To date there haven't been many GINGER ninjas that have graced the world sports stage and stayed up there. Usually the lime light burns their fare skin to a crisp and so they either retire, or dissapear off to the island where all passed-sell-by-date gingers go to......like the myth of the lost socks island!
However, some have applied sun tan lotion (factor 100) and have managed to ink their names down in the anals of sports! Below are the top 10 to date with others knocking on the door.
1.Shaun Pollock: With every ball bowled, Shaun Pollock's gingerness seemed to fade. Some say he sold his ginger features to the devil for universally successful cricketing ability. Arguably the best 'bowler that bats' of all time, a South African hero, and all round good guy. While Polly is a very a average commentator (the last signs that he truely is a ginger), his test career averages of 23.1 with the ball, and 32.3 with the bat will never be overshadowed. His place on the list cannot be debated - he made having a poster of a ginger on your wall cool in the 90's...I am sure very soon he will recieve the lifetime achievement award within the ginger community. "pollie you biscuit!"
2.Paul Scholes: The fiery midfielder loves goals, and winning trophies. Owner of 2 Champions League, 9 Premier League and 3 FA Cup winners medals, he is the definition of a one-club-man, having joined United, aged 14. His devotion is second to none and Sir Alex owes him a lot more than a cheap hug & a kiss. His hair, despite falling out, has not seemed to fade too much, probably due to the lack of sun in the UK or is it because he was one of the first ever gingers to go outside - otherwise known as a "day-walker". Either way he is godly within the ginger ranks.
3. Boris Bekker: The famed womaniser won Wimbledon at age 17, an Olympic Gold, 5 other Grand Slams and conceived his daughter in a vacuum cleaner cupboard, what's not to like? Well the sex in the cupboard thing makes sense, because you know what they say - 'the only time gingers get laid is in the dark!' Unfortunately his rage (one of the symptoms of being a ginger) did hang a huge question mark over his character however, he was a great tennis player and took big steps for Gingers within the tennis scene.
4. Neil Jenkins: Otherwise known as "Wingnut", N.Jenkins scored 1090 international points for Wales and the B&I Lions, and is the third highest point scorer of all time. During his club career for the then Celtic Warriors, he kicked a world record 44 consecutive penalties and conversions. Again, word down the grapevine is that he too had a meeting with the devil (who seems oddly fond of ginger hair) where he was offered a magical kicking boot in exchange for hellishly big ears & a hair line that recieded faster than Ussain Bolt on his best day. He was however a kingpin for Welsh rugby and for that effort he makes the list.
5. Freddie Ljungberg: the only synthetic red head on the list, the Swede was as impressive as a member of the Invincibles as he was in his CK tiny whities. He was a very solid performer on the football field for Arsenal, West Ham and Chicago Fire among others. However, he was scoulded and shunned by the ginger community for shaving his hair so short that you could almost see the skull. This feud reached climax in the infamous case of Ljungberg vs Gingers Against Gingers Annonymous 1999. The case was eventually thrown out, leaving Ljundberg out in the cold and all alone. Sad as this is the man (if you can call him that) was a good footballer and makes it onto the list.
6. Paul Collingwood: Otherwise known as England Cricket's "get out of jail free" card, this ginger ninja has dug the England cricket team out of many a sticky wicket. He has managed to break all boundaries and defy all the critics of his gingerness. He cracked his way into the England cricket team back in 2001. Also known as the 'Red Headed Jonty Rhodes' he stood out immedietly - probably because of his bright hair.The man was intitially put in the side as a batsman - who fields very well too, but later proved very useful as a medium paced bowler and has even kept wicket for England before - showing that Gingers are not just one trick showmen. There was a major buzz when he became one of the first gingers to break into the indian market - who before the IPL thought gingers were Abinos when he appeared for the Delhi Daredevils.
7. Martin Williams: This rugged Welsh opensider has been tagged by the Welsh public as the man who made being ginger "ok". He really was a HARD mother f'er who gave his all in every game whether it was against the Springboks or the Wales u11 barefoot touch rugby team. He slides very easily onto the list due to the fact that he was a fine rugby footballer - and because if I don't put him on the list I wouldn't be able to sleep, worrying he would hunt me down and kill me. Seriously, tell me he doesn't come accross as a bit of a psycho! I’ll bet no-one called him ginger-balls in the showers.
8. John Arne Semundseth Riise: What people loved about the Norwegian was that he had a ginger-balls-to-the-wall attitude! He was a cult hero on Merseyside owing to his cannon-like left boot that delivered 31 goals from a defender and several goal of the season nominations. Also known for his impressive ability with the 'long throw in' some believe he is one of the few Sky-Gingers left on earth that still posess super powers and for whom, the sky is the limit. I'm sure most Liverpool fans regret his move to Roma but his role in Italy has been a huge learning curve for the locals who have been recorded as saying "what?! there are people in the world who don't have dark hair??" His education in the boot-shaped county places him on the top 10 list as well a the Humanitarian Sports Ginger of the decade award.
9. Ronan O’Gara: While his international career seems to be over, thanks to Jonathan Sexton, he still won the Heineken Cup with Munster and the Grand Slam with Ireland, although he will probably be forever remebered as Jaque Fourie’s bitch and a turnstile in midfield. Some say he was the sole reason that Ireland fell to the wayside in the RWC 2007. An amputee might have got more kicks over than he did but he has shown patches of greatness. He is on the list due to his solid performaces for his national and club rugby teams. He has been a big advocates for the argument local wizards maintain that Gingers can't be killed unless you chop their head off - since just when you think his career is dead, he gets another call up!
10.Paul Tito: Undoubtedly the most orange of gingers, this journeyman Kiwi lock-forward, nicknamed “The Fish” was an influential member of the mercurial Hurricanes side of the 2000s. He now plays alongside his ginger brethren at Magner’s League side, the Cardiff Blues.He seems somewhat of an inigman being somewhat of a BEE placing in the NZ Maori team. He never quite reached All Black Greatness - because according to the likes of Richie McCaw "You don't need the colour orange to make Black"
Next Big Thing in Ginger Sport award:
Rusty Theron: The aptly named young allrounder from the South African Big Apple, is both the next big thing in ginger sports as well as South African cricket. His iconic look has led to a flurry of Port Elizabeth women swarming the local sperm bank - The Golden Curtain (The local titty bar) looking for Red Headed sperm.
Worthy Mentions: Steve Sidwell (Gave the Blue and White stripes of Reading, and now Chelsea, an Orange tint), Mornantau Hayward (The Orange flash that steamed in without showing signs of fatigue), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Tries to hide his gingerness by wearing WILD pants), Dave Kitson (a VERY fiery ginger who's run out for Middlesbrough, Reading and Stoke City) Seamus from WWE (undoubtadle the bravest ginger with a lisp alive. Not the smartest though - the pastiest man in the world enters the ring with some of the most tanned men in the universe)
*** reference note: Mathew 'Gomez' Menezes was in intrigal part of this list, his knowledge of gingers in world sport is second to none (except for me)...we generated this list together, however he was very influencial in the process...thank you Mat
