2021 in association football facts for kids
The following are the football (soccer) events in the year 2021 around the world.
Contents
Events
January
- January 15: Wayne Rooney retires from professional football. After he retired, he became the manager of EFL Championship club Derby County.
- January 29: Saïd Benrahma signs for West Ham United from Brentford for €23 million. This is the most expensice transfer in Winter 2021. As well, this is currently the most expensive transfer in 2021.
Upcoming events
February
- February 11: The 2020 FIFA Club World Cup Final will be played. It will be played at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
May
- May 26: The 2020-21 UEFA Europa League Final will be played. It will be played at the Stadion Miejski in Gdańsk, Poland.
- May 29: The 2020-21 UEFA Champions League Final will be played. It will be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
June
- June 11: The opening match of the 2021 Copa América will be played. Argentina will play Chile at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- June 11: The opening match of UEFA Euro 2020 will be played. Turkey will play Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy
July
- July 8: The first ever UEFA Europa Conference League match will be played.
- July 10: The 2021 Copa América Final will be played. It will be played at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, Colombia.
- July 11: The UEFA Euro 2020 Final will be played. It will be played at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom.
Tournament winners
International
| Tournament | Confederation | Host Country(s) | Winner | Runner-Up | Finals Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 African Nations Championship | CAF (Africa) |  Cameroon |
 Mali or  Morocco |
Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé | |
| 2020 CONCACAF Nations League Finals | CONCACAF (North America) |  United States |
- | - | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
| 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup | TBC | - | - | TBC | |
| 2021 Copa América | CONMEBOL (South America) |  Argentina Colombia |
- | - | Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla |
| UEFA Euro 2020 | UEFA (Europe) | Multiple Hosts | - | - | Wembley Stadium, London |
| 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals |  Italy |
- | - | San Siro, Milan | |
| 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup | FIFA |  Lithuania |
- | - | Švyturys Arena, Klaipėda |
Youth International
| Tournament | Confederation | Host Country(s) | Winner | Runner-Up | Finals Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 AFC U-19 Championship | AFC (Asia) |  Uzbekistan |
Cancelled | Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent | |
| 2020 AFC U-16 Championship |  Bahrain |
Cancelled | Khalifa Sports City Stadium, Isa Town | ||
| 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations | CAF (Africa) |  Mauritania |
- | - | TBC |
| 2021 UNAF U-17 Tournament |  Algeria |
 Algeria |
 Tunisia |
Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers | |
| 2021 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations |  Morocco |
- | - | TBC | |
Continental
| Confederation | Tournament | Previous Winner | Winner | Runner-Up | Finals Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC (Asia) | 2021 AFC Champions League |  Ulsan Hyundai (2020) |
- | - | 2-Legged |
| 2021 AFC Cup |  Al Ahed (2020) |
- | - | TBC | |
| CAF (Africa) | 2020–21 CAF Champions League |  Al Ahly (2019-20) |
- | - | |
| 2020–21 CAF Confederation Cup | RS Berkane (2019-20) |
