EMILIO BUTRAGUEÑO
“Known as “El Buitre” (or “the vulture”) thanks to his bird-of-prey-like skills in the penalty area, but also “El Caballero Blanco” (“The White Knight”) for his elegance and grace. The 58 year old from Madrid, who scored 171 goals for the “merengues”, has been Real Madrid’s Director of Institutional Relations for 13 seasons. First, as manager, he was assistant to the director of football Valdano and then general manager. His generation was called “Quinta del Buitre”, or “Vulture’s Cohort”.

EDWIN VAN DER SAR
The former Juventus goalkeeper has won two Champions Leagues: with Ajax (1995, Vienna) and with Manchester United (2008, Moscow). With 130 appearances he occupies the 2nd place in the all time ranking of the Dutch national team behind Wesley Sneijder (134). Since 2016 he has been the chief executive of Ajax after starting his managerial career as marketing director in 2012.

STÉPHANE CHAPUISAT
A member of the Young Boys’ U21 coaching staff, “Chappi” from Vaud won the 1997 Champions League with Borussia Dortmund by beating Lippi’s Juventus in the final in Munich. He boasts 102 appearances in Switzerland (4th place overall behind Hermann, Lichtsteiner and Geiger). His father Pierre-Albert, also known as “Gabet”, was also a professional footballer.

HRISTO STOICHKOV
He won the Golden Boot award in 1990 (38 goals in CSKA Sofia) and the Champions Cup 1992 and the Ballon d’Or 1994 with Barcelona. He is the living legend of Bulgarian football. His nicknames are “Ayatollah”, “Kamata” (“the dagger” in Bulgarian) or HH – like Helenio Herrera, but in this case meaning “Historic Hristo”. Former Parma and former coach, he now lives in Miami and is a TV columnist.

LOTHAR MATTHÄUS
One of the greatest in Germany and in football in general: Ballon d’Or 1990, European champion 1980 (in Rome) and world champion 10 years later, again at the Stadio Olimpico. Runner up in the World Cup in Spain 1982 and Mexico 1986. He won everything between Inter and Bayern, but not the Champions League (they lost in the final in 1999 against United). Five wives, four children, former UEFA ambassador for Euro 2020.

SAMUEL ETO’O
Four times African Player of the Year (2003, 2004, 2005, 2010), he won two Champions Leagues with Barcelona and one with Inter. He is the best scorer (56 goals) in the history of the Cameroonian national team: Roger Milla, 5th in the ranking, has only scored 14. He has also won an Olympics and two African Cups. Now he devotes his time to his 5 children and to charitable and outreach activities.

ANDRYI SHEVCHENKO
Winner of the 2003 Champions League and 2004 Ballon d’Or with the Milan shirt, “Sheva” is the bomber legend of Ukrainian football: 48 goals for the national team. He is second (175 goals) only to the Swede Gunnar Nordahl in the ranking of all-time Rossoneri scorers. After the elimination in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 he resigned as coach of the gold and blue national team that he had led since 2016.

PAVEL NEDVED
Ballon d’Or 2003, the former “Czech Fury” has been the vice-president of Juventus for 6 years after having been a midfielder from 2001 to 2009 and a member of the Board since 2010. In 1999 he won the Cup Winners’ Cup with Lazio, and the European silver in 1996 with the Czech Republic (91 appearances, 18 goals). He missed the 2003 Champions League final between Juve and Milan due to disqualification.

LUCA TONI
Italy’s centre forward in Berlin 2006, the Emilian scored 268 goals in his career. His was the first official goal for the inauguration of Juventus Stadium 10 years ago (1-1 in a friendly match with Notts County). Winner of Bundesliga and German Cup in 2008 with Bayern. He has a diploma in sports management and in UEFA A coaching. Today he is a columnist for RAI and Amazon Prime.

JUAN SEBASTIAN VERÓN
Known as the “Brujita” (little witch) because his father Juan Ramón was nicknamed the “Bruja” (witch), he is now the vice-president of Estudiantes de La Plata after having been president until last March and having conquered the Copa Libertadores as a player in 2009 (his dad did so 3 consecutive times: 1968, 1969 and 1970). Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio, Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter are his European teams.

EVANGELIA SOULOUKOU
“Lina”, 38, general manager of Olympiakos, he has lived and breathed football since he was born (in Larissa, Thessaly) because his father was a goalkeeper and then a coach. He graduated in law from the University of Salamanca and received his Masters in Sports Law and Management in Madrid. Right-hand man of the president-owner Marinakis, since 2019 he is also a member of the ECA Executive Board.7.

ALESSANDRO COSTACURTA
“Billy”, because as a kid he was a fan of the Milanese basketball team of the same name, he won 5 Champions League championships such as CR7, Di Stéfano and Maldini. All in Milan. The first with the old “format” of the Champions Cup (Sacchi technician), the third under the orders of Capello, the last under Ancelotti. Married to Miss Italia ’91 Martina Colombari, he is an appreciated commentator of SKY.

MANUEL RUI COSTA
49 years, from Benfica as a star player to Benfica as president: it is the squaring of the circle for “O Maestro” of Amadora who played 12 years in Italy with Fiorentina and Milan, winning 1 Champions, 1 European Super Cup, 1 Italian League Championship, 3 Italian Cups and 2 Italian Super Cups.