Strawberry blonde, ginger, orange, carrot, red, straw, whatever you want to call it, this lot must have taken a lot of stick in their time. The fact is, they almost always answered it with a good performance! I salute you ginger footballers...and here are the Top 10!

John Arne Riise

Norwegian left back with one of the most powerful left foots the game has ever seen. Has his own compilation of amazing goals, mainly in the red of Liverpool. A huge fans favourite at Anfield and will be remembered for years to come. Was part of the 2005 Champions League winning side.

Matthias Sammer

Classy sweeper who was the eventual heir to Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer. Was at the peak of his powers in 1996 when he inspired the Germans to European Championships glory at our very own Wembley. It was a performance that won him the Ballon d’Or later that year. Sadly a career cut short as he was forced to retire at the age of 30 due to injury.

Paul Scholes

Still the man to make Manchester United tick despite his ripe age. Scholes was part of the ‘Golden Generation’ and his loyalty for United will see him retire as a god. Praised by almost every top European footballer he has played with not only for his ability, but also his professionalism. It’s just a shame he doesn’t talk a bit more.

Robert Prosinecki

Prosinecki is up there with Davor Suker as one of the best Croatian footballers of all time. He starred in three World Cups, reaching the quarter finals in 1990 and semis in 1998. Won the European Cup with Red Star Belgrade in 1991, and also played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Alexi Lalas

Iconic United States centre back, who lit up the 1994 World Cup in his own country with his extravagant long hair and bright bushy beard. Also became the first modern-era American to play in Serie A when he joined Padova in 1994. 1994 was definately his year!

Oliver Kahn

Brilliant German goalkeeper who was arguably the top shot-stopper in the world at the beginning of the century. Won eight Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, as well as a Champions League and UEFA Cup and was named top goal-keeper in the 2002 World Cup. Not bad going even if he is one of the most annoying footballers ever!

Dave Kitson

Maybe not a great player but had to be on this list for moaning about the ginger wigs worn by his own fans at Cambridge United and eventually dying his hair blond in an attempt to hide his ginger hair.

Steve Lomas

Hundreds of games for West Ham made him very popular around Upton Park. He even became captain at one point before being released to join QPR. Not quite Northern Ireland’s left foot wonder, but none the less a decent player who is remembered by the majority of football fans.

Alan Ball

Pint-sized midfielder who was one of the keys in the team of 66’. Being named man of the match in a World Cup Final is not a bad way to prove your worth. A popular figure among fans at both Arsenal and Everton.

Billy Bremner

Scottish hardman midfielder. Darren Fletcher? No, Billy Bremner. Made himself one of the key men of Leeds United’s successful team in the early 1970s. Also a top player for the Scottish national team. When was the last time you heard the words ‘top player’ and ‘Scottish national team’ in the same sentence. That deserves a place in this list!