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Most elite footballers are regarded highly for their professionalism and work ethic, which is said to contribute to making a great footballer. However, not all footballers are cut out from the same cloth, and sometimes, they are as eccentric as their playing styles.
Brazil has been home to some of the greatest talents in footballing history, but the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Romario were not known for their professionalism off the pitch. As former PSG man Jerome Leroy said, "Players with his enormous talent are usually a little crazy.”
On that note, let’s take a look at ten great footballers who were incredibly difficult to manage.
#10 Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Woodgate was one of the finest defenders in the Premier League back in the day, and earned a move to Real Madrid in 2004.
The Englishman spent most of his year-long stay in the Spanish capital nursing injuries that plagued him throughout his career. Woodgate made a disastrous debut for Real Madrid, scoring an own goal and was also sent off in front of the home crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Woodgate made his England debut at just 19, and big things were expected from the Englishman. However, he lacked a good work ethic and skipped training sessions at will.
Leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Woodgate predicted he would be left out of Fabio Capello’s English squad. Jonathan Woodgate said:
“I don’t train all the time, as well, and he likes people who train every day, so, we’ll see what happens.”
#9 Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez displayed immense maturity since his move to Barcelona in the summer of 2014 in a reported €81.72 million deal.
Before that, though, the Uruguayan had built up an infamous reputation during his time in Ajax, Liverpool and with the Uruguay national team. Regarded by many as a distasteful and disgraceful act, Suarez faced a 7-match ban for biting PSV's Otman Bakkal when at Ajax.
The now-34-year-old did not learn his lesson, as he bit Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in 2013 and Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
These incidents made Suarez one of the hardest footballers to manage, as coaches had to deal with lengthy suspensions and bans acquired by the Uruguayan. His on-field antics and attitude is perhaps what make him a great footballer, but it definitely leaves a bad taste in the manager’s mouth.
#8 Antonio Cassano
The legendary Italian footballer was so hard to manage that Fabio Capello coined a term exclusively for Antonio Cassano - Cassanata.
Cassanata can be described as any inappropriate or silly behaviour, any behaviour that is incompatible with team spirit in football. It is also used to describe any unbelievable, unfathomable piece of brilliance in football.
Fabio Capello was like a father figure to Cassano, and was the Italian’s manager at AS Roma and for a brief spell at Real Madrid. In an interview, Capello spoke of the Italian forward:
“He’s (Antonio Cassano) more fake than monopoly money.”
Operating as a second striker for most of his career, Cassano scored 139 goals and provided 94 assists. However, one of Cassano’s records perfectly describes the prolific goalscorer.
The now-39-year-old holds the record for being the only player to score, get booked and subsequently get sent off, all within the span of a minute.
#7 Carlos Tevez
While Carlos Tevez remains one of the most prolific goalscorers of his generation, he was a constant magnet for scandals and controversies.
According to several reports, the Argentine had one of the worst training regimes. Many managers questioned his work ethic. In his professional career, he had a falling out with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Roberto Mancini and Alejandro Sabella.
One of Tevez's most infamous antics took place during Manchester City's crucial game against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Despite being called on by the manager for a substitute appearance, Tevez did not move an inch from the bench, and refused to come on.
The three-time Premier League winner displayed a 'RIP Fergie' placard during Manchester City's victory parade, and drove around the UK without a valid driver's license.
#6 Ronaldinho
In football and in life, the geniuses and highly talented people tend to be a little crazy, and Ronaldinho was no different.
The Brazilian followed the footsteps of many legendary footballers that have come out of his country. Ronaldinho is one of the most talented footballers in the history of the game, but he also had a strong liking towards parties and skipping training sessions.
In an interview with SFR Sport, Ronaldinho's former PSG teammate Jerome Leroy said:
"Ronaldinho did not train at all on any day of the week. He would just turn up on the Friday for a game on the Saturday."
He added,
"That was Ronaldinho. I believe he tried to follow in the footsteps of Romario, who also went out every night, but did not have the same success. In the mornings, Ronaldinho would turn up in sunglasses. He would get dressed, and go directly to the massage rooms to sleep."
#5 Romario
Another legendary Brazilian on our list is Romario, who convinced Johan Cruyff to let him miss training and substitute him early.
Cruyff is arguably the greatest mind in the history of the game, and was known for naming well-drilled and well-oiled teams. However, Cruyff treated the genius of Romario slightly differently from the rest.
