15 Most Hated Footballers

15) DIEGO SIMEONE (ARGENTINA) - The feisty Argentine midfielder was the hate subject of England fans for getting David Beckham sent off at the 1998 World Cup. After having lunged at Becks during their second round match, Simeone continued taunting him by tugging his hair. Agitated, Becks reacted by flicking his leg, and Simeone fell to the ground writhing in pain. Becks was shown the red card, and England ultimately lost on penalties.

14) MARCO MATERAZZI (ITALY) - Speaking of ending people's dreams, Italian defender Marco Materazzi will, unfortunately, be remembered as the guy who ended French legend Zinedine Zidane's career in a degrading manner. During the 2006 World Cup final, Materazzi's disgusting comment about Zidane's sister resulted in him getting red-carded after he head-butted Materazzi in response. The entire France nation blamed Materazzi for ending Zidane's career in such manner, and for the country's loss in the final.

13) GARY NEVILLE (MANCHESTER UNITED) - The no-nonsense defender is an excellent player, and his loyalty to the club is top notch, but Gary Neville does not have many friends outside the football pitch. The former Manchester United captain has a knack for getting under the opponent's skin, often getting booed by supporters at almost every other away game. Of course, Neville is probably Liverpool's most hated figure in the club's history; especially after he sprinted an entire length of the field just to celebrate a goal in front of the Kops fans.

12) ROBBIE SAVAGE (DERBY COUNTY) - Robbie Savage is arguably one of the Premier League's most loathed players ever. Known for his hard tackles and his short fuse, Savage has collected more yellow cards than any other player in the Premier League. He is usually loved by the fans of the clubs he played for, but hated by others. Just ask Derby County; in a league match in 1997, his blatant dive in the penalty box earned Leicester a penalty, and his excessive celebration in front of the home fans earned him a torrent of abuse and him getting chased across the field by some very angry Derby players.

11) CRAIG BELLAMY (MANCHESTER CITY) - As talented as he is, the hard-headed Craig Bellamy is not the most liked player in the Premier League. The former Newcastle United striker made a name for himself - a rather bad one, if you ask us - for his extremely short temper and very harsh tackles on the football pitch. But wait, he's even more violent off the pitch: he was arrested a number of times for assault, including once where he allegedly confronted then-Liverpool teammate John Arne Riise with a golf club. See why he has no friends?

10) JOEY BARTON (NEWCASTLE UNITED) - It's one thing to be hated by the fans, but by your own teammates? Newcastle United's Joey Barton is no Mr. Congeniality; in fact, he's more violent than Rambo. He was involved in several bust-ups with his teammates, notably the one where he actually popped former teammate Ousmane Dabo's retina from its socket after a training ground dispute! Off the pitch, well, he once spent 77 days in prison for assault. Now you know why everyone hates Joey Barton

9) EL-HADJI DIOUF (BLACKBURN ROVERS) - Senegalese forward El-Hadji Diouf is hate by both fans and players alike because, well, he likes spitting at them. During his time with Liverpool and Bolton Wanderer, the 30-year-old got into trouble with the police and the FA numerous times for allegedly spitting at fans and players, including once in the face of Portsmouth player Arjan de Zeeuw. He's definitely not gonna make any friends if he continues spitting at them, that's for sure.

8) JOHN TERRY (CHELSEA) - Sure, he is Captain Fantastic, and Chelsea fans love him to bits, but outside of Stamford Bridge, it's a whole different story. The 30 year-old drew the irk of many when the news of his four-month affair with former teammate Wayne Bridge's girlfriend broke. If that's not enough, what about his drunken scrapes outside of bars and that very embarrassing 9/11 incident? That clearly didn't win him any new fans.

7) DIDIER DROGBA (CHELSEA) - John Terry's teammate, striker Didier Drogba, is not very well liked by oppositions and fans either. Labelled a 'diver' almost his entire Chelsea career (even by his own coach), the 33-year-old also has a very short temper, often getting into very heated confrontations with other players, managers and yes, even referees. Case in point: he slapped Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic during the 2008 Champions League Final, earning himself a red card and Vidic a bleeding lip.

6) WAYNE ROONEY (MANCHESTER UNITED) - Wayne Rooney is one of Manchester United's favourite sons, but for a brief period of time last season, he was one of United's most hated figures too. Roo shocked the United faithful when he announced that he wants to leave the club after butting heads with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. As Sir Alex was preparing to offload him, the 26-year-old made a dramatic U-turn and signed a new contract after United made him the highest paid player in club history. The little 'Gossip Girl' drama saw the United fans - who believed that Roo used threats to get his desired wages - turning against him. Of course, his personal drama didn't help his cause one bit.

5) CARLOS TEVEZ (MANCHESTER CITY) - While we're on the subject of Manchester United fans, their former striker Carlos Tevez is perhaps the most loathed player ever to wear a United shirt. During his time with the Red Devils, he was well loved by the fans, but things got sour when he refused to sign a new contract, citing a lack of playing time and too little of a salary. When United finally agreed to his demands, the 27-year-old snubbed the club and signed for their crosstown arch enemies Manchester City instead. He claimed he felt unwanted at United, prompting the United faithful to band together and bring out the pitchforks every time the two teams meet.

4) LUIS FIGO (REAL MADRID) - One of the best players of his generation, Luis Figo was a revered figure at Barcelona...until the day he left the club for arch rivals Real Madrid! You see, to Barca fans, signing a contract with Real is like signing your own death warrant. As quickly as he became a cult hero at Barcelona, he became their public enemy number one in the blink of an eye. The Catalans felt betrayed by the transfer, and every time the clubs met, Figo would usually be greeted with: a) loud jeers b) burning jerseys bearing his name c) pig heads or d) all of the above

3) MARIO BALOTELLI (MANCHESTER CITY) - At just 21 years of age, Mario Balotelli has made a name for himself as an all-around bad boy. Be it wearing a rival's jersey during a live TV interview, his countless altercations with his coaches and teammates, stomping on his team jersey after getting booed, throwing darts at a youth player and more recently, a case of serious showboating and disrespect; it's very obvious that no one likes him. And yes, that includes his current coach Robert Mancini.

2) DIEGO MARADONA (ARGENTINA) - To Argentina fans, he's God. But to England fans, he's a cheater. During the 1986 World Cup, he single-handedly (no pun intended) won Argentina the World Cup by scoring two goals - one the fans dubbed 'the goal of the century' and the other, the most controversial goal in football history. Not only did he score his second goal with his hand, he ticked the England fans off more when he proudly accepted the goal without an air of shame, and he even claimed the goal was scored with "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God". And of course, England hated him with the fury of God.

1) CRISTIANO RONALDO (REAL MADRID) - There's no doubt Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most gifted and most skilled players in the history of football, but he also happens to be one of the most hated because, well, he knows that he is great. The 26-year-old, who is the world's most expensive player, has over the years annoyed players and rival fans alike with his arrogance, flashy step-overs, excessive whining and his theatrical diving antics. In fact, we don't think it will be anytime soon England fans forgive him for that cheeky wink. Also, we have a feeling everyone hates him because he's good looking, drives an awesome looking Ferrari and currently dating a Victoria's Secret Angel.