The two most popular football leagues in the world are also home to some famous and historical rivalries between clubs. Throughout history, a healthy sportsman-like competitiveness between two or more teams has led to some interesting matches with memorable clashes both on and off the field. Be it friendly banter among the supporters of the respective clubs or intense matches whenever the two meet on-field, the overall experience is nothing short of interesting and exhilarating.
Real Madrid and Barcelona. Manchester United and Liverpool. Just a couple of the big rivalries in European football. You can always count on these clashes to be spicy affairs and the tension between the clubs undoubtedly affects football and the dealings between them on a psychological and historical level. We take a look at players who snubbed a particular club in favour of their arch rivals.
#1 Robin van Persie rejected Manchester City for Manchester United
Robin Van Persie scored 86 goals in 48 appearances for Manchester United and even won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for the 2012-13 season. Needless to say, he was an instant success at Manchester United. However, this long-term Arsenal player rejected a move to Manchester City in order to sign for the Red Devils.
According to an interview with The Sun in 2012, the then 29-year old was quoted as saying, "I am so glad I snubbed City."
Prior to a derby at Etihad, he said, "I made my mind up very quickly and I am coming into work with a big smile on my face every day."
His manager at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger was also quoted by The Independent as saying, "It is true Manchester City [were] interested in him and he has chosen to go to United. He could come out more on the reasons but I didn't want to know more about that."
"'I hope the reception for him is a respectful one because he has played for us for eight years, he has done very well for us. You want him to be respected," Wenger added.Despite a bright start, he quickly fell out favour during his last season at Old Trafford under the then manager Louis Van Gaal. In a match against Chelsea in October 2014, he celebrated an equaliser by taking his shirt off, an act which saw him penalised and which caused Van Gaal to term it as "stupid". In January 2015, he missed a penalty against West Bromwich Albion.
Van Persie reportedly turned down a hefty £300,000-a-week by Manchester City to sign for their closest rivals.
#2 Sadio Mane snubbed Manchester United for Liverpool
In August 2015, Manchester United made a shock £15million bid for the Southampton star after Chelsea took the lead to signing the Barcelona winger, Pedro. United had reportedly scouted Sadio Mane even before he had joined Southampton.
The Senegalese international turned down Manchester United for a second time at the beginning of the current season to sign for Liverpool. According to an interview with ESPN, Mane said, "There was interest from a lot of clubs, not just Manchester United, but as soon as I knew Liverpool were interested I just felt it was the right club with the right coach. It was right for me to come here."
He also added that the presence of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield was a major reason for him. "Liverpool are a massive club with a big history that has won many trophies over the years and as soon as I was told of the possibility to come here and I knew the manager wanted me I said yes," he said.
Mane currently has one goal from two appearances for the Scouse club.
#3 Eden Hazard favoured a move to Chelsea over Manchester United and Manchester City
It is no big secret that prior to 2012, Eden Hazard was very keen on playing in the English Premier League. When it came down to it, the Belgian midfielder was faced with a choice between Manchester United and Chelsea. In June 2012, the Blues appeared to have won the race to sign Hazard from Lille as a reportedly £32 million transfer was put into place.
It later transpired that the player was very close to signing for Manchester United as he spoke to both Sir Alex Ferguson and Roman Abramovich before his move to England and decided to favour the latter after extensive talks.
“I spoke with Mr. Abramovich, he is very simple and loves football,” Hazard said. “We were on the same wavelength, he wants to confirm Chelsea’s position at the top. Chelsea have made a good investment for me but I did not put any pressure on them.”
I’ve always said I wanted to play in England. There was a struggle between Chelsea and United, but according to me Chelsea has the best project,” he added.
He said this in 2012, possibly to justify his move to Stamford Bridge. Despite underperforming in the recent past, Hazard can be categorised as a success at Chelsea with 43 goals from 141 appearances. He is also one of the few players to be voted as the Player of the Year for Chelsea in two consecutive years. His performance took a backseat in the 2015-16 season when he remained goalless in the League up until April. It was not surprising that he seriously considered a move to Paris-Saint German after disappointing his club.
The current season has started on a positive note for the Belgian after he scored Chelsea’s first goal of this season and has gone to score one more as well as provide an assist in three games.
#4 Luis Suarez chose Barcelona over Real Madrid
The 2013-14 season was an absolutely fantastic one for Liverpool and it saw the emergence of a player who would soon be counted among the legends of the club. Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan international, scored 31 goals that season and became the EPL's top scorer, but sadly, he moved to Barcelona the following year.
In a conversation with the Spanish local media, the striker recently revealed an interest from several La Liga clubs while he was contemplating a move to Spain from England. Principal among these was an offer from Real Madrid as he told El Partido de las 12 in an interview.
"Yes, I spoke to them but said 'later'. They wanted me, but my dream was here. When I heard the name 'Barcelona' I didn't hesitate. Honestly, I never imagined Barcelona would come in and had no doubts at all once they did," he said.
Despite being involved in many controversies, Suarez’s ability with the ball has made him one of the best players in the world currently. He has 59 goals from 63 appearances for Barcelona and is a key player for the Uruguayan national side.
#5 Neymar Jr rejected a move to Real Madrid for Barcelona
The Brazillian forward is one of the attacking talismans for the team that is one of the greatest squads in the La Liga, Along with the duo of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar Jr has played a huge role in making Barcelona a formidable force to be reckoned with.
In just three seasons at Barcelona, Neymar has earned two La Liga titles, two Copa Del Rey titles, one Champions League and the Club World Cup; a feat which is absolutely remarkable and which has subsequently made the club one of the most successful in the world.
In an interview with L'Equipe, Neymar revealed that he had considered a move to Real Madrid at the age of 13 but eventually decided against it as the atmosphere at the club did not seem to agree with him. "I was 13, it was the first time I came to Europe. At that time, I did not feel comfortable, I did not see myself happy and able to stay away from Brazil so young," he said.
In an excerpt from his autobiography, Neymar: My Story-Conversations with my Father, the footballer writes, "'After I turned down the offer from Real Madrid in 2006, everyone knew who I was. And after that, even when playing for the youth team, I had at least one request per game for photographs from the fans. That was not normal for someone my age. But I had to get used to it."
Things at both these clubs would have been completely different had Neymar decided in favour of Real Madrid.
