In our regular Sunday feature, FIFA.com presents you with some of the biggest names in football who will be celebrating their birthdays over the coming week.
12. Christine Sinclair(33) represented Canada with pride at four successive FIFA Women’s World Cup™ tournaments, from 2003 to 2015, scoring a total of nine goals in 17 matches. In addition, the clinical striker starred at the 2002 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where she reached the final and won the adidas Golden Ball and adidas Golden Shoe (for the ten goals she netted), and at the 2008 and 2012 Women’s Olympic Football Tournaments, finishing top scorer in London as the Canadians picked up a bronze medal. The powerful forward is the second most prolific goalscorer in the history of the women’s game, just ahead of the legendary Mia Hamm but behind the recently retired Abby Wambach.
13. Guy Demel(35) was instrumental in Côte d’Ivoire’s successful qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, but once in Germany for the tournament proper, he remained on the bench. The versatile defender later made up for that at South Africa 2010. He also participated in the 2006 and 2010 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the final of the former competition. At club level, the Paris-born defender began his career at Nimes, prior to signing for Borussia Dortmund, where he secured the Bundesliga title. He later turned out for Hamburg and West Ham, where he and his team-mates were promoted to the English Premier League. Last year, Demel put pen to paper with Scottish outfit Dundee United.
14. Cathrine Sorensen(38) took part in the 2007 Women’s World Cup with Denmark, scoring two of her team’s four goals – against New Zealand and China – during the group stage. The midfielder also competed at three consecutive UEFA Women’s Championships, at which she scored twice in ten matches. Sorensen played for Brondby (Denmark), Linkopings (Sweden), Sydney FC (Australia), where she landed two national trophies, and Fortuna Hjorring (Denmark).
15. Gu Sangbum(52) helped Korea Republic to qualify for Italy 1990, where he made two appearances, and for USA 1994, where he stayed on the bench. The defender also participated in the 1988 AFC Asian Cup, losing the final on penalties to Saudi Arabia, and in the 1988 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in Seoul. The Korean international clinched a K-League title with Lucky-Goldstar, before donning the colours of Daewoo Royals and Pohang Atoms. A move into coaching saw him take charge of several other South Korean teams.
16. Edwin Tenorio(40) made a total of six appearances for Ecuador at Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006, where La Tri advanced to the Round of 16. The combative defensive midfielder also played at three successive Copa America contests and a CONCACAF Gold Cup. Tenorio enjoyed Ecuadorian league success with Liga de Quito and Deportivo Quito, and also pulled on the jerseys of Aucas (Ecuador), Barcelona (Ecuador), Jorge Wilstermann (Bolivia), Veracruz (Mexico) and Deportivo Pereira (Colombia).
17. José Herrera(51) was part of the Uruguay side that emerged victorious from the 1995 Copa America, where he made six appearances, including one in the final against Brazil in the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. In 1990, the imposing defender appeared in La Celeste’s three World Cup group-stage games. Herrera played for a number of clubs during his career, both in Uruguay (Penarol, Racing Club and Montevideo Wanderers) and abroad (Cagliari, Atalanta, Cruz Azul, Figueres and Shandong Luneng).
18. Vincenzo Montella(42) appeared for Italy at UEFA EURO 2000, where he and his countrymen reached the final, and at the 2002 World Cup. The energetic attacker turned professional at Empoli and subsequently embarked on stints at Genoa and Sampdoria, but it was at Roma that he truly made his name, bagging a Serie A crown and an Italian Super Cup. Following brief loan spells at Fulham and Sampdoria, he returned to Roma to see out the remainder of his career. After retiring in 2009, Montella tried his hand at coaching, taking the reins at Catania, Fiorentina and current club Sampdoria.