Published on 01/07/2021 at 14:02 by Johanna Garner
This is why these football players wear their first names on their shirts
1/ 12
Sokratis Papastathopoulos: We’ve got to admit, Sokratis is doing everyone a favour by choosing his first name. Also who knows – maybe they’re charged by the letter?
2/ 12
Memphis Depay: Having been abandoned by his father at a young age, he prefers to be called by his first name.
3/ 12
Alexis Sánchez: In a country where the last name Sanchez may be the English equivalent of Smith, he may have chosen to go by Alexis to set himself apart.
4/ 12
Enzo Zidane: Deciding to instead take his first name on his jersey, it helped in the beginning of his career in dealing with the pressure that comes with wearing the name Zidane.
5/ 12
Jordi Cruyff: Imagine the amount of pressure that comes with being the son of the legendary Johan Cruyff. We can understand the reasoning behind this one.
6/ 12
Clinton N'Jie: We’re going to go ahead and guess this was a strategic play to get himself a little more press during the election cycle. Well played Clinton.
7/ 12
Raul Gonzalez Blanco: Like many Spanish players, Raul decided to make things easier by going by his first name. We appreciate it, Mr. Gonzalez Blanco.
8/ 12
James Rodríguez: The name ‘James’ is surely less common than ‘Rodríguez’ in Colombia, so we can assume it’s much easier to differentiate him from other players.
9/ 12
Kevin-Prince Boateng: If we had the option of being addressed by Prince, we would take it in a heartbeat.
10/ 12
Sergio Busquets: As is the case with Raul and other many other Spanish players, Sergio chooses to go by his first name.
11/ 12
Lalaïna Nomenjanahary: Take a look at the two names and decide for yourself which one would be easier for commentators to say in the heat of the moment.
12/ 12
Dele Alli: Abandoned by his father before his birth, he was placed in a foster home at the age of 13. He opted to take his first name to distance himself from a name he feels no connection to.
