Footballers and their Superhero equivalents

Superheroes and footballers - two groups of people that take up a lot of our thinking space. While superheroes are a shot at fantasy, footballers are more realistic and one has a better chance at being the latter than the former. But that doesn't change the fact that most of us would like some kind of a superpower and inflate our already bloated egos.The likes of Marvel and DC Comics have been around for years and people try to relate to the characters that appear in these comics. Footballers, in a way, are superheroes themselves. The talent they have coupled with the hard work that they have put in to reach the heights they find themselves at now is a superpower in itself.But what if footballers were superhero characters? Who would they be? Here's our attempt at listing some footballers with superhero character equivalents –

#1 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Quicksilver

Who will win the race – Aubameyang or Quicksilver?

We start off with the guy who has openly expressed his love for superhero characters multiple times during his goal celebrations.

When X-Men: Days of the Future Past hit the theatres last year, many came out of them with expressions that said a lot about the movie’s brilliance. The one scene that caught the attention of most fans was the one with Quicksilver.

While actor Ewan Peters was there for only a sequence, he stole the show with his mesmerizing performance as Quicksilver as the mutant with superhuman speed helped Professor X and Wolverine get Magneto out of the Pentagon jail.

And no-one fits the Quicksilver bill better than Aubameyang as he has the basic necessity: speed. The Gabonese international was clocked sprinting at 8.1 meters-per-second – covering 30 meters in a matter of just 3.7 seconds, quicker than Usain Bolt at the start of his world-record-inflicting 100 metres sprint.

It is of no debate, then, as to who should be Quicksilver – it is the speedster hailing from Gabon.

#2 Pepe - The Thing

A very tough human mutate with some vulnerability – The Thing is the superhero version of Pepe.

The Real Madrid man is infamous for his tough-tackling and rough approach to the game, so much so that he is still regarded by many as a serial offender despite being one of the most disciplined defenders in Europe last season. A look at his past reveals moments when he completely lost it and it is for this reason that he is not given any mercy by anyone.

And this is where the comparisons begin. The Thing has had his fair share of violence in his past in the comics. Pepe, like The Thing, is also rock solid and it is hard to break him, although, he can be vulnerable at times, again a trait that he shares with The Thing.

Another thing about The Thing is his durability. Pepe also shares this trait as he has been in the starting XI for Madrid ever since joining the club – something that is a great feat given the Blancos’ love for chopping and changing.

#3 Hulk - Hulk

Givanildo Vieira de Souza’s physique is so similar to the rampant superhero Hulk that his fans in Japan nicknamed him Hulk itself – a name by which he is better known.

The footballer Hulk has a lot of similarities with our Gamma-ray effected superhero. At first glance, their physical structure is quite similar – they are both huge. Then comes their facial construction and you realise that there are a lot of similarities there too.

Just like everything else, their personalities are quite similar too. Both Hulks are quite normal human beings when they aren’t angry – they are basically of no use from the superhero point of view. But when they are angry, which doesn’t happen very often, they dismantle everything that lies in their path – and, on a lot of occasions, it even ends up hurting their own team.

#4 Gareth Bale - Flash

Gareth Bale, just like Flash, in more ways than one

Need you be asking why? The Welshman might not have shown a great turn of pace last season, but he is still very quick and will be even quicker once he gets rid of some of the muscle mass he put on last season.

Bale’s pace makes him one of the most feared players in the world and it was that pace – coupled with his great finishing – that ripped Inter Milan apart some years ago.

The Flash is quick, fairly obvious that. After being struck by a bolt of lightning, Barry Allen became quicker than the wind. He might have had some problems while taking on Reverse Flash, but he ends up beating him anyway.

Gareth Bale, right now, is having problems facing the Bernabeu crowd, but given his performances with Wales, it won’t be long before he goes down the Flash road again – beating his opponents and getting back on the good side of the Real Madrid faithful.

#5 Luis Suarez - Sabretooth

Never a doubt here, Suarez is Sabretooth

Isn’t it obvious? The teeth are a massive giveaway. Sabretooth is a beast. He has superhuman reflexes and agility and is one of the deadliest mutants around. The Uruguayan, likewise, is one of the deadliest strikers in the world and can rip open defenses, and not just with his teeth.

