Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
While there are many talented football players, who've won countless awards and honours, there are very few players that have had stadiums named after them. We take a look at a few of the top stadiums named after some of the greatest football players:
Born in 1927, Ferenc Puskas is widely regarded as one of Europe's greatest football players. Not only does he have a stadium named after him, but the FIFA Puskas Award was established in 2009, which is awarded to the player who is judged to have scored the most aesthetically pleasing goal of the year.
Puskas scored 84 goals in 85 appearances for the Hungary national team and played for Real Madrid in the 1950s who were World Cup runners up in 1954 and European champions multiple times. Overall, he scored 512 goals in 528 matches. He went on to manage multiple football teams around the world after retiring as a player.
He's well remembered for his impressive performances and prolific goal scoring, and the Hungarian national football stadium was renamed after him in 2002. In 2016 demolition of the stadium began, and in 2019 the 67,155 capacity new Puskas Arena was opened.
While football stadiums offer plenty of things to keep you occupied, the history, the snacks, and (of course) the games, you may find yourself needing some entertainment during half time.
Placing a bet on the game you're watching is something that can make you more invested in the action. You can do this by visiting a sports betting site, such as Coral Casino. Coral Casino allows you to put a range of bets on football matches, from wagering on the number of goals an individual player might score to how many corners feature in the game.
If you're at the Puskas Arena then it would be fitting to bet on which player will score the most goals. After all, Ferenc Puskas was known for his goalscoring exploits!
Real Madrid's stadium is named after former player, manager, and president of the club, Santiago Bernabeu. In the 1920s, when Bernabeu played for Real Madrid the club was small, but after the Spanish Civil War following time in the army he came back to the club. He restructured the club and was elected president in 1943, a position which he kept for 35 years.
Bernabeu put together a team with some of the best international players of the time, that raised Real Madrid's profile to one of the biggest European teams. And in 1955 he helped set up a tournament that would develop into the Champions League.
As well as structuring the club's training programs, he also helped with plans to build the Real Madrid stadium that is today named after him. The stadium first opened in 1947, and currently has 81,044 capacity.
Johan Cruyff was on the Ajax team for three consecutive European Cup wins in the 1970s. He then went on to manage Ajax, and then Barcelona who were winners of the Champions League trophy in 1994. Plus, he had three Ballons d'Or to his name.
But he is best remembered for his overall contributions guiding and inspiring younger generations into the sport. Both Ajax and Barcelona have developed youth academies based on Cruyff's coaching methods. He also started the Cruyff Foundation, which supports and develops sports activities for children around the world.
After Cruyff passed away a year before, in April 2017, Ajax announced they were renaming their home stadium the Amsterdam Arena to the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Argentinian player, Diego Maradona is a World Cup and Ballon d'Or winner. He played for Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona during his 20 year football career and later on managed the Argentina team to a World Cup quarter-final in 2006. The home stadium of Argentinos Juniors in Buenos Aires was renamed after him in 2004.
Giuseppe Meazza is regarded as one of the greatest Italian footballers. He's one of just three Italian players to have won two World Cups, in 1934 and 1938. During his 20 year career at Inter Milan, he scored 243 goals in 365 appearances. He also won the Serie A top goal-scorer award on three occasions during his career.
In 1980 the 8000 capacity stadium that was home to Inter Milan and AC Milan was renamed the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in his honour.
If you're visiting the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and looking for something to do before the game, Milan is also one of the world's fashion capitals. You could visit some of the best fashion boutiques, such as 10 Corso Como. Located in a popular shopping and eating area, the concept lifestyle store is home to fashion, food, art, design, publishing, and music, with the space itself feeling more like an exhibition than a shop.
Legendary Iranian footballer, Ali Daei, holds the world record for international goals having scored 109 for his country over 149 matches. He started his career at his hometown club, Esteghlal Ardabil, before moving to Taxirani and then on to Bank Tejarat. Later in his career, he moved to the German team, Arminia Bielefeld, and then on to the UAE before finishing back in Iran.
Opened in 2008, the Ali Daei Stadium has a capacity of 22,000 and is one part of a large sports complex located in Ardabil.
Georgi Asparuhov Rangelov was voted the best Bulgarian footballer of the 20th century. He spent most of his career playing for Levski Sofia, playing 239 games, and winning three Bulgarian League titles and three Bulgarian Cups.
Asparuhov first played for the Bulgaria national team in 1962 and went on to make 49 appearances including three World Cup tournaments. His career was cut short when he died at the age of 28 in a car crash in 1971.
The multi-purpose, 25,000 capacity stadium is located in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia and is the home ground for the Levski Sofia football club. It was renamed after Asparuhov in 1990, with a monument of the player next to the entrance of the main stand.
Recommended reading: Stadiums To Visit While You Still Can
These are just a few of the top stadiums named after football players - they are honouring some of the greatest players and their huge contributions to the sport, on and off the pitch.
My daughter's first ever football match - Orlando City v Atlanta United, August 2019. Written for Izzy to read when she gets old enough. Vamos Orlando
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