Lionel Messi vs Quique Setien, Cristiano Ronaldo vs Maurizio Sarri and Other Occasions When Managers Were Let Go After Bust-Up With Players
More often than not, if there is a bust-up between a player and a manager, it is the footballer who pays the price but sometimes, it is the coach who has to suffer due to the player’s influence. So we take a look at the occasions when a manager was reportedly let go by the club because of a player.
Football stars have very little say in management decisions made by club’s hierarchy but things are different when the player is a legend at his respective clubs. More often than not, if there is a bust-up between a player and a manager, it is the footballer who pays the price but sometimes, it is the coach who has to suffer due to the player’s influence. So we take a look at the occasions when a manager was reportedly let go by the club because of a player. Lionel Messi Wants Quique Setien to Resign from Barcelona? Reportedly Suggests an Ideal Replacement.
An example of such case was recently seen at Barcelona and Juventus as both the clubs have sacked their managers, Quique Setien and Maurizio Sarri respectively. Barcelona captain Lionel Messi was reportedly unhappy with the team’s performances while Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo was apparently frustrated with the lack of competitiveness shown by his side under the Italian coach. So here are some of the instances when clubs let their managers go following a reported fallout with a particular player. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Sister Elma Aveiro Slams Maurizio Sarri's Tactics.
Lionel Messi and Quique Setien
The Barcelona captain is arguably the greatest player of all time and demands his team to play at the highest level as well. However, the 33-year-old was unhappy with the team’s performances under the 61-year-old and had said that the club cannot win by ‘playing the way they were.’ And after a dismal display in the Champions League, Quique Setien was let go by the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Maurizio Sarri
With Juventus splashing millions on Cristiano Ronaldo, there will always be a need to keep him happy, a one thing Sarri failed to do. The 35-year-old was reportedly not happy during training sessions and the Italians management style. Ronaldo’s sisters had also lashed out at the Italian manager on several occasions and after an early exit from UCL, Sarri was let go by the club.
Alan Shearer and Ruud Gullit
Surely you can’t be a bigger personality at Newcastle United than Alan Shearer and Ruud Gullit found out about it the hard way. The former Dutch international dropped Shearer against arch-rivals Sunderland, a move which did not go down well with the fans or the man himself. The Premier League’s highest goal-scorer lashed out at his manager and after lack of backing from the hierarchy, Gullit resigned.
Nicholas Anelka and Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech took a decision which sparked one of the biggest controversies in world football. The manager substituted Anelka during halftime of France’s 2010 World Cup group game with Mexico following which the player laid into him a brutal insult. Anelka was expelled from the squad, which resulted in the whole national team refusing to train. Following this Domenech was dismissed as France’s coach.
Iker Casillas and Jose Mourinho
The Portuguese manager known as ‘the Special one’ tried way too hard at Real Madrid and failed miserably. His attempt to replace Los Blancos legend Iker Casillas, who has been with the club since he was a kid, in the goal resulted in a massive fan backlash. And after the record Spanish champions failed to deliver in the Champions League, Mourinho was relieved of his duties.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2020 12:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).