16 World Footballers and Their Geeky, Nerdy or Otherwise Surprising Interests

Although geekiness and athleticism are traditionally at odds in the high school locker room, if there's one thing we've learned at Bleacher Report, is that there's a whole lot of room for geekiness in the sporting world. Today's list looks at 15 of our favorite footballers with some tendencies or extracurricular activities that could be construed as a little bit geeky, nerdy or otherwise surprising.

Of course, there are many different kinds of 'geeky,' so today's list attempts to cover at least a good portion of them. We have tech geeks, gamer geeks, Star Wars geeks, chic geeks and more. If you have a favorite geek from the world of football who didn't make the list, tell us about it in the comments. 

(Image via Chelsea Magazine)

Rio Ferdinand: The 'There's an App for That' Geek

Michael Regan/Getty Images

The very tech and social media-savvy Manchester United centre-back has been working to get ahead in the smartphone and tablet app game.

His own smartphone app, available for the iPhone and the Android, was released earlier this year, and features Rio-related news and tweets, as well as self-shot videos of him and his teammates.

Last year, Ferdinand partnered with developers Kindmags to launch #5 Magazine, a free lifestyle magazine designed for use on smartphones and iPads. The newest issue features on-fire English rapper Example, a conversation between Ferdinand and R&B star Ne-Yo and an interview with surfing star Maya Gabeira.

Frank Lampard: The High IQ Geek

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The Chelsea star is known as much for his book-smarts as his intelligent playing for the Blues' midfield. 

Lampard excelled in school, earning 12 GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education, the United Kingdom secondary education credits), including top marks in Latin. Back in 2009, Lampard took an IQ test along with several other Blues and not only scored the highest of his teammates, but is believed to have scored more than 150, which would earn him 'genius' qualification and a possible place in the high-IQ society MENSA.

His teammate, John Terry, apparently placed third.

Wayne Bridge: The Star Wars Geek

The Manchester City left-back may prefer to spend his time not at Eastlands but in a galaxy far, far away.

Wayne Bridge's love of the Star Wars films is well-documented, as seen in the magazine cover above. Bridge's former girlfriend, Vanessa Perroncel, bought him an Imperial Stormtrooper costume. I wonder if he can get one in blue for the fans.

(Photo via Chelsea Magazine)

Marcus Hahnemann: The Heavy Metal Geek

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The American international and Everton keeper listens to heavy metal jams to get motivated.

He's taken his kids to see Metallica, counts Tool and Slipknot among his favorite bands and when Five Finger Death Punch played a gig in Wolverhampton, he presented them with a keeper kit with a Remembrance Day poppy, which the band wore during their performance of "No One Gets Left Behind." 

Hahnemann may only be eclipsed in terms of football-meets-metal badassery by Dario Dubois, a now-deceased Argentine footballer who used to wear KISS-style makeup on the pitch in honor of his love for black metal. 

Ryan Babel and Joe Cole: The Sports Gamer Geeks

Come over to TSG Hoffenheim winger Ryan Babel's house and he may welcome you by breaking out the console. 

Babel has posted YouTube videos of him and his teammates playing Pro Evolution Soccer—and in the days leading up to the World Cup, he live-streamed a two-hour best of five Pro Evo tournament between him and his Netherlands teammates, including Eljero Elia and Gio van Bronckhorst, with cameos from Nigel de Jong and Robin van Persie. 

OSC Lille winger Joe Cole is also a big fan of football video games, even being implicated in a Daily Star story about footballers being "addicted" to their PlayStations. But he does admit he's a big fan of going head-to-head with his teammates in the football and boxing games, especially when they want to unwind while on the road.

As he told Rivalspot:

“It’s a great social thing to do while you’re travelling and living in hotel rooms. Someone’s always got a Playstation or an Xbox.”

Lene Mykjåland: The Self-Proclaimed 'Soccer Nerd' Geek

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Sometimes, the thing players geek out on the most is the very game itself. The Norwegian international and Røa striker, who recently had a successful stint at the Washington Freedom, developed an obsession with the game from a young age. 

As she told Bleacher Report's Kat Galsim in an interview during her season with the Freedom:

"I was a soccer nerd when I was little. Really big soccer nerd. It was like, 24/7, all the things that was in my head was soccer. I was so mad when the guys didn't want to play anymore. I didn't get it because it was so fun!"

You've got to admire that level of enthusiasm. 

Sócrates: Dr. McGeeky

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The now-retired Corinthians star and Brazilian international may be one of the few players in world football history who could save your life. 

A late-comer into the illustrious world of Brazilian football, Sócrates didn't make his first appearance for the international team until he was 25. Why the wait? He was finishing medical school. 

