Happy Birthday to you!

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.

26-Robert Jarni (46) was involved in many of Yugoslavia and Croatia’s finest moments, winning the 1987 FIFA U-20 World Cup and making one appearance in the 1990 FIFA World Cup™ with the former, while competing at UEFA EURO 1996 and claiming a remarkable third place at France 1998 with the latter.

In 2002, the tireless full-back took part in his third World Cup. At club level, he started out at Hajduk Split, with whom he won two Yugoslav Cups, before exporting his skills to Italy, where he starred for Bari, Torino and Juventus, clinching a Serie A and Coppa Italia double with the Turin giants. A subsequent move to Spain saw the Cakovec-born defender pull on the jerseys of Real Betis, Real Madrid, where he lifted the Intercontinental Cup, and Las Palmas, with whom he sealed the Spanish second division title. After seeing out the remainder of his playing career with Panathinaikos, Jarni turned his hand to coaching, taking the helm at Hajduk Split, NK Istra and Sarajevo.

27-Michael Tarnat (45) participated in France 1998 with Germany, reaching the quarter-finals. The talented wing-back spent the majority of his career in his homeland, initially turning out for modest clubs such as Duisburg and Karlsruhe. His transfer to Bayern Munich was a pivotal moment in his career, leading to a trophy bonanza in the shape of four Bundesliga titles, three German Cups, four German League Cups, a UEFA Champions League crown and an Intercontinental Cup. Following a one-season spell at Manchester City, Tarnat returned to Germany, seeing out the rest of his career with Hannover.

28-Henri Michel (67) was part of the French side that appeared at Argentina 1978, having established a place in the starting XI courtesy of his excellent midfield performances for Nantes, with whom he bagged three league titles and a national cup. Upon hanging up his boots, the Aix-en-Province native embarked on a highly successful coaching career, during which he took charge of several different national teams. At Mexico 1986, he steered Les Bleus to third place, while at USA 1994, he oversaw Cameroon’s attempts to advance from their group. Four years later, he took Morocco to France 1998, and in 2006 he guided Côte d’Ivoire to their first-ever World Cup in Germany. In addition, he coached the French team that earned a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Football Tournament, and took part in five CAF African Cup of Nations contests, three with Morocco (1998, 2000 and 2008), one with Tunisia (2002) and one with Côte d’Ivoire (2006), with whom he lost the final versus Egypt. Michel also took the reins of, among others, the United Arab Emirates, Paris Saint-Germain, Raja Casablanca, whom he led to a Moroccan League title and a CAF Confederation Cup, Al Nasr, Al Arabi, Zamalek, and MamelodiSundowns.

29-Edwin van der Sar (44) was the Netherlands’ last line of defense  for no fewer than 14 years, playing in eleven World Cup matches, spread across two tournaments. At France 1998, he helped his team-mates finish fourth, while at Germany 2006, the Oranje exited at the Round-of-16 stage. The consistent goalkeeper also appeared at four UEFA European Championships (1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008), starring in 16 games. Van der Sar enjoyed a trophy-laden domestic career, collecting 27 pieces of silverware in total. At Ajax the Dutch shot-stopper landed four Dutch titles, three Dutch Cups, three Dutch Super Cups, a UEFA Champions League title, a UEFA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and an Intercontinental Cup. After being transferred to Juventus, he added the UEFA Intertoto Cup to his CV, a feat he then repeated at Fulham. His form for the London club piqued the interest of Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, who acquired his services in June 2005. At Old Trafford, he continued in the same vein, collecting four English Premier League titles, three English League Cups, three FA Community Shields, a UEFA Champions League title and a FIFA Club World Cup, as well as a plethora of individual accolades.

30–KoJongsoo (36) played in the 1998 World Cup and the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup with Korea Republic. As a younger man, he represented his country at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Football Tournaments. The pacey midfield man turned professional at Suwon Bluewings, and later turned out for Kyoto Purple Sanga, Chunnam Dragons and Daejeon Citizen. Post-retirement, he was appointed coach of the Korean U-23 side and then of the senior national team, prior to taking charge of Suwon Bluewings in 2011.

31-Dunga (51) defended the colours of Brazil at three World Cups, namely Italy 1990, USA 1994, where he held aloft the famous trophy, and France 1998, where he again reached the Final. The combative defensive midfielder also prevailed at the 1983 U-20 World Cup, at the 1997 Confederations Cup, and at two Copa America tournaments, as well as gaining a silver medal at the Olympic Games. After retiring from the game, he was appointed coach of the Seleção, capturing the 2007 Copa America and 2009 Confederations Cup, and leading his charges to South Africa 2010. Following the Brazilians’ disappointing exit from the recent 2014 World Cup, Dunga took on the demanding role for a second time. The Ijui native started off with Internacional, where he secured three state championships, before moving on to Corinthians, Santos and Vasco da Gama, with whom he won a further state title. A venture abroad saw the tough-tackling South American perform admirably for Pisa, Fiorentina, Pescara, Stuttgart and Jubilo Iwata, where he picked up a J. League winners’ medal. In 1999, he retraced his steps to enjoy a brief swansong with International.

M.D