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Football is an extremely niche sport and not many are fortunate enough to live their dream of playing the ‘beautiful game’. Recently, Usain Bolt tried his ‘feet’ at football but his trial in the A-League didn’t go to plan and his footballing career met with a rather premature end.
However, with the emphasis football places on its exponents physically, several footballers are well equipped to handle the rigours of other sports and forms of sports entertainment.
Additionally, football is the most watched sport on the planet and its stars are famous all over the world. Hence, it has always been a fantasy of football fans to delve deeper into how their favourite players would conduct themselves in a slightly different environment. Enter the WWE.
WWE, a sports entertainment company, is one of the most popular entities across the globe with people of all ages holding a soft corner.
Thus, it would be intriguing to look at how a marriage of footballers and WWE would pan out.
Through this article, we would take a look at five current footballers who wouldn’t be out of their depth in the WWE and might even give the existing wrestlers a run for their money.
Without further ado, here is a look at them:
Honourable Mentions: Sead Kolasinac and Eric Bailly
Also see : Fantasy Premier League , Fantasy Premier League Tips, Intercontinental Cup
#5 Arturo Vidal (FC Barcelona)
The midfielder moved to Barcelona in the summer from Bayern Munich. The Chilean has been sparingly used by Ernesto Valverde yet whenever he has been called upon, it has invariably been to inject some physicality. And it is his physical attributes that would make him an ideal candidate to venture into WWE.
Strong as an ox, Vidal would give most wrestlers a tough time with his athleticism and his raw strength. To supplement this, his fiery temper would be a handful for the superstars on the WWE roster.
In the WWE, one needs a ‘never say die’ attitude and Vidal possess that attribute in abundance. He also has the 'WWE look' as the Mohawk would supplement his aura.
In addition, he has been on the end of several scuffles on the pitch and has never looked intimidated by anything thrown at him.
Moreover, with him being a Chilean, the WWE could use him as a Latin American hero similar to Rey Mysterio.
The qualities mentioned above make him a perfect fit for the WWE. And if they indeed decide to pick some footballers for a fantasy bout somewhere down the line, don’t be surprised if Vidal features at the forefront of any such discussion.
#4 Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
The Italian has been a menace for opposing forwards over the past decade with his brand of aggressiveness proving tough to handle.
Chiellini is an old-fashioned defender who doesn’t mind putting his body on the line, similar to many WWE stars. In addition, he is very strong, quick and agile and thus, wouldn’t encounter many problems in delivering high-risk moves.
Like many Italian legends, Chiellini, too, has the power to connect with the crowd and establish a superb rapport with them. A major chunk of the WWE’s success is due to its relationship with its audience and in Chiellini, they would boast of another charismatic character.
Nicknamed the ‘King Kong’, Chiellini’s commitment is second to none and hence, he would represent a superstar willing to leave everything in the ring to fulfil his role.
For long, we have cherished the Chiellini vs Ronaldo and Chiellini vs Messi battle yet, one just gets the feeling that a Chiellini vs Seth Rollins would be just as enthralling.
#3 Pepe (FC Porto)
The Portuguese defender has made a name for himself with his tough defending over the years. Not afraid to get into the opponent’s face, Pepe has enjoyed many a battle on the football field and thus, would slot perfectly into the WWE locker room.
There have been only a handful of occasions where Pepe hasn’t wound up an opposition player or gotten wound up himself by the opposition. With him boasting of a temper which sparks quicker than a short-circuited fuse, he would add an element of madness to the WWE roster.
Down the years, many superstars have made a living by being the crazy guy, capable of pulling out all the stops to achieve his goals. And Pepe fits that bill as perfectly as any.
Recently, the WWE confirmed that Dean Ambrose would be leaving the company in April. If the WWE look long and hard, maybe their replacement could lie in Portugal.
And his name might just be Pepe.
#2 Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)
Name a more confrontational current footballer than Diego Costa, I will wait. There is simply no one more argumentative than the Spaniard and he has displayed the above propensity on countless occasions.
Costa doesn’t like to go down without a fight and sometimes he takes it a little too literally. In his time in England, he picked up numerous on-field conflicts and saw his fair share of red cards.
While that may make him a slightly self-exploding asset to have on one’s football team, it would make him fit like a glove in the WWE.
Blessed with the ability to start an argument out of nothing, he could be a real asset in the WWE. Costa could play the role of a heel expertly and would surely cast himself as the pantomime villain.
Legend says that Costa once started an argument in an empty room. Though it sounds ludicrous, with Costa, you just never know.
Thus, he simply had to be on our list.
#1 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
The Spanish defender has become famous (or infamous) since the early 2010s for his ability to do everything in order to win. Sometimes, those measures are legal and on other occasions, they just aren’t.
Yet, Ramos has built his reputation on being a tough nut to crack and a player willing to bend the rules as far as possible for success. These attributes make him seem perfect material for the WWE.
The master of football’s dark arts, Ramos could play a similar role in the WWE where his followers would worship him while his detractors would absolutely despise him.
In the years gone by, Triple H has been the Sergio Ramos equivalent in the WWE and with the former not competing frequently anymore, the latter could be on the WWE’s wish-list.
However, the WWE could also involve Triple H and Ramos in an overlapping story-line and such an angle would surely bring the house down.
Triple H vs Sergio Ramos, anyone?
