The Biggest Bust-Ups Between Players and Managers

Physical and verbal confrontations are all too common between players and their managers.

José Mourinho (left) and Paul Pogba (right) had a frosty relationship at Man Utd, / IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images

There are few things more catastrophic to success than a feud between player and manager.

As any Football Manager aficionado will attest, one unhappy player can result in pandemonium both on and off the pitch, with strained relationships very difficult to iron out within the pressure cooker environment of elite-level football.

There have been countless instances of such bust-ups causing chaos at both club and international level as a mighty battle of wills ensues. Usually, everyone ends up losing.

Here are some of the biggest bust-ups in football between players and their coaches.

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Roy Keane vs. Mick McCarthy

Roy Keane was never shy in expressing his frustrations. / Clive Brunskill/GettyImages

An incident so infamous that there has actually been a film made about it starring Steve Coogan, the so-called “Saipan incident” divided a nation at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Our two protagonists: Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane and Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy.

Ireland travelled to Saipan for their pre-tournament preparations and Keane was left underwhelmed by the standards and conditions at the training camp. Rumours of the Irishman’s dissatisfaction filtered through to the media, leading McCarthy to confront Keane in a team meeting. What followed was chaos.

As an argument spilled out, McCarthy accused Keane of feigning injury during a World Cup playoff with Iran, to which Keane responded with a venomous rant.

“Mick, you’re a liar … you’re a f----- w-----,” Keane barked. “I didn’t rate you as a player, I don’t rate you as a manager, and I don’t rate you as a person. You’re a f----- w----- and you can stick your World Cup up your a---. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country!”

Unsurprisingly, Keane didn’t represent Ireland at the World Cup, not making his international return until McCarthy’s dismissal.

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David Beckham vs. Sir Alex Ferguson

Alex Ferguson (left) pushed David Beckham (right) out of Man Utd. / ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

For all their respective talent, David Beckham and his manager Sir Alex Ferguson had a fractious relationship during their time together at Manchester United. There were consistent spats between the pair, but things reached boiling point in February 2003.

After an FA Cup fifth round defeat to rivals Arsenal, Ferguson took his frustrations out on Beckham over what he considered a lack of effort ahead of his blockbuster move to Real Madrid. In his anger, he kicked a boot left lying around in the changing room and it flew up and struck Beckham just above the eye, leaving a notable cut.

Beckham wore a small plaster on his eyebrow during his next public outing as the behind-the-scenes incident captured the imagination of the media and supporters—although the pair have since squashed their differences.

There was no way back and Beckham left Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernbéu at the end of the season.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs. Pep Guardiola

Two big characters. / DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/etty Images

Egos don’t come much more unmanageable than Zlatan Ibrahimović and Pep Guardiola discovered that the hard way after signing the Sweden international for Barcelona in 2009. Despite a swift goalscoring start in Catalonia, Ibrahimović’s relationship with his new manager became strained.

Things came to a head less than a year after the striker signed for the club when Barça were beaten by Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals.

“Guardiola was staring at me and I lost it,” Ibrahimović once said of his dressing room bust-up with the Spaniard after the Bayern loss. “I thought, ‘there is my enemy, scratching his bald head!’

“I yelled: ‘You haven't got any b----!’ and worse than that I added: ‘You can go to hell!’ I completely lost it, and you might have expected Guardiola to say a few words in response, but he’s a spineless coward.”

Ibrahimović was then sent on loan to AC Milan at the end of the campaign, before eventually earning a permanent move to the Italian giants.

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Nicolas Anelka vs. Raymond Domenech

The pair clashed at the 2010 World Cup. / FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

The pressure of the World Cup clearly has an unusual affect on players. Much like Keane and McCarthy eight years earlier, Nicolas Anelka and his France manager Raymond Domenech were embroiled in a heated argument during the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

However, their confrontation didn’t come before the tournament, or even in between matches. No, it came at halftime of France’s 2–0 defeat to Mexico during the group stage.

Despite the game being goalless at the break, Anelka allowed his anger to get the better of him as he allegedly told Domenech: “Go f--- yourself, you son of a w----.” Naturally, that didn’t go down well and Anelka was substituted before the second half began.

After refusing to apologise for lambasting Domenech, Anelka was sent home ahead of the group stage finale against South Africa. Les Bleus lost 2–1 and were dumped out of the competition without the forward.

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Paul Pogba vs. José Mourinho

Another Man Utd fallout. / Jeroen Meuwsen/Soccrates/Getty Images

José Mourinho appeared set to get the best out of the divisive and inconsistent Paul Pogba. However, like many under the guidance of the Portuguese manager, Pogba soon found himself under the microscope.

Having voiced his frustrations at Manchester United’s defensive approach early in the 2018–19 season, Pogba felt the ire of Mourinho. The midfielder was left out of the squad for the club’s next match after the former Chelsea and Real Madrid coach reportedly told Pogba he would never captain the Red Devils.

Things only got worse from there. Mourinho allegedly branded Pogba a “virus” that “kills the mentality of good, honest people,” but it was the Frenchman who lasted longer than his frustrated manager. Moruinho was soon sacked after a defeat to Liverpool, for which Pogba was benched.

Pogba never hit the lofty heights expected of him at Old Trafford, but he did outlast Mourinho by several years at Old Trafford. Silver linings.

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