5 times soccer legends lost their cool
Last weekend, Will Smith shocked the world by slapping comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony because of a joke the comedian made regarding Smith’s wife. The reaction from the actor left everybody inside at the Dolby Theatre, the people watching at home and Chris Rock himself stunned.
The fact that one of the most well-known and beloved actors in the world lost his self-control during the biggest ceremony of the year shows that people are susceptible to lose their temperament and make decisions which can possibly tarnish their legacies. And the soccer field is no different.
Due to its high intensity and the mix of emotions during the matches, not only are fans likely to make decisions based on emotions, but players as well. Throughout the years, we’ve seen many stars of the beautiful game lose their self-control and, unfortunately, resort to violence.
However, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and many of these players are remembered by viewers because of a specific episode instead of their successful careers. Here are five on the most infamous soccer outbursts in recent memory.
1 – Neymar punches a fan at the Stade de France
Neymar is one of the most skilled players to ever step on a soccer field. At just 30 years old, the Brazilian has won some of the most important tournaments in the world including the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona and the Copa Libertadores with Santos. Because of his style, the striker is usually hunted by his opponents and he gets fouled many times during matches, which makes the forward lose his self-control pretty easily.
In the stands, fans also tend to make Neymar their favorite target and sometimes they are able to get inside the star’s head. One such instance involved the Brazilian after the final whistle of the Coupe de France, in 2019. After losing to Rennes in the final, the striker was approaching the stage to receive the silver medal when a Rennes supporter began to hurl insults at Neymar.
After listening to the verbal barrage from the fan, the Brazilian, who was already irritated because of the fact his team lost the final, punched the man causing quite the commotion at the Stade de France. Because of his action, Neymar was suspended by the French Football Federation for three games in an episode that is remembered by many fans to this day.
2 – Sergio Ramos slaps Puyol and Xavi
When José Mourinho was Real Madrid’s coach, he understood how important the match between Real Madrid and Barcelona was to his players. The Portuguese coach also understood that Ramos’ aggressive style could intimidate their opponents from Catalunya and the Spanish defender used to be one of the main characters during every El Clasico he took part in.
However, the center-back has always struggled to control his temperament and his tackles in matches against Barcelona in particular. One of his most irresponsible tackles took place in 2010, when Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-0 at the Camp Nou. The Spanish defender aggressively kicked Lionel Messi and got a red card because of it.
After the center-back was sent off, Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona players at the time, went to confront the defender and Ramos decided to slap the face of two of his teammates on the Spanish National Team. Ramos’ actions not only caused problems on the field, but also inside the national team’s locker room forcing the leaders of the squad to call a meeting to solve their personal problems after the event.
3 – Luis Suarez bites Chiellini
The image of Suarez biting the Italian center-back Giorgio Chiellini is one of the most iconic moments in soccer’s history. During the match between Uruguay and Italy at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, the Uruguayan striker, who had bitten two players prior to the incident with Chiellini, completely lost his self-control and, for the third time in his life, used one of the most bizarre methods to try to hurt his opponent.
Surprisingly, he did not get a red card, as the referee of the match chose to not punish the Uruguayan, despite the fact the Italian defender had a bite mark from Suarez on his shoulder. Years after the shameful event, the striker affirmed he regretted what he did to the Italian and felt bad that he was not able to play the rest of the tournament due to the punishment he received from FIFA days after the bite.
Unfortunately because of this event, many people who do not follow the sport regularly tend to associate the name of one of the best strikers of all time to this infamous outburst, instead of his achievements on the field.
4 – Cantona kicks a fan
Eric Cantona was a famous soccer star in the 90’s. The French striker, who had incredible technique, had his career marked by controversies on and off the field. Between strong opinions which often made headlines and a flamboyant style on the pitch, the Manchester United legend etched his name in the history books following an event which will not soon be forgotten.
On Jan. 25, 1995, after being sent off during a game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Cantona was walking to the locker room when Matthew Simmons, a Palace fan, decided to insult the Frenchman. In response, the striker had one of the most absurd reactions in the history of the game.
Cantona hit Simmons with a kung fu kick and a punch before being broken up by the security staff inside the stadium. After the match he was suspended for nine months, fined £30,000 and sentenced to 14 days in prison. However, the sentence was overturned and he was given 120 hours’ community service instead.
5 – Zidane headbutts Materazzi
The2006 World Cup final was expected to be one of the most historic moments in the history of the game, as the match would feature the last time one of the best players ever, Zinedine Zidane, would step on a soccer field as a professional player. Many tuned in to see if he could finish his career lifting the most important trophy in the sport.
Until the day of the match between France and Italy, everything was going as planned for Zidane. The French midfielder was one of the best players in the championship and led his country to its second final in the history of the tournament. During the championship game, Zidane was once again having a good performance and even scored a beautiful Panenka to tie the game 1-1.. However, minutes later, the midfielder would do something that would shock the whole world.
After Marco Materazzi, Italy’s center-back, insulted his sister, Zidane could not control his emotions and in a fit of rage, headbutted his opponent, getting a red card for his efforts. The image of the Frenchman walking by the World Cup trophy towards the locker rooms is one of the most iconic pictures in the history of the sport and, just like Suarez with the bite, many people tend to associate Zidane with this incident, instead of his beautiful goals and dedication to his craft.
-Matheus Teles