Betrayal. It hurts. And in football, loyalty is a trait that I admire above anything else. So when a beloved footballing hero abandons your side for a rival team, you go through the natural stages of grief: shock, anger and acceptance, then you experience more rage until you become numb to the memories (ok, I’m being melodramatic) but a player’s departure to an sworn enemy stings and leaves a very bitter taste.
Now I’m a massive Man United fan, and when David Beckham left for Real Madrid back in 2003, I wanted to rip his blonde locks off, dispose of all his memorabilia and curse his career but then I forgave him because he’s just too pretty to hate (And evidently it was more of a kicking out). But it upsets me still and I wish Becks stayed at Old Trafford for the duration of his career.
As fans, we see our players as valuable commodities who owe us the shirt off their backs, so when we see them wearing the colours of our arch rivals, we can’t help but react emotionally. Football fans are fickle, passionate and devoted but they never forget and you know what they say: “Hell hath no fury like a football fan scorned”
Football is like a religion in this country and in a sport where the term “Judas” is not considered theatrical, players are placed on a pedestal and those who betray their fans lose their elevated status, are no longer immortal idols but now anti-heroes who become symbols of hatred.
Kissing the badge garners little meaning, whether it’s an untimely transfer request or illegal approaches; some players have their legacy at a club tarnished when they move to certain sides. Like every theatrical production, you’ll have your pantomime villains, those bad guys who warrant some hostility from the audience and so I’ve assembled a list of my personal top 5 most treacherous transfers.
Luis Figo
In 2000, the Portuguese superstar did the unthinkable. Figo left Barcelona for rivals Real Madrid in a fee worth £37 million. The world record transfer deal was embroiled in a political election campaign by eventual Real Madrid president Florentino Perez whose promise to sign Figo from arch rivals resulted in his appointment.
The animosity that emanated from Barca fans towards their former captain was volatile and the abuse Figo received was intense but in my view justified. The conflict between Real Madrid (The establishment club) and Barcelona (The Catalan resistance) extends beyond matters on the pitch, with a political history between the two sparking a cultural battle that football just intensifies.
During the ill-tempered El Classico encounter of 2002, Figo needed police protection to take corners at Barcelona’s Nou Camp because of the amount of objects thrown – one being a pig’s head. To this day, Figo remains a hated figure at Barcelona for his audacious and rather public lack of remorse.
Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell spent 9 years at Tottenham, made 255 appearances for Spurs and captained the club at the age of 26. But he ran down his contract and screwed the club that nurtured him out of a massive transfer fee. His reasons for leaving? A yearn for Champions League football allegedly, but the talented defender could have earned Spurs millions of pounds in a transfer fee but left for nothing in a Bosman ruling due to massive wage demands that Tottenham couldn’t meet.
Campbell later admitted that he turned down lucrative offers from Barcelona and Inter Milan to join North London rival Arsenal, and will rightfully so never be forgiven. I consider Campbell’s antics to be incredibly self-serving and his move to the Gunners was a disloyal act. Shocking Sol.
Mo Johnston
Mo Johnston is a courageous man. The Scottish striker made 140 appearances for Celtic before joining French side Nantes, upon his return to his homeland; he held a press conference announcing his return to Celtic but a last minute deal saw him switch allegiances to Rangers.
The transfer caused an outrage and it appeared both sets of fans were unhappy with the deal as the deep religious divide between Glasgow’s two biggest clubs have seen Johhston’s signing cited as “the most controversial” transfer ever.
Johnston snubbed his former club and became the first high profile Catholic signing for Rangers since the First World War, he famously scored a last minute winner for Rangers in an Old Firm clash back in 1989 which warmed him to the Ibrox faithful, and he eventually made 100 appearances for Rangers, scoring 46 goals.
The outrage was so rife he even hired a 24 hour a bodyguard. It’s unclear if he still requires one to this day. Probably.
Ashley Cole
After the FA charged Ashley Cole in the notorious tapping up scandal for which he was found guilty and charged with a £200,000 fine, Arsenal offered Cole £55,000 a week contract the following summer. The England defender quoted that he was so incensed with the deal that he “nearly swerved off the road” causing him to be christened “Cashley” by fans and media alike.
When he’s not shooting his mouth off on Twitter, Cole has had his fair share of off the pitch problems which probably hasn’t helped his public perception. But it’s the controversial circumstances surrounding his move to Chelsea and ill-advised comments in his book that provoked Arsenal fans.
As a boyhood Arsenal fan; Cole emerged and developed through the youth academy and so his acrimonious move to London rivals Chelsea in 2006 earned him a lot of animosity among Arsenal fans and football fans in general over his conduct pre and post the ‘£5 million + William Gallas’ deal.
In 2006, he secured his move to West London and has since won FA Cups, Premier League titles and the Champions League with the Blues, not to mention reaching 100 caps for England, whilst his former club endure a lengthy trophy drought.
Cole came, he strayed and his career kind of conquered. And I think that’s what infuriates Arsenal fans the most.
Carlos Tevez
Tevez sensationally arrived in the Premier League signing to West Ham along with teammate Javier Mascherano in 2006. After guiding the Hammers to premiership safety, he joined Man United in a 2 year loan deal. MSI and Global Soccer Agencies owned the rights of the player, and it was apparent the 3rd party stipulation was causing complications making a permanent deal problematic.
But in 2007, after a successful 2 year stint with United, Tevez rejected Sir Alex's offer of £25m and a 5 year contract and the petulant Argentine opted to join local rivals Man City. Tevez became the first player to move between the two Manchester rival clubs since Terry Cooke in 1999.
After leaving Man Utd for Man City, Tevez proceeded to criticise Sir Alex’s managing style, slagged off Manchester numerous times; quoted as saying it had “nothing” and during the League Cup semi-final 1st leg between the two teams, he provocatively gestured toward Gary Neville after scoring.
As if the “Welcome to Manchester” billboard wasn’t inflammatory enough, then there was the incident in which Tevez held up an “R.I.P Fergie” banner whilst on an open top bus tour of Man City celebrating the championship win.
The controversial striker makes my list not only for the move to City but because of his unprofessional conduct afterwards. Since his move to City, Tevez went AWOL, refused to play against Bayern and left for a measly £10million (In comparison to what he’s probably worth). In the end, it was good bloody riddance from both Manchester clubs!!
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