Being able to reel off statistics from every FIFA World Cup™ since 1930 is one thing, but to get a true feel for the game, today's self-respecting fans need to add another string to their bow.

Nicknames have been adding colour to the sport since it began, creating bonds between supporters and their idols. After shedding light on some of the nicknames at play on the club and international scenes, FIFA.com rounds off its survey with a nod to the artists and artisans of the beautiful game.

Very much the team to beat on the field of play, Brazil have blazed the trail on the pseudonym front too, producing as many memorable diminutives as they have fabulous players. Perhaps more in fact, given that the man considered the greatest of all seemed to collect nicknames in the same way he collected winners' medals.  Edson Arantes do Nascimento  won three FIFA World Cups and decorated the football world with some of the most thrilling skills ever seen, but he will always be known as Pele, a title he picked up at school in circumstances even he is unsure about. On top of that, his performances at Sweden 1958 saw him christened The Black Pearl, while his overall achievements eventually earned him the ultimate accolade, O Rei (The King).  

Whatever they choose to call him, Pele will always be cherished dearly by the Brazilian public, as will his old Seleção team-mate from the 1958 and 1966 campaigns, Garrincha (Little Bird). Born Manoel Francisco dos Santos, the talented dribbler left defences in tatters while working his magic for Brazil, and ended his career known as Alegria do Povo (The Joy of the People).

Like those Auriverde legends, many other players have inspired epithets with their superior footballing acumen. Germany's  Franz Beckenbauer , for example, conquered the world stage as a player in 1974 and repeated the feat as a coach in 1990, a double success that earned him a place in the pantheon as Der Kaiser (The Emperor). Not even an emperor can rule alone, though, and the former Bayern Munich defender was fortunate enough to share the field with a finisher of the highest quality at both club and international level. Scorer of 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga encounters, plus a further 68 goals in 62 appearances for the Mannschaft, Gerd Muller has gone down in history as Der Bomber. 

A few years before Muller ruled the skies, a player with actual links to the military was wreaking havoc in stadiums across Europe. Brilliant in the colours of Budapest Honved, the Hungarian army team, Ferenc Puskas was given the rank of major and a nickname to go with it.  The Galloping Major sadly passed away last year , but left all who saw him play with enduring memories. He also managed to pick up another moniker along the way, dating back to his time at Real Madrid. A three-time UEFA European Champion Clubs' Cup winner with the Spanish giants, Puskas was revered in the stands as the Cañoncito (Little Cannon). 

Continuing with the theme of ranks and titles, who could forget the rulers of England? Reigning in different eras,  Eric 'The King' Cantona  and 'King Kenny' Dalglish both left their mark, as did the self-styled 'Guv'nor' Paul Ince and Henrik 'the King of Kings' Larsson north of the border. Elsewhere, Enzo Francescoli will be remembered as El Príncipe (The Prince), Adriano has made a reputation for himself as L'Imperatore (The Emperor) and Laurent Blanc should be saluted as Le Président. 

Of mice and men
As with a number of national teams, the animal kingdom has proved to be a huge source of inspiration when naming players. Usually, a footballer's style conjures up images of a creature in particular, but Brazil's Edmundo has come to be known simply as O Animal after his escapades at the eight clubs he has represented. Likewise, his compatriot  Julio Baptista  was tagged La Bestia (The Beast), because of the sheer power he displayed at both FC Sevilla and Real Madrid.

The Spanish league is a veritable zoo, in fact, with Roberto Abbondanzieri keeping goal for Getafe as El Pato (The Duck), while Barcelona's forward line includes La Pulga (The Flea, Lionel Messi), El Ratón (The Mouse, Ludovic Giuly) and El Conejo (The Rabbit, Javier Saviola).

