Top 10 football smugshots

Check out the whole list of football smugshots here

It's that time of year when us journos sit down to take stock of the past 12 months. Modestly, we have basked in the healthy glow of success that our football smugshots have brought us, with literally hundreds of you sending in pics - not all flattering - of yourselves with your favourite stars.

So here is a list of our top ten smugshots of 2008, or put another way, the football stars who like having their picture taken the most.

Dominated largely by the big three (sorry Arsenal), it seems that Chelsea have the least camera-shy - or most egotistical - employees, boasting two players and a chairman in the top five, and with former boss Jose Mourinho and captain John Terry just outside the top ten.

With places nine and ten we had several smuggers on the same score, including highly respected members of the football fraternity such as Steven Gerarrd, Sir Alex Ferguson and 'Arry Redknapp, plus Steve McClaren. But we've decided instead to include two of the sport's biggest stars, Pele and ... er ... Chris Kamara.

Diego Maradona would have made this list but he was disqualified for handball because we were unsure that all pics of him really were the disgraced drug cheat much lauded Argentina manager.

10. Chris Kamara

"Call the police, there's a murder going on Jeff!" Here's a picture of Sky Sports' least excitable presenter having it large with England fans in Sapporo after their win over Argentina.

9. Pele

While the (fake) Diegos languish in the sin-bin, the world's other favourite footballer scrapes into the top ten with this brilliant pic of him upsetting a young Matt McTamaney by not signing his baseball bat. Still, nothing 30 years of therapy couldn't sort out, eh Matt?

8. David Beckham

Golden Balls' slow but sure fall from eminence continues with him almost fading out of our list. Here he is with a young Matty Jelfs, sporting one of the few hairstyles that Mrs Becks has yet to try, although we wish she would.

7. Michael Owen

Another player whose recent fortunes have taken a turn for the worst. Little did Michael Owen, left, know that Fabio Capello's new emphasis on youth would see him replaced in the England team by Erin Cherneski's young son, right.

6. Wayne Rooney

The Manchester United star's sojourns in smugshots have been about as frequent as his wife's in Selfridges. Mind you, we doubt if Colleen would have sanctioned the wearing of that dodgy shirt - or the one worn by Gerard Conway.

5. Joe Cole

An early front-runner for the top spot, the Cockney sparrer's recent injury seems to have put paid to his smug appearances, unlike several other top footballers we could mention. Here, he has been hypnotised by Grant Mordue.

4. Peter Crouch

Liverpool's only inclusions in our list have been through ex-players but Peter Crouch endeared himself as a man of the Scouse people with pics taken outside numerous local shops, bars and even Pizza Hut. But in attempting to give the camera a fixed moody stare like young Aiden here, he succeeds only in this rather frightening gurn which hopefully he won't be adopting as a goal celebration anytime soon.

3. Roman Abramovich

Who'd have thought the publicity-shy Chelsea chairman would prove to be such an advocate of smugging. Here, he hopes popping in to the Vatican for a quick pray will help his finances in these penny-pinching times, and is snapped with a bunch of Chelsea fans following 4-0 drubbing of Lazio. Initially we did use a pic of Roman with Nick Webster until a couple of our eagle-eyed readers pointed out he is no mere punter but the presenter for the Fox Soccer Channel in the US. Shame on you Nick!

2. Eric Cantona

Ah Eric, gone but most certainly not forgotten. Monsieur Cantona, seen here after a rough night on the trawlers with Nick Alfieri, almost made it to the top of the tree, despite looking thoroughly p***** off in every single one of the pics you sent in.

1. Frank Lampard

There's not many players who divide opinion as much as Frank but what is undeniable is that the Chelsea midfielder is more than generous with the time he gives to his adoring public. Here, he has clearly given Katie Atkinson something to smile about.

Neil Gardner

Comments

[Blue Baby]

Not more a case that FL is such a nice, obliging guy that he never turns a picture request down? (I have one such picture but didn't submit it).

[Richard Martin]

Frank Lampard may or may not be the winner of the "Smuggest Smirk In Football" award, but he would certainly run away with the trophy for "Most Orange Hued Player".

[peter koeb]

Oooh er! If only young Aiden knew what was really standing behind him. Peter Crouch will be able to recycle himself as a horror film actor, once his playing days are over. I'm hoping that image doesn't come back to haunt me, when i lay my head down at the end of this day.

[Jimmy Flynn]

Looking at it objectively, I thought Jimmy Flynn's picture with Eric Cantona was much better that the current incumbent. Please would you put this in at number 2.

[Terence Buchanan]

Nick Webster is a TV presenter for Fox Soccer Channel in the US. Did he really send this in? The ratings are pretty low out here but still...
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/7108116/Nick-Webster

[Barko]

I'm sorry but you need to get rid of #3. Nick Webster presents on the Fox Soccerball Channel here in the states, so it is akin to having a pic of Jeff Stelling with Landon Donovan on a US Soccerball Smugshots.