Top Ten: Heavyweight Footballers
Harry Smith
Posted on: 21 July 2009 - 14:41
Football
Footballers are generally regarded as some of the fittest specimens around but at Sport.co.uk we want to find the players who dared to waddle on the gastronomic side and literally break the mould.
10. Dean Windass
At the ripe age of 40 Windass anchors the list of the heaviest men to grace a football pitch. Amassing over 200 league goals and scoring the winner for Hull in the play-offs in 2008 are among the highlights of his well-rounded career.
9. Adriano
This chubby funster formally spearheaded Inter Milan’s attack until he packed it in earlier this year. Reports have suggested he missed home cooking and so now plies his trade in bountiful Brazil.
8. Micky Quinn
A firm favourite of Sky Blue fans, the chant most often heard echoing around the ground was “He’s fat, he’s round, he scores in every ground, Micky Quinn, Micky Quinn”. Need I say more?
7. Andy Reid
Reid certainly does not fit the bill of a stereotypical winger, he is neither agile nor slight, but though his figure fails to fit the bill he is held in high esteem by some. However, his short-lived stint at Spurs would suggest that big boys are not ideally suited out wide.
6. Jan Molby
This Danish dumpling anchored the Liverpool midfield, in more ways than one, during the 80’s and 90’s. Liverpool fans found a place for him in their hearts and he always found a little space for seconds.
5. Neville Southall
The Toffee man-mountain posed a problem for any attacker trying to slide the ball past his massive frame. In the twilight of his career Southall’s physique was reminiscent of the Pillsbury Doughboy but his goalkeeping prowess far exceeded his weight.
4. Ferenc Puskas
His talent was never in any doubt as shown by the fact that Real Madrid signed him at the mature age of 31 even though he was a hefty 40lb overweight. It was a wonder he managed ninety minutes let alone scoring a mouth-watering 509 league goals in 523 appearances.
3. Neil Ruddock
Evidently, while at Swindon, Ruddock was deemed too glandular to play and the club promptly transfer-listed him. The fact the Razor lost his edge and could not fit into the team shorts was a sure sign that after many years of chasing, belly finally got him.
2. Ronaldo
The three-time World Player of the Year is a worldwide footballing icon and his fame is as widespread as his waistline. One of the only things that can overshadow his vast achievements is the man himself.
1. William Foulke
Pounding to the top of the list is Fatty Foulke, a player of titanic proportions. He weighed in at a gargantuan 24 stone in his prime at Chelsea. Suffice to say, if you are in any doubt as to who ate all the pies, the finger should probably point squarely at Fatty Foulke.