Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in Football

By on November 9, 2016

To celebrate the highly anticipated release of Harry Potter prequel ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ on the 18th November 2016, Richard Lewis runs down a spellbinding list of famous footballers with the nickname ‘the Beast’, revealing where you can find them these days. Some of these players are still seen as ‘Fantastic Beasts’ for their clubs and fans, while others are currently as effective as a wonky wand.

Beast Type: Alvaro Negredo (Striker) Where to Find Him: Middlesbrough (English Premier League)

Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo is known as ‘The Beast’ and where to find him is playing upfront for newly promoted Middlesbrough under the guidance of Aitor Karanka. The thirty-one-year-old ex-Manchester City man has struggled for goals this season, having to seemingly lost that goal-scoring magic he possessed a few years ago. Negredo is no Newt Scamander, but the former Valencia forward carries the isolating task of fulfilling that lone role up top for Boro this campaign. Boro got a precious point away to City at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon with a 1-1 draw through a late Maarten de Roon header. Negredo bagged a strike on the opening day of the 2016/17 season in August, when Middlesbrough drew 1-1 with Stoke.

Beast Type: Adebayo Akinfenwa (Striker) Where to Find Him: Wycombe Wanderers (English League Two)

Many football supporters know Football League forward Adebayo Akinfenwa more for his infamous physical stats on the popular ‘FIFA’ computer games. It is clear to see why the Wycombe player has the tag of ‘the Beast’ associated with his style of play, when witnessing his ginormous physique on the field. Defenders have little chance of throwing their weight around when facing Akinfenwa, with the thirty-four-year-old one of the most experienced attacking threats in the English lower leagues. You may remember he scored for AFC Wimbledon in their 2-1 home defeat to a Steven Gerrard inspired Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2015. He helped Wimbledon to promotion in May at Wembley.

Beast Type: Julio Baptista (Forward) Where to Find Him: Orlando City (MLS)

Orlando City is a football (or should I say soccer) franchise which has only been in existence for a few years, but the beast of Brazilian baller Julio Baptista is not even the most famous South American in the team. Manager Jason Kreis has the luxury of having World Cup winner Kaka in his squad, who has produced moments of wizardry over his illustrious career at clubs like AC Milan and Real Madrid.

The upcoming movie ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is mainly set in New York, which is on the East Coast of America compared to the West Coast home of Baptista, although New York City FC is another new side with famous European stars. Orlando as a destination is known for its theme parks, with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter ironically one of the attractions. Baptista has the nickname of ‘the Beast’ because of his thirty-five-year-old physique, although a real life bad-haired beast looks set to be the new President of the country he plays his trade – it is a good thing he is not Mexican! Giovani dos Santos might need to get out of LA Galaxy before that wall goes up – I doubt Tottenham would take him back to the White (Hart Lane) House any time soon!

Beast Type: Brian Jensen (Goalkeeper) Where to Find Him: Mansfield Town (English League Two)

There are actually two beasts playing in League Two, as Adebayo Akinfenwa is joined in the division by Mansfield goalkeeper Brian Jensen. The Danish shot-stopper has featured in more than 300 English league games since 2000. Jensen had his most successful spell as a goalkeeper representing Burnley, making 271 appearances for the Clarets, as he was almost seen as the Tom Heaton of 2009. He became so popular with Burnley supporters that a child born to Claret fans in 2011 was named after Jensen. He was known as ‘the beast’ because of his goalkeeping presence and shot-stopping ability, including saving a Michael Carrick penalty in a famous 1-0 win over Manchester United. The man born in Norrebro has made twenty-eight appearances at Field Mill for Mansfield. He is also nearly as old as Professor Albus Dumbledore, having continued his career into his early forties, having put off retirement many times.

Beast Type: Jon Parkin (Striker) Where to Find Him: Newport County (English League Two)

Make that three beasts in League Two, with striker Jon Parkin another big man known for his large presence on the playing field. The ex-Preston forward currently represents the third team in Wales, as the thirty-four-year-old now plays for Newport County, who do not have the money or fame of Swansea City or Cardiff, but there are not that many Welsh teams in the English leagues. Parkin has also played for Cardiff in 2011, so he is accustomed to living in the birthplace of Gareth Bale. When Parkin has ran out to the pitch of all those Football League teams, fans have often adopted the chant “Feed The Beast and he will score”. The beast born in South Yorkshire has bagged four goals in ten matches during his Newport spell of 2016. His most magical years were for Preston and Macclesfield, but he has never reached the heights of the Premier League.

Homepage photo credit: Rob Crane [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

About Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis can relate almost anything to football and quite often does! You may have seen Richard's previous ideas and work in the BBC Match of the Day Magazine, from 2011 to present. He is a Manchester United and England fan, but has gone to see Leyton Orient play with his O's season ticket in the 2013/14 campaign. Aside from football, Richard has written articles on Doctor Who and studies English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. Aspiring sports journalist.