72

In recent past, we ‘ve experienced some top players not interested in playing for their clubs at some point in their career.

But it is not a pleasant one when a player such as Tevez or Mahrez decides they want to move on or isn’t happy with a decision the manager has taken.

From exiling themselves in another country to refusing to come off the bench, we’ve taken a look at some of the most famous cases of footballers going on strike.

William Gallas

Gallas decided Chelsea weren’t paying him enough money and that he wanted to leave in 2006, but his club refused.

Not content with just going on strike, the Frenchman apparently told his manager that he would score own goals (yes, plural) or make deliberate mistakes if he were selected.

In the end, he did Chelsea a massive favour, as his sale to Arsenal saw Ashley Cole move in the other direction.

Paul Scholes

Playing in a No.10 role in order to accommodate new signing Juan Sebastian Veron, Scholes wasn’t happy but wasn’t exactly in the form of his life – resulting in him dropping to the bench for a game against Liverpool in 2001.

Just two other regular first-choice players were set to play the next match, a League Cup tie against Arsenal, but Scholes refused to be a part of the squad. He was fined heavily but it didn’t affect his status at the club too badly in the end.

Diego Costa

“Hi Diego, I hope you are well. Thanks for the season we spent together. Good luck for the next year but you are not in my plan.”

It was nice of Antonio Conte to let Costa know, but texting him that was a little bit brutal, no?

Anyway, what ensued was a weird situation where Conte didn’t want Costa but also didn’t want to sell him, so the striker stayed in Brazil where he waited out a move to Atletico Madrid, which eventually went through this January.

Carlos Tevez

To be fair to Tevez, Roberto Mancini did apparently tell him to “go back to Argentina” after the striker refused to come on in a defeat to Bayern Munich.

But then he just didn’t come back. His suspension from the club ended but Tevez refused to return from Argentina for two months before he eventually came back and scored a number of vital goals as City won the Premier League title.

Dimitri Payet

As if being one of the best players at Euro 2016 and one of the most exciting in the Premier League, as well as a fresh £100,000-a-week contract, wasn’t enough, Payet bizarrely decided he wanted to return to Marseille, and refused to play for Slaven Bilic’s side.

He subsequently said he was bored of the defensive football West Ham played. “You could say I was pissed off, yes,” he said. “I worked hard in every game without taking any pleasure.”

Let’s not forget that this actually went in though.

Riyad Mahrez

The latest in the list of striking footballers, Mahrez appears to have got it the wrong way around, striking after he’s not got the move away he so desired.

No, we don’t get it either. But he looks likely to miss his third game in a row – against his suitors, Manchester City – as he refuses to even report for training.