Football’s bad, bad boys

Luis Suarez’s explusion from the World Cup for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini and his subsequent comeback isn’t isolated. Here’s a roster of football’s other famous bad boys who got a kick out of controversy.

Luis Suarez’s explusion from the World Cup for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini and his subsequent comeback isn’t isolated. Here’s a roster of football’s other famous bad boys who got a kick out of controversy.

Diego Armando Maradona: A few years after dazzling the world by helping Argentina lift the World Cup in 1986, he served a 15-month suspension for cocaine possession. That’s not all: He was also charged for supplying cocaine to hookers.

Eric Cantona: A Manchester United icon, the French footballer-turned-actor spat at a fan and was fined £1,000 in 1992. In 1995, Cantona launched a ‘kung-fu’ style kick into the crowd, directed at a Crystal Palace fan who shouted abuse at him.

Nicholas Anelka: Playing in the Indian Soccer League for the Mumbai City FC these days, Anelka found himself in the eye of a storm after making the "quenelle" hand sign, a gesture claimed by some to be merely a reverse Nazi salute.

George Best: The original rock star of English football. Best loved hitting the bottle often and had a reputation for partying and dating ex-models (two of whom he ended up marrying). He passed away at 59, owing to complications of a liver transplant.

Mario Balotelli: As prolific as he is temperamental, the striker is often described as a red card waiting to happen. In 2012, while playing for Manchester City, he was suspended for four matches for stomping on rival player Scott Parker.

From HT Brunch,November 2

Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch

Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.

See Less