6 players who supported rival clubs in their childhood

Every football supporter has that one club that they just cannot bear to see. Liverpool fans have Manchester United and Everton, Manchester United fans have Manchester City and Liverpool, Barcelona fans have Espanyol and Real Madrid, the list is endless.Professional players are also football supporters and their allegiance to a club takes them on a path that decides their fate and which club they represent. Robbie Keane is a fine example of this as he seems to have played for every football club he has ever supported.There are a few players who take a more unconventional route as to choosing which club to play for. They support X but end up playing for Y, who coincidently end up being rivals to each another.Football is a funny game but some players tread a very dangerous line when it comes to supporting a club and playing for their rivals. Here are six players who supported their rivals in childhood but played for the other team:

#1 Isco - Barcelona

The 23-year-old Real Madrid attacking midfielder isn't a product of Madrid's youth system, in fact, he joined the club after spells at Valencia and Malaga. Madrid paid good money for the youngster to get him to their side but they would not have been pleased with some of his revelations.

While joining Madrid, Isco let out that he is a Lionel Messi fan and he did have a quirky way of showing his support and love to the Argentine sensation as he named his dog after the Barcelona forward.

"I named my dog, a labrador, ‘Messi’ because Messi is the best in the world, and so is my dog,"

Right, while that can still be seen as something the Real Madrid fans can use to joke about with Messi, he did also have more to say in another interview done in 2009: "I’ve always been a bit anti-Madridista and I still am. I have the feeling it’s an arrogant club, and without humility you don’t get anywhere,"

Wasn't the smartest thing to say back then.

#2 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Liverpool

The "Baby-faced Assassin" as he is called by most of the endearing Manchester United faithful, Solskjaer was the super-sub for Manchester United due to his impact while coming off the bench.

The Norwegian represented Manchester United in over 350 games while winning six Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League. While United was in his blood when he was playing professionally, he did follow and cheer on another club when he was much younger.

In his book, it was revealed that the striker loved collecting cards and stickers of players and his favourite were the Liverpool ones. He was also asked about his choice of support by a Manchester United fanzine Red News about this.

"You know, when you are back home and you watch games on TV and you tend to support the team that is winning, so in the 80s Liverpool were winning. Kenny Dalglish, he was the best player I thought, then Marco van Basten and Zico but, in England, Liverpool won so you get caught up in the moment."

It seems Ole had a habit of playing for the opposite team as he later revealed that he signed for the club which was considered as the enemy of the team he supported.

#3 Gareth Bale - Arsenal

Now flying high at Real Madrid, Gareth Bale hit the limelight while playing for Tottenham after signing for the London side from Southampton. Bale's performances in the Champions League and the Premier League attracted a lot of attention and it was Real Madrid that signed him in 2013.

In a radio interview after joining Real, Bale did have a few comments about his allegiance with Tottenham's great rivals, Arsenal:

"I used to like Arsenal a lot, but when I moved to Tottenham of course I liked them less - but I really admired Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, those kind of players. They were incredible."

He did, however, fare better than his Real Madrid teammate, Isco, regarding his history of supporting Spanish sides. Bale was asked about being snapped in a Real Madrid shirt when he was young and why he liked Real Madrid.

"I just liked watching them on television. They had the best players, and played the best football. I watched a lot of football as a kid. When they played it was always an exciting game. I really liked Real Madrid."

#4 Jamie Carragher - Everton

Probably the other well-known Liverpudlian who represented the Reds in the modern-era of the Premier League. Jamie Carragher embodied what it meant to be as a tough-tackling, no-nonsense defender.

Carragher was not blessed with pace but he more than made up for that with his passion, commitment and never-say-die attitude. He made more than 700 appearances for the Reds and is part of a very small group of players who only played for one club throughout their career, even Steven Gerrard does not fall into the same category.

Jamie might have bled red on the pitch and off it during his senior career but there is a bit of blue in him. The former Liverpool defender was actually a huge Everton supporter as a youngster and still watches a few games at Goodison. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo a few years ago, Carragher was forthcoming on his love for the Toffees: “I was a massive Everton fan as a kid and I obviously went to Liverpool. But how would I know as a kid that I would play for Liverpool?”

However he was quick to add: “What Liverpool did for me and my family and friends I could never go back to supporting Everton.”

It could have been worse for Liverpool fans, Carragher could have supported Manchester United when he was young.

#5 Mario Balotelli - AC Milan

Mario Balotelli has played for some of the biggest club sides in the world. Inter Milan, A.C. Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool, yet he cannot seem to stay out of trouble at any club for long. Currently playing for the club that he supports, A.C. Milan, it wasn't an easy route for the Italian striker.

Balotelli made his name while playing for Inter Milan, the biggest rivals that AC Milan have at the moment. For all his ability on the field, he does have the knack of falling into trouble off it. While playing for Inter, Mario took part in a question-answer session at an institute.

He was asked which club did he support and Mario being Mario blurted out: “I am a Milanista. Didn’t you know that?”

The crowd when berserk and furthermore asked him why he was playing for Inter, to which the Italian replied: “Well, I’m playing for Inter this year…”

That was not the end of it for Balotelli, in 2010 he showed up on a television show sporting the jersey of A.C. Milan, he was still playing for Inter back then.

#6 Raul - Atletico Madrid

The Real Madrid legend, Raul climbed through the ranks of the youth team before he became a goal-scoring sensation for the La Liga side. The Spaniard was one of the best strikers ever to represent Real Madrid and he also won multiple trophies with the side.

He finished his career after stints in Germany, Qatar and the United States of America but everyone remembers him for his time with Real. Of course, this could have all been very different a while ago.

Raul was actually part of the Atletico Madrid youth setup and was set to break into the first team. His father was an Atletico fan and so was Raul, so why did he leave Atletico to join Real?

Jesus Gil, the president of Atletico at the time, wanted to cut costs at the club and one measure he found was closing down the academy. The rest, as they say, is history, Raul joined the Real Madrid youth system and ended up tormenting his former team by scoring goals time after time.

It could all have been different had the academy stayed open at Atletico but their loss was Real's gain.