Top 27 Football Players Who Don’t Go By Their Birth Names
In the world of sport, football is unarguably one of the most popular sports in the world right now. Football being a lucrative business, many football players have made a lot of money over the past ten years. The reason for this is because many people watch football from all over the world.
It will be important to note that names are means of identity, but sometimes footballers take matters into their own hands by changing their names to something more memorable.
In the world of football, many figures even choose to go by relatively shorter names to make it easier for people all over the world to remember them. Louis van Gaal’s actual name, for instance, is Aloysius Paulus Maria- van Gaal. And we also have a certain Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho Gaucho was born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira.
Top 27 Football Players Who Don’t Go By Their Birth Names
1. Pele
The Brazilian living legend is said to be one of the greatest football players in history. Pele is one of the players who won the FIFA World Cup on three occasions during his professional football career. So many fans offootball do not know that his real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
2. Isco
Isco has played for the La Liga giants, Real Madrid and Valencia during his professional football career. As a matter of fact, he is one of the most popular players in Spanish football. The Spanish international’s real name is not Isco, but Francisco Roman Alarcon Suarez.
3. Pepe
The Portuguese and FC Porto star became famous when he played for Real Madrid in the Spanish first division. Pepe was part of the Portuguese squad that won the European Championship in 2016. The Portuguese central defender does not use his real name on the field of play which is Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira.
4. Koke
Koke is a Spanish international who has played in the Spanish league for more than ten years now. His career statistics has it that he graduated from the Atletico Madrid academy when he was a teenager. However, the name ‘Koke’ is very popular throughout the world of football. But the Spaniard’s his real name is Jorge Resurreccion Merodio.
5. Hulk
The Brazilian international arguably has one of the most interesting nicknames among present-day footballers. He is popularly known as ‘Hulk’, so much so that very few would be able to recognise him via his actual name. In this case, Hulk is very much a reference to the popular Marvel Comics character. However, the Brazilian journeyman’s real name is Givanildo Vieira de Sousa.
6. Fred
The Brazilian professional footballer ‘Fred’ plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the Brazil national team. However, according to research, Fred’s real mane is Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos.
The rest of the players are;
7. Kevin Oghenetega Tamaraebi Bakumo-Abraham
Commonly known as: Tammy Abraham
Club: Chelsea (Premier League)
Country: England
8. Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal
Commonly known as: Louis van Gaal
Club: Retired
Country: Netherlands
9. Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes
Commonly known as: Pauleta
Club: Retired
Country: Portugal
10. Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira
Commonly known as: Socrates
Club: Retired
Country: Brazil
11. Fernando Luiz Roza
Commonly known as: Fernandinho
Club: Manchester City (Premier League)
Country: Brazil
12. Robson de Souza
Commonly known as: Robinho
Club: Istanbul Basaksehir (Super Lig)
Country: Brazil
13. Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima
Commonly known as: Ronaldo
Club: Retired
Country: Brazil
14. Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Commonly known as: Ronaldinho
Club: Retired
Country: Brazil
15. Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha
Commonly known as: Nani
Club: Orlando City (Major League Soccer)
Country: Portugal
16. Givanildo Vieira de Sousa
Commonly known as: Hulk
Club: Atlético Mineiro (Brazil league)
Country: Brazil
17. Manoel Francisco dos Santos
Commonly known as: Garrincha
Club: Retired
Country: Brazil
18. Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan
Commonly known as: Trezeguet
Club: Aston Villa (Premier League)
Country: Egypt
19. Anderson Luis de Souza
Commonly known as: Deco
Club: Retired
Country: Portugal
20. Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira
Commonly known as: Pepe
Club: Porto (Primeira Liga)
Country: Portugal
21. Albert Roger Mooh Miller
Commonly known as: Roger Milla
Club: Retired
Country: Cameroon
22. Gervais Yao Kuassi
Commonly known as: Gervinho
Club: Parma (Serie A)
Country: Ivory Coast
23. Marcos Evangelista de Morais
Commonly known as: Cafu
Club: Retired
Country: Brazil
24. Bamidele Jermaine Alli
Commonly known as: Dele Alli
Club: Everton (Premier League)
Country: England
25. Charles Joseph John Hart
Commonly known as: Joe Hart
Club: Burnley (Premier League)
Country: England
26. Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini
Commonly known as: Lionel Messi
Club: PSG (Ligue 1)
Country: Argentina
27. Marcos Aoas Correa
Commonly known as: Marquinhos
Club: Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1)
Country: Brazil