European football’s best nicknames
Creativity in football is not disdainful to a players on a representation or a coaches in a dugout. UEFA.com asked a group of correspondents and Twitter supporters to come adult with their favourite footballing nicknames – past and present – and these are a many resplendent examples.
The Baby-Faced Assassin
Ole Gunnar Solskjær (NOR)
The former Manchester United forward’s distinguished ability – and strikingly boyish looks – warranted him this renouned nickname. Even during 44, he could still pass for 14.
Bieber
Aleksandr Kokorin (RUS)
Russia team-mate Roman Shirokov initial coined a moniker after seeing that a brazen gimlet a similarity to Canadian cocktail prodigy Justin Bieber. The Zenit male is now tip of a charts in a FedEx Performance Zone.
Big Ass
Dragan Vukojić (MNE)
A weird back-handed compliment, ‘Guzo’ (big ass) implies laziness, nonetheless it was used with love for a Budućnost Podgorica ace of a 1970s and 80s, whose measureless ability and prophesy done adult for any viewed skip of effort.
Cesar
Billy McNeill (SCO)
A misheard one. Though his care was extraordinary, Celtic colleagues did not call their European Champion Clubs’ Cup-winning captain Caesar, nonetheless ‘Cesar’ – a anxiety to Rat Pack film Ocean’s Eleven. The Hoops patrol favourite to indication themselves on a movie’s stars, and McNeill got Cesar Romero’s purpose on a basement he was a usually member of a immature Celtic side to have a car.
Dave
César Azpilicueta (ESP)
Chelsea players and fans took to a defender as shortly as he arrived during Stamford Bridge, nonetheless those prevalent English problems with pronouncing unfamiliar names led to him being renamed ‘Dave’ both on a terraces and in a training ground. Learn how to pronounce his name rightly here.
The Devil
Rıdvan Dilmen (TUR)
A Fenerbahçe favourite during a spin of a 1990s, Dilmen was dubbed ‘Åžeytan’ (the devil) by manager Kemal Dirikan during MuÄŸlaspor given he was agile, discerning and magnificently cunning.
Dimbo
Ferenc Deák (HUN)
Another back-handed compliment, 1940s Hungary striker Ferenc Deák was famous as ‘Bamba’ – a Hungarian word suggesting someone delayed and dull-witted – for his robe of laziness around a centre circle, lulling opponents into a fake clarity of confidence before chasing down by balls to score. It was an effective method: he netted 66 times for SZAC in 1945/46.
Dino
Jan Koller (CZE)
The totemic brazen never got divided from a dinosaur sobriquet his tallness warranted him as a girl player. “When we changed abroad, there was always a Czech actor in a patrol who would revitalise a nickname, so it followed me by my career,” he recalled. However, he tolerated it amply to attend a fixing rite for a giraffe during Olomouc Zoo, called Dino in his honour.
Dragon-Head
Cătălin Munteanu (ROU)
Former Romania midfielder Munteanu spent many of his career in Spain, nonetheless could never shun a tag ‘Cap de Zmeu’ (dragon head), accorded rather unkindly for a distance of his conduct in suit to his body.
The Eel
Dragoje Leković (MNE)
The Montenegrin goalkeeper, a unchanging for Yugoslavia in a 1990s, was tagged ‘Jegulja’ (the eel) – or ‘Jego’ for short – from a start of his career given he was prolonged and skinny.
The Gardener
Julio Cruz (ARG)
According to legend, a ex-Internazionale brazen was labelled ‘El Jardinero’ given he was operative as a groundsman during his initial bar Banfield in 1993 when he was asked to make adult a numbers in a use review and tender adequate to land a contract. Alternatively, a abuse stranded after he was photographed sitting on a tractor. At Inter, he was also famous as ‘Poncherello’ due to a viewed correspondence to a impression from 1970s radio uncover CHiPS.
Harry Potter
Ricardo Quaresma (POR)
Fans during his clubs in Portugal dignified Quaresma – generally in his younger days – for a approach he worked sorcery on a pitch, fixing him in honour of a world’s many famous child wizard.
The Little Aeroplane
Vincenzo Montella (ITA)
Now manager of AC Milan, Montella invited a nickname ‘L’Aeroplanino’ (little aeroplane) for a evil arms-out jubilee that greeted any of a goals a 1.72m striker scored.
The Little Lawnmower
Stig Tøfting (DEN)
Denmark manager Richard Møller Nielsen awarded midfielder Tøfting this surprising classification given of a volume of work a sedulous actor got by in midfield.
