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When the top athletes in football feel disrespected, reason frequently takes a backseat. As these formerReal Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City superstars demonstrate.

Not all boycotts by athletes are based on moral convictions. Some stem from petty grievances that reveal how delicate their egos can be.

Below are six of the most trivial excuses a footballer has given for not playing.

6. Fernando Redondo

I was selected for Argentina’s World Cup team in 1990, but I realized I wouldn’t be part of the starting lineup; I would only be an additional member of the squad, so I chose to remain at home.

It is thought that the former Real Madrid player wished to concentrate on his legal studies at that moment. Unusual? Definitely. Mean? Not really. In fact, it was quite commendable.

The true meanness emerged afterward.

“He shared with me what he believed I could contribute to the team, but when it came to the topic of hair, I informed him I wouldn’t cut it since it’s a part of my identity,” Redondo mentioned regarding the Argentine icon Daniel Passarella and the issue that caused him to miss the 1998 World Cup team.

And I, more than just a football player, I am a human being.

Diego Maradona supported Redondo, and we tend to agree with that stance. Passarella was clearly the more vindictive of the two.

Yet, you ponder whether Redondo looks back with regret for opting for his stylish hair instead of playing for his nation. His sole World Cup memory was their unfortunate USA ’94 tournament.

5. Hatem Ben Arfa

The unpredictable Frenchman, as we must refer to him, is said to have gone on strike at Marseille in an attempt to secure a transfer to Newcastle United in 2010. However, there are many instances of similar transfer antics.

No, let’s return to Ben Arfa’s unsuccessful loan period at Hull City.

He only made nine appearances while on loan to the Tigers during the 2014-15 season, and he gave the clear sense that he just didn’t care about life in Humberside. Or perhaps he wasn’t keen on playing under Steve Bruce. Most likely a mix of both.

Following a comically indifferent performance in a 3-0 loss against Manchester United, Ben Arfa was substituted off after 35 minutes and immediately flew back to France, disappearing from Hull’s scene thereafter.

It’s only fair to mention that Bruce showed an unexpected level of generosity regarding how the story played out.

“No harsh words have passed between us, but you must accept that sometimes transfers don’t succeed, and that’s what has occurred this time,” he said to reporters.

He has finished his final match with Hull, and he has been informed of this. I wish him the best in the future and truly hope he achieves a career that many think his ability is worthy of.

Bruce’s wish came true, as Ben Arfa experienced a late-career revival in Ligue 1, excelling at Nice and securing a transfer to long-time champions PSG.

4. William Gallas

We are lifting our own transfer restriction to bring in Gallas, who took extraordinary measures to leave Chelsea.

Indeed, declining to play in an attempt to secure a move is one of the most classic tactics around. Butthreatening to accidentally score against their own team? That is completely different.

Chelsea’s official club statement regarding the issue continues to astonish us even two decades later:

Prior to the opening match of the season against Manchester City, with just four defenders available and John Terry uncertain due to an injury, he declined to participate.

He continued by warning that if he was compelled to play, or if he faced punishment and financial penalties for violating the rules, he could score an own goal, get himself sent off, or intentionally make errors.

3. Carlos Tevez

Joe Hart remembered the events that resulted in Tevez being removed from the Manchester City team during the club’s successful 2011-12 season:

Carlos did offer to come onto the field, but he was instructed to do a warm-up, having already warmed up for 20 or 25 minutes, and then he was asked to warm up once more in order to enter – and I’m quite certain he responded: ‘I’m already warmed up.’

“I didn’t feel right about playing, so I didn’t,” is what Tevez is reported to have said to Sky Sports’ Geoff Shreeves that evening, although his agent stated he had been misled by a bad translation.

Regardless of the specifics of its beginning, the striker spent most of the next five months honing his golf swing back in Argentina.

All quite absurd when you think about it, isn’t it?

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

We are tempted to place this at number one immediately, but honestly, Ronaldo’s behavior has surpassed “petty.” It’s enough to make you question the current state of the sport.

The top-earning footballer in the world has chosen to skip matches due to complaints that the Saudi Public Investment Fund hasn’t provided him with sufficiently high-quality teammates.

He’s seated there, considering that players like Joao Felix, Sadio Mane, Kingsley Coman, Marcelo Brozovic, and Inigo Martinez are managing without him.

You might expect that banking almost half a million pounds a day (a day!) would suffice for Ronaldo to smile and endure such significant athletic challenges, but it seems it is not. Cry us a river.

1. Yaya Toure

In technical terms, Toure did not actually go on strike following the notorious birthday cake incident in 2014. He did not skip any matches.

But we’re including this because it is the single most immature nonsense in football history.

Toure celebrated his 31st birthday two days following the last match of the 2013-14 season, during which Manchester City narrowly beat Liverpool to claim the championship, largely due to the midfielder’s remarkable individual performance in Premier League history.

Twenty goals and nine assists represent a remarkable performance for a player in his role.

Events could have unfolded differently if the incident occurred during the critical phase of the confrontation. Steven Gerrard might have possessed a Premier League champions’ medal had the Ivorian been born in March or April.

“All that Dimitri mentioned is accurate. He represents my views. I will clarify following the World Cup,” tweeted Toure in response to his agent’s surprising outburst.

“He received a cake, but on Roberto Carlos’s birthday, the president of Anzhi gave him a Bugatti,” Seluk mentioned.

I don’t expect City to give Yaya a Bugatti, we simply asked that they shake his hand and say ‘we congratulate you’. It is the least they should do on his birthday when the team is all together.

Adult males. Truely absurd behavior.

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