Before them,  Claudio Lopez  and Emilio Butragueno became firm favourites at FC Valencia and Real Madrid respectively, earning fame as El Piojo (The Louse) and El Buitre (The Vulture). Unfortunately, some of the more intriguing match-ups made possible by this tradition never occurred. Thus, Jack 'The Giraffe' Charlton went through his entire career without facing the Black Spider, Lev Yashin, while Nigeria's Daniel 'The Bull' Amokachi never got to test himself against Argentina's honorary Matador, Mario Kempes. Nicknames can also be misleading. We wer also denied the opportunity to directly compare the striking prowess of a panther and a mouse, with Eusebio, the Pantera Nera, and Kevin 'Mighty Mouse' Keegan displaying their goalscoring instincts in different eras.

Like Messi and Kempes, many other Albiceleste stars have been re-baptised by their adoring fans down the years. Argentinian nicknames tend to fall at the more original end of the scale too, with Claudio Caniggia flying all the way to the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final as El Pájaro (The Bird) and Gabriel Batistuta winning recognition as Batigol after becoming the country's highest-ever scorer.

A teammate of both at Korea/Japan 2002,  Juan Sebastian Veron  owes his status as Brujita (Little Witch) not just to his magic on the pitch, but also to his father's exploits at Estudiantes de la Plata 30 years previously. A technically-gifted striker, Juan Ramon Veron's prowess merited him the title La Bruja (The Witch), and that father-son connection was echoed more recently when exciting young prospect  Gonzalo Higuain  was dubbed El Pipita by River Plate fans with fond memories of Jorge El Pipa Higuain.  

Golden Child and Hand of God
Of course, no look at Argentinian nicknames would be complete without mentioning  Diego Maradona . Saddled with the less-than-glorious sobriquet Pelusa (Fluffy) as his career in the game took off, Maradona soon diverted attention away from the voluminous and scruffy hairstyle that led to that label.

Blessed with other-worldly skill, he graduated to El Pibe de Oro (The Golden Child) and even became the only player to have a body part given a pet name, after his legendary exploits at the  1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico™ .

The quarter-final against England was the occasion, and a goal of dubious merit the catalyst, as Maradona introduced planet football to the 'hand of God'. For England's supporters, it was a tag tinged with bitter irony, but even they had to watch in wonder as the stocky forward slalomed his way through the English defence to notch his second minutes later. With that one, breathtaking individual effort, Maradona showed the world his left foot also possessed something of the divine. 
 
Similarly, an aptitude for mazy dribbles and deadly finishing transformed Brazilian marksman  Ronaldo  into O Fenomeno during his time at Inter Milan. At Juventus, meanwhile, Alessandro Del Piero's precision in front of goal reminded President Gianni Agnelli of Italian Renaissance painter Pinturicchio, and the slightly obscure reference took hold among the tifosi. Former Inter Milan and Real Madrid striker Ivan Zamorano was baptised El Helicóptero on account of his renowned ability to hang in the air to meet the ball with a header, and the Chilean ended up sharing the Madrid dressing-room with another vehicle in the form of Fernando Hierro, La Locomotora (The Locomotive).       

A burden to carry
More prosaically, some instantly-recognisable footballers can attribute their nicknames to their appearance. For example,  Fabien Barthez  will always be Le Divin Chauve (The Bald-Headed God) to a grateful French public. Lack of hair also lies behind Ivan de La Pena's moniker, with the Spaniard being known as Little Buddha, while Fabrizio Ravanelli's silvery mane caused him to patrol the fields of Italy, France and England as the Penna Bianca (White Feather).

In many other cases, simple contractions have been the way to go, as Jurgen Klinsmann, Michel Platini, Filippo Inzaghi and Ronaldinho have all found. In fact, Klinsi, Platoche, Pippo and Ronnie might consider themselves to have got away lightly, as some nicknames can be a heavy burden to carry. Considered the natural successor to Jorge Valdano,  Hernan Crespo  has had to wrestle with hearing Valdanito chanted from the stands, whereas talented Romanian Gheorghe Hagi was presented to the world as 'the Maradona of the Carpathians'.

Rather than being purely affectionate, these are the titles that come with added responsibility, and living up to them must be a challenge all of its own. The brilliant Zico would surely have plenty to say on that subject, after he was billed as nothing less than 'the White Pele' throughout his illustrious career.