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Getting booed by your own fans has to be right up there among the worst things a footballer will have to endure over the course of his career. But it's part of the game. Fans will voice their discontent if they feel like there is a lack of commitment on the side of a player.
Football fans are quite a loyal bunch and usually back their players to the end. But is that non-negotiable? It mostly is, but some footballers have found out in a harsh manner that the loyalty of fans cannot be taken for granted.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who have been booed by their own fans this season (2021-22).
#5 Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Harry Maguire has been a bit of a divisive figure ever since joining Manchester United from Leicester City in the summer of 2019 for a world-record fee of £80 million. He was mighty impressive for the Red Devils in the 2020-21 season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when Manchester United finished second in the league.
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However, Maguire has been a shadow of his former self this season. He has been nowhere near his best and has looked extremely shaky at the back. The Englishman has let his team down on several occasions this season and was booed off the ground after the 5-0 loss against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
He was embarrassingly cheered off the pitch as he was substituted in Manchester United's 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid at home in the Champions League Round of 16. It's quite a fall from grace for the Manchester United captain, who now has the monumental task of trying to win the fans back.
#4 Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Chelsea broke their transfer record to sign Romelu Lukaku this past summer. They brought back their former player by shelling out as much as €113 million. Lukaku failed to hit the ground running at Chelsea. To make matters even worse, he gave an interview to Sky Sports in late December where he undermined the Blues.
He publicly flirted with Inter Milan and hinted at Chelsea being his fifth option last summer. The Belgian international said he would have always preferred to kick on at Inter Milan after winning the Serie A title and added:
"In my opinion, there are three absolute top teams in football - Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Every player dreams of playing for one of these teams one day. So I thought if I ever had that possibility, I would sign a new contract with Inter and then go there.
Obviously, this didn't go down well with the Stamford Bridge faithful. He was booed off the pitch by his own fans during Chelsea's 1-1 draw againts Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex on January 19.
#3 Neymar Jr. (Paris Saint-Germain)
Neymar Jr. may have assisted both PSG's goals in the losing cause against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. But that wasn't enough to impress the fans who booed him during PSG's 3-0 win over Bordeaux just a few days later.
Neymar was booed throughout the game except when he scored PSG's second goal of the game. Even though the strike was met with cheers, it soon reverted to jeers and whistles once the initial jubilation subsided.
#2 Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
On the back of PSG's unceremonious exit from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, Lionel Messi was booed by his own fans. PSG fans jeered the legendary Argentine during their 3-0 win over Bordeaux. The incident left manager Mauricio Pochettino disappointed.
Speaking to the press (via Le Parisien) ahead of their game against AS Monaco, Mauricio Pochettino said:
"There was sadness about what we experienced, it was the feeling that the players have. We too. We live it collectively. Everyone has been affected but, in football, we can't stop. We must look for the last goal, which is to win the championship, to give the club a new title. We must mobilize energies to move forward."
Messi missed a penalty in the first leg of the Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid. He was also accused of being a passenger for most of the game. He did put in a defensive shift in the second leg, making as many as five recoveries but couldn't conjure up much of note in the attacking third.
#1 Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Ousmane Dembele's contract standoff with Barcelona has been well documented. The Catalans were keen to extend the 24-year-old's contract, which expires this summer. However, they were put off by Demebele's exorbitant wage demands.
By January, it had become clear that the Frenchman had no intention of putting pen to paper on a new deal. Barcelona asked him to find a new club in the January transfer window but he failed to do so. It's worth noting that at €140 million, he is Barcelona's most expensive signing of all time.
So the club cannot be faulted for wanting to recoup at least a fraction of that amount instead of losing him for free in the summer. Dembele has since been booed massively by Barcelona fans despite him enjoying an upturn in form under new manager Xavi Hernandez.
Despite the contract situation, Xavi even came out to back his player publicly. Following Barcelona's 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou in February, Xavi said:
"The fans were 10 of 10 and the support was brilliant throughout the game. But I would like them to support Ousmane, too. I'd ask them to stop booing him."
