42 famous football players whose name starts with K, from Kaká, Mbappé and Benzema to Kane, Klose and Kroos, with clubs, positions and honours.
The most famous football player whose name starts with K is Kaká, the Brazilian playmaker who won the 2002 World Cup and the 2007 Ballon d’Or. Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema complete the top three.
Below you will find ten detailed profiles, then two tables: one for players whose first name starts with K and one for surnames such as Kane, Klose and Kroos. A short table by position helps with quizzes and word games.
Most Famous Football Players Whose Name Starts With K:
- Kaká
- Kylian Mbappé
- Karim Benzema
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Kenny Dalglish
- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
- Kevin Keegan
- Keylor Navas
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
- Kolo Touré
#1 Kaká
- 🎂 Birthday: 22 April 1982
- 🌎 Nationality: Brazil
- ⚽ Position: Attacking midfielder
- 🏟️ Main clubs: São Paulo, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Orlando City
- 🏆 Best known for: 2002 World Cup, 2007 Champions League, Ballon d’Or 2007
Born Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, Kaká joined AC Milan from São Paulo in 2003 and became the most elegant attacking midfielder of his generation. In 2007 he was top scorer of the Champions League as Milan beat Liverpool in the final in Athens.
The same year he won the Ballon d’Or, the last player to do so before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo shared the award for a decade. He was part of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup squad and later played for Real Madrid and Orlando City.
#2 Kylian Mbappé
- 🎂 Birthday: 20 December 1998
- 🌎 Nationality: France
- ⚽ Position: Forward
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid
- 🏆 Best known for: 2018 World Cup winner, record 22 World Cup goals
Mbappé won the Ligue 1 title with Monaco as a teenager and the World Cup with France in 2018, scoring in the final against Croatia at the age of 19.
In the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina he scored a hat-trick, only the second in a men’s World Cup final after Geoff Hurst in 1966. He became Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time top scorer before joining Real Madrid in 2024.
At the 2026 World Cup he passed Olivier Giroud as France’s record goalscorer and Lionel Messi as the tournament’s all-time top scorer, finishing with 22 World Cup goals and a second Golden Boot.
#3 Karim Benzema
- 🎂 Birthday: 19 December 1987
- 🌎 Nationality: France
- ⚽ Position: Striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Lyon, Real Madrid, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal
- 🏆 Best known for: Five Champions League titles, Ballon d’Or 2022
Benzema won four Ligue 1 titles with Lyon before moving to Real Madrid in 2009. In 14 seasons there he won the Champions League five times and became one of the club’s highest scorers of all time.
His best season came in 2021/22, when his goals carried Madrid to the league and Champions League double. He won the Ballon d’Or in 2022 and moved to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in 2023 and to Al-Hilal in 2026.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne
- 🎂 Birthday: 28 June 1991
- 🌎 Nationality: Belgium
- ⚽ Position: Attacking midfielder
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Genk, Chelsea, Wolfsburg, Manchester City, Napoli
- 🏆 Best known for: Six Premier League titles, 2023 Champions League
After a difficult spell at Chelsea, De Bruyne became the best player in the Bundesliga at Wolfsburg, where he won the DFB-Pokal in 2015. Manchester City signed him that summer.
At City he won six Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League as part of the treble. He was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021 and is regarded as one of the best passers the Premier League has seen.
#5 Kenny Dalglish
- 🎂 Birthday: 4 March 1951
- 🌎 Nationality: Scotland
- ⚽ Position: Forward
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Celtic, Liverpool
- 🏆 Best known for: Three European Cups with Liverpool, Scotland’s most capped player
Dalglish won four Scottish titles with Celtic before Liverpool signed him in 1977 to replace Kevin Keegan. He scored the winning goal in the 1978 European Cup final against Club Brugge and won the trophy again in 1981 and 1984.
He won 102 caps for Scotland, a national record, and shares the Scotland scoring record with Denis Law on 30 goals. As player-manager he led Liverpool to the league and FA Cup double in 1986, and he later won the Premier League as Blackburn manager in 1995.
