The Most Flamboyant Players in World Football Right Now

Being flamboyant means to display colourful or elaborate behavior, but for some players flamboyancy isn't an intention, and for others it isn't shown through their footballing abilities.

The sublime and the ridiculous live very close together with some showing it through wondrous strikes on goal and others through ridiculous hairstyles and goal celebrations.

Fans like to be entertained, and here are the top 50 most flamboyant players in world football right now.

50. Joey Barton

Joey Barton doesn't go about his profession in a quiet manner and certainly likes to show his flamboyancy in the Twitter chat rooms.

49. Kaka

Kaka has curbed his flamboyancy over recent years, but he can still make the sublime look easy.

Kaka shows his flamboyancy through his football.

48. Pepe Reina

Pepe Reina might not strike you as a flamboyant player, but he's certainly a flamboyant person as you can see from this video.

47. Cuauhtémoc Blanco

Cuauhtémoc Blanco became famous when he tried his own move known as the Blanco trick in the 1998 World Cup.

The rest is history.

46. Referee

Okay, this isn't a soccer player, but this referee certainly deserves a place on any flamboyant countdown, doesn't he?

If you know this guy's name, please be sure to let me know.

45. Roberto Carlos

Taking stylish free-kicks is always a flamboyant method of goalscoring, and that's just how Roberto Carlos used to make his name.

The large-thighed Brazilian scored this one against France in 1997 and still takes the occasional one for current club Anzhi Makhachkala.

44. David James

Yes, David James is still playing football, and he is just as flamboyant as ever.

From changing hairstyles, art appreciation, Armani catwalk modelling, error-strewn performances and more, David James certainly hasn't led the life of a quiet footballer.

43. Dani Alves

Dani Alves marks the first of a two-slide, defender-come-winger section of flamboyant right backs.

The Barcelona player's football can be trickier than most midfielders.

42. Maicon

There's something about defenders who attack better than they defend that makes me uneasy.

Inter Milan fans love Maicon for his forward contributions, though, and why play as a right back when you can play as a winger at the same time?

41. Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez often runs round a football pitch as though he has a bee in his shorts, and it's that kind of play that Liverpool fans enjoy seeing.

Suarez undoubtedly has swagger.

40. Djibril Cisse

Just look at him, and he screams flamboyant.

That's Djibril Cisse.

39. Bryan Ruiz

Bryan Ruiz may not have set the Premier League alight this season, but when he scores, it's worth seeing again and again.

Ruiz doesn't do things the boring way.

38. Xherdan Shaqiri

Xherdan Shaqiri occasionally shows why Bayern Munich were so keen to acquire his services.

Fancy.

37. Rafael Van Der Vaart

Rafael Van Der Vaart is one of the top goal-scoring midfielders in world football today and often enjoys the limelight by smashing home goals from distance.

He makes the long-distance strike look easy.

36. David Silva

David Silva is one of those players who is flamboyant without being flashy, special without trying and dangerous without even having the ball.

Manchester City made an excellent signing when they purchased him.

35. Carlos Tevez

A measure of self-confidence is required to be flamboyant.

Carlos Tevez valued himself so much that he refused to warm up for a Champions League game and then fled to Argentina on what was essentially a golfing holiday.

34. Nicklas Bendtner

Nicklas Bendtner's flamboyancy comes in the form of his own self-confidence.

Bendtner once declared that he considers himself one of the best strikers in the world.

33. Cristiano Lucarelli

Nothing says flamboyancy like simulating sex with your football shirt.

Take a bow, Cristiano Lucarelli.

32. Yoann Gourcuff

The dude strips down to his underwear to celebrate scoring—skip to 50 seconds in if you don't believe me. That screams flamboyant...or exhibitionist depending on your point of view.

31. Tim Cahill

While Tim Cahill's goal celebration hasn't been seen much this season, at one point the corner flag boxing routine became pretty popular.

Making your celebration original is definitely flamboyant.

30. Bacary Sagna

Flamboyancy comes in many forms. Have you seen Sagna's hair?

29. Miroslav Klose

The guy celebrates goals by doing a forward flip. If that's not flamboyant, I don't know what is.

28. Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil is finally beginning to hit top form at Real Madrid.

Ozil is perhaps Germany's most flamboyant player.

27. Leandro Damiao

Leandro Damiao begins a Brazilian onslaught of flamboyant players. Pure talent.

26. Hulk

Apparently Hulk's release clause is £88 million. Is he worth it?

25. Lucas Moura

Lucas Moura may not hog the limelight in the way that Neymar does, but his skill and ability can certainly get you on the edge of your seat.

24. Alexandre Pato

Unsurprising to see another Brazilian in the flamboyancy rankings.

Alexandre Pato plays as a striker for AC Milan and the Brazilian national team.

23. Robinho

Robinho: part-time footballer, full-time entertainer.

22. Alexis Sanchez

You don't play on the wing for the most entertaining team in the world without being a top-class entertainer yourself.

Alexis Sanchez is just that.

21. Santi Cazorla

When you have the skill of Santi Cazorla, it's hard not to be flamboyant from time to time.

20. Xabi Alonso

Sometimes players save their flamboyancy for extra special moments.

An example of this would be Xabi Alonso's goal from his own half when he was at Liverpool.

19. Iker Muniain

Iker Muniain is set to become Spain's next big player. Flamboyancy comes as a standard.

18. David Beckham

When David Beckham does something special, you hear about it across the globe. Flamboyancy doesn't always end when the final whistle blows.

17. Arda Turan

Arda Turan is known for his neat passing and incisive forward play. He definitely likes to accentuate football's simplicities.

16. Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery hasn't been in as mesmerising form this season as he has in previous years, but the Frenchman certainly lights up the pitch when he turns it on.

15. Ever Banega

Ever thought you'd someone as flamboyant as Banega? See what I did there?

14. David Luiz

The thing about David Luiz is that sometimes he forgets that he's a defender and plays as though he's a forward.

Cue occasional brilliance and frequent defensive mishaps.

13. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan certainly rates himself, and it's with good reason.

The Swedish international is known to go missing during games, but when he does something, he makes sure everybody knows about it.

12. Joaquin

Joaquin's flamboyancy is certainly underrated in the modern age.

The Spanish footballer's skills are currently being put to use for Malaga CF.

11. Thierry Henry

He may be past his best, but Thierry Henry still possesses that va va voom that made him so flamboyant at Arsenal.

Henry recently proved that he could still do a job in the Premier League when he had a short loan spell at Arsenal.

10. Robin van Persie

It's not often you see Robin van Persie score a simple tap-in goal.

The Dutchman favours the spectacular finish, preferably via the left foot volley method as demonstrated above.

9. Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard is one of Europe's hottest properties right now as Lille are fending off interest from many an interested party.

Hazard has a minimum fee release clause of £33 million.

8. Juan Mata

Chelsea's Juan Mata goes about his flamboyancy in a very subtle way, but he definitely favours the difficult over the easy.

He has been a magnificent purchase for the Blues.

7. Nani

Nani has had an injury-hit season for Manchester United thus far, but when he plays he is a defender's nightmare.

Comfortable playing on either flank, Nani has stepped out of Cristiano Ronaldo's shadow and shown massive improvement.

6. Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli boosts his flamboyancy rating by being as outgoing off the field as he is on it.

Most footballers would probably have just headed this goal home.

5. Ricardo Quaresma

Tell Ricardo Quaresma that he's playing in a roaming attacking role, and you'd have one happy footballer.

Quaresma has more tricks than a children's magician.

4. Lionel Messi

Remember this is a flamboyancy list, not a best player list.

The thing with Messi is that because he makes everything look so simple, it seems less flamboyant.

World class has never been so apt.

3. Neymar

Neymar is up with there with the most flamboyant players on the planet, and that's part of the reason he's being talked about so much in the gossip pages at present.

2. Ronaldinho

He may have moved to Brazil to rekindle his career, but Ronaldinho remains one of the most flamboyant players who has ever lived.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has to be the most flamboyant player on the planet, largely because he'll try absolutely anything.

Usually it works too.