5 most famous player rivalries in football

#2 PATRICE EVRA - LUIS SUAREZ

Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez do not enjoy a good relationship

Luis Suarez has never been short of controversies throughout his career, and in 2011 the then-Liverpool striker was accused of racially abusing Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra.

After a 1-1 draw against Manchester United in 2011, Suarez was accused of using racial slurs against Evra, a fact which the Uruguayan denied. However, he was banned for eight games and fined £40,000, with Liverpool's conduct throughout the whole controversy widely condemned as well.

#OnThisDay in 2012, the Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez handshake that never happened. pic.twitter.com/x1vEMzfsZd

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 11, 2017

When the two teams met next time in 2012, Suarez refused to shake Evra's hands; both the striker as well as the manager Kenny Dalglish were forced to apologise for this.

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#1 LIONEL MESSI - CRISTIANO RONALDO

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest players of all time

Arguably the greatest rivalry in football as far as fans are concerned, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are widely regarded as the two of the greatest footballers to have played the game.

The footballing rivalry between the two existed from an early stage, but truly found semblance when Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid in 2009. Messi and Ronaldo faced each other at least twice every season in the El Clasico, one of the highest viewed sporting events in the world, till Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018.

Messi and Ronaldo together at Juventus? 🤯Juve have joined the race to sign Messi from Barcelona, according to L'Equipe.Man City has been touted as the most likely destination for the Argentine, who submitted a transfer request on Tuesday.Where will Messi end up? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/1PAvbo5OQ7

— Goal (@goal) August 29, 2020

While the two superstars have often stated that they do not see each other as competition, their fans tend to differ. Due to their contrasting personalities, and their allegiance to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, Ronaldo and Messi are often seen as the perfect sporting rivalry.

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