#6 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
- 🎂 Birthday: 25 September 1955
- 🌎 Nationality: Germany
- ⚽ Position: Forward
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Bayern Munich, Inter, Servette
- 🏆 Best known for: Ballon d’Or 1980 and 1981, Euro 1980 winner
Rummenigge won the European Cup with Bayern Munich in 1975 and 1976 and became one of the most feared forwards in Europe. He won the Ballon d’Or two years in a row, in 1980 and 1981.
With West Germany he won the 1980 European Championship and reached two World Cup finals, in 1982 and 1986. After his playing career he spent many years running Bayern Munich as chairman of the board.
#7 Kevin Keegan
- 🎂 Birthday: 14 February 1951
- 🌎 Nationality: England
- ⚽ Position: Forward
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Scunthorpe United, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton, Newcastle United
- 🏆 Best known for: Ballon d’Or 1978 and 1979, 1977 European Cup
Keegan won three league titles, two UEFA Cups and the 1977 European Cup with Liverpool. He then moved to Hamburg, where he won the Bundesliga in 1979 and the Ballon d’Or in 1978 and 1979.
He captained England and finished his playing career at Newcastle United. As Newcastle manager in the 1990s his attacking side came close to winning the Premier League, and he later managed England.
- 🎂 Birthday: 15 December 1986
- 🌎 Nationality: Costa Rica
- ⚽ Position: Goalkeeper
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Saprissa, Levante, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain
- 🏆 Best known for: Three Champions League titles in a row with Real Madrid
Navas made his name at the 2014 World Cup, where his saves took Costa Rica to the quarter-finals for the first time. Real Madrid signed him from Levante straight after the tournament.
He was Madrid’s goalkeeper when they won the Champions League in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He later spent several seasons at Paris Saint-Germain and is Costa Rica’s most celebrated player.
#9 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
- 🎂 Birthday: 12 February 2001
- 🌎 Nationality: Georgia
- ⚽ Position: Winger
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Dinamo Tbilisi, Rubin Kazan, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain
- 🏆 Best known for: Serie A 2023 with Napoli, 2025 Champions League with PSG
Kvaratskhelia joined Napoli in 2022 and was named Serie A’s best player in his first season as the club won its first league title in 33 years.
He scored for Georgia against Portugal at Euro 2024, the country’s first major tournament. In January 2025 he moved to Paris Saint-Germain and won the Champions League with them a few months later.
#10 Kolo Touré
- 🎂 Birthday: 19 March 1981
- 🌎 Nationality: Ivory Coast
- ⚽ Position: Centre-back
- 🏟️ Main clubs: ASEC Mimosas, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Celtic
- 🏆 Best known for: Arsenal’s unbeaten 2003/04 season, 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
Touré arrived at Arsenal from ASEC Mimosas in 2002 and formed the centre of defence in the side that went unbeaten through the 2003/04 Premier League season.
He later won the Premier League with Manchester City in 2012 and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast, alongside his younger brother Yaya.
More Football Players Whose First Name Starts With K
These players also have a first name or nickname that starts with K, from Premier League regulars to stars of the Bundesliga and Serie A.
| Player | Country | Position | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalidou Koulibaly | Senegal | Centre-back | Napoli and Chelsea, 2021 Africa Cup of Nations winner |
| Kingsley Coman | France | Winger | Scored the winner for Bayern in the 2020 Champions League final |
| Kai Havertz | Germany | Forward | Scored the winner for Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final |
| Kyle Walker | England | Right-back | Manchester City treble in 2023 |
| Kieran Trippier | England | Right-back | Free kick in the 2018 World Cup semi-final |
| Kasper Schmeichel | Denmark | Goalkeeper | Leicester City title winner in 2016 |
| Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | Netherlands | Striker | Ajax and Schalke goalscorer |
| Koke | Spain | Midfielder | Atlético Madrid record appearance holder |
| Keisuke Honda | Japan | Midfielder | CSKA Moscow and AC Milan |
| Kim Min-jae | South Korea | Centre-back | Napoli title in 2023, then Bayern Munich |
| Kevin-Prince Boateng | Ghana | Midfielder | AC Milan and Barcelona |
| Kieran Tierney | Scotland | Left-back | Celtic and Arsenal |
| Kurt Zouma | France | Centre-back | Chelsea and West Ham |
| Kelechi Iheanacho | Nigeria | Forward | Leicester City, 2021 FA Cup winner |
| Kepa Arrizabalaga | Spain | Goalkeeper | Most expensive goalkeeper when Chelsea signed him in 2018 |
| Kenny Sansom | England | Left-back | Arsenal, 86 England caps |
| Kobbie Mainoo | England | Midfielder | Scored for Manchester United in the 2024 FA Cup final |
Football Players Whose Last Name Starts With K
Many of the best-known K names in football are surnames. Use these if your quiz or game allows the last name.
