Well William Shakespeare did say "What's in a name? That which we call a rose"Nicknames stick to people, and the most ridiculous are the most adhesive. ~Thomas C. Haliburton"
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Footballers have been named (by their parents at birth) and nicknamed by the fans and fellow players. The nickname comes from the player's name, from their style of play, from an anatomical attribute they possess thanks to genetics.
Arsenal fans are keen at nicknaming the players in Arsenal and other teams. Are the nicknames fair or sensible. Do the players live up to it? After all words have meaning and names have power.
Wojciech Tomasz Szczęsny is just called Wojo or Sirchesny. To be honest he was born in a country whose people give names only they can pronounce. This led to the derivatives and the short form of his name. The trained ballroom dancer and excellent javelin thrower oozes of confidence and thus does deserve the Sir at the beginning of his name. He does boss his area.
Per Mertesacker has become a favorite to many this season with his timely tackles and intelligent reading of the ball proving himself a vital member of the team. While at Hannover 96 the slender Mertesacker was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" (die Abwehrlatte) by German tabloids and gained a reputation for his good disciplinary record and went 31 Bundesliga games without being booked. He was 'Mr. Clean' of the Bundesliga. Over the course of his final two seasons at Bremen, the giant defender received just one yellow card in 63 league matches. Most people would expect that a central defender of Mertesacker's size would clumsily concede lots of fouls, but in fact, Mertesacker averaged less than one foul per game. His clean tackle reputation does continue even for the gunners. He has since earned the name "BFG" which means Big Fantastic German..... okay the F is not for fantastic but it might as well be.
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| Daddy long legs |
Thomas Vermaelen the current captain is best known as Verminator. This is an affectionate term that combines his name and that of terminator. This is because of his hard style of play and no-nonsense tackles. Verminator explained
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| Verminator |
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| Verminated |
Laurent Koscielny aka Bosscielny is an aggressive, uncompromising and ball-playing defender. He is an efficient tackler and scores some important goals for the team too. He may have had the worst start to the season but he is still an important player for the team. He is also fondly known as Kozzer- a short variation of his name.
Tomáš Rosický was nicknamed "The Little Mozart" and "The Mozart of Football" for his ability to orchestrate play on the pitch. He has great vision, great passes and an amazing first touch. He conducts the mid field, creating chances and scoring a few as well. He is a key player in the Gunners symphony.
Olivier Giroud was dubbed le buteur de charme (the charm striker) during his time in France due to his goal scoring abilities and great looks and personality. He may have scored only three goals so far for the team but I know he will live up to his name.
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| Charming |
Alexander Mark David "Alex" Oxlade-Chamberlain "the Ox".. So called as a short form of his name and also due to his obstinate nature when playing. Ox nearly chose rugby over football, he played rugby as a scrum half or full back.
Santiago "Santi" Cazorla González already known by his nickname "Santi". He is also commonly referred to as Saint. It is a play on the name Santi and also because he has been the savior for the team.
Lukas Josef Podolski aka Prinz Poldi as he was known by Koln fans due to FC Köln fans a spizname or nickname bestowed upon him by the Cologne press due to the title given to the head man of the Kölsch Prince Carnival. The name seems to have stuck at the Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta Amatriain the vice captain is some times referred to as the artist. He is so referred due to his ability to send killer passes, intercept opponent's passes and create chances from nothing. He plays an important pivotal role in Arsenal's midfield.
Theo James Walcott has been nick-named "Bolt" due to his speed. He is also known as "unlucky Theo" as he sometimes does not have much luck in front of goal. Where I come from he is known as "duthi duthi" which means motor bike. This reflects his speed and ability to get past defenders.
Aaron Ramsey aka Rambo....no he is not called Rambo because when he scores someone dies. That is not the reason. He is so called due to his fighting ability. He doesn't give up at all.
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| They do look alike too! |
Gervais Lombe Yao Kouassi aka Gervinho aka Forehead. Gervinho is a Brazilian form of the name Gervais probably so named due to his dribbling skills. Forehead is a name in reference to his forehead which seems big.
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| Now, is this forehead big? |
