That’s not my name! 5 footballers not called what you think

With 24-hour news coverage, more televised games than your other half will permit you to watch and squads big enough for two teams each you’d think you’d know plenty about footballers.

So, imagine the surprise on viewers’ faces when England goalkeeper Joe Hart casually revealed that he is in fact not called Joe at all during a recent TV appearance.

Read on two reveal five footballers you might struggle to pick out from their school registers.

Charles Joseph Hart

Manchester City and England’s number one is actually called Charles Hart after being named after his father.

The story goes that he was Charles until he got to school, at which point his dad didn’t want any confusion so insisted he be called Joe.

Maybe it’s just us but that explanation seems to imply that the City stopper and his dad attended school at the same time! Might need to clarify that one Charlie boy!

Joseph Kevin Keegan

Former England manager and Liverpool Legend Kevin Keegan couldn’t have offered any ham-fisted explanations of his own about his name – as he didn’t even know until he went to school.

“When I went to school at the age of five, they were reading the register for the first time, when they came to Joseph Keegan – I never answered,” he once revealed.

“I went up to the teacher to say you did not call my name, I am Kevin Keegan. She said no, you are Joseph Kevin Keegan – I was five before I knew that my name was Joseph.”

Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell

Sol Campbell to you and me! Contrary to popular belief the Arsenal legend – and Spurs pariah – isn’t called Solomon!

We’ve checked our facts – well we haven’t seen his birth certificate but Wikipedia and IMDB are in agreement – and the big man is actually called Sulzeer!

Probably a good idea to have shortened his moniker – though we wouldn’t tell him to his face!

Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooy

Thankfully for Manchester United fans, who were fond of shouting this striker’s name from the stands, Rutgerus opted to use the name Ruud from an early age.

It wouldn’t hurt his case to have kept it when introducing himself to opposing defenders though, what with it sounding like a deadly Dutch striker version of Gladiator.

“I am Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooy, striker partner of Wayne Rooney and mentor to David Bellion and I shall score my goals in this half or the next!”

Charlie Oatway

The former Cardiff, Torquay and Brentford man might appear to have a standard name but a look at his passport tells another story.

Anthony Philip David Terry Frank Donald Stanley Gerry Gordon Stephen James Oatway was given his full name by his QPR-loving parents who decided to honour the Rs’ 1973 squad by bestowing their son with each of their names.

Funny how his chosen name Charlie is one of the only names he doesn’t actually have!

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