5 superstars who were disrespected by managers
The age-old conflict between the bosses and the working class, if I may, has pervaded the world of football as well. Well, the nature of the relationship between a manager and a player might not exactly be a fair representation of capitalistic vagaries but the fallouts often are.
Managers have their own distinct philosophies and styles of play. When a manager arrives at a club, it's only natural that there will be players there who won't suit the project that he plans on executing. Sometimes managers do communicate that to the players and ask them to find a different club.
However, when a manager and a player who don't get along are forced to do exactly that, a lot of ill-feeling could seep in. We've seen this plenty of times in the past and continue to as well.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five footballing superstars who were disrespected by managers.
#5 Iker Casillas - Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid)
Iker Casillas is a Real Madrid legend and one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. Mourinho took over as the Real Madrid manager in 2010. Casillas and Mourinho had a falling out which saw the legendary Spanish goalkeeper being ousted from the starting lineup.
Mourinho's stint at Real Madrid was shrouded in controversy. He once poked then-assistant Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova in the eye during a brawl in an El Clasico. Casillas wasn't impressed with the same and it contributed to their spat.
In Colgar las Alas, a Movistar+ documentary, Casillas opened up on how the relationship soured.
"There was a players' strike in August 2011. As the captain, I spoke to my team-mates and we decided that we weren't going to play which meant the opening games of the season wouldn't go ahead. We said a couple of things that neither of us liked and took badly but it was left there. Then came the Super Cup.
“We gave a terrible impression. There were scraps, battles, giving your heart and soul… but the other things (poking Vilanova’s eye) - that was the kind of thing you might see at other clubs - tacky clubs, who need to resort to that sort of thing, and that is not for us.
"We played Levante, a game in which we fell further behind to Barcelona. That was the moment when we stopped talking. We were alone together in a room and he starts telling me that I should be more open and honest.
“I told him that I didn't think it was right for a professional to poke another coach in the eye. Someone from the press department at the club grabbed us and told us to calm down, to talk it through. We sat down again and said what we had to say face to face.
But the pair have since made up and Mourinho has admitted to having a good relationship with Casillas. The World Cup winning goalkeeper said Mourinho was among the first people to call and check on him after he suffered a heart attack.
Casillas told ESPN:
“A lot of people don't know it but José Mourinho was one of the first people to call about me, to call me to find out how I was.”
#4 Luke Shaw - Jose Mourinho (Manchester United)
Jose Mourinho really doesn't seem to care what the world thinks of him. He burnt quite a few bridges in the lead up to his exit from Manchester United. Chief among the things he did which led tensions to rise was his constant scapegoating of players. Luke Shaw was a consistent victim.
Mourinho did not seem to like Shaw much. After settling for a 1-1 draw against Everton in the final months of the 2016-17 season, Mourinho criticized Shaw's performance quite harshly. At the time, Shaw was being used as a deputy to Ashley Young. Mourinho criticized his footballing intelligence and said:
"We need his fantastic physical and technical qualities but he cannot play with my brain. He must accelerate the process. Twenty-one is old enough to have a better understanding. He has a future here but Manchester United cannot wait."
The relationship never got better from that point on and Shaw has now burgeoned into one of the best left-backs in Europe under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Mourinho and Shaw had a bit of a spat during Euro 2020.
The current AS Roma manager said the Manchester United left-back's delivery against the Czech Republic in the group stage was 'dramatically bad'. Luke Shaw wasn't going to take it. He responded in kind.
“He likes some, he doesn’t like others and I fell into the category where he didn’t like me. I tried as hard as I could to get back on to his side but it never worked out, no matter what I did.
“There is no hiding that we didn’t get on. I think he was a brilliant manager but, you know, the past is the past. It is time to move on. I am trying to move on but, obviously, he can’t.
“He continuously talks about me, which I find quite strange. Even some of the lads have said: ‘What’s his problem?’ and: ‘Why does he keep talking?’ He just needs to move on. Hopefully he can find his peace with that and finally move on and stop worrying about me. Clearly I am in his head a lot and he clearly thinks about me a lot.”
But after Shaw's wonderful outing at Euro 2020, Mourinho retracted his criticism, saying he might have been too harsh on the Englishman. He said:
“Maybe I was too harsh with him, maybe he was not ready for that.
“The injury was such an incredible injury but I think in this moment the country looks to him and deservedly as a proper left-back for the national team from my side I can only say congratulations to him because he did it by himself for sure, with the coaches of the club and the national team."