Dortmund youth program. In 2016, he made his professional debut with the club and had 10 goals in just over 80 appearances. Three years later, Pulisic made his way to Chelsea and quickly became the most well-known American player in Europe.

Pulisic also became a staple of the US National Team, and he made his debut in the same year he turned pro. Pulisic became the captain of the squad and has netted some very memorable goals on the international level. While in Europe, Pulisic has won the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup while also winning a CONCACAF Nations League in America.

Landon Donovan

The man who is tied atop the list of all-time leading scorers in international play with Clint Dempsey is Landon Donovan. The Californian made his way to Florida as a teenager to attend the sports-focused IMG Academy, then made his way to Europe to play for Bayer Leverkusen. Donovan has spent the bulk of his professional career in the MLS, however, most notably with the LA Galaxy.

Donovan scored 145 MLS goals and won the league’s 2009 Most Valuable Player Award. He was a 13-time All-Star in the MLS, too, while also having a tremendous international career. Donovan netted 57 goals in 157 appearances, including a goal in his first World Cup appearance against Poland. With Donovan, the Americans made it to the round of 16.

Tim Howard

While there have been some prolific goal-scorers on the list thus far, the top player from the United States is a goalkeeper. Tim Howard was born and raised in New Jersey, which is where he began his professional career. Howard then headed to Europe in 2003 where he had a four-year stint with Manchester United before making his way to Everton for nearly a decade.

Howard made nearly 400 appearances in the Premier League between the two clubs while also having a 15-year international career with the US team. Nobody has had more saves in a single World Cup match than Howard, who had 15 against Belgium in the round of 16. Howard had 121 international appearances, earning him the USMNT’s Player of the Year.