OneFootball
Dan Burke·31 July 2025
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Dan Burke·31 July 2025
On Thursday 31st July, Premier League cult hero Paulo Wanchope celebrates his 49th birthday.
The Costa Rican first arrived on English shores when he joined Derby County in 1997.
The highlight of his memorable two-year spell with the Rams arguably came on his Premier League debut, when he scored this outrageous solo goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
In 1999 he moved to West Ham, where he spent just one season, but returned an impressive 15 goals and three assists.
The longest spell of Wanchope's time in England was with Manchester City, whom he joined in the summer of 2000, and went on to score 29 goals over four years, including this brilliant piece of improvisation at Leicester's Filbert Street.
On the international stage, Wanchope earned 73 caps for Costa Rica, representing his country at two World Cups, with his brace against hosts Germany in 2006 being a standout moment.
They don't make footballers like Paulo anymore.
📸 Tom Shaw - 2003 Getty Images