This is the 7160th most frequent German word.
fußballspieler
Football player.
Here, 'Fußballspieler' is a single compound noun that denotes someone who plays soccer.
Der Fußballspieler hat heute ein tolles Tor geschossen.
The soccer player scored a great goal today.
In this sentence, 'Fußballspieler' functions as the subject in the plural form, emphasizing players who practice regularly.
Viele Fußballspieler trainieren jeden Tag, um besser zu werden.
Many soccer players train every day to improve.
Here, 'Fußballspieler' is the base noun modified by 'ehemaliger' to indicate someone who previously played soccer.