2003 in association football explained

The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 2003 throughout the world.

Events

• Confederations Cup

Host nation France wins a tournament marred by tragedy (see Deaths.)

• UEFA Champions League

AC Milan wins 3–2 on penalties over Juventus, after a 0–0 draw at Old Trafford. This was AC Milan's 6th European Cup.

• UEFA Cup

FC Porto wins 3–2 in the final against Celtic, after extra time, with a silver goal by Derlei. This is Porto's first UEFA Cup title.

• European Super Cup

AC Milan beats FC Porto 1–0, winning the cup for the 4th time.

• Copa Libertadores

Boca Juniors of Argentina won the cup for the fifth time against Santos of Brazil in a 5–1 aggregate.

• Recopa Sudamericana

Olimpia of Paraguay won 2–0 in the final against San Lorenzo of Argentina.

• FA Cup

Arsenal win 1–0 over Southampton

• FA Premier league – Manchester United wins the Premier League by 5 points over Arsenal.
• Women's World Cup

Germany wins the final against Sweden 2–1 after extra time.

• 22 January – Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam fires manager Dolf Roks, who is replaced on 7 February by former player Chris Dekker.
• 28 January – Head coach Robert Maaskant leaves Go Ahead Eagles and returns to RBC Roosendaal.
• 7 March – Mexican club Guadalajara appoints Hans Westerhof as their new technical director.
• 26 March – Manager Mike Snoei is fired by Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem to Ajax, and replaced by former player Edward Sturing.
• 17 June – Manchester United sells English football star David Beckham to Real Madrid for €35 million.
• 28 June – Italy's Piedmont wins the third UEFA Regions' Cup, beating France's Maine 2–1 in Heidenheim an der Brenz.
• 8 August – Satellite TV's Rupert Murdoch British Sky Broadcasting pay €510 million for transmission of FA Premier League seasons 2004–2007.
• 10 August – PSV wins the Johan Cruijff Schaal, the annual opening of the new season in the Eredivisie, by a 3–1 win over Utrecht in the Amsterdam ArenA.
• 25 September – Dutch club Zwolle sacks manager Peter Boeve.
• 1 October – Technical director Hans Westerhof is named head coach of Mexican club Guadalajara.
• 20 November – Manager Rinus Israël leaves ADO Den Haag and moves to Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates. Lex Schoenmaker is his successor in The Hague.
• 28 November – In an Asian Cup qualifier between Iran and Lebanon, Ali Daei scores his 85th goal for the Iranian national team, breaking the record of Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás.
• 14 December – Boca Juniors wins the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan for the third time, by defeating Italy's AC Milan on penalties (3–1), after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra-time.

Winners national club championship

Africa

• – USM Alger
• – Cottonsport Garoua
• – ASEC Mimosas
• – Zamalek
• Libya – Al-Ittihad
• – Stade Malien
• – Hassania Agadir
• – Enyimba
• – Espéance

Asia

• – Sun Hei
• – Sepahan
• – Yokohama F. Marinos
• – Al-Sadd
• – Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
• – BEC Tero Sasana

Europe

• Croatia – Dinamo Zagreb
• Denmark – Copenhagen
• – Manchester United
• France – Lyon
• Germany – Bayern Munich
• Iceland – KR
• Ireland: Shelbourne
• Italy – Juventus
• Netherlands
  • Eredivisie – PSV
  • Eerste Divisie – Den Haag
• Portugal – Porto
• – CSKA Moscow
• – Partizan
• Spain – Real Madrid
• Sweden
  • Allsvenskan – Djurgården
  • Svenska Cupen – Elfsborg
• Turkey – Beşiktaş

North and Central America

• – Brampton Hitmen (CPSL)
  • • Clausura – Monterrey
  • Apertura – Pachuca
• – San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)

South America

• Argentina
  • 2002–03 Clausura – River Plate
  • 2003–04 Apertura – Boca Juniors
• Bolivia – Bolívar
  • Torneo Apertura – The Strongest
  • Torneo Clausura – The Strongest
• Brazil – Cruzeiro
• Colombia – Once Caldas
• Ecuador – LDU Quito
• Paraguay – Club Libertad
• Uruguay – Peñarol
• Club Alianza Lima

International tournaments

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Panama (9–23 February 2003)
  1. • 1. • 1. • Baltic Cup in Estonia (3–5 July 2003)
               • Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2–15 August 2003)
  • Men's Tournament
  1. • 1. • 1. • • Women's Tournament
  2. Brazil
  3. Canada
  4. Mexico
• FIFA U-20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates (27 November – 19 December 2003)
  1. • 1. • 1. • FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland (13–30 August 2003)
               • Afro–Asian Games in Hyderabad, India (22–31 October 2003)

National team results

Europe

See main article: Estonia national football team 2003.

South America

See main article: Bolivia national football team 2003.

See main article: Ecuador national football team 2003.

