da poker： Twitter recently celebrated its 5th birthday and the social networking site continues to go from strength to strength. For us football fans it is a great place to hear the thoughts of the current Premier League stars, ex-players and top journalists. You shouldn’t just restrict who you follow to those people from the world of football, though, as there are plenty of other great Twitter accounts out there. Here we profile 100 of the best, including football and non-football, funny and serious, famous and spoof. If there’s any we’re missing let us know in the comments below…
da pixbet： Seeing as we’re a football site, let’s start with some big-name footballers:
Rio Ferdinand – Arguably the most famous football Tweeter, Rio spends more time Tweeting than he does playing football right now!
Rafa van der Vaart – Tottenham’s revelation this season, Rafa’s English might not be the best but that doesn’t mean that Spurs fans won’t lap up everything he says.
Nani – The Manchester United midfielder often goes on Twitter to put the record straight, recently saying: “I’ve seen some false reports on the press. I want you to know that you will hear the truth from me. Love MU”.
Darren Bent – Bent hasn’t been on Twitter that often since his outburst against Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy but the Aston Villa striker has said “Promise I will be back on here soon”.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Ronaldo has more than 2 million followers on Twitter so make sure you follow him if you want to stroke his huge ego even more!
If you’re wondering where all the Arsenal and Liverpool players are don’t worry, they’re featured later on!
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Time for some generic football accounts:
The FA – Plenty of quotes and links to video footage, a good source of news before international fixtures.
Soccer Bible – ‘The Global Authority on the latest Football Gear’, the soccer bible will keep you up to date with the release of new football boots, shirts, etc.
Soccer AM – The best football show on TV – well it used to be at least and their Tweets will allow you to enjoy the banter within the team.
Opta Joe – A great source of information for football fans, Opta gives you more footy facts than you could ever want – great pub facts!
ITV Football – Links to football news in and amongst football chat. Don’t think Adrian Chiles is let loose on the account, though.
Mirror Football – One of the better newspaper football accounts around, plenty of footy gossip for you to get your teeth stuck into.
Nike Football – Tweets about what the footballers wearing Nike football boots are up to on and off the pitch.
Adidas Soccer – I couldn’t include Nike but not Adidas, even if they do call their account Adidas Soccer not Football.
Four Four Two – Their bio just about sums it up: ‘Humorous but wholehearted, polished but readable, substantial but accessible, it’s football’s most insightful brand – with added F.U.N.’
Football FanCast – This list wouldn’t be complete without a shameless plug, so here it us! Make sure you follow Football FanCast for all the latest football news and opinion.
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A departure from football now as we look at some general interesting stuff:
Funny or Die – They make funny videos with famous people. Will Ferrell is their boss. They like to laugh and watch kittens do adorable people things – so join them!
Zoo UK – The Twitter account of the UK’s leading lads mag, there you’ll find the hottest girls, latest news, sport, cars, jokes, interviews, gadgets & films.
My Drunk Texts – A place for you to send all the drunk texts you have either received or sent, completely anonymous of course.
Top Gear – Perhaps the best programme on TV (apart from Match of the Day), take a look the gorgeous cars that are featured.
Nando’s – This could well be Rio Ferdinand’s favourite restaurant if his Tweets are to be believed, you can make suggestions for additions to their menu.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE for more must-follow Twitter accounts…
Arsenal players seem to be keen on Tweeting, let’s have a look at some Gunners:
Jack Wilshere – The future of Arsenal and England is a regular Tweeter and even online wears his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to show his emotions.
Wojciech Szczesny – The young goalkeeper certainly speaks his mind, as a certain tweet about Ashley Cole illustrates.
Johan Djourou – Seeing as the Swiss defender has just got injured, I would suspect on his Twitter Djourou will be keeping you right up to date with how his comeback is progressing.
Samir Nasri – Nasri’s tweets aren’t always the most enlightening, but if you support Arsenal I suppose you won’t really care too much.
