RODMAN
‘The Worm’ led the majority of his basketball career in the harsh glare of the spotlight, his zany antics giving tabloid editors continual big smiles outside of his ferocious defensive game for the likes of the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. Having done pretty much every outrageous thing ever known to mere mortals, Rodman revealed that he’d like to feel the wind through his hair in an entirely different way than normal for his bucket-list entry. The New Jersey boy said, ‘I want to skydive Manhattan on Fifth Avenue, butt naked.’
JAMIE CARRAGHER
Liverpool’s defensive rock for many years, Carra has gone on to grace the Sky pundit panel since his retirement. Never one to mince his words when pitted against former United rival Gary Neville, Carragher revealed an altogether bizarre wish. When asked on Twitter ‘Have you ever put a cow through a mincer?’ he replied, ‘Not yet, but it’s on the bucket list’!
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BORN: August 1986, Trelawny, Jamaica
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Six Olympic golds, eleven World golds and one Commonwealth gold
1) Bolt was sport mad growing up in Jamaica, alternating his time between athletics and football. He burst onto the international scene by winning the 200m at the 2002 World Juniors. It took him until 2007, though, to win his first senior medal with two World silvers.
2) The lanky Jamaican hit his sprinting stride fully by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning gold in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay. He repeated the feat in London four years later, racking up several more golds and world records at the World Championships in between.
3) Lightning Bolt found Chinese food ‘odd’ at the Beijing Olympics, so much so that he put his world record win down to a diet of McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets. The Great Britain sprint team is now dining exclusively at Chicken Cottage ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
4) The multiple world-record holder loves to party and one of his favourite haunts is the Oktoberfest in Munich. His favourite drink is an incredibly swift half.
DID YOU KNOW: Bolt pleaded with Villa fan Prince William to let son George grow up as a Manchester United supporter. He said, ‘It isn’t fair to put a child through that – especially not a prince.’ Based on some of Charles N’Zogbia’s crosses, baby George could do a job on the wing now.
Here’s Usain with William and Kate.
Prince William’s just saying, ‘Sorry about Grandad –
he’s from a different generation.’
© Getty Images/Wpa Pool
One of the birthrights of any self-respecting football fan is the freedom to dream up hilarious or often nonsensical chants that hammer or big up players, managers and teams. A match isn’t quite complete without a raucous group of fans bellowing out gems such as these:
‘There’s only one Emile Heskey, one Emile Heskey. He used to be sh**e, but now he’s all right, Walking in a Heskey wonderland.’
Sung to the tune of ‘Winter Wonderland’ by Birmingham City fans after Emile Heskey’s implausible return to form.
‘He’s here, he’s there, he wears no underwear, Lee Bowyer, Lee Bowyer.’
This was sung by Leeds United fans after the player admitted he sometimes went commando.
‘Don’t blame it on the Biscan, Don’t blame it on the Hamann, Don’t blame it on the Finnan, Blame it on Traore. He just can’t, he just can’t, he just can’t control his feet.’
Sung by Liverpool fans to the tune of ‘Blame it on the Boogie’ by The Jacksons, after Djimi ‘Wobbly Legs’ Traoré scored an own goal against Burnley in the FA Cup.
‘When you’re sat in row Z, and the ball hits your head, that’s Zamora, that’s Zamora.’
Sung to the tune of Dean Martin’s ‘That’s Amoré’, Fulham fans really knew how to show their appreciation for striker Bobby Zamora.
BORN: 24 November 1955, Oldfield, England
PLAYER: Somerset, Queensland, Worcestershire, Durham and England
1) Despite having an offer to play football for Crystal Palace, Botham had his sights set on a career with his beloved Somerset and made his début in 1974. He famously took an Andy Roberts bouncer in his mouth, spat out some teeth and carried on his maverick batting.
2) His Somerset years alongside West Indian pals Viv Richards and Joel Garner harvested five trophies, while he also found time to play football for Yeovil Town and Scunthorpe United. As for England, he demolished bowlers and batsmen alike from 1977 to 1992.
3) Botham has been a long-standing charity fundraiser. He rafted down the Rhône and crossed the Alps with a troop of elephants in his widely publicised 1988 Hannibal Walk. He also allegedly unfurled a trunk of his very own in a controversial Twitter image during 2014.
4) ‘Beefy’ and Aussie Ian Chappell have an infamous feud dating back 36 years. The pair once nearly came to blows in a car park after Chappell muttered an obscenity to his English nemesis. Botham apparently said, ‘Just ******* wait till I get him on my own in a lift.’
DID YOU KNOW: In 1985 a Hollywood director touted Botham as the next James Bond. They asked him to live in California for six months and hang out with the likes of Rod Stewart. Botham, however, didn’t want to miss an important three-dayer at Scarborough.
It was definitely sexier when Daniel Craig did it
© Rex features
The bright lights of Hollywood aren’t too far from the glare of the stadium spotlights. We take a look at a couple that dabbled in the acting game along with a few who have arguably forged bigger reputations on screen than they ever did in the arena.
VINNIE
JONES
Vinnie is one of the most successful sportsmen turned actors
