Sergio Ramos, Zidane Among 5 Football Stars Who Lost Their Cool After Suffering Defeat

• Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and a number of others have flared up during matches
• One of the iconic moments in footballing history was Zidane heabutting Marco Materazzi
• Mario Balotelli and Sergio Ramos have also had spats on the pitch of play during matches

Some of the very best footballers on the planet have lost their cool during football matches, including five-time Balon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Some players let their emotions override them and in split seconds, they turn into a ‘monster’ right there on the pitch, attacking their opponents, match officials or in some cases, teammates.

FIFA’s major advocacy for the game is fair play but sometimes, the brutal factor coming into play is the behaviour of players.

Sports Brief has taken a look at five footballers who have lost their cool:

1. Zinedine Zidane

One of the most shocking moments in world football came during the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between France and Italy.

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Les Bleus captain, Zinedine Zidane was shown straight red after cameras captured the moment he headbutted Italian defender, Marco Materazzi.

That incident remains one of the most famous moments in footballing history and a monument was even installed in Qatar ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Zidane later told Telefoot:

“I’m not at all proud of what I did but it’s part of my past.”

2. Kepa Arrizabalaga

In 2019 during a Carabao Cup match between Chelsea and Manchester City, goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted.

The match remained goalless and was heading for a penalty shootout when then-Chelsea manager, Maurizio Sarri decided to swap Kepa for Willy Caballero.

Caballero was the club’s penalty specialist and it was time for him to come on, but shockingly, Kepa screamed 'No!' at his manager - all of which was animated with some serious arm waving.

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The drama continued and Arrizabalaga stayed on for the penalty shootout. The Blues went on to lose the match 4-3 to the defending champions, who retained the title.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese legend, Cristiano Ronaldo is known to always exhibit his emotions right there on the pitch of play.

The frustrated striker did so again immediately after the Selecao were dumped out of Euro 2020 by rivals, Belgium.

Thorgam Hazard scored the only goal of the game at the Estadio La Cartuja in Spain.

Ronaldo did everything possible to restore parity for Portugal and he thought he had scored, but the ball appeared to have crossed the line before it was cleared.

The referee signalled 'play on', which infuriated the striker. After the game, the veteran was captured taking off his armband and hurling it to the pitch as he walked away, SPORTbible reports.

4. Sergio Ramos

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After Paris Saint-Germain’s first-leg loss to Bayern Munich in a UEFA Champions League second-round fixture, Sergio Ramos was caught the moment he shoved a cameraman.

The defender was initially brushed by one photographer and appeared to bump the person with his elbow, before reacting to another brush by shoving another cameraman.

A four-time winner of this competition with Real Madrid, Ramos is not accustomed to going out in the round of 16.

5. Mario Balotelli

The original ‘bad boy’ of football. The very talented striker has lost his temper with his coach, opponents, match officials and even teammates.

He had to be physically restrained from confronting Vicenzo Montella, who was his manager at the Turkish club, Adana Demirspor.

They had a face-off after their 1-0 win over Umraniye in Turkish Super Lig in August 2022.

Back in 2011, Manchester United captain, Rio Ferdinand went into a meltdown with Balotelli during an FA Cup game. Speaking on his FIVE YouTube Channel, Ferdinand said.

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“I wanted to kill him that day. I get on with him but at that moment in time... He was celebrating and giving gestures to our fans.”

In 2013, the then Man City striker and manager Roberto Mancini were involved in a furious training ground bust-up.

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Sports Brief earlier reported that for a player who featured for less than 20 minutes, Richarlison was heavily involved in the North London derby.

Known for his abrasive nature, the Brazilian was making his first appearance since recovering from a thigh injury he picked up after World Cup duty.

Richarlison was captured on video clashing with an Arsenal defender on the touchline, shortly before another incident with the opposition goalkeeper.