44 famous football players whose name starts with D, from Diego Maradona, David Beckham and Drogba to Dalglish, De Bruyne and van Dijk.
The most famous football player whose name starts with D is Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup. David Beckham and Didier Drogba complete the top three.
Below you will find ten detailed profiles, then two tables: one for players whose first name starts with D and one for surnames such as Dalglish, De Bruyne and van Dijk. A short table by position helps with quizzes and word games.
Most Famous Football Players Whose Name Starts With D:
- Diego Maradona
- David Beckham
- Didier Drogba
- Dennis Bergkamp
- Dino Zoff
- Didier Deschamps
- Denis Law
- David Villa
- Daniel Passarella
- Davor Šuker
#1 Diego Maradona
- 🎂 Birthday: 30 October 1960
- 🌎 Nationality: Argentina
- ⚽ Position: Attacking midfielder
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla
- 🏆 Best known for: 1986 World Cup winning captain, two Serie A titles with Napoli
Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup. In the quarter-final against England he scored both the Hand of God goal and a solo run through the England defence later voted the Goal of the Century.
At Napoli he won Serie A in 1987 and 1990 and the UEFA Cup in 1989, the club’s first Serie A titles and first European trophy. He also led Argentina to the 1990 World Cup final.
#2 David Beckham
- 🎂 Birthday: 2 May 1975
- 🌎 Nationality: England
- ⚽ Position: Midfielder
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, PSG
- 🏆 Best known for: 1999 treble, six Premier League titles, 115 England caps
Beckham won six Premier League titles and the 1999 treble with Manchester United. His crossing and free kicks made him one of the best set-piece players of his era.
He captained England and his late free kick against Greece in 2001 sent England to the World Cup. He later won league titles in Spain, the United States and France.
#3 Didier Drogba
- 🎂 Birthday: 11 March 1978
- 🌎 Nationality: Ivory Coast
- ⚽ Position: Striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Guingamp, Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray
- 🏆 Best known for: 2012 Champions League, four Premier League titles, Ivory Coast’s record goalscorer
Drogba headed the late equaliser and scored the winning penalty in the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, giving Chelsea its first European Cup.
He won four Premier League titles with Chelsea and is the Ivory Coast’s all-time top scorer. He was twice named African Footballer of the Year.
#4 Dennis Bergkamp
- 🎂 Birthday: 10 May 1969
- 🌎 Nationality: Netherlands
- ⚽ Position: Second striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Ajax, Inter, Arsenal
- 🏆 Best known for: Three Premier League titles, including the 2003-04 Invincibles
Bergkamp joined Arsenal from Inter in 1995 and won three Premier League titles, the last with the unbeaten side of 2003-04. His first touch and vision changed how the club played.
For the Netherlands he scored a famous late winner against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup quarter-final after controlling a long ball with one touch.
#5 Dino Zoff
- 🎂 Birthday: 28 February 1942
- 🌎 Nationality: Italy
- ⚽ Position: Goalkeeper
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Udinese, Mantova, Napoli, Juventus
- 🏆 Best known for: 1982 World Cup winning captain, Euro 1968
Zoff captained Italy to the 1982 World Cup at the age of 40, making him the oldest player to win the tournament. He had already won Euro 1968.
At Juventus he won six Serie A titles and the 1977 UEFA Cup. As Italy coach he reached the final of Euro 2000.
#6 Didier Deschamps
- 🎂 Birthday: 15 October 1968
- 🌎 Nationality: France
- ⚽ Position: Defensive midfielder
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Nantes, Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea, Valencia
- 🏆 Best known for: 1998 World Cup winning captain, Champions League with Marseille and Juventus
Deschamps captained France to the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. At club level he won the Champions League with Marseille in 1993 and Juventus in 1996.
As France coach he won the 2018 World Cup, becoming one of the few people to win the trophy as both player and coach.
