Wayne Rooney Sex Scandal: Ranking the Soccer Sex Fiends

While athlete scandals do get major tabloid play in the United States, it's nothing compared to the way scandals are portrayed in soccer circles—just ask Wayne Rooney.

Rooney is back in the headlines for yet another encounter with a prostitute, and he's just the latest in a long line of soccer stars to find their lives thrust into the tabloids.

With the way that football fans follow their team, it's only natural that the press cover the stars the same way. The scandals range from hilarious to depraved and they're all covered with the same vigor.

Keeping that in mind, here are the top 10 sex scandals involving soccer stars.

10. John Harkes

What could get the captain of the United States kicked off the team two months before the 1998 World Cup?

If you answered "sleeping with the wife of teammate Eric Wynalda" then you're correct.

John Harkes was named "captain for life" in 1996, but that didn't last too long. The cause wasn't revealed at the time, with then coach Steve Sampson citing leadership issues.

Wynalda cleared up the controversy in February of this year.

9. Ronaldo

One of the most prolific scorers of all time, Ronaldo had his own sex scandal, albeit a hilarious one.

In 2008, the Brazilian star was busted with three transvestite prostitutes who he met at a nightclub in Rio de Janeiro. Once he realized they were all men, he offered them $600 each to leave. No dice. One of them, André Luís Ribeiro Albertino went to the press and made this headline news.

First off, how do you not know they're men? If only Ronaldo had the wisdom of the Jersey Shore cast, who this season said that if you have to think about it for even a second, it's probably a man.

Jersey Shore—always teaching life lessons.

8. Israeli Soccer Team

The night before one of the biggest games for the team, the Israeli soccer team stayed disciplined and prepared for their match against Denmark.

By that, I mean they spent the night partying with prostitutes, and ended up losing 5-0 and were eliminated from the European Championship 8-0 on aggregate. 

However, I'm not so sure the team's countrymen had that much faith in the Israelis, with Israeli Internal Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami saying that Denmark was so much better than their team that "if it had been the Danish players who partied with call girls," the result would have been the same.

Ouch.

7. Stan Collymore

Craig Prentis/Getty Images

12 Feb 2000: Stan Collymore of Leicester City during the FA Carling Premiership match against Watford at Vicarage Road in Watford, England. The game ended 1-1. \ Mandatory Credit: Craig Prentis /Allsport

One of the more disappointing players in the recent history of English football, Stan Collymore managed to create headlines off the pitch for his libido instead of his poor work ethic.

Collymore admitted in 2004 that he had been "dogging," which is having sex in public places with strangers. He said he had been to dogging sites anywhere between a dozen to 15 times and took part in the activity.

Collymore had the ability to be a real star but fizzled out, never reaching his true potential, and while this incident happened after he retired, it's no shock to see why he never materialized as a force on the pitch.

6. Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema

Right before this year's World Cup, French soccer was rocked by a sex scandal, which involved child prostitutes.

Zahia Dehar made tabloid headlines when she came forward saying that her clients included Ribery and Benzema.

Dehar didn't tell her clients that she was underage and the scandal captivated the country as Ribery was a major star, a player that French soccer icon Zinedine Zidane called "the jewel of French football."

With a scandal like that, combined with the fact that the French team, you know, sucked, it's no wonder they were quickly booted from the World Cup.

5. Paul Dickov, Keith Gillespie, and Frank Sinclair

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WATFORD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 12: Paul Dickov of Derby County during the Coca-Cola Championship match between Watford and Derby County at Vicarage Road on December 12, 2009 in Watford, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)

The trio was the center of the infamous "La Manga Incident" in 2004 in which the group was accused of sexual assault by three different women while the players were training in La Manga, Spain.

The incident was later proven to be untrue, but while it was unfolding it had a devastating toll on Leicester City, their team and the players themselves.

"They're not the same people, in their concentration in what they're doing, their persona, the way they portray themselves," manager Micky Adams said to the Telegraph. "They are a lot quieter. I've seen the difference, particularly in Paul and a few of the others, the players who were locked up and those who were released. There has been a marked difference in them personality wise."

Dickov and Sinclair left the team shortly after the scandal and Gillespie was gone about a year after.

4. Wayne Rooney

The English striker has not been shy about his time spent with prostitutes, saying that he was young and very stupid at the time. It was hinted at that one of Rooney's women was a 52-year-old grandmother.

Classy. But would you expect anything else from a whiny loud-mouth?

However, Rooney is back in the tabloids for more prostitutes. This time it's Jennifer Thompson, a 21-year-old who the Manchester United star was seeing while his wife was pregnant.

Way to step up and be a family man Wayne, I'm glad your child will have a solid role model to look up to.

3. Ashley Cole

I don't know if Ashley Cole blacked out during his wedding or just plain forgot what the definition of marriage is, but he sure hasn't lived up to his role as a husband.

First it was a 2008 affair with hairdresser Aimee Walton. Following that scandal, model Brooke Healy came forward, saying she had sex with the Chelsea star.

Not only that, she said she was paid £6000 in cash to shut up and signed an agreement to keep quiet about the incident.

After that, five other women came forward saying they had encounters with Cole.

Finally, Cole's wife, Cheryl called it quits after realizing that Ashley Cole may be the worst athlete husband this side of Tiger Woods.

2. John Terry

Another Chelsea footballer found his way onto this list in John Terry.

Terry made the front page of tabloids after he slept with underwear model Vanessa Perroncel—while he was married to his wife Toni.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the model used to be the girlfriend of former teammate Wayne Bridge. However, it got much worse for the English star.

Terry got his mistress pregnant and arranged for her to have an abortion, always a classy move. His cowardice didn't end there—with Terry having a super-injunction imposed on the media, trying to prevent his awful actions scrutinized by the media.

If you're going to do something, at least be man enough to own up to it.

1. Rio Ferdinand

Five years is a long time to have an affair, but Rio Ferdinand managed to pull it off.

The Man U star had a relationship with Lauren Alcorn and continued as he started his relationship with his future wife. Ferdinand got Alcorn pregnant before she had an abortion.

Alcorn later confronted Ferdinand's wife with everything over the phone leading to the pair changing their phone numbers.

Another scandal involved Ferdinand and the daughter of his manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but nothing was ever substantiated.

Three other women have claimed affairs with Ferdinand, including Tslil Sela, an Israeli model. Sela claimed she was with Ferdinand just two weeks before his wedding while his soon-to-be wife was at home with their two children.

Rio Ferdinand won't be winning father of the year anytime soon. What a loser.