Ugliest Male Soccer Players in the World

Psychologists think that a person's physical look significantly affects their prospects and experiences in life, however the situation is complex than one may think.

The world famous football players are not just fantastic sportsmen; they are also celebrities and symbols of masculinity. Stars like

and David Beckham have always made football more popular around the world.

But it is worth mentioning that not all footballers have a chance to boast of an ideal appearance. However, it doesn’t prevent them from being successful players.

Who are

the ugliest players in world football

?

The following is the list of the ugliest male soccer players in the world.

It should be mentioned that lists of this kind are totally subjective and obviously there is no ranking.

Ronaldinho

, born 21 March 1980, commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer and ambassador for

.

He played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a forward or a winger. Often considered as one of the best players of his generation and regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time, Ronaldinho won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldinho was renowned for his technical skills and creativity; due to his agility, pace, and dribbling ability, as well as his use of tricks, overhead kicks, no-look passes, and accuracy of free-kicks.

Before joining Barcelona and helping them to two La Liga titles and a Champions League, some clubs turned down the chance to sign him because he was too ugly to join them.

After being ranked as the ugliest footballer in the world, Barcelona's Brazilian star proved beauty is skin deep when Bernabeu gave him a standing ovation.

made a grave error in 2003 when deciding not to snap up Ronaldinho from PSG because the Brazil superstar did not have film star looks!

The club decided to snap up David Beckham, who was elected as the world's sexiest man, from Manchester United after one of the club authorities said that there was no point in signing Ronaldinho because he was "so ugly that he'd sink you as a brand."

But Ronny single-handedly dismantled Madrid at the Bernabeu in 2005, earning a standing ovation from the Real Madrid fans. After scoring a beautiful goal, a few Madrid fans started to applaud Ronaldinho. Soon, a large number of supporters clapped the Brazilian star, something virtually unthinkable in an El Clasico

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derby.

It was partly to celebrate Ronaldinho's undoubted greatness, and partly to send a message to their president. Ugly or not, his football was beautiful and that was what Madrid's supporters craved.

“Few players have had this happiness; in a Clasico the fans of their biggest rival, their greatest rival, applaud you. Few have had this happiness,” Ronaldinho commented.

Some other famous players said that Ronaldinho was more than good enough to play for Madrid.

Ronaldinho said on his appearance, “I am ugly, but what I do have is charm.”

Sulley Muntari

Suleyman Ali "Sulley" Muntari, born 27 August 1984, is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder.

During his time with Internazionale, he helped the team win the Champions League in 2009–10 and the Serie A title in 2008–09 and 2009–10. He was also part of the Portsmouth team that won the FA Cup in 2007–08.

As a full international for Ghana since 2002, he has earned over 80 caps for the national team and has been selected for two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and three FIFA World Cups.

The Ghanian is considered to be among

the ugliest soccer players in the world

.

However, Ghana midfielder is known to have one of the prettiest and respected wives in the football world.

Former Italian Prime Minister and owner of AC Milan, Silvio Berlusconi had to 'beg' to meet her during the midfielder's period with the club.

According to Berlusconi, he had wanted to meet Muntari's wife, Menaye Donkor because everyone kept saying she was the prettiest of the wives of the club's players at that time.

The midfielder seems not to fall anywhere near handsome and football fans usually name him as one of the 20 ugliest footballers around.

Frank Ribery

, born 7 April 1983, is a French former professional footballer. He primarily played as a winger, preferably on the left side, and is known for his pace, skill, and precise passing.

Ribéry is described as a player who was fast, tricky, and an excellent dribbler, who has great control with the ball at his feet. Since joining Bayern, he was recognized as one of the best players of his generation.

The previous talisman of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane, once referred to Ribéry as the "jewel of French football."

He has had his fair share of controversy over the years reportedly having slept with an underage prostitute, however the cruelly named 'Scarface' suffered a terrible accident when he was just 2 years old and was the victim of insults at school.

