The Silver Surfer
Whilst watching Arsenal in the Champions League last night I noticed that FC Porto Midfielder Hulk is called Hulk. Yeah, I know. Wikipedia kindly explains;
Givanildo Vieira de Souza (born 25 July 1986 in Campina Grande), commonly known as Hulk, is an international Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Portuguese Liga champions, Porto.
As his nickname suggests, Hulk’s strength and stocky build are considered his foremost attributes, along with speed, acceleration, and a powerful shot. He received the nickname “Hulk” due to his resemblance to actor Lou Ferrigno, who played the comic book hero. In an interview to a newspaper, he further said that his favorite comic book character as a child was Hulk, hence the nickname given by his mother at a young age.
Now, this is all deeply concerning. I see the start of a hugely slippery slope. If you can just pick a nickname and slap it on the back of your shirt then where are we going to end up? It’s not like footballers are the most intellectual of individuals. We’re dealing with morons here and the possibilities are frightening.
Jimmy Carr once told me he had a friend whose nick-name was Shagger. Jimmy thought that was pretty cool but apparently she didn’t like it. It just goes to prove my point, namely that people cannot go round making up whatever names they want and slapping it on the back of their shirts. It’ll go the same way as silly boot colours have gone. Oneupmanship. We’ll end up with ‘Big Man’, ‘Smithy’, ‘The Chief’ and ‘Tripod’ all representing England. It just isn’t cricket. And knowing these dumb-asses it’s only a matter of time before someone puts ‘Kick Me’ on the back of their shirt.
CheekyOneTwo 