The world of football has encountered numerous outrageous moments throughout its history. Most of these controversial moments are linked to some common faces that were seen more often disrupting the peace and harmony on and off the field.
These names include the likes of Luis Suarez and even the legendary Maradona. Let us take a look at the Top 10 most controversial footballers of all time.
10. David de Gea
The star goalkeeper of The English club Manchester United, David De Gea is widely renowned as one of the best Goalkeepers in the region. However he also often comes into the negative limelight off the field for his controversial actions and words.
David De Gea would never be able to remove the mark of the sexual assault accusations on him in 2016. David was accused of hosting a party where two women were sexually assaulted by two other football athletes. However, David never agreed to these accusations and was always seen in denial of this case.
9. El Hadji Diouf
Former Senegalese forward player, El Hadji Diouf was one of the most controversial players of his generation. Diouf found his way to English giant Liverpool and was also a part of the Bolton Wanderers.
He was not on good terms with anyone, not even his own Liverpool teammates. He is often seen mocking his former teammates Steven Gerrard and Carragher from time to time.
However, this doesn’t stop here as he once spat on an 11-year-old audience member who was supporting the opposite team. In a month’s time, he was again seen spitting on an opposition player on his face.
8. John Terry
The esteemed captain of ‘The Blues’, John Terry was an exceptional center-back and one of the greatest players the team had ever witnessed. He played over 492 matches for Chelsea and scored 41 goals while at it.
However, these stats do not let out the complete story of this player. John was almost all the time caught up in some or other unorthodox acts and his entire career revolved around controversies.
John is very clumsy and was always partying. He was not at all a good husband as he cheated on his wife multiple times while they were still together. John was also accused of passing racist comments on Antoine Ferdinand.
7. Paul Gascoigne
A.k.a Gazza Paul Gascoigne was one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. He played for many great teams in the region including the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. He was also seen playing for the England national football team on numerous occasions.
The player found himself surrounded by controversies wherever he went. He was accused and arrested for a sexual assault charge by a woman during a train journey. He was also charged for cracking a racist joke and abusing his black bodyguard.
6. Eric Cantona
Another Manchester United star player on the list, Eric Cantona is a former striker with exceptional skills and gameplay. He is also renowned for his acting career apart from his on-field achievements.
However, this Frenchman was also more often seen and surrounded by various controversies throughout his career. This was a result of his egoistic nature and behavior with his colleagues.
Eric was completely full of himself and never listened to anybody. He was always in arguments with his teammates and managers. However, his one of the most controversial moments came from a match where he kicked an audience member who was verbally abusing him mid-match and was banned for 8 months. To top it off he said in an interview that he was proud of his actions and they were completely right.
5. Zinedine Zidane
The current Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane had a very good time when he played professionally in his senior career. He took Real Madrid to victory numerous times and was also the star player for his former club Juventus.
However, towards the very end of his career, Zidane found himself caught up in a controversial moment. This was his last World Cup as a player for his nation. He had performed exceptionally well.
But in a heated argument with an opposition player Materazzi, Zidane couldn’t resist and hit him hard with a headbutt to Materazzi’s chest. Zidane was shown the way out of the field instantly and became part of one of the most controversial moments in football history.
4. Mario Balotelli
Balotelli has to be one of the most controversial figures in the football World. He was always seen surrounded by clouds of controversies due to his behavior. His huge body with tattoos all over just added to his intimidating mindset.
Mario is one of the most short-tempered footballers and was seen going on a rampage just as the match started. In a match, he was booked twice and given two yellow cards in just four minutes of the game. He was also given 4 red cards in a single season.
This didn’t stop off the field as he was always found arguing with his teammates and officials for little reason. He was also linked with the mafia and there were many allegations against him in those terms. He also once posted a photo of himself on social media where he was holding guns in his hands as a pose.
3. Paolo Di Canio
Everybody must remember the time when Paolo Di Canio showcases true sportsmanship spirit in a game with Everton when he catches a cross pass from his teammates and stops the play of an opponent getting injured.
However, his entire career was quite contrary to this incident as it was full of controversies all around. Paolo has had several moments when he let rage take control of him and has done a lot of terrible things an athlete shall never do.
He was always seen arguing, and coding violence against his own teammates. He was never on good terms with any of his managers and it doesn’t stop here as he once even had a fight with a referee and used violence against him to get himself an 11-match ban and a hefty amount as fine.
2. Diego Maradona
Maradona is without a doubt one of the greatest players of all time. His skills and footballing abilities were second to none. His contribution to his country and the game is unrivaled.
However, Maradona’s personality was a little different than what we would’ve expected. He was often caught up in various controversies for his actions and words. Even after his retirement he somehow finds a way to get into trouble or intrigue hate.
One of the most controversial moments involving this Argentine star player was the illegal goal against England in the 1986 World Cup Final. Maradona hit a ball using his hand to score a goal and he didn’t stop there as he went on to name this goal as ‘Hand of God’ and became a villain to all the English fans.
1. Luis Suarez
This list is incomplete without Uruguay’s ace Luis Suarez. One of the best players of his generation Suarez was an exceptional striker and had played for Liverpool and Barcelona.
However, what is more, shining is his negative limelight as he did some controversial things on the field. He was seen biting opposition players on three occasions. He was also shown a red card when he used his hand to save a goal near the goal line.
Suarez was very aggressive and some way or other found his way into conflicts with everyone around him. He was seen taking a pose to strike a punch on Gonzalo Jara’s face in a World Cup match. He even had multiple disputes with his own teammates that turned violent.
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