Football Players Whose First Name Starts With J

James Rodríguez is a versatile football player adept at playing as a central midfielder, playmaker, and winger. At the initial stages of his career, he was counted among the best young international players. He made a major impact during the 2014 FIFA World Cup where he won the Golden Boot for scoring the most number of goals.

Javier Hernández is a professional football player and the first Mexican to represent the popular football club Manchester United. An important player for his national team, Hernández is the all-time leading goal-scorer for Mexico. He has represented Mexico at important tournaments like 2010, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cups. Hernández also serves as an inspiration to many aspiring Mexican footballers.

Jadon Sancho is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team. He is known for his technical skills as a winger and formidable pace. He started playing as a young boy and was part of the England youth team that won the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. 

When it comes to great football managers, Jose Mourinho’s name comes right at the top. He is regarded as one of the most tactfully brilliant managers ever, even though his defensive style has at times been criticised. He has had great stints with Premier League clubs like Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Considered a late bloomer in the world of soccer, Jamie Vardy became the oldest player to win the Premier League Golden Boot award when he scored the maximum number of goals during the 2019–20 Premier League season. Apart from his goal-scoring abilities, Jamie is also known for his direct approach and relentless running.

Jack Grealish is an English professional footballer. At present, he is affiliated with Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team. He plays as a  winger or attacking midfielder. He joined the Highgate United Youth Club as a boy and started playing professionally as a teenager. He is known for his ability to run and dribble past defenders. 

Jan Oblak is a Slovenian football player best known for his role as the goalkeeper and captain for the Slovenia national team. He also plays for the popular Spanish club Atlético Madrid. A tall, athletic, and strong goalkeeper, Jan Oblak is renowned for his agility, quick reflexes, and speed. He is often counted among the best goalkeepers in the world. 

Known as an attacking midfielder from Spain, Juan Mata is a promising young footballer who plays for the Spanish national team and Manchester United. Born to a footballer father, he began his career with the Real Madrid youth team. While at Chelsea, fans called him Johnny Kills.

Javier Zanetti is an Argentine retired professional football player. He is best known for his contribution to Inter Milan's successful 2009–10 season, during which the club achieved a treble. Counted among the greatest players of his generation, Javier Zanetti also helped his national football team win a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Juan Cuadrado is a Colombian football player who has been representing the Colombia national football team since 2010. Renowned for his pace and dribbling skills, Juan Cuadrado is an important player for his national side. He also currently represents the Juventus Football Club and has won many championship titles for the team.

Belgian footballer Jan Vertonghen is best known as a central defender for the club Anderlecht. Starting his senior career with the club Ajax, he has also had successful stints with Tottenham Hotspur and Benfica. He was part of the FIFA World Cup third-place-winning Belgian team in 2018.

English footballer Joe Hart, goalkeeper for the Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur, began his football career at 16 and has 100 Premier League clean sheets. He is the joint record-holder for the most Premier League Golden Glove awards. He has won two Premier League titles with Manchester City.

Starting his career with the club Tennis Borussia Berlin, German footballer Jérôme Boateng later had a decade-long association with Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga 9 times and the UEFA Champions League twice with Bayern. The talented center-back was also part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup-winning German squad.

Jackson Martínez is a Colombian retired football player who played for the Colombia national football team from 2009 to 2015. Apart from representing his country in important tournaments like the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Copa Américas, Martínez also played for clubs like Atlético Madrid and Porto. In 2014 and 2015, Martínez was named FC Porto Athlete of the Year.

Scottish-born footballer James McCarthy is now best known as a dependable Celtic midfielder. He also represents the Irish national team, because his grandparents were Irish. He has previously won an FA Cup with Wigan Athletic, beating Manchester City, and has also played for the English club Everton.

Portuguese football central-midfielder João Moutinho, ComM, presently plays for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Portugal national team. His illustrious career so far has seen him achieve several feats including winning Primeira Liga with FC Porto three times in a row; Ligue 1 with Monaco; and 2016 UEFA European Championship and 2019 UEFA Nations League with his national team

Welsh professional footballer, Joe Allen, plays as a midfielder for Championship club, Stoke City, and the Welsh national team. He is capable of playing in several midfield roles. He has been playing football since he was a child and made his professional first-team debut at the age of 16. Since then, he has played hundreds of matches across all competitions.

Josef Bican was an Austrian-Czech footballer who played as a forward. According to Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, Bican scored more than 950 goals in 624 official matches, which makes him the second-most prolific goalscorer of all time in recorded history. In 2000, Josef Bican was honored with the Golden Ball by the IFFHS. 

Dutch football coach and retired footballer Jaap Stam is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his time. Starting his senior career with FC Zwolle, he later had successful stints with clubs such as Manchester United, Ajax, and PSV. Post-retirement, he has also coached teams such as Reading and PEC Zwolle.