5 players who can Dare to Zlatan

Fire doesn’t faze the ZlatanThere are certain individuals who transform the definition of a profession, the same does apply to the sport of football also. The adage of ‘no player is bigger than a club’ does not hold true for one man, well he is more than a man, he is the Zlatan.Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t just your regular footballer, not only does he score some brilliant goals, he is outspoken and has no fear in this realm. ‘Dare to Zlatan’ was more than a promotion for a product line, it actually embodied what Zlatan actually is all about. Doing things which are impossible but also having the swagger of never backing down from a challenge.From scoring impossible goals to taking on referees in a language they don’t understand, Zlatan might be the most entertaining footballer out there. Messi and Ronaldo might be scoring the goals but for being Zlatan, we doff our hats to the Swedish international.He isn’t the only one who defies logic, there are a few stars out there who are larger than life, both on the pitch and off it. Here are five players who could ‘Dare to Zlatan’ and probably come out on top:

#5 Marko Arnautovic

The Stoke City forward certainly has been in the news for the right reasons recently. the Austrian however, was not known for his abilities on the pitch but rather for the things he did off it.

Arnautovic had played under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan and the Portuguese manager wasn’t pleased with the antics of the forward. Mourinho had said that Arnautovic acted like a child during his time at the San Siro.

Marko was also known for his party lifestyle in Milan and the Austrian media even labelled him as "enfant terrible". He does have a chequered history though, he was sent off against Sweden in a friendly when he clashed with Johan Elmander. He even tore a ligament in his knee when he was playing with his dog.

A punch-up with his teammate Sokratis Papasthathopoulos was pretty awful but the icing on the cake has to be when his car got stolen while he was at a restaurant, well the car was loaned to him by then teammate Samuel Eto’o, it was a Bentley.

Oh and he is best friends with Mario Balotelli as well, he certainly can ‘Dare to Zlatan’ if he pleases to.

#4 Jamie Vardy

The 29-year-old Leicester forward is having a season to remember. Not only is he taking the Foxes to the glory of winning the Premier League, the English forward also leads the scoring charts and broke Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in consecutive games.

Vardy’s brilliance on the field has been documented but he is a larger than life person off it as well. He celebrated scoring in 10 consecutive matches with his teammates by treating them to drinks and lasagna.

Well, that might not be the greatest way to celebrate a record tieing achievement but he does have a great history of updates on his social media profiles, that certainly made him the talk of the town.

The rise of Jamie Vardy is unprecedented in football, from playing non-league football to leading the Premier League in goals. Talent, hard work and just the rise dose of confidence has taken the boy from Sheffield to the top.

Jamie Vardy is having a party!

#3 Paul Pogba

The French midfielder is the player for the future, now. The 22-year-old has been a star for Juventus ever since he left Manchester United and joined the club from Turin in 2012.

Pogba has a range of names on the field from 'The Octopus' to 'Pogboom' thanks to his great control of the ball and explosive playing style. The French midfielder has an uncanny goal celebration and has had some of the craziest haircuts in recent memory.

Style might be something that Pogba exudes on the pitch but he does have a disciplined life. When he left France at the tender age of 16, he signed up a personal physiotherapist and a dietician, unheard of from someone this young.

For all the hard work that he puts across, Pogba though has done a lot of talking on the pitch as well. For the 2014 Ballon d'Or list, the Juventus midfielder was one of the 23 candidates and the youngest one being just 21-years-old.

“People expect so much. But all I concentrate on is trying to do better, better, better and to maintain the levels of my performance.”

Well said by someone who is so talented, yet level headed

#2 Manuel Neuer

Neuer has taken goalkeeping to another level with his antics at Bayern Munich. the Germany international is not known for staying in the box and playing it safe, he actually rushes out to stop attacks while he also starts attacks with his great vision and throwing ability.

The former Schalke goalkeeper won the 2014 World Cup with Germany and was also hailed as the best goalkeeper in the tournament. He even finished third to Messi and Ronaldo in the race for the Ballon d'Or in 2014.

The method to his madness? He states that one of his idols while growing up was former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who was known for his animated playing style. Neuer though is a character off the field as well, he won 500,000 euros in a version of 'Who wants to be a millionaire?' and gave it to charity.

He also is a star in the animated world as a voiceover artist for the German version of Monsters University. A monster on the pitch and a behemoth away from it, this seems to be the way for the 29-year-old. There even was a hashtag going viral #JustNeuerThings for some of the incredible feats the German does.

#1 Neymar

If there is anyone who can claim the tag of 'Dare to Zlatan' from the current crop of footballers, that goes to the Barcelona and Brazil forward Neymar. the 24-year-old has been sensational for club and country ever since he came into the limelight with his performances but he isn't just brilliant on the pitch, he has quite a lifestyle away from the game too.

We all know about his goal-scoring prowess and footballing skills on the pitch, but Neymar has a host of sponsorship deals ranging from a long-term contract with Nike to tie-ups with Panasonic, Unilever, Santander and Volkswagen, those are just to name a few.

He also starred in a Beats advertisement with Thierry Henry and Luis Suarez. Neymar was also the cover athlete for the Pro Evo Soccer games in North America and also became the first Brazilian athlete to appear on the cover of Time magazine in February 2013.

Talented, confident and bold, Neymar is the person who could be the one that 'Dares to Zlatan' and beat the Swede in his own game, as long as it does not involve martial arts.