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#3 Franck Ribery | Bilal Yusuf Mohammed
Franck Ribery is undoubtedly the most unique entry on this list, and with good reason. The French superstar is one of the most terrifying wingers of his time and won titles aplenty. Ribery accumulated over a staggering 20 trophies during his time at Bayern Munich including nine Bundesliga titles and a Champions League. He formed one of the most memorable wing duos with Arjen Robben in Bavaria.
While the winger has opened up on the heartbreaking story of his facial scars in the past, one surprisingly lesser-known fact pertains to his name.
Although he was born Franck Henry Pierre Ribery, the 38-year-old's official name is now Bilal Yusuf Mohammed after converting to Islam. He cited his wife, Wahiba Belhami, who is of Algerian descent, as the reason for him changing his religion back in 2002. The Fiorentina star explained;
"Religion is my personal thing. I am a believer and since I converted to Islam, I think, I became stronger, I became mentally and physically stronger. Religion did not change my personality or my perception of the world. I pray five times a day, I do it because it enables me to be released and I feel better afterwards."
#2 Kaka | Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Kaka is arguably one of the defining footballers of his generation. The Brazilian was the last player to win a Ballon d'Or before the decade-long duopoly between Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Kaka has several major honours to his name, including a FIFA World Cup, a UEFA Champions League, and an endless list of individual awards.
What's interesting is that his moniker 'Kaka' isn't a part of his actual name, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite. The Brazilian's famous nickname came about during his childhood thanks to his younger brother, Rodrigo Manuel Izecson dos Santos Leite, simply known as Digao.
The former Brazilian defender failed to pronounce the name 'Ricardo' when he was a child, and ended up calling him 'Caca'. This eventually morphed into 'Kaka', one of the most recognisable nicknames of the 21st century. He is also commonly referred to as Ricardo Kaka.
#1 Pele | Edson Arantes do Nascimento
While some of the others on this list are reverred as some of their generation's finest, there is no doubt that Pele is one of the greatest footballers of all time. The Brazilian legend is generally regarded as the best player the sport has seen, alongside the likes of the late Diego Maradona.
The three-time World Cup winner is the proud holder of several esteemed records in football and, in this case, one of the game's most iconic nicknames.
The name 'Pele' stems from his pronunciation of his favorite footballer when he was young, the late Vasco de Sao Lourenco legend Bile. His actual name was Jose Lino. Pele's pronunciation of the former goalkeeper's name was the subject of jokes from his classmates at the time, even angering the Brazilian when he was in school.
This gradually ended up becoming one of the most famous names football has ever witnessed. While he didn't know it at the time, 'Pele' also meant 'miracle' in Hebrew. Over the course of his career, Pele was also referred to as 'Dico' by his family and 'Gasolina' at Santos after a famous Brazilian singer.
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