IT’S National Puppy Day – which means one thing, lots of cute pictures of dogs.
Just like the rest of us, footballers love man’s best friend.
Some players have set up social media accounts for their pets, while others boast whole packs that run riot in their households.
Here, we run down some of football’s biggest dog lovers.
Alexis Sanchez
The most famous dogs in football, golden retrievers Atom and Humber even have their own Instagram page, boasting 183,000 followers.
The dogs have been pictured numerous times in Arsenal and Manchester United kits – while both sets of fans have even unveiled banners in honour of them.
Lionel Messi
The Barcelona superstar has a giant, slobbering, brown Douge de Bordeaux (French Mastiff) named Senor Hulk guarding his mansion in the suburbs Barcelona.
The dogs are known for their having a very calm temperament with people they know – and being great with kids – but also being a good guard dog.
Neymar
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is currently recovering from his injury alongside his three retrievers.
And the Brazilian star has also given away that he must be a fan of card games, having named all three of his dogs after cards – naming them Poker, Truco and Flush.
Poker also has his own Instagram page, with 66,000 followers.
Aaron Ramsey
The Arsenal midfielder is often seen posting pictures of his beagle Halo whether he is cuddling up to it or going for walks.
Beagles were originally bred for hunting hares.
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Sergio Ramos
The Real Madrid skipper and his partner Pilar Rubio are dog mad – having a pack of three.
Names Lizzy, Jagger and Chulo, Ramos has two large German Shepherds and a Jack Russell cross.
Marcelo
The Brazilian left-back is another pet-mad star at Real Madrid.
He has five dogs: a massive Newfoundland named Lola, a labrador called Nala, a French bulldog Uly and two English bulldogs, Kiara and Thaig.
Marcelo also has a cat, Lil.
Marcus Rashford
The Manchester United striker showed off his ferocious-looking Cane Corso (Italian mastiff) last month.
The Cane Corso has a similar personality to other mastiff breeds, although they sport a more menacing look with their docked ears.
Memphis Depay
Sadly, Memphis’ cute Chow Chow, Simba, passed away last year.
But the former Manchester United winger frequently posts throwback pictures of his dog.
Mario Balotelli
The Italian maverick has two Staffies, bought from a rescue home during his time at Liverpool.
Super Mario also gave the dogs a nod to the old Nintendo game from where he takes his own nickname… calling them Luigi and Bowser after characters in the series.
Hector Bellerin
Without being rude to Bellerin, his dog Otto is capable of pulling some of the most stupid faces you can imagine.
The Weimaraner didn’t look particularly happy when he was pictured in an Arsenal shirt, either.
David de Gea
De Gea and his celebrity girlfriend Edurne have a Chow Chow – named Matxo or mule – in China, where the breed originated, the dog is called a Songshi Quan, or ‘puffy-lion dog’.
The dog has been around for more than 2,000 years to ancient times, making it one of the oldest breeds still in existence.
Harry Kane
The Spurs and England star loves his dogs, posting numerous pictures of them over the years.
Kane is a well known lover of the NFL and has named his dogs after two of the sport’s biggest stars – Tom Brady and Russell Wilson.
John Terry
The Chelsea legend and current Aston Villa star has two dogs at his surrey home – one cute and one not so.
He has a French Bulldog named Blue (top picture) and has recently beefed up his security with a black Cane Corso, who’s name has not yet been revealed.
Mesut Ozil
The German is another midfielder that dotes on his pup.
Ozil is often seen posting pictures of him clowning around with his black pug, named Balboa after Rocky.
Chris Smalling
The Manchester United defender and former Page 3 wife Sam have two dogs.
Smalling is often seen walking his dogs, Miley and Ruben, while Sam posts numerous pics of the pair.
Isco
The Real Madrid was still at Malaga when he got his dog… and unfortunately for him he can no longer walk the pooch in the Spanish capital.
That’s because Isco actually named his dog ‘Messi’. He said at the time: “Messi is the best in the world and so is my dog.”
The comments didn’t go down too kindly at the Bernabeu, although he is a firm fan favourite after three Champions League triumphs in four seasons.
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