Untamed Trivia Quiz

Answer: Roberto Baggio

Roberto Baggio was a striker and midfielder for seven different Italian teams over the course of his 23-year career. He played mostly for Fiorentina, Juventus, and Brescia, but he made a lot of impact on the international stage as well. Notoriously, he was the player who (uncharacteristically) missed the fifth and decisive penalty in the 1994 final World Cup leading to Italy losing. However, in 56 games, Baggio scored 27 times and was an invaluable player on the team.

His hair, well, he was nicknamed "Divin' Codino," meaning, 'Divine Ponytail' because of his long hair. Initially a mullet, he rethought that highly criticized style choice and grew out all of his hair. It never slowed him down though, he just was amazing for his entire career.

Answer: Moustache

David Andrew Seaman was the goalkeeper best-remembered for his time playing as the starting goalkeeper for England and at Arsenal, in the 1990s and the early 2000s. His playing style was always calm, focused, and with lightning-quick reflexes. He was very good at ball-handling and he was always very vocal with his defenders. He started his playing career in the fourth division in 1982 but was quickly bought by Birmingham City, then QPR as he broke into England's top division. When he was bought by Arsenal, it was soon after they had won the league so he came into a very successful club, and made them more successful. After thirteen glorious years, Seaman left for Manchester City, but after 19 games and a nagging shoulder injury, he retired.

As for his untamed hair? For most of his career, David Seaman played with a long ponytail and a moustache making him unmistakable on the pitch. In fact, as a coach later on when he shaved his moustache and cut his hair, there were people that didn't recognize him.

Answer: Green

Taribo West really exploded onto the international football stage when he helped his team to a win at the highly televised 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Nigeria took the gold medal, defying expectations, and Taribo West's green hair was televised front-and-center and gained worldwide recognition. Perhaps his most untamed hairstyle was when the majority of his head was shaved but parts of it were braided and then curled into localized buns...

Taribo West was a solid defender. He wasn't the fastest player on the pitch. However, he was possessed excellent tackling abilities and was always determined to mark opposing attackers. His most successful years came with AJ Auxerre in the French Ligue 1 where he played for most of five seasons.

Answer: Ruud Gullit

He was born Ruud Dil in the Netherlands to a Surinamese immigrant and his mistress. He developed a passion playing football in the streets of his hometown, and Frank Rijkaard was one of his first friends. He was discovered as talented and was quickly recruited as a junior. He took his father's last name as a player, and pretty soon, Ruud Gullit was playing professional football.

With a career that spanned twenty seasons (1979-1998), Ruud Gullit proved himself a versatile player who could play all over the pitch. He was also one who could also create and score goals. He was a leader on his teams and a force on the Dutch national team.

His hair, wow! Untamed dreadlocks throughout his career made him easily identifiable from anywhere on the pitch.

Answer: Morocco

Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, and started his football career for Anderlecht in 1994 at the young age of 8. His father had also been a footballer in his native Morocco, and encouraged Marouane's development. He was especially proficient at heading balls, which was interesting given that his hairstyle was a large afro, atop his head like the end of a mop. In his senior career, Marouane Fellaini played for Standard Liège in the Belgian league for two seasons before transferring to Everton in 2008 for a record fee for a Belgian at the time.

In England while playing for Everton, fans fell in love with the hairstyle and wore Fellaini wigs to honour the midfielder. After six seasons with the Liverpool-based club, Fellaini signed for Manchester United and continued playing well. In 2008, right before his 31st birthday, Fellaini unexpectedly cut his hair prompting shock from fans.

As an international, Marouane Fellaini opted to play for Belgium. However, he had the choice to play, and was offered a spot on the team, for Morocco, where his parents came from.

Answer: Uruguay

Edinson Cavani started playing professionally as an 18-year-old for Danubio, the club based out of Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2005. As a striker, he quickly established himself as an efficient goal scorer and was snatched up by Italian side Palermo two years latetr. A loan at Napoli soon became permanent, and then PSG signed the efficient attacker in 2013. He played 200 times for the Paris club before signing for Manchester United in England in 2020. Internationally, he represents Uruguay successfully. He scored his 50th international goal in 2019.

His hair, however, is flowing brown locks that have a bit of a curl to them... and can get quite untamed when he's flying in for a header or by the end of a game when it is quite tousled.

Answer: Tottenham Hotspur

Though after his retirement, Jürgen Klinsmann played some games for the amateur club Orange County Blue Star, he finished his professional career with Tottenham Hotspur, on loan from Sampdoria. Klinsmann had a prolific playing career as a striker for Stuttgarter Kickers, VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco, Tottenham, Bayern Munich, and Sampdoria before returning to Tottenham to close out his career. Over that time he amassed 284 goals over all competitions. He also played for the West German and German national teams 108 times scoring 47 goals over that stretch.

Jürgen Klinsmann as a player often had his long blond hair let down and free, and it could get a bit untamed. In the 1990 World Cup where he led Germany to the win, his hair was often blowing freely in the wind as he scored goals all over Italy.

Answer: Central defender

Mamadou Sakho played centre-back for the French national team and has played professional football for Paris Saint Germain, Liverpool, as well as Crystal Palace. He has been successful because he has an "often highly alternative approach" to defending despite sometimes not exhibiting all of the skills necessary of a defender. He is tall with a good leap and he is also a very strong player with good pace.

His hair is interesting in that he has a low central mohawk, and the sides of his head are mostly shaved leaving behind a maze-like pattern. His mohawk is sometimes dyed bright yellow. Also, he set the record of being the youngest ever Ligue 1 team captain at the age of 17 years and 8 months in 2007.

Answer: Auxerre

Djibril Cissé was a prolific striker who played for many clubs as a striker, known primarily for his goal-scoring, but also for his many wild hairdos. He started his career for French side AJ Auxerre and then... well, he played for many clubs from France, to England, to Italy, to Greece, to Qatar, to Switzerland, to Russia, even one game in Réunion. Always an accurate kicker, he played for the French national team and made 41 appearances.

Yes, let's talk appearances... Djibril Cissé always sported a hairdo that was never tame. From mohawks to shaved parts, colours of all hues and brightnesses, and often the look included his beard. He was married to Jude Littler, a hairdresser, so maybe she experimented on him? Whatever the result though, it was really untamed!

Answer: Colombia

Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio was a successful attacking midfielder who played in his home of Colombia mostly for Deportivo Cali before transferring to Europe. Finding that the style of play was different across the Atlantic, Valderrama struggled initially, however, his playmaking abilities and unique creativity made him an invaluable asset. He returned to Colombia before he started a stint in the American MLS, mostly for the Tampa Bay Mutiny. He set the record for most assists in a season in 2000 recording 26 assists, a record that has been stated to be unbreakable.

Carlos Valderrama starred in 111 games for Colombia and scored 11 goals. He played in three World Cups, the last one in 1998 at the 'ancient' age of 37. However, aside from his playmaking ability, he was best known for his ridiculous mop of hair - tight long curls, bright yellow in colour, and hanging off of his head like a giant pom-pom.