Being a footballer must be incredible 99% of the time. You’re paid obscene amounts to play a game you love, adored by fans worldwide, and rarely have to worry about anything more stressful than a dodgy VAR decision.
But that other 1%? That’s reserved for the deeply awkward, often cringeworthy world of promotional photoshoots.
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After playing actual football, having your photo taken is probably the thing you end up doing most as a professional footballer. And sure, a lot of it is harmless – flash a smile, throw an arm around a wide-eyed fan, maybe hold up a new shirt or two.
But sometimes, just sometimes, your club ropes you into something truly bizarre. You’re suddenly standing in full kit on a construction site holding a shovel, or pretending to be deeply moved by a tin of beans. It’s part of the job – but no one said it had to make sense.
So, here it is. A glorious, occasionally baffling collection of 14 football promotional photos that range from the iconic to the “why did my agent let this happen?”
Get ready for confused expressions, questionable costumes, and enough second-hand embarrassment to last an entire season.
Mamadou Sakho
Michael Owen
Francesco Totti
England’s weird boyband
Jurgen Klopp
Alberto Moreno
Manchester United
Paolo Di Canio & Benito Carbone
Louis Saha
Mick McCarthy
Wayne Rooney
Ronaldo
David Beckham
