37 famous football players whose name starts with O, from Oliver Kahn, Ousmane Dembélé and Solskjær to Özil, Okocha and Owen, with clubs and honours.
The most famous football player whose name starts with O is Oliver Kahn, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper who won the 2001 Champions League and the Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup. Ousmane Dembélé and Ole Gunnar Solskjær complete the top three.
Below you will find ten detailed profiles, then two tables: one for players whose first name starts with O and one for surnames such as Özil, Okocha and Owen. A short table by position helps with quizzes and word games.
Most Famous Football Players Whose Name Starts With O:
- Oliver Kahn
- Ousmane Dembélé
- Ole Gunnar Solskjær
- Olivier Giroud
- Oleg Blokhin
- Oliver Bierhoff
- Osvaldo Ardiles
- Owen Hargreaves
- Oscar
- Obafemi Martins
#1 Oliver Kahn
- 🎂 Birthday: 15 June 1969
- 🌎 Nationality: Germany
- ⚽ Position: Goalkeeper
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Karlsruher SC, Bayern Munich
- 🏆 Best known for: 2001 Champions League, Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup
Kahn saved three penalties in the shootout of the 2001 Champions League final against Valencia, giving Bayern Munich their first European Cup in 25 years.
At the 2002 World Cup he carried Germany to the final and became the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. He won a long list of Bundesliga titles with Bayern and later ran the club as chief executive.
#2 Ousmane Dembélé
- 🎂 Birthday: 15 May 1997
- 🌎 Nationality: France
- ⚽ Position: Forward
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Rennes, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain
- 🏆 Best known for: 2018 World Cup, 2025 Champions League, Ballon d’Or 2025
Dembélé moved from Rennes to Dortmund and then to Barcelona in 2017 for a huge fee. He won the 2018 World Cup with France, though injuries held him back for several seasons in Spain.
At Paris Saint-Germain he became a central striker and led the club to its first Champions League title in 2025. He won the Ballon d’Or later that year.
#3 Ole Gunnar Solskjær
- 🎂 Birthday: 26 February 1973
- 🌎 Nationality: Norway
- ⚽ Position: Striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Molde, Manchester United
- 🏆 Best known for: Winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final
Solskjær scored the winning goal in stoppage time of the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, completing Manchester United’s treble.
Known as a super substitute, he once scored four goals off the bench in an 8-1 win at Nottingham Forest. He later returned to Old Trafford as manager.
#4 Olivier Giroud
- 🎂 Birthday: 30 September 1986
- 🌎 Nationality: France
- ⚽ Position: Striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Montpellier, Arsenal, Chelsea, AC Milan, Los Angeles FC, Lille
- 🏆 Best known for: 2018 World Cup, France’s record scorer until 2026
Giroud won Ligue 1 with Montpellier in 2012 and then spent more than five years at Arsenal, where his scorpion kick against Crystal Palace won the FIFA Puskás Award.
He won the Europa League and the Champions League with Chelsea and Serie A with AC Milan in 2022. With France he won the 2018 World Cup and was the country’s record goalscorer until Kylian Mbappé passed him in 2026.
#5 Oleg Blokhin
- 🎂 Birthday: 5 November 1952
- 🌎 Nationality: Soviet Union
- ⚽ Position: Forward
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Dynamo Kyiv
- 🏆 Best known for: Ballon d’Or 1975, Cup Winners’ Cup 1975 and 1986
Blokhin was a fast left-sided forward who won the Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Super Cup with Dynamo Kyiv in 1975 and the Ballon d’Or the same year.
He holds the Soviet Union records for appearances and goals. As a coach he took Ukraine to the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup.
#6 Oliver Bierhoff
- 🎂 Birthday: 1 May 1968
- 🌎 Nationality: Germany
- ⚽ Position: Striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Hamburg, Udinese, AC Milan, Monaco, Chievo
- 🏆 Best known for: Golden goal in the Euro 96 final
Bierhoff came off the bench in the Euro 96 final against the Czech Republic, scored the equaliser and then the first golden goal ever to decide a major tournament final.
He was top scorer in Serie A with Udinese in 1998 and won the league with AC Milan a year later. He later worked for many years as manager of the Germany national team.
#7 Osvaldo Ardiles
- 🎂 Birthday: 3 August 1952
- 🌎 Nationality: Argentina
- ⚽ Position: Midfielder
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Huracán, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain
- 🏆 Best known for: 1978 World Cup winner
Ardiles won the 1978 World Cup with Argentina and joined Tottenham that summer with his teammate Ricky Villa, a rare move for South American stars at the time.
Known as Ossie, he won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1981 and later managed the club.
#8 Owen Hargreaves
- 🎂 Birthday: 20 January 1981
- 🌎 Nationality: England
- ⚽ Position: Midfielder
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Bayern Munich, Manchester United
- 🏆 Best known for: Champions League with Bayern in 2001 and Manchester United in 2008
Born in Canada, Hargreaves came through the Bayern Munich academy and won the Champions League with them in 2001.
He was one of England’s best players at the 2006 World Cup and won the Champions League again with Manchester United in 2008 before injuries ended his career early.
#9 Oscar
- 🎂 Birthday: 9 September 1991
- 🌎 Nationality: Brazil
- ⚽ Position: Attacking midfielder
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Internacional, Chelsea, Shanghai SIPG, São Paulo
- 🏆 Best known for: Europa League 2013, Premier League 2015
Oscar joined Chelsea from Internacional in 2012 and won the Europa League in his first season and the Premier League in 2015.
