Top 15 football trolls of all time!

Football memes have become such a rage that most of us can’t spend a day without seeing, reading and enjoying them. While certain memes are genuinely funny and bring tears of laughter, some others- unfortunately- tend to become monotonous, stereotypical and target a single individual. The people listed here are all wonderful ambassadors of the game, and at times are “trolled” for the sake of trolling.

The following is a countdown of the most “trolled” people in the short, yet voluminous meme history:

15. Samir Nasri – “He loves the money. He loves the bench more.”

Samir Nasri’s entry into trolldom was assured the moment he left the Gunners for the Etihad midway through August last season. All forms of expletives have henceforth been used on the midfielder by the Londoners. He is definitely no crowd-favourite. But what made him a troll target was the fact that he was not Mancini’s favourite either. The fact that he was benched again, again and again was not left unnoticed by the meme artists. The rest as they say, is history.

14. Stewart Downing - “Still a better player than…..”

Liverpool‘s woes last year meant that their players and the great Kenny Dalglish, himself, were the butt of a lot of jokes. Stewart Downing, in particular, was easy fodder for the trollers due to his poor finishing. Downing simply failed to find the back of the net and was(and is) trolled relentlessly, though they seem unfair at times. The lines, “Still a better player than Downing..” is a Troll Hit.

13. Jose Bosingwa - “Stamford Bridge lies between my eyes”

Bosingwa is one player who is trolled due to no fault of his own. His eyebrows are what made him a troll scapegoat. With his eyebrows linked from the Angry Birds to the Stamford Bridge, he ceases to stay out of the troll league for more than a day or two. A wonderful player though.

12. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - “Who nose?”

A living legend who is trolled not for one, but many reasons. His rolling-stone attitude has resulted in Ibra being targeted by all factions including Ajax, Barca, Internazionale and most recently AC Milan. But the reason why the PSG talisman is in our list is for an altogether different, albeit funnier reason. His gigantic nose.

11. Sir Alex Ferguson - “Who stole my chewing gum?”

Sir Alex is the person whom even the trollers find indispensable. During times of apparent meme-material-famine, they can bank on Fergie’s chewing gums to make their viewers laugh. The much documented relationship between the Scotsman and the gums is a meme rage everywhere.

10. Andy Carroll - “Mr. 35 Million”

Among the biggest surprises in EPL history was Liverpool’s puchase of the former Magpie for an astronomical 35 million pounds last summer. And one has to say, given the great expectations, his move turned out to be a damp squib. However hard the burly forward tried, he simply found it impossible to score. Already a sensitive target because of the money for which he was bought, Carroll becoming a troll victim was as sure to happen as Bolt winning the Olympic gold.

9. Howard Webb - “We have an army. We have Webb!”

Maybe, it’s purely coincidental, but almost all of Howard Webb’s howlers have benefited Manchester United. Out of the 54 penalties that he has awarded in EPL, a remarkable ten have been for the Red Devils. His poor refereeing post-Christmas last season, especially in high profile matches where United played Arsenal and Liverpool, made him a victim of public ire. Also, a victim of Memes.

8. Robin Van Persie - “My name is Arsenal”

Till his much-publicised move to Old Trafford, Arsenal in the form of Van Persie was a constant troll pet. Referrals to Arsenal being a one-man army reached high, stratospheric, unfair and even irritating levels. A new trend has begun now, calling Van Persie, “Manchester United”. So much for the meme artists not staying fickle. A real meme hit at it’s prime. Van Persie alias Arsenal.

7. Sergio Ramos - “Aim for the moon”

Santiago Bernabeau. Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid. Champions League 2012 Semis. Penalty Shootout. Ramos walks up to take the shot. Keeps the ball in the spot. Runs to take the kick. Takes it. The rest is well, HILARIOUS: for everybody except the Madridistas. Maybe the only real mistake the wonderful Spaniard makes in the entire game. And trust the trollists to pounce upon any hapless player.

6. Mario Balotelli – “Why always me?”

From his absurd (read ridiculous) hairstyles, to his weird celebrations, to his famous tantrums, to his famous “tricycle ride” and most importantly, his “Best moment of Euro 2012“, Balotelli is the most versatile collection in the meme museum. What the trollists have got is a problem of plenty. “Which Balotelli antic do we choose today?” is their question. The Italian is Super Mario. Both on and off the field.

5. Arsene Wenger - “Sign him!!!!”

Arsene Wenger’s philosophy of blooding youngsters in the League struck a chord with the trollists. A chord that simply refuses to break. Whether it be Fabregas, Reyes, Walcott or more recently Ramsey, Wilshere and Chamberlain, Wenger’s “obsession” with teenagers has resulted in many a funny meme. A worthy member of the top 5 club.

4. Sergio Busquets - “Aaaaaand the Oscars go to……”

If there is any player who deserves all the flak that he got from around the world, including the meme community, it is Sergio Busquets. His shameful diving acts, one-after-the-other, were a disgrace to the game. Especially from such a skilled player. Not that other players are angels; but Busquets seems to be the leader among the “soccerheroes”.

3. John Terry - “Where’s your girl, buddy?”

Though an old story, the Terry – Wayne Bridge saga was reopened; and, what a goldmine it turned out to be. A rain of Terry memes kept, AND KEEP, pouring in, day-in, day-out. When we take into account the off-field lives of other stars like Rooney, Giggs and Van Persie, singling out the Blues’ skipper seems unfair. Nevertheless, John Terry is the out-and-out ladies’ man among the troll community.

2. Fernando Torres - “I play. I miss.”

An Andy Carroll story in a much larger scale. A much-loved player was Torres when he moved to the Bridge for a world record sum last year. This in itself meant hunters were waiting for one wrong move of his to pounce upon him. And his sudden capitulation from marvellous to mediocre meant he was finished. Torres would have been No. 1 on this list had it not been for the purple patch he seems to have struck now.

1. Emile Heskey - “The GOD”

Our winner must be among the most-loved players in the world right now. The indefatigable Englishman manages to make us laugh every single time he plays. His bloopers are royal stuff. A troll legend. A great player too. Lord Heskey. Thou shalt make us smile always.