24 of the best, funniest and most awful adverts starring footballers

Quick Reads

Plenty of footballers have starred in adverts over the years – and some of them have been so bad they’re utterly brilliant.

The likes of Paul Pogba are sometimes criticised for the amount of work they do away from football, but it’s certainly not a new thing for the game’s best players to make a bit of extra pocket money promoting a brand.

And we’re all for it. After all, if the players don’t take themselves too seriously, then why should we? If it’s good enough for George Best and Bobby Moore, it’s good enough for us…

Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce, Chris Waddle

Miss a penalty, wear a paper bag over your head in an advert. It’s natural.

Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne

Nobody does self-deprecating humour like the British.

Michael Owen

Owen has starred in so many adverts we had to write a separate article just for them. This endorsement video has everything, from Owen giving an approving “yeah” to the revving of an engine, to him claiming he’s done business with the company in “the horsey world as well”.

He also mentions he owned a Range Rover 10 years ago about five times, which is very Partridge. Not to mention Owen’s love for other horsepower, in the form of the actual animal, of which he owns plenty.

Carlos Tevez

This was for Cartoon Network, if you were wondering.

Shinji Kagawa

Shinji Kagawa, a dolphin and a dog all in one advert. Japanese TV is great.

Luis Suarez

This is actually pretty funny!

Neymar, Robinho, Ganso

We’re not sure what dancing to Beyonce has to do with chicken, but who’s complaining?

Ian Wright

Talking of dancing…

Alan Shearer

A classic from the 90s…

Jimmy Bullard

If you’re going to do an advert, take the piss. We expected nothing less from football’s Archbishop of Banterbury.

Emmanuel Adebayor

The dance, the pout, the eyes…this is amazing.

Blackburn Rovers

An advert so ridiculous we wrote an entire article about it.

Manchester United

Those gulps are deeply irritating.

And again

Ryan Giggs’ acting is actually not bad, but Wayne Rooney’s? It’s one of the worst things we’ve ever seen.

Peter Crouch

Crouchy dancing to Yazz – does it get any better?

Bobby Moore

This is an advert for pubs. Just pubs in general. With the England captain advertising them. How times have changed!

Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan in a shower scene with Henry Cooper. For fu…

Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel, singing…sort of, and playing several instruments while wearing goalkeeper gloves. Whoever came up with this idea deserves a medal.

George Best

If you can understand every word Bestie says, you win.

Rene Higuita

Higuita in Full Kit Wanker mode.

Pat Jennings

That? Oh, that’s just one of the country’s best goalkeepers diving around dressed as an oil filter. Just a normal day.

Jason Scotland

More classic self-deprecating British humour.

Morten Gamst Pedersen, John Arne Riise, Erik Huseklepp

The dubbing on this is incredible.

Ben Brereton

Just wonderful to see a bloke from Stoke advertising Pepsi in Chile.

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Lists & Rankings