Valencia's Bat and the Coolest Crests in Football
What do The Joker, Bane and La Liga side Valencia all have in common? They are all an enemy of Batman.
This week it emerged that Los Che are in a legal dispute with DC Comics, who feels the bat in the Spanish side's crest is too similar to that of the Dark Knight.
Valencia, however, have had a bat in their logo since their inception in 1919—more than 20 years before Batman first appeared.
The bat undoubtedly makes Valencia's crest one of the coolest in all of football, not least because of its litigious similarity to a caped crusader.
Here are 10 other weird, wonderful and brilliant club crests from around the world.
Persebaya
1 of 10
Persebaya Surabaya, who play in the Indonesian Super League, have a crest that features an angry crocodile being chased by an even angrier shark.
Who wins in that battle? Football, that's who.
Guangzhou Evergrande
2 of 10
Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande's logo features a wildcat rising from the flames behind a football.
What's more, Fabio Cannavaro's side also operate under the highly ambitious motto "Be the Best Forever."
Club Universidad Nacional
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Mexcian side Club Universidad Nacional have been known as Pumas since their legendary manager Roberto "Tapatio" Mendez used to compare many of his players to the big cats.
Not only did the nickname stick, but the front of their kit is taken up by a giant puma, which looks like it was designed by Iron Man.
Club crests don't come much cooler—or bigger—than this.
Yongin Citizen FC
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Exotic birds perched among colourful flowers may not be the most intimidating images to present to the opposition, which might be why South Korea's Yongin Citizen FC were disbanded in 2011. Regardless, they win points for originality.
Delhi Dynamos
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The Delhi Dynamos made their debut in the inaugural Indian Super League this year, boasting Alessandro Del Piero as their captain.
They also boast a fantastic crest, comprising a boot flying at Zlatan-esque force and speed, spelling out the club's name in its furious wake.
FC Santa Claus
6 of 10
Not only do FC Santa Claus have one of the coolest names in football, but just look at that crest!
The Finnish side play in the Lapland province and have therefore decided to trade on the reputation of Father Christmas.
Curiously, the Finnish Kakkonen league doesn't actually play through December, so rival fans are treated to the image of St Nick throughout the summer.
Blackburn Rovers (South Africa)
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With a tree growing from a book in front of a sunrise, the crest of South Africa's Blackburn Rovers screams of integrity, honour and coolness.
However, the tone is lowered somewhat by their grammatically troubling motto: "You Hit Me, We Hit You."
Orlando Pirates
8 of 10
Fans of the German side St Pauli like to wear a skull and crossbones, but they cannot compete with the Orlando Pirates, who feature the ominous pile of Buccaneer bones on their actual crest.
The Pirates' crest is made even cooler by the star that sits atop it, awarded for being the only South African side to have won the CAF Champions League.
Guediawaye FC
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Guediawaye FC ply their trade in the Senegalese Premier League, playing their home games in Dakar.
It's a safe bet to assume their Al Djigo stadium is a stone's throw from the coast of the Cape Verde Peninsula, judging by the beach and football-crab that sits on their crest.
Roma
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Roma's crest features their famous gold and maroon livery, with the former representing God in Roman Catholicism and the latter imperial dignity. It also features the objectively bizarre image of two human babies feeding from a wolf.
This curious image actually represents the mythical story of the founding of Rome, where infant boys Romulus and Remus were thrown into a river by their uncle and cared for by a wolf. Later, Romulus would kill his brother to become the King of a city named after him. Not cool, Romulus. Not cool.
