Neymar is battling against another injury at the moment, apparently giving him plenty of time to practise his rapping skills. 

A Brazilian MC has uploaded a short clip of the Barcelona star's lyrical flow on Instagram. It's not a dreadful effort, but perhaps he should stick to the day job. 

Neymar's rhymes inspire this list of the greatest rapping footballers from the past and present...    

John Barnes

"World In Motion" by New Order, released for England's 1990 World Cup campaign, is one of very few truly excellent football songs. It's made better by the fantastic rap breakdown from John Barnes—and worse by Keith Allen dancing around like a moron in the background. 

Barnes is such a nice chap that he will even interrupt his holidays to repeat the famous verse a capella. 

Liverpool's 1988 FA Cup Team

The aforementioned "World in Motion" wasn't John Barnes' first foray into hip hop lyricism—he was a part of the team who released the infamous "Anfield Rap." 

The song was released prior to the Reds' FA Cup clash with minnows Wimbledon—which they famously lost—and featured guest vocals from most of the team.

The highlight may be Bruce Grobbelaar, who raps in his thick South African accent while wearing novelty oversized goalie gloves:

You can take the mick, don't call me a clown;
Any more lip and you're going down! 

Wonderful stuff. 

Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey operates under the rap alter ego "Deuce," presumably because of his love of stalemates in tennis. 

Prior to the 2006 World Cup, the former Fulham star released "Don't Tread" in conjunction with a Nike promotion. The song is dedicated to his sister, who passed away from a brain aneurysm at the age of 16. 

Andy Cole

Andy—sorry, Andrew—Cole became a Premier League legend in the 1990s during stints at Manchester United and Newcastle, and rung in the new millennium with his debut foray into the music world. 

"Outstanding" would be an excellent way to describe Cole's trophy cabinet, but it seems less appropriate for his rapping ability. 

Ryan Babel

While at Liverpool, Dutch winger Ryan Babel tried his hand at spitting some rhymes.

Since his efforts are in Dutch it is difficult to critique his technique, but this translation of his rap suggests he has a bit of a potty mouth. He also emits the fantastic line "I know what time it is–I've just bought a new watch."

Sadly, this highly informative mathematical video does not feature the real Babel. 

Rio Ferdinand

What could be better than seeing Rio Ferdinand perform an impromptu rap with Kano in a chain tapas restaurant? Well, quite a lot of things, actually.

The QPR defender freestyles along to Kano's single "Rock N Roller" in a La Tasca, skilfully rhyming the name of the restaurant with the word "mafia."

Asamoah Gyan

When he isn't on the field missing crucial penalties, Asamoah Gyan performs under his alter ego Baby Jet. 

His song "African Girls," recorded with Castro the Destroyer, won a Ghanaian music award in 2011. It's a fairly catchy Hiplife tune, but Gyan's verse mainly sees him arbitrarily list off ladies' names.   

Paul Gasoigne

During the height of "Gazzamania" in the early 90s, Paul Gascoigne took the opportunity to assault the pop charts. His most famous song was the number-two hit "Fog On The Tyne," but his most rap-tastic release was surely the cheeky "Geordie Boys." 

The impressive vocal performance is only bettered by a video that looked like it cost about £20 to produce. 

Jese Rodriguez

Earlier this year, precocious Real Madrid winger Jese starred in a rap music video by Big Flow, who’s apparently a big deal on the Iberian peninsula.

The song is called “La Mano Arriba,” or “hands up!” and the young star gets to spit a few verses while surrounded by ladies in "da club."

Youri Djorkaeff

When he pulled down the final curtain on his career, World Cup-winning forward Youri Djorkaeff tried his hand in the music business, releasing a dance-oriented single called "Vivre dans Ta Lumiere" ("Living in Your Light").

The lack of a follow-up song suggests his rap wasn't too successful in France, but he certainly pulls off the tank top look rather well in the video.

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