William Ralph 'Dixie' Dean was born on 22nd January 1907 in Birkenhead, Merseyside. He began his professional football career at Tranmere Rovers in 1923, where he showed early signs of his remarkable ability, scoring 27 goals in just 29 appearances for the club. Two years later he moved across the River Mersey to Everton, the club he loved and is most famously associated with, for a fee of £3000.

Dean’s impact at the Toffees was immediate. He scored 32 goals in his first full season at the club. But his illustrious career almost never came to be. Dean was involved in a motorcycle crash with his girlfriend in June 1926. He broke his jaw and fractured his skull in the accident, and doctors told him he would never play football again. Just 15 weeks later, Dean defied the odds and returned to playing football for Everton.

Astonishingly, Dixie proved to be an even greater goalscorer after his accident than he had been before it. He played the last 27 games of the 1926/27 season, scoring 21 goals. But it was during the next season, 1927/28, that the name of Dixie Dean would go down in footballing legend.

In the first nine games of the season, Dean scored 14 goals, including five in one match against Manchester United. By January he had scored 39 goals, breaking Everton’s club record for most goals scored in a season by a single player, previously held by B.C. Freeman.

The next record in Dean’s sights was the First Division goalscoring record, which stood at 43. He broke that record in mid March. With 13 league games remaining, Dean was 17 goals away from breaking George Camsell’s record for most league goals in a single season in English football (59).

It was not going to be easy for Dixie. He went through an uncharacteristically dry spell of four games without a goal. His international call-ups meant he had to score 17 goals in the last seven games of the season. Incidentally, Dean made 16 appearances for England, scoring 18 goals, including two hat-tricks.

A return to the scoring trail left Dixie going into the last game of the season, against Arsenal, needing to score a hat-trick to break the record. Everton had already been crowned First Division champions due to title rivals Huddersfield losing a few days earlier. Over 60,000 fans packed into Goodison Park to see Dean’s passage into legend.

Things didn’t go according to plan, with Arsenal scoring first. But Dean would not be denied, and straight from the kick-off, equalised for Everton from twenty yards. One down, two to go. Midway through the first half, Dixie was brought down in the penalty area. No-one else could possibly step up to take the penalty, and sure enough, Dean slotted home from the spot. One more.

But Arsenal still weren’t following the script, and an own goal saw the sides go into half time at 2-2. Minutes felt like hours during the second half, and it seemed like Dixie’s 60th goal would never come. Then, five minutes from the end, he rose in the area to head home from a corner, and Goodison Park was sent into rapture. Dixie Dean was officially a legend.

Despite being relegated into the Second Division in 1930, Dean stood by his beloved Everton, for whom he was now captain. His goalscoring prowess did not falter, and his 39 goals in 37 games helped propel Everton straight back into the top flight as Second Division champions.

Everton went on to win the First Division title in 1932, and the FA Cup in 1933, Dean playing a major part in both campaigns. Indeed, he scored in every round of the 1933 FA Cup besides the semi-final. Numbered shirts were introduced for the first time in the 1933 FA Cup final; Dixie Dean became Everton’s first number 9, the reason why Evertonians still hold the number 9 shirt in high esteem.

By the time Dean left Everton for Notts County in 1937, he had scored 383 goals in 433 appearances. To this day, he remains Everton’s all-time leading goalscorer. That, along with his record for 60 goals in a season, looks unlikely to be beaten any time soon.

Dixie was as respected for his sportsmanship as he was for his goal scoring record. He was never booked or sent off in his entire career, despite coming under such intense provocation that he actually lost a testicle during a match.

Once he left Everton, Dean’s career began to wind down. After Notts County he enjoyed a spell with Sligo Rovers in Ireland before ending his career at Hurst FC in 1939. He scored ten goals in seven appearances for Sligo Rovers, and helped them on the way to the FAI Cup final, which they eventually lost to Shelbourne. Dean scored five goals in a 7-1 win over Waterford, which still remains a Sligo Rovers' record for most goals scored in one match.

