Football over time has become a pretty competitive sport with increasing stakes and audience. This has given rise to players trying even harder to make a name for themselves. The level of football increases every day and everybody is thriving to be the best in the game.
This competition has also fueled many rivalries along the way. The world of football has seen numerous rivalries on and off the field. Here are the top 10 player rivalries in football.
10. Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard
The rivalry between Scholes and Gerrard was an offspring of the parent rivalry between their respective clubs: Manchester United and Liverpool. This was one of the most anticipated individual battles among the English supporters.
Apart from this, there was also an eternal question of who gets the starting midfield position in the national team of England. This rivalry was also shared by another fellow Englishman Frank Lampard of Chelsea who was another exceptional player from the region.
Gerrard appeared for the England team a total of 114 times and scored 21 goals while playing in the midfield position. Frank Lampard has played a total of 106 matches for the team and has scored 29 goals. However, Scholes has only played 66 matches and scored 14 goals.
9. Pele and Diego Maradona
This is one of those evergreen rivalries that will never come to an end. The contribution of both the players to the game is one of the reasons this rivalry will never meet its end.
Maradona represented Argentina while Pele holds the Brazil flag in the international matches. Both the players have an equal number of individual honors and are both the best in their nation. However, Pele has won a total of 3 world Cup titles while Maradona was seen lifting the Cup only once in his lifetime.
We will always find supporters, stats, and friends questioning who is better between the two. But we will never find an exact answer to this as both played in different conditions and against different players. But we know for a fact that both the players were top of their leagues and can easily be regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
8. Iker Casillas and Gianlugi Buffon
This rivalry is a result of the expertise of both the players in the goalkeeping section. Both the players are so exceptionally good that a rivalry was born between the supporters on who is better.
Casillas played for Spain while Buffon played for the Italian national team. Both are the most capped players in their nation and have contributed for a long time. Both the players also have a World Cup title each to make the rivalry more concrete.
However, the rivalry is just fanmade and completely based because of their stats and responsibilities in the region. The players share a beautiful relationship with each other and do not leave a single opportunity to praise each other.
7. Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra
This is one of the bitter rivalries that the fans had to witness in English football. The rivalry dates back to a Premier League match played between Liverpool and Manchester United in 2011 which was in itself considered one of the fiercest rivalries in the region.
However, this match marked the beginning of the bitter relationship between Suarez and Evra. In the heat of the battle, Suarez was accused of using racist language on opposition player Patrice Evra. Suarez was banned from the coming 8 matches and also fined a hefty amount of £40,000.
To make matters worse, Suarez in their next matchup refused to shake hands with Evra and the rivalry got even worse.
6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart
Zlatan’s whole career was surrounded by controversies due to his statements and behavior with other players and coaches. Even in his initial stages when he had recently moved to Ajax from Malmo, he didn’t get along with the players.
He was on odd terms with one of his fellow mates, Van der Vaart. When he came to the club, he had to fight Van for the position of the best player in the club. This resulted in the formation of a rift between the two players.
And one day Zlatan threatened Van der Vaart that he would snap his legs into two pieces. This just made things worse and it was never a pleasant sight whenever these two played. Zlatan moved on to Juventus after 3 years to avoid this toxic relationship.
5. Neymar and Zuniga
On the night of the Quarterfinal matchup of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, nobody would have anticipated the host nations to lose their ace. Zuniga didn’t just crush Neymar’s back in the injury he inflicted on the star player of Brazil but he also crushed the hopes of all the people hosting the World Cup.
Neymar couldn’t play in the upcoming matches because of this severe injury and Brazil had to suffer a humiliating loss against Germany, who went on to win the World Cup.
The Columbian wingback was not penalized for this and no actions were taken against this incident. Neymar was disappointed by this as it marked his exit from the 2014 World Cup.
4. Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira
In the early 2000s, the rivalry between the two giant clubs in the region Arsenal and Manchester United was already taking shape. The two clubs clashed in the fiercest way and it was a spectacular sight to watch this Battle.
What made this rivalry more interesting was the Highbury tunnel incident. This was a verbal spat between the two mainstays of their respective clubs. Vieira and Keane were seen having an argument before going to the field which created an atmosphere of tension between the two teams.
3. Luis Suarez and Giorgio Chiellini
It would be no surprise to see Luis Suarez more than once on this list. His entire career was surrounded by multiple controversies along the way. He had multiple rivalries with numerous fellow footballers.
And the rivalry with Giorgio Chiellini of Italy is one the bitter ones. In the group stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Uruguay was destined to clash with Italy to fight for the entry to Knockout stages. Uruguay won the match but the relationship between the two nations and their players went for worse.
Luis Suarez had a collision with Giorgio and in this collision, he bit the defender on his shoulders. This was his third biting offense and hence he was penalized after the match and suspended from playing the coming nine matches.
2. Mauro Icardi and Maxi Lopez
This is one of the most interesting rivalries as this one involves a love triangle in it. Maxi Lopez was married to Wanda and had three kids with her. He also had a fellow friend Icardi who was close to him and would always be spotted together.
But Lopez didn’t know that he was inviting a snake over for dinner all this time. Wanda was cheating on Lopez with his fellow mate Icardi and soon married him leaving Lopez alone.
This betrayal marked the start of the bitter relationship between the two players and it was never the same before. Icardi currently plays for PSG while Maxi Lopez has retired from professional football.
1. Messi vs Ronaldo
One of the most iconic rivalries in football, Messi vs Ronaldo is a bliss to watch. The two greatest players of all time when seen on the same field break all records for the amount of audience.
Their rivalry is also one of the major reasons that the El Clasico is what it is today. Both the players are the best in the world and hence this rivalry is one of the eternal types. The football fans are divided into two sections on the basis of their answer to the question “Who is better? Messi or Ronaldo?”
The players also have an equal share of individual achievements to make the debate more intriguing. This is yet again a fan made rivalry and purely based on states and club differences. However, both Ronaldo and Messi respect each other and are seen smiling together on numerous occasions.
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