Whether or not you’re a fan of soccer, there are some key players in the 2014 FIFA World Cup you might want to keep your eyes on. Whether making goals or on the sidelines, these soccer hotties will keep you on the edge of your seat. Get to know them:
1. Glen Johnson, England
Place of birth: Greenwich, London
Position: Defender/right back
Height: 6 feet
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Aug. 23, 1984; Virgo
Born “Glen Stephens”—he was named after former England midfielder Glenn Hoddle—Johnson took his mother’s surname after his parents’ separation. In 2007 Johnson, along with Sam Taylor, a former West Ham United player, set up the Glen Johnson Soccer School in Dartford, Kent, where he grew up. One of his students plays with West Ham United.
2. Mathis Bolly, Ivory Coast
Place of birth: Oslo, Norway
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6 feet 1
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Nov. 14, 1990; Scorpio
Bolly is said to be more than 40 meters faster than the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt.
3. Yaya Touré, Ivory Coast
Place of birth: Bouaké, Ivory Coast
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6 feet 3
Date of birth and zodiac sign: May 13, 1983; Taurus
In October 2013, Touré joined a campaign against elephant poaching, becoming a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program.
4. Giovanni Sio, Ivory Coast
Place of birth: Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, France
Position: Striker
Height: 5 feet 11
Date of birth and zodiac sign: March 31, 1989; Aries
Sio began playing soccer at age 9 at the Football Club de Nantes.
5. Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ghana
Place of birth: Wedding, Berlin
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6 feet 1
Date of birth and zodiac sign: March 6, 1987; Pisces
Boateng, a practicing Muslim, claims to be proficient in six languages. Television network DStv named Boateng one of the top five sexiest African sportsmen.
6. Adam Larsen Kwarasey, Ghana
Place of birth: Oslo
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6 feet 3
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Dec. 12, 1987; Sagittarius
Although he’s half Norwegian and half Ghanaian, Kwarasey opted to represent his father’s homeland in soccer.
7. Jerome Boateng, Germany
Place of birth: West Berlin
Position: Defender
Height: 6 feet 4
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Sept. 3, 1988; Virgo
Boateng’s brother, Kevin-Prince Boateng, currently plays for FC Schalke 04 and the Ghana national team. The brothers maintain a very good relationship.
8. Fabian Johnson, USA
Place of birth: Munich
Position: Fullback
Height: 6 feet
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Dec. 11, 1987; Sagittarius
Johnson says he’s always had affection for the U.S., thanks to his American father, Charles Johnson (who played professional basketball for FC Bayern Munich), and vacations with his family in New York City and Florida. He also has dual German and U.S. citizenship.
9. Joseph Yobo, Nigeria
Place of birth: Kono, Nigeria
Position: Defender
Height: 6 feet 2
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Sept. 6, 1980; Virgo
In 2007 Yobo set up the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation to help underprivileged children in Nigeria and has handed out more than 300 scholarship awards ranging from primary school to university level.
10. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Cameroon
Place of birth: Hamburg, Germany
Position: Striker
Height: 6 feet 3
Date of birth and zodiac sign: March 23, 1989; Aries
Choupo-Moting had a poster of his current Cameroon teammate Samuel Eto’o on his bedroom wall as a child, according to the United Kingdom’s The Independent.
11. Jozy Altidore, USA
Place of birth: Boca Raton, Fla.
Position: Forward
Height: 6 feet 1
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Nov. 6, 1989; Scorpio
In 2011 he started the Jozy Altidore Foundation, a nonprofit that helps children by providing them with necessities ranging from clean water to education.
12. Michael Essien, Ghana
Place of birth: Accra, Ghana
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6 feet
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Dec. 3, 1982; Sagittarius
He founded the Michael Essien Foundation, which aims to create opportunities and hope for the underprivileged in Ghana’s Awutu Breku area by providing access to basic amenities such as health care equipment, libraries, public toilets and clean drinking water.
13. John Anthony Brooks, USA
Place of birth: Berlin
Position: Defender
Height: 6 feet 4
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Jan. 28, 1993; Aquarius
Although he was born in Berlin, his father is an American soldier, so Brooks was able to retain dual German and U.S. citizenship.
14. Abel Hernández, Uruguay
Place of birth: Pando, Uruguay
Position: Striker
Height: 6 feet 1
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Aug. 8, 1990; Leo
His nickname is “La Joya,” which means “the jewel.”
15. Nigel de Jong, Netherlands
Place of birth: Amsterdam
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5 feet 8
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Nov. 30, 1984; Sagittarius
De Jong balances his career on the field with his job running a classic-car business, Continental Cars, in Germany and Abu Dhabi.
16. Dante Bonfim Costa Santos, Brazil
Place of birth: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Position: Center back
Height: 6 feet 2
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Oct. 18, 1983; Libra
Dante has a head of hair that that has become quite popular. When he played for Mönchengladbach in Germany, fans wore wigs that resembled Dante’s hair to show their support.
17. Willian Borges da Silva, Brazil
Place of birth: Ribeirão Pires, Sao Paulo
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5 feet 8
Date of birth and zodiac sign: Aug. 9, 1988; Leo
This curly-haired cutie told the U.K.’s Daily Mail that if he weren’t playing soccer, he’d be playing the drums in Brazil.
Bonus: Samuel Eto’o (because he’s handsome and a Pisces and has killer style):