15 February 1937 - Happy Birthday, Mr. Feyenoord

On 15 February 1937, Feyenoord legend and 1970 European Cup winner Coen Moulijn was born in Rotterdam.

A quick and agile left-winger, compatriot Johan Cruyff once praised Moulijn, saying "Coen mastered one movement better than anyone: threatening to pass his opponent through the center, and then speeding past him on the other side. He was an exceptionally talented football player. A typical product of the Dutch school." He began his professional career at neighboring Xerxes, but moved to Feyenoord after one season and spent the remainder of his career there, making over 500 appearances between 1955 and 1972. Along the way, he helped guide the team to five league titles and two Dutch Cups.

But he reached the pinnacle of his career in 1970 when Feyenoord won the European Cup over Celtic, 2-1. Throughout the tournament, Moulijn provided pinpoint service to his teammates Ove Kindvall and Ruud Geels, allowing them to finish as the competition's second and third-highest scorers that season, respectively.

After his retirement in 1972, he remained in Rotterdam and stayed involved with the club. Feyenoord later called him their greatest player and erected a statue of him outside the stadium in 2009. He passed away in January 2011 at the age of 73.

14 February 2010 - No Love For The League Leaders

On 14 February 2010, Atlético Madrid did something no other La Liga team was able to do that season--beat Barcelona.

It was a result few could have anticipated. Barcelona were at the top of the league table, unbeaten on the season, while Atlético were in thirteenth, just six points above the relegation zone. When the two teams met earlier in the season at Camp Nou, Barça cruised to a 5-2 victory.

But after only eight minutes in Madrid, striker Diego Forlán (pictured) put the hosts up 1-0 after picking up a pass from José Antonio Reyes and putting it past Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes. Fifteen minutes later, Atlético doubled their lead with a free kick from Simão, taken at the edge of the box.

Despite going down 2-0, Barcelona quickly regained their composure, getting a 27th-minute goal from Zlatan Ibrahimović. Later, the Swede had two opportunties for an equalizer, but was twice denied by keeper David de Gea. The young Spanish keeper also stopped a shot by Lionel Messi near the break.

Barcelona's momentum had been rising at the end of the first half, but they could not maintain it in the second and the match ended 2-1. As consolation, it was their only loss of the season which ended with the league title. Atlético, meanwhile, improved their own fortunes and finished the season in eighth place.

13 February 1960 - The Most Incorruptible Man In Italy

On 13 February 1960, Italian referee Pierluigi Collina was born in Bologna. A six-time World Referee of the Year award winner, he went on to officiate some of the sport's biggest events, including Champions League and World Cup finals.

He got his start as a referee in 1977 and quickly rose through the hierarchy, taking charge of Serie C1 and C2 matches in 1988. Three years later, he was promoted to Serie A and B matches. In 1996, he took charge of his first major final, overseeing the Olympic final between Argentina and Nigeria, then, in 1999, he refereed the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. He reached the pinnacle of his profession in 2002, when he was top official for the World Cup final between Brazil and Germany. Meanwhile, the IFFHS named him their World Official of the Year for six straight years, from 1998 to 2003.

Throughout his career, he remained above reproach, maintaining a high standard of professionalism and objectivity. When Italy was rocked by the 2006 match-fixing scandal, Collina's reputation was actually improved as police recordings of Juventus director Luciano Moggi, one of the primary conspirators, revealed that Collina refused to cooperate with any efforts to fix matches.

He retired in 2005, but continues to be involved in the sport, serving as an official for the Football Federation of Ukraine.

12 February 1949 - Rowley Handles The Glovers

On 12 February 1949, Manchester United got their record FA Cup victory, beating Yeovil Town 8-0, with five of the goals coming from center forward Jack Rowley (pictured).

United were the defending cup holders, then in their fourth season under manager Matt Busby. Non-League side Yeovil Town had done an impressive job just to make it to the Fifth Round meeting against United, having advanced with wins over Romford (4-0), Weymouth (4-0), Division Two side Bury (3-1), and Division One side Sunderland (2-1, aet).

But that's where their good fortune ended, as they ran into a buzzsaw against United. Playing at Maine Road (because Old Trafford was still unusable after being bombed in World War II), the Red Devils destroyed the Glovers with Rowley's five goals, two from Ronnie Burke, and one from Charlie Mitten. The 8-0 margin is United's best in the FA Cup and Yeovil Town's worst across all competitions.

