Mario Balotelli (Man City), Antonio Cassano (Real Madrid), Winston Bogarde (Chelsea)
Mario Balotelli (Man City), Antonio Cassano (Real Madrid), Winston Bogarde (Chelsea)
Footballers and managers regularly point to professionalism as an essential part of the sport. Players need more than the talent that separates them from most competitors; they also need the right attitude, along with mental and physical preparation that leaves them ready to perform at their best.
That mindset is crucial for athletes competing at the highest level. Yet throughout football history, plenty of players have fallen short when it comes to attitude and their approach to the profession. Some have been almost the complete opposite. Here are 10 of the most unprofessional players in football history.
Yaya Sanogo
Yaya Sanogo
Italy
Italy's Mario Balotelli
Italy's Mario Balotelli
From setting off fireworks inside his home to smoking while on holiday, there seemed to be no shortage of questionable behaviour from Mario Balotelli. In 2018, it was reported he returned to pre-season with Nice substantially overweight.
The same issue resurfaced in 2020, when Brescia publicly stated on their website that the Italian had returned to the club weighing just under 100kg. His confident, cocky manner has also put him among the most arrogant players in football history.
Mario Balotelli (Italy)
Mario Balotelli (Italy)
There have been times when it seemed the entire football world was willing to criticise the Italian striker. Even Phil Foden has got in on the action. “He’s a good player, but he’s got a bad attitude,” said Foden, who was only 10 years old when he said this.
Australia
Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich was a gifted goalkeeper whose professionalism was often questioned, and he joined Manchester United in the season after their treble triumph. Paul Scholes questioned the goalkeeper’s fitness.
“His shooting practice – you normally have 15 to 20 shots, after three he’s knackered.”
His former manager Sir Alex Ferguson was no less damning of the Australian:
“Mark Bosnich was a terrible professional. We played down at Wimbledon and Bosnich was tucking into everything: sandwiches, soups, steaks. He was going through the menu. I told him, 'For Christ’s sake, Mark, we’ve got the weight off you, why are you tucking into all that stuff?' We arrived back in Manchester, and Mark was on the phone to a Chinese restaurant to order a takeaway. I just couldn’t make an impact on him.”
Italy
Antonio Cassano
Antonio Cassano
Antonio Cassano was never shy about voicing his opinions. In 2024, he left Cristiano Ronaldo out of his top 10 footballers and said the Portuguese star does not know how to play football.
Many believe the Italian never came close to reaching his potential because of his unprofessional approach. Food was one of his notable weaknesses. In Madrid, it is rumoured he put on 14 kilos of weight due to his Nutella binges.
“Nutella was one of the sponsors of the club and each month they gave us five kilos of the product. In seven months I gained 14 kilos. I ate Nutella directly from the bottle and I didn't care."
Netherlands
Winston Bogarde in training for Chelsea
Winston Bogarde in training for Chelsea
Winston Bogarde played for Ajax during their attempt to retain the Champions League, eventually losing the 1996 final to Juventus on penalties. After spells with AC Milan and Barcelona, he joined Chelsea in 2000. The Dutch defender made just 12 appearances for the Blues across four years, with only three lasting the full 90 minutes.
After facing Ipswich on Boxing Day in 200, he did not feature in another Premier League squad, yet remained at Stamford Bridge for another four years. Chelsea no longer wanted him, but Bogarde refused to leave, with his £40k-a-week contract keeping him at the club even though he was no longer playing. Some say Bogarde was one of the worst defenders in Premier League history, but Bogarde is not concerned:
“I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership but I don't care.”
England
Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard has divided opinion throughout his career. He was an important member of the England team that reached the World Cup semi-finals in Russia in 2018. However, many questioned his professionalism during his time in England. The criticism intensified when he posted a holiday video on social media containing considerable profanity.
Gary Neville defended him, but others viewed the incident as evidence of the culture inside the Manchester United dressing room at the time. Since then, he has tried to revive his career in Asia. Lingard has also retained something of a mischievous, naughty-schoolboy image. For instance, in 2024, he was investigated by South Korean police for riding an electric scooter without a license.
5 Ross McCormack
Scotland
Ross McCormack
Ross McCormack
Ross McCormack’s 100 goals for Leeds United and Fulham persuaded Aston Villa to spend £12m on the Scottish striker. This was in 2016, after he’d scored 21 goals for Fulham in the Championship. His return to Villa was far less impressive, with three goals in 20 league appearances.
However, his goalscoring record is not what he is most remembered for at Villa Park. He missed training after a broken electric gate at his house prevented him from getting out. As McCormack recalled:
“I rang in and said: ‘Listen, I’ll make it, but I’ll be running a bit later than usual.' He just asked me to keep them up to date. I was expecting someone to come and let me out quickly but they were late getting there so eventually, about 10:20am, I could see I wasn’t going to make it. The manager went off his head."
England
Paul Gascoigne for Tottenham
Paul Gascoigne for Tottenham
When fit and in form, Paul Gascoigne was a brilliant entertainer. At points during the early 1990s, he looked unstoppable, helping make him one of the most creative players in British football history.
He played in a different era, of course, but even by 1990s standards his behaviour was often unprofessional. There were numerous examples. One of the more harmless examples came when he was caught playing tennis at 1am on the day England faced Germany in a World Cup semi-final.
For the young Geordie, it was a special time:
“When I see clips of Italia 90 I feel great, then immediately sad. It was the best time of my life. I loved it, I loved it from the moment I got on that plane. Nothing fazed me, I wanted to be in the World Cup, every player's dream. But it felt like I was going on holiday — I was playing tennis, table tennis. I loved every minute of it.”
Belgium
Eden Hazard Real Madrid
Eden Hazard Real Madrid
There is little doubt that when Eden Hazard was at Chelsea he was sensational. It is fair to say that his form at Stamford Bridge makes him one of the best dribblers of a ball of all time.
His move to Real Madrid did not work out as hoped: he scored seven goals in 76 games and ultimately failed to meet expectations at the Bernabeu. Some believe his approach to professionalism eventually caught up with him, as Jose Mourinho explains:
“Amazing player with awful training.”
His former manager felt Hazard could have reached an even higher level had he applied himself more during training.
Egypt
Amr Zaki Wigan
Amr Zaki Wigan
Amr Zaki joined Wigan on loan while the club were in the Premier League. Manager Steve Bruce wanted goals from the Egyptian striker, and Zaki delivered them. Eleven goals in 32 appearances was a respectable return, but Bruce was far from happy with Zaki:
“I just feel it's time that we went public on just what a nightmare he has been to deal with. I can honestly say that in all my time in football, I have never worked with someone as unprofessional.”
Bruce made those comments after Zaki returned late from international duty for the fourth time. Zaki has been more forgiving, saying he would hug his former manager if they met again.
England
Stan Bowles
Stan Bowles
Stan Bowles remains Queens Park Rangers greatest ever player. He was also a genuine maverick. Days after QPR won the 1973 FA Cup, he played away at Sunderland, where the trophy was displayed on a table beside the pitch for supporters to see. During the warm-up, Bowles wagered with a teammate he could hit the cup with the ball.
“I ran straight across the park and then, bang! the FA Cup goes shooting up in the air. I believe it got dented.”
At Loftus Road, Bowles followed a simple routine: remain in the betting shop until after 2:30pm, then arrive at the dressing room in time for the 3pm kick-off. Hardly the model of professionalism, but certainly a brilliant footballer.