In the comics, Sabretooth – also known as Victor Creed – has animal-like attributes. We do not need to further explain how this is similar to Luis Suarez, but we will. The former Liverpool star has bitten no less than 3 players in his career and has needed counseling to help him deal with his so-called “cannibalistic desires.”

Also, his injury record suggests that he, like Sabretooth, heals fast and doesn’t spend much time on the treatment table.

#6 Cesc Fabregas - Professor X

Cesc Fabregas in the first part of the season is Professor X

Professor X is a mastermind. He can read minds, control them, manipulate them and what not. Cesc Fabregas has a great brain, too. He can read the game quicker than most others and play the pass before anyone can possibly think of intercepting it.

Both these men also have a calm nature and can absolutely destroy everything in their path under conditions that suit them the best (Professor X with Cerebro and Cesc Fabregas at the tip of the centre circle in the first half of the season).

However, both of them have a serious limitation. While Professor X is handicapped and can’t walk, Cesc Fabregas also plays like someone who is severely restricted during the months of February to June. His legs seem to freeze in the crunch part of the season and it is for this reason that these two are similar.

#7 Lionel Messi - Superman

Lionel Messi is out of this world, just like Superman

The Kal-El of football. Someone who belongs to earth, but perhaps isn’t from around here. Lionel Messi has been labelled as an extraterrestrial many times during his career. The way he plays the game as if the ball is just an extension of his body, makes people think that he is indeed a superhuman.

And what better superhuman to be than Superman itself?

Hailing from Krypton, Clark Kent has powers like none else. He can do things that no-one else can and he has saved the earth multiple times from danger. Does that ring a bell?

Lionel Messi has done all that and more while playing for Barcelona. There is nothing that can stop them both when they are at their best. However, both of them also have their weaknesses.

While Kryptonite slows Superman down, the Argentine finds himself under similar discomfort against Chelsea – his Kryptonite, or when he is playing in the final of a major tournament for Argentina.

#8 Cristiano Ronaldo - Batman

Cristiano Ronaldo – the hero that football deserves but not the one it needs

He is the hero football deserves, but not the one it needs right now – that tag goes to Lionel Messi. But nonetheless, football would be so boring without him.

Imagine a world where Lionel Messi is the only one winning all the accolades. For many, that would be ideal, but then it actually wouldn’t make sense.

Like Bruce Wayne goes about himself in public, Cristiano Ronaldo sometimes makes rash comments to build an image that the public would hate. He sometimes doesn’t want the public to see his soft side and hence does things that even he might not be proud of.

And for that, he is disliked by many – just like how the Batman is.

Finally, he is more of an intelligent and hardworking footballer than a ridiculously talented one. Similarly, Batman has no superpowers, but his extraordinary intellect makes him better than even those who have superpowers.

#9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Iron Man

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is definitely the modern day Iron Man

Genius playboy billionaire philanthropist – this is how Tony Stark describes himself. On the other hand, Zlatan Ibrahimovic thinks of himself as some kind of a God – thus leading to some instant similarities between him and the tech genius.

Both are the best at what they do and both have an incredible amount of self-belief; so much so that it can often border on narcissism and arrogance.

Also, the Swede is known for his humanitarian endeavours as he has organized and taken part in numerous charity events and also helped the Swedish Football team for the intellectually disabled go to the World Football Championship in Brazil by donating $51000.

So, all in all, Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be Iron Man – and although the former Inter man is far from the party-loving enthusiast that Tony Stark is, the other resemblances are uncanny.

#10 (Bonus) Jose Mourinho - Magneto

The two characters who are the coolest of supervillains, and take pride in being that. Both these personalities share so many traits that Marvel comics should consider changing Magneto’s human name to Jose Mourinho from Eric Lehnsherr.

Whichever team the Portuguese manager has worked with, he has always given the impression that the world was against him and his team. Magneto, similarly, does the same as he believes in a world of only Mutants as they are upgraded version on Humans.

And this is where both hatch plans to eradicate their enemies – to rip them off from their roots and leave nothing behind.

Both these characters also have a genius-level intellect and their field of work wouldn’t be worth much without them. They also have exceptional oratory skills, something they use to great effect to motivate the ones under their stewardship.