When teammates become enemies: football’s fiercest fallouts
Not every footballer gets along with their teammates—and sometimes, the tension spills far beyond the pitch. From silent strike partnerships to full-blown confrontations, here are ten unforgettable cases where professional players openly disliked, insulted, or even attacked each other. Starting from the most recent clash, we work our way back through some of football’s most bitter teammate fallouts.
Bellamy vs. Riise: golf clubs and grudges
During a Liverpool team bonding trip in 2007, Craig Bellamy famously attacked John Arne Riise with a golf club following a heated argument. Though both continued to play professionally, Riise later said, “We’re not friends and we won’t be friends,” making it clear the incident left a lasting rift.
Fashanu vs. Sanchez: Crazy Gang goes too far
Wimbledon's ‘Crazy Gang’ had no shortage of chaos, but John Fashanu and Lawrie Sanchez took it to another level. A training ground brawl saw Fashanu land a punch to Sanchez’s chest, later admitting, “I don’t like Sanch and he doesn’t like me.”
Matthäus vs. Effenberg: a blank-page insult
German legends Lothar Matthäus and Stefan Effenberg shared clubs and country—but not respect. Effenberg once dedicated a chapter in his autobiography to Matthäus with nothing but a blank page, calling him a “quitter.”
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Carragher vs. Diouf: verbal punches thrown
Jamie Carragher called El-Hadji Diouf “the worst footballer” he ever played with. Diouf responded harshly, saying Carragher had “two left feet” and only succeeded at Liverpool because he was local.
Cole vs. Sheringham: goals without words
Despite forming a successful strike partnership at Manchester United, Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham never spoke. The feud began when Sheringham snubbed Cole during his England debut, a moment Cole never forgave.
Icardi vs. Maxi López: betrayal off the pitch
Once friends and Sampdoria teammates, Mauro Icardi and Maxi López fell out after Icardi had an affair with López’s wife, Wanda Nara. The betrayal led to public tension, including López refusing to shake Icardi’s hand during a match.
Lehmann vs. Almunia: Arsenal’s icy rivalry
When Jens Lehmann lost his starting spot to Manuel Almunia, things turned sour. Almunia said, “I know he hates me,” revealing years later that Lehmann “took it very badly” when Wenger made the switch.
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Toure vs. Gallas: silence in defence
Kolo Toure and William Gallas were Arsenal’s central defence duo—but they didn’t speak on the pitch. Toure later said, “One of us had to go,” and made the decision to leave for Manchester City.
Ibrahimović vs. Van der Vaart: threats and tension
Zlatan Ibrahimović once threatened to break Rafael van der Vaart’s legs after being accused of injuring him on purpose. Van der Vaart later said the two “generally didn’t get along well,” and there was never a specific falling-out—just constant tension.
Frimpong vs. Nasri: a feud that never cooled
Samir Nasri publicly blamed 19-year-old Emmanuel Frimpong for an Arsenal loss in 2011, humiliating him in the dressing room. The feud escalated to social media jabs and even phone threats, with Frimpong declaring, “I will never, ever like this guy.”
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