Footballers and their Hollywood actor equivalents

Football and movies are two of the best source of entertainment there is. The sheer emotional ride a person goes through while watching a movie and a football game is almost similar. In both football and films, there is a lot of pre-game/pre-release anticipation and hype. For both, there is a plot, there are twists and turns and then there is a climax that defines the whole arrangement.We have our set of favourite footballers and actors. And since there are so many things in common between football and movies, we try to list down the Footballers and their Hollywood actor equivalent.Disclaimer: The views expressedhere are those of the author and do no reflect those of the website.

#1 The Underrated

We start off with the underrated. There are some people who are great at what they do, but don’t get the recognition that they deserve. And it is no different in this aspect either. There are some players who are the crux influences of their respective teams, but they don’t get the limelight which they should.

Similarly, some actors are superb and act so well that that role subtly defines the whole movie, but the recognition for it isn’t justified.

Karim Benzema

The Frenchman is the best playmaking striker in the world. His presence in the system gives Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo the freedom to attack the goal. His selfless playing style makes him the pivot of Real Madrid’s attack.

Cristiano Ronaldo does the bulk of scoring for the Whites and he takes the limelight for that – rightfully so – but it is the former Lyon man’s creativity in playmaking that benefits the Portuguese the most; so much that the France number 10 is the player to have played the most assists to the Portugal captain.

If a discussion of the top 10 players in the world is going on, a lot of names will be mentioned, but Karim Benzema will, sadly, make it only to a few people’s list.

Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy is one of the best actors in the industry. Highly versatile and ever-consistent, he never disappoints irrespective of what role he is playing. After some unreal performances in the Bronson, Inception, Warrior and Lawless, he finally got a big role Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises – where he played the (sort of) main antagonist Bane.

His brutal performance behind the mask earned him a lot of plaudits and he garnered more fame for that role. However, he still doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Anyone who has seen him in Lawless, Warrior and Bronson would know what an amazing actor he is and that he deserves lead roles in big movies.

#2 The Overrated

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney was touted to be the next big thing in Football when he hit the big stage with Everton at merely 16 years of age. Then Manchester United made sure they got hold of the prestigious prodigy before anyone else and he has been there ever since.

He, however, hasn’t lived up to the potential he promised.

For many, Wayne Rooney is one of the best players in the world. On his day, he certainly is. But his ‘days’, however, don’t come frequently. Nowadays, he plies his trade at central midfield and is far from convincing despite some bright spots every now and then.

After the over-head kick goal against City, there were claims in the British press that he is one of the top 5 players in the world. Time, however, has revealed those claims as irrelevant and pre-meditated. The former Everton striker is now 29 years and may never fulfill the promise he showed – falsifying the predictions of many.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt has had his glorious moments, just like his Footballing counterpart. His roles in Se7en, Fight Club and Inglorious Basterds show that he can act – but only if the role suits him. His extremely good looks make him a better actor in many people’s eyes than he actually is.

Movies such as Troy, Meet Joe Black and Seven Years In Tibet – where he doesn’t deliver the required intrinsic emotional range – reveal his limitations as an actor. Yet, especially among ladies, he is considered as one of the best actors in the industries, despite being nowhere near the level of the likes of Di Caprio, Tom Hanks, Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert de Niro and so on…

#3 The One who faded after a bright start

Antonio Cassano

It was a cold night in December. Bari were struggling and were playing against one of the best and star-studded teams in the world at that time, Internazionale – otherwise known as Inter. The scores were locked at 1-1. For the relegation battlers Bari, 3 points were an absolute must. Suddenly, a long ball found its way to a 17-year-old youth academy product on the left-hand side. He overruns it but then brings it under control with an absolute moment of unbelievable magic.

As the ball was landing behind him; the kid used his heel to chip the ball over his shoulder to get it in front of him. He then blazed into the box as two Inter defenders were closing him down; one of them was the World Cup winning defender Laurent Blanc. The teenager, however, making them look like Sunday Pub League defenders, cut inside and then blasted the ball into the goal, giving the Biancorossi 3 absolutely crucial points.

That kid was Antonio Cassano – the best player of the last decade to not live up to his natural talent.

Currently a free agent, his career didn’t sky rocket the way it was supposed to. Lot of things were expected when he left Roma for his big move to Madrid, but all he gave in return was added fat and pleasure to women. Since then he has played for a host of Clubs including Milan and Inter, but apart from some moments of magic, he could never really revive his career with the talent he possessed.

Haley Joel Osment

Many people consider him to be the person to give the best ever performance as a child artist for his role in The Sixth Sense – and this writer is of the same opinion. The expression changes, the emotional varieties, the perfect changes of body language according to the scene – you name it, he killed it with his performance in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller.

His performance in Pay It Forward and Artificial Intelligence further testifies his tremendous talent. If one was new to Hollywood movies and started his/her journey watching the aforementioned movies, that person would think that Haley Joel Osment has, by now, become one of the best actors.