Ribery suffered a serious head wound in a car accident. He was rushed to the hospital and required 100 stitches after the crash in his hometown of Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

Ribery wasn't wearing a seat belt, which sent him crashing through the vehicle's windshield.

Throughout his childhood people would stare and point at Ribery in the street, saying how 'ugly' the scars were.

"People would say: 'Look what he has on his face, look at his head. What is this scar? It's so ugly.' Wherever I went, people would look at me," Ribery told reporters.

"And not because I was a good person or because my name is Franck or was a good footballer, but because of the scar.”

The people who talk about you are the parents (of other children), and this is very cruel. I never went to a corner and cried, despite suffering."

Despite being ranked among

the ugliest players in world football

, Ribery believes that the event has made him stronger. In 2002, he married a Muslim woman and converted to Islam.

Ribery said in an interview that his wife Wahiba Belhami, who is of Algerian origin, was the main reason behind his conversion. He took the name Bilal after his conversion.

Carlos Tevez

, born 5 February 1984, is an Argentine former professional footballer.

As a quick, tenacious, powerful, hard-working, and dynamic forward in his prime, Tevez was capable of playing as a striker, a winger, a supporting forward, or as an attacking midfielder.

Tevez is among

the most unattractive-looking footballers ever

. People call this Argentinian the 'Apache'.

At only 10 months old, a jug of hot water fell on him, causing third-degree burns. Tevez refused to undergo cosmetic surgery to remove the scars.

Once a TV show called Tevez ‘ugly’ and he was said to be

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“furious” at the cartoon, which ridicules his life in England and dubs him “Ugly Little Carlos.”

Later, the star decided to take legal action against the program.

Ruy Bueno Neto

Ruy Bueno Neto, Ruy, born April 11, 1978, was a Brazilian footballer who last recently played for Alecrim FC Natal. He is famous in Brazil for his large head. This gave him the nickname "Ruy Cabecao", meaning Ruy big head. He has been on the list of

the ugliest football players in the world

.

The real name of this winger is called Neto, but everyone calls him 'Cabeçao' (which means 'headpiece in Portuguese).

Gervinho

Gervais Yao Kouassi, born 27 May 1987, better known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forward for Aris.

Aris player Gervinho has never been told he has a small forehead. Being bold at the top of his head and then having weird plats down to his neck.

He was voted the Ivory Coast’s ‘

ugliest’ football player

by his national teammates. The Arsenal flop also took home the worst haircut gong as a group including Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, and Salomon Kalou were quizzed about their compatriots.

Gervinho was on African Nations Cup duty with the Elephants and grabbed the winning goal in his country’s 2-1 win over Togo in their opening group game.

But despite his heroics, Drogba and Co still pointed to the winger when asked who had the worst hairstyle in the team.

The group also mockingly mooted Gervinho when the topic of best-looking team-member cropped up.

However, Gervinho can take comfort in being awarded the fastest player of the squad.

Hector Herrera

Héctor Miguel Herrera López, born 19 April 1990, is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Houston Dynamo and the Mexico national team.

Herrera began his career with Pachuca in 2010 and spent three years at the club before joining FC Porto. He struggled for playing time in his first season at the club, before gradually cementing his place in the starting eleven.

Football fans believe that the Atletico Madrid player looks quite disproportionate with his protruding ears, very small head, and prominent jawline. That’s why he has been ranked as one of

the ugliest soccer players ever

.

Ian Dowie

Iain Dowie, born 9 January 1965, is a football manager, sports pundit, and former Northern Ireland international footballer.

He played as a striker from 1983 until 2001, notably in the Premier League for Southampton, Crystal Palace, and West Ham United. He earned 59 caps for Northern Ireland, scoring 12 goals.

Former Crystal Palace, Southampton and West Ham striker Iain Dowie has been compared to Sleuth from the Goonies with regards to his appearance. A harsh comparison perhaps, but Dowie was certainly never one of the Premier League's pin-up stars.

As a striker, Dowie was never clinical, averaging around a goal every four games even including his time in non-league football. As a manager, he was promoted to the Premier League with Crystal Palace but has struggled everywhere else.