Manchester United went on to beat Hull in the next round, but fell to Wolves, the eventual winners, in the semifinals. Rowley left United in 1955 as the club's leading scorer with 211 goals in all competitions, though that total was later passed by Bobby Charlton (249) and Dennis Law (237).

11 February 1981 - No Little Victory For Victorino

On 11 February 1981, Nacional edged Nottingham Forest in the Toyota Cup to claim a 1-0 win.

Established in 1960, the Toyota Cup/Intercontinental Cup paired the reigning Copa Libertadores champions against the current European Cup winners. Originally played as a home-and-away two-legged tie, the 1980 edition (played in February 1981) was the first to decide the winner with a single match and the first to be played at the neutral location of Tokyo's National Stadium.

Forest entered the match on an unbeaten run of 42 matches and had collected international honors at a rapid pace, winning the 1979 and 1980 European Cups as well as the 1979 UEFA Super Cup. Nacional, meanwhile, had won the 1979 Uruguay Primera División along with that year's Copa Libertadores.

Playing before a crowd of 62,000, Nacional took an early lead with a 10th-minute goal from forward Waldemar Victorino (pictured at right). The attack was started near the midfield line by right back José Hermes Moreira, who passed the ball, then charged down the right side, got the ball back, and sent in a cross. Victorino received it in front of the goal, avoided a tackled, then drove the ball into the roof of the net.

It was Nacional's only real chance of the match, but it was enough. Nottingham Forest came close a couple of times, once sending the ball just wide of goal and then heading it off the post, but could not crack the Nacional defense. The day ended 1-0, with Victorino as the man of the match.

10 February 2006 - The Pharoahs Reign Again

On 10 February 2006, Egypt won their fifth African Cup of Nations trophy, beating Côte d'Ivoire on penalties, 0-0 (4-2). The match came forty-nine years to the day after their first win in an ACN match.

The two teams met earlier in the tournament's group stage, with hosts Egypt winning 3-1 on their way to topping the group. Côte d'Ivoire finished second to join them in the knockout rounds, where they upset Cameroon in a penalty shootout, 1-1 (11-12).

The final, played before a crowd of 80,000 at Cairo International Stadium, was not without controversy. After Côte d'Ivoire striker Didier Drogba missed a chance to win the match in regulation, Egypt had an 83rd-minute goal disallowed. Then, in extra time, Egypt won a dubious penalty kick for what appeared to be a fair challenge on Mohamed Barakat, but captain Ahmed Hassan sent his attempt off the bar and the match headed into penalties.

There, Hassan converted the first kick, while Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary saved Côte d'Ivoire's first kick, taken by Drogba. After Egypt's Abdel Halim Ali missed his attempt, El Hadary saved another to put Egypt ahead 2-1 after three kicks each. Emmanuel Eboue made his shot to bring the teams level, but Mohamed Aboutreika made the last kick for Egypt to claim the victory.

9 February 1931 - And All He Wanted Was A Dukla Prague Away Kit

On 9 February 1931, midfielder Josef Masopust was born in Czechoslovakia. After leading the national team to a World Cup final, he was voted European Footballer of the Year and was later named the country's greatest player.

Masopust started his professional career in 1950 at the age of 19, signing with ZSJ Technomat Teplice. He played there for two seasons, then moved to ATK Praha (later renamed Dukla Prague) in 1952 and remained there for the majority of his career, scoring 79 goals in 386 appearances and winning eight league titles.

He rose to international prominence with the Czechoslovakian national team, earning 63 caps between 1954 and 1966. After a first-round exit in the 1958 World Cup, Masopust helped the team to a third-place finish at the 1960 European Championship, then reached the final of the 1962 World Cup. There, Masopust scored his only goal of the tournament to give Czechoslovakia a 15th-minute lead, though they went on to lose 3-1. Later that year, Masopust became the first Czech player to win the Ballon d'Or.

He continued to play until 1970 (spending his last two seasons in Belgium with Crossing Molenbeek), then moved into management, including spells with both Dukla Prague and the national team.

In 2003, when UEFA, in preparation for their 50th anniversary the following year, asked each of their member nations to name their best player of the past fifty years, the Czechs chose Masopust.