5 footballers who are perceived to be arrogant
Footballers channel aggression in multiple ways. Some choose to keep their heads down and focus entirely on the game, while others like to put on a show of confidence while they're on the pitch. Confidence and arrogance are two sides of the same coin.
It's easy for football fans to perceive confidence as arrogance and vice versa. Back in the day, football was a hotly contested affair and players had to put on an arrogant front or they could get dominated or pushed around quite easily.
The game has changed considerably in recent years and players are required to remain presentable with respect to their actions on the pitch. As such, players who resort to occasional thuggery are now perceived as arrogant.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five footballers who are perceived to be arrogant.
#5 Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos has had an illustrious career at both club and international level. He is one of the most decorated players in the game right now and is known as a master of the 'dark arts'. Ramos is famous for his aggression and is a hard-tackling defender who tries to make life hell for the attackers he comes up against.
He hardly ever affords any peace to his opponents and is always willing to get in their faces. The Spaniard also has quite a temper and is quite a belligerent presence on the football pitch. Ramos is currently at Paris Saint-Germain and is one of the most divisive figures of the modern era.
Ramos is widely perceived to be an arrogant footballer but his teammates and fans would say that his idea of leadership is just different from others.
#4 Marko Arnautovic
Marko Arnautovic has quite a history when it comes to arrogant behavior. He ambles around the green with his chest out and his chin up and does not mete out fair treatment to his opponents.
His fans would say it's swagger, but even for the neutral, it's not quite hard to chalk it all down to arrogance. Arnautovic hasn't made a great case for himself either by consistently landing himself in trouble for immature behavior on the pitch.
Arnautovic has had several run-ins with the authorities. He got himself a one-match ban for his mid-game rant against North Macedonia at Euro 2020. David Alaba had to come and put his hands around Arnautovic's mouth to stop him.
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The eminently quotable Zlatan Ibrahimovic wears his arrogance like a crown. Ibrahimovic is one of the best strikers of his generation and has had an immensely successful career. 'The Lion' is now 41-years-old but played a crucial role in AC Milan's Serie A triumph last season.
He is arrogant to a fault and never shies away from speaking his mind. He also does not let his opponents exercise any sort of dominance over him at a mental level. Fearlessness definitely has its merits as it has drawbacks.
The Swede is often seen elbowing opponents or inciting verbal wars with opponents. He is also quick to refer to himself as one of the all-time greats and as someone that's peerless. Some of it may be ironic and although fans seem to think he's arrogant, most of them love it too.
#2 Kylian Mbappe
Can too much success too early in one's career cause a player to become arrogant? It most definitely can and Kylian Mbappe appears to be a very good example of it.
The French World Cup winner was recently given a bumper contract at Paris Saint-Germain and it is rumored that he even has a say in certain administrative matters at the club. Mbappe recently had an on-field fallout with Neymar Jr. over a penalty in PSG's 5-2 win over Montpellier in the league.
The Frenchman also appeared to be bumping his shoulder into Messi after the latter failed to give him a pass in the same game. According to L’Équipe, Neymar believes that the new powers given to Mbappe have made him arrogant.
Modern day great and former Manchester United player Wayne Rooney called Mbappe egotistical for the same. He said:
"A 22-23 year old player throwing a shoulder at Messi... I have never seen a bigger ego than this in my life. Someone remind Mbappe that at 22 years old, Messi had four Ballon d'Ors."
Wayne Rooney isn't a fan of Kylian Mbappe's ego 😲👀 https://t.co/4lk799std4
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Well, we guess five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo being arrogant can't be unpardonable. The legendary Portuguese forward has made a career out of defying critics and pulling off extraordinary feats.
Ronaldo's ability to come up clutch when his teams need him most and his incredible footballing talent make him one of the GOATs. He has a great deal of swagger about him and has never shied away from referring to himself as the best in the business.
Throwback to one of the greatest interviews ever...
Reporter: “Who is the best player in the world ever?”
Rio Ferdinand: “For me the best player in the world ever.... Diego Maradona”
Cristiano Ronaldo: “Me”
Anderson: “My name is Maradona” 😂😂😂
https://t.co/zFuTGgWVg9