A footballer’s ultimate sin is going on strike to force a move elsewhere. For whatever reason, in a sport that struggles to get a grip on one-upmanship, the rise of the dark arts, and the shift from a working-class game to one that now allows very little contact, the line in the sand is drawn at high-profile players turning their back on their well-off employers.
The latest player to do just that is Cristiano Ronaldo, with PIF embroiled in a power struggle behind the scenes. The Portuguese icon has reportedly grown dissatisfied with how his Al-Nassr side is being run compared to other clubs under the same ownership - namely Al-Hilal, who are now eyeing a move for Karim Benzema. The fact that a player of that calibre - one of the greatest footballers of all time - is refusing to play sets a precedent for others to follow suit.
But is that act of betrayal worth it in the long run? We’ve taken a look at 11 examples from the Premier League and further afield of players who have done the same, to see whether their actions paid off or came back to bite them.
Alexander Isak
Newcastle United to Liverpool
Liverpool's Alexander Isak is helped off the pitch after sustaining an injury and is substituted vs Tottenham Hotspur
The latest - and perhaps most infamous - example in recent memory is Alexander Isak, who completely alienated himself at Newcastle United in an effort to push Liverpool into doing everything they could to sign him ahead of the 2025/26 season. At first, it looked as though the Magpies would stand firm, with fans calling for him to be punished by being made to “rot on the bench” and see out his contract.
The Premier League champions then hijacked their rivals’ move for Hugo Ekitike, but they didn’t stop there, smashing the British transfer record with a £130 million bid on deadline day - one Newcastle’s hierarchy simply couldn’t turn down. So far, though, it’s been Ekitike lighting up Anfield, while Isak recovers from a serious knee injury. Karma or coincidence, he’ll still be joining a super team once he’s back to full fitness in the summer - and that’s when the real verdict on his gamble can be made.
Diego Costa
Chelsea to Atletico Madrid
Diego Costa
Diego Costa twice fired Chelsea to Premier League glory, first under Jose Mourinho and then under Antonio Conte. But things didn’t run quite so smoothly in his second season under the fiery Italian, as a clash of personalities quickly turned sour at Stamford Bridge. Conte bluntly informed Costa by text that he wasn’t part of the Blues’ plans for the 2017/18 campaign, prompting the striker to dig his heels in and head to Brazil while his team-mates returned for pre-season training.
He eventually got the move he wanted, rejoining Atletico Madrid - though not until January 2018. He went on to win another La Liga title during his second stint, while his cult-hero status in London remained intact, even earning an invitation back for a Legends’ match where he gleefully renewed hostilities with Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel. All’s well that ends well, in this instance, even if he has since made some pretty crude remarks towards the Napoli boss.
Clint Dempsey
Fulham to Tottenham
Clint Dempsey Fulham
One of the greatest USA players of all time, Clint Dempsey refused to play for Fulham against Norwich at the start of the 2012/13 Premier League season amid reports of interest from Liverpool. "At first we didn't want to get rid of him, later on we had to change our position. But our view is that we won't let Clint Dempsey go on the cheap, that's for sure," manager Martin Jol said at the time.
The fact he ended up at Tottenham rather than getting his desired move to Anfield already hints that his strike didn’t quite go to plan. On top of that, he lasted just one season in north London before returning to MLS with the Seattle Sounders, and then somehow found himself back on loan at Fulham in a full-circle moment in 2014 before eventually calling it a day.
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Nottingham Forest to Vitesse
Pierre van Hooijdonk
Dutch striker Van Hooijdonk fired Nottingham Forest to promotion before playing in the Netherlands side which reached the World Cup semi-finals in 1998. When he returned, though, he didn't see his future lying at the City Ground in a classic example of a footballer beliving his talent deserved a bigger shop window.
After asking for a transfer but failing to secure a move away, he went back home to train with former club NAC Breda. He eventually returned to the Forest lineup, but left in the summer of 1999 after suffering relegation, moving to Vitesse. In fairness, he made a success out of later moves to Fenerbahce and Feyenoord, but his reputation certainly took a scalping as a result.
