10 Football Trash-Talk Moments Caught on Camera

The old expression goes that football is a gentleman's game played by thugs.

While that may be an over-simplified conclusion used to compare the beautiful game to rugby (a thug's game played by gentlemen), there is no denying that sometimes heightened tensions manifest themselves in a way that is hardly in the most sporting spirit.

A common bond between managers and players usually precludes them from publicly abusing their counterparts, and any such words of disparagement can potentially result in a charge of bringing the game into disrepute. 

There are moments, however, when the temptation to give a little chirp in an opponent's ear or take a swipe at them in a press conference becomes too much. We highlight 10 such moments here.

Patrick Vieira v Roy Keane (Arsenal v Manchester United, February 1 2005)

This clash at Highbury was actually the last time these two fiery midfielders would ever face each other in the Premier League, although they did have one last swansong in the FA Cup final three months after this game. 

The pre-match row in the tunnel quickly became an iconic moment in the feud between these two clubs, who had been the two best sides in the country for a good few years. However, by the end of the season, Chelsea would win their first title under Jose Mourinho, and the duopoly of these two foes was broken.

The row began brewing when, in the warm-up, Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira allegedly went over to United right-back Gary Neville and accused him of doing little else apart from get Gunners players whenever the two clubs met. Vieira then repeated the accusation in the tunnel as the players lined up to walk out on to the pitch.

Keane, never one to shirk the opportunity of a row, stepped in to stick up for his team-mate, and the two had to be separated before things turned even uglier.

The Irishman yelling "I'll see you out there" and "He thinks he's a nice guy" quickly became catchphrases among United fans, especially as United went on to win 4-2.

Kevin Keegan v Alex Ferguson (Leeds United v Newcastle United, April 30, 1996)

Given the turmoil, mismanagement and upheaval that has blighted Newcastle United in recent years, it is easy to forget that they were genuine title contenders not so long ago.

So much so, in fact, that the Magpies led the Premier League by as much as 12 points during the 1995-96 season. Slowly, though, after amassing that lead, a run of just two wins in eight games saw Manchester United eventually overtake them in the run-in. 

Newcastle had to play their final three games all in one week, and before the first of those games at Leeds, United manager Alex Ferguson suggested that other teams tried harder against his side than they did against Newcastle.

Those comments clearly irked Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan, because in his post-match interview after winning 1-0 at Elland Road he let loose with a tirade against Ferguson's comments. 

"I've kept really quiet, but I'll tell you something: he went down in my estimation when he said that," Keegan ranted. "I'll tell ya—you can tell him now, he'll be watching—we're still fighting for this title. And I'll tell you honestly, I will love it if we beat them—LOVE IT!"

It seemed that Ferguson had won the psychological war over his highly-strung rival, and on the final day of the season his team won at Middlesbrough while Newcastle could only draw at Tottenham, and the title went to Manchester. 

Jose Mourinho names Frank Rijkaard's team (Barcelona v Chelsea, February 24 2005

No one gives a press conference like Jose Mourinho. Ever since he dubbed himself "a special one" when he was presented as Chelsea's new manager in 2004, the English media couldn't get enough of his appearances. Love him or loathe him, the guy gives great copy.

But the Portuguese boss outdid even his own standards in the build-up to the first leg of the Blues' Champions League last-16 trip to Barcelona.

In an apparently spontaneous move after half an hour of questions from the assembled journalists, Mourinho stunned everyone by deciding to name not only his starting XI for the game at the Camp Nou, but also the line-up that Barca boss Frank Rijkaard would play. Just for good measure, he also named the referee, in case anyone present had not seen the name Anders Frisk in UEFA's official pre-match notes.

Perhaps Rijkaard called Mourinho's bluff, or maybe the selection really was obvious, but the Catalan side kicked off with Valdes, Belletti, Puyol, Marquez, Van Brockhorst, Deco, Xavi, Albertini, Guily, Eto'o and Ronaldinho—just as Mourinho had said.

It didn't help Chelsea much on the night—they lost the first leg 2-1; but their 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge two weeks later meant Mourinho won the battle, and at the same time added to the legend he has created for himself.   

Muhammad Ali v Brian Clough (The Big Match, 1973)

Anything Mourinho has done, however, has almost certainly been done before by Brian Clough. The former Derby County and Nottingham Forest manager became a household name in the 1970s for his outspoken views, cheeky digs and arrogant proclamations.

Just like Mourinho, "Old Big Head" was able to back up his controversial statements with his outstanding track record as a manager, and he became a full-blown celebrity to the point where his name reached a rather unlikely figure in Muhammad Ali.

Clough was a regular on prime time talk shows as well as being an analyst on the top football show of the day, The Big Match, and it was on the latter where a tape of some tongue-in-cheek trash-talking from Ali was aired.