But the truth would shatter their expectations.

These days, he is more busy giving voices to gaming characters. He has done, and is doing, some movies – but they are nowhere near the level that wowed so many movie-goers around the world.

#4 Best future award winners

Paul Pogba

Talk about who is the best under-21 players in the world and most will instantly reply Paul Pogba. The Manchester United academy graduate left the Club when he realised that Sir Alex Ferguson rated right-back Rafael da Silva more as a central midfielder than him.

Since then, if there is a question of who is regretting now, it is definitely Manchester United.

The Juventus star is definitely the best – and also the most complete – player of his age group. He can pass, defend, score, head, run, is quick, very tenacious and whatnot – he is a complete package and is destined to win the Ballon d’Or after the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi era ends.

According to his agent and manager, he is worth 100 million Euros. Looking at the way the market operates these days, one can’t label their claims as ridiculous. It’s being reported that Real Madrid are frontrunners to acquire his services. Only time will tell where he ends up, but one thing is certain: he is destined for greatness.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

33 can be considered as young when it comes to acting. Joseph Gordon Levitt is 33 years old and has already established himself as one of the best actors in the industry. After inspirational performances in (500) Days Of Summer, 50/50, Looper and Nolan’s epic Sci-Fi, Inception, he has stamped his authority as a future Oscar-winning star.

There are a very few actors who immerse into their character like he does. No matter what the role is, Lewitt’s versatility and sheer talent, coupled with diligence and professionalism, makes him execute it with utter brilliance.

Before his career as a movie star ends, he is surely going to add at least one Oscar to his cabinet if he carries on this way.

#5 Most hated

John Terry

There were three candidates for this infamous category: Luis Suarez, Ashley Cole and John Terry. After some thoughts and a Twitter poll, it is Terry that wins the race.

The Chelsea captain is notorious for both on-and-off field antics, so much that this writer is confused where to begin. Respecting the timeline, in 2010, a news broke out about an affair with John Terry and team-mate Wayne Bridge’s wife.

Then came the very infamous racist remarks at Anton Ferdinand. Things got sour between him and England team-mate Rio Ferdinand and perhaps the rest of the world. To top this off, John Terry did the most outrageously ridiculous and awkward act when he wore a full kit and ran on the pitch to celebrate Chelsea’s Europa League glory.

What’s wrong with that, you might ask. He was suspended from that game. That is what was wrong.

Shia Lebouf

This was an easy choice. Wearing a paper bag with the words “I Am Not Famous Anymore” printed on it at the premiere of Nymphomaniac, storming out of a press conference after saying “when the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea,” plagiarising, apologizing for plagiarising by plagiarising again, picking up a fight in a bar, saying that if he could, he would “marry my mom”….

The list goes on and on. His cocky, trash-talking-attention-seeking attitude has made him the most disliked Hollywood actor among many people. This hate actually overshadows his acting ability – he is a good actor, but so controversial that it’s his antics that are talked about more than his acting – just like a certain Blue.

#6 Best to not win the biggest individual honour

Andres Iniesta

The Barcelona wizard was the most essential cog in midfield, along with Spanish compatriot Xavi, for both Spain and Barcelona during their best years. Barcelona and Spain were conquering Club and International Football, respectively, from 2008 to 2012 and Andres Iniesta was the heart of both the teams.

In any other era, Andres Iniesta would have won the Ballon d’Or more than once at least, but he is plying his trade at a time dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. In Football, the value of goals is more than anything else and these 2 aforementioned players bang them in as easily as walking in a park – taking away all the plaudits and the awards.

It is unlikely that he will ever win the most prestigious individual award in the game, given the continued assault of both the Argentine and the Portuguese coupled with his decline as a player in recent times. But that would just cement the fact that he is the best player of his generation to not win the Ballon d’Or.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Almost every one of you would have guessed this. Right from one of his very first movies till his very last to date – he deserved an Oscar for both of them and got denied both the time.

He started his career as a child artist in This Boy’s Life, but his breakthrough performance came in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape where he played Johnny Depp’s younger brother. He got nominated for the Oscar for his role in that movie, but, as usual, couldn’t win it.

That set the trend; since then he has been nominated for the most coveted award in the film industry 5 times, but could never win it. Either for the lack of luck or poor judging or because of some other actor putting in the performance of his career, the Oscar has eluded the person that deserves it the most for a long time now.

Leo might go on to win the award eventually – given the quality he possesses, he surely should – but right now, he remains as the most deserving actor to not lay his hands on the Oscar.

#7 Most versatile

Juan Guillermo Cuadrado

The Colombian is not only one of the most exciting and electrifying players around, but perhaps the most versatile one as well. He can play at right-back and wing; central, defensive and attacking midfield, left-back and wing and also as a forward.