However, it should be pointed out that he has a master’s degree in engineering and was formerly employed by British Aerospace.

Michael Reiziger

Michael John Reiziger, born 3 May 1973, is a Dutch former professional footballer who played mainly as a right back, currently the assistant manager of AFC Ajax.

As a very talented defender, Michael Reiziger played almost 350 games, most notably for Ajax and Barcelona. Reiziger had great success with Ajax, Barca, and PSV, where he won league titles with all three and a Champions League with Ajax in 1995.

As well as his club achievements, Reiziger played 72 times for Holland, before retiring from internationals in 2004, three years before his full retirement.

Reiziger was a gifted player, but he had a very large mouth and large teeth, which didn't help his overall appearance.

Angel Di Maria

Ángel Fabián Di María, born 14 February 1988, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Juventus and the Argentina national team. He can play as either a winger or an attacking midfielder.

Carles Rexach, ex-footballer and manager of Spain, said a few years ago that Real Madrid had sold 'The Noodle' due to his weedy figure!

Di Maria was also officially declared

the ugliest player in the Premier League

, in a poll to over 250 women. Now at Juventus, the Argentine is making up for his looks with goals.

As a professional footballer, Di Maria gets a huge amount as salary and brand endorsement. As of now in 2023, his net worth is more than $24 million.

Di Maria has earned 129 caps for his country. In a country like Argentina, it is very hard to make a name in the ground. Di Maria stands among the best footballers in Argentina.

Hameur Bouazza

Hameur Bouazza, born 22 February 1985, is an Algerian former professional footballer who usually played as a left winger but could also play on the right.

Bouazza spent most of his football career in England, having also played in Turkey, France, Cyprus, Spain, Algeria and Tunisia.

The now-retired midfielder has a rather triangular head, a broad nose, and ears that according to many football fans could make him easily mistaken for the FA cup trophy!

Joleon Lescott

Joleon Patrick Lescott, born 16 August 1982, is an English former professional footballer. He played as a center back, though he occasionally played in various other positions across the defensive line, including left back.

The former West Brom player got a scar on the front of his head when he was involved in a car crash at 5 years old. He spent many months in intensive care in hospital and after many operations; he finally completed his dreams of becoming a footballer.

Felipe Caicedo

Felipe Salvador Caicedo Corozo, born 5 September 1988, is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Abha.

As a full international since 2005, he has represented Ecuador at the Copa América in 2007 and 2011, as well as at the 2014 World Cup. Caicedo is also Ecuador's fifth highest goalscorer of all-time with 23 goals.

Caicedo gained his popularity by being considered one of

the ugliest football players

in America. He was voted

the ugliest player

in the Copa America in 2011. The Ecuadorian, who plays for Abha, is considered ugly but charismatic.

Once a Peruvian journalist, Phillip Butters, made a series of horrible racial slurs about Caicedo.

Butters stated that the Ecuadorian national team “is not black, they’re crocodiles.” Suggesting that a DNA test of Caicedo would reveal him to be “not a human, but a monkey, a gorilla,” Butters then asserted that “if the [players] bite you, you’ll get Ebola.”

Caicedo showed maturity and resolve with his response. Instead of directly addressing Butters, the striker took a page out of Michelle Obama’s book (“When they go low, we go high”).

In a show of solidarity, the former President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa even tweeted his support for Caicedo.

Iván Campo

Iván Campo Ramos, born 21 February 1974, is a Spanish retired footballer. Originally a central defender, he featured in a defensive midfield role in his later years.

He played for Real Madrid and four other teams in his country and is also remembered for his spell in England with Bolton Wanderers. Campo represented Spain in the 1998 World Cup.

Campo has a very 'cavemanish' appearance and his frizzy hair doesn't really help. He was called

the ugliest footballer in the world

by many fans.

The former Real Madrid player had to receive psychological help because he became afraid to play in public after criticism from the Spanish press for his game.

Once a reporter said, “Campo looks like a footballer who has missed the last bus home, slept on a park bench, not washed and turned up at the Reebok to play for Bolton Wanderers.”

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