UEFA.com's ongoing mission to ensure that the world's football fans get the players' names right continues as the round of 16 commences; take a deep breath and try these.

BARCELONA

Barcelona's universal popularity has ironed out most pronunciation errors, but Lucas Digne is a tricky one and don't forget that Ivan Rakitić's 'ć' is a 'ch' for English speakers. Also worth mentioning that 'Lionel' is not pronounced the same in Spanish as in English.



Paco Alcácer – Al-kA-ther

José Arnaiz – Are-nice

Lucas Digne – Loo-cah Dee-nyuh

Lionel Messi – Lee-oh-nell

Ivan Rakitić – Ra-key-titch

Thomas Vermaelen – Ver-mah-len

Tom-arsh Vats-leak ©AFP/Getty Images

BASEL

Albanian names can cause some problems; it's also worth remembering for Basel's goalkeeper that a Czech 'c' without an accent is more like a 'ts'.

Albian Ajeti – A-yeti

Léo Lacroix – Lack-wah

Dimitri Oberlin – Oh-bear-lan

Geoffroy Serey Dié – Serray Dee-ay

Marek Suchý – Sook-hee

Tomáš Vaclík – Tom-arsh Vats-leak

Taulant Xhaka – Tow (to rhyme with cow)-lant Jacka

Man-well Noy-er ©AFP/Getty Images

BAYERN MÜNCHEN

Manuel Neuer's surname can be a problem for English-speakers, who tend to panic when they see more than two vowels in a row. For Robert Lewandowski, note that the Polish 'w' is more like an English 'v'. Up-and-coming forward Kwasi Okyere Wriedt is better known by the first name 'Otschi' (phonetically: Ot-she).



Joshua Kimmich – Kim-ikh

Robert Lewandowski – Le-van-dov-ski

Kwasi Okyere Wriedt – V-reet

James Rodríguez – Ha-mess Rod-rEE-geth

Manuel Neuer – Man-well Noy-er

Sven Ulreich – Ool-rike

Oh-zyan Erz-ya-koop ©AFP/Getty Images

BEŞIKTAŞ

The accents on Turkish player names can be daunting, but pronunciation is not impossible. Fans and commentators in Turkey generally use players' first names rather than second, which can make things easier. The Turkish 'c' sounds more like an English 'j', and as for the club's name, it is Besh-eek-tash.



Caner Erkin – Janner

Gökhan Gönül – Gern-ool

Cyle Larin – Kile La-rin

Oğuzhan Özyakup – Oh-zyan Erz-ya-koop

Duško Tošić – Doosh-ko Tosh-itch

Necip Uysal – Neh-jip Oo-sal

Domagoj Vida – Dom-a-goy Vee-dah

N'Golo Con tay ©AFP/Getty Images

CHELSEA

Most fans in the UK have these correct, but it is worth considering that, for French speakers, N'Golo Kanté's surname sounds the same as Antonio Conte's does to English ears.



César Azpilicueta – Ath-pili-coo-et-ah

Gary Cahill – Kay-hill

Thibaut Courtois – Tib-oh Cort-wah

Olivier Giroud – Jee-roo

Eden Hazard – Ay-den

N'Golo Kanté – Con-tay

Giorgio Kee-ell-ee-nee ©Getty Images

JUVENTUS

The Italian 'ch' is more like a 'k' for English speakers, whereas the Croatian 'ć' is an English 'ch'. Gonzalo Higuaín's name has three vowels in a row – a red light for English speakers – but can be anglicised elegantly enough.



Federico Bernardeschi – Bernard-ess-kee

Gianluigi Buffon – Boo-fon

Giorgio Chiellini – Kee-ell-ee-nee

Paulo Dybala – Dee-bar-lah

Gonzalo Higuaín – Ee-gway-een

Mario Mandžukić – Man-joo-kitch

Claudio Marchisio – Mar-kee-sio

Miralem Pjanić – Pee-ah-nitch

Wojciech Szczęsny – Voy-check Schen-snee

LIVERPOOL

Emre Can – Jan

Simon Mignolet – See-mon Min-yo-lay

Georginio Wijnaldum – Why-nal-dum

Kevin De Bruh-nah ©Getty Images

MANCHESTER CITY

İlkay Gündoğan's many accents can alarm, yet it is easier than it looks; Kevin De Bruyne's name is still routinely mispronounced to rhyme with the English word 'coin'. For extra pronunciation kudos, try saying Sergio Agüero's name as if the 'g's were 'k's.

Kevin De Bruyne – De Bruh-nah

İlkay Gündoğan – Ilk-eye Gun-doe-wan

Gabriel Jesús – Jay-zooss

Aymeric Laporte – Em-rick

MANCHESTER UNITED

Davide De Gea – De Hayer

Victor Lindelöf – Linda-love

Anthony Martial – Mar-see-al

Ad-ree-an Rab-yo ©AFP/Getty Images

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

The French language's many vowels continue to confound English speakers. Take heart: it is simpler than it looks. Yuri Berchiche is from the Basque Country, meaning a very different pronunciation from what French speakers might expect.



Yuri Berchiche – Bare-chee-chay

Layvin Kurzawa – Kur-zha-va

Giovani Lo Celso – Gee-oh-var-ni Low Sell-so

Marquinhos – Mar-keen-yoss

Thomas Meunier – Mur-nee-ay

Adrien Rabiot – Ad-ree-an Rab-yo

Ee-care Ca-see-yass ©Getty Images

PORTO

Years of effort have almost eradicated the English tendency to pronounce Iker Casillas's first name as if he worked as an optician (eye care).

Iker Casillas – Ee-care Ca-see-yass

Gonçalo Paciência – Gon-sah-lo Passy-en-sia

Jorge Teixeira – Tay-shay-ra

Toni Crows ©AFP/Getty Images

REAL MADRID

The 'oo' in Toni Kroos's surname does not sound like English speakers would like it to.

Dani Carvajal – Car-va-hal

Dani Ceballos – Theb-eye-oss

Mateo Kovačić – Ko-va-chitch

Toni Kroos – Crows

Luka Modrić – Mod-rich

ROMA

Andrea Ciofi – Choffee

Edin Džeko – Jecko

Radja Nainggolan – Nine-go-lon

Cengiz Ünder – Jen-giss Oon-dah

Clay-mon Long-lay ©AFP/Getty Images

SEVILLA

Daniel Carriço's name sounds a good deal softer in his native Portuguese than you might anticipate.

Daniel Carriço – Car-hiss-oh

Simon Kjær – Care

Clément Lenglet – Clay-mon Long-lay

Nicolás Pareja – Pa-reck-ha

SHAKHTAR

Ukrainian names are transcribed from Cyrillic into the Latin alphabet phonetically, so names sound pretty much as they look – though bear in mind that the Ukrainian 'h' (as in Bohdan, Serhiy, Oleh) is more like a 'kh' for English speakers. Shakhtar's new Brazilian right-back is a 'dudu' and not a 'dodo'.

Dodô – Du-du

Yaroslav Rakitskiy – Rack-its-key

Or-ee-ay ©Getty Images

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

The spelling is not the usual one in English, but 'Dier' is pronounced the same as the more common 'Dyer' – and not 'dee-ay' as some may be tempted to try.

Toby Alderweireld – Al-der-vay-reld

Serge Aurier – Or-ee-ay

Eric Dier – Die-er