#7 Denis Law
- 🎂 Birthday: 24 February 1940
- 🌎 Nationality: Scotland
- ⚽ Position: Forward
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Huddersfield Town, Manchester City, Torino, Manchester United
- 🏆 Best known for: Ballon d’Or 1964, joint Scotland record goalscorer
Law won the Ballon d’Or in 1964 and formed Manchester United’s attack with George Best and Bobby Charlton. A statue of the three stands outside Old Trafford.
He shares Scotland’s goalscoring record of 30 with Kenny Dalglish. He missed the 1968 European Cup final through injury.
#8 David Villa
- 🎂 Birthday: 3 December 1981
- 🌎 Nationality: Spain
- ⚽ Position: Striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Sporting Gijón, Zaragoza, Valencia, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, New York City FC
- 🏆 Best known for: 2010 World Cup, Euro 2008, Spain’s record goalscorer
Villa was top scorer at Euro 2008 and scored five goals at the 2010 World Cup as Spain won both tournaments. He is Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer.
He scored in the 2011 Champions League final for Barcelona against Manchester United and won La Liga with Atlético Madrid in 2014.
#9 Daniel Passarella
- 🎂 Birthday: 25 May 1953
- 🌎 Nationality: Argentina
- ⚽ Position: Centre-back
- 🏟️ Main clubs: River Plate, Fiorentina, Inter
- 🏆 Best known for: 1978 World Cup winning captain
Passarella captained Argentina to the 1978 World Cup on home soil. He was a commanding defender and scored many goals from set pieces.
He played in Italy for Fiorentina and Inter and later coached River Plate and the Argentina national team.
#10 Davor Šuker
- 🎂 Birthday: 1 January 1968
- 🌎 Nationality: Croatia
- ⚽ Position: Striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Osijek, Dinamo Zagreb, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Arsenal
- 🏆 Best known for: Golden Boot at the 1998 World Cup, 1998 Champions League
Šuker won the Golden Boot with six goals at the 1998 World Cup, where Croatia finished third in their first tournament as an independent nation. He is Croatia’s record goalscorer.
He won the 1998 Champions League with Real Madrid and later played for Arsenal and West Ham.
More Football Players Whose First Name Starts With D
These players also have a first name or nickname that starts with D, from pre-war goalscorers to players active today.
| Player | Country | Position | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan Edwards | England | Wing-half | Busby Babe who died after the 1958 Munich air disaster |
| Dixie Dean | England | Centre-forward | 60 league goals for Everton in 1927-28 |
| Danny Blanchflower | Northern Ireland | Wing-half | Captain of Tottenham’s 1961 double side |
| Dida | Brazil | Goalkeeper | AC Milan, Champions League 2003 and 2007 |
| Dani Alves | Brazil | Right-back | Sevilla and Barcelona, three Champions Leagues |
| Diego Forlán | Uruguay | Striker | Golden Ball at the 2010 World Cup |
| Diego Simeone | Argentina | Midfielder | Atlético Madrid as player and coach |
| Dwight Yorke | Trinidad and Tobago | Striker | Manchester United 1999 treble |
| Daniele De Rossi | Italy | Midfielder | 2006 World Cup winner, Roma |
| Denis Irwin | Republic of Ireland | Full-back | Manchester United 1999 treble |
| Dimitar Berbatov | Bulgaria | Striker | Tottenham and Manchester United |
| David Silva | Spain | Midfielder | 2010 World Cup winner, Manchester City |
| David de Gea | Spain | Goalkeeper | Atlético Madrid and Manchester United |
| Declan Rice | England | Midfielder | West Ham and Arsenal, 2023 Conference League |
| Dirk Kuyt | Netherlands | Forward | Feyenoord and Liverpool, 2010 World Cup final |
| Dušan Vlahović | Serbia | Striker | Fiorentina and Juventus |
| Darwin Núñez | Uruguay | Striker | Benfica, Liverpool and Al-Hilal |
Football Players Whose Last Name Starts With D
Many of the best-known D names in football are surnames. Use these if your quiz or game allows the last name.
