Football Clubs With Portraits on Their Badges and Other Football Knowledge Features
A recent feature by The Guardian surveys football clubs whose badges depict notable people, highlighting Pafos FC's Evagoras Pallikarides as a recent example.
The article lists numerous badges featuring portraits and historical figures, including Colo-Colo with a Mapuche chieftain; AFC Bournemouth with Dickie Dowsett; RSC Anderlecht portraying Guy of Anderlecht; AC ChievoVerona depicting Cangrande della Scala; Vitória de Guimarães with Afonso Henriques; Sevilla showcasing Ferdinand III alongside Saints Isidor and Leander; Sampdoria featuring Baciccia; Sheikh Russell KC bearing Sheikh Russell's image; Samsunspor with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; Nottingham Forest displaying a Robin Hood-era crest; Olympiakos portraying a laurel-crowned Olympic medalist; Kirkintilloch Rob Roy FC depicting Rob Roy MacGregor; Papá Aucas with a Huaorani portrait; and Columbus Crew's old crest showing three workers. Other clubs with such badges include PAS Lamia 1964 and Asteras Tripolis, featuring Diakos and Kolokotronis, as well as AEK Larnaca, Aris Thessaloniki, KF Teuta, AGF, KVC Westerlo, with SC Faetano noted as an honorable mention.
Readers particularly highlighted the crests of Kirkintilloch Rob Roy F.C. and SC Faetano as favorites.
The piece also touches on footballers appearing in non-football television documentaries such as Paul Breitner, Tommy Lawrence, Jack Charlton, Kieron Dyer, and David Icke.
Additionally, it discusses "Triple doubles"—threads collecting examples of players forming groups of three or more with notable name or scoring patterns. Examples include Manchester United's 1997 lineup featuring Neville, Neville, and Pallister; the 2006 Italy midfield comprising Zambrotta, Totti, Gattuso, and Perrotta; and Norway’s 11-1 World Cup qualifier victory over Moldova where Haaland, Ødegaard, and Aasgaard all scored.
The "Knowledge archive" section notes Real Madrid’s 2004-05 team, which played with multiple Ballon d’Or winners on the pitch (Owen, Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, with Cannavaro involved later in the season). It also references Milan sides of 1988-89, 1992-93, and 2008-09, which featured several Ballon d’Or winners.
The article concludes by inviting readers to submit questions for future Knowledge pieces and suggests ideas for a festive Christmas special.