"Some fella in London, England, named, some Brian... Brian Clough," Ali said. "I heard all the way in Indonesia that this fella talks too much. They say he's another Mohammed Ali. There's just one Mohammed Ali... Now, Clough, I've had enough. Stop it."

When host Brian Moore turned to Clough in the studio and asked if he was indeed going to take heed of this warning from The Greatest, Clough's off-the-cuff response was: "No, I want to fight him."

Mohamed Al Fayed v Fulham fans (Fulham v Blackpool, April 3 2011)

The eccentric former Harrods owner may be the man behind Fulham's rise from the bottom tier of English football to the Premier League, but he did little to endear himself to the club's fans when he unveiled his bizarre tribute to late friend Michael Jackson earlier this year.

After showing off the full colour, 7-foot-6 likeness outside Craven Cottage and dancing a nifty little jig to Man In The Mirror, the Egyptian entrepreneur was in fighting form when asked what he thinks of any Fulham supporters who do not share his love of the departed superstar or the unusual work.

"Why is it bizarre? Football fans love it," he said. "If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift this guy gave to the world, they can go to hell.

"I don't want them to be fans. If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in, they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else."

While many Fulham fans denounced the erecting of the statue as "mad" and "a laughing stock," others were more circumspect.

"Given his excellent chairmanship to date—he’s the main reason we’re an established Premier League club after all—he’s got every right to have it at the ground," said David Lloyd, editor of fanzine There’s Only One F In Fulham. 

Garry Cook predicts usurping over Manchester United (January 2010)

Manchester City's former CEO had already developed a certain knack for putting his foot in it before the emergence of an e-mail which led to his resignation last week.

Whether it was accidentally calling the club he was charged with running "Manchester United" by accident or greeting newly signed Samir Nasri with a David Brent-like "Sami, hello brother!," his bumbling was often at odds with the slick, expensively-assembled footballing operation that was being moulded on the pitch.

While there is no doubt that City were already on a sharp upward trajectory in January 2010 when they were preparing for a Carling Cup semi-final against local rivals United, Cook jumped the gun somewhat with a bullish speech made to some of the club's fans at a New York bar called The Mad Hatter.

Despite the presence of TV cameras, Cook was happy to predict on the microphone that it was a case of "not if, but when we are at Wembley having beaten Man United yet again". 

Cook had good reason to be cocky, as City were preparing for the second leg at Old Trafford having beaten United 2-1 at Eastlands the previous week, but when Wayne Rooney's 90th-minute strike sealed a 4-3 aggregate victory for the champions, Cook was made to eat his words.

City got a great deal of revenge the following season when they beat United in an FA Cup semi-final, but things would end messily for Cook.

Joe Jordan v Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur, February 15 2011)

There are many reasons that made Tottenham's run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League so memorable. The dramatic fightback from 3-0 down away to Young Boys in the qualification play-off, Gareth Bale's hat-trick at Inter Milan and the victory over the Nerazzurri in the reverse fixture were all high points in the club's recent history.

But perhaps the most memorable moment was Spurs' return to San Siro to face AC Milan, where Peter Crouch's 80th-minute strike proved to be the only goal of the tie and sent the Londoners through to the last eight.

But, as thrilling as Aaron Lennon's surging run and Crouch's first-time finish were, they were nothing compared to the histrionics at the final whistle. As the match ended, Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso was seen brawling with the Tottenham coach on the sidelines, grabbing the 59-year-old by the throat before attempting to give him a head butt. 

Gattuso was widely condemned for attacking the Scotsman, who played 52 times in Serie A for the Rossoneri during a two-year spell at the start of the 1980s and earned the nickname "Lo Squalo" ("The Shark").

But why did Gattuso, a former Rangers player, try to give a Glaswegian man almost twice his age a Glasgow kiss, incurring a four-match European ban?

"What seems evident to me is that my client was strongly provoked by Joe Jordan," claimed Gattuso's agent, Claudio Pasqualin. "Jordan, after having continuously heckled him, insulted him with truly low phrase, saying 'F****** Italian bastard.' For one like Rino, who has a strong sense of his Italian identity, I think this is the most disgusting and unjustifiable of insults."  

Jordan never gave his side of the story, instead keenly seeing it forgotten as quickly as possible, so whether a man who embraced Italian culture while playing in Serie A (he later returned for a spell at Hellas Verona) directed such abuse at Gattuso or not may never be known. 

Pep Guardiola v Jose Mourinho (Barcelona v Real Madrid, April 27 2011)

Last season's series of five Clasicos between Real Madrid and Barcelona was an extraordinary clutch of games between two of the greatest sides in the world.

After Barca had given a masterclass as they beat Real 5-0 at the Camp Nou the previous November, both sides were slated to play each four times in just 17 days: the return league fixture, the Copa del Rey final and the two Champions League semi-finals. 

