Nature can be unfair to many people, many are created with unique body features that may not be found in others. Should we then say that creation or life was not fair to those who are bald?
When we take nature beyond the normal life of every individual, in football, there are some players that are blessed with one form of uniqueness that will never be found in their counterparts. One of the unique things is Baldness.
When Zinedine Zidane signed for Real Madrid in 2001, he said he always felt embarrassed when fans begin to see him as an alien just because he was baldheaded. But had to adapt to the situation at the Madrid capital.
Cheapgoals will in this article, celebrate some bald-headed midfielders who have graced the football scene during their playing days and thrilled the world with their amazing talents.
Remember, not just some random footballers but brilliant and quintessential midfielders that the world may never see their kind again not only for their style of play but also their apparent dearth of hair on the head.
Freddie Ljunberg (Sweden)
Ljungberg is a midfield maestro who was part of Arsenal’s 2003/2004 squad that set the unbreakable record of winning the Premier League unbeaten.
The Swedish held onto the wing for several top clubs in Europe for two decades. (1994 – 2014). He’s a winner of FA CUP and Premier League Championships with Arsenal.
He represented his homeland 75 times and managed to find the back of the net 14 times.
Marcos Senna (Spain)
The Spanish veteran midfielder started from the streets of Brazil and transited to one of the world’s best midfielders in Spain. He became a Spanish citizen in 2006 and a few months after, he donned the colors of the La Furia Roja.
He gave the then Barca’s duo (Xavi and Iniesta) the freedom to explore and dominate opposing teams without having to worry about the threats that may come from the opposition
In 2008, Senna played a major role in Spain’s route to the success of the Euro Championships. In the quarter-finals of the competition, Senna scored the third of Spain’s four converted penalties, which resulted in the nation progressing to the semifinals at the expense of Italy, winning 4–2 in the shootout.
He played the full duration of the final – a 1–0 win over Germany – and was named in UEFA’s squad for the competition. Some pundits and journalists also named Senna as their player of the tournament.
He was mainly referred for his passing range and long-range shooting and was also a penalty specialist. He spent most of his professional career in Spain with Villarreal, appearing in 363 official matches during 11 seasons, ten of which were in La Liga (33 goals scored). He ended his career with the New York Cosmos, with whom he twice won the Soccer Bowl.
Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina)
Here’s another midfield orchestra who during his playing days was a master at what he does. Cambiasso played for a decade for Italian giant, Inter Milan and delivered wholesomely for Inter during Jose Mourinho‘s 2-year spell with the Nerazzurri in which the club did an unprecedented treble.
Cambiasso is a complete, versatile, consistent, and modern footballer, who possesses acute tactical intelligence, and who is capable of playing in midfield and defensive positions; although predominantly a central, box-to-box, or defensive midfielder, he has also been deployed as a playmaking sweeper on occasion.
A strong, left-footed player, he is gifted with stamina, good technique, passing range and vision, attributes which allow him to distribute the ball and create chances for teammates. In his prime, he was also a quick and hard-working player who was effective defensively, thanks to his strong tackling ability and reading of the game; after winning back possession, he was also capable of then initiating attacking plays or scoring goals himself, courtesy of his creative and offensive attributes.
Patrick Vieira (France)
An integral part of Arsenal’s best ever set of players between 1997 to 2006 under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger. He played for the North Londoners between 1996 and 2005 and can be said to be one of Arsenal’s best captains.
During his nine-year stint in the Premier League, Vieira established himself as a dominating box-to-box midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude that also helped him excel as captain of the club from 2002 until his departure in 2005.
He was named in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year for six consecutive years from 1999 to 2004. He helped Arsenal achieve a sustained period of success during his time at the club, where he lifted three FA Cups and three league titles, including one unbeaten. He then returned to Italy, playing for Juventus,
Vieira featured at the senior level for much of his international career, representing France over a period of 12 years, where he also spent some part as captain. He played in the final in his nation’s victorious campaign at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and featured heavily as the team also won Euro 2000.
Despite also playing a key role in the side that finished runners-up in the 2006 World Cup, Vieira was used sparingly by France in the latter stages of his career, and he retired from international football in 2010, after amassing 107 appearances for the side.
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Juan Sebastian Veron (Argentina)
As it was stated earlier, we’re considering amazing midfielders that are with the uniqueness of baldness, and another midfield dynamo is the Argentine playmaker and former captain, Veron.
Veron was a talented, complete, influential, and versatile midfielder, who usually functioned as a playmaker; he was capable of playing both as an attacking midfielder, and in the center, or even just in front of the line defensive line, as a deep-lying playmaker, due to his awareness, ability to read the game, tackle, and dictate the tempo of his team’s play or orchestrate his team’s attacking moves from deeper positions with his passing after winning back the ball, in addition to providing assists and creating goalscoring opportunities for teammates.
He could also get forward and score goals, and often functioned in a free role in midfield. A strong, athletic, tenacious, hardworking, and physical player, in his prime, he was gifted with pace, good footwork, and excellent technical ability, as well as outstanding vision, creativity, and passing range, also possessing a powerful shot from distance with either foot. He was also an accurate corner kick and set-piece taker, known for his powerful, bending free-kicks with his right foot.
Andres Iniesta (Spain)
Andres Iniesta is a brilliant midfielder on his own that Barcelona and Spain, in particular, would never forget his efforts. Iniesta is a genius at shattering the hopes of opponents when it matters most – The last-minute goal at Stamford Bridge in 2009 and another in Johannesburg in 2010 against the Oranges of the Netherlands.
He’s known for his sexy passes, scintillating dribbling skills that most times may humiliate whoever fall victim and his vision and movement with the ball – A diminutive midfielder with a diplomatic style of play.
Iniesta quickly pushes the ball from his right foot to his left which takes the ball away from an opponent, allowing him to get out of a tight situation. He’s also a playmaker who relies on his technique, exceptionally precise, creative, and intelligent passing, intuition, movement, and inventiveness to control the midfield, dictate the ebb and flow of play, and create chances or space for teammates.
Zinedine Zidane (France)
The best of them all. The current Real Madrid boss is a World Cup Winner, 3-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the year award, and 1-time winner of the Ballon D’or award.
The Secret of Zizou (as he’s fondly called) during his playing days was that he never looked troubled, flustered, or rushed while playing, whether it was a league game, champions league tie, or even the World Cup. He basically played the Zizou way – Little wonder he was showered with many accolades.
Also, the baldheaded midfield genius is blessed with incredible skills on the ball and has eyes to explore spaces in the opposition’s defense. You see, what made Zidane great was how he made players around him better. Zidane absorbed pressure and held on to the ball until a teammate was open.
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Zidane could also score big goals. Take, for example, the volley in the Champions League final when he played for Real Madrid. Perhaps one of the greatest goals ever scored in the Champions League.
What really underlies Zidane’s play is his confidence. Zidane plays like he is the best player on the pitch.
However, Zizou is temperamental just like every human can be. There’s a belief in some part of Africa that baldheaded people can disrupt so many things when they’re annoyed and this was showcased at the biggest stage in the world when France faced Italy at the World Cup final in 2006 where he headbutted Italian defender, Marco Materazzi because he (Materazzi) was said to have called Zizou’s mother a whore.