The legendary Dutchman recalled:
"Once, Romario asked me if he could miss two days of training to return to Brazil for the carnival. I replied: 'If you score two goals tomorrow, I'll give you two extra days rest compared to the other players.'"
Cruyff added:
"The next day, Romario scored his second goal 20 minutes into the game and immediately gestured to me asking to leave. He told me: 'Coach, my plane leaves in an hour.'"
#4 Ronaldo Nazario
Regarded by many as the best footballer to have graced the beautiful game, Ronaldo was one of the hardest players to manage in the game.
Much like Ronaldinho, the legendary Brazilian did not feel the need to put too much effort into training sessions. While that did not affect his game in the early stages of his career, Ronaldo started to gain weight in the twilight of his Real Madrid career.
Fabio Capello was appointed as the manager of Real Madrid in 2006 when he noticed that the legend was struggling with obesity and a lack of fitness. In an interview with AS, he said:
"Look, he weighed 96 kg (15 stone). I asked 'how much did you weigh when you won the World Cup (in 2002)?"
Ronaldo was 84 kg when he won the historic 2002 FIFA World Cup for Brazil.
Capello had asked Ronaldo:
"Can you go down to 90 kg (14 stone) at least?' And he didn't…" The Italian manager recalled that Ronaldo had no intention of getting fit, which made him very hard to manage.
However, Capello describes Ronaldo as the 'best by far' of all the players he ever worked with.
#3 George Best
Arguably the most talented and greatest footballer to come out of the United Kingdom, George Best was an eccentric character. While his footballing exploits are known to many, his off-the-field antics have made him a cult figure over the years. Some of his most famous quotes include:
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."
"I used to go missing a lot... Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World."
"I've stopped drinking, but only while I'm asleep."
George Best was loved and endeared by football fans worldwide, but he was not always a manager's favourite. The Englishman missed a full week's training in January 1972 because he wanted to spend time with Miss Great Britain instead.
Much like the ones before, the Manchester United legend often skipped his training sessions. He, unfortunately, suffered from alcoholism, which meant that "his training suffered and his appearances became less."
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the greatest goalscorers of the 21st century, and has won trophies with almost every club he has played for.
The prolific Swede has won a whopping 32 titles in his professional career, scoring 484 goals and registering 193 assists from 788 appearances. The mercurial striker is a modern great of the game, but he is also known for his humongous ego. That makes Ibrahimovich one of the toughest footballers to manage, as Pep Guardiola would testify.
The duo had a rather public fallout during Ibrahimovich's year-long stay in Barcelona. In an interview, Pep Guardiola said:
"If Ibra and I have spoken only twice in six months, there is a reason, but it is better for the club if I don't talk about it."
He added, "Many of those I worked with talk badly about me now. I think I always did my best."
Zlatan, too, has had a lot of unsavoury things to say about Guardiola over the years. In an interview, the Swede said:
"Guardiola was staring at me and I lost it. I thought, 'there is my enemy, scratching his bald head!' I yelled: 'You haven't got any b***s!' and worse than that I added: 'You can go to hell!' I completely lost it, and you might've expected Guardiola to say a few words in response, but he's a spineless coward."
#1 Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli rose to prominence during his time at Manchester City, and was one of the most exciting talents in the game.
However, he wasn't the most professional footballer going around, and was the subject of various scandals and controversies. Every manager faced an uphill task to control and manage Balotelli, but no one succeeded. Balotelli's most infamous episode was his training ground bust-up with former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini.
Balotelli physically assaulted his former manager, and things could've gotten much worse if not for a timely intervention. The Italian also wanted to sharpen his shooting skills, which he did by firing darts at a group of youth academy players.
Jose Mourinho recalled a hilarious story involving Balotelli. He said in an interview:
"I remember one time when we went to play Kazan in the Champions League. In that match, I had all my strikers injured. No Diego Milito, no Samuel Eto'o, I was really in trouble, and Mario was the only one. Mario got a yellow card in the 42nd minute, so when I got to the dressing room at half-time I spent about 14 minutes of the 15 available speaking only to Mario."
He added:
"I said to him: 'Mario, I cannot change you, I have no strikers on the bench, so don't touch anybody and play only with the ball. If we lose the ball, no reaction. If someone provokes you, no reaction, if the referee makes a mistake, no reaction."
Mario Balotelli would get a straight red card in the 46th minute of the match.
