Readers compile list of players who scored in months that match their names
The Guardian’s The Knowledge published on 19 August 2026 gathered reader-submitted examples of footballers who scored goals in months that match their names. The feature opened with Paul Tiffen’s prompt that Birmingham’s August Priske scored the only goal at Swansea in the League Cup on 8 August, and readers supplied examples that cover almost every month.
Mykola Kozlenko explained his approach to the task, writing: “Not all last names exist for English months, so I also took month names in some other languages. I only accepted exact spellings, [so] I don’t accept Auguste or Augustin for the month of August, but Agosto is fine.” Using that criterion, Kozlenko cited Nicolas Janvier, who scored on 30 January 2016 for Lannion v Rennes Reserves.
Kozlenko and other readers provided February and March examples: Jayden Fevrier scored on 3 February 2024 for Colchester against Forest Green Rovers, and in Germany’s 1992-93 2. Bundesliga Heiko März scored twice in March for Hansa Rostock against St. Pauli and Darmstadt, as Dirk Maas noted. Maas also highlighted Solly March’s March goals in FA Cup quarter-finals, against Millwall in 2019 and Grimsby in 2023.
April to June entries included April Heinrichs, who scored twice for the USA on 1 April 1991 against Yugoslavia in the Grand Hotel Varna Tournament and also scored on 3 April against Hungary and again in the final as the USA beat USSR 5-0, supplied by Dan Almond. Sinan Eccles pointed to David May’s opening goal in Manchester United’s 3-0 win at Middlesbrough on 5 May 1996, and Matt Beaumont noted Alfie May scored on 7 May 2023 for Cheltenham Town v Charlton before joining Charlton two months later and leaving as Cheltenham’s record goalscorer. Kozlenko added that Edigar Junio scored on 22 June 2019 for Yokohama F Marinos against Matsumoto Yamaga.
July, August and September examples were contributed by Kozlenko and others: Anderson Julio scored on 13 July 2023 for Real Salt Lake v Sporting KC, Jhojan Julio on 31 July 2019 for LDU Quito v Olimpia, and Junior Julio Bueno on 20 July 2023 for Ararat-Armenia v Egnatia. Michael St John-Mcalister supplied August Lohapresert’s two substitute goals in Gais Under-19’s 2-1 win over Kalmar FF Under-19s on 16 August 2012 and noted Lohapresert is Sweden-born and won an under-23 cap for Thailand. Kozlenko identified Mateusz Wrzesien, who scored on 26 September 2018 for Baltyk Koszalin v Rozwoj Katowice and whose name is September in Polish.
October through December submissions included Pasquale Ottobre’s brace on 25 October 2009 for Fidelis Andros against Virtus Lanciano in Italy’s Lega Pro, and Tymofiy Lystopad’s goal on 7 November 2015 in Desna Chernihiv v Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka, with Lystopad being November in Ukrainian. December was the only month without a reported goalscorer; Kozlenko instead found Frantz Décembre, a Haitian manager of several clubs in the 2010s, though no specific match was cited.
The column also addressed other reader questions. It recorded that Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán received a straight red for pushing the referee near the halfway line in a recent Leagues Cup match against Vancouver Whitecaps, and recalled Adrián’s straight red at Upton Park in 2015 after a high boot on Jamie Vardy; Adrián tweeted: “Never in my career I have kicked nobody with bad intention to deserve a red card.” For the quickest penalty, the piece cited Witton Albion’s 6.18-second spot-kick in an FA Trophy tie against Chester FC and a faster case in a World Cup qualifier in September 2021, when Madagascar keeper Melvin Adrien fouled Simon Msuva after four seconds and Erasto Nyoni converted the penalty a second later in Tanzania’s 3-2 win.
Readers were invited to continue sending questions and answers to the column.
