A successful player-manager relationship is what bears the most fruits in football. And it is precisely this very relationship that almost always decides the fate of the manager at a given club since man-management is another key aspect of football.
Over the years, we have seen some great bonds between players and managers. However, it is not always the same as being humans with a lot of emotions, there is always room for conflict. While some conflicts are solved easily, others are not and it becomes the starting point of severe dislike between the player and the manager.
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And here are five such instances when a [famous] player absolutely disliked his manager.
#5 Mario Balotelli and Brendan Rodgers
The attitude of Mario Balotelli made it very hard to manage him all his career. The temperamental Italian was a highly controversial player, especially in his youth, and has done some of the pettiest things during his career as a footballer.
From putting his house on fire to driving to a women’s prison out of curiosity, Balotelli has done it all – except fulfilling his massive potential. In a bid to get his career back on track, the former Milan player joined Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool in a highly hyped move.
However, things didn’t go out as planned and he was ultimately shipped back to Milan before heading to Nice to finally enjoy some consistency in his life. Balotelli later admitted: “In truth, I had the biggest disappointment with Rodgers. I enjoyed myself with him in training but our relationship was a disaster.”
#4 Iker Casillas and Jose Mourinho
When you are a club legend and are not given the adequate amount of respect by the manager itself, you are bound to have a falling out with him. It all began when Jose Mourinho started Antonio Adan over a fit Iker Casillas, showing the Frenchman that the manager is the true boss.
Ultimately, Casillas injured his hand and was subsequently out of action for a long time, which was the beginning of the strenuous relationship between the player and the manager. Diego Lopez was signed to replace the then-Real Madrid captain and the former Villarreal goalkeeper kept his place even after Casillas became fit, largely thanks to his great form.
It got to the point where it became a matter of captain vs manager, which in the end was won by the former as Jose Mourinho was sacked by the end of the season after losing control of the dressing room.
The former Real Madrid never really opened up about the problems, until some months ago. He told Marca: "I kept my mouth shut about what was going on for the good of the club. You don't want to turn things into a circus at the first sign of difficulty.
"In time, I understood that some people resented me for the Mourinho affair.”
#3 David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson
It is only natural to absolutely despise your manager if he enters the dressing room and, in a fit of rage, kicks a shoe at you that cuts your eyebrow, which ultimately requires two stitches to heal. This is exactly what happened between David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson as the latter’s temper and the former’s star status collided in a giant ego clash which ended up ruining their relationship
Four months after this incident, Beckham was sold to Real Madrid, where his commercial image earned the club a lot of money. Indeed, the brand of Real Madrid was further elevated with the arrival of David Beckham back then. And it can’t be helped but thought that his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson – who, apparently, didn’t approve of Beckham’s lifestyle – was the main reason for him to move.
Just over a year later, Beckham opened up about the incident. He said: "I felt like I was being bullied in public [when Ferguson verbally lashed out to him after United’s loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup]. I was being backed into a corner for no other reason than spite. I was trapped."
The former English midfielder then sweared at the manager, “something no player, certainly no United player, should ever do to the manager. The boss took a step or two towards me. There was a boot on the floor. He swung his leg and kicked it. At me? At the wall? It could have been anywhere, he was that angry now."
After that, all hell broke loose as the boot hit Beckham’s left eyebrow. "I went for the gaffer. I don't know if I've ever lost control like that before. Suddenly it was like some mad scene out of a gangster movie."
In the end, he had to be restrained by the likes of Ryan Giggs and Ruud van Nistelrooy from hitting Fergie.
#2 Carlos Tevez and Roberto Mancini
This relationship will forever be etched as one of the most hostile player-manager relationships of all time. Things might as well be better between the two now, but it is unlikely that they would meet each other for a catching-up meal and discuss family matters. Ever.
Carlos Tevez was always a little difficult to manage. After being on astronomical wages on City, he showed somewhat of an arrogant attitude while at the Etihad. Roberto Mancini made him the captain but was soon put off by his indifferent ways and gave it to Vincent Kompany the next season.
However, the lowest point of their relationship was during City’s Champions League group stage encounter against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. When Mancini asked Tevez to warm-up because he wanted to send him in, the Argentine flat-out refused because he had already warmed up a while ago.
When asked about the event, Tevez said: "He's [Mancini] in the middle of an argument, so then he tells me to keep on warming up and he treats me like a dog."
This incident caused a serious dent in their relationship, forcing Mancini to vow that Tevez would never play for the Citizens again. However, Mancini swallowed his pride and, in a bid to lift the Premier League title that season, played the former West Ham man.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Pep Guardiola
There is basically an entire book written about the relationship between Pep Guardiola and Zlatan Ibrahimovic by the name of ‘Jag Ar Zlatan,’ loosely translating to ‘I am Zlatan.’
The Swede, in his autobiography, shed light on the type of relationship these two had and it wasn’t very good. At all. Indeed, according to the book, the former Inter player said Guardiola a lot of inappropriate things ranging from foul-mouthed suggesting Guardiola to pleasure himself in an unorthodox way to pointing fingers at his gender.
After the exit at Inter’s hands, Ibrahimovic confronted his boss in the most astonishing manner. "Guardiola was staring at me and I lost it. I thought, 'There is my enemy, scratching his bald head!' I yelled: 'You haven't got any b***s!' and worse than that I added: 'You can go f**k yourself!'
“I completely lost it, and you might have expected Guardiola to say a few words in response, but he's a spineless coward."
He also added in his book: "When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari. If you drive a Ferrari, you put premium petrol in the tank, you hit the motorway and you step on the gas. Guardiola filled up with diesel and took a spin in the countryside. He should have bought a Fiat."
The Catalan manager has never really opened up about his relationship with his former striker, opting to stay mum in most cases, but the former Manchester United striker never really lets go of a chance to take a dig at the current Manchester City boss – something that says a lot about their relationship.
