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High-profile footballers have the means to enjoy a lavish lifestyle. They earn a fortune in wages in addition to other endorsement and sponsorship deals, making them some of the highest paid athletes in the world.
While their rigorous footballing schedule requires them to maintain a certain amount of discipline, footballers are human too. Like us, they like to kick back and unwind at times. While some go to spend quality time with their family and friends, some others love to get a bite of the party life.
There have been plenty of footballers who have been infamous for partying too much off the pitch. But there have also been plenty of players who have been able to strike the right balance and let loose and be good in their profession at the same time.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at five famous footballers who love to party off the pitch.
#5 Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli attained cult status in the world of football for his antics both on and off the pitch. He has always led an extravagant lifestyle and even during his prime years, the Italian striker never shied away from partying.
Back in 2014 when he was playing for Liverpool, Balotelli got over a loss to Chelsea by partying until 4:30 am in the morning in London. A scathing report on DailyMail (via BleacherReport) on the incident went like this:
"He may be struggling to find the back of the net since his £16 million move to Liverpool in the summer, but Mario Balotelli appears to have no problem locating London's nightclubs.
"The misfiring striker was spotted partying the night away at celebrity haunt Libertine on Saturday - hours after his team folded in a 2-1 defeat to Premier League table-toppers Chelsea.
"In fact, the 24-year-old appeared quite dedicated to soaking up as much of the British capital's night-life as he could, staying at the club until 4:30am."
Balotelli has never really tried to make his love for partying a secret and has been caught partying hard plenty of times in his life.
#4 Phil Foden
Among the current crop of young Premier League stars, Phil Foden has gained some notoriety for his fondness for partying. Foden and his teammate Jack Grealish were pictured at a party at a nightclub after Manchester City thumped Leeds United 7-0 in December 2021.
Both players had scored in that game but were demoted to the bench in City's 4-0 win over Newcastle United the following weekend. The Manchester City staff were reportedly not impressed with both players' conditions after their visit to the nightclub and were in poor shape as they showed up for training.
Foden was also once sent home from the England national team, back in September 2020. It happened because he and Greenwood tried to sneak in four girls to their hotel room, according to DailyMail (via SportBible). Two girls did end up in their rooms and posted a clip on Snapchat where Greenwood and Foden could be seen hanging out with them.
COVID-19 regulations were strict and players were not supposed to break their safety bubbles, but it looks like neither Foden nor Greenwood could help it.
#3 Jack Grealish
As mentioned above, Jack Grealish loves to party. The former Aston Villa man partied quite hard after Manchester City beat Liverpool to the Premier League title on the very last day of the 2021-22 season. Talking to the Mirror, he defended his actions and hit back at critics by saying:
"It's fine (being England's poster boy). It is what it is. If that's what people think, that's fine. I think it's a good thing to have - and you just have to embrace it.
"I try not to let anything get to my head. It's all about enjoying it, as long as I'm enjoying myself, playing football and enjoying life off the pitch even; then I will perform well. Fingers crossed I can do that over the few weeks and few games.
"I'm doing what I have loved doing my whole life. I'm the most expensive British player but I'm also the Jack from Solihull who my friends and family know. I'll never let that leave me, no matter what anyone says."I know people were saying last week, 'Oh, he's doing too much'. But what? I've just won the Premier League. It's a dream come true. Why can't I go on holiday?
"There's people that are at England with me now who went to Vegas, Ibiza, Marbella, all these places. No-one said a word, but because it was me, people were saying things."
#2 Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti is one of the best midfielders of the modern era. The dimuntive Italian is a technically gifted playmaker who also possesses unreal vision and the ability to pull off the spectacular on a regular basis. But Verratti does all of this whilst taking a no-holds-barred approach to life off the pitch.
Following Paris Saint-Germain's win over Manchester United in the first-leg of their Round of 16 tie in the 2018-19 Champions League, French football expert Julien Laurens shed light on Verratti's lifestyle. He did it to highlight just how incredibly talented Verratti is, but it also showed how much he loves the luxuries Paris and his riches have to offer.
Laurens said:
"For me Verratti, because he was not fit, because he was not 100 per cent, because he's only played one game in the last month.
"Last week he was partying until 6am for Neymar's birthday, because he smokes, because he drinks because he's out almost every day of the week.
"I think if he had the lifestyle of Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, the work ethic of him, I don't where he would be in terms of world-class midfielders.
"But the ability he has combined with the lifestyle that he has at the moment and yet still being able to put out a performance like tonight is just incredible.”
#1 Neymar Jr.
Brazilian footballer Neymar is one of the highest paid athletes in the world. He is an extraordinary footballer and his life away from the pitch is as colorful as it is on it. The 30-year-old is famous for throwing extravagant parties with high-profile guests and he has also drawn a lot of criticism for the same.
But in an interview with French radio station TF1 (via ESPN), Neymar said he'd never stop partying and insisted he is not immature and knows what he is doing. He said:
"So, who doesn't like to party? Everyone likes to have fun.
"I know when I can go, I know when I can do it, when I can't.
"Contrary to what people think, that I'm immature, that I don't know what I do."
