February 17, 2017: Granada Club de Fútbol play Seville-based Real Betis, at Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes in Granada, in Andalusia in southern Spain. This game, in Spain's La Liga, is a milestone: Granada fielded players from 11 different countries. No two of their players came from the same country. This is believed to be the first time it has ever happened in any soccer league, anywhere in the world. Here is the lineup:
Goalkeeper: Number 13, Guillermo Ochoa, Mexico.
Right Back: 25, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Iceland.
Left Back: 3, Gastón Silva, Uruguay.
Centerback: 23, Héctor Hernández (known by just his first name), Spain
Centerback: 22, Dmitri Foulquier, France, the team's Captain.
Central Midfielder: 5 Uche Agbo (also known by just his first name), Nigeria.
Right Midfielder: 29, Martin Hongla, Cameroon.
Left Midfielder: 8, Mubarak Wakaso, Ghana.
Center Forward: 18, Andreas Pereira, Brazil
Right Wing: 16, Mehdi Carcela, Morocco.
Left Wing: 7, Adrián Ramos, Colombia.
That's 11 different players, from 11 different countries, and from 4 different continents: 4 from Africa, 3 from Europe, 3 from South America, and 1 from North America.
And it worked: Carcela scored in the 18th minute. Ramos scored in the 28th. Pereira scored in the 33rd, and Granada went into halftime up 3-0. Ramos scored again in the 64th. There was a fight in the 66th minute, and both Pereira and Matías Nahuel of Betis were sent off, leaving both teams to finish the game with 10 men. Brazilian player Petros got a consolation goal in the 75th, and it ended 4-1 to Granada.
It was the highlight of the season for Granada. They had already fired manager Paco Jémez early in the season. His successor, Lucas Alcaraz, was no better, as they won only 1 of their 15 remaining La Liga games, and were relegated. Alcaraz was fired on April 10, and former Arsenal Captain Tony Adams managed their last 7 games, all losses.
Granada were promoted back to La Liga in 2019. Jémez now manages U.D. Ibiza in Spain's 2nd division, Alcaraz manages Olympiakos Nicosia in Cyprus' 1st division, and Adams has never managed again.
(UPDATE: Granada were relegated again in 2022. Jémez now manages a team in Iran's 1st division. Oddly, Alcaraz succeeded Jémez as manager in Ibiza. As of the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Adams, one of the greatest centrebacks of his generation, still has never managed since being fired by Granada in 2017.)
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February 17, 2017 was a Friday. Baseball and football were out of season. The NBA was in its All-Star Break. There were 3 games played in the NHL:
* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1 at the PNC Arena (now the Lenovo Center) in Raleigh. Mikko Rantanen scored the winning goal with 37 seconds left in overtime.
* The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1 at the Nationwide Arena in in Columbus. Brandon Dubinsky scored the winning goal with 3:56 left in overtime.
* And the Florida Panthers beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
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