The 10 most polarising players in world football
Football is a game of narratives. While every fan has their own heroes and villains, there are some fairly consistent constants. Everyone is charmed by N'Golo Kante, for example. The flip side of this coin are the players who consistently attract the scorn of fans, for a variety of reasons.
Some of the bigger names that would traditionally have graced this list; the Pepe's and Ashley Cole's of this world, are fading into irrelevancy on the global stage, but that simply leaves a vacancy for new pantomime villains to emerge, taking their spots.
#10 Cristiano Ronaldo
Most discussions about Ronaldo involve at least one participant saying, 'Yeah, he's very good, but...'. Unquestionably one of the greatest to ever play the game, the admiration for Ronaldo has been much more grudging than the plaudits that have always flowed towards Lionel Messi, for example.
He has a reputation for diving that he has never shaken off, a petulance to his game that makes him seem averse to even his own teammates scoring instead of him, and of course, he is far from shy about his own ability. Fundamentally, Ronaldo is a player so single-minded about scoring goals and winning trophies, that he has no interest in earning supporters affection, just their respect.
#9 Jack Rodwell
Football, the great game of the working class, tends to have supporters who take an extremely dim view of any display of greed. Contract disputes are an easy way to earn the scorn of fans; players turning their noses up at the sort of weekly wages most people struggle to earn in a year.
Ashley Cole is a textbook example. In recent years though, many have suggested that the Cole situation was far from simple; that behind the scenes, there was more to it than just a greedy young man. Jack Rodwell is a player who would struggle to make the same claim, given Netflix documented his contract discussion for the world to see.
Rodwell had a £70,000 per week contract at a Sunderland side in dire financial trouble, and hadn't played in months. Midway through 'Sunderland til I Die', the camera's capture Sunderland's Chief Executive, and other players asking Rodwell to either cancel this deal for the good of the club, or actually trouble himself to play for them.
The episode concludes with the news that Rodwell decided to do neither, and continue to watch from the stands as Sunderland suffered a second consecutive relegation, eating into their budget. Rodwell is currently doing well at Blackburn, but the world has witnessed his transgression, and he is unlikely to be forgiven any time soon.