The Most Hated Footballers in 2022

By living in the spotlight and playing on the biggest stages in the world, you tend to attract fans and haters alike. Successes and failures are not the only things defining a player’s reputation in the media. This article contains six of the most hated footballers in 2022. Read on because the list might extend before the arrival of the January transfer window.

A lot can turn a fan-favorite athlete into a villain in the eyes of the fans. Such as costing the club too much money, failing to live up to expectations, spoiling team chemistry, playing without passion, causing too much drama, and the list goes on. In addition, the more popular the club or the player is, the more hate they will receive. This article lists the most hated footballers in 2022 based mainly on events between August 2021 and October 2022.

Kylian Mbappé Quickly Became the Most Hated Footballer in 2022

The French striker went from one of the most loved to one of the most hated footballers in less than a season. As the 2021/22 season was nearing its end, online sportsbook news in Spain linked Mbappé to Real Madrid. At the time this made a lot of sense. The 23-year-old has expressed his admiration and love towards Los Blancos and Cristiano Ronaldo was his idol growing up. So when he signed an extension with PSG back in May, millions of fans turned away from Mbappé.

To make matters worse, rumors have arisen this season that Mbappé isn’t getting along with either Messi or Neymar. Furthermore, to slightly rephrase what multiple sources were saying, Kylian was losing allies in the locker room as well. A few weeks ago, another wave of rumors stated that Mbappé wants to leave Paris in January. The striker denied these rumors but was greeted with boos at the Ballon d’Or ceremony. From fan-favorite to most hated, this is Mbappé’s fate in 2022.

It Doesn’t Matter Where He is, Drama Will Always Find Neymar

With the sour limelight turning to Mbappé more recently, online sportsbook sites in Spain haven’t been focusing on Neymar as much. However, this doesn’t change the fact that the Brazilian has been one of the most hated footballers for nearly a decade. As the most expensive player of all time, a lot of expectations were put on Neymar. Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to those expectations as of yet.

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Neymar is a magnificent talent on the pitch, but he also knows how to manipulate the crowds. His antics are legendary and when people hear theatrical, they think of Neymar. The 30-year-old is having an amazing season so far and he might be able to somewhat redeem himself. Depending on what happens in the World Cup and the Champions League, Neymar could turn out to be a top 3 Ballon d’Or favorite. You can follow these updates on sites such as 20Bet Sportsbook.

Harry Maguire’s Future is Clouded with Doubt

The 29-year-old centre-back is the most expensive defender of all time. Unfortunately for Maguire, he was caught in the middle of the storm as United achieved their worst-ever finish last season. As the squad of the 2021/22 season slowly fell apart, Ten Hag decided to keep Maguire, which infuriated Red Devils fans even more. The defender received tons of death threats last season and was blamed for most of his club’s failures.

Even though Maguire didn’t see much playing time this season due to injuries or other reasons, he remains one of the most hated footballers in 2022. In time, he will no doubt have the chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the fans. Do you think United are better off without Harry Maguire? Is he the main reason for the club’s horrendous performance last season? Tell us in the comments.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Current Situation is Making Him One of the Most Hated Footballers in 2022

Most of the time, the more popular you are, the more people will hate you. This is certainly the case with United’s Cristiano Ronaldo in 2022. Things have only turned sour for the Portuguese international this season, however. After failing to leave in the summer, Ronaldo stayed in Manchester and even Ten Hag stated that the striker is a part of his plans. The first wave of criticism came when Cristiano missed preseason training and touring.

Soon after, online sportsbook sites in Spain was quick to discredit Ronaldo when United started their season with multiple losses. But what finally put CR7 on the list of most hated footballers in 2022 was a recent event. During the Red Devils’ Week 12 match against Tottenham, Ronaldo refused to come off the bench in the last minutes of the game. He then left the pitch with a couple of minutes remaining. As a result, Ten Hag dropped him from the squad and Cristiano is now training with the U21 team.

Antonio Rüdiger Left a Sinking Ship to Find Happiness Elsewhere

Rüdiger is one of the best defenders in the world right now. He’s a key player in Real’s current squad and fans love him for his passion. But it wasn’t too long ago when he was hated by millions. Things were beginning to heat up at Chelsea last season. The centre-back refused a contract extension which meant that he was leaving for free in the summer. Blues fans also partially blamed Rüdiger for the sacking of Lampard back in the 2020/21 season.

Rival fans also hated Rüdiger for his physicality on the pitch. This is a bit of a twist since the Premier League is often praised for the same reason. Apparent locker room fights and bad chemistry pushed the German defender ever closer to departure. When such rumors arise, sites like 20Bet Sportsbook always have betting markets available as the next destination of players. Since his move to Real, Rüdiger didn’t receive much hate and will play a big part in the club’s 2023 LaLiga winning chances.

Romelu Lukaku and Chelsea, a Never-Ending Toxic Relationship

Now and then, Lukaku’s transfers stir up chaos in the media. The 2021/22 season sure did put a lot of hate on the Belgian striker. Last summer, Chelsea signed the then 28-year-old for a tremendous fee of €113 million. Lukaku failed to become a prominent striker for the Blues, and fans quickly turned on him. After all, if you cost the same as Erling Haaland you should have more than 8 goals in 26 appearances. But there’s more.

Lukaku openly revealed that he wants to leave Chelsea after only a few months and fans quickly turned on him. At the end of the season, the club sent the striker back to Inter on a season-long loan deal. Without performance add-on fees, this deal is only worth €8 million. So, in the end, Chelsea got nothing good out of the Lukaku deal and even gave back the striker to the original seller for nearly nothing. Things have been quiet this season, but Romelu Lukaku will be remembered as one of the most hated footballers in 2022.

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