Players who always get called by two names

[ad hoc]

There are certain players who, for reasons I don;t understand, always get called by two names by commentators. Jadon Sancho is one for example. He's never "Sancho". Always "Jadon Sancho" (Not just by English commentators, the Romanian commentator was calling him that last night on the Dortmund game). David Silva is another one (even before Man City signed Bernardo Silva). There are quite a few players like this.

Who are the others?
Why? Is there a rule?

[Alderman Barnes]

Is there a rule?

Yes, it's called the Rule Fox.

[ad hoc]

Very nice

[Snake Plissken]

There is a weird affection with English commentators. If the name is "two syllable, two syllable", you are likely to hear them say it in full. Jaden Sancho, Raheem Sterling.

If the name is "two syllable, one syllable", you will always hear it spoken in full and often run together as one word. HarryKane, DannyIngs, RobbieKeane.

"One syllable, two syllables", pretty much never.

There is one commentator who is the worst for this by the way. He also slips into an "and... and... and..." as the ball is passed closer to goal. I want to say that it is Gabriel Clarke but I would probably be wrong.

[Patrick Thistle]

Luis Enrique and Xabi Alonso. It seems inconceivable to hear them called just Enrique or Alonso.

[tee rex]

Oh, this is one of my perennial one-sentence monologue topics. I point it out, nobody responds, eyes are rolled. You know how it goes.

Anyway ... Sammy Lee was an old favourite. Always a three-syllable name. Never one.

[kokamoa]

There is a weird affection with English commentators. If the name is "two syllable, two syllable", you are likely to hear them say it in full. Jaden Sancho, Raheem Sterling.

If the name is "two syllable, one syllable", you will always hear it spoken in full and often run together as one word. HarryKane, DannyIngs, RobbieKeane.

"One syllable, two syllables", pretty much never.

There is one commentator who is the worst for this by the way. He also slips into an "and... and... and..." as the ball is passed closer to goal. I want to say that it is Gabriel Clarke but I would probably be wrong.

Gabriel Clarke never commentated. I always thought he was the best football voiceover man though, whether it was over goals highlights or features on the old Endslieigh/Nationwide League highlights shows.

[Kevin S]

Jonjo Shelvey is far more pleasing to say than Shelvey alone.

[tee rex]

Yes, if he was Darren Shelvey his forename would barely feature.

[imp]

You think that's bad - when Nottingham Forest were having a good Uefa Cup run 25-odd years ago, according to every German commentator they had a player called "Scott Gemmill, der Sohn von Archie."

[Third rate Leszno]

Petr Cech always seemed to get his full name.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Juanfran

[pebblethefish]

Gabriel Clarke never commentated. I always thought he was the best football voiceover man though, whether it was over goals highlights or features on the old Endslieigh/Nationwide League highlights shows.

The man was weirdly starey though. Didn't matter what he was saying, his eyes were too busy drilling a hole in your heart.

[johnr]

Dele Ali. Back awhile, Joe Cole.

[Snake Plissken]

Petr Cech always seemed to get his full name.

Two-one rule. And it was PetrCech.

[Nesta]

Gabriel Clarke never commentated. I always thought he was the best football voiceover man though, whether it was over goals highlights or features on the old Endslieigh/Nationwide League highlights shows.

Ah yeah, 1am, late nineties, "Little Britain" by Dreadzone (which samples the headmaster from If... "Britain today is a powerhouse... etc"). Real Proust's madeleine for me and I'd guess others. Although obviously it didn't involve going to bed early.

[Nesta]

Is it more common with players whose surnames could be first names? I noticed it way back with Palace and Middlesbrough left back Dean Gordon. Or Deangordon.

[Patrick Thistle]

Anyway ... Sammy Lee was an old favourite. Always a three-syllable name. Never one.

Do you think that's because he had a first name for a surname so if you just said Lee, people would say 'Lee who?'

Another one from that era is Jimmy Case. Always seemed to be his full name.

In the reverse what about footballers who never seem to have any of their full names used? II don't mean Brazilians adopting one name monikers, but people like Gazza who always seems to be referred to as Gazza.

EDIT: Cross post with Nesta

[Jah Womble]

Shane Long's another.

'Jonjo' is a great name, I agree. It sounds like a 'left-right' knockout punch.

Dele Ali. Back awhile, Joe Cole.

That was usually to differentiate from the proliferation of Coles around at the time.

It was Natalie who started insisting on that, let me tell you.

[Sits]

I thought it was George.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Rush goal!

[johnr]

That was usually to differentiate from the proliferation of Coles around at the time.

I first noticed it before he started playing for England, alongside Ashley, used to baffle me at the time.

'Harry Kane' seems to gets said a lot too, particularly when he's playing for England - I think it's because, subliminally, the commentators think he's a talismanic 'Harry and St George' figure.

[treibeis]

German commentators often used to say "Steven Gerrard" rather than just "Gerrard".

They'd leave out the "d" as well.

[treibeis]

I'm sure Stan Bowles was "Stan Bowles" or "Stanley Bowles".

[Sporting]

How did commentators use to identify Pak Doo-ik?