Well, I've decided to call into work this morning, opting instead for a day of skiing, so seeing as I'm up before 6am anyway and can't get back to sleep, I have some free time on my hands and some thoughts in my head. With all the constant hate being rained down upon John Terry these days, it got me wondering, who is my most hated player of all time? My mind immediately jumped in a number of different directions, so I'll do my best to try to make sense of it.
For my first candidate, I have to start with what got me here in the first place, John Terry. By all accounts, he appears to be a despicable human being, just ask Wayne Bridge or Anton Ferdinand. Then there is his semi-blowout hair, they way he feels the need to wear his socks up past his knees, and his overall chest-out, arrogant style of play (to be fair, that isn't necessarily a bad quality for a defender to have). He is the single reason why I hate umbro cleats, so thats gotta say something. And oddly enough, as I'm writing this he has been stripped of the English Captaincy, weird.
My second front runner, Rafa Marquez. To me, he may be the ultimate scum bag of the game of soccer. From the Cobi Jones red card in '02, to countless other reckless challenges, he has proven himself more than worthy of that title. Add on top of that his lackluster 'I'm to good for this' performance as a red bull, and his captaincy of Mexico, and he is a bona fide candidate.
The third favorite, Sergio Busquets. Never has a player made me more angry by taking diving and complaining to the level he has. What he has done is actually remarkable. He has made Barcelona, a team that is without question the best in the world, and arguable one of the best teams ever, nearly unwatchable to me. Granted he is not alone, but he is certainly the ring leader when it comes to swarming refs and going to ground like hes been shot at least 10 times a game. He is trying his best to single handedly ruin the game of soccer.
In an effort to not get too long winded, here are some other notable candidates who I have to mention. Wayne Rooney, Oswaldo Sanchez (just because of this), Matt Reis (His bad headed cockiness drove me nuts) , Patrice Evra, Ashley Cole, Lee Bowyer, and Roy Keane.
And just to put this in context, by all time, I really mean players during the era in which I've really watched soccer, so pretty much the 2000s. I'm sure I've missed some no brainers here, and I'm curious to see other thoughts.
I like the John Terry thought... but for much less substantial reasons, mostly the blow out. Also, i love that the whole country of India will now think of John Terry as an anti-smoking symbol.
ReplyDeletehttp://bit.ly/ApawTi
other worthy candidates: Nigel deJong, Marco Materazzi, and Joey Barton... All villains of the game.
Ahh how could I forget Barton...is the fact that he's a Bon Iver fan the greatest enigma of our time?
DeleteIt very well may be (regarding Barton). For some reason, I don't hate on Barton that badly. I kind of dig his vibe, and by accounts of his twittering, he seems to be a somewhat enlightened dude. Not to use the oft overused Honey Badger analogy, but he really doesn't give a fuck.
ReplyDeleteNigel de Jong is a world class d-bag. As is Patrice Evra, who allegedly stirred the pot and was responsible for the unmitigated disaster that was the French 2010 World Cup campaign.
Couldn't agree any more with your Busquet's call. The guy bastardizes the game to an extent that is almost unforgivable. I really wish I could play against him and give him a "Russ on Justin Legg in the Sectional Finals Scumbag Tackle" to really give him something to roll around about.