Ashley Cole Shoots a Student and the 10 Craziest Acts in Football History
Defenders tend not to get themselves in the headlines for shooting, but Ashley Cole did exactly that this week.
The England defender was said to be "larking around" with a .22 caliber air rifle and managed to fire a shot into Loughborough University student Tom Cowan.
This is not the first time Cole has drawn negative attention to himself. Whether it has been shooting students, claiming to almost crash his car with distress after being offered a paltry £50,000 a week or cheating on his nationally adored pop star wife, Cole has developed a habit of attracting off-field headlines.
However, Cole is not alone in this and footballers can be a strange breed.
Here we look at 10 strange, outrageous or flat out crazy acts by professional footballers.
Brace yourself for what can happen when footballers go wild!
Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section.
10. Paul Gascoigne Feeds the Gunman
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Paul Gascoigne is a national treasure to most of England's soccer fans. Sadly, the man known as Gazza is renowned for two things, having otherworldly talent and being a little bit insane.
Recently, Gazza bizarrely resurfaced in the national media during the rampage of psychotic killer Raoul Moat. Moat had shot his ex-girlfriend, killed her boyfriend and blinded a policeman with a gunshot from point blank range.
Gazza responded to this by stating in a drunken radio interview that "Moaty" was "an alright lad." While Moat was involved in an armed standoff with police, Gazza showed up with some chicken and a can of lager to calm the situation down. Gazza was stopped at the scene by police and soon entered rehab once more for his drinking issues.
To make this situation even more bizarre, Gazza later admitted he did not know Moat after all and had merely been drinking earlier in the day and became bored.
The former England midfielder was last seen heading towards Ashley Cole's house with some chicken,
9. Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer Show Fighting Spirit
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Graeme Souness was one of the game's great battlers in the midfield area, and it is doubtless he commanded his players to show fighting spirit when he managed Newcastle United.
Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer took that a little too far when Aston Villa came to play at Newcastle in 2005. The game came to a halt as Bowyer and Dyer started swinging punches at each other.
The fight raised an interesting question, can you be sent off for a punch if it is thrown towards your own teammate? The answer was a resounding yes, as both players were red carded.
In the resulting press conference, Souness sat and apologized to Toon Army fans, while the pair sat and squirmed uncomfortably like a pair of naughty school boys.
8. Berkovic Suffers Hart Attack
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Big striker John Hartson and creative midfielder Eyal Berkovic were crucial players for West Ham United in 1999. Unfortunately for Hammers fans, these two simply did not see eye to eye.
After a training ground challenge left Berkovic floored, Hartson tried to help his teammate back to his feet, but Berkovic lashed out at Hartson. The Welsh forward responded by kicking Berkovic square in the face.
The Israeli midfielder left the club soon after this bust-up and ended up at Glasgow Celtic. While Berkovic is remembered by most as a victim, he has proven to be a bit of a head case himself.
Eight years after this incident Berkovic was convicted of assaulting the coach of his nine-year-old son. The coach subbed off young Lior Berkovic, only to be attacked by his irate father.
Dozens of witnesses claimed how Berkovic attacked the coach screaming, "I'll screw you. I'll see you are finished. I'll come after you the rest of your career."
7. El Diego
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Diego Maradona is nuts.
So nuts it is difficult to nail down one moment in his legendary career. Maradona rose to prominence as a young star in Argentina and developed close relationships with the leaders of hooligan supporters groups.
He went on to move to Europe and lit up the Spanish and Italian leagues with his brilliance. He also played his part in one of the more infamous brawls in Spanish history, "The Battle of Bilbao."
Maradona also punched in a goal known as the "Hand of God" during the 1986 World Cup and scored a goal in the 1994 World Cup before celebrating in front of the camera with his eyes bulging out of their sockets. The celebration raised suspicion and a resulting drug test saw him sent home from the World Cup for ephedrine use.
Maradona also tends to not be shy with his political views. In addition to being a staunch supporter of Che Guevara, Maradona once ripped into the USA. "I hate everything that comes from the United States," said Maradona to national television in Argentina. "I hate it with all my strength."
