BY JAMES ROSS – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
Ever want to know the origin of some rather colourful nicknames for European soccer clubs?
Well wonder no more as Fan Fuel has all the answers.
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Ahhhh, the penchant we all possess for nicknaming people, places and things. And soccer clubs, of course, are no different, nor any less interesting. Here’s a smattering of some of the more interesting and unique nicknames that soccer clubs from around the globe possess.
1. Saprissa – El Monstruo Morada (The Purple Monster)
The biggest club in Costa Rica owes it’s nickname to two events. Firstly, in 1937 they mistakenly washed the red and blue kits together, giving them a single set of purple jerseys. Then, in 1987, a newspaper article described the purple clad sea of fans and their noise as making the author feel he was “in the presence of a thousand headed monster.” The club immediately adopted the nickname El Monstruo Morada.
2. Athletico Madrid – The Mattress Makers
Real Madrid’s crosstown rivals were nicknamed the Mattress Makers because their main kit (red and white vertical stripes) apparently resembles the pattern on old fashioned mattresses.
3. Hartlepool United – The Monkey Hangers
During the Napoleonic Wars, the citizens of Hartlepool allegedly hung a monkey, believing the monkey to be, in actuality, a French spy. No word if the monkey was interrogated first.
4. Bolton Wanderers – The Trotters
In the 19th century, the pitch that Bolton played upon was adjacent to pig pens, and often balls cleared into touch ended up in the pig pens, so the players had to “trot” into the pens to fetch the balls.
5. St. Pauli – The Pirates
This German side, based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg, are considered a “kult” club in Germany, and they have a rather unique recent history which is tied in to their nickname, the Pirates. The home ground is close to the docks and the night life in Hamburg, and during the mid-1980s the club grew popular with left leaning fans, with matches having a distinctive “partying” atmosphere to them. The supporters eventually adopted a skull and crossbones as their unofficial emblem, and thus was born the nickname.
6. Masisaspor – The Tarzans
The high flying Turkish side got their nickname from the enigmatic proto-environmentalist Ahmet Bedevi, a resident of Manisa (Marisaspor’s home city) from the 1923 until his death in 1963. Bedevi earned his nickname from his resemblence to Tarzan as he spent the decades maintaining the greenness about the city as a gardner. As a means of honouring his legacy, the fans are known as The Tarzans.
7. AC Chievo – The Flying Donkeys
Crosstown rivals Hellas Verona often used the derogatory chant “donkeys would fly before Chievo make it to Serie A” and so, when Chievo gained promotion in 2001 to the top flight of Italian soccer, the nickname was embraced as a badge of honour by the supporters, particularly as Hellas has struggled in the second and third tier of Italian soccer in recent years.
8. Newell’s Old Boys – The Lepers
This Argentine side was given this nickname for playing in a charity match to raise funds for a leprosy clinic in the 1920s. Incidently, Leo Messi played in their youth system before moving to Barcelona.
9. SC Heerenveen – Super Frisians
This team, currently plying their trade in the top flite of Dutch football, have come about their nickname from their location in the northern province of Friesland in the Netherlands. Most of the rural residents of Friesland tend to support Heerenveen, and the national anthem of Friesland is played before domestic matches, rather than the Dutch anthem. Their city based rivals such as Groningen and Cambuur sing anti-Frisian songs, describing them as farmers. However, rather than resorting to violence between each set of supporters, the fans tend to resort to pranks and stunts to one up their rivals.
Once, Heerenveen supporters (somehow) stole the kick off spot from Groningen’s pitch, and raised the Frisian flag at the highest tower in Groningen. Another time, Heerenveen supporters dumped a huge pile of rubble in the front yard of the Groningen chairman to celebrate Groningen having to stop construction on their new stadium due to a design flaw.
10. Estudiantes de La Plata – Pincharratas (The Rat Stabbers)
A long standing member of the Argentinian top flite, Estudiantes LP and their fans were nicknamed based upon Felipe Montedonica, who spent much of the 1910s and 1920s chasing after rats in the La Plata market. The full nickname (Pincharratas) is usually shortened to pincha, and fans will describe themselves as such (Soy del pincha – I am Pincha).