Andrew Murray
Couldn’t keep it shut…
After Luis Suarez’s latest on-pitch scandal and lengthy ban, debate has raged over just how many second chances Liverpool should give their Uruguayan striker.The question boils down to whether any amount of ability is worth the repeated headaches such players cause their club’s boardroom.
Outrageously talented on the pitch, but with more bad headlines between them than a political expenses scandal, here we look at the players who were considered just too good to let go (and a few who weren’t).
Luis Suarez
Ian Ayre and Brendan Rodgers have, to date, shown remarkable patience with their temperamental forward.
Despite attempting to take a bite out of an opponent (for the second time in his career) the club insists Suarez’s future remains with them.
A charge of racial abuse, goading of opposition players and managers and persistent diving has done little to enhance the Merseyside club’s hard won reputation.
However, when you look at the player’s contribution this season, the management’s stance becomes more understandable.
Top scorer with 23 goals, Suarez has netted over a third of Liverpool’s total.
Added to that, he is second only to Steven Gerrard in the number of assists made.
Basically, take Suarez away and you remove the lion’s share of Liverpool’s attacking threat.
A liability he may be, but while the goals keep coming (and with a distinct lack of other world class players on the books) he is one that the club seem prepared to indulge.
Eric Cantona
Perhaps the most enigmatic player Alex Ferguson has ever signed and certainly one of the most exciting, Cantona retains cult status at Old Trafford.
The volatile Frenchman was voted United’s greatest ever player by Inside United magazine with the club winning four league titles and two FA Cups during his stay.
In 1995, however, the forward took the responsibility of crowd control into his own hands (or feet) when he ‘kung-fu’ kicked a Crystal Palace fan after being sent-off in a league game.
Banned for eight months, Cantona appeared reasonably unrepentant with his infamous “When the seagulls follow the trawler…” press conference still pretty mystifying to this day.
Fergie has a track record for indulging wayward characters though, provided they deliver for him when it matters, and ‘King Eric’ certainly did that during his seasons with the Reds.
Hristo Stoichkov
Stoichkov was christened ‘El Pistolero’ (The Gunslinger) by the Barcelona fans, though whether this was due to his goalscoring prowess or fiery temperament is open to debate.
The Bulgarian scored over 100 goals during his five seasons at the Nou Camp, helping the Catalans to four Primera Division titles in a row.
His career in Spain got off to an inauspicious start though when he was sent off against bitter rivals Real Madrid in the 1990 Super Cup and reacted by stamping on the referee’s foot.
Perhaps Barca should have read the warning signs – a year into his senior career with CSKA Sofia, a 19-year-old Stoichkov narrowly escaped a lifetime ban for his part in a mass brawl.
His contradictory character is summed up by the fact that he later presented the referee, whose foot he had abused in Spain, with the boots he was wearing that day.
Diego Maradona
Maradona was considered so special by Italian club Napoli that the club’s number 10 shirt was retired in his honour.
Despite leading the team to their only two league titles, as well as UEFA Cup success, the eccentric Argentine was never easy to manage.
Entangled with the Camorra – Naple’s notorious mafia – Maradona’s cocaine habit spiralled out of control during his time in Italy.
Frequently late for practice and sometimes even missing games due to ‘tiredness’, the playmaker picked up $70,000.00 worth of fines during his seven years at the club.
An ignominious end to Maradona’s career in Serie A came in 1991 when he failed a random drugs test.
However, the self-proclaimed ‘son of Naples’ will always be remembered fondly by Neapolitans for the excitement, and success, he brought to their club.
Ever Banega
Following on in a proud tradition of Argentine headline grabbers is Ever Banega, currently plying his trade for Valencia.
Banega has been with the Spanish outfit for five years but to describe his time in Spain as turbulent would be an understatement.
He was ruled out for six-months last year following a leg break suffered when his own car ran him over (he forgot to put the handbrake on).
The clearly talented midfielder frequently dazzles in games but earlier this year had to be summoned into training, two days before a game with Barcelona, after sleeping in following a heavy night.
And some not worth the hassle…
Ciao Roberto!
Mario Balotelli
No-one could have shown more faith in a player than that displayed by Roberto Mancini towards the maverick Balotelli.
The source of more myths than the resident of Loch Ness, the firework-loving, bully-chastising, money- dispensing Italian was never less than entertaining.
Sadly, his displays on the pitch did not always live up to his off-field exploits.
After keeping the UK sports press in overdrive for nearly two and a half years, Mancini’s patience with the striker finally cracked in January of this year and he was offloaded to AC Milan.
Joey Barton
The full-time tweeter and sometime footballer has had a nomadic existence of late.
An assault on team mate Ousmane Dabo effectively ended his career at Manchester City, where strong performances on the pitch were frequently overshadowed by fresh controversies off it.
Further bans and a six month jail sentence followed at Newcastle United before the player travelled down the M1 to join QPR.
Now on loan at Marseille, his last game in England will be remembered for yet another red card after which Barton had to be dragged off the pitch whilst confronting half of the Man City team.
Robin Friday
Robin Friday makes Balotelli and Barton look like Sunday School boys.
Uncontrollable at both Reading and Cardiff, Friday’s more memorable stunts include defecating in Mark Lawrenson’s kit bag and trashing a hotel’s snooker room dressed only in his underpants.
Immortalised on a Super Furry Animals album cover, Friday sadly died at the age of 38 following a heart attack.
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