We may have been deprieved of Andrey Arshavin due to Russia being a bit rubbish and not qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, but this year their is a plethora of purile, pretentious or just plain unpronounceable names for the odd selection of not very successful managers masquerading as commentators to have a crack at pronouncing.
Here are our top ten:
1. Siphiwe Tshabalala - South Africa
Not only does Siphiwe have, not one, but two, amusing and largely unintelligible names, he also scored the opening goal of the tournament on home soil and followed it up with definitely the best goal celebration if the early stages of the competition. Awesome!
2. Gerardo Torrado - Mexico
In so high largely because his name amused the SportingPreview.com web designer, and we like to keep him happy. Also it is irresistible to keep saying it in a Speedy Gonzales sqeaky voice. Try it.
3. Bastian Schweinsteiger - Germany
As we all know 'Schweinsteiger' means pig mounter in German. Enough said.
4. Steven Pienaar - South African
Juvenille I know, but I'm reliably informed (by my half swedish former flat mate) that 'Pienaar' means 'stick' or 'finger' in Swedish, so had they qualified, the Swedes could have had a good giggle. Mind you, it might amuse Sven.
Oh and South Africa get two for being the host nation.
5. Maximiliano Pereira - Uruguay
Anyone who can pull off 'Maximiliano' as a christian name get's maximum respect, and had it not finished, probably a part in Lost.
6. Maximiliano Rodriguez - Argentina
See above, only for some reason 'Rodriguez' isn't quite as cool as 'Pereira', maybe because it is the South American equivalent of Roberts, probably.
7. Danny Shittu - Nigeria
We are back to the purile here, but still, the Bolton man needs no introduction.
8. Jung Sung-ryong - South Korea
We have all heard the jokes above Asian food and the Korean players sounding like a menu. However if you listen, they actually sound more like you are singing! and Jung Sung-ryong sounds like an admonision from a small child, or possibly an English footballer.
9. Socrates Papastathopoulos - Greece
The longest name in the Greece squad is also the hardest to prounouce, good luck my journalist brethren, I'm glad I'm run a web site and not a radio station!
10. Waldo Ponce - Chile
Wow his parents really didn't give him a chance did they?
Runners up include: Edson Buddle (USA) Curiously old fashioned, Georgie Welcome (Honduras) and Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Ivory Coast).
At last count (not really) in the 2010 World Cup, there were as many Diego's as Stephens (all versions of the name) a Roque (Santa Cruz) and at least one hard case (Wilson Palacios). Even if the football's not great, you have to love it!
First published on www.SportingPreview.com on 16/6/2010
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