Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (January 25th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, please post them in the comment area and share them with AFers!
On this day in 1980, Barca legend Xavi was born
Most of his trophies have come from his time with Barcelona, first joining them in 1991 as a youth player, then graduating to the first team in August 1998. That season, he won his first silverware as Barcelona claimed the league title. Over the next fourteen seasons, he established himself as one of the central pistons in the Barça engine while collecting another six league titles, three Champions League trophies, two Club World Cups, and two Copas del Rey.
Along the way, he has made 130 appearances for Spain, adding the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships to his collection of silverware. At present, he has a record 24 titles, surpassing the previous record of 22 set by Real Madrid's Francisco Gento.
On this day in 1995, Cantona banned for 9 months for kung-fu kicking a fan
In that match against Palace, both teams were scoreless early in the second half when Cantona was sent off in the 48th minute for kicking Palace defender Richard Shaw. As he was being escorted off the pitch, he suddenly turned and launched himself feet-first over the advertising hoardings into Palace supporter Matthew Simmons, who had been heaping verbal abuse on the Frenchman. Down to 10 men, United managed to take a 1-0 lead six minutes later, but could not prevent Palace from equalizing in the 79th minute to earn the draw.
Cantona was suspended for the rest of the season, sentenced to 120 hours of community service, and fined £10,000. Without him, United fell just short of winning another title, finishing one point behind League champions Blackburn Rovers.
On this day in 2006, Vidic made his 1st appearance for Man Utd
Vidić signed with United in January 2006 for a fee close to £7 million. With United leading Blackburn 2-1 in the second leg of their Carling Cup semifinal (and winning 3-2 on aggregate), Vidić came on in the 86th minute as a defensive replacement for striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
He went on to make 300 appearances for United, winning five league titles, three League Cups, and the UEFA Champions League. In August 2010, he became the team captain, a position he held until his departure for Inter in 2014.
On this day in 1942, Portuguese legend Eusébio was born
Eusébio signed his first contract there in 1957 with his neighborhood club, Sporting de Lourenço Marques, and remained there until he signed with Benfica in December 1960.
He quickly made his mark at his new club, scoring a hat-trick in his first appearance, a May 1961 friendly against Atlético Clube de Portugal. He went on to score a total of 473 goals for them in 440 appearances across all competitions while winning eleven league titles, five Portuguese Cups, and the 1962 European Cup, scoring the last two goals in Benfica's 5-3 win over Real Madrid.
In the 1964-65 season, he scored a career-high 48 goals, leading to his European Footballer of the Year award. He remains the club's all-time appearances and scoring leader.
On this day in 2014, Man Utd signed Mata from Chelsea
On 24 January 2014, Mourinho said Chelsea had accepted a transfer offer from Manchester United and he allowed Mata to travel to Manchester to undergo a medical, after the player said he was "really happy to go". Manchester United confirmed later in the day that a transfer fee had been agreed, but that the deal was still contingent on Mata agreeing personal terms and passing a medical. The transfer was completed the following day, with Manchester United paying Chelsea a then club record fee of £37.1 million, with Mata signing a contract until the summer of 2018.
A skillful attacking midfielder, Mata is known for his passing and technique. At 5'7" he has a medium build that further facilitates agile mobility. Mata also possesses great vision that allows him to provide assists to accompanying forwards.
On this day in 2003, Roma gladiator De Rossi made his Serie A debut
On 25 January 2003, De Rossi made his Serie A debut against Como. Later that season, his first Serie A start, along with his first league and career goal, came on 10 May 2003 against Torino.
De Rossi joined the Roma youth system from Ostia Mare, where he had played as a striker, in 2000. He soon established himself as a permanent member of the starting line-up in the holding midfield position during the next few seasons, and was considered one of the most promising young Italian players in the league, helping Roma to a second-place finish in Serie A during the 2003–04 season, and consecutive Coppa Italia finals in 2005 and 2006.
With the club, he has won the Coppa Italia twice and the 2007 Supercoppa Italiana. He was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2006, and the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year in 2009.
On this day in 1890, Sevilla was formed
Sevilla FC is the most successful club in Andalusia, winning a national league title in 1945–46, five Spanish Cups, one Spanish Super Cup, a record five UEFA Cups/ Europa Leagues and the 2006 UEFA Super Cup. They were also designated by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics as the World's best club in 2006 and 2007, thus being the first club to achieve this distinction in two consecutive years.
The Club’s home ground is the 42,714-seat Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. It is located in the neighborhood of Nervión, Seville and owes its name to Ramón Sánchez Pizjuan, who was Sevilla FC’s President for 17 years.
Sevilla FC has contributed many players to the Spain national team throughout their history.
On this day in 1967, French former international Ginola was born
As a winger, Ginola was renowned for his "magical" touch on the ball and his ability to get past players from any type of position and then manage to score a goal. His ability to do that was shown in games for Tottenham and Newcastle.
Ginola played football for ten seasons in his native France before making the move from Paris Saint-Germain to Newcastle United in the English Premier League in July 1995. He continued playing in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton before retiring in 2002.
On this day in 1984, Former Madrid, Milan & Man City star Robinho was born
A quick, creative, agile and technically-gifted player, Robinho is mainly known for his flair, ball control, attacking instinct and dribbling skills, as well as his use of tricks and feints, such as the step over and the flip flap, due to his quick feet; his precocious performances and ability on the ball drew comparisons with compatriot Pelé in his youth.
Robinho was picked by Brazil legend Pelé as his heir apparent and went on to lead Santos FC to their first Campeonato Brasileiro title since Pelé himself played for the club. Since then, he has won a second title with Santos and two more with Spanish club Real Madrid. He won the Italian Serie A title in his first season at Milan.