Portrait of Paulo Wanchope

Birthday profile

Paulo Wanchope

Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rican footballer and manager

Born
July 31, 1976
Age in 2026
50
Zodiac sign
Leo
Birth year
1976

About Paulo Wanchope

Paulo César Wanchope Watson (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpawlo wanˈtʃope]; born 31 July 1976), more commonly known as Paulo Wanchope, is a Costa Rican football coach and former professional footballer who last coached Deportivo Saprissa. As a player he was a striker who notably played in the Premier League for Derby County, West Ham United and Manchester City. He also had spells in La Liga and Major League Soccer for Málaga and Chicago Fire as well as Herediano, Al-Gharafa, Rosario Central and FC Tokyo. He was capped 73 times by Costa Rica, scoring 45 goals. Wanchope is the second most prolific goalscorer in the history of the Costa Rica national football team, behind Rolando Fonseca, with 45 goals in 73 international matches. Having scored against Brazil in 2002 and a brace against Germany in 2006, Wanchope is the top goalscorer for Costa Rica in the FIFA World Cup, a record he shares with Rónald Gómez. As he is the former head coach of the Costa Rica national football team with a spell in charge between 2014 and 2015. He has also managed Herediano, Uruguay Coronado, CS Cartaginés and Pérez Zeledón. In 2005, ESPN declared Wanchope's goal against Numancia the best of the entire 2004–05 Spanish First Division. On 8 October 2005, Wanchope became the all-time leading goal scorer for Los Ticos when he scored the first goal in a home win over the USA in the qualifying match that sent Los Ticos to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Paulo Wanchope timeline

  1. Having scored against Brazil in 2002 and a brace against Germany in 2006, Wanchope is the top goalscorer for Costa Rica in the FIFA World Cup, a record he shares with Rónald Gómez.
  2. In 2005, ESPN declared Wanchope's goal against Numancia the best of the entire 2004–05 Spanish First Division.
  3. On 8 October 2005, Wanchope became the all-time leading goal scorer for Los Ticos when he scored the first goal in a home win over the USA in the qualifying match that sent Los Ticos to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

The world when Paulo Wanchope was born

Paulo Wanchope was born in 1976. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1976

  • #1 song"Silly Love Songs" – Wings
  • Top movieRocky
  • Top TV showHappy Days
  • Best-selling bookRoots – Alex Haley

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentNadia Comaneci scores first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics
  • Top headlineAmerica celebrates its 200th birthday
  • Technology milestoneApple Computer founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
  • Defining fadCB radios
  • Notable inventionLaser printer
  • World population4.16 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderGerald Ford
  • Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population218.0M

1976 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Paulo Wanchope's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19762026
Gas$0.59$3.45/gal
Average home$48,000$435,000
Average income$14,958$67,500
Minimum wage$2.30$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.13$11.95
Postage stamp$0.13$0.73
Population218.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Major League Soccer. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.