It’s spooky season – and, yes, that applies to sport too.
Halloween is an American tradition, but it has engrained itself into European society over the past few decades – and now it’s starting to find itself in football. While it’s not fright night for most teams, Daily Star Sport has a look at the times Halloween and football have crossed paths.
From spooky masks to jaw-dropping WAGs dressing up, it’s become quite the holiday. However, it doesn’t stop there – have you ever wondered why Valencia’s badge has a bat or ex-Serie A side Benevento crest is emblazoned with a witch riding a broomstick? Well, look no further.
Napoli’s seasonal kits
Italian side Napoli have made the most of the Halloween period in recent seasons by releasing limited edition kits inspired by aspects of the holiday.
Back in 2022, the club’s kit manufacturer EA7 produced an all-black shirt with spider’s webs across it. While, last season, their traditional light blue shirt was update to feature a colony of bats flying up it from the bottom.
The club went on to wear the new strip numerous times during October.
Valencia’s bat
Valencia have one of European football’s most unique and instantly recognisable badges thanks to the large bat which sits at the top of their crest.
There are numerous explanations for the incorporation of the animal into the La Liga side’s badge, with a bat also appearing on the city’s coat of arms.
The most common explanation for the association with bats comes from their history with the Spanish city, having occupied the area long before people did. Valencia was built on top of a swamp and is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which form much of a bat’s diet.
Benevento’s witch
Much like Valencia, the Benevento badge also has a strong connection to Halloween. The centre of the Italian club’s crest is emblazoned with a witch riding a broomstick.
It is understood that the witch is a reference to the legends of the witches of Benevento, with the city said to have been the meeting place for Italian witches during the 13th century.
As well as their badge, the Serie C club are also nicknamed both Stregoni and Streghe, which translate to sorcerers and witches, respectively.
Chantelle Heskey’s Halloween Ball
Back in 2014, Chantelle Heskey hosted a star-studded Halloween Ball at Alderley Edge’s Festival Hall in Cheshire to celebrate the spooky festivities and raise money for charity.
The wife of former England striker Emile, Heskey’s party was attended by a host of footballers and their stunning WAGs, including Vincent Kompany’s wife Carla, who was pictured dressed as a sexy cat.
Other attendees included Fabrice Muamba and his wife Shauna as well as fellow WAGs Tanya Bardsley dressed as slasher villain Freddy Krueger and Djibril Cisse’s ex-wife Jude.
Barcelona’s scary masks
Not all instances of footballers celebrating Halloween are as light-hearted, though, with Andres Iniesta having to personally apologise to Getafe players for the actions of his team-mates in 2015.
Several Barcelona players gate-crashed Victor Rodriguez’s post-match interview wearing horror masks following a 2-0 away win.
Speaking to Marca following the incident, Getafe captain Pedro Leon admitted he and his team-mates saw it as “a lack of respect” but confirmed they “accept their apologies” after he received a call from Iniesta.
Tigres’ pre-match pose
Four years later, several members of Mexican side Tigres’ starting line-up donned similarly spooky masks before a home match against Toluca on Halloween.
As the players posed for a pre-match squad photo, several of them pulled on masks which ranged from Batman to a clown and a werewolf.
An image of them posing shows not all players were necessarily on board with the idea with some sheepish looks on the faces of those not wearing masks.