On this day in football history - 1st January

Birthdays / Born on this day - 1st January

• 1st January 1943 - Antonio Juliano - The creative Italian midfielder is a Napoli legend, spending 16 years with the Azzurri, much of it as captain.

• 1st January 1946 - Rivelino - The only thing that could rival his fantastic left foot was that fantastic moustache. Played on the left side of midfield in the legendary 1970 Brazil team. Played at club level for Corinthians and Fluminense.

• 1st January 1955 - Jesús María Zamora - Spanish midfielder and a legend at Real Sociedad, the only club he played for.

• 1st January 1957 - Ramaz Shengelia - Cracking striker in the early 80s, quick and dangerous and a great 11 years with Dinamo Tbilisi that saw him twice named Soviet Footballer of the Year.

• 1st January 1968 - Davor Šuker - The Croatian was one of the world's top strikers in the the 90s, winning the Golden Boot at the 1998 World Cup. Best remembered at Osijek, Dinamo Zagreb, Sevilla and Real Madrid. Also had short spells with Arsenal and West Ham United.

• 1st January 1972 - Lilian Thuram - Great defender for Monaco, Parma, Juventus, Barcelona and, of course, France, for whom he's the most capped player with 142 caps.

Football Events - 1st January

• 1st January 1965 - In the New Year's Honours List, Stanley Matthews became the first professional footballer to be awarded a knighthood whilst still a player. The "Wizard of Dribble" was at Stoke City at the time and aged 49. His only league appearance in that 1964-65 season was also his last, against Fulham on 6th February 1965, shortly after celebrating his 50th birthday. Matthews had made his League debut in 1932 and would later say that he thought he could have actually played on for a few more seasons.

Football Photos - 1st January