From October, a new app will be available to ginger footballers, offering advice on matters such as mental health, sunburn, diet, and scissors.
Worldwide, only 0.6% of people are afflicted by the ginger gene, with ginger footballers most commonly found in Northwest Europe, particularly in the British Isles, with Scotland harbouring the highest percentage of ginger people.
“About 13% of Scotland has ginger hair, followed closely by Ireland and Wales, and this is why we are targeting British footballers,” said the app’s creator, Drydon Green.
“Right now, we offer support to a Brazilian footballer who was, quite unaccountably, diagnosed with the ginger gene from the age of 4. He plays for Palmeiras in Brazil, and his nickname is ‘ferrugem’, which means ‘rusty’.
He’s had a hell of a time growing up in the tropics alongside so many attractive people, and he even gets sunburnt by a full moon.” – Top 10 Ginger Footballers | Goal.com UK.
Ginger footballers cannot access a good barber.
Over the years, many players suffering from the ginger gene have still found success as professional footballers. Players such as John Arne Riise, England’s Paul Scholes, and Forest’s very own Jack Colback, the ‘ginger Pirlo’, have beaten the odds and played at the very highest level of professional football.
The ‘ginger gene’ refers to the MC1R gene, which is responsible for the red, wiry hair that blunts scissors and leaves many without access to a professional barber.
The ginger gene plays a crucial role in determining the type of melanin in the body, and individuals with ginger hair typically need sunblock in the winter months and while indoors in well-lit rooms in summer.
Being outside in the sun can be particularly harrowing for ginger footballers as they are expected to ply their trade, regardless of the daylight’s intensity.
“Our app gives ginger footballers a warning about sunrises and information on monthly full moons during scheduled night matches. The app also gives ginger players access to barbers in their area who specialise in cutting thick, wiry hair with industrial cutting equipment.”
The first ever ginger professional: ‘The Ginger Parrot’
“Our app will take the stress out of being ginger,” continued Drydon,” and will be a welcome relief to those ginger players suffering with their mutated MC1R gene. The decrease of eumelanin, which gives rise to brown and black hair, means that ginger players don’t have to worry too much about vitamin D, but they have to worry about which colours will accentuate their complexion and make them look ill.”
“In particular, Forest’s ‘Ginger Pirlo’, Jack Colback, looked drained by his Garibaldi red shirt and often had the complexion of Lestat de Lioncourt – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lestat_de_Lioncourt – after being thrown in the Mississippi River with his throat cut.”
The first ever professional footballer with the ginger gene was William ‘The Ginger Parrot’ Richardson, who played for Birmingham City and Inter Milan between 1845 and 1902 –W. G. Richardson – Wikipedia. He was so ginger, you could see his head from space, and he was unable to eat tomato soup or carrots, in fear of his hair turning illuminous.
If you or anyone else is affected by the ginger gene, please log on to www.gingergene.com for more information about how to cope with the condition.
