At the end of the day, there is no such thing as a participation prize in professional football. Football is a beautiful game, but like sports all around the world, the game we love has winners and losers – and nobody likes to lose.
There are players who take negative results with their head held high and do not let their emotions get the better of them, and then there are players who absolutely flip out when things are not going their way on the field.
Here, we look at five players in world football right now that absolutely hate losing and are not shy to show it:
#5 Luis Suarez
A mad genius who has bit three people throughout the course of his career, punched a player in his early days and has been involved in a racism scandal, Luis Suarez is one player who lets out his frustration in some pretty weird ways.
Call him what you want, though, the Uruguayan is a genius and arguably the best striker in the entire world right now. Suarez has never been shy to hide his excitement or his unhappiness, and he is one player who absolutely detests being on the wrong side of things.
Currently in Spain, the former Liverpool star’s biggest reaction to a loss came in England in his last season with Liverpool. Captain Steven Gerrard had to hold him and shove the camera away from his face as he could not stop crying post the infamous game against Crystal Palace where Liverpool squandered a lead to draw 3-3.
The forward always has a sour face when his team is not doing well, and his love for winning and hate for losing is unquestionable.
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
You do not have a career as impressive, and an attitude and personality as strong as Zlatan without having a winning mentality and a never-give-up attitude.
Throughout his illustrious career, the bigSwede has played for some of the most high-profile clubs in the world and his displeasure at his team not being on the sunny side of things has been evident wherever he has gone. Zlatan likes to win – that’s all that matters to him. He does everything in his power to push and drag his team and when that does not happen, more often than not, he is not someone to be around.
Currently, the former Inter Milan, PSG and Barcelona man isin the form of his life and has not yet faced roadblocks with Manchester United. But you can bet your life savings that losing is not something the Swedish star can swallow, and that attitude of his makes him one of the best in the world.
#3 Gerard Pique
Say what you want about Pique, you simply cannot deny the passion and the love for the game that he has and the passion he shows when he puts on the Barcelona jersey.
From passionate celebrations when he scores/his team wins, to holding back nothing in press conferences and interviews when he is in a bad mood, the Spaniard is a volatile player who often rubs people the wrong way. But his thirst for winning is something every player should aspire for.
Most recently, the Spanish centre-back was involved in yet another controversy as he apparently confronted La Liga President Javier Tebas. Post Barcelona’s 1-1 draw against Villarreal, he walked towards the tunnel, and gestured at his eye, shouting "Did you see that?" to the presidential box. Pique was most likely referring to the penalty claim that was not awarded in the game.
The defender has been reprimanded previously for his conduct on the field when things are not going his way and wrong as Pique may be on many occasions, his hate for losing is evident and his entry into this list is unquestionable.
#2 Alexis Sanchez
Arsenal’s talisman is one player who gives literally everything he has to his team and when his team are in the wrong end of a result, he loses it more often than not.
Sanchez is a workhorse with a set of skills and a mentality that any top team in the world would want to have, and the Chile international likes it when the mentality of his club matches his own. And who are we to question that?
As was seen in Arsenal’s recent game against Bournemouth, which ended an astonishing 3-3 after the Gunners came back from three goals down, Sanchez does not take a negative result lying down. The winger scored Arsenal’s first of the game and was heavily involved in the attack when his team scored two more and despite the incredible comeback, when the final whistle blew, he seemed to lose it and started flailing his arms around in frustration.
Sanchez also told teammate Aaron Ramsey “F*** off” during the same game when the latter did not make a good run in the box (Arsenal were 0-2 down at the time). A winning mentality and an example of letting emotions take over you if there ever was one.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Well, this man has been number one in almost everything in the past year, hasn’t he?
Sorry to be so predictable, but there was only ever going to be one man who topped such a list and it is none other than the FIFA Best Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s mentality and determination is perhaps second to none in the entire world and his accolades (both individual and team) are the best proof of that.
Although the Portuguese captain has not had to be on the losing side for a long while, with Real Madrid on an amazing 39-game unbeaten run, Ronaldo has never been the kind of player who keeps a straight face. He often goes overboard while celebrating, and the frown on his face when his team are dropping points is something that will make a baby cry.
There has been no player in the past decade as vocal with his thoughts as Ronaldo and as such, he rounds off this list.
Honourable mentions
Diego Costa – The Chelsea talisman is hated around the world for the way he conducts himself on the pitch, but just like Suarez, his love for the game and passion for winning is unquestionable. Visibly angered when losing, Costa probably has the strongest mentality in England right now, a reason why Chelsea are top of the league.
Sergio Ramos – Just like his national teammate Pique, Ramos hates being on the wrong side of things. The man is as passionate about his club as a player can possibly be and as the captain of Real Madrid, he has even more responsibilities on him and losing is not something he digests well.