He played for Brazil at the 2014 World Cup on home soil and in 2017 moved to Shanghai SIPG in China for a very large fee.
#10 Obafemi Martins
- 🎂 Birthday: 28 October 1984
- 🌎 Nationality: Nigeria
- ⚽ Position: Striker
- 🏟️ Main clubs: Inter, Newcastle United, Wolfsburg, Birmingham City, Seattle Sounders
- 🏆 Best known for: Winning goal in the 2011 League Cup final
Martins broke through at Inter as a teenager and became known for his pace and his somersault celebrations.
He later played for Newcastle and Wolfsburg and scored the late winner for Birmingham City against Arsenal in the 2011 League Cup final.
More Football Players Whose First Name Starts With O
These players also have a first name or nickname that starts with O, from Premier League regulars to record breakers.
| Player | Country | Position | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | Ukraine | Left-back, midfielder | Manchester City and Arsenal |
| Ollie Watkins | England | Striker | Winning goal in the Euro 2024 semi-final |
| Omar Marmoush | Egypt | Forward | Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester City |
| Olof Mellberg | Sweden | Centre-back | Aston Villa and Juventus |
| Oleg Salenko | Russia | Striker | Five goals in one World Cup match in 1994 |
| Odsonne Édouard | France | Striker | Celtic and Crystal Palace |
| Ola Aina | Nigeria | Full-back | Nottingham Forest |
| Oriol Romeu | Spain | Defensive midfielder | Southampton and Girona |
| Óscar Cardozo | Paraguay | Striker | Benfica |
| Otávio | Portugal | Midfielder | Porto |
| Orbelín Pineda | Mexico | Midfielder | Mexico international |
| Oleksandr Shovkovskyi | Ukraine | Goalkeeper | Dynamo Kyiv, 2006 World Cup quarter-final |
| Ola Toivonen | Sweden | Forward | PSV and Toulouse |
| Olivier Dacourt | France | Midfielder | Leeds United, Roma and Inter |
Football Players Whose Last Name Starts With O
Many of the best-known O names in football are surnames. Use these if your quiz or game allows the last name.
| Player | Country | Position | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesut Özil | Germany | Attacking midfielder | 2014 World Cup, Real Madrid and Arsenal |
| Jay-Jay Okocha | Nigeria | Attacking midfielder | Bolton Wanderers and Paris Saint-Germain |
| Michael Owen | England | Striker | Ballon d’Or 2001, Liverpool |
| Jan Oblak | Slovenia | Goalkeeper | Atlético Madrid |
| Guillermo Ochoa | Mexico | Goalkeeper | Famous World Cup saves for Mexico |
| Victor Osimhen | Nigeria | Striker | Napoli title in 2023 |
| Divock Origi | Belgium | Forward | Scored in the 2019 Champions League final |
| Marc Overmars | Netherlands | Winger | Ajax, Arsenal and Barcelona |
| Wolfgang Overath | Germany | Midfielder | 1974 World Cup winner |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | Forward | Winning goal in the Euro 2024 final |
| Dani Olmo | Spain | Attacking midfielder | Euro 2024 winner, RB Leipzig and Barcelona |
| Nicolás Otamendi | Argentina | Centre-back | 2022 World Cup winner |
| John O’Shea | Ireland | Defender | Manchester United |
O Players by Position
Need one O name per position? Here is a first name and a surname for each line of the team.
| Position | First name with O | Last name with O |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Oliver Kahn | Jan Oblak |
| Defender | Olof Mellberg | Nicolás Otamendi |
| Midfielder | Oscar | Mesut Özil |
| Forward | Ole Gunnar Solskjær | Michael Owen |
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 O?
Oliver Kahn. He won the 2001 Champions League with Bayern Munich and was voted best player of the 2002 World Cup, the only goalkeeper to receive that award.
Which Premier League players have names starting with O?
Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Olivier Giroud, Owen Hargreaves, Oscar, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ollie Watkins and Olof Mellberg by first name. Surnames include Mesut Özil, Michael Owen, Marc Overmars and Jay-Jay Okocha.
Is there a famous goalkeeper whose name starts with O?
Oliver Kahn is the most famous. By surname, Jan Oblak of Atlético Madrid and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa are popular answers.
Which World Cup winners have a name starting with O?
Osvaldo Ardiles (Argentina 1978) and Ousmane Dembélé and Olivier Giroud (France 2018). By surname, Wolfgang Overath (1974), Mesut Özil (2014), Nicolás Otamendi (2022), and Mikel Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo (Spain 2026).
Has a player whose name starts with O won the Ballon d’Or?
Yes. Oleg Blokhin won it in 1975 and Ousmane Dembélé in 2025. By surname, Michael Owen won it in 2001.
Which Nigerian football players start with O?
Obafemi Martins and Ola Aina by first name, and Jay-Jay Okocha, Victor Osimhen by surname.
Which current players have a name starting with O?
Active players include Ousmane Dembélé, Ollie Watkins, Omar Marmoush, Jan Oblak, Victor Osimhen, Dani Olmo and Mikel Oyarzabal.
What is a good football player with O for a quiz or word game?
Oliver Kahn is the safest answer for a first name and Özil or Owen for a surname. Short names such as Oscar and Olmo are useful when space is tight.