Matheus Nunes
Wolves to Manchester City
Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes in action
Matheus Nunes has completely reinvented himself as a right-back under Pep Guardiola’s guidance, and for that alone he’ll be thankful. The first few months of his time at the Etihad Stadium saw him look like a small fish in a very big pond, struggling to get a look-in and barely able to find his feet.
He hasn’t exactly been welcomed back with open arms at Wolves as a result of the move, but with the Old Gold looking destined for a drop into the Championship this season, Nunes can view his 2023 switch as a gamble that paid off.
George Best
Manchester United to Jewish Guild
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George Best's career was a helter-skelter of indecorum and non-conformity, and while he is still considered among Manchester United's all-time greats, his Bohemian spirit caught up with him in the end. Whereas other players on this list went on strike because they wanted to play for another club, the Northern Irishman's relationship with then-manager Tommy Docherty completely broke down due to his 1970s-typical rockstar lifestyle.
He was dropped after going on a three-day bender, and his issues with alcoholism saw him spiral through lower divisions for the rest of his career, with stints at clubs spanning the USA and South Africa. After leaving Old Trafford in 1974, he never played in the Old First Division again.
Julien Faubert
Bordeaux to West Ham
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Julien Faubert was desperate to leave Bordeaux in the summer of 2007, with Rangers and West Ham both keen. In the end, it was the Premier League club who won the race, and the French international would later argue his case before returning to his boyhood club in 2013.
"Sometimes you have to take extreme measures. I used that to show my unhappiness," he told RMC, as per the Mirror. "It was not a lack of respect towards the club. I will never disassociate myself from Bordeaux, because they are a club that have been enormously useful to me in my career, who have made me progress and allowed me to become an international."
Riyad Mahrez
Leicester City to Manchester City
Riyad Mahrez Leicester City
The second player on this list to have forced a move in order to play for Manchester City, Riyad Mahrez told Leicester City he wanted to leave the club in 2017, trying to cash in on the fact he was one of the key players in the Claudio Ranieri side that won the Premier League title against odds of 5000-1 a year prior. He did the same the following January, having failed to seal a summer exit, and stayed away from Foxes training after being denied for a second time.
Mahrez did eventually get his move in July 2018. He would end up spending five years in a frontline also boasting the likes of Sergio Aguero, scoring 78 goals and providing his teammates with 59 assists in 236 appearances that reaped a further four Premier League titles and that all-important Champions League mantle.
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Paul Scholes
Stayed at Manchester United
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes has rightfully earned legendary status at Manchester United, but that outcome wasn’t always a foregone conclusion. Back in 2001, the academy graduate was left out of a league game and reacted by refusing to play against Arsenal in the League Cup. After later admitting he was foolish to act that way - and even coming out of retirement years later when Sir Alex Ferguson called - it’s fair to say this one turned into a rare success story.
Very few players backtrack once their minds are made up, such is the force of ego at the top level. But staying put served the Ginger Prince more than well, as he secured his place among the most decorated British footballers of all time by realising what he had before throwing it all away.
Carlos Tevez
Stayed at Manchester City
Roberto Mancini and Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez played on both sides of the Manchester divide, so you could never really take his loyalty for granted. When he refused to come off the bench during a match early into the 2011/12 season, it looked like he would be on the move yet again. The club took disciplinary action, and he was out of the picture for months.
But he would later argue he never actually went on strike, claiming it was all a big misunderstanding. After six months away from the team, Tevez returned to action in March and later scored big goals to help City win the title. That was enough for pretty much everyone to put the whole affair behind them.
Sebastien Squillaci
Sevilla to Arsenal
sebastien squillaci
Amid interest from Arsenal in 2010, Sebastien Squillaci tactically downed tools just in time to avoid playing for Sevilla in a Champions League qualifier against Braga, knowing that, had he featured, he'd become cup-tied. He got his move, but only played eight games in European competition for Arsenal, and just 39 in total.
The best way to describe his three-year stay at the Emirates Stadium is by comparing it to a damp squib. Finishing his career at Bastia, an ACL injury in 2016 all but ended his career as he announced his retirement in the same year.