The second month of the year is already here and it is an important one in club football.
Transfer deadline day takes place on February 3rd this year, with a flurry of activity expected before the window slams shut.
Later in the month, UEFA club competitions reach their knockout stages as Europe's elite fight it out for the top continental prizes.
Meanwhile, some top talents in the men's game past and present celebrate their birthdays. Here, a look at some of the most famous footballers who were born in February...
Gabriel Batistuta
One of Argentina's all-time greats and the nation's top scorer until he was overtaken by Lionel Messi, Gabriel Batistuta spent nine years at Fiorentina and later won Serie A in a shorter spell at Roma.
Born in Reconquista, Santa Fe on February 1st, 1969, the explosive centre-forward also played for Newell's, River Plate, Boca Juniors and Inter. He finished his career with Qatari side Al-Arabi in 2005.
Claude Makélélé
Claude Makélélé was so successful as a defensive midfielder for Chelsea that his holding style became known as "the Makélélé role".
Previously a Champions League winner with Real Madrid in 2002, the midfielder won a series of trophies at Chelsea and finished his career with a spell at Paris Saint-Germain. Born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on February 18, 1973, Makélélé moved to France as a four-year-old with his family and represented Les Bleus at international level. Not included in the 1998 World Cup or Euro 2000 squads, he was a runner-up with France at the 2006 World Cup.
Radamel Falcao
One of the world's deadliest strikers during his time at Porto and Atlético Madrid, Radamel Falcao was never quite the same player after suffering a serious injury while at Monaco in January 2014, which saw him miss the World Cup later that year.
Born in Santa Marta, Colombia on February 10th, 1986, Falcao later had spells at Manchester United, Chelsea, Galatasaray, Rayo Vallecano and Millonarios.
Ciro Immobile
Born in Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples on February 20th, 1990, Ciro Immobile had a spell at Juventus early in his career but is best known for an eight-year stay at Lazio.
Immobile scored over 200 goals for the Rome-based club before leaving for Beşiktaş in 2024 and won a Coppa Italia and a Supercoppa with the Eagles. The striker scored 17 times in 57 caps for Italy and was part of the team which won Euro 2020, beating England in the final at Wembley.
Edinson Cavani
Edinson Cavani was born in Salto, northwestern Uruguay, on February 14th, 1987 and went on to become one of the nation's best-ever forwards.
A Copa América winner with Uruguay in 2011, Cavani scored 58 goals in 136 international appearances. At club level, he netted 200 for Paris Saint-Germain and was the Parisians' all-time top scorer until he was overtaken by Kylian Mbappé. After short spells at Manchester United and Valencia, Cavani joined Boca Juniors in 2023.
Gary Neville
One of England's best-ever right-backs and a loyal servant at Manchester United, Gary Neville spent his entire career with the Old Trafford outfit.
Neville was born in Bury on February 18th, 1975 and was one of the famous Class of '92 generation which came through the youth ranks to win it all under Alex Ferguson at United. He played 602 times for the Red Devils overall and won 85 caps for England.
Pepe
One of the best central defenders of his generation, Pepe won it all in a decade at Real Madrid and was successful in two spells at Porto.
Born in Brazil on February 26th, 1983, Pepe later obtained Portuguese citizenship and went on to win 141 caps for Portugal. Part of the side which won Euro 2016, he retired in 2024 at the age of 41.
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez helped Leicester City win the Premier League in 2015/16 and the Algerian winger went on to enjoy huge success after that at Manchester City, culminating in a treble triumph in 2023.
Born in Sarcelles, a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, to an Algerian father and a mother of Algerian and Moroccan descent on February 21st, 1991, Mahrez opted to represent the north African nation at international level. After winning the treble with City, he joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli in the summer of 2023.
Gerard Piqué
Gerard Piqué was not a particularly prolific scorer, but the former Barcelona centre-back enjoyed getting forward and often finished games as an emergency striker if his side needed a goal.
Piqué scored 52 times at club level and on five occasions for Spain. For many years, he celebrated his goals by raising two fingers on both hands to mark the date of his birthday and that of his ex-partner Shakira: February 2nd. The former defender was born in 1987, exactly 10 years after the Colombian singer.
Jimmy Greaves
England's greatest-ever centre-forward and the highest scorer in the nation's Football League, Jimmy Greaves scored over 500 goals for club and country in a career spanning more than two decades.
Part of England's World Cup-winning squad in 1966, Greaves lost his place in the starting XI due to injury and was unable to win it back. The former Tottenham, Chelsea, AC Milan and West Ham striker was born on February 20th, 1940 and passed away in September 2021 at 81 years of age.
Angel Di María
Born in Rosario, Argentina on February 14th, 1988, Ángel Di María celebrates his goals by making a heart shape with his hands.
Di María has played for some of the world's biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Benfica. A man for the big occasion, the winger has netted in Olympic, Copa América and World Cup finals for Argentina.
Roberto Baggio
Perhaps Italy's greatest-ever player and probably the most talented, Roberto Baggio is unfairly remembered for his penalty miss at the 1994 World Cup.
But the former Fiorentina, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, Bologna, Brescia and Vicenza attacker treated fans to some spectacular football and goals in a career spanning more than two decades. Nicknamed Il Divin Codino ("The Divine Ponytail") in reference to his trademark hairstyle, Baggio was born in Caldogno near his first club Vicenza on February 18th, 1967.
Carlos Tevez
One of several famous footballers born on February 5th, Carlos Tevez began life in the city of Ciudadela in Greater Buenos Aires on that day in 1984.
Tevez played for some of the world's biggest clubs, including Boca Juniors, Corinthians, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus. During his time at City, the former Argentina forward scored a hat-trick on his birthday in 2011 as the Sky Blues beat West Brom 3-0.
Gheorghe Hagi
Another famous footballer with a birthday on February 5th, Gheorghe Hagi was born in Săcele in the north of Romania in 1965.
One of the greatest playmakers of the 1980s and 1990s, Hagi featured for Romania in three World Cups and helped his national team reach the last eight in 1994. At club level, he played for the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Galatasaray and Steaua Bucharest.
Neymar
Neymar played second fiddle to Lionel Messi at Barcelona and was second favourite after Kylian Mbappé for a lot of the fans at Paris Saint-Germain.
Born in 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes in the state of São Paulo, the Brazilian forward is the second-most famous footballer with a birthday on February 5th.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer in international football and in the Champions League, with the Portuguese superstar on target to reach an incredible 1,000 career goals for club and country.
The former Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus forward was born in Madeira on February 5th, 1985. He celebrates his 40th birthday in 2025.
