World Cup Lookalikes

With news that an English mug manufacturer have somehow confused Chris Smalling with US President Barack Obama, we look at some other World Cup lookalikes that may have caused them further confusion. Comment below with any good ones that we’ve left out.

Niko Kovac & Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Croatia boss Niko Kovac enjoyed a successful acting career under the pseudonym Joseph Gordon-Levitt prior to taking over his national side’s fortunes at this year’s World Cup. His most notable role was in “Third Rock from the Sun”, which incidentally is where FIFA are planning to host the 2026 World Cup.

He also starred in (500) Days of Summer which may now be renamed (11) Days of Summer following the Croats’ early exit from the tournament.

Joe Hart & James Van Der Beek
Prior to his starring role in shampoo adverts, Joe Hart forged a sideline career starring in US teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” using the stage name James Van Der Beek. “Dawson’s Creek”, of course, was named after a recurrent neck injury to Hart’s former England team-mate Michael Dawson, inflicted from constantly looking over his shoulder as Hart plucked the ball out of his net.

Mesut Ozil & Jerry Sadowitz
Many believe that Mesut Ozil’s move to Arsenal last season was his first time living in Britain. Of course, the German midfielder spent a number of years on the UK alternative comedy scene as Jerry Sadowitz. Some of his earliest performances were as a magician but the magic deserted him during the second half of his debut season at the Gunners.

Karim Benzema & Shia LaBeouf
Onlookers were shocked last year when US actor Shia LaBeouf recited Eric Cantona’s infamous “Seagulls” quotation in a press conference. But LaBeouf is no stranger to the football world, regularly plying his trade in his spare time as a striker for Real Madrid and France.

His most famous role is arguably in “Transformers”, where he transformed from a lazy, over-rated striker into one of the leading contenders for this year’s Golden Boot.

Adam Lallana & Matt Cardle
Several former X-Factor winners have often faded back to obscurity, so it’s a credit to Matt Cardle that he’s been able to hang up his guitar and pull the strings instead in Southampton and England’s midfield using the moniker Adam Lallana. Cardle’s biggest hit was called “When We Collide”, a lament about a training ground bust-up with Dani Osvaldo.

Andrea Pirlo & Chuck Norris
We’ve all read Chuck Norris Facts but there’s plenty about his alter ego Andrea Pirlo too. “Andrea Pirlo forgot shaving foam even existed before winning a free-kick against England”. “Andrea Pirlo’s calendar goes straight from 31st March to 2nd April. Nobody can fool Andrea Pirlo”. “Andrea Pirlo doesn’t have a girl’s first name. They have his name”. Etc.

Iker Casillas & Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix is famous for his method acting, once filming a documentary about his quest to become a rap star. He went to even greater lengths this summer, playing in goals as Iker Casillas for a Spanish side that suffered fatal defeats in their opening two games against Holland and Chile.

He was once nominated for Best Actor Oscar for “Walk the Line”, which is what he should have been doing rather during this World Cup rather than keeping Pepe Reina or David de Gea out of the Spanish side.