6. Joey Barton Cigar Attack
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Joey Barton has been in his fair share of trouble. He has openly criticized Premier League footballers forgetting he is in fact one of them, and he has also been involved in on-field bust-ups along with a street fight caught on CCTV.
However, Barton's craziest moment came at the Manchester City Christmas Party in 2004. Barton stubbed out a cigar in the eye of youth academy player Jamie Tandy.
Barton was fined and ordered to complete community service but managed to keep on with his Premier League career.
Tandy broke his leg after a loan spell to Denmark following this incident and sadly went on to attempt suicide after mounting debts piled up.
5. Roy Keane Gets Long Awaited Revenge
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In 1997, Roy Keane fouled Leeds United midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland and seriously damaged his own knee ligaments. Haaland stood over Keane and shouted at him to "get up" and stop faking injury. Little did Haaland know, those words would come back to haunt him in brutal fashion four years later.
In 2001, with Haaland playing for Manchester City Keane smashed into Haaland's knee with a crippling tackle. As Haaland writhed in agony, Keane stooped over him and screamed a tirade of abuse; he later revealed in his autobiography. The paraphrasing below is slightly edited, as Keane used much more choice language to address the Norwegian.
"I'd waited long enough. I hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries. Even in the dressing room afterwards, I had no remorse. What goes around, comes around. He got his just rewards."
The injuries inflicted by Keane would end Haaland's career and earn Keane a lengthy ban.
4. Steven Gerrard Song Request
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We have all been there before. You are out with your friends for a few beers, and you want to hear your favorite song. You put the request in and get turned down; we deal with this in different ways.
This story has it that Steven Gerrard would not take no for an answer. The Liverpool captain and his friend got into an exchange with DJ Marcus McGee that left the DJ with four stitches and injuries to his eyes, nose and teeth.
Gerrard was charged with assault and was reported to be facing a possible five years in jail. The footage below shows the exchange between McGee and Gerrard's crew.
3. Wayne Rooney and the Auld Slapper
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The life of the Premier League footballer is reported to be one of fast cars and beautiful women. The seedier side of that life is said to involve alcohol, drugs and vice.
When Wayne Rooney first got sucked into that lifestyle, he seemed to skip over the "beautiful women" part. The woman Rooney chose to have relations with in a late night brothel was given the nickname "The Auld Slapper" by her workmates.
Rooney was England's up-and-coming star and was engaged to the pretty Colleen McLoughlin. With the world at his feet and money in his pocket, the revelation of him paying to bed a grandmother shocked a nation.
Sadly, not too much changed as only recently Rooney was caught in the act again with another hooker. The incident was less surprising last time around, as the first incident had tarnished his image forever.
2. The Head Butt Heard around the World
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Zinedine Zidane is one of the most graceful and brilliant footballers to ever have lived. Sadly, for many casual fans, he will be remembered not for his excellence but for one moment of madness.
During the 2006 World Cup, Zidane was enjoying a career renaissance, rolling back the years and producing a fitting end to a legendary career. Zidane had keyed the French run to the World Cup Final and been Man of the Match when France upset Brazil 1-0 on the road to the Final.
With only 10 minutes remaining in extra time, Zidane lost his temper and head butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest. Zidane was red carded, and Italy went on to win the World Cup in a penalty shootout.
Zidane claimed afterwards he was provoked into his violent outburst, but it remains a mystery to this day what was actually said.
1. Kung Fu Cantona
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Sports fans can be a funny breed. In everyday life you would never dream of screaming insults at a grown man, as usually, there would be consequences. Pro sports is different; you can say what you want as they are well paid athletes and have to take it.
For one day at Crystal Palace, French superstar Eric Cantona ensured those rules did not apply. After being red carded and listening to the abuse of one mouthy fan, Cantona jumped into the crowd feet first and unleashed a kung fu kick on his tormentor. Cantona followed that up with a few punches before being dragged away by panicked Manchester United coaching staff.
Like the Zidane incident, it is not truly known what was said and what sparked Cantona's fury.
After waiting weeks, hundreds of journalists descended on Cantona's press conference to hear his explanation.
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think the sardines will be thrown to the sea," said Cantona.
Well, that settles that then!