| Player | Country | Position | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | England | Striker | England’s record goalscorer, Tottenham and Bayern Munich |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | Striker | 16 World Cup goals, 2014 World Cup winner |
| Toni Kroos | Germany | Midfielder | 2014 World Cup, six Champions League titles |
| Mario Kempes | Argentina | Striker | Top scorer and winner at the 1978 World Cup |
| Oliver Kahn | Germany | Goalkeeper | 2001 Champions League, Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup |
| N’Golo Kanté | France | Midfielder | 2018 World Cup, Premier League titles with Leicester and Chelsea |
| Roy Keane | Ireland | Midfielder | Manchester United captain |
| Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany | Striker | 1990 World Cup and Euro 96 winner |
| Ronald Koeman | Netherlands | Defender | Winning free kick for Barcelona in the 1992 European Cup final |
| Patrick Kluivert | Netherlands | Striker | Winner for Ajax in the 1995 Champions League final |
| Vincent Kompany | Belgium | Centre-back | Manchester City captain, four Premier League titles |
| Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | Forward | Top scorer at the 1954 World Cup |
| Mateo Kovačić | Croatia | Midfielder | Champions League with Real Madrid and Chelsea |
| Jules Koundé | France | Defender | Sevilla and Barcelona |
| Takefusa Kubo | Japan | Winger | Real Sociedad |
K Players by Position
Need one K name per position? Here is a first name and a surname for each line of the team.
| Position | First name with K | Last name with K |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Keylor Navas | Oliver Kahn |
| Defender | Kalidou Koulibaly | Vincent Kompany |
| Midfielder | Kevin De Bruyne | Toni Kroos |
| Forward | Kylian Mbappé | Miroslav Klose |
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 K?
Kaká. He won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, the 2007 Champions League with AC Milan and the Ballon d’Or in 2007. Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema are the strongest alternatives.
Which Premier League players have names starting with K?
Kevin De Bruyne, Kolo Touré, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Kai Havertz by first name. Surnames include Harry Kane, Roy Keane, Vincent Kompany and N’Golo Kanté. Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan retired as players before 1992 and only managed in the Premier League.
Is there a famous goalkeeper whose name starts with K?
Keylor Navas won three Champions League titles in a row with Real Madrid. Kasper Schmeichel won the Premier League with Leicester. By surname, Oliver Kahn is the most famous.
Which World Cup winners have a name starting with K?
Mario Kempes (Argentina 1978), Jürgen Klinsmann (West Germany 1990), Kaká (Brazil 2002), Miroslav Klose and Toni Kroos (Germany 2014), and Kylian Mbappé and N’Golo Kanté (France 2018).
Has a player whose name starts with K won the Ballon d’Or?
Yes. Kevin Keegan won it in 1978 and 1979, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1980 and 1981, Kaká in 2007 and Karim Benzema in 2022.
Which German football players start with K?
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Kai Havertz by first name, and Miroslav Klose, Toni Kroos, Oliver Kahn and Jürgen Klinsmann by surname.
Which current players have a name starting with K?
Active players include Kylian Mbappé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane, Jules Koundé, Kobbie Mainoo, Kim Min-jae and Takefusa Kubo.
What is a good football player with K for a quiz or word game?
Kaká is the safest answer for a first name and Klose or Kane for a surname. Short names such as Koke and Kaká are useful when space is tight.
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