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“Hulk” Givanildo Vieira de Souza has traveled the world to showcase his skills as a forward, and hopes his talents will surface once again against Germany on Tuesday.
Here’s what you need to know about Hulk.
1. His Butt Is 4 Inches Bigger Than Kim Kardashians
(Instagram/Hulk)
During last year’s Confederations Cup, the media, fans, and even Hulk’s teammates were obsessing over the size of his butt, claiming it was the biggest in sports. The Brazilian TV show ‘Esquenta’ subsequently decided to whip out a measuring tape and get the dimensions of his butt on live television. Turns out, his buttocks has a circumference of a whopping 43.7 inches, making it larger than Kim Kardashian’s, which celebritymeasurement.com records as being 39 inches.
If you want to get a few laughs about Hulk’s butt, click here.
2. He’s Close Friends With Neymar
(Instagram/Neymar)
The two spend hours together on the field each week, so it’s no surprise they’ve became close friends. Last month, Neymar and Hulk posted a photo on Instagram posing like action figures, and the photo racked up 3.5 million likes, making it the most popular World Cup pic. It has over 2.5 million likes on Facebook alone.
3. He Has a Wife and Two Children
(Instagram/Hulk)
Hulk’s wife, Iran Angelo de Souza, recognizes that her husband is one of Brazil’s most popular sex symbols. She told Fabwags,
He is physically privileged and I can not deny it.
The couple met in a Brazilian restaurant in Japan where Hulk was training at the time, and have been married for eight years. They have two sons– 5-year-old Ian and 3-year-old James– who the soccer player spends ample time with. Hulk is one of seven children, and his close relationships with his siblings has informed what Iran describes as wonderful parenting skills.
4. His Sister Was In the News For Being Kidnapped At Gunpoint
Angelica Aparecida Vieira: Sister of Brazil striker Hulk kidnapped at gunpoint | Mail Online http://t.co/vBjhdudf
— Brazzil Magazine (@brazzil) November 6, 2012
In 2012, Hulk’s youngest sister, Angelica Aparecida Vieira, was kidnapped outside a restaurant in her hometown of Campina Grande. She was 22 at the time, and abducted for 24 hours before returning to her family unharmed.
The Guardian reported that police inspector Marcos Paulo claimed the group of kidnappers planned on asking for a ransom fee of $150,000, but their plans fell through when they couldn’t agree on how they would split the money between themselves.
Though Hulk is very close with his family, he did not speak to the press about his sister’s abduction.
5. He Got His Nickname Because He’s Obsessed With the Comic Book Character
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It wasn’t an odd occurrence for the soccer star to read hulk comic books as a child. But the LA Times notes that the nickname also stuck because of his massive and muscular build.
Hulk’s father gave him the nickname when he was playing at the youth level and the name has stuck since. He told the Daily Mail,
This nickname was given to me as a child. I loved comic book characters and when I played my father began to say ‘go Hulk