5 players who insulted their clubs after they left

#3: Zlatan Ibrahimovich (Barcelona to AC Milan in 2010)

Zlatan Ibrahimovich arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2009 after the Catalan club acquired his services in a swap deal that involved treble-winning Samuel Eto'o going to Inter Milan.

Ibrahimovich had scored at least 15 goals in each of his last three seasons with the Nerazzurri and didn't disappoint in what turned out to be his only season in Spanish football. The Swedish striker scored a creditable 16 league goals and four more in the Champions League despite playing second fiddle to a certain Lionel Messi.

However, Ibrahimovich's Spanish 'dream' started on the wrong note when he was moved out of his centre-forward position to accommodate the team's talisman Messi who wanted to operate down the centre rather than on the right wing. The Swede became the fall guy and was shunted out to an unfamiliar position on the wing as then Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola acceded to the wishes of the diminutive Argentinian.

That did not go down well with Ibrahimovic, who had started life at the Camp Nou with five goals in as many starts to send expectations soaring. He felt that Guardiola was not 'strong' enough to impose himself on the players. Ibrahimovich felt that the superstar players at Barcelona acted like 'school boys'.

“I'd already got the impression that Barcelona was a little like being back at Ajax, it was like being back at school. None of the lads acted like superstars, which was strange.

“Messi, Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta, the whole gang – they were like schoolboys. The best footballers in the world stood there with their heads bowed, and I didn't understand any of it. It was ridiculous."

After an unhappy season where he failed to 'connect' with Lionel Messi on the field and after falling out of favour with the manager, Ibrahimovich moved to AC Milan. Apparently, the Swede is not on talking terms with Guardiola even till this day and doesn't miss an opportunity to take thinly veiled digs at the Spaniard:

"On television he always plays the tough guy but when there’s a real meeting face-to-face, he hides. As a coach he is a phenomenon, but as a man…”.

#4: Pepe (Real Madrid to Besiktas in 2017)

Pepe made his name at Spanish giants Real Madrid during a successful ten-year stint at the club.

The Portuguese centre-back won three Champions League titles, as many La Liga titles and other domestic and continental honours as he formed a formidable central defensive partnership with Sergio Ramos.

However, things turned sour when the club refused to give him a two-year contract extension and offered him only a one-year one, something that didn't go down well with the player who spent a decade at the club.

“Madrid didn't offer me two years. They just offered me one year, so it's clear that I'm not going to continue with Real Madrid. There are ways of talking and negotiating but the club hasn't acted correctly. That's annoyed me."

Pepe eventually joined Besiktas on a free transfer at the end of the 2016-17 season after winning his third Champions League title. The defender managed to rile his former club when he suggested that Besiktas fans were more passionate than the ones at Real Madrid.

"Besiktas fans are fantastic. At times when playing for Real Madrid, we had to motivate ourselves as the fans were not so passionate. Here at Besiktas, every player heads onto the pitch fully motivated to perform well with the aid of great support."

#5: Mario Balotelli (Moved from Liverpool to AC Milan in 2015)

Mario Balotelli arrived for his second stint in the Premier League when he joined Liverpool in the summer of 2015 after a two-season spell at AC Milan.

Balotelli is known for his pace, physical strength and eye for goal, which he has displayed on ample occasions during his career, something that prompted Liverpool to acquire his services despite the striker's off-field antics.

As predicted by many pundits and fans alike, the Italian failed to find his best form with the Anfield club as his 'unprofessionalism' often came to the fore. He scored just four times in 28 games and failed to hold on to a starting berth in the team before being loaned back to AC Milan.

“It was the worst mistake of my life. Apart from the fans, who were fantastic with me, I must be honest, and the players, who I had a good rapport with, I didn’t like the club."

However, in an interaction with Gazette dello Sport, Balotelli chose to blame then Liverpool coach Brendon Rodgers for his tactics to justify his failure at Anfield.

"I must accept my faults but the formation chosen by Rodgers was not suited to my characteristics. At the beginning I missed several easy chances, then I had fewer chances to score, a bit of bad luck, injuries. A mess of things."

Balotelli even attempted to take a dig at those who questioned his professionalism while he at Liverpool.

"The professional Mario didn't just land here in Milan, even at Liverpool my behaviour and lifestyle were normal. Over the last year there was never a problem with my private life. I may have put pictures from restaurants on Instagram but that does not mean I did not train, even though I was not playing."

Edited by S Chowdhury