The Little Pea
Javier Hernández (MEX)
The Bayern brazen uses ‘Chicarito’ (little pea) as his shirt name. It comes from his father – also Javier Hernández – who was called ‘Chicaro’ (pea) due to his distinguished immature eyes.
The Little Snowflake
Ronald Koeman (NED)
During his Barcelona days, a defender was dubbed ‘Floquet de Neu’ (little snowflake) on comment of his blond hair; oddly, a name came from a white albino chimpanzee in Barcelona zoo.
Mickey Mouse
António Simões (POR)
It competence be an insult elsewhere in a world, nonetheless 1960s and 70s Benfica star Simões was christened ‘Rato Mickey’ (Mickey Mouse) for wholly thoughtful reasons – a curtsy to a fact he was tiny nonetheless unequivocally energetic.
The Mosquito
Erik Mykland (NOR)
There are copiousness of other mosquitos in European football, nonetheless nothing enjoyed a alias – ‘Myggen’ in Norwegian – utterly as many as tiny Norway midfielder Mykland. He even took to waving his arms mosquito-style when he scored.
Nureyev
Vasilis Hatzipanagis (GRE)
Greece’s home-grown chronicle of Diego Maradona, Hatzipangis was a master dribbler who once said: “When we see defenders in front of me, we wish to leap around each one of them.” His surprising footwork desirous a sobriquet in honour of Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
One Size
Fitz Hall (ENG)
Trust us – if we are a local English speaker, it is funny. See also Neil ‘Dissa’ Pointon.
The Onion
Cristián RodrÃguez (URU)
The former Atlético Madrid male came to Europe with a strong repute and an even improved nickname. Fans in Uruguay called him ‘El Cebolla’ (onion) given his speed of feet and discerning runs were adequate to make antithesis defences weep.
Pinturicchio
Alessandro Del Piero (ITA)
Ex-Juventus owners Gianni Agnelli favourite to review his strikers to tip Renaissance artists, with a childish Del Piero being bracketed alongside comparison team-mate Roberto Baggio. “If Baggio is Raphael, Del Piero is Pinturicchio,” he said. Pinturicchio literally means ‘little painter’, nonetheless was also a name used by distinguished artist Bernardino di Betto in his pomp.
The Sleeping Giant
Roman Pavlyuchenko (RUS)
While coaching Russia from 2006–10, Guus Hiddink dubbed brazen Pavlyuchenko a ‘Sleeping Giant’ – a reverence to a player’s tallness and his robe of not doing many in games detached from bagging wilful goals.
Snake-Man
Rob Rensenbrink (NED)
One of a Netherlands’ pivotal players of a 1970s, a brazen was ‘De Slangemens’ (Snake Man) to Dutch supporters due to his gaunt support and sleazy dribbling.
The Sphinx
Robert Herbin (FRA)
St-Étienne’s manager in their 1970s heyday, Herbin’s mop of red hair done him unfit to skip in France, nonetheless it was his puzzling press conferences – never a word wasted – that elicited comparisons to a famous Egyptian monument.
Strawberry
Milan Osterc (SVN)
The earlier Slovenia brazen played all over a world, nonetheless never shook off a nom de guerre handed to him as a teen following his pierce to Gorica. He was labelled ‘Jagoda’ (strawberry) given a segment where he grew up, Prekjmurje, is famous for strawberries.
The Tractor
Javier Zanetti (ARG)
The evergreen Internazionale right-back became ‘El Tractor’ shortly after his send to Italy in approval of his strength, resilience and stamina on a pitch.
Trigger
Jason McAteer (IRL)
Not a anxiety to any sharpened ability, rather to a dimwit impression in renouned TV comedy Only Fools And Horses. McAteer nonetheless schooled to live with his name, celebrating his many career mishaps as an after-dinner speaker. Roy Keane, who fell out with McAteer in 2002, took a fun serve by job one of his dogs ‘Triggs’.
The Trout
Günter Siebert (GER)
Later Schalke president, Siebert helped a Gelsenkirchen bar win a German pretension in 1958 and was famous as ‘Forelle’ (trout) for his ability to squirm by defenders’ grasps.
Uncle
Giuseppe Bergomi (ITA)
Team-mate Giampiero Marini was bewildered during a distance of a teenaged Giuseppe Bergomi’s beard when he initial started training with a seniors during Inter. “What? Are we unequivocally 18? You demeanour like my aged uncle,” he said. Bergomi was ‘Zio’ (uncle) thereafter.
The Wizard of Oz
Harry Kewell (AUS)
The ex-Leeds United, Liverpool and Galatasaray forward’s moments of magic – and Australian heritage – done this an open-goal moniker (which followed him to Turkey as Oz Büyücüsü).