5 most hated footballers

Football is a beautiful game and its players are adored by fans around the world. However, there are some footballers who we just love to hate for reasons like unprofessionalism, racism, bad attitude or simply because they’re just too freaking good (could I have a certain Portuguese gentleman’s attention?). So with great pains I’ve put together a list of the world’s most hated footballers. Go ahead and read it to find out who makes the cut.

#1 Luis Suarez

Okay I’m sure you aren’t one bit surprised with his inclusion on the list. The Uruguayan has ticked off everyone from fans to players to managers to pundits with his actions on the pitch. Suarez has some incredible talent but he just can’t stay out of trouble. The striker has indulged in everything from handling the ball to biting his fellow players and on top of that has shown little or no remorse for those incidents. He was responsible for intensifying the already heated rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool back in 2012 when he racially abused Patrice Evra and refused to shake his hand in their next meeting. Hopefully, Suarez would become a better player at Barcelona but I wouldn’t want to be president of his fan club.

#2 John Terry

The Englishman’s defending skills are second to none and will definitely go down as one of the best centre-backs in the history of football but I’m afraid there will be quite some unpleasant things said about him when people talk about his character. Terry has been involved in numerous incidents ranging from infidelity to abortion and will need to work hard to scrub his image clean. The news of Terry racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, brother of Terry’s former England defensive partner Rio Ferdinand, really kicked up a storm which resulted in an FA ban along with a heavy fine and the defender ever quit the Three Lions setup after the scandal. 

#3 Joey Barton

I can never really understand the case of Joey Barton. He isn’t overly talented or a key part of his team but still loves seeing himself in the news (for all the wrong reasons). The QPR midfielder has made headlines for his less than respectful remarks about former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, his unapologetic views about Roy Hodgson’s management skills and for his tweets that always end up making a fair share of controversies over the last few years. A toned down approach to his views would go a long way for him.

#4 Pepe

The Real Madrid defender has seen more cards than a poker player and is perhaps the most hated defender in Spain if not Europe. Pepe is notorious for his reckless tackles and managed to piss off the entire legion of Barcelona supporters when he whispered some unprofessional things to their star player Lionel Messi in one of the recent El Clasicos and also managed to tick off the German supporters in the World Cup with a harsh tacked on Thomas Muller which earned him a straight red card. I don’t see the Portuguese changing his attitude but it would be helpful if he does in the future.

#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The Swede is a beauty to watch on the field but his words could wilt even the prettiest of flowers. Ibrahimovic’s fiery autobiography ‘I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ brought out his arrogance in full force. The book mentions his refusal to do a trial with Arsenal because he ‘doesn’t do trials, his fights with then Barca manager Pep Guardiola and his blind eye towards club rules. The striker has also been accused of bullying and was filmed having a shouting match with PSG director Leonardo. We all love him for his skills but we’ll love him even more if he becomes a more people’s person.