Robin van Persie – The Dutchman seems to be something of a joker, posting pictures of Theo Walcott sleeping (left) amongst other gems.
Aaron Ramsey – Arsenal’s second most exciting youngster (after Wilshere), his Tweets are a bit sensible but interesting nonetheless.
Bacary Sagna – The Frenchman’s personality shines through in Tweets like “Ahaha england is cold but i like this country” – priceless.
Craig Eastmond – Grammar isn’t great, but Eastmond’s on Twitter a lot, so worth the follow.
Henri Lansbury – Currently on loan at Norwich, Lansbury is nearing the 50k followers mark on Twitter, so help him smash through it!
Cesc Fabregas – Cesc posts plenty of pictures of the Arsenal lads, but you might need to brush up on your Spanish as he mixes his native language with English.
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5 forms of entertainment to keep you busy when the footy’s not on:
EA – The makers of many great games, including FIFA of course, the Electronic Arts Twitter account will help keep you up to date with all your favourite titles.
Playstation – Official Twitter updates on PlayStation, PS3, PSP, PSN, and PS2, letting you know when the next great game is coming out.
Xbox – If you’re a Microsoft rather than a Sony man than this is the Twitter account for you, just ‘jump in’ as they say in their bio.
Nintendo – Not wanting to leave any of the big games’ manufacturers out, here’s Nintendo’s Twitter offering, where they share the latest gaming news.
Betfair Poker – More of a poker man than a gamer? This account is a must follow as you’ll be treated to irregular free tournament entry competitions.
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Liverpool rival the Gunners in terms of players on Twitter, here’s some of their lot:
Dirk Kuyt – Just in case you were unsure, this is the ‘only official Dirk Kuyt Twitter account’ – thanks for clearing that up Dirk!
Glen Johnson – The Liverpool full back says it how it is: “Nice day today, just finished training.” By the way, it was sunny when Glen said that.
Luis Suarez – Liverpool fans will want to follow Suarez who is “convinced we will fix it up in Anfield. Let’s work hard now!”
Lucas Leiva – Not all of Lucas’ Tweets are in English but don’t let that put you off, he recently Tweeted: “Great result and even better celebration thanks Dirk and Luis for the goals and all the team for the tribute.”
Jonjo Shelvey – Jonjo lets you know exactly what he’s up to. Last time I looked it was “Tattoo time!” Jonjo has since deleted his account after his mates got hold of it!
Raheem Sterling – Arguably the future of Liverpool Football Club, Raheem loves football and is certainly one to watch.
Nathan Ecclestone – Currently on loan at Charlton, Nathan is living the dream: “Bedrooms like a bombs hit it yazoo and lucozade bottles all over the gaff need to fix up!”
Brad Jones – Not sure Brad has played for Liverpool yet, but you can read what he thinks about sitting on the bench week after week!
Kenny Dalglish – The man behind Liverpool’s revival has “been a bit busy. Affected my tweeting. Trying to catch up. Thanks for the wonderful support.” – I think we can cut him some slack.
John W Henry – The owner of Liverpool Football Club. Earlier this month he said: Don’t believe the 200 or so stories on potential player “swoops” – spoil sport!
Continue to the NEXT PAGE for even more must-follow Twitter accounts…
5 more non-footy Twitter accounts for you:
Firebox – As their bio says: ‘Firebox scours the world for things with a twist: the very latest gadgets, gifts, games and other geek stuff’. Cool!
Lovefilm – Ideal for when there’s a lack of football on TV, there you’ll find interviews, reviews and general film banter.
Wired – The official Twitter feed of Wired.com and Wired magazine, which they claim is the first word on how technology is changing, and I wouldn’t disagree with them.
Maxim Magazine – Another magazine, this time one that is guys’ ‘Ultimate Guide to Celebrities, Gear, Hot Girls, Photos, Videos, Sex, Women, and Sports’.
