Today is Batman Day. For the average person, this doesn’t make any sense. However, for comic book fanatics, today is a special day: today is the 77th birthday of our favourite comic book character, Batman.
To many, he is the greatest superhero of all time. He might not have the thunder-wielding hammer of Thor or the X-ray vision of Superman, but he is in a league of his own. Being a human with no superpower, he exceeds the limits any normal human could possibly have.
However, the best part about him is the way he operates. Prowling in the night among the dark shadows, he works like a silent guardian—a dark knight—and he does it with no expectation of being rewarded or praised.
On this day, we try to list 5 footballers who could be Batman.
#1 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
His characteristics as a player might be poles apart from Batman’s personality. However, it is his obsession and love for the character that puts him on this list.
After opening the scoring against Schalke in the 78th minute, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus took craziness to another level as the former masqueraded in a Batman cape while the former donned a Robin mask.
He might have been booked for his celebration, but he didn’t seem to care one bit. When asked whether he liked the movie Batman and Robin, he said: "Yes I like the film and we were after something with two masks so that we could do something together."
Someone who has the audacity to celebrate like that should certainly be on this list.
#2 Xabi Alonso
For one, his awesome beard makes him somewhat of a mismatch for this list. However, we aren’t compiling this based on looks alone and that is why the Spaniard makes it to this list.
Alonso’s playing style is reminiscent to the way Batman operates. Crawling under the shadows to make sure his enemies don’t spot him, the Dark Knight is a silent operator as he cuts the enemy lines with his foray of tricks.
The Basque midfield maestro does something similar. He resides deep in his own half, yet can do maximum damage with his beautiful vision and foray of passing skills. He is almost never awarded the man of the match for his performances, simply because he doesn’t fall on the eyes of many, but he is always the true player of the game.
#3 Santi Cazorla
If you ask an Arsenal fan as to who is their best player, many will unanimously name either Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez. Hardly a few would come up with the name of Santi Cazorla. And this is why he is the silent guardian, the Dark Knight.
Ozil might come up with the sexy and piercing through-balls that makes the eye of the viewers pop to the floor. Alexis Sanchez might burst into the opponent’s box with his brutal physicality and sheer speed and score some wonderful goals.
In short, both of them are the headline grabbers.
However, if one watches the game with intent, she/he will realise that the true hero for Arsenal is Cazorla and it is he who plays the most important role in defining Arsenal’s season this year. He is the one who connects the dots between the midfield and attack and keeps the tempo of the team ticking.
And he does it all silently. Like Batman.
#4 Leonardo Bonucci
If there is anyone who resides deeper than Xabi Alonso and still makes an impact in the enemy lines, it is Leonardo Bonucci. However, he is not on this list for his abilities as a ball-playing center-half.
In October 2012, when Bonucci was with his wife and baby boy looking to buy a car, a masked robber approached him and pointed a gun to his head, demanding to give him his watch or be shot dead.
Any normal person, not to mention someone as rich as Bonucci and in front of his family, would open his watch and give it to the robber. However, the Italian is no normal person—he is the real-life Batman as he punched the assailant to the ground before chasing him when the latter tried to run away with his accomplice.
This is the type of courage only a man with the ‘cojones’ of Batman possesses
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo
And we will conclude this slide with the man who resembles Batman the most. Cristiano might not have had a rich family background like the Waynes, but he is one of the most misunderstood characters in the game.
Like Batman, he had to forge himself to become what he is today. The Real Madrid star had to go to through a lot of difficulties on his road to glory—and yet he can’t please his critics.
Even though Batman is in a league of his own, he is always seen as somewhat of an inferior character when compared to Superman. After all, the latter has powers that almost make him a God. Similarly, no matter what the former Manchester United winger does, he is always seen as someone who is inferior to Lionel Messi.
Like Bruce Wayne, Cristiano is labelled as arrogant. Like Bruce Wayne, he is a millionaire playboy off the field. And like Batman, he is a king when it comes to decimating opponents with the force of sheer will and determination.
