5 players who fell out of love with their clubs after being linked to another
“They need you right now,” said the Joker to the Batman, “but when they don’t, they will cast you out – like a leper!” He then continues, “their ‘morals’, their ‘code’… it is a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble… When the chips are down, these, ahhh, civilised people, they will eat each other."
At the end of the movie, when none of the ferries is blown up, you would think that the Joker was wrong – but it is only a movie after all. If that scenario took place in real life, one of the boats would definitely have turned to ashes before the clock struck 12.
You see, this is human nature – we only love people as long as they mean something to us. When they don’t, however, they are nothing but a speck of dust to us. This might sound harsh, especially if you are a kid for whom everything is still green and rosy, but it is the truth.
One moment, fans are cheering for a player. The very next, they are jeering him. What did you think, that football was beyond this? Nah, football is the ultimate epitome of human nature. When a said player is doing well for his team, he is a hero, a legend, better than the rest.
If, however, he chooses to leave for a better offer at another club – just like any normal person would when they get a better job – he becomes a scum, a Judas and an overrated player that bottles chances.
You once used to show his skills montage to your pals, you wanted them to revere him as much as you do. Now, you show them videos of the times he missed easy scoring chances or scored own goals or earned red cards.
This works the other way around too. Clubs that mould a player into a beast are often left hurt when the said player shows his back and leaves them at a time when they would have benefited a lot from his presence.
The quest for more always seems to hurt people. More money, more trophies, more everything… the thirst is never quenched, the hunger is never satiated.
And here are 5 players who fell out of love with their clubs after being linked to another club in the quest for more…
#5 Neymar
Obviously, we will start off with Neymar here. Remember what I wrote above about fans showing videos to their pals? When Neymar’s deal to Paris-Saint German seemed imminent, videos of Neymar missing chances from Lionel Messi through-balls emerged and were being shared all over the social media.
This is the same Neymar, mind you, who, for them, was better than Cristiano Ronaldo. They shoved skill videos of Neymar on almost anyone’s face that believed that the Portuguese was the superior footballer; such was the adulation that he received – and he deserved it, he was indeed their second best player.
However, the moment PSG-links became serious and Neymar opted to stay silent on them, fans started picking on him one by one. But this is more about Neymar losing interest to play for Barcelona after being contacted by PSG.
The shadowing presence of Messi was always going to be difficult to get out of while at Barcelona. Indeed, after Neymar inspired a 6-1 victory against PSG in the Champions League round of 16, it was Lionel Messi who stole the show with the everlasting pic of him celebrating with the fans.
So when PSG came calling with a record £199 million bid, Neymar had made up his mind that he was going to be a big fish in a small pond rather than be a yellow-fish tuna to Lionel’s blue whale in the Barca Ocean.