Wayne Rooney looks a bit chubby says Norway Defender

2014-09-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Wednesday evening England will face Norway in a friendly at Wembley which will mark Wayne Rooney’s debut as England’s captain. The headline going into this game should be that, but instead we are talking about Rooney’s weight.

Norway defender Vegard Forren said that Wayne Rooney “looks a bit chubby”. In other words he called Wayne Rooney fat. That is something most think but don’t adventure to say, for more reasons than one. I am not a nutritionist or a diet specialist, but his assessment of England’s captain is not completely off the mark, just not the most politically correct statement to make going into this game.

Forren made that comment towards Ronney during an interview with TV2.no, and I wonder if he realized what he said once he said it. We all know Rooney won’t be modeling CK underwear anytime soon, or even working as the spokesperson for Head & Shoulders, but to refer to your opponent in those terms is not the most classy or respective way to approach a friendly match. Does this guy have any filter in his brain? I wonder the kind of things he says when a mic is not in front of his mouth.

Regardless of how accurate the statement is, saying is not the nice thing to do. Nobody wants to hear it, even if they know is true. Rooney is not trying to win a fitness contest and he knows he could lose some pounds, but don’t go calling the guy “chubby”.

The aspect of this story is that if Rooney wasn’t motivated to score during this match he is now. Forren has just placed a huge target on his back and motivated one of England’s most dangerous players. Well done Forren, you just opened mouth and inserted foot.

10 Fat Footballers

2014-07-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

So, as if Newcastle United didn't have enough issues to deal with on and off the pitch, the club has now fined French winger Hatem Ben-Arfa for showing up after holidays looking a bit overweight. But being fat, while not at all the norm in football has been around for many years as the list below will prove.

Sol Campbell

A great footballer earlier in his career, Sol Campbell was never a small guy. But by the time he hit the pitch with Newcastle United in 2010 in what was his last year as a professional footballer, Campbell had gained a few pounds and had lost quite a bit of speed. He played for the Magpies just seven times that season before retiring from football.

Ailton

Aílton Gonçalves da Silva, a big boy with a big name. Ailton as he is known to most was pretty much always on the chubby side. But the Brazilian striker does not let his weight get the better of him, and at 40 years of age still plays professional for BFV Hassia Bingen, a club in the German 5th tier.

Andy Reid

Currently with Nottingham Forrest, this Irish midfielder unlike most others on this list startd gaining weight early in his career. Pictured below in a Sunderland shirt, Reid spent time with the Black Cats when he was just 26-29 years old.

Collin Samuel

This Trinidad & Tobago striker for whatever reason has spent most of his career in Scotland. He did spend a little time in Canada with Toronto FC at which time I personally heard the home crowd sing "who ate all the pies?" at the big man. After two seasons at TFC Samuel went back to Scotland.

Mido

The Egyptian trouble maker was more than just a coach's headache because of his poor attitude. Mido started gaining weight in a very early "footballing age". Whether because he was fat, or maybe just because his magnificent football skills had just seemed to turn-off one day, he retired from football in 2013 at just 30 years old.

Miguel Herrera

Herrera was the face of the 2014 World Cup for a little while after the Mexican coach's celebrations, face expressions and yelling videos went viral over the internet. Sure he is pretty fat right now, but he wasn't very skinny when he played in the Mexican league and internationally for his country as well.

Neville Southall

The Welsh goalkeeper wasn't always as big as the photo below would suggest. He was a big guy in his 17 years with Everton, but not fat. In his later footballing years however Southalll gained the pounds quick.

Ronaldo

Probably the most famous fat footballer is Brazilian legend Ronaldo. After surpassing the all time scoring record in the World Cup, Ronaldo gained what seemed to be a pound per minute. Maybe now that Miroslav Klose had passed Ronaldo's scoring tally, the Brazilian can go on a diet and come out of international retirement.

Salvador Cabanas

The Paraguayan footballer had his days on and off the weight throughout his career. Some years he looked quite skinny while on other occasions he seemed more likely to be a boxer than a striker in the Mexican league.

Winston Bogarde

Dutch international defender Bogarde was pretty much always on the bigger side. But at one point while playing for Ajax in his native Netherlands he really gained the pounds. He did seem to manage to shed the weight with his later clubs AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea.

FOOTY FAIR