10 Footballers with Names Fit for Christmas

Christmas is approaching fast, and you know what that means.

It's time to make a list of footballers with Christmas-appropriate names, of course.

In this list, we've got it all. We've got a Christmas Carroll. We've got a few Noels. We've even got a couple Angels, a Santa and a Jesus.

Sounds like a festive bunch.

Jesús Navas

Christmas is, of course, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

So, then, what better way to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ than to watch a match that includes Jesus Navas?

That's pronounced "Hey-SOOSE" for all you non-Spanish-speaking people out there. It's actually a pretty common name in Latin America.

Jesus Navas plays for Sevilla in Spain's La Liga. He probably gets great Christmas presents every year.

Juan Pablo Angel

In the Christian New Testament, the Book of Luke tells us that the angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus to some shepherds who were tending their flocks in Bethlehem.

After hearing from some more angels, the shepherds decided to seek out Jesus.

In August 2011, the LA Galaxy announced Juan Pablo Angel would be moving across town to Chivas USA.

Chivas, as you might know, is Spanish for goats. In addition to sheep, shepherds sometimes watch over goats.

Angel Di Maria

Angel di Maria, an Argentine who plays midfield for Real Madrid, has perhaps the ultimate Christmas name among footballers.

We already covered the part about angels.

And as everyone knows, Mary was the virgin mother of Jesus.

Roque Santa Cruz

Roque Santa Cruz is a Uruguayan footballer currently on loan from Manchester City at Real Betis.

Santa Claus is a jolly, red-clad mythical figure that developed from pagan folklore through a historical person named Saint Nicholas into a symbol for Christmas gift-giving.

Roque is gonna have to gain some weight if he wants to take up the Santa Claus thing after retirement.

The Noels

Noel is a French word for Christmas that derives from the Latin natalis, or birth.

It's also a somewhat popular name in French- and English-speaking countries.

Three footballers with the name are Reading's Noel Hunt (pictured), Omonia Nicosia's Zimbabwean midfielder Noel Kaseke and retired Englishman Noel Whelan.

The Rudolphs

Rudolph is a red-nosed reindeer who uses his glowing nose to guide Santa's magical sleigh as they deliver gifts to well-behaved children on Christmas Eve.

(If you don't celebrate Christmas, all of this must seem so strange.)

Matthias Rudolph (pictured) is a German footballer who plays for SV Babelsberg 03.

And Gergely Rudolf is a Hungarian footballer who's on loan from Genoa to Panathinaikos.

Andy Carroll

Christmas carols are songs about Christmas. Around Christmastime, you might see people going from door to door singing them to spread Christmas cheer.

Another way to spread Christmas cheer is to serve some eggnog at a party, especially if it has some extra ingredients in it.

Andy Carroll is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool. When you watch him play, you sometimes get the idea that he's had a bit too much eggnog.