Unusual cameos by footballers

[Diable Rouge]

Neymar makes a brief appearance in the new series of Casa de Papel/Money Heist, but, unusually for a footballer, plays an actual character rather than appearing as himself. Dramatic roles tend to occur mostly in films (Beckham in the King Arthur film, Vinnie Jones initially), but there must have been British series in the past where either current or former players stepped out of their comfort zones?

[Satchmo Distel]

I can only think of footballers playing themselves (but badly):

Graeme Souness and Sammy Lee in Boys To The Blackstuff

Kenny Dalglish in Scully

To play someone else would require acting skills, I would think, which these do not possess.

[Southport Zeb]

Emmanuel Petit once appeared in The Bill

[Levin]

Zizou in one of the terrible Asterix films.

[ursus arctos]

[Capybara]

Brian Close, who was better known as a cricketer but played a few Football League games, appeared in an episode of Heartbeat.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Neymar makes a brief appearance in the new series of Casa de Papel/Money Heist, but, unusually for a footballer, plays an actual character rather than appearing as himself.

I must have missed him. Who did he play?

[elguapo4]

I remember seeing a DVD in Tower records, some cheap looking WW2 stuff with David Ginola prominently featured on the cover.

[ad hoc]

Michael Robinson was one of the voices in the Spanish version of Shrek 2

[Sporting]

Eric Cantona.

[Jah Womble]

As previously mentioned on these pages, Bob McNab in On the Buses.

He was nay great. But it was On the Buses.

[tracteurgarcon]

Frank LeBoeuf was in The Theory of Everything and Stan Collymore had a reasonably big part (fnarr, fnarr) in "Basic Instinct 2".

[Freestyling buck wilding Stijn Stijnen]

Ally McCoist starred alongside Robert Duvall in a film that also featured Michael Keaton, Owen Coyle and Didier Agathe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Shot_at_Glory

[Diable Rouge]

I must have missed him. Who did he play?

He was a monk called Joao - basically silent in episode 6, but in the final one they give him a few unfluffable lines where he sends himself up:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=97zRVPqutWU

[Guy Profumo]

Zizou in one of the terrible Asterix films.

Wait.

There was a good Asterix film?

[Beatle Simon]

Michael Owen at Newcastle United.

[Amor de Cosmos]

He was a monk called Joao - basically silent in episode 6, but in the final one they give him a few unfluffable lines where he sends himself up:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=97zRVPqutWU

Interesting. I don't remember that scene at all. I wonder if it was cut over here? Or it'll be a part of what Netfix will call season four.

[Sporting]

My son doesn't remember it either. Is it some kind of spoof?

[ursus arctos]

Possible explanation

The Brazilian filmed scenes for two episodes of the show (called Money Heist in English markets) last November. However, according to widespread reports including AS, the world's most expensive footballer's cameo was initially left on the editing room floor for the release of the series' third season in July due to ongoing rape accusations.

That case has since been dismissed for lack of evidence and the Paris Saint-Germain forward's part has now been re-added to episodes six and eight of season three, which can now be viewed on Netflix.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Ah. Very interesting.

[Patrick Thistle]

Wait.

There was a good Asterix film?

Yep. The 12 Tasks of Asterix. (The original 1970s cartoon)

[Stumpy Pepys]

Thomas Müller popped up in an episode of Hubert und Staller (German TV Krimi featuring mismatched Bavarian cops).

[Jah Womble]

I look at some of these castings and cannot begin to fathom how they ever came to be.

[Simon G]

Terry Skiverton, formerly of Yeovil, both as a player and manager, played Luis Amor Rodriguez's assistant manager in the second and third series of Dream Team. At the time he was a semi-pro player for Welling and did acting on the side.

[treibeis]

Berti Vogts played a gardener in Tatort about 20 years ago. If I remember rightly, he found a rabbit and returned it to its owner.