Scouting
Short, factual profiles of the athletes our readers ask about most, with the records and career facts that stay true.
Forward · Inter Miami · Age 39
Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina, and moved to Barcelona at 13 after the club agreed to pay for his growth hormone treatment. He made his first-team debut in 2004 and stayed until 2021, when he joined Paris Saint-Germain, before moving to Inter Miami in 2023.
Forward · Al Nassr · Age 41
Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Funchal on the island of Madeira. He signed for Sporting Lisbon as a teenager and moved to Manchester United in 2003, then to Real Madrid, Juventus, back to United and finally Al Nassr in 2023.
Forward · Real Madrid · Age 27
Kylian Mbappé grew up in Bondy, near Paris, and broke through at Monaco before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. He joined Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer of 2024.
Striker · Manchester City · Age 26
Erling Haaland was born in Leeds while his father, Alf-Inge, was playing for the club, and grew up in Norway. He went through Molde, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund before signing for Manchester City in 2022.
Forward · Liverpool · Age 34
Mohamed Salah was born in Nagrig, a village in the Nile Delta, and started his career at Al Mokawloon. He played for Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina and Roma before Liverpool signed him in 2017.
Driver · Scuderia Ferrari · Age 41
Lewis Hamilton was born in Stevenage and started karting at eight. McLaren signed him to their young driver programme, and he made his Formula 1 debut with the team in 2007, finishing second in his first season.
Driver · Red Bull Racing · Age 29
Max Verstappen was born in Hasselt in Belgium, and is the son of the former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He made his Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015, when he was 17 years and 166 days old, which made him the youngest driver to start a grand prix.
Singles · ATP Tour · Age 39
Novak Djokovic was born in Belgrade and learned the game on the courts of the Kopaonik mountain resort. He turned professional in 2003 and won his first Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open.
Singles · ATP Tour · Age 23
Carlos Alcaraz comes from El Palmar, near Murcia, and trained at the Equelite academy under Juan Carlos Ferrero. He won his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open, aged 19, and became the youngest man to reach world number one.
Singles (retired) · Retired · Age 45
Serena Williams grew up in Compton, California, and learned tennis from her father, Richard, on public courts, alongside her sister Venus. She turned professional in 1995 and won her first Grand Slam at the 1999 US Open.
Singles (retired) · Retired · Age 45
Roger Federer was born in Basel and turned professional in 1998. His breakthrough came at Wimbledon in 2001, when he beat Pete Sampras, and he won the title himself in 2003.
Javelin thrower · Pakistan · Age 29
Arshad Nadeem was born in Mian Channu, in Punjab, and grew up in a family without a lot of money. He started in cricket and other sports before a coach spotted his throwing arm, and he moved into javelin.
Sprinter (retired) · Retired · Age 40
Usain Bolt grew up in Sherwood Content, Jamaica, and won his first world junior title at 15. He became a global name at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won the 100 m and 200 m in world record times.
Guard (retired) · Retired · Age 63
Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn and grew up in North Carolina. He hit the winning shot for North Carolina in the 1982 national title game and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984.
Batter (retired) · Retired · Age 53
Sachin Tendulkar was born in Mumbai and made his Test debut for India in Karachi in 1989, aged 16, against a Pakistan attack that included Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
Fast bowler (retired) · Retired · Age 60
Wasim Akram was born in Lahore and was picked for Pakistan after a trial in Lahore. He made his Test debut in 1985 and became known as the Sultan of Swing, a left-arm fast bowler who could swing the ball both ways at high pace.
Fast bowler (retired) · Retired · Age 54
Waqar Younis was born in Burewala, Punjab, and made his Test debut in 1989 in the same match as Sachin Tendulkar. He was known for fast, accurate yorkers and reverse swing, which batters had a hard time reading.
Batter (retired) · Retired · Age 69
Javed Miandad was born in Karachi and made his Test debut for Pakistan in 1976, hitting a century in his first innings against New Zealand, at the age of 19.
All-rounder (retired) · Retired · Age 51
Shahid Afridi was born in Khyber and made his one-day international debut for Pakistan in October 1996. In only his second match, against Sri Lanka in Nairobi, he hit a century off 37 balls, which was a world record for 17 years.
Player (retired) · Retired · Age 62
Jahangir Khan was born in Karachi and grew up in a family that already had squash champions in it, including his father, Roshan Khan, and his late brother, Torsam Khan. After Torsam died, Jahangir decided to continue the family's path in the sport.
Player (retired) · Retired · Age 57
Jansher Khan was born in Nawakille, near Peshawar. He followed Jahangir Khan as the best player of the sport, even though he came from a different family, and he took over the top spot at the end of the 1980s.
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