Drama on and off the court! 5 problematic soccer players

Sometimes not only talent or skill with the ball is enough for teams that want to buy players. Today we have seen that several clubs go from players that can be a bit problematic for the season. From scandals, constant injuries to a salary that does not match their performance, we present 5 players who have shone more for their indiscipline than for their talent.

1. Neymar

The Brazilian was signed by Barcelona after demonstrating his football skills in the field. However, his talent has been eclipsed by his extra-sports scandals, the latter being an accusation of sexual abuse.

In addition, he has also been involved in corruption offenses, and in fact, he had to pay 45 million euros to the Brazilian Treasury. In the PSG, he hit an amateur when his team lost the French Cup final. His scandals do not stop there, since although his injuries are constant, they usually coincide with the ostentatious parties he likes to attend.

In the past transfer market, there was much talk about his return to Barcelona, however the price stipulated by the PSG, 180 million euros for the Brazilian, was one of the main problems for him to leave the French team. In addition, his salary amounts to 3 million euros per month.

Read also: Barcelona: Ernesto Valverde says he's bored of Neymar's saga

2. Gareth Bale

The Welsh footballer was one of Real Madrid's most expensive signings, even surpassing that of the Portuguese star, Cristino Ronaldo, since the team spent 100 million euros on his purchase. However, a few months after entering the club, the new star of Madrid suffered an injury that caused several games to be lost.

However, it was not the only injury that kept him away from the courts. According to Bussines Insider, the star "has lost more than 70 games with Madrid due to injury since he signed (…), which is almost two league championships."

His attitude was a reason why, with the arrival of Zidane, the new coach of Madrid, his permanence in the team was questioned, being one of the main requests of the coach. In different games he was annoying and indifferent to his teammates.

Despite the above, and before his imminent departure to the Chinese team Jiangsu Suning who paid 2 million euros per month, the Welshman stood out for his talent and attitude change in the field. So much so, that according to ESPN, Zidane "is delighted with the change in attitude shown by Gareth Bale, since he believes that the Welshman can become the key to his new project with Eden Hazard."

Read also: Summer market is over! These are the 10 most expensive signings

3. Wayne Rooney

The English player is usually remembered for being one of the most important players of Manchester United, a team he played with until 2017 after he returned to belong to the team that debuted him in the Premier League: Everton FC

However, despite the different titles he has won throughout his time in the Premier League, his career has been soaked in scandals. From infidelity, problems with alcohol and excessive parties, Rooney has always been in the focus of the media.

His most recent scandal occurred in the last preseason, after passing through Everton he signed with DC United in the American football league when he was seen with his other teammates going to party and arriving at the hotel at about 5 in the morning accompanied by a mysterious woman, as reported by The Sun. It should be noted that Rooney has been married, for more than a decade, with whom his longtime girlfriend was, Coleen McLoughlin, and this would not be the first time he would be unfaithful.

4. Mario Balotelli

The popular Italian player currently plays in the Brescia of Italy's Seria A. His performance in the 2008 European Championship, which led Italy to the final, put him on the pedestal of the most promising players, at that time he was 18 years old.

After his moment of fame, Balotelli began to stand out for his extra-sports scandals. In 2010 he entered a women's prison simply because he saw the doors open. After a successful passage through Inter Milan and landing in Manchester City, the Italian set fire to his house in the middle of a celebration after he intended to launch fireworks from inside it. According to El Tiempo, the day after what happened, the player arrived at the training as if nothing had happened.

The list goes on, as he was fined for not arriving or being late for training in the City, having a million-dollar traffic ticket, among others. However, the last scandal came in the season when El Flamengo de Brasil tried to buy it, but the salary was too high to keep it.

5. Diego Costa

The soccer player, born in Brazil but nationalized in Spain, plays for Atlético de Madrid of the Spanish League. In 2015, the French newspaper L'Equipe named him the most hated footballer in the world for considering him "provocative, aggressive and violent."

In a La Liga match against Barcelona, Costa insulted the referee, which earned him a red card and suspension for 8 seasons in the 2018/2019 league. In addition to the above, the Prosecutor's Office of Madrid denounced him for tax fraud. According to Marca, Costa “did not declare more than one million euros that he received as part of a sponsorship contract with the Adidas brand in 2014”.

Despite his incidents, in this new season of La Liga, he has shown himself more committed to his team. According to As, “Atlético did a great job with him in this preseason. The striker arrived in a good shape, he was seen with the ideal weight and committed from the beginning with the team. ”