FHM – More gorgeous girls, this time courtesy of FHM. Some other random stuff such as “Hear ye! Hear ye! Send a story about a disaster you’ve had with a pet to [email protected], and we’ll pay you £25 if we use it in the mag.”
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15 more footballers for you to look through:
Kevin Davies – Kevin is a regular Tweeter and the captain of Bolton Wanderers is only too happy to talk to his fans – top bloke.
Stuart Holden – Kevin’s Bolton teammate has recently suffered an injury, so the American player will have a fair bit of time to carry on Tweeting.
Ryan Babel – The Dutchman may no longer play for the Reds but he famously got in trouble while at Liverpool for mocking up photos of referees!
Micah Richards – Plenty of links to reports of Micah in action, but a few personal Tweets too including “All the best andy carrol! U will live up 2 the expectation!!”
Jamie O’Hara – Jamie says this about himself – Professional footballer and a loving dad with an amazing fiance loves playing football and works hard, but never forget where ive come from – which pretty much sums him up.
Landon Donovan – The American players are into Twitter in a big way and if you follow Landon you’ll get a good idea about the daily life of a professional footballer.
Carlton Cole – The West Ham striker has some big concerns – “How comes when u go into a carribean restaurant and u ask for a certain dish they say “we’ve run out!” Unacceptable.”
Kyle Walker – Kyle lets you know how he’s getting on – “In the car on the way home guttered about this little niggle hopefully will be fine for everton on sat fingers crossed 🙁 :'(“
Danny Welbeck – Danny gets up to all kinds of mischief – “The lollipop man was lucky dis mornin. I was guna take his stick smack him on the head and rob his jacket! Hah”
Anton Ferdinand – Rio isn’t the only Ferdinand into this Twitter lark, Anton ‘Im as mighty as a lion, but still as gentle as a bluebird’ is on there too”
Freddy Adu – Championship Manager sensation Freddy Adu didn’t quite make the dizzy heights predicted, but you can still see what he’s up to.
Giuseppe Rossi – Could the former Manchester United striker be heading to Tottenham in the summer? Check out his musings at Villarreal right now.
Neil Danns – He plays for Crystal Palace but that’s not all that Mr Danns does, he also writes and produces music that might take your fancy.
Steven Pienaar – The South African midfielder, now at Spurs, posts stuff like “If u want to be the best u have 2 beat the best!” Well said.
Danny Simpson – Danny’s an honest lad, and after a Newcastle defeat said “no excuses mate it was poor! Sorry 2 all fans who travelled 2day like yaself, I apologise.”
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Beware, not everyone on Twitter is who they say they are! Here are 5 great spoof accounts:
Big Sam – A spoof of former Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce, The Big Sam is NSFW and anyone with sensitive eyes!
Dimitar Berbatov – Berba is a gentleman first, footballer second and has said recently “Our arsenal away game means I’m in London for the royal wedding – this pleases me.”
Chuck Norris – Some great stuff on Chuck’s spoof account including: “When Chuck Norris goes to donate blood, he declines the syringe, and instead requests a hand gun and a bucket.”
Sepp Blatter – FIFA supremo Blatter is not the favourite person of most British football fans, perhaps you’ll like spoof Sepp more.
Kai Rooney – A young Tweeter, Wayne Rooney’s son Kai lets you know what his dad is up to from his Big F*** Off house in Cheshire.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE for more must-follow Twitter accounts…
The final 5 men’s lifestyle accounts:
MTV – If you’re a fan of music, and I’m not talking about Hoddle and Waddle and their attempt at Diamond Lights, check out Music Television’s Twitter.
Burberry – A favourite with footballers, Burberry is a ‘155 year-old global brand with distinctly British attitude’.
Top Man – More clothes, this time from TopMan UK, which they claim is the ‘ultimate online destination for the best in menswear fashion’ – I wouldn’t quite go that far, but they’re good nonetheless.
Play.com – An excellent online retailer selling games, music, films, etc – find out what new products they’re selling first.
