Strange Things Named After Footballers!

The renaming of Madeira’s airport to Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo was slightly overshadowed by the accompanying statue of the island’s favourite son, which bore little resemblance to the Real Madrid star.

Ronaldo’s not the first player to have an airport bearing his name but some footballers have had even stranger things named in their honour…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – A Burger

“What do they call a Big Mac in France?’, asked Samuel L. Jackson’s character Jules in Pulp Fiction. “Le Big Mac,” famously replied John Travolta’s Vincent.

So, what do the French call a 600g monster burger with onions, bacon and three types of cheese? Le Zlatan.

The burger was introduced by Doddy’s Cafe while the Swede was playing for Paris Saint-Germain and comes with a reassuringly expensive price tag of just under €30.

Jamie Vardy – A Beer

Despite admitting in his recent autobiography that his favoured tipple the night before a match last season was half a Lucozade bottle of port, Jamie Vardy’s had a light ale named after him.

Vardy’s Volley is dubbed as a ‘cheeky brew with a striking hop and record breaking malt finish’ and apparently goes down easily, particularly when Samir Nasri’s around.

If you’re feeling a bit peckish when you’re supping back pints, you could accompany them with a packet of Walker’s Vardy Salted – possibly so-called as they’ve had one good season. Although they’re probably past their sell-by-date by now.

Alan Shearer – A Road
Park Ji-Sung Road, Sir Alex Ferguson Way, Tim Cahill Expressway, err, Emmanuel Emenike Street. There’s been plenty of footballers with roads named in their honour.

In 2015, Alan Shearer has a street named after him in Blackburn, twenty years after he won the Premier League title with Rovers. We prefer the one in Oman though…

Alan Shearer had a street named after him in Blackburn today. Still prefer the one in Oman though, on the right. pic.twitter.com/FvqOgXQDQl

— BoyleSports (@BoyleSports) December 14, 2015

Arsene Wenger – An Asteroid

Discovered in 1998 by an Arsenal fan, the asteroid 33179 Arsènewenger has an orbital period of 1,541 days – or about three orbital periods since Arsenal last won a league title. It’s uncertain when the asteroid was formed as its discoverer ‘did not see the incident’ but it’s rumoured Wenger himself spotted it years beforehand when it was just small bits of rock and metal.

It’s between 3 and 9km in diameter but don’t fear – the odds of dying from an asteroid strike in any given year is 1 in 74,817,414, about the same as Arsenal getting past the first knockout stage of the Champions League. #WengerOuterSpace

Steven Gerrard – A Hotel

“Stop at Stevie G Hotel to discover the wonders of Bandung and experience our unique room’s design that you can’t find anywhere in Bandung.” So claims the Indonesian hotel’s website named after the recently-retired Liverpool legend.

While rooms boast complimentary toiletries, wifi and a minibar they’re surely missing a trick not offering Stevie G branded slippers. It’s a 3-star hotel and the website doesn’t mention any awards so maybe it hasn’t won any titles yet…