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30 Footballers Who Are Animal Lovers At Heart

If there’s one thing people like more than football, it’s animals. Few can resist a cute pup, cuddly cat or rascally raccoon. OK maybe not so much the raccoon, but everyone definitely loves pictures of footballers with animals. 

Soccer players, just like the rest of us, love their pets — and animals in general. We love soccer players and animals, so we felt it prudent to compile a list of the 30 cutest pictures of footballers with animals.

And because we’ve already wasted enough of your time before getting to the cute pics, we’ll shut up and let you get on with saying “daww” over and over. 

The 30 Cutest Pictures Of Footballers With Animals

Roberto Carlos
Footballers with animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Roberto Carlos

The Brazilian with the meanest left foot in football has extremely soft hands to cradle this sleeping pup. 

Lieke Martens
Footballers With Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Lieke Martens

The best female footballer in the world needs a higher quality camera phone, but you can just about make out a face in the ball of fluff she’s holding.

Lionel Messi
Footballers With Animals
@leomessi | Instagram

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is one of the smallest footballers on the planet but he’s got one big doggo. Aptly named Senor Hulk, this Dogue de Bordeaux is a large French Mastiff and nearly as big as Messi himself, but we still want to give him a big hug. 

Alexis Sanchez
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Alexis Sanchez

The only thing Alexis Sanchez loves more than remonstrating with teammates is his dogs Atom and Humber, who had their own signs at Emirates Stadium before the Chilean winger moved to Manchester United. 

Kristine Lilly
Footballers with Animals
@kristinelilly | Instagram

Kristine Lilly

Oh just one of the finest USWNT players of all time posing with a friggin bear. No big deal. 

Andres Iniesta
Footballers With Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Andres Iniesta

Which is cuter, the dogs or that sweater?

Cristiano Ronaldo
Footballers With Animals
@cristiano | Instagram

Cristiano Ronaldo

We could have made a joke that Cristiano Ronaldo’s pets are his muscular abs or something, but that would have deprived you from seeing this adorable photo. 

Giovani dos Santos
Footballers With Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Gio dos Santos

This obnoxiously cute dog belongs in a purse but perched on the shoulder of a footballer works just fine too. 

Pedro
Footballers With Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Pedro

We’re usually not big fans of PDA but we’ll let this one slide. 

Wayne Rooney
Footballers With Animals
@waynerooney | Instagram

Wayne Rooney

Pigs at the beach are just as natural as Wayne Rooney’s hairline. 

Carlos Tevez
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Carlos Tevez

Not quite sure who is more terrified of the other in this pic.

Alexandra Popp
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Alexandra Popp

German striker Alexandra Popp better watch out or the trash panda will steal her Olympic gold medal. 

Cristiano Ronaldo
Footballers with Animals
@cristiano | Instagram

Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is good enough that he can get two mentions on this list, especially with the way he’s terrifying this innocent pup. 

Sydney Leroux and Dom Dwyer
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Sydney Leroux and Dom Dwyer

Is it OK to say we like pics of Sydney and Dom with their dog more than with their baby Cassius? 

Marcelo
Footballers with Animals
@marcelotwelve | Instagram

Marcelo

Is Marcelo’s dog trying to look like him or vice versa?

Abby Wambach
Footballers with animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach was a beast on the pitch and a menace for defenders, but look how delicately she kisses the little apple head of this Chihuahua. 

Eric Cantona
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Eric Cantona

This monkey is wondering why Eric Cantona doesn’t shave his unibrow. 

Mesut Ozil
Footballers with Animals
@simonbatman | Twitter

Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil has two sweet pugs, so we can only assume he’s a fan of Milo and Otis. One of the dogs, named Balboa, is a pretty decent footballer in his own right. 

Isco
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Isco

True love. 

Hector Bellerin
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Hector Bellerin

Dog is not pleased. 

Wesley Sneijder
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Wesley Sneijder

Someone please tell Wesley to put his pup in a seatbelt!

Peter Crouch
Footballers with Animals
@Godwin46474266 | Twitter

Peter Crouch

Pets are often just another member of the family. This is literally the case for Peter Crouch. 

Rafael Márquez
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Rafael Márquez

This puppy looks confused as to why Rafa is laying down on concrete steps instead of running up them like Rocky. 

Theo Walcott
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Theo Walcott

Some people don’t think snakes are cute. Those people will be the first ones eaten when the snake people take over. 

Christen Press
Footballers with Animals
@christenpress | Instagram

Christen Press

Christen Press has a cute dog named Khaleesi, so consider this little kitten Drogon. 

Thierry Henry
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Thierry Henry

Goofy cats are the best cats. 

Graham Zusi
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Graham Zusi

The dog looks how we all feel every time Zusi is announced in the starting lineup for the USMNT. 

Julie Ertz
Footballers with animals
@julieertz | Instagram

Julie Ertz

This is the cutest photo of a stingray you will ever see. 

Samuel Umtiti
Footballers with Animals
@ftbllrswanimals | Twitter

Samuel Umtiti

Samuel Umtiti’s pup is helping him choose whether he wants to swipe left or right. 

Antoine Griezmann
Footballers with Animals
@antogriezmann | Instagram

Antoine Griezmann

Antoine’s dog is adorable, but this pic loses major cuteness points because of the creepy Derrick Rose doll in the background. 

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