| Player | Country | Position | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Dalglish | Scotland | Forward | Three European Cups with Liverpool, joint Scotland record goalscorer |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano | Argentina, Spain | Forward | Five European Cups in a row with Real Madrid |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Belgium | Midfielder | Manchester City and Napoli, 2023 Champions League |
| Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | Centre-back | Liverpool captain, 2019 Champions League |
| Marcel Desailly | France | Centre-back | 1998 World Cup winner, Champions League with Marseille and Milan |
| Edgar Davids | Netherlands | Midfielder | Ajax, Juventus and Barcelona |
| Ousmane Dembélé | France | Winger | 2018 World Cup winner, Barcelona and PSG |
| Ángel Di María | Argentina | Winger | Scored in the 2022 World Cup final |
| Paulo Dybala | Argentina | Forward | 2022 World Cup winner, Juventus and Roma |
| Frenkie de Jong | Netherlands | Midfielder | Ajax and Barcelona |
| Matthijs de Ligt | Netherlands | Centre-back | Ajax captain at 19, Juventus and Bayern |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Italy | Goalkeeper | Euro 2020 winner, AC Milan, PSG and Manchester City |
| Memphis Depay | Netherlands | Forward | PSV, Lyon and Barcelona |
| Rúben Dias | Portugal | Centre-back | Benfica and Manchester City |
| Luis Díaz | Colombia | Winger | Porto, Liverpool and Bayern Munich |
| Jermain Defoe | England | Striker | Tottenham and Sunderland, more than 150 Premier League goals |
| Edin Džeko | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Striker | Wolfsburg, Manchester City, Roma and Inter |
D Players by Position
Need one D name per position? Here is a first name and a surname for each line of the team.
| Position | First name with D | Last name with D |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Dino Zoff | Gianluigi Donnarumma |
| Defender | Daniel Passarella | Virgil van Dijk |
| Midfielder | David Beckham | Kevin De Bruyne |
| Forward | Diego Maradona | Kenny Dalglish |
Football Players From A to Z
Looking for another letter? A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z
FAQ
Who is the most famous football player whose name starts with D?
Diego Maradona. He captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup, scored the Goal of the Century against England and won Napoli its first two Serie A titles.
Which Premier League players have names starting with D?
David Beckham, Didier Drogba, Dennis Bergkamp, Dwight Yorke, Denis Irwin, David Silva, David de Gea and Declan Rice by first name. Surnames include Kevin De Bruyne, Virgil van Dijk and Jermain Defoe.
Is there a famous goalkeeper whose name starts with D?
Dino Zoff is the most famous. He won the 1982 World Cup as Italy’s captain at 40. Dida and David de Gea are other first-name options, and Gianluigi Donnarumma works for a surname.
Which World Cup winners have a name starting with D?
Daniel Passarella (Argentina 1978), Dino Zoff (Italy 1982), Diego Maradona (Argentina 1986), Didier Deschamps and Marcel Desailly (France 1998), Daniele De Rossi (Italy 2006), David Villa and David Silva (Spain 2010), Ousmane Dembélé (France 2018) Ángel Di María and Paulo Dybala (Argentina 2022), and Dani Olmo and David Raya (Spain 2026).
Has a player whose name starts with D won the Ballon d’Or?
Yes. Denis Law won it in 1964. By surname, Alfredo Di Stéfano won it in 1957 and 1959 and Ousmane Dembélé in 2025.
Which Argentine football players start with D?
Diego Maradona, Daniel Passarella and Diego Simeone by first name, and Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ángel Di María and Paulo Dybala by surname.
Which current players have a name starting with D?
Active players include Declan Rice, Virgil van Dijk, Ousmane Dembélé, Frenkie de Jong, Luis Díaz and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
What is a good football player with D for a quiz or word game?
Diego Maradona is the safest answer for a first name and Dalglish or De Bruyne for a surname. Dida is useful when you need a short single name.
