Manchester United are one of the greatest ever clubs in the world, and in Sir Alex Ferguson, they have one of the best in the game. They have a proud history and are one of the biggest clubs in the world. In their long history, they have produced several great world-class players who have helped United become a very successful club.
Manchester United is the most successful English club currently (2011), with 19 league titles, beating Liverpool, and are very proud of their achievement. However, in their long history, there have also been several players who could be classified as “bad boys” due to their activities on the pitch or off-field controversies. This article is on 10 bad boys who have played for this great club (Manchester United).
Roy Keane (Manchester United Midfielder & Captain)
Roy Keane was one of the finest ever Manchester United captains and was an excellent fiery midfielder for the Red Devils. However, he had his moments of madness during his playing career, as this video would show. He had a history with the Manchester City player and took his revenge when he had the chance to break the other player’s leg. Though a great player, this was something which cannot be justified.
Also, he did not leave on good terms from Old Trafford despite winning plenty of titles with Manchester United. Despite leaving the Manchester United a.k.a Red Devils, he still remains a controversial figure and does not share a great relationship with his former manager, currently stirring up a recent controversy with his comments on the Red Devils’ recent exit from the Champions League (Manchester United defeated by Basel and not qualified from the Group Stage, Dec 2011).
Gary Neville (Manchester United Right Back)
Gary Neville was another of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most loyal players, and though not the most gifted player to emerge from the academy, he showed great commitment and determination, which is why Ferguson trusted him and made him his captain for some time. He was quite a popular figure inside the Manchester United dressing room, and though he did antagonize some of the rival fans with celebrations such as the above one, it was those that further endeared him to the Manchester United supporters.
Though not actually a bad character, he was quite capable of irritating other teams and their rivals with his taunting and provocative celebrations. He also had quite a controversial moment when he did make a gesture at former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez when Manchester City played Mancheter United in the Carling Cup after the Argentine joined the club.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United Striker)
According to The Mirror, Rooney also cheated on his wife when she was pregnant with their son, Kai, with an escort named Jennifer. Though it did turn into a controversy, he has sorted out his personal life again, and it has helped him focus back on football, where he is one of the most important players for Manchester United.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United Winger)
Cristiano Ronaldo remains the player for whom the highest ever transfer fee was paid, and though a difficult decision for Sir Alex Ferguson, he did allow his star player to leave but not without an exorbitant amount of money. Ferguson had signed Ronaldo fighting competition from some other clubs for a decent transfer fee, and under the guidance of the Scot, Ronaldo developed into one of the best players in the world.
However, Ronaldo remains quite a controversial player, and his arrogance does not go down well with many. Also, one of the many recent controversies was when he announced that he had become a father and that his son was under his exclusive guardianship. The mother of his son is not well known, and Ronaldo apparently exercises all the control regarding his son. Recently, he said that some other rival fans booed him for being “rich, handsome and brilliant,” and he wonders why he gets stick from rival supporters!
Carlos Tevez (Manchester United Striker)
Carlos Tevez is one of the best strikers in the world and is also one of the most controversial players. The Argentine striker was given a good reception by Old Trafford when he played for the Red Devils. However, he made the controversial switch to Manchester City, where he became the pivotal figure for the club, which made him one of the most hated players at Old Trafford.
However, his time at City was also filled with controversies, as he has not got on well with manager Roberto Mancini. Though he was the main striker for City last season, he has not featured much for City this season. Also, he was involved in a controversy in the game against Bayern Munich, and after that, he has not played a single minute for City and has also not turned up at Manchester, making him the villain of the club in this season.
Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United Center Back)
Rio Ferdinand has been one of Manchester United’s most important defenders in the last year since his big-money move to Old Trafford. However, he has had some off-field controversies, which have been hard for the defender, who also recently got into an argument on Twitter with respected Mirror journalist Oliver Holt. He did miss a drugs test and was subsequently banned for a long time.
Also, he was alleged to have affairs with plenty of women and recently was involved in a court case regarding the issue. Ferdinand was recently stripped of his England captaincy, with Capello opting to reinstate John Terry as captain of the England team. It has been a difficult time for the Manchester United defender, but he will hope to bounce back from the disappointments.
Mickey Thomas (Manchester United Winger)
Mickey Thomas did have a successful football career, and the Welsh footballer played at many clubs during his playing career. He did play for Manchester United, Everton, Stoke City and Chelsea, among other clubs, but is most infamously remembered for his counterfeit operation, where he laundered fake money through the trainees at Wrexham, the club where he established himself as a professional player.
He does earn money now through the after dinner circuit, where he does use some jokes such as this one.
“Roy Keane was on £50 grand a week. Mind you, so was I until the police found my printing machine. “
Ryan Giggs (Manchester United Winger)
Ryan Giggs is one of the most impressive Premier league players ever and one of the greatest to play under Sir Alex Ferguson. He continues to impress despite being 37 years old and it would not really be a huge surprise if Ferguson awards him another one year contract asking him to continue at Old Trafford. The midfielder who has had a good media for most of his career when he found himself rocked by controversy just before the Champions League final against Barcelona when details of his alleged affair with Imogen Thomas emerged.
Since then, there have been other reports involving Giggs with other women as well and he has not enjoyed these off-field controversies. However, his performances on the pitch continue to be impressive and he will be one of the greatest to have ever played for the club.
George Best (Manchester United Striker)
George Best was one of the world’s greatest players, and the Manchester United was fantastic during his career, as he won numerous accolades. However, his life after his career was not great, as he was involved in plenty of controversies. He became an alcoholic and was involved in some violence, as he allegedly hit his second wife. He was involved in many other controversies, as can be read from this.
The Manchester United great had severe problems with his alcohol addiction and later died at age 59. Despite all his problems, he will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play for Manchester United and is widely respected across the world.
Eric Cantona (Manchester United Striker & Captain)
Sir Alex Ferguson has made several great signings in the past, but the signing of iconic Frenchman Eric Cantona has to be considered a landmark in his tenure as the manager of the club. His arrival was one of the most important moments; he was inspirational as Manchester United enjoyed sustained success during his time at the club. He remains one of the most adored players at Old Trafford because of his success at the club.
He did have his moment of madness, though, when he was sent off in a game against Crystal Palace in 1995. After being dismissed, he did not take kindly to a Crystal Palace fan’s reaction, as he launched a Kung-Fu style kick, which led him to be suspended for eight months. However, he stayed with the club, and on his return, he continued to be very important to the club.
Source : Top 10 manchester united bad boys of all time.