Mexico

In the 65th minute of tonight’s “friendly” between the USMNT and Mexico in Nashville, U.S. defender Matt Miazga triggered six minutes of absolute bedlam after finally getting the better of 18-year-old Mexican phenom Diego Lainez. The diminutive (5 ft 5.5 in) Club America winger was probably the highlight of an otherwise tame first half.

He absolutely diced U.S. captain Wil Trapp and feasted on him at one point. It was frightening.  

36' ¡Dieeeeego Lainez volvió locos a todos!

The USMNT plays host to Mexico tonight at Nissan Stadium in Nashville for the 68th meeting between the CONCACAF rivals. Mexico leads the all-time series with a record of 34W-18L-15D, and while victory is always of the utmost importance in this historic matchup, there’s no getting around the fact that this is an encounter between two very young sides that are casting their first covetous glances towards the 2022 World Cup cycle.

A team of Cruz Azul legends played a friendly against Club America legends in a farewell match to Estadio Azul Saturday, which was America’s home between 1947 and 1955 and Azul’s ground between 1996 and 2018. Both clubs now occupy the Estadio Azteca while the Nuevo Estadio Azul is being built.

But this past weekend, the likes of Azul legends Carlos Hermosillo and César Delgado came up against Blanco, Luis Roberto Alves and Germán Villa to give the crumbling edifice a proper goodbye. 

Some men and women just can’t stand still. Whether it’s his drive to win or just the cocaine, Diego Maradona is one of those people.

Unlike Pelé, Maradona refuses to just sit around collecting royalty checks for doing Subway commercials. Maradona played for three decades as one of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch and has had six stints as a head coach.

On Thursday, Maradona was hired as technical director for Ascenso MX club Dorados de Sinaloa, perhaps the Argentine legend’s highest-profile gig since leading Argentina at the 2010 World Cup. 

If you’re curious to check out the most famous football players with photos and visceral evidence of their existence, you’ve come to the right place. In the latest edition of the ESPN World Fame 100, 32 of the entries were footballers, giving you a fitting idea of the sport’s global appeal. We’ve included all 32 of those players and some other footballers that are instantly recognizable to followers of the game.

Take a look below, and get inspired to run more. 

Most Famous Football Players With Photos

Edinson Cavani | PSG & Uruguay 

Celta Vigo sits third in LaLiga after three games on the back of a commanding 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Balaidos on Saturday. The ability of Celta’s backline to completely nullify the threat posed by Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa (Atletico didn’t land a shot on target throughout the entire match) saw its defenders marked out for individual praise, especially 27-year-old Mexico international Nestor Araujo.

Interim USMNT manager Dave Sarachan has named his 24-man roster for upcoming friendlies against Brazil (Sept. 7) and Mexico (Sept. 11), including 14 players age 23 and under. Christian Pulisic is the big name absentee after the winger suffered an injury while training with Borussia Dortmund, while 25-year-old New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long is the only uncapped player in the squad.

PSV Eindhoven is turning into Pachuca East, or maybe the Dutch El Tri. After the incredible success of former Pachuca winger Hirving Lozano, the Erick Gutierrez PSV transfer was officially announced Thursday, the day after Chucky helped fire the Dutch club into the Champions League group stage. 

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After breaking through in monster fashion last season, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano somehow looks destined for even bigger and better things during his sophomore year in Europe. The 23-year-old Mexican winger already has two goals in three Eredivisie appearances, and now his two goals — including one today — in PSV’s 6-2 aggregate win over BATE Borisov have ensured the club’s participation in the 2018-19 Champions League group stage. 

Interim coach Ricardo Ferretti's Mexico squad for a pair of upcoming friendlies in the United States was announced on Wednesday. Of note, El Tri’s all-time leading goal scorer Javier Hernández was not chosen. Jonathan González, a 19-year-old native of Santa Rosa, California, was.

The Mexico squad will face Uruguay on Sept. 7 in Houston followed by the United States on Sept. 11 in Nashville, meaning González will have a chance to play against the country of his birth. 

 | NOTA