Over the past four to five years, the Premier League has seen plenty of talented but controversial players who have failed to deliver because of a lack of discipline.
The Premier League is generally seen as one of the biggest litmus tests for world-class players to shine and cement their legacies. Players, who generally come from other leagues, tend to take their game up a notch to prove themselves and rub shoulders with some of the best players in the game.
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There are, however, certain players who remain in the public’s mind for all the wrong reasons.
Ligue 1 does not fall into the category of top leagues in Europe. Only PSG and to an extent Lyon, can be seen as a real threat to the hegemony of Spanish, German, Italian and English clubs in Europe – widely considered as the leagues to prove oneself in.
However, a growing trend has been noticed over the past four to five years. Players who face “disciplinary” issues have been sent to the French League to spend some time in the “wilderness” and help them get their groove back. Here is a select list of players who have had disciplinary problems in the Premier League and have been shipped off to France to find themselves again:
#1 Hatem Ben Arfa
The French winger, now with PSG, was always regarded as one of the finer talents to have come to English shores from France. Following his move from Marseille to Newcastle in 2010, he was touted as a huge talent with many tipping him to make it to Barcelona or Real Madrid in the future. His time at Tyneside was memorable, with his silky dribbling capturing the imagination of many fans at St. James’. His time at Newcastle was capped off by a blistering solo goal against Bolton in the 2011-12 season.
Following a move to Hull City, his bad disciplinary record came to the fore with manager Steve Bruce even claiming he had no idea where the player was after he missed training. Ben Arfa and his tainted reputation had to trudge back to France and he found his swagger again with Nice.
Following a tremendous 2015-16 season, where he scored 17 goals in 34 games, he moved to top dogs PSG and now features in their first team.
#2 Mario Balotelli
Super Mario. The media’s favourite person to pick on during his time at England, Balotelli arrived at Manchester City from Inter Milan full of raw potential but with a shabby attitude. Even during his time under Mourinho at Inter, he had many fallings out but the talent was there for all to see.
His time at Manchester City can be described as checkered at best. He started off well, with 13 goals from 23 games in his second full season with the Citizens. He was constantly in the news, once for setting fireworks off at his home and then revealing a t-shirt that said, “Why Always Me?” the very next day, after scoring a goal in the 6-1 demolition of neighbours Manchester United.
Slowly, his indiscipline reared its head and culminated with him getting into an altercation with manager Roberto Mancini. He left for AC Milan in the January transfer window of the 2013-14 season.
Following another torrid spell at Liverpool under Rodgers, he was sent to France to play with Nice and it seems like he has rediscovered his best form at the age of 26. With 10 goals in 15 games, he seems to have gotten his killer instinct back with the French outfit. Only time will tell us whether this is a renaissance or just another false dawn for the Italian maverick.
#3 Memphis Depay
After being named the Eredivisie Player of the Year in 2015, much was expected from Memphis Depay when he moved to Old Trafford for a fee of £25 million. Despite starting well for Manchester United, Depay started phasing out, with his affinity for flashy cars and clothes stated as one of the main reasons.
Seniors in the Dutch national team too felt that he was distracted and unwilling to put in the effort to hone his tremendous talent.
Following a dismal first season with just 7 goals in 45 appearances, he was expected to improve under Jose Mourinho. Constantly on the bench under the Portuguese having fallen down the pecking order, due to the emergence of Mkhitaryan, Martial, Mata, Rashford and Lingard, Memphis was given the choice to leave the club. French giants Lyon pounced on the opportunity and purchased the Dutchman for a fee of £16 million that could rise to around £22 million with add-ons.
His is an unfinished story, however, as he is only 22 years old. United have inserted a buy-back clause should his performances improve. However, at the moment, he will be left to nurse his wounds in Ligue 1.
#4 Angel Di Maria
”The Angel who turned Devil,” was the popular saying around Old Trafford when Di Maria signed for the Red Devils amidst much fanfare back in the summer of 2015. For a fee of £59.7 million, Di Maria started off extremely well at Manchester United, scoring and assisting freely in his first two months. However, his performances dropped amidst talk of a fallout with then manager Louis van Gaal.
There were also rumours that his family had not settled and the Premier League was too much of a challenge for him.
Following a red card in an FA Cup tie against Arsenal for shoving referee Michael Oliver, Di Maria’s Premier League career was at crossroads. By the time summer approached, it was clear that the player was extremely unhappy and wanted to leave.
United were not willing to let their marquee summer signing go for a small fee but in swooped PSG and bought the Argentine for £44 million. He left England with a tarnished reputation and the same fans, who were celebrating his world class chip against Leicester, were labelling him a “snake.”
He has found his feet again at PSG but his ignominious departure from United will be hard to play down.
#5 Joey Barton
The ultimate bad boy of English football, Barton is still plying his trade at the top with Burnley in the Premier League. The Merseyside-born midfielder has always grabbed the headlines, more often than not for the wrong reasons. He has, however, represented top sides in the league such as Manchester City and Newcastle.
He has faced disciplinary action for various acts that range from stubbing a cigarette on a player's face to punching Morten Gamst Pedersen in the stomach and assaulting three Manchester City players on the final day of the 2011-12 season with QPR.
Barton was shipped off from QPR to play in France with Marseille. He featured there for one season and even became a media favourite for putting on a fake French accent during a press conference. He left the club and moved back to QPR, before sealing a move to current Premier League club Burnley, when they were in the Championship.
He was named in the 2015-16 Championship Team of the Year following Burnley’s promotion.
