5 footballers who took their revenge on the pitch
There have been number of occasions when footballers have attempted to belittle some opposition players, either through words, actions or even career-threatening tackles. Whether it be down to the local rivalry coming to the forefront, egos clashing, or past incident, players tend to obtain revenge on their counterparts quite often.
Regardless of the league, team and media hype, players use their elephant-like memories to ensure the ones who crossed them on previous occasions don't walk away from the contest unscathed.
Some incidents are more high profile than others, but here are five occasions footballers sought revenge on their competitors for damaging their ego or getting personal for no apparent reason.
#1 Roy Keane tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland – April 2001
When Manchester United played Leeds United in 1997, Roy Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland went into a challenge that resulted in the former suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
After the challenge, Haaland went over to Keane and stood over the Irishman - who was suffering from intense pain - and told him to get up and stop faking the injury to deceive the referee. Keane took nine months to return to full-fitness and never forgot the incident.
Four years later, Haaland – now playing for Manchester City, was up against Keane for the first time since the incident at Old Trafford. With the game level at 1-1, Keane took sickening revenge and hit Haaland with a career ending tackle - literally.
Keane then stood over Haaland and sneered at his agony. The challenge was truly sickening and one the majority of supporters still remember to this day.