One of the few footballers in history to become a registered MD while beginning his professional career, Sócrates' nickname, 'The Doctor,' doesn't just come from his clinical skills on the pitch. 

Daniel Agger: The Body Modification Geek

Plenty of footballers are tatted up these days, but few can claim to have spent time on the other side of the tattoo gun. 

Liverpool defender and body-art enthusiast Daniel Agger not only sports some serious ink all over his body (most notably the Viking graveyard design on his back, featuring the words Mors certa hora incerta, or 'Death is certain, but the hour is uncertain'), but he's qualified as a tattoo artist himself. Back in 2009, when his Reds were looking like potential candidates to win the Premiership, he offered to give the entire squad tattoos with a special championship design. 

Vinnie Jones: The Aspiring Comic Book Hero Geek

The colorful former member of Wimbledon's "Crazy Gang" has made the move from football to acting, appearing in Snatch; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Gone in 60 Seconds, among others.

But perhaps Jones' ambitions are a little more costumed hero-esque. He appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand as the Juggernaut, even incorporating an ad-lib line made popular by a viral YouTube video, and incorporating memes is pretty geeky in and of itself.

And it looks like Jones will be taking his forays into superhero-dom further, as he and Howard Chaykin collaborate on NOBLE, a comic book series about an international super-spy called Jake Noble fighting crime with his long-lost daughters. A TV pilot is also reportedly in the works, with Jones playing Noble. 

Iain Dowie and Shaka Hislop: The Final Frontier Geeks

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Aspiring footballers are often told to "reach for the stars," but it looks like there's a couple who truly have.

Former Reading and West Ham star Neil Shaka Hislop began his soccer career at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering and graduated with honors. During his undergraduate career, he interned at NASA.

Not to be outdone, former English football star Iain Dowie, best known for stints at Southampton and West Ham United, received a Master's degree in engineering from the University of Southampton and, while playing at Cheshunt, was employed by British Aerospace. 

Stuart Ripley: The Legal-Eagle Geek

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Former Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers star Stuart Ripley, who was part of the team that saw the Rovers win the Premiership in the 1994-95 season, found another profession and passion to totally geek out on after retiring from football in 2002.

In 2010, he became a qualified legal solicitor.

As the former winger told Legal Week: 

“It wasn’t a conscious decision to become a lawyer. I went back to university after retiring from football in order to do a modern languages degree, but due to family commitments I was unable to spend enough time abroad and switched to study law. After completing my degree I went on to law school and after that I was fortunate enough to land a training contract with Brabners, a law firm with a fantastic sport department where my background in football was an asset.”

Ripley added that he hopes he can find a way to merge his footballing experiences with his love of and experience with the law. 

Former Lanerossi Vincenza star Sergio Campana also began practicing law after his footballing career ended, and York City's Ben Purkiss went from footballing, to law, and then back to football again. 

Ryan Giggs: The Downward Dog Geek

Fitness geeks are a rare and passionate bunch, and few are quite as up to preaching the gospel as yoga geeks.

Manchester United star Ryan Giggs can be counted among them. Giggs, now in his third decade at Old Trafford and an outspoken yoga enthusiast since he took it up upon turning 30, released a yoga DVD, Giggs Fitness: Power & Strength Through Yoga, back in January. 

And if his performance against Benfica last month is any indication, looks like the yoga is working. 

Andrei Arshavin: The Chic Geek

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Maybe after he retires, he can stay in football with a career re-designing the kits. In addition to football and his family, there's another big 'f' among Andrei Arshavin's passions: fashion. 

The Arsenal attacking midfielder and Russian international has a degree in fashion design, a path he reportedly chose to take because "there were lots of girls among the students." He wrote his thesis for university on the process of producing sports apparel and he has his own clothing line—the dresses are quite popular in his home country. 

Theo Walcott: The Harry Potter Geek

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Alright, so Theo Walcott may not be a Potterhead himself, but he's one of the few footballing names most Harry Potter fans know. 

That's because we almost got to see the Arsenal winger's athletic skills not only on the football pitch, but on the Quidditch pitch. Walcott was supposed to appear in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and although he was unable due to scheduling conflicts, members of his family still appeared in the film. 

This hasn't been Walcott's only connection to a certain boy wizard and his movie franchise. His long-term girlfriend, Melanie Slade, landed a cameo role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and WAGs at their sides, he and Chelsea star John Terry made some magic on the red carpet when they both attended the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. 

So maybe, he's at least a Potterhead by default. Or just a supportive boyfriend. Whatever.