Football personalities and their Bollywood equivalents

What is football, if not a real life platform where players are able to show what they can do, just like what actors do on the silver screen. The personality and ability of footballers are the qualities that differentiate them from the crowd, thus separating the most interesting from the most mundane. Similarly, there are a lot of actors who have wide ranging personalities, from the perfectionist to the entertainer to the free-spirited ones.In this slideshow, we try and compare football players and their equivalents from the Bollywood film fraternity, trying to ensure that their personas match as closely as possible.Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author’s and do not represent those of the website. This article is also a work of a lot of imagination, so has to be taken with a pinch of salt, and in a light-hearted manner.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - Shah Rukh Khan

The only equivalent we could think of for Cristiano Ronaldo was the master entertainer, Shah Rukh Khan. Both men are examples of two people who have worked extremely hard to get where they are today, have very captivating personalities, and are scrutinised very heavily by the public.

In terms of wanting to be the best, they are both very similar and are driven by the spirit of competition, and strive to do all they can to reach the pinnacle. Another feature that makes them standout is the fact that both of them win a lot of awards (A lot of differences of opinion exist, of course), as recognition for their work.

#2 Lionel Messi - Aamir Khan

Apart from the fact that Lionel Messi and Aamir Khan are both a little short in stature, there are some other facets of their personalities that connects them, mainly their natural tendency to look for perfection, and the fact that they like keeping their personal lives away from the limelight.

Just like Messi is a star for Barcelona, and probably one of the best of all-time to play the game (mainly due to his skills and technique), Khan is considered to be at the forefront of the movie industry in India, always looking to push boundaries.

Both of them are fairly thoughtful people, and always analyse a situation carefully before stepping into it.

#3 Mario Gotze, Marco Reus - Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor

Just as Gotze and Reus are very close friends both on and off the field, Kapoor and Singh are known to be the best of friends, both in reel life and real life.

Both Mario Gotze and Marco Reus have established themselves as two of the best young players in the world, which is again very similar to Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, who by virtue of their versatility and consistent performances have shown that they are the future of the Hindi film industry.

The principal basis behind their selection here is the fact that both sets of people are very talented, have affable personalities, have proven their mettle and yet remain very close, and true to each other.

#4 Olivier Giroud - John Abraham

It isn’t very difficult to understand the similarities here, are they? Giroud and Abraham are both tall, hulking men, known to have a brilliant physique and considered to be very, very hot by the opposite sex (Giroud was recently voted Sexiest footballer in the Premier League while John Abraham was a model before moving to films)

What connects them also is the fact that despite being talented, and getting the chance to prove themselves at the highest level, they have yet to convince that they have what it takes to really succeed and stay at the top.

#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Salman Khan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is definitely one of the most colourful personalities ever to have stepped onto a football field, and Salman Khan is without any doubt the most eccentric moviestar in India.

What characterises both of them is that they are very different from others in their approach to their particular fields, are very unpredictable, quite expressive in front of the media and are quite easy to get a reaction (either funny or angry) out of.

Another feature that both share is their love of hunting (no?). They also have a very dedicated set of fans, who are very loyal to them, no matter what, to an almost fanatical extent.

#6 Neymar - Ranbir Kapoor

They are both thought of as the heirs to the throne of being “the best” in their respective professions – Neymar is said to be the future of Barcelona, and is already the captain and standout performer of the Brazil national team. Similarly, Ranbir Kapoor has established himself as a mainstream performer in Bollywood, equally admired by both the critics and the masses.

Given their dedication and talent, it is just a matter of time before they become the best in the world. It is always an added help that their following is great, both within the country and out.

#7 Mario Balotelli - Akshay Kumar

The mavericks of their professions, both Akshay Kumar and Mario Balotelli don’t really respond that well to authority. Also, despite them having the talent, the highest level teams/ producers have never really taken a gamble on them, primarily due to the fact that they are temperamental and unpredictable.

Another feature that characterises them is the fact that they don’t seem very choosy in their spheres of work. Balotelli has played for a multitude of clubs while Kumar is known to have starred in a lot of different films, a majority of which weren’t very great.

#8 Sir Alex Ferguson - Amitabh Bachchan

Sir Alex Ferguson and Amitabh Bachchan both share the thirst of wanting to be the best in their professions, and are relentless and very dedicated to achieving the same. Till his retirement, Ferguson always retained a cutthroat competitive edge, very similar to how Bachchan’s versatility and industry helped him sustain himself for a long time in the film fraternity.

Following his retirement too, the former Manchester United manager has been extremely active, and has dabbled in different activities like teaching a course at Harvard, which is again similar to Bachchan, who recently commentated his first Cricket match (India vs Pakistan at the World Cup).

Another similarity they share is that they both have not-so-successful sons (the truth does hurt sometimes)

#9 Wayne Rooney - Saif Ali Khan

Wayne Rooney and Saif Ali Khan have both shown that they are top level performers, with the only issue being that they don’t share the same consistency that makes them the best of the best in their respective fields.

Khan performs his best when part of multi-star casts, quite similar to Rooney, whose best years came when he was part of the Manchester United team that had Ronaldo. Another point of similarity, Rooney’s best season as a striker came in 2009-10, when he played as a striker, similar to Khan, whose best role was in Omkara, when he outshone everyone else.

#10 Jose Mourinho - Irrfan Khan

Jose Mourinho, or the Special One, as he likes to call himself, is probably the man with most charisma and personality in the football world. And he is no muck at his job either, going by the success he has achieved.

Similarly, Irrfan Khan is hands down the most versatile actor in Bollywood, having shown that he can perform a variety of roles very well. He is also known to have a great sense of humour, like Mourinho, and has witty replies always ready.

Khan has also shown with his performances that he can handle the pressure of a movie all on his own, however big the movie may be, very similar to how Mourinho operates, taking the pressure away from his players, and putting all the attention on himself.