- | - | ||
| CONCACAF (North America) | 2021 CONCACAF Champions League |  Tigres UANL (2020) |
- | - | |
| 2021 CONCACAF League |  Alajuelense (2020) |
- | - | ||
| CONMEBOL (South America) | 2021 Copa Libertadores |  Palmeiras (2020) |
- | - | |
| 2021 Copa Sudamericana |  Defensa y Justicia (2020) |
- | - | ||
| 2021 Recopa Sudamericana | Flamengo (2020) |
Defensa y Justicia or Palmeiras |
2-Legged Final | ||
| OFC (Oceania) | 2021 OFC Champions League |  Hienghène Sport (2019) |
- | - | TBC |
| UEFA (Europe) | 2020–21 UEFA Champions League |  Bayern Munich (2019-20) |
- | - | Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul |
| 2020–21 UEFA Europa League |  Sevilla (2019-20) |
- | - | Stadion Miejski, Gdańsk | |
| 2021 UEFA Super Cup | Bayern Munich (2020) |
- | - | Windsor Park, Belfast | |
| FIFA (Global) | 2021 FIFA Club World Cup |  TBC (2020) |
- | - | TBC |
Births and deaths
Deaths
Main page: Deaths in 2021
January
Main page: Deaths in January 2021
- January 1: Bernard Guignedoux, French footballer (Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco) and manager (Strasbourg, Valenciennes)
- January 2: Yuri Saukh, Russian footballer (CSKA Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, Soviet Union)
- January 2: Miquel Ferrer i Aymamí, Spanish footballer (Barcelona, Real Oviedo
- January 5: Colin Bell, English footballer (Bury, Manchester City)
- January 8: Otto Geisert, German footballer (Karlsruher, Kaiserslautern)
- January 10: Pedro Casado, Spanish footballer (Real Madrid, Plus Ultra, Spain)
- January 10: Walter Taibo, Uruguayan footballer (Huracán, Peñarol, Uruguay)
- January 14: Aleksandr Borisovich Nikitin, Russian footballer (FC Rotor Volgograd) and manager (FC Rotor Volgograd)
- January 15: Vicente Cantatore, Argentine footballer (San Lorenzo, Tigre) and manager (Chile, Real Valladolid Sevilla, Sporting CP, Real Betis)
- January 16: György Handel, Hungarian footballer (MTK–VM, Rába ETO, Hungary)
- January 17: Roger Machin, French referee
- January 18: Dani Shmulevich-Rom, Israeli footballer (Maccabi Haifa, Israel)
- January 19: José Alves, Brazilian footballer (Corinthians, Club América)
- January 19: Gustavo Peña, Mexican footballer (Cruz Azul, Monterrey, Mexico) and manager (Monterrey, Mexico)
- January 20: Peter Swan, English footballer (Sheffield Wednesday, England)
- January 21: Luton Shelton, Jamaican footballer (Sheffield United, Vålerenga, Jamaica)
- January 24: Jóhannes Eðvaldsson, Icelandic footballer (Valur, Celtic, Iceland)
- January 24: 2021 Palmas FR plane crash deaths (Marcus Molinari, Guilherme Noé, Lucas Praxedes, Ranule)
- January 25: Maryan Synakowski, French footballer (Sedan-Torcy, Stade Français, France)
- January 26: John Mortimore. English footballer (Chelsea) and manager (Portsmouth, Benfica, Real Betis, Southampton)
- January 27: Jozef Vengloš, Slovakian footballer (Slovan Bratislava) and manager (Australia, Czechoslovakia, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, Fenerbahçe, Celtic)
- January 27: Mehrdad Minavand, Iranian footballer (Persepolis, Sturm Graz, Iran)
- January 28: John Grant, Scottish footballer (Hibernian, Scotland)
- January 29: Yvon Douis, French footballer (Lille, AS Monaco, France)
- January 31: Justo Tejada, Spanish footballer (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Spain)
February
Main page: Deaths in February 2021
- February 1: Peter Hindley, English footballer (Nottingham Forest, Peterborough United)
- February 3: Ali Ansarian, Iranian footballer (Persepolis, Shahrdari Tabriz, national team)
Retired in 2021
- Stéphane Ruffier (34), French goalkeeper (AS Monaco, AS Saint-Étienne)
