10 Footballers You Simply Have to Follow on Twitter

Footballers can be many things on Twitter, from hot-heads to goof-offs to corporate mouthpieces to failed pick-up artists.

This list has a little of all that.

These days, footballers, fans and journalists are using social media more than ever before. If you follow sports at all, it's a good idea to sign up for Twitter to stay connected with your favorite athletes.

Some are more entertaining than others, of course. That's why we've compiled this list of 10 footballers you need to follow on Twitter.

Since this is an English-language site, most of these players will either be English, or they'll play in England. That's just how it goes.

Ready? Let's get started.

Joey Barton

Club: Queens Park Rangers

Handle: @Joey7Barton

Any list of footballers on Twitter must begin with QPR's loose-cannon midfielder.

As unhinged as English midfielder Joey Barton can seem on the pitch, it's really nothing compared to his foul-mouthed, often nearly-nonsensical rants on Twitter.

This recent case illustrates the point nicely.

Bonus fun fact: Barton apparently enjoys tweeting from his Blackberry. Just imagine a red-faced Barton strolling through the streets of London while typing furiously on his miniature keyboard.

That's a priceless image, if you ask us.

Wayne Rooney

Club: Manchester United

Handle: @WayneRooney

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney is mostly well behaved on Twitter, but, thankfully, he often takes on fellow players and celebrities.

Like this:

"

@piersmorgan by the way i know how to spell arsenal. But arseanal sounds better.

— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) May 10, 2012"

All in all, Rooney shows he's not afraid to speak his mind on Twitter. And that's great news for his followers.

Ronaldo

Club: None (retired)

Handle: @ClaroRonaldo

No, not skinny, svelte, current superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. This is chubby, goofy, retired superstar Ronaldo—or, at least, the corporate account for mobile phone company Claro that bears Ronaldo's official seal.

So that's one strike against the account, and the second strike for English-language users is that all of Ronaldo's tweeting is done in Portuguese.

But by following him, you can see this background image all the time, and you'll gain that ironic hipster angle you've been going for in your timeline.

Samir Nasri

Club: Manchester City

Handle: @SamNasri19

Whether he's making ridiculous bets with Piers Morgan (him again?!) or needlessly infuriating Arsenal fans, Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri is almost always doing something hilarious on Twitter.

That includes posting tweets in garbled English, thanks again to that pesky Piers Morgan (can we get him on this list?):

"

@piersmorgan dont talk about loyalty a english who to the us for is own show and more money hahahaha u are funny

— Samir Nasri Official (@SamNasri19) April 8, 2012"

Darren Bent

Club: Aston Villa

Handle: @DarrenBent

Besides tweeting about sneakers and matches, Darren Bent is famous for a public feud he conducted with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy in 2009.

Bent, then a Tottenham player (and then using a different handle), revealed his desire to leave Spurs for Sunderland instead of Stoke—and did so with astonishing vulgarity.

"

Seriously getting p***** off now," was the message posted at lunchtime, followed by "Why can't anything be simple. It's so frustrating hanging round doing jack s***.

"Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around, Levy. Sunderland are not the problem in the slightest."

"

Bent, naturally, found himself in trouble.

Michael Owen

Club: Unattached

Handle: @themichaelowen

Former Liverpool and Manchester United forward Michael Owen goes beyond the normal level of Twitter activity displayed by most footballers.

Owen interacts with fans and fellow players and gives real insight into his life. His account is a good one to follow, and not for all the wrong reasons.

Emmanuel Frimpong

Club: Arsenal

Handle: @Frimpong26AFC

Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong is a hoot on Twitter (forgive the pun). Just follow him and you'll see.

Frimpong interacts with fans, gives out retweets liberally and writes hysterically funny stuff.

The world would be a better place if all footballers used their Twitter account the way Frimpong does.

Stuart Holden

Club: Bolton Wanderers

Handle: @stuholden

American midfielder Stuart Holden is a nice guy, and that shows on Twitter.

Like Michael Owen, he provides a kind of anti-Barton presence for footballers on Twitter.

Wojciech Szczesny

Club: Arsenal

Handle: @13Szczesny13

On January 22, Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny sent out a tweet announcing his intention to delete his Twitter account.

And yet, the account remains.

That means there's still the possibility for general hijinks and shenanigans like this.

Rio Ferdinand

Club: Manchester United

Handle: @rioferdy5

Unlike most big football stars, Rio Ferdinand maintains a genuinely personal presence on Twitter.

His account isn't cluttered with press releases and publicity offers. Instead, he gives opinions on sports, and not just football, and interacts with fans and fellow players.

Follow @MikeCummings37