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Football has evolved from being just a sport played by 22 players on a field and watched by a few thousands in the stadium to a global phenomenon adored by billions around the world.
The rise in popularity of the sport has also seen a concordant increase in the marketability of the players, helped by the popularity of social media, as the players have grown from being just sports stars to becoming global brands, instantly recognisable anywhere on the planet, and are among the most followed people across social media platforms.
The modern footballer enjoys pop culture status, and receives as much if not more attention than mainstream celebrities, with fans interested in everything from the footballer’s love life to the fashion brands they patronise.
It is therefore not much of a surprise that players are regulars on the entertainment scene, with Man Utd's Paul Pogba even going as far as presenting an award at a marquee music award show.
Hollywood is perhaps the epitome of everything entertainment in the world, with a dedicated fan base around the globe, hence the increasing celebrity lifestyle of footballers means they are steadily becoming attractions for movie flicks.
The recent revelation that Chelsea star and World Cup winner Olivier Giroud is set to lend his voice as the Green Goblin in the upcoming Spiderman movie is the latest in a long line of footballers who briefly traded the lush green fields for the silver screen, which is a practice dating back a couple of decades.
In this piece, we present a list of five popular footballers in recent times who have starred in Hollywood movies.
#5 Neymar (XXX : Return of Xander Cage)
Neymar is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world right now, and has an incredibly global appeal to go with his talents, being voted as the world's most marketable athlete in 2014 ahead of the World Cup in his hometown where just about every company wanted to be associated with the 26-year-old.
Neymar has starred in a couple of minor roles in his hometown, including in an episode of blockbuster series Trail of Lies (Amor a Vida) in 2013, and making an appearance in Shakira's World Cup theme song La La La - Brazil in 2014.
His major breakthrough however came in 2017 as he appeared in the much publicised; XXX: Return of Xander Cage, where he acted the part of a footballer about to be recruited to the secret organisation by Samuel L Jackson, with his special skill being earmarked as being good at shooting objects with his foot.
#4 Ashley Cole (Dead Man Running, Arsene's Eleven)
The 37-year-old currently plies his trade in the MLS with LA Galaxy, after over a decade of success in the Premier League.
Ashley Cole established himself as the best left-back in the EPL, and one of the best in the world when he broke into the Arsenal first team at the start of the millennium, going on to cement his status as first choice left-back for club and country.
He was an integral part of the Arsenal 'invincibles' squad who won the 2004 Premier League title without losing a match, but earned the ire of Gunners faithful with his 2006 transfer to Chelsea.
At Stamford Bridge, he raised his stock higher and won almost all there was to win at club level in the west of London, before leaving the club for AS Roma in 2014.
In 2007, he showed his versatility when tried his hands at producing, providing finances and starring in a documentary about Arsene Wenger's invincibles titled Arsenal - Arsene's Eleven, as well as the 2009 movie Dead Man Running.
#3 Zinedine Zidane (Family Guy, Goal II and III, Asterix at the Olympic games)
The 46-year-old is one of the most influential figures in the history of the game. Widely regarded as one of the all-time greats, the Frenchman has also proven his mettle on the bench, leading Real Madrid to the Champions League title in three consecutive seasons before announcing his resignation.
In a career spanning over two decades, Zidane won everything there was to win on an individual and collective level, winning the World Cup, Champions League, as well as the Ballon d’Or and three FIFA World Best accolades.
However, a lesser known fact about Zizou is that he has also appeared on screen, for example - making a cameo in an episode of animated sitcom Family Guy.
Family Guy is an immensely popular American sitcom chronicling the lives and struggles of a dysfunctional fictional family, told from the perspective of a mentally mature toddler and his talking dog, which is broadcast to millions around the world every week.
In 2006 Zidane appeared on an episode of Family Guy titled, ‘Saving Private Brian’, and in it he is seen headbutting an old lady, which is a parody of his headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final of the World Cup only months earlier.
He has also starred as himself in the popular football trilogy, GOAL, which chronicles the fictional character Santiago Munez as he progresses from the amateur ranks to becoming a global superstar. He also made a guest appearance in the 2006 movie, Asterix at the Olympic Games.
#2 David Beckham (A Man from U.N.C.L.E, King Arthur)
In an age where footballers where mostly confined to the back-pages of newspapers, David Beckham was arguably the first player of the modern era to be fully immersed in the paparazzi culture, Becks found himself thrust into the celebrity lifestyle thanks to his boyish good looks, and his marriage to former Spice Girl ‘Posh’.
A regular in Hollywood gossip magazines, Beckham’s private life was always in the public spotlight, down to the minute detail, leading to him infamously falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson at United. He became worried that the iconic winger had put the media circus ahead of his football, and later voiced that Beckham could have become a much better player, but for the distraction that came with his marriage.
It therefore came as no surprise when the former England captain ended up in the home of Hollywood itself as he left Real Madrid to join LA Galaxy in 2007.
Beckham’s huge star appeal and striking movie looks make him a shoe in for film roles, so it comes as a no brainer that the 44-year-old already has a number of flicks under his belt.
He has had a feature film made about him, the 2002 Indian-English hit Bend it like Beckham, although he didn’t make an appearance, as engagements prevented he and his wife from doing so.
Beckham also made a cameo appearance in the aforementioned Goal series, while starring as the projectionist in 2015's spy classic, A Man from U.N.C.L.E, as well as the 2017 blockbuster, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
He also made an appearance in Deadpool 2, where protagonist Ryan Reynolds made a mockery of his voice, before knocking on Beckham's door to give him an apology note.
#1 Eric Cantona (over a dozen)
After Sir Alex Ferguson, the Frenchman is widely regarded as the most important person to Manchester United's success in the last 25 years.
He arrived from heated rivals Leeds United in the first season of the Premier League in 1992 for £1.2 million, and he instantly transformed the fortunes of the club, helping United to the EPL title in his very first season, despite the club underperforming at the halfway stage of the campaign when he arrived.
As talented as he was controversial, the collar raising icon showed his dark side when he was involved in the infamous 'kung fu kick' on a Crystal Palace fan, which led to him being banned for eight months, and it was unsurprising that United struggled in his absence, finishing second behind Blackburn in the Premier League race.
He retired from football at the tender age of 30 in 1997 after helping United to numerous titles, and continuing the legacy of the number 7 jersey at Old Trafford.
Since his retirement from football, he has tried his hands at acting to varying degrees of success, with most of his scores coming in his native France where he has starred in numerous titles including Elizabeth, The Children of the Marshland, You and the Night, The Salvation, as well as starring as himself in his 2008's Looking for Eric.
