Skip to main content
Games Radar Newsarama Total Film Edge Retro Gamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The smarter take on movies
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

12 World Cup Movie Lookalikes

Features
By Total Film published 28 June 2010

Football stars and their Hollywood shadows

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Julio Cesar

Julio Cesar

The Character: The porky-but-loveable psychic copper from super-show Heroes, Matt Parkman.

What do they have in common?: Thought-stealer Parkman uses his superpowers to read the brains of enemies, just as Cesar reads the intentions of striker to stop goals from happening. Yeah, that’s pretty weak but they look exactly the same .

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso

The Character: Michael Bluth, the calm centre of the circus that is Arrested Development’s Bluth family. Film version is still on for 2011…

What do they have in common?: Excellent chins, very slightly ginger beards, and kind eyes.

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Elano

Elano

The Character: Dave Kleinfeld, Sean Penn’s sweaty, puff-permed lawyer to gangland boss Carlito Brigante.

What do they have in common?:
Bad hair and basically nothing else.

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
Robert Green

Robert Green

The Character: Pob – the raspberry-blowing ‘80s kids TV puppet. Admittedly not a big-screen star, but the resemblance is uncanny.

What do they have in common?: Just like England’s world cup plans after Green’s fateful blunder, things have a habit of unravelling around Pob (which only makes sense if you remember the title sequence in which a stray thread of wool from Pob’s jumper lures his celeb guest inside every week. No? Good).

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
Franck Ribry

Franck Ribry

The Character: Dropped-baby-turned-mashed-patty-of-muscle Sloth, from ‘80s kiddie epic The Goonies.

What do they have in common?:
Get ready to wince: both overcame childhood accidents (Ribéry’s scars come from a car crash suffered when he was two) to become heroes in later life. If eating a twinkie and screaming can be called heroic, and we say yes it can.

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch

The Character: Spindly-limbed boss of Christmas-jacker and boss of Halloween, Jack Skellington.

What do they have in common?: Both Jack and Crouchy defy their insectoid physiques to pull of some excellent dance moves.

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
Carlos Tevez

Carlos Tevez

The Character: The latest mean-ass Mexican portrayed by real-life hardman Danny Trejo: Machete Cortez.

What do they have in common?: Tevez angered Manchester United fans by crossing the city at the start of last season, and fans are likely to be similarly upset by the character Machete, who moves from the happy Spy Kids trilogy to this grizzly crime caper.

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney

The Character: Giant-headed, money-printing ogreberk, Shrek.

What do they have in common?:
Both star in fairytales gone horribly wrong, the only difference being that, unlike Rooney’s world cup, Shrek always gets a happy ending.

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas

The Character: The talent-absorbing supervillain Sylar, as played by Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto.

What do they have in common?: Cesc is an excellent all-rounder, and like the clock-mending abomination he really keeps things ticking over in the middle of the park. He reads the game like Sylar reads minds, and eats brains at half time. Probably.

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil

The Character: Peter Lorre’s trembling child-killer Hans Beckert in Fritz Lang’s classic thriller M.

What do they have in common?: Both are naturalised Germans (Ozil’s family, as bleating world cup commentators tell us repeated, are Turkish, while Lorre moved to Berlin from his native Hungary) and Ozil killed England’s world cup dreams just as dead as those little girls in M.

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
Fabio Capello

Fabio Capello

The Character: Grumpy flyaway pensioner Carl Frederickson from Pixar’s Up.

What do they have in common?: Enormous underbites, troublesome youthful companions (23 in Fabio’s case) and a deadening sense that all their plans will forever go unfulfilled.

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
Emile Heskey

Emile Heskey

The Character: Tony Todd, most famous for playing slasher antihero Candyman.

What do they have in common?: You mean aside from the same face? Both are hitmen of sorts, although the Candyman has a significant better strike record, and tends to finish the job when he’s one on one.

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
Total Film

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

Share by:
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Whatsapp
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Latest in Movies
Ghostface in Scream (2022)
Scream 7 unveils extremely nostalgic popcorn bucket ahead of the horror sequel
 
 
The President with a demon stood behind her in the Oval Office
Blumhouse developing adaptation of The Exorcism at 1600 Penn
 
 
Ian McKellen as Magneto in X-Men
Ian McKellen lets slip details on how much damage Magneto does in Avengers: Doomsday
 
 
Spider-Man 3
Sam Raimi would be open to making a Spider-Man sequel, after all
 
 
Monster man with multiple holes in his head grabbing at camera in Blood Covenant
Longlegs and Stranger Things stars' horror anthology movie gets creepy first trailer
 
 
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel reveals the title of final Fast and Furious film and a release date
 
 
Latest in Features
TR-49 screenshot showcasing the archive machine and some text as well as the dial to the side
I'm in my happy place: a dark basement digging through a computer archive that may or may not be alive
 
 
Phantom Blade Zero warrior with gold mask and glowing red eye
Phantom Blade Zero is my most-anticipated action RPG, and looks like the biggest Chinese game since Black Myth: Wukong
 
 
Big in 2026 - Star Wars Galactic Racer
The Outer Rim is your highway in Star Wars Galactic Racer, but it's more than Burnout in space
 
 
A Lego Pikachu leaps from a Poke Ball against a blue background, with a white badge reading "New Lego"
Best new Lego sets in February 2026, ranked
 
 
Pyramid head peering through bent bars in Return to Silent Hill
Return to Silent Hill is a disaster, and proof that Hollywood still hasn't figured out how to adapt horror video games
 
 
A screenshot of the Netflix logo against a black background.
Here are 3 new to Netflix movies you should watch this weekend (Jan 31-Feb 1)
 
 
  1. Veiled Fate box displaying the logo, a maze, and silhouettes heroes, sat on a wooden surface
    1
    This hidden role board game makes me feel like a puppet master, so Traitors fans should listen up
  2. 2
    Cairn review: "This climber has a grip on me – even when it loses its footing with awkward systems, the challenge remains surmountable"
  3. 3
    The Doom Arena Board Game is hell on Earth (in the best way) | Preview
  4. 4
    This award-winning board game is a five star must-have
  5. 5
    Code Vein 2 review: "This vampire take on Elden Ring almost works, but the dungeons themselves lack bite"
  1. Return to Silent Hill protagonist James Sunderland
    1
    Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
  2. 2
    28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
  3. 3
    Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
  4. 4
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  5. 5
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  1. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
    1
    Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
  2. 2
    Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
  3. 3
    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
  4. 4
    Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
  5. 5
    Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...