After retiring from football, Dixie continued to work for a living. It should be noted that in his day, professional footballers did not acquire the same wealth as those who play in the modern game. He owned and ran his own pub, the Dublin Packet in Chester, and also worked as a porter for Littlewoods Pools at their offices in Walton, Liverpool. Despite his status as an English footballing legend, his co-workers remembered him as a “quiet, unassuming” man.

Ironically, Dixie is believed to have despised the nickname Evertonians had given him (due to his dark complexion and curly brown hair) and preferred to be known as Bill.

Befitting of a man so famously associated with Everton FC, Dixie Dean passed away at Goodison Park on 1st March 1980, just minutes after the final whistle of a Merseyside Derby match. He was 73 years old.

Dino Zoff is among the greatest goalkeepers that world ever seen. He kept 1142 minutes without conceding goals in International matches during 1972-1974 period and it’s a  the world record .Zoff led Italy to world cup glory in 1982 and he was the oldest player to win world cup.

Italian giants like Juventus and Internazionale found Zoff to be shorter to their liking, at the age of 14. Zoff started his senior career with Serie A side Udinese, in 1963.In his first season he played only four matches. Udinese found them self in Serie B following relegation. He played 34 matches for them in his second season for them. In 1963, he joined another Serie A side Mantova. In 1965, Mantova faced relegation to serie B. He helped them to achieve promotion to Serie A, in 1966.Zoff played 131 league matches for Mantova.

In 1967, Zoff joined Napoli. Between 1967 and 1972, Zoff played 143 matches for Napoli in serie A. His performances for Napoli caught the attention of Juventus. They signed Zoff in 1972.He helped Juventus to win Serie A in 1973,1975,1977,1981 as well as in 1982.He helped them to win Copa Italia in 1979 and 1983.His Juventus career reached the pinnacle of success when he helped them to win UEFA cup, in 1977. He missed out on UEFA cup in 1973, as Juventus lost to Ajax. Juventus lost final of UEFA cup to Hamburg, before winning in 1977.He retired from club football in 1983.He played 330 matches for Juventus. For many years, he held the record of being the player with maximum appearances in Serie A, with 570 matches.

Dino Zoff made his International debut for Italy, while playing against Bulgaria at the quarterfinal of 1968 European championships. He helped Italy to win the European championship defeating Yugoslavia in the replay of final. At 1970 World cup, he had peripheral role in the Italian team. However, in 1982 world cup, Zoff took the centre stage as he captained Italy. At the age of 40, he led Italy to an amazing world cup win. He won the award for the best goalkeeper in that tournament. He played 112 matches for Italy. He quit international football in 1983. 

Italian football federation named Zoff as the golden players of last 5 decades, in 2003. Zoff turned to coaching in 1988 as he joined them as head coach. He helped them to win UEFA cup in 1990.After shunned out by Juventus Zoff joined Lazio. In 1994, he went on to become Lazio president. He became the Manager of Italy in 1998.His team finished as runner up at the Euro 2000,after an amazing match in the extra period. After the euro 2000,he resigned his post. He later joined Lazio in 2001.He joined Fiorentina as manager in 2005.He left them after avoiding relegation. Dino Zoff is a legendary figure in Italian football.

Ferenc Puskás is regarded as the greatest Hungarian footballer of all time and was part of the legendary international team known as the Mighty Magyars and the equally legendary Real Madrid team of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which included Alfredo Di Stefano.

Puskás was a prolific left footed striker, or inside forward, and scored 514 goals in 529 league games, and 84 goals in 85 internationals for Hungary. He also made four international appearances for Spain, without scoring. Nicknamed the Galloping Major, Puskás wasn't built like a footballer. Short, stocky, barrel chested and overweight, he was extremely one footed and couldn't head the ball!

Born in 1927, Puskás joined Kispest AC as a junior. He played under the assumed identity, Miklos Kovacs, until he was 12, and officially old enough to join, and made his first senior appearance for Kispest in November 1943, against Nagyvarad. In 1949, the club was taken over by the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, becoming the Hungarian Army team, and renamed Honved.

