Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. Billions of people watch the World Cup, along with all the fans of clubs and the Premier League.
Soccer players must be in top physical condition to play effectively. But what if you needed to wear glasses? It shouldn’t harm your chances of becoming a professional soccer player, right? You can still kick a ball with glasses on.
Turns out it won’t! Yes, a soccer player with glasses is a thing. In fact, there are eight that are very successful ones. In this article, we’ve discussed in detail about them and the stories of how they got their glasses.
8 Top Soccer Players With Glasses
Have you seen the 2005 movie named Goal? The main character of this movie wants to be a professional soccer player. But he also has a medical condition that he’s fighting against. I won’t spoil the movie for you.
Anyway, it turns out that even with a real impairment, you can still have a successful career as a professional soccer player.
1. Edgar Davids
One first soccer players with glasses is none other than the legendary Edgar Davids. He’s a former international Dutch player who wore glasses for most of his career between the 1990s and the 2000s.
Edgar Davids had a medical condition called glaucoma. He tried many treatments, including surgery and different therapies. Unfortunately, none of them worked.
After failing to get the desired results, he had special glasses made and played exceptionally during his career, proudly wearing those glasses.
2. Jerome Boateng
If you haven’t seen Jerome Boateng outside the field, you might never realize he wears glasses. That’s because this Bayern Munich defender wears contact lenses during his matches.
He didn’t want the hassle of fixing his glasses while running across the field at 20 miles per hour. However, when he’s off the field, you’ll often see him wearing sporty glasses.
He wears those glasses because it helps improve his vision and helps him see better on and off the field.
Without them, his game would be completely off. I mean, that’s as solid of a reason as any for wearing glasses.
3. Ian Wright
Ian Wright was a striker, and he gained a lot of fame for playing for Arsenal Football Club. He’s truly adored by all fans (and envied by many players as well).
His vision impairment didn’t hold him back. He’s a very humble player. In fact, during his early career, Ian Wright didn’t think he could ever make it as a professional player.
Fate had different things planned. He broke into the game in the late 1980s; the rest was history.
Ian Wright did not wear glasses frequently during his games, though. However, later in his career, fans noticed him wearing his glasses more often.
4. Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram was a pivotal player for the French team. He had a successful career in soccer. Moreover, he also helped his country, France, win the 1998 World Cup.
Like Jerome Boateng, Lilian Thuram also preferred to wear contact lenses when on the field.
It just made movement and gameplay much easier. However, outside the game, Lilian loved wearing chunky dark glasses.
They look quite good on him. Lilian Thuram was considered one of the best wing-backs in the world.
This shows that even in a physical sport like soccer, you can still achieve greatness if you have an impairment.
5. Joop Van Daele
If you’re a bit of a younger soccer fan, you might not have heard of Joop Van Daele.
He was a very prominent player during the 1970s. The Dutch player wore glasses during some of his matches.
Joop isn’t unfamiliar with drama on the field, thanks to his glasses.
There’s a report that an Argentinian player took Joop’s glasses from him while celebrating a goal. Yikes! Ironically, he somehow didn’t see that coming.
6. Mario Balotelli
Another player who wears glasses is the talented Italian player Mario Balotelli. He’s known for his immense skill and explosive power on the field.
And maybe for his temper – let’s just say he isn’t scared of confrontation.
Unlike Joop Van Daele, he never wears glasses during a game, though.
Like many players on this list, he opts for contact lenses. It allows him to move freely and stay on top of his game.
Outside the field, though, don’t be surprised if you spot him wearing stylish glasses. Speaking of which, his glasses are quite stylish.
7. Matt Le Tissier
Next up on our list of soccer players with glasses is Matt Le Tissier. If you’re an avid fan and watch a lot of on-screen soccer, you might know him as a TV pundit.
He was also a very successful player during his time. He was one of the best strikers in the game.
You can still find Matt Le Tissier’s most famous goals on YouTube. The guy was gifted.
However, you won’t see him wearing glasses in those videos. That’s because he only started wearing glasses when he started making appearances on TV.
Matt is also quite a controversial character nowadays. He made comments about the Covid-19 and also the Russia-Ukraine war.
8. Alex Song
Alex Song is the last player on this list. He played for Arsenal in 2005, where he made over 200 appearances. He’s quite a talented player.
In 2012, Alex was transferred to Barcelona.
The transfer didn’t go too well since he actually struggled to play well for the team. Then, for the 2014 – 2015 season, he was loaned to West Ham.
He was seen many times to be wearing large glasses. They looked like protective glasses, something like you would see a skier wear.
He was having eye problems at the time. He said that he needed to wear these glasses to prevent an infection.
Conclusion
All the players in this list are extremely successful. If you’ve ever thought that being a soccer player with glasses isn’t possible, think again.
As long as you have the passion and determination, you can do whatever you want.
So, even if you need to wear glasses and want to become a soccer player, go for it! After all, you miss all the shots you don’t take.