LastMinute.com – Ideal if you need a holiday or are a planning a footy trip with the lads, because sometimes you just need to get away.
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All the top football journalists and personalities are on Twitter, here’s a selection of them:
Henry Winter – The Daily Telegraph Football Correspondent and Columnist for the Sunday Telegraph seems to always be on Twitter and is often first with the big football news.
Guilleme Balague – What he doesn’t know about Spanish football isn’t worth knowing and he is open to you offering suggestions for questions for his various interviews.
Stan Collymore – A man who divides opinion, Stan has plenty to say for himself and thus Twitter is perfect for him. Worth following just to see what he’s ranting about next.
Jacqui Oatley – Jacqui says her Tweets ‘involve lots of stats and motorways’ – she isn’t afraid to air her views and has recently questioned Fabio Capello’s attempts to learn English.
Kay Murray – Another female follower of footy, Kay aka Football Barbie is a northern lass and describes her Tweets as ‘Football with heels & hairspray!’
Georgie Thompson – The third and final female footy follower on this list, Georgie regular Tweets her fellow A League of Their Own teammate @flintoff11.
Bryan Swanson – Sticking with Sky Sports presenters, Bryan is always one of the first to Tweet the latest football news and rumours and has a fair few sources.
Phil McNulty – Chief Football Writer for the BBC Sport Website, Phil gives great insight into the circles he moves in and brings you the latest news.
Oliver Kay – Oliver Kay is a well-respected football correspondent for The Times Newspaper and posts news as well as pictures from the games.
Robbie Savage – Definitely a football ‘personality’, Robbie’s Tweets may stray from football from time to time but remain interesting if not always informative nonetheless.
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The best of the rest:
Samsung – They make TVs, Mobile Phones and pretty much every other gadget you could ever want. See what they’re releasing next!
Kick It Out – With allegations of further racism in football at the weekend, this time towards Neymar, make sure you support this cause
Empire of the Kop – ‘You’ll Never Tweet Alone’, especially with not far off 150,000 Liverpool fans following these updates.
Odds Checker – Fancy a bet? Check the odds of football and non-football events and decide whether to have a flutter or not.
The Football League – If you’re not a glory boy who follows the Premier League, then the Football League Twitter feed is for you.
Caught Offside – Football News and Gossip, if there’s a rumour worth hearing then these guys will probably have posted it.
Men’s Health Mag – For those fans that spend too much time on the sofa watching the footy, ‘your ultimate guide to fitness, health, weight loss, nutrition, sex, style and guy wisdom’.
Football Soccer UK – They claim to write ‘Thought provoking tweets on European Football…’ and close to 100,000 people follow them, worth a peek.
7 Digital – The home of MP3 downloads, check out the latest music releases first and get yourself some digital bargains.
Skittles – Granted, a little bit random, but they are the ‘Official Tweeter of Awesomeness. Follow the Rainbow. Taste the Rainbow’.
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Some new additions to the world of Twitter, as well as a couple of old favourites:
Michael Owen – MO has recently signed up to Twitter and has thousands of followers despite not Tweeting yet. That first one better be pure gold! (It wasn’t).
Aleksandr Orlov – As his bio says: “I am Aleksandr, founder of comparethemeerkat.com.I live and make my work in Moscow, where many generations of my family have thrive.”
Marc Albrighton – A great prospect for Aston Villa and England, we’ll just have to wait and see what his Tweets are like.
Charlie Sheen – Sheen has become a Twitter sensation within a matter of days, you don’t know what he’ll say next but then neither does he!
Grant Wahl – The final word on this list goes to Grant Wahl. The Sports Illustrated senior writer and New York Times best-selling author is running for FIFA president!
Those with a keen eye will have noticed that Jonjo Shelvey has deleted his account since making this list, which is now 99 Twitter accounts every football fan should follow! Also, if any of the accounts above aren’t real (apart from the spoof ones obviously) I can only apologise. Perhaps the players in question would like to get in touch with their official ones!