- Wayne Rooney (35), English forward (Everton, Manchester United)
Transfers
Winter 2021
| Player | Age | Team Leaving | Team Joining | Transfer Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saïd Benrahma |
25 |  Brentford |
West Ham United |
€23 million |
 Sébastien Haller |
26 | West Ham United |
 Ajax |
€22.5 million |
| Amad Diallo |
18 |  Atalanta |
Manchester United |
€21 million |
 Dominik Szoboszlai |
20 |  Red Bull Salzburg |
RB Leipzig |
€20 million |
 Krépin Diatta |
21 |  Club Brugge |
 A.S. Monaco |
€20 million |
 Paulinho |
28 | SC Braga |
Sporting CP |
€16 million |
| Morgan Sanson |
26 | Olympique Marseille |
Aston Villa |
€15.8 million |
| Papu Gómez |
32 | Atalanta |
Sevilla |
€15 million |
 Dennis Man |
22 | FCSB |
Parma |
€13 million |
 Joakim Maehle |
23 | KRC Genk |
Atalanta |
€11 million |
 Juan Fernando Quintero |
27 | River Plate |
 Shenzhen |
€9 million |
 Michael Olunga |
26 |  Kashiwa Reysol |
 Al-Duhail |
€5.9 million |
 Mark McKenzie |
21 | Philadelphia Union |
KRC Genk |
€5 million |
 Aleksandr Kokorin |
29 | Spartak Moscow |
Fiorentina |
€4.5 million |
| Bas Dost |
31 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
Club Brugge |
€4 million |
| Jean-Philippe Mateta |
23 | 1. FSV Mainz 05 |
Crystal Palace |
Loan (Loan Fee: €3.5 million) |
| Étienne Capoue |
32 | Watford |
Villarreal |
€2 million |
 Martin Ødegaard |
22 | Real Madrid |
Arsenal |
Loan (Loan Fee: €2 million) |
| Timothy Fosu-Mensah |
23 | Manchester United |
Bayer Leverkusen |
€1.7 million |
| Moussa Dembélé |
24 | Olympique Lyon |
Atlético Madrid |
Loan (Loan Fee: €1.5 million) |
| Takefusa Kubo |
19 | Real Madrid |
Getafe CF |
Loan (Loan Fee: €1.25 million) |
 Ozan Kabak |
20 | Schalke 04 |
Liverpool |
Loan (Loan Fee: €1.1 million) |
 Henry Onyekuru |
23 | A.S. Monaco |
Galatasaray |
Loan (Loan Fee: €650,000) |
| Ben Davies |
25 | Preston North End |
Liverpool |
€570,000 |
| Gedson Fernandes |
22 | S.L. Benfica |
Galatasaray |
Loan (Loan Fee: €500,000) |
 Robert Snodgrass |
33 | West Ham United |
West Bromwich Albion |
Undisclosed |
| Kenny Lala |
29 | RC Stratsbourg |
 Olympiacos |
Undisclosed |
| Islam Slimani |
32 | Leicester City |
Olympique Lyon |
Free Transfer |
 Mario Mandžukić |
34 | Free Agent | AC Milan |
Free Transfer |
| Sokratis Papastathopoulos |
32 | Arsenal |
Olympiacos |
Free Transfer |
| Mesut Özil |
32 | Arsenal |
Fenerbahçe |
Free Transfer |
| Stephan El Shaarawy |
28 | Shanghai Greenland Shenhua |
AS Roma |
Free Transfer |
| Sami Khedira |
33 | Juventus |
Hertha BSC |
Free Transfer |
 Luka Jovic |
23 | Real Madrid |
Eintracht Frankfurt |
Loan |
 Sead Kolasinac |
27 | Arsenal |
Schalke 04 |
Loan |
| Radja Nainggolan |
32 | Inter Milan |
Cagliari |
Loan |
| Lucas Pratto |
32 | River Plate |
Feyenoord |
Loan |
 Arkadiusz Milik |
26 | Napoli |
Olympique de Marseille |
Loan |
 Mathew Ryan |
28 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
Arsenal |
Loan |
| Fikayo Tomori |
23 | Chelsea |
AC Milan |
Loan |
| Jesse Lingard |
28 | Manchester United |
West Ham United |
Loan |
| Joe Willock |
21 | Arsenal |
Newcastle United |
Loan |
| Ainsley Maitland-Niles |
23 | Arsenal |
West Bromwich Albion |
Loan |
| Jean-Clair Todibo |
21 | Barcelona |
OGC Nice |
Loan |
| Oussama Idrissi |
24 | Sevillal |
Ajax |
Loan |
| Daniele Rugani |
26 | Juventus |
Cagliari |
Loan |
| Joshua Zirkzee |
19 | Bayern Munich |
Parma |
Loan |
| Chris Richards |
20 | Bayern Munich |
Hoffenheim |
Loan |
Summer 2021
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2021 in association football Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.