On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, The Football Faithful’s Advent Day Three!
The countdown to Christmas continues with more festive facts coming your way, regardless of whether you’ve been naughty or nice.
The Football Faithful’s Advent Calendar: December 3rd
Shirt Number: 3
The icon himself, Nicklas Bendtner, bizarrely adorned the number while at Wolfsburg.
Bendtner chose the number due to the influence of his mother, Joan. Unfortunately for the Dane, it ended up representing the amount of league goals he scored during his period in Germany.
Two more well-known strikers have donned the number commonly reserved for a left-back.
Asamoah Gyan wore the number with the national team and occasionally at club level due to the Ghanaian believing it was a ‘powerful number.’
Magic from @ASAMOAH_GYAN3 in extra time ✨#FIFAWorldCup | @GhanaBlackstars pic.twitter.com/uTUB2H9kTv
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 23, 2022
In an interview, Gyan proclaimed: “If you want to lift something heavy you count 1,2,3 and the last number is three which is the one that makes you able to lift [the object] making it a powerful number.”
Three is the magic number.
Colombia legend Radamel Falcao is another striker to add to the list.
El Tigre had the number emblazoned on the back of his shirt at Rayo Vallecano. The 37-year-old picked this number to honour his late father Radamel Garcia. Garcia played as a defender, mostly with that number.
Goal on this Day: Goal fest at Anfield isn’t shy of worldies!
Liverpool hosting Fulham in the Premier League seems a rather pedestrian watch on face value.
But spectators were treated to a seven-goal thriller a year ago today, with a couple of outrageous strikes among the drama.
Trent Alexander-Arnold commenced the mayhem with a sumptuous free-kick from 25 yards out that kissed the post before hitting the back of Bernd Leno’s net.
After Harry Wilson had equalised for the visitors, Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister usurped Alexander-Arnold’s submission for goal of the day.
The ball sat up perfectly for the Argentine to rifle an effort on the half-volley into the upper echelons of the Fulham goal. Leno didn’t stand a chance.
Who else is still watching this goal on repeat? 🙋♂️ https://t.co/vwZNzPQh6V pic.twitter.com/guMdAUjQ1p
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 31, 2023
On either side of the interval, the Cottagers scored to notch themselves back in front. But a crazy two minutes of action followed.
Wataru Endo joined the action with a beautifully struck curling effort at the Kop End in the dying embers. The contest was decided by a goal good enough to win any game and it came from one of Liverpool’s own.
The ball fell to Alexander-Arnold on the edge of the box, who controlled it effortlessly with his thigh before volleying into the bottom corner to send Anfield into raptures. An incredible show of finishing from Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Footballer Born on this Day: David Villa
David Villa was an absolute expert in his craft and the Spanish legend celebrates his 43rd birthday today.
The former Barcelona and Valencia striker etched himself in the history of Spanish football, with his 59 goals for the national team a record.
Villa was influential in the successful squad that lifted the European Championship in 2008 and the World Cup in 2010.
🏆 World Cup x1
🏆 Euro x1
🏆 UCL x1
🏆 FIFA Club World Cup x1
🏆 La Liga x3
🏆 UEFA Super Cup x1
🏆 Supercopa de España x4
🏆 Copa del Rey x3
Join us in wishing a very happy birthday to Spanish legend, David Villa! 🎂🥳🎉#DavidVilla #HappyBirthday #Football pic.twitter.com/s3O6RNjzPY
— Sportskeeda Football (@skworldfootball) December 3, 2024
The forward netted over a century of goals for Valencia, won the Champions League with Barcelona and became a figurehead for Major League Soccer club New York City after being named the first-ever captain of the franchise.
Nowadays, Villa holds the post of vice president at CF Benidorm.
Fact: Pele receives an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more commonly known as Pele, is an absolute icon of the sport, with many people considering him to be one of the greatest footballers to ever live.
He devoted his life to sport and was recognised by British royalty in 1997 for his hard work and dedication to football.
Queen Elizabeth II decorated the Brazilian with an honorary knighthood. Due to the fact Pele wasn’t a British citizen, he could only be awarded the honorary title. This meant he couldn’t use the prefix of ‘Sir’ before his name. Which is a shame as Sir Pele has quite the ring to it.
Pele’s relationship with the monarch started decades before his trip to Buckingham Palace with the Queen visiting Brazil in 1968.
Her Royal Highness travelled to the South American country to witness their love for football and to experience the magic of the Maracana Stadium.
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