5 Players Absolutely Hated By Their Former Clubs

2015-08-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Everyone has a player they love to hate. It could be just a smug son of a gun who simply annoys you by the look on their arrogant face, but more often than not it'll be someone who you feel has personally wronged your club in some way.

In the eyes of a football supporter there is no greater villain than someone that forces a move away from their beloved club and the hatred grows even deeper if they join a local rival.

While Chelsea's supporter base is currently torn on their feelings towards former keeper Petr Cech, who moved this summer to Arsenal, the following are unquestionably loathed by their former fans:

Ashley Cole - Arsenal

You could easily make a list of former Arsenal players alone that have forced moves away from the North London outfit and drawn the ire of their supporters, but perhaps none is reviled more than Ashley Cole. The boyhood Gunners fan had come up through the club's youth system and was a part of the famous 2003/2004 "Invincibles" who finished the Premier League season as undefeated champions. An ugly contract dispute with Arsenal, which he ridiculously revealed the details of in his self serving autobiography, led to his move to Chelsea in 2006 and he's never been forgiven for that by Gunner's supporters.

Luis Figo - Barcelona

One of the original Galaticos, Luis Figo had been a star for Barcelona for five seasons before their bitter rival Real Madrid swooped in with a record breaking $60.1 million offer for the player in 2000. Whether or not he actually pushed for the move is open to question, but what isn't disputed is the hatred Barca's fans had for Figo whenever he returned to the Camp Nou. Banners calling him "Scum", ""Traitor" and "Mercenary" were always on display and he was showered with objects from the stands whenever he went to take a corner. Knives, whiskey bottles, mobile phones, lighters, oranges and most famously a pig's head were several of the things thrown in his direction.

Sol Campbell - Tottenham Hotspur

The physically imposing former England defender Sol Campbell had come up through the Tottenham youth setup and quickly established himself as a mainstay in the Spurs defence after making his debut in 1992. In 2001 though, with his contract winding down and the club worried about losing him on a free transfer, Spurs offered him a record breaking salary to keep him in North London. Although he considered the move for months he opted not to re-sign as he wanted to play for a club in the Champions League. He dragged out the negotiations until his contract expired at the end of the 2002 season when he was able to leave the club for nothing. The fact that Tottenham wasn't going to be able to keep him or at the very least command a hefty transfer fee for Campbell was one thing, but his eventual destination of Arsenal sent Spurs fans over the edge. They never forgave him for joining their bitter rival and he is still probably the most hated former player in the history of Tottenham Hotspur.

Carlos Tevez - Manchester United

Viewed as a mercenary extraordinaire by most of his former clubs, Carlos Tevez played for Manchester United over the course of two title winning seasons in 2008 and 2009, before his complicated contract with the club expired and they were given the choice of buying him out of his third party ownership or letting him go. As the fee for Tevez was quite substantial, most United fans would have been alright with him going to another big side in Europe if something couldn't have been worked out at Old Trafford, but Carlitos stunned Reds fans when he joined local rivals Manchester City. He furthered angered the United faithful when he appeared on "Welcome to Manchester" posters that City plastered around the town center.

Paul Ince - West Ham United

Former England captain Paul Ince grew up as a West Ham United supporter and lived the dream as he worked his way through the club's once famous youth setup before debuting with the senior squad in 1986. After shining for several seasons with the Hammers, the club were relegated from the top division following the 1988/1989 season and Ince wanted out. A transfer fee was agreed with Manchester United, pending a medical, and the self styled Guv'nor posed in a United kit for a local paper. The problem was that he failed the medical and had to return to Upton Park with his tail between his legs. The fact that the deal was later finalized and he did end up at Old Trafford was immaterial to Hammers supporters as one of their players had worn an opposition kit while technically still being a part of their side. Ince suffered from horrendous abuse on every subsequent visit to the "Boleyn Ground".

10 Fat Footballers

2014-07-18T18:00:00.000-04:00

So, as if Newcastle United didn't have enough issues to deal with on and off the pitch, the club has now fined French winger Hatem Ben-Arfa for showing up after holidays looking a bit overweight. But being fat, while not at all the norm in football has been around for many years as the list below will prove.

Sol Campbell

A great footballer earlier in his career, Sol Campbell was never a small guy. But by the time he hit the pitch with Newcastle United in 2010 in what was his last year as a professional footballer, Campbell had gained a few pounds and had lost quite a bit of speed. He played for the Magpies just seven times that season before retiring from football.

Ailton

Aílton Gonçalves da Silva, a big boy with a big name. Ailton as he is known to most was pretty much always on the chubby side. But the Brazilian striker does not let his weight get the better of him, and at 40 years of age still plays professional for BFV Hassia Bingen, a club in the German 5th tier.

Andy Reid

Currently with Nottingham Forrest, this Irish midfielder unlike most others on this list startd gaining weight early in his career. Pictured below in a Sunderland shirt, Reid spent time with the Black Cats when he was just 26-29 years old.

Collin Samuel

This Trinidad & Tobago striker for whatever reason has spent most of his career in Scotland. He did spend a little time in Canada with Toronto FC at which time I personally heard the home crowd sing "who ate all the pies?" at the big man. After two seasons at TFC Samuel went back to Scotland.

Mido

The Egyptian trouble maker was more than just a coach's headache because of his poor attitude. Mido started gaining weight in a very early "footballing age". Whether because he was fat, or maybe just because his magnificent football skills had just seemed to turn-off one day, he retired from football in 2013 at just 30 years old.

Miguel Herrera

Herrera was the face of the 2014 World Cup for a little while after the Mexican coach's celebrations, face expressions and yelling videos went viral over the internet. Sure he is pretty fat right now, but he wasn't very skinny when he played in the Mexican league and internationally for his country as well.

Neville Southall

The Welsh goalkeeper wasn't always as big as the photo below would suggest. He was a big guy in his 17 years with Everton, but not fat. In his later footballing years however Southalll gained the pounds quick.

Ronaldo

Probably the most famous fat footballer is Brazilian legend Ronaldo. After surpassing the all time scoring record in the World Cup, Ronaldo gained what seemed to be a pound per minute. Maybe now that Miroslav Klose had passed Ronaldo's scoring tally, the Brazilian can go on a diet and come out of international retirement.

Salvador Cabanas

The Paraguayan footballer had his days on and off the weight throughout his career. Some years he looked quite skinny while on other occasions he seemed more likely to be a boxer than a striker in the Mexican league.

Winston Bogarde

Dutch international defender Bogarde was pretty much always on the bigger side. But at one point while playing for Ajax in his native Netherlands he really gained the pounds. He did seem to manage to shed the weight with his later clubs AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea.

FOOTY FAIR