David Ginola
A French winger with movie-star looks and mesmerizing skill, whose flair made him a Premier League sensation in the 1990s.
Born 1967 (age 59)·French footballer·Birthday: January 25·Generation X
Biography
David Ginola played football like a leading man in a romantic sports drama. With flowing hair and an artist's touch, he brought a Gallic elegance to the often-physical English game. His time at Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur turned him into a cult hero; fans came to see the unpredictable—a surging run, a whipped cross, or a thunderous goal from distance. He captured the PFA Player of the Year award in 1999, a rare feat for a player on a team that didn't win the league. While his international career was controversially limited, his club impact was indelible. After hanging up his boots, Ginola smoothly transitioned his charisma into a second career as a television pundit, model, and even a contestant on 'Strictly Come Dancing', proving his appeal extended far beyond the pitch.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
David was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1999 while playing for Tottenham Hotspur.
- Helped Paris Saint-Germain win the French Cup in 1995 and reach the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semifinals.
- Lifted the English League Cup with Tottenham Hotspur in 1999, scoring in the final.
- Named to the PFA Team of the Year for the 1998–99 Premier League season.
Did You Know?
After his football career, he won the British reality competition 'The Jump' in 2017.
He was a prominent model for L'Oréal, famously appearing in shampoo commercials.
He survived a cardiac arrest during a charity soccer match in 2016, requiring a quadruple bypass.
He once finished eighth in a poll for the presidency of FIFA in 2015, receiving a symbolic number of votes.
““In football, the worst blindness is only seeing the ball.””