And it’s not like he can play just for the sake of it, he is actually good in each of those positions and does an admirable job whenever played. It is this versatility that has made Jose Mourinho splash so much money on him – he is a manager’s delight, and the Portuguese will be delighted to have him at his disposal.

Johnny Depp

This was a no-brainer. In Depp’s long and illustrious Hollywood career, he has played so many diverse roles that he can be called the Hollywood chameleon.

From a witty dishonest pirate to a lovely and caring brother, from a man with scissor hands to a psychotic director, from a chocolate-maker to a chocolate eater, from a pot-smoker to pot-dealer, from a psychic detective to an emo-wolverine.. he has done it all. And, most of the time, with guile.

Give him any role; he will make it his own. His charming and enchanting personality just submerges with the character and gives the audiences a performance to remember for a long time.

#8 The Best

Cristiano Ronaldo

The current Ballon d’Or holder is in the form of his life – something that has seen him become the best player in the world. Once under the shadow of Lionel Messi, the former Manchester United winger grew out of it with his own brilliant rays after a couple of even more extraordinary last two seasons with Real Madrid.

The former Sporting star’s form helped Real Madrid win the much coveted La Decima; and also two back-to-back Ballon d’Or trophies for himself too – making it three in total. The Portugal captain is in the form of his life and has 38 league goals and assists combined so far this season – 7 more than the nearest competitor, Lionel Messi.

This choice might be argued by many fans, but given his current form, he is the best.

Tom Hanks

The charm of box-office, Tom Hanks is the only actor ever to win two back-to-back Oscars and is one of the best actors to hit the silver screen. He has acted in movies of all genres – romance, drama, war, crime, thriller, sports, biography and so on – and has given memorable performances in each and every one of them.

The ease with which he acts, the natural feel, the way he gets absorbed in his plot character – it is divine. There are a very few people in the world who could hold back the tears when he, playing Forrest Gump in the movie of the same name, was talking for the last time to a sleeping Jenny.

His emotional range is beyond words and his ability to improvise is even better. Tom Hanks remains the face of Hollywood and will continue to do so given his transcendental qualities as an actor.

#9 Bonus: The Competitor

This is the slide dedicated for the competitor – the one who gives the best the closest and toughest competition and could indeed take over as the best anytime in the future.

Lionel Messi

After losing out on Ballon d’Or twice to Cristiano, it is safe to say that Lionel Messi is the second best player in the planet right now. Despite that, he continues to remain one of the most influential and brutally efficient players to ever grace the pitch. He is the only player to have won 4 Ballon d’Ors – and he won them back-to-back.

He has won it all on personal and Club level. His only disappointment would be the international level, but that doesn’t overshadow is luminous career. Even though he is not at his best, he is still ahead of [most of] the rest and by the time he hangs up his boots, he might go down as the greatest player – at least on Club level – to play the game.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Another terrific actor, Day is the only actor ever to win three Oscars for performances in a leading role. He is the best among method actors – actors who live in their roles even when not shooting. For his role in The Last of the Mohicans, he lived in the wild for 6 months surviving only on necessities. He refused to leave the wheelchair between scenes while portraying a paralytic in My Left Foot.

While shooting for Gangs of New York, he got diagnosed with pneumonia, but still refused to wear a modern warmer coat as it was unavailable in the nineteenth century – the time period which the film portrays.

There are numerous more examples of him living his role. The sheer dedication and passion and love for what he does shows his personality. He is also very careful when choosing which films to do – only a grand total of five movies since 1998 is a testament to that.

And when he does take up a role, he makes sure that he gives his absolute best.

#10 Double Bonus! Best Director/Manager

Carlo Ancelotti

Among the current crop of managers, the Italian stands out. He has won the Champions League with both Milan and Real Madrid. As a player and a manager, he has won the accolade five times – three times as a manager and twice as a player.

When Real Madrid hired him as their manager in the summer of 2013, the tenth Champions League was the biggest and foremost of objectives placed on his shoulders. And he delivered. In his first season itself, he won a double and four trophies in total in 2014.

Before joining the Whites, he won League titles in France (with PSG), England (with Chelsea) and, goes without saying Italy (with Milan).

There are a very few managers in the world that can adapt the system according to the strengths of the players at disposal. Carlo Ancelotti is one – and probably the best – of them. The way he tweaked Real Madrid’s system to get the best out of the players shows this quality of his.

Christopher Nolan

Nolan is a sheer genius. Whenever a Christopher Nolan movie is announced to be released, it creates a lot of hype and expectation. And he never fails to deliver.

His versatility as a director and, like Ancelotti, the ability to adapt makes him the best. Be it a dark and gritty super-hero comic-movie or a science-fiction or a thriller – he knows how to direct them all with sheer class and intensity.

His brother, Jonathan, is the mind behind his directorial works – he is the one who writes the script. And the one who puts soul to that work is Christopher Nolan. Not even a single Nolan movie could be dubbed as a failure – such is his prowess.

So here is our list. Do you agree? If not, use the comment section to share your views!