sparking curious mind

At the start of the World Cup, Cool Hunting asked who was the coolest footballer ever. They got loads of entries from all over the world, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. There were plenty of votes for Pele, and while he is one of the greatest players ever, some of his fellow countrymen beat him in the cool stakes.

The coolest footballer ever is Brazil's Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, more simply known as Sócrates: "For the name, the beard, the shorts and the chain smoking for the few occasions he was actually on the bench--a jinga de verdade, (loosely translated as a truly elegant player)."
He was also his country's incredibly elegant captain, wore a headband like no other, and was a qualified medical doctor. Too cool.