6 footballers with a talent for music

Gary Neville showed his talents on the guitar when he joined the Charlatans for an impromptu gig, but he's not the only footballer with a gift for music.

Whether behind the mic or with an instrument in their hand, plenty of the game's greats have shown that, in another life, they might have ended up playing to tens of thousands at music festivals rather than football stadiums.

Petr Cech - Drums

The new Arsenal number one will have been as disappointed as anyone to see the Foo Fighters pull out of their headline slot at Glastonbury, as you can see from this tribute. Timing is a big part of the game for a goalkeeper just as it is for a drummer, so perhaps Cech's hidden talent shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFjHZj85d0M

Tomas Rosicky - Guitar

We're not sure what it is about the Czechs, but Cech's club and international team-mate Tomas Rosicky is similarly handy on the guitar. We suppose he's had enough time to practice during his various injury layoffs, but he can't have been happy to see this singer wear a Liverpool shirt for their performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFbOVTBcSgU

Mario Balotelli - Piano

Nothing surprises us any more as far as Mario Balotelli is concerned, and that goes for things he excels at as well as things he can't quite master. While training bibs and segways might fall into the latter camp, Mario is a star when it comes to playing piano. But of course... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuylbPlzbH0

Alexi Lalas - Singing

While some footballers could have chosen to release music, few went as far as Lalas and actually did it. The former USA centre-back released three solo albums, including plenty of original material in addition to this cracking cover of The Primitives' hit Crash. Not too shabby. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em-PxpstTZM

Bradley Wright-Phillips and Yannick Bolasie - Rapping

While others have kept football and music distinct from one another, Wright-Phillips and Bolasie couldn't keep sport out of the mix in this rap battle. The pair played together for Plymouth Argyle, and Bolasie even had time to mock his former team-mate's lack of international recognition for England. Who do you think came out on top?