6 July 1977 - Li Leads The Scoring Charts

On 6 July 1977, Li Jinyu was born in Shenyang, China. He has gone on to become the Chinese league's all-time top scorer.

A striker, Li started his career with his hometown club Liaoning FC in 1999 (though he spent his first season in France on loan with AS Nancy). He stayed with Liaoning until 2003, scoring a total of 46 goals in 100 league appearances. His best season there was 2002, when he claimed the league's Golden Boot with 27 goals.

Before the start of the 2004 season, he moved to Shandong Luneng, where he continued his scoring streak. In that first season, he knocked in 21 goals and claimed his first silverware with an FA Cup and Chinese Super League Cup double. After a slump in 2005 (only 17 goals), his form returned in 2006 with 26 goals, the league title, and another FA Cup.

In 2007, Li became the league's all-time top scorer, beating the previous record of 96 set by Hao Haidong. Before his retirement in 2010, he extended the record to 120 goals in 251 appearances. He also added to his trophy cabinet, winning league titles in 2008 and 2010.

1 October 1996 - With That Name, He Had To End Up There Sooner Or Later

On 1 October 1996, Arsène Wenger officially took charge as manager of Arsenal. He would go on to become recognized as one of the best managers in football, becoming the first (and to date only) non-British manager to win the English Double and the first Premier League manager to go a full season undefeated.

Wenger was born in Strasbourg, France on 22 October 1949. He enjoyed a brief and undistinguished playing career as a sweeper for FC Mulhouse (1973-75), ASPV Strasbourg (1975-78), and RC Strasbourg (1978-81) before moving into management as an assistant with AS Cannes in 1983.

He received his first full mangerial position with Ligue 1 side AS Nancy in 1984. He stayed there for only three seasons, the last of which ended with the club being relegated to Ligue 2. In 1987, he moved to AS Monaco, where he earned his first managerial honors, winning Ligue 1 in his first season. His Monaco side also won the Coupe de France in 1991.

Wenger left Monaco in 1994 after the club's board denied him permission to speak with Bayern Munich about their managerial vacancy. In 1995, he went to Japan to manage Nagoya Grampus Eight and in 1996 his side won both the Emperor's Cup and the J-League Super Cup.

He moved to Arsenal in 1996 after the London club sacked previous manager Bruce Rioch. His first match in charge was a 2-0 Premier League away win over Blackburn Rovers on 12 October 1996. Arsenal finished in third place that season, but secured Wenger's record-setting Double the following season, winning both the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first full season in charge.

He won a second Double in the 2001-02 season, then won the league again in 2003-04 without losing a match.

23 September 1953 - The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship

On 23 September 1953, center forward Alfredo di Stéfano debuted for Real Madrid in a friendly against AS Nancy. The French side won 4-2.

Nicknamed "the Blond Arrow," Di Stéfano is considered to be one of the greatest footballers in history. He was born in Buenos Aires on 4 July 1926 and signed his first professional contract in 1944 with River Plate. He stayed with River Plate until 1948, including a brief loan spell with Hurucán. In 1948, as the result of players' strike in Argentina, he moved to Colombian side Los Millonarios.

In 1952, Millonarios were invited to Madrid to play in a tournament celebrating Real Madrid's 50th anniversary, which the Bogotá club won. Di Stéfano impressed the scouts in attendance and initially signed with Barcelona, but issues arose over his contract rights. Real president Santiago Bernabéu took advantage of the delay and convinced di Stéfano to sign instead with the Meringues. The incident aggravated the already-strained relations between the two Spanish giants.

Di Stéfano, who had already won both accolades and silverware with River Plate and Millonarios, reached greater heights with Real, including eight La Liga titles (1954-55, 1957-58, 1961-64) and five consecutive European Cup trophies (1956-60). He also won the Ballon d'Or in 1957 and 1959.

At the international level, di Stéfano played for three different sides--Argentina (four appearances), Colombia (six), and Spain (31), but never played in the World Cup.

He left Real after the 1963-64 season, accumulating 418 goals in 510 matches for the Spanish club. He retired from playing in 1966 after two seasons with Espanyol.

21 June 1955 - A Legend In His Own Time (And Mind)

On 21 June 1955, renowned French midfielder Michel Platini was born in the tiny commune of Jœuf in northeastern France.

The three-time European Footballer of the Year and former captain of the French national team once told a reporter "I was born in football. My father was a very good football player, and as an Italian immigrant was always passionate about the game. Football is a fantastic and intelligent game which teaches us how to live together, how to share when you are better than others. Football is an extraordinary education for life."

He played his youth football with his hometown side, A.S. Jœuf, from 1966 to 1972, when he signed a senior contract with nearby A.S. Nancy. He won the first major trophy of his career with Nancy, defeating Nice in the 1978 Coupe de France Final. He also started to earn individual recognition, being named France Football Magazine's French Football Player of the Year in 1976 and 1977. He played for Nancy until 1979, then moved to Saint-Étienne, where he helped win the Ligue 1 title in 1981.

In 1982, Platini transferred to Juventus, where he would become one of the world's most distinguished footballers. When being introduced in Turin, the rarely-humble Platini told the crowd "I began by playing for the biggest club in the Lorraine region, went on to the biggest club in France and ended up with the biggest in the world." During his time with Juventus, he earned a string of individual and club honors, including two Serie A titles (1984, 1986), the European Cup Winners Cup (1984), and the European Cup (1985). He also led France to the 1984 European Championship trophy. Individually, he was named European Footballer of the Year in 1983, 1984, and 1985.

Platini retired from playing in 1987 and spent four years as manager of the French national team from 1988-92. He is currently president of UEFA.

