Guus Hiddink Stadium (Gwangju, South Korea)
Originally named the Gwangju World Cup stadium, this 44,118-seater ground was constructed for the 2002 World Cup. It was renamed after Dutch coach Guus Hiddink remarkably took hosts South Korea to the semi-final stage of the tournament. Along the way, Hiddink's side somehow managed to beat Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals, in Gwangju.
Dwight Yorke Stadium (Bacolet, Tobago)
Just outside Scarborough, capital of the minute Caribbean island, sits a ground dedicated to Tobago's most famous footballing son, Dwight Yorke.
The 7,500-seater stadium is dedicated to the striker who won a historic treble with Manchester United in 1999 and played a crucial role in Trinidad and Tobago's first ever qualification for the World Cup in 2006.
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (Milan, Italy)
While this iconic ground is more widely known simply as the San Siro, it is curious that a stadium shared by bitter rivals Inter and AC Milan is named after a player who was a legend for only one of those clubs, having starred for the Diavolo all too briefly.
Giuseppe Meazza is arguably Inter's greatest ever player, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. Nevertheless Rossoneri supporters can appreciate Meazza's contribution to the Italian national side as he was the chief architect of the Azzurri's 1934 and 1938 World Cup triumphs, despite failing to hit his usual goalscoring heights in his two years in red and black.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium/UPC Arena (Graz, Austria)
Sturm Graz's stadium was named after a native of the small Austrian town, namely body-building champion turned movie star and Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2005, however, Arnie was involved in a controversial legal case in California, rejecting the request for clemency of notorious yet reformed murderer Stanley 'Tookie' Williams.
Williams was eventually executed by lethal injection, and the furore led to Schwarzenegger revoking Sturm Graz the right to name their ground after him.
Adolf Hitler Kampfbahn (Stuttgart, Germany)
Undoubtedly the most sinister on the list, this stadium was named in honour of the Nazi dictator soon after he assumed the title of Führer in 1933.
It conveniently became the Century Stadium immediately after the end of the Second World War, and underwent various changes and modifications right up until 2008, when it became what is currently known as the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Tofik Bahramov Stadium (Baku, Azerbaijan)
Most people will never have heard of Tofik Bahramov, but any English football fan with a sense of humour should positively revere him. Formerly a sergeant in the Soviet Red Army, Bahramov became a football referee and went on to make one of the sport's most famous decisions.
He was none other than the 'Russian linesman' who judged that Geoff Hurst's shot had crossed the line in the 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany.
Even more amusingly, the stadium named after him was inaugurated in 2004 before a game between Azerbaijan and England, with Hurst himself present along with then FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Pope Francis Stadium (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
While this has not as yet become reality, in 2014 Argentine club San Lorenzo promised to name their stadium after their most famous supporter, Pope Francis. It remains to be seen whether the club keeps that promise.
Stade Didier Drogba (Levallois, France)
Chelsea legend Didier Drogba arrived at semi-professional French club Levallois Sporting at the age of 15. A few years down the line, the minnows received €700,000 when the Ivorian striker moved from Marseille to Chelsea, prompting them to show their gratitude to Drogba by naming their ground after him.
Adapted from an article by Simona Marchetti in La Gazzetta dello SportThe post From Hiddink to Hitler: Stadiums with iconic names appeared first on GazzettaWorld.