Football fans always have certain players that they love more than any other for their club, the ones that they most identified with or who they admired for their skill, or who scored the most goals and delivered memorable occasions. Whatever the reason, these 'fan favourites' are never likely to lose their appeal, they are enshrined in the history books.
In recent years there has been an explosion in websites that offer a service for getting personalised celebrity messages on video and, it turns out, footballers are no stranger to this. Roughly 99% of those on board are retired, with Tom Huddlestone and Christian Fuchs being the only ones that I found on there to still be playing professionally. At 90 Minutes Online we're not adverse to offering the occasional consumer advice (plus I thought it might make for an amusing report), and so I took it upon myself to have a nose around one of these messaging sites to see what's what. I went with memmo, and my aim is to tell you which (mostly) ex-footballers I think offer the best value for money on that platform.
The set-up for the site seems straightforward enough, in that you search through the options, click on an individual and then click on the book button, fill out a form and pay the money upfront. There are optional extras you can pay more for, including being able to really personalise the message with further instructions, getting it within 24 hours or guaranteeing a video that's at least 2 minutes long. What interested me though, was the wide range of former football players who were on there, from different eras, how much they charged, and how much effort they put into their messages.
Curiously, there are 40 odd options on there that are listed as unavailable for now, so fans of John Arne Riise, Lee Sharpe or Paolo Di Canio will be disappointed, although this list did also include the double-act of Richard Keys and Andy Gray, so, every cloud and all that...
As for who you can get to actively deliver a greeting, the price scale starts from as little as £10. For that you can currently hear from Matt Jarvis, Jonathan Fortune, Jon Macken, Deon Burton, Carl Hutchings, David Cotterill, Matt Elliot and Leroy Lita. I've no idea what algorithm memmo use to come to their valuations, but presumably those mentioned (or their agents?!) have a view on what they're worth. Put it this way, I think all of the above footballers should be pricing themselves higher than the referees Mark Halsey (£15) or Jeff Winter (£20) are!
Looking at the other end of the market, the most expensive option at this time is Liverpool legend Ian Rush. Now, I've no argument about his stature and standing within the game, he is one of the great strikers of English football. However, if you're tempted to get 'The Ghost' to record a message for you, he costs £170 for the pleasure. Judging by the previous examples you can view on his profile page, it's not exactly the best value for money. Of the 4 videos that I could view the average length was a mere 20 seconds and Rush repeated the same couple of phrases pretty much verbatim with an added thumbs up, always signing off with 'take care, stay safe and you'll never walk alone' That being said, he's clearly very popular and the Liverpool fans revere him so much that they happily stump up the cash regardless.
Most Recommended Footballers on memmo
So, what about the footballers that seem to be real value for money? To try and work out my recommendations took a lot more effort than I anticipated, mostly due to the sheer volume of options. However, I did discount those that had a lack of activity for me to judge from, and am basing my recommendations upon three factors:
*Cost of standard message
*Average length of message
*Enthusiasm and personality
The last factor is adjudged by seeing how invested the former footballers are in their messaging. Obviously, this is just an extra form of income for players after the end of their professional careers, but, it's still very clear that the majority of them aren't just phoning it in. Instead, quite a lot of them come across as appreciating these interactions with their fans. Here are my top 8 memmo suggestions.
Neil Ruddock
The former Liverpool and Tottenham defender is a big man with a big personality, something that's been showcased a few times on 'A League of Their Own'. From what I've seen, he appears to regularly record his video messages whilst lying back on some big fluffy, leopard-print cushions and he doesn't hold back with his bravado or colourful language.
Messages don't look to be too brief, sometimes exceeding the 1 minute mark, and as for the price, it's a pretty decent £35 for the basic rate. All in all, I'm half tempted to tap Razor up as a future birthday gift after seeing how well he delivers a cheeky insult.
Sir Geoff Hurst
Obviously this West Ham and England legend needs no introduction, but it's clear from the example messages on show that he takes care to give some insights or to even offer advice to those receiving them. There is little repetition in what he says from one video to another, and the snippets of information he gives from his career can make these personal moments all the more special.
On average, the videos from Sir Geoff seem to be about a minute long, and to get the ball rolling you'll have to start out with £80. That being said, he is football royalty in England and there are not too many World Cup winners available to speak with on this medium!
Shaun Goater
Manchester City fans know more than most that if you feed the goat, he will score. And the same seems to apply with memmo, as Goater is more than happy to give a bit more than just the basic message, offering renditions of football chants for recipients, pep talks and little reflections on his career, all with a big smile on his face. He is likely to speak for almost 2 minutes at a time, for the relatively reasonable cost of £45.
Steve Claridge
A footballer with an impressive longevity in his career, and a bit of a nomad existence towards the last few years of it, the former Pompey great has since settled down as manager of Salisbury for the past 7 years. A message from him is priced at only £25 initially, and his jovial, down-to-earth personality is clear to see as he chats from 1 to 2 minutes. He is also happy to adlib, usually in a self-deprecating manner, with the information that he's been given.
Martin Allen
Living up to his 'Mad Dog' persona, Allen isn't shy from throwing in some of his eccentric sense of humour. Examples of this include a silent delivery behind a facemask, or feeling intimidated by an imaginary farmer walking across his land in a threatening manner! The man who's managed Barnet on 5 separate occasions will often talk for about 1.5 minutes if you part with £45.
Lee Hughes
A prolific goalscorer for the likes of WBA, Kidderminster Harriers and Notts County, just to name a few, 'the Ginger Ninja' is clearly eager to please those that book him on memmo. He charges £20 and talks for at least 30 seconds, often with a real fondness about his playing days, and he's more than happy to dish out dedicated renditions of the various songs that the fans used to regale him with at his clubs.
Tony Dorigo
The former England player won the 2nd Division with Chelsea and went on to win the top tier title with Leeds in 1992. Costed at the oddly specific price of £36.82, his average message is 1.5 minutes and is delivered with the air of a consummate professional. He has an engaging, effortless manner that makes you think he's probably a good bloke to have a pint with.
Alex Stepney
This Manchester Utd legend has plenty of stories to tell from his long career, with tales of the 1968 European Cup win being at the forefront of his football achievements. Nearing 80 years old it's clear that his passion for the game remains undiminished, and that his greetings are most sincere and carry a distinguished air about them. Stepney can be booked for as little as £25, with videos going on for 2 minutes or more.
That's my list, and after watching the best part of 200 footballers saying happy birthday or giving pep talks, I can see just how big a business this whole video messaging phenomenon has become. There's definitely plenty of gift options to be found for die-hard football fans, although as I've said, I can't imagine paying some of the prices that are being demanded. It's also worth looking at the profiles simply to be nosy and to get a brief look at what the inside of their houses look like, or to see how well the ex-footballers have aged!