Five of the most outrageous acts committed by a captain on the football field

While the role of captain on the football field is a debated one in terms of how important it actually is – witness all of the discussion over Wayne Rooney’s England captaincy recently – there’s no denying that for the most part, the captain of a team should be a leader, someone who can step up when the side needs him the most and act as a role model for both the fans and his teammates.

Sometimes though, the captain doesn’t always behave in the correct manner on the field. Whether it’s getting sent off for some kind of silly reason, or causing controversy through some other manner, being a strong role model sometimes proves too difficult for even the greatest players.

Here are five famous captains who committed outrageous acts on the football field and wrote their way into infamy.

#5 John Terry

John Terry was accused of racial abuse during his tenure as Chelsea captain

Despite being labelled ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ by his adoring Chelsea fans, John Terry was no stranger to controversy during his tenure as captain for both Chelsea and England. While perhaps his most outrageous act – becoming embroiled in an affair with teammate Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend – came off the field, and other unsavory incidents such as cracking jokes about the 9/11 atrocity also blighted his career, without doubt the most outrageous moment came during a Chelsea game against QPR in October 2011.

Terry was accused of slinging racial abuse at opponent Anton Ferdinand – the accusation was that Terry had called him a “f*cking black c*nt”, although Terry claimed that he didn’t use the words in an abusive way, more that he was asking Ferdinand if the player had mistakenly thought Terry had used the slur towards him.

While a court of law bought that explanation – Terry was cleared of any criminal charges in July 2012, despite video evidence proving he’d used the slur as well as another, non-racial insult towards Ferdinand – the FA didn’t and after an independent investigation, he was stripped of his England captaincy and banned for four games.

Whether Terry did indeed use the slur as an insult is still a bit of a question mark, and it’s true that he’s not the first – and unfortunately probably won’t be the last – player to resort to racism on the field, but his action was perhaps the most high-profile incident of its kind and as he was Chelsea captain at the time – and remained in the role following his FA ban – it remains one of the most outrageous acts committed by a captain on the field.

#4 Diego Maradona

While the captain of a side quite often isn’t their most outstanding player, for some sides it just seems to make sense. That was the case for Argentina’s 1994 World Cup squad. After he’d led them to a World Cup victory in 1986 – and dragged a weaker side to the final in 1990 – it was a no-brainer that Diego Maradona should lead Argentina out at World Cup 1994, despite the fact that after a ban for a positive cocaine test, his club career was largely in tatters.

Maradona was out to prove that he could still deliver the goods on the field, and after Argentina’s first game against Greece, it seemed that he certainly could. Argentina thumped the hapless Greeks 4-0, with Maradona bossing the game and scoring a classic World Cup goal following a beautiful team move. His wild-eyed celebration, however, would prove to be both iconic and damning at the same time.

Maradona captained his side to a 2-1 win over Nigeria in their next group game, but it would prove to be his last appearance in the famous blue and white shirt. Following that game, it was revealed that Maradona had tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine, and he was subsequently sent home in disgrace, where he watched Argentina crash out to Romania in the next round of the tournament.

Maradona denied the charges, claiming he’d only taken the drug inadvertently via a supplement drink, and then that he had a secret agreement with FIFA to use it for weight loss, but it didn’t wash. His drug abuse arguably cost Argentina their chance at the World Cup and his stimulant-fuelled celebration goes down as a classic outrageous moment from a team captain.

#3 Steven Gerrard

As far as captains go, Steven Gerrard was largely a good one – even if he was prone to the odd costly error, like his slip against Chelsea in 2013/14 which arguably cost Liverpool the Premier League title. For the most part, though, he led by example for both Liverpool and England, proving to be a key performer throughout his captaincy stint. An unfortunate incident in March 2015 though showed he wasn’t always squeaky clean.

In a bad-tempered game against heated rivals Manchester United, Gerrard actually started on the bench despite being Liverpool’s captain and leader. It was an odd time for Gerrard anyway, as he had only a handful of games left as Liverpool captain as he’d already announced a move at the end of the season to LA Galaxy. United were leading the game 1-0 through a Juan Mata goal when Gerrard was introduced early into the second half, and the captain was looking to make one final impact against his rivals.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the impact he was hoping for. Gerrard thundered into a violent tackle on Mata, and when United’s midfielder Ander Herrera looked to respond with a tough tackle of his own, Gerrard responded by stamping on him. Referee Martin Atkinson then had no choice but to brandish a red card, and Gerrard was sent off after just 38 seconds on the field – one of the quickest sendings off in football history.

Although Gerrard apologized for the incident after the game, it was still an ugly blight on a great career, and meant that due to his suspension, his Liverpool career came to an even quicker end than it should’ve done.

#2 Roy Keane

One of the most legendary captains in Premier League history, Manchester United’s midfield dynamo Roy Keane also had a seriously dark side. Sent off seven times in his United career, Keane was renowned for being a no-nonsense player with a foul temper and an equally short fuse. His most infamous incident as captain almost certainly came in April 2001 in a game against crosstown rivals Manchester City.

Keane was sent off in that game for one of the most brutal tackles in Premier League history, a knee-high lunge on Alf-Inge Haaland that essentially ended Haaland’s career. But the tackle wasn’t the key thing – the two players had a history, as three years in the past, Haaland had stood over Keane and accused him of feigning injury when in reality, he’d blown out his ACL. The idea of revenge had festered in Keane’s mind ever since and in the game against City, he’d seized his chance.

The worst part? Keane even confirmed it in his 2002 autobiography, admitting the challenge was pre-meditated and he’d gone in to hurt Haaland, even sneering at him while the player lay on the ground following the tackle.

Due to the confession, Keane was charged by the FA with bringing the game into disrepute, and was subsequently hit with a five-game ban. Even then, he was unrepentant, claiming he’d probably do it again if he was given the chance. It was a moment of outrageous violence that marred the career of a truly great captain.

#1 Zinedine Zidane

It had to be #1, really. Despite being one of the most gifted players in football history – as well as one of the most successful in terms of trophy haul – Zinedine Zidane’s final act on a football pitch was probably the most outrageous act from a captain since the game began, and not in a good way. He’d actually retired from international football and given up the captaincy of France after Euro 2004, but was persuaded to come back for the 2006 World Cup, and was immediately handed the armband again.

The 2006 World Cup turned out to be perhaps Zidane’s finest tournament in a France shirt, even though he had already won both the World Cup and European Championship with his country. In those tournaments, France were a great, well-rounded side, but in 2006 Zidane largely carried the team on his back, a supreme performance against Brazil in the quarter-finals being his stand-out moment.

France ended up against Italy in the final and the stage was set for a starring role again – he’d already been awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, even.

Just seven minutes into the game Zidane made an impact, scoring a penalty to put France ahead, only for Italy to equalise just minutes later through a Marco Materazzi header. The game ended up going into extra-time, and it was during that period that the infamous incident occurred.

After a tussle that saw Materazzi grab Zidane’s jersey, he apparently said something seriously insulting to the French legend – who responded by headbutting him in the chest, dropping him to the ground right in front of the fourth official. The official informed the referee, and Zidane was sent off in disgrace, leaving the fans with the iconic image of him walking past the trophy with his head hung.

Regardless of what Materazzi said to provoke him, the reaction was completely outrageous, and the fact that France went on to lose the game just compounded the incident. Undoubtedly, it was the most shocking moment from any captain in the history of football.