It’s now official, England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has edged out his teammate Ryan Giggs to take the coveted title of the manliest footballer in the Premier league, with Ashley Cole being named as the least manly in the public vote Leading UK grooming brand The Bluebeards Revenge organised the survey, which saw 26 year old Rooney pick up 20% of the public’s votes.
Ryan Giggs was placed second with 18% of the vote, and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and Chelsea and England player Frank Lampard tied for third place with 10%. Other players who made the manly top ten included Joey Barton, Nemanja Vidic and John Terry.
Nick Gibbens, spokesperson for The Bluebeards Revenge, said: “When he’s on the pitch, Wayne is certainly what you would describe as a ‘real man’ and is a deserving winner of the title ‘Premiership’s manliest footballer’.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve, never pulls out of a tackle and always puts his body on the line for his team, qualities that make a man a ‘real man’. Wayne also has the recent addition of a full head of hair, and I’m guessing this could have secured him a few extra votes.”
Chelsea and England left back Ashley Cole was voted least manly Premiership footballer, picking up nearly a quarter (24%) of the public vote.
Spanish forward Fernando Torres, a teammate of Cole at Chelsea, came second in the least “manly” category on 21%. Peter Crouch was third on 14%, former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri took fourth spot with 11% and Manchester United winger Nani finished fifth on 5%.
The Bluebeards Revenge, dubbed the “world’s manliest grooming brand”, also asked participants who they thought was the manliest Premiership team and the league’s manliest manager.
Stoke City, famous for their physical and no-nonsense approach, topped this list on 23%, with Manchester United second on 16% and Liverpool third on 15%.
Arsenal, renowned for their pretty passing game, were judged to be the ‘least manly’ Premiership side, closely followed by their North London rivals Tottenham.
Chelsea’s rugged boss Andre Billas-Boas took the accolade for manliest Premiership manager, with a whopping 49% of the vote, followed by Martin Jol (7%) in second and Roberto Mancini (6%) in third.
Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger scooped the honour for the least manly Premiership manager.
The Bluebeards Revenge, a shaving range that can actually reduce stubble by up to 40% over a 60-day period, surveyed 1,835 people via email in December 2011.
Please see attached spreadsheet for full survey results.