6 July 1977 - Li Leads The Scoring Charts

On 6 July 1977, Li Jinyu was born in Shenyang, China. He has gone on to become the Chinese league's all-time top scorer.

A striker, Li started his career with his hometown club Liaoning FC in 1999 (though he spent his first season in France on loan with AS Nancy). He stayed with Liaoning until 2003, scoring a total of 46 goals in 100 league appearances. His best season there was 2002, when he claimed the league's Golden Boot with 27 goals.

Before the start of the 2004 season, he moved to Shandong Luneng, where he continued his scoring streak. In that first season, he knocked in 21 goals and claimed his first silverware with an FA Cup and Chinese Super League Cup double. After a slump in 2005 (only 17 goals), his form returned in 2006 with 26 goals, the league title, and another FA Cup.

In 2007, Li became the league's all-time top scorer, beating the previous record of 96 set by Hao Haidong. Before his retirement in 2010, he extended the record to 120 goals in 251 appearances. He also added to his trophy cabinet, winning league titles in 2008 and 2010.

1 October 1996 - With That Name, He Had To End Up There Sooner Or Later

On 1 October 1996, Arsène Wenger officially took charge as manager of Arsenal. He would go on to become recognized as one of the best managers in football, becoming the first (and to date only) non-British manager to win the English Double and the first Premier League manager to go a full season undefeated.

Wenger was born in Strasbourg, France on 22 October 1949. He enjoyed a brief and undistinguished playing career as a sweeper for FC Mulhouse (1973-75), ASPV Strasbourg (1975-78), and RC Strasbourg (1978-81) before moving into management as an assistant with AS Cannes in 1983.

He received his first full mangerial position with Ligue 1 side AS Nancy in 1984. He stayed there for only three seasons, the last of which ended with the club being relegated to Ligue 2. In 1987, he moved to AS Monaco, where he earned his first managerial honors, winning Ligue 1 in his first season. His Monaco side also won the Coupe de France in 1991.

Wenger left Monaco in 1994 after the club's board denied him permission to speak with Bayern Munich about their managerial vacancy. In 1995, he went to Japan to manage Nagoya Grampus Eight and in 1996 his side won both the Emperor's Cup and the J-League Super Cup.

He moved to Arsenal in 1996 after the London club sacked previous manager Bruce Rioch. His first match in charge was a 2-0 Premier League away win over Blackburn Rovers on 12 October 1996. Arsenal finished in third place that season, but secured Wenger's record-setting Double the following season, winning both the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first full season in charge.

He won a second Double in the 2001-02 season, then won the league again in 2003-04 without losing a match.

23 September 1953 - The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship

On 23 September 1953, center forward Alfredo di Stéfano debuted for Real Madrid in a friendly against AS Nancy. The French side won 4-2.

Nicknamed "the Blond Arrow," Di Stéfano is considered to be one of the greatest footballers in history. He was born in Buenos Aires on 4 July 1926 and signed his first professional contract in 1944 with River Plate. He stayed with River Plate until 1948, including a brief loan spell with Hurucán. In 1948, as the result of players' strike in Argentina, he moved to Colombian side Los Millonarios.

In 1952, Millonarios were invited to Madrid to play in a tournament celebrating Real Madrid's 50th anniversary, which the Bogotá club won. Di Stéfano impressed the scouts in attendance and initially signed with Barcelona, but issues arose over his contract rights. Real president Santiago Bernabéu took advantage of the delay and convinced di Stéfano to sign instead with the Meringues. The incident aggravated the already-strained relations between the two Spanish giants.

Di Stéfano, who had already won both accolades and silverware with River Plate and Millonarios, reached greater heights with Real, including eight La Liga titles (1954-55, 1957-58, 1961-64) and five consecutive European Cup trophies (1956-60). He also won the Ballon d'Or in 1957 and 1959.

At the international level, di Stéfano played for three different sides--Argentina (four appearances), Colombia (six), and Spain (31), but never played in the World Cup.

He left Real after the 1963-64 season, accumulating 418 goals in 510 matches for the Spanish club. He retired from playing in 1966 after two seasons with Espanyol.

21 June 1955 - A Legend In His Own Time (And Mind)

On 21 June 1955, renowned French midfielder Michel Platini was born in the tiny commune of Jœuf in northeastern France.

The three-time European Footballer of the Year and former captain of the French national team once told a reporter "I was born in football. My father was a very good football player, and as an Italian immigrant was always passionate about the game. Football is a fantastic and intelligent game which teaches us how to live together, how to share when you are better than others. Football is an extraordinary education for life."

He played his youth football with his hometown side, A.S. Jœuf, from 1966 to 1972, when he signed a senior contract with nearby A.S. Nancy. He won the first major trophy of his career with Nancy, defeating Nice in the 1978 Coupe de France Final. He also started to earn individual recognition, being named France Football Magazine's French Football Player of the Year in 1976 and 1977. He played for Nancy until 1979, then moved to Saint-Étienne, where he helped win the Ligue 1 title in 1981.

In 1982, Platini transferred to Juventus, where he would become one of the world's most distinguished footballers. When being introduced in Turin, the rarely-humble Platini told the crowd "I began by playing for the biggest club in the Lorraine region, went on to the biggest club in France and ended up with the biggest in the world." During his time with Juventus, he earned a string of individual and club honors, including two Serie A titles (1984, 1986), the European Cup Winners Cup (1984), and the European Cup (1985). He also led France to the 1984 European Championship trophy. Individually, he was named European Footballer of the Year in 1983, 1984, and 1985.

Platini retired from playing in 1987 and spent four years as manager of the French national team from 1988-92. He is currently president of UEFA.