Births

• 9 January – Ricardo Pepi, US international^[1]
• 18 January – Devyne Rensch, Dutch international^[2]
• 19 January – Ilaix Moriba, Guinean international^[3]
• 21 January – Hannibal Mejbri, Tunisian international^[4]
• 23 January – Arian Moreno, Venezuelan footballer^[5]
• 27 February – Juan Ignacio Cabrera, Uruguayan footballer^[6]
• 16 March – Killian Camélé, French professional footballer^[7]
• 23 March – Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson, Icelandic international^[8]
• 4 April – Harvey Elliott, English footballer
• 12 April – Simon Ngapandouetnbu, Cameroonian footballer^[9]
• 19 April – Rareș Ilie, Romanian youth international^[10]
• 21 April – Xavi Simons, Dutch footballer
• 27 April – Zidane Iqbal, Iraqi international^[11]
• 1 May – Charlie Savage, Welsh international^[12]
• 2 May – Marcos Leonardo, Brazilian youth international^[13]
• 4 May – Florian Wirtz, German international^[14]
• 7 May – Kevin Paredes, US youth international^[15]
• 31 May – Benjamin Šeško, Slovenian youth international^[16]
• 1 June – Jan Kuźma, Polish professional footballer^[17]
• 2 June – Yusuf Demir, Austrian-Turkish footballer^[18]
• 28 June – Brandon Aguilera, Costa Rican international
• 29 June – Jude Bellingham, English international^[19]
• 11 July – Vishva Shinde, Indian professional footballer^[20]
• 12 August – Martín Luciano, Argentine club footballer^[21]
• 2 September – Kauã (Kauã Jesus Tenório), Brazilian footballer^[22]
• 28 October – Antonio Miuțescu, Romanian professional footballer^[23]
• 5 November – Shea Charles, Northern Irish footballer^[24]
• 7 November – Milos Kerkez, Hungarian international^[25]

Deaths

January

• 10 January – Julinho (73), Brazilian footballer

February

• 26 February – Antoni Torres (59), Spanish footballer and manager
• 28 February – Albert Batteux (83), French footballer

April

• 17 April – Jean-Pierre Dogliani (60), French footballer
• 24 April – Gino Orlando (73), Brazilian forward, 9 times capped for the Brazil national football team.

May

• 10 May – Pepillo (69), Spanish footballer

June

• 26 June – Marc-Vivien Foé (28), Cameroonian footballer

July

• 31 July – John Aston, Sr., English defender, England squad member at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. (81)
• 31 July – Bigode, Brazilian defender, runner-up at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. (81)

August

• 1 August – Guy Thys (80), Belgian footballer and manager
• 8 August – Jimmy Davis (21), English footballer
• 13 August – Lothar Emmerich (61), German footballer
• 14 August – Helmut Rahn (73), German footballer
• 31 August – Pierre Cahuzac (76), French footballer

October

• 1 October – Cheung Yiu Lun (25), Hong Kong footballer

November

• 21 November – Emil Pažický (76), Slovak footballer

Notes and References

1. Web site: "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019: List of Players: USA" . soccerway.com . Soccer way . 1 January 2023 . 27 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191227222540/https://www.fifadata.com/documents/FU17WC/2019/pdf/FU17WC_2019_Squadlists.pdf . bot: unknown .
2. Web site: "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019: List of Players: Netherlands" . fifadata.com . Fifa . 1 January 2023 . 27 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191227222540/https://www.fifadata.com/documents/FU17WC/2019/pdf/FU17WC_2019_Squadlists.pdf . bot: unknown .
3. Web site: Ilaix Moriba . soccerway.com . Soccer way.
4. Web site: H. Mejbri . soccerway.com . Soccer Way.
5. Web site: Arian Moreno . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG . 1 July 2024 . en.
6. Web site: Juan Cabrera . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG . 11 January 2024 . en.
7. Web site: Killian Camélé . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG . 17 February 2024 . en.
8. Web site: Í. Bergmann Jóhannesson . soccerway.com . Soccer Way.
9. Web site: Simon Ngapandouetnbu . 2022-12-12 . The Athletic . en.
10. Web site: R. Ilie . soccerway.com . Soccer way.
11. Web site: Zidane Iqbal . global.espn.com . ESPN.
12. Web site: Charlie Savage . manutd.com . Manchester United.
13. Web site: MARCOS LEONARDO . santosfc.com.br . Santos FC.
14. Web site: Florian Wirtz . datacenter.dfb.de . Data Center.
15. Web site: K. Paredes . soccerway.com . Soccer way.
16. Web site: B. Šeško . soccerway.com . Soccer WAY.
17. Web site: Jan Kuźma . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG . 12 June 2024 . en.
18. Web site: Y. Demir . soccerway.com . Soccer Way.
19. https://www.englandfootball.com/mens-senior-team/squad/jude-bellingham Profile
20. Web site: Vishva Shinde . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG . 21 June 2024 . en.
21. Web site: M. Luciano . soccerway.com . Soccer Way.
22. Web site: Kauã . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG . 8 August 2024 . en.
23. Web site: Antonio Miuțescu . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG . 26 September 2023.
24. https://www.irishfa.com/ifa-international/squads/northern-ireland-senior-men/shea-charles Shea Charles
25. Web site: M. Kerkez . soccerway.com . Soccer way.