A ball in the jungle

Nobody knows how it got there, but once they found the loose ball in that distant jungle and brought it back to the football field, nothing was the same: the world of football had become a zoo where the most diverse species reigned unchecked through the stages of half the world. Came from land, sea and air, and each species different features available in the service of the game, reincarnated in the players who played professional football work, recognized by their names, but also by the name of the animal concerned. Like Noah's Ark it were, but not necessarily in pairs, let's meet the most famous animals that populate the world football.

And speaking of the jungle is a firm commitment to start talking about the king, the lion, and so are the Lions Athletic Club. Formerly governed by the original Lion King: Julen Guerrero. Today, the designs of the Bilbao club in the grip of the new king: Fernando Llorente. But not only are there lions in San Mamés: in the African jungle to find wild Indomitable Lions of Cameroon: Samuel Eto'o, with King. To the west of the black continent are the Lions of Teranga, Senegal.

But the jungle is a dangerous place to find all types of dangerous beasts, such as Julio Baptista, or beasts as Maxi Rodriguez. A little more concrete, the lion is not far from the only large feline of the jungle until recently, Henrik Larsson, leopard, his claws threatened to rival the goals. To find another large felid We must go to Asia: hence comes the tiger, named for their fierceness when facing the rival goal, Colombian striker of Atletico Madrid, Radamel Falcao. It is the only tiger in the world of football: and are known by the color of their jerseys, the players of Hull City English ( his jersey tiger eye of the nineties ).

And now let the cat: this way we find that a few decades ago was a real king of the jungle: the Portuguese Eusebio, the Black Panther. Today, the panther is represented in another great player who gives his last legs in Brazil , we talk about Clarence Seedorf. And pushing more in the film genre and found the former Sevilla player Kanoute: Pink Panther, also known as the Giraffe English as Crouch, best known, though, as asparagus. In addition we also have mountain lions panthers and former Madrid or Juventus, Emerson, or Nicolas Anelka, and a cheetah, former Colombian soccer player Asprilla, also known as Cheetah.

They are a danger to the weaker animals of the forest, and therefore must be very careful of Juventus Zebras or Negras of Angola levers (the levers are large antelopes own African country). But he was never able to catch one of the fastest in the bush: Finidi, the Gazelle. Quieter than the predators, as long as not to be disturbed, is the rhinoceros. If you get angry you know what happens rivals Rino Gattuso. The same could be said of the Elephants of Ivory Coast: who would want to test the Drobga ivory or Yaya Toure?

More to the air are the monkeys, though I draw the attention was always a constant or Germain Navarro Montoya Burgos: rare is them to go unnoticed. Reptiles are secretive until you get the knockout, well know the defenses that have tested the venom of the Cobra Ilie or Adebayor, the Serpent of Lomé.

In the forest we go to sea, from which also several species of the soccer fields. A few would like to get in the way Puyol Shark: neither Malaga nor anchovies Charlton Cod English, named after the former by the existing stock of anchovy in the waters malacitanas and the latter by a tradition that came to a Restaurant fish & chips at the end of each match: if he had won, the owner gave his best pieces of cod. Know if there octopus was served, but it does Mendizorroza had a few years ago an Argentine footballer who was one of the pillars of the great Alaves Mane: Astudillo, known as the Octopus for its ability to stop opposing offenses.

More dangerous than the octopus jellyfish, although Barthez, personally, always seemed a threat to his own team, as also for the little seal opposing defenses Farfan. More facts to cold, although the French capital does not stand out for their low temperatures, are the Penguins of Racing Paris, which can also live out of water like ducks, but they can also fly like trying to make the Argentine goalkeeper Abbondanzieri and Fillol when defending their goals. And if we speak of ducks, we can not forget the AC Milan striker or the man who is often team-mate, midfielder Goose, although in these two cases is not a nickname. And before finally leaving us out, we do not forget the elegance made ​​player: Marco Van Basten, the Swan of Utrecht.

Great care should have the rabbits not being hunted by t he air predators: eagles, which would either Saviola or Fonseca, the Uruguayan striker who made ​​fame and fortune in the nineties, if not surprised by the Eagles of Benfica or the Green Eagles or Super Eagles of Nigeria selection. They do not trust either the Foxes of Leicester as well known for the number of individuals in that English city. Less dangerous are the Hawks of Togo or the Canaries of Norwich, well known by the color of his shirt, like the Magpies of Newcastle or the Bumblebees of Watford. Care that rivals the latter bites, and the Ravens of San Lorenzo de Almagro, was also known as an Argentine footballer who went through our league: Gustavo Lopez.

Know if someone flew over the nest Ziganda, we do know is that the Cuckoo, Athletic Bilbao coach today, was more dangerous in the area of what his nickname suggests, although not as much as Butragueño, the Vulture, named his name. No one would trust players like Alvaro Vazquez or Verdú much as Espanyol be known as Parakeets comic strips because of the first half of last century related to the Catalan club and the popular series "Felix the Cat ' Call Barcelona 'Gat budgie'. Although it is also said that the palm trees surrounding Sarriá were populated by these birds.

Found south of Catalonia Valencia, where two teams carrying the bat in the city: Valencia and Levante. More endearing bats are owls, representing the Sheffield Wednesday and the selection of Finland, known as Huuhkajat, owls.

Smaller animals are often not the most striking and the most loved, to put it in some way, but also have their place in our ecosystem. In football, not least by far the largest player is known as one of the smallest: La Pulga Messi. Meanwhile, another big player as was the Argentine Claudio Lopez was known as the louse. Nor mice generally have the sympathy, though Ayala was considered one of the best center at the time, named Ruben Ayala, another Argentine player of the seventies but not any relationship bound them together. Spiders are also small, and the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball, Russia's Yashin, was known as the Black Spider in goal for his qualities and his dress, always dark. Something bigger is the tarantula is known as Dani Alves. Meanwhile, another famous goalkeeper Rene Higuita, was known as the Scorpion, star of immortal moment like this .

Bigger they are all the bears that name to the French club Ajaccio, as well as bulls, is known as newly promoted to Serie A, the Torino and the players Acuña and Heskey because of their physical strength. El Toro Acuña still playing at 40 years and, interestingly, does so in a Paraguayan club called Club Rubio Nu. Even the mythological figures have their place in football former goalkeeper Canizares was known by some as the Dragon after it called itself well Ranieri told a presan because of its ability to stop penalties.

And finally we will do with those animals closest to us: pets. The dog is represented in the former Dutch footballer Edgar Davids, who was known as Pitbull for their ferocity in the midfield. For its part to end Argentine Jonas Gutierrez is called by his lanky Greyhound and speed in the bands. As Jack was known to two emblematic of Spanish football goalkeeper of the eighties and nineties: the sportinguista racinguista Ablanedo and Ceballos, Pámanes Cat. Moreover, in recent times that Mourinho has made ​​famous dog and cat Higuain Benzema.

Also poultry such as chickens are represented, if any, in Argentine football: this is known striker Maxi Lopez, new player of Sampdoria, and the River Plate in a derogatory manner since 1966, lost in final Libertadores with a 4-2 Peñarol go after winning 0-2. Of course, the chicken was a matter of Boca Juniors. More proud holder in the France shield emblem of the rooster. Finally we mention the horses: in the nineties was a very popular Korean player Kim Joo-Sung, who was known as Crazy Horse Electric game for your opponent. No less known in Spanish football was Etxeberria, the Colt Elgoibar, or the Argentine Burrito Ortega, recently honored. And what about Ferrer and Sergi, the Barca side known as the Pony for his short stature.

It is sometimes said that the football world is a jungle, I would not say otherwise.