The league match at the Bernabeu was a 1-1 draw before Real won the final at the Mestalla to lift their first Copa del Rey in 19 years. Both games were very feisty on the pitch—Raul Albiol and and Angel di Maria were each sent off in one match each—but off the pitch things were heating up too. 

Mourinho is, of course, no stranger to using his media commitments as a way of getting his shots in first, and before the European first leg in Madrid he ridiculed Guardiola's comments about Pedro's disallowed goal in the cup final.

"Up until now there were two types of coaches," Mourinho taunted. "A very small group who didn’t talk about referees and a very large group, in which I am included, who criticise referees when they make big mistakes but who are also very happy to praise the great work referees can do.

"Now, with Pep Guardiola’s statements, we have come to a new era with a third group, featuring only one person, who criticises good decisions made by the referee. I have never seen this before in the world of football!"

Mourinho also cockily referred to Guardiola as Pep, causing the usually ice-cool Barca manager to finally lose his legendary cool.

"Jose permitted himself the luxury of calling me Pep, so I will him call him Jose. He has won the battle off the pitch. If he wants his own personal Champions League, I’ll let him have it.

"He can say or do whatever he wants. In this room, Mourinho is the f****** chief, the f****** boss. I do not have to compete with him in here."

Guardiola conceded that the press room was very much Mourinho's territory, but he also proved that the pitch was his. Barca won 2-0 at the Bernabeu (after Pepe had been sent off), and his team secured a 1-1 draw back in Catalonia to progress to the final, where they won their third Champions League title in six years.

Robbie Fowler v Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea v Liverpool, February 27 1999)

This is not exactly an incident of trash talking in the traditional sense, but it was certainly a reprehensible act of goading that had the desired effect.

The Chelsea and England left-back had been plagued by slurs related to his sexuality for much of his career. The root of it was little more than the defender's penchant for reading left-wing broadsheet The Guardian and generally eschewing the usual drinking culture and mindless banter so many other footballers find enjoyable. It doesn't always pay to be a thinking man in this sport.

Liverpool striker Fowler, an international colleague of Le Saux, took that as his cue to test the Chelsea man's notorious short temper by bending over and pointing his backside at him, repeating "Come and give me one up the a***" as Le Saux prepared to take a free-kick.

The tasteless jibing appeared to have its desired effect when Le Saux lost his rag and caught Fowler with a well-aimed elbow to the back of the head. Somehow, referee Paul Durkin did not see the incident and took no action.

Chelsea went on to win the game 2-1, but that result pales when compared to the wider significance of the incident. Or, at least, the significance that it would have held, were it not for it being brushed under the carpet.

Le Saux later wrote of the incident in his autobiography: "What Robbie did provided a chance for people to confront a serious issue, and I wish Durkin had sent him off for ungentlemanly conduct.

"Football had a chance to make a stand that day, and Durkin would have been feted for it. There could have been a strong statement that blatant homophobia would not be tolerated, and maybe it would have been a turning point, taking some of the stigma away for gay footballers.

"But football did not make a stand. Durkin ran over and booked me for time-wasting. I was dumbfounded. I asked if he was just going to let Robbie get away with it. He did not say anything. He said later that he had not seen what Robbie was doing, but I wonder if he simply did not want to deal with it. No one did."

Diego Maradona v Bastian Schweinsteiger (Argentina v Germany, July 1 2010)

Diego Maradona's reign as Argentina manager was short-lived, but he packed a heck of a lot into his tenure in charge of the Albiceleste.

One of the greatest and most eccentric figures the game will ever see spent his time at the helm flirting with female reporters, calling up more than 100 players and just squeaking through to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals.

Once there, the two-time world champion's performance was largely underwhelming, but they found themselves preparing for a quarter-final against Germany in Cape Town nonetheless.

Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger had said in a press conference that he and his team-mates would have to be prepared for everything the Argentinians threw at them, including any gamesmanship employed in an attempt to con the referee into giving them free-kicks and getting German players booked or sent off.

Maradona retorted in a style that only he could, insisting that Schweinsteiger's comments betrayed his pre-match nerves about facing a team that included World Player of the Year Lionel Messi.

In a very cosy interview in which El Pibe was sat leaned back with arms folded, Maradona was asked if he thought the Bayern Munich midfielder was nervous, to which he replied "Que te pasa, Schweinsteiger? Estas nerviosho?" ("What's up, Schweinsteiger? Are you nervoush?") in a comedic German accent.

Schweinsteiger showed just how steely his nerves were two days later as he and his team-mates ripped Argentina to shreds, winning 4-0 in possibly the most comprehensive team performance of the entire tournament. It was also Maradona's last match in charge.