With Honved, Puskás won five Hungarian championships and finished as the league's top scorer four times. In the years in which he finished top scorer, he scored 50 (1947-48 season), 31 (1949-50), 25 (1950) and 27 (1953) goals. He was the top scorer in Europe in 1948. By the time he left in 1956, Puskás had scored a phenomenal 358 goals in 349 games

Puskás made his debut for the Hungarian national team in 1945, at the age of 18, scoring in a 5-2 win over Austria. He formed an integral part of the team that went unbeaten for a world record 32 consecutive games, during which they became Olympic Champions in 1952, beating Yugoslavia 2-0 in the final in Helsinki. He played alongside other greats such as Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti.

Puskás was part of the Mighty Magyars team that, in 1953, became the first non-UK team to beat England at Wembley, scoring two of Hungary's goals as they won 6-3. They also defeated England 7-1 in Budapest a year later.

In the 1954 World Cup, Hungary entered as hot favourites, and Puskás scored three goals in the two first round matches, but then suffered an ankle injury which ruled him out until the final. In the final, despite still showing the effects of his injury, he scored an early goal, and Hungary doubled their advantage to lead 2-0, but opponents West Germany clawed it back and took the lead with six minutes left 3-2. Puskás had a goal controversially disallowed for being offside, ending Hungary's record four year unbeaten run.

When Honved entered the European Cup in 1956, little did they know they were to see the end of the team as they knew it. After losing 3-2 in the away leg at Atletico Bilbao, the players were left stranded in Europe due to the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution in Budapest. The return leg, therefore, was arranged to be played at Heysel Stadium in Brussels and the game ended in a 3-3 draw, meaning Honved went out on aggregate 6-5. So, stuck on the continent, the team broke up and many players found clubs in Western Europe, including Puskás, who after a trial with Espanyol, eventually signed for Real Madrid.

Before arriving in Madrid in 1958, Puskás spent a year in Austria, but failed to get a playing permit. He wanted to play in Italy, and Juventus and AC Milan were interested before UEFA placed a two year ban on his shoulders. He piled on the pounds and being the wrong side of 30, clubs were unwilling to take a chance on him. Fortunately, his old Honved manager, Emil Oestreicher, rescued him from the wilderness and took him to the Bernabeu.

Puskás spent eight seasons at Real Madrid, scoring 156 goals in 180 league games and was the league's top scorer four times. He helped Real win La Liga five times in a row between 1961 and 1965 and the Copa del Generalisimo in 1962, and formed a deadly partnership with the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano.

He played a further 39 games in the European Cup, scoring 35 goals. He helped Real reach the Final of the 1959 European Cup, but missed out through injury. He was back with a bang a year later though, scoring four times in a 7-3 triumph over German side Eintracht Frankfurt.

Two years later in the 1962 final, Puskás scored another hat trick, but Real were defeated 5-3 by Benfica. His third and last European Cup success came in 1966, with a 2-1 win over Partizan Belgrade. In all competitions, he scored 236 goals in 261 games for Madrid.

In 1962, Puskás took Spanish nationality and played four times for Spain at the 1962 World Cup. However, he failed to score as Spain crashed out at the first hurdle, winning just one of their qualifying matches, and finishing bottom of their group.

After retiring as a player, Puskás went on to coach several teams across the world. His finest moment as a coach came in 1971, when he guided Panathinaikos to the European Cup Final, which remains the only time a Greek club has reached a European final. The side lost 2-0 to Ajax at Wembley. He also led the Greek side to two league championships, in 1971 and 1972. His only other success as a manager came with South Melbourne Hellas, whom he led to a National Soccer League title in 1991.

In 1993, he took charge of the Hungarian national team for four matches, having been forgiven for defecting to Spain to avoid the Soviet uprising in his homeland. In all, he coached teams in Spain, USA, Canada, Greece, Paraguay, Chile, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, including Deportivo Alaves, Vancouver Royals, Colo-Colo and AEK Athens.

Puskás was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2000 and died of pneumonia on November 17 2006 aged 79. The Nepstadion in Budapest was renamed the Stadion Puskás Ferenc in his honour in 2002.