5 world-class players who were kicked out of their clubs
There is no player bigger than the club and it stands true for any club and any player. That being said, players need to be valued in the right fashion and in a respectful manner.
For example, Lionel Messi was discovered by Barcelona but the Catalan club has been recognized in this century majorly because of what the Argentine has done for them. The same sounds true for many other clubs, especially in Europe's top five leagues.
While clubs have been grateful for the services players have provided over the years, some have failed to treat them in the right manner. It is unfair given how footballers give their everything to bring success to these clubs.
On that note, let's take a look at some of those legendary players who were forced to leave their respective clubs:
#5 Yaya Toure (Manchester City)
Yaya Toure was one of those players who were signed soon after the Abu Dhabi takeover of Manchester City. The former Barcelona midfielder had an instant impact with City and was one of the best players in the Premier League during his prime.
The Ivorian flourished under almost every manager that he played for. His best spell, though, came under Manuel Pellegrini. Yaya Toure, along with David Silva in midfield, ran riot as the duo were relentless in attack with immense creativity and technical abilities. It was the arrival of Pep Guardiola that changed things for Toure at City.
Pep Guardiola sold Yaya Toure to Manchester City in 2010. Guardiola joined Manchester City in 2016 and Yaya Toure only started one Premier League game and played in 10 league games in 2017/2018.
Yaya Toure accused him of not liking African Footballers. https://t.co/tNgYH5dto3
It looked like the Spanish manager did not favor Yaya Toure, which is why he excluded him from the UEFA Champions League squad. This did not go down well with Yaya's agent as he made the following comments:
"If he wins the Champions League for City this season then I will travel to England and I will say on television that Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world.
"But if City don't win the Champions League then I hope that Pep has got the balls to say that he was wrong to humiliate a great player like Yaya."
This was just the beginning of the many fallouts Toure's agent had with Pep Guardiola. This hampered the Ivorian midfielder's relationship with the Spanish manager as he was benched more often than not. Due to the limited opportunities that he got at City, Toure was forced to leave them in 2018.
#4 Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
Mesut Ozil is one of the best playmakers of his generation. With his agility, flair and amazing creative abilities, the German has been a delight to watch when on song.
He joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013 and gave some powerful performances for the Gunners, especially under then manager Arsene Wenger. Following Arsene's retirement, Ozil struggled to get regular game-time under both Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.
Prime Mesut Ozil was one of the greatest to grace the Premier League 😍
#AFC | #Ozil | #Arsenal https://t.co/EVTAlQ5bu2
Emery cited how Ozil lacked motivation, commitment and professionalism. Following the manager's departure, Mikel Arteta took over and post the Covid-19 pandemic, the Arsenal players were asked to take a pay-cut, which Ozil refused.
Hence, the relationship between Arteta and Ozil failed to get better and the former Real Madrid forward was sidelined frequently. Eventually, Ozil was forced to push a move away from Arsenal to Fenerbache in an attempt to resurrect his career.