A look at ten memorable inter-team football rivalries that threatened to steamroll into something bigger. It is the nature of team sports that there is bound to be friction within the same team as well.
One of the biggest reasons that any sport sells is because of rivalries. Federer-Nadal in tennis, India-Pakistan in cricket and Barcelona-Real Madrid in football are just a few examples in this regard.
The beauty of team sport is such that there are rivalries within the same team as well. Try as they might to keep a lid on it, these rivalries tend to bubble over more often than not. Arguably, they are even more interesting for the spectator. Naturally, football has had its fair share of such rivalries.
On that note, let us have a look at ten rivalries that materialised in the same football team:
Kahn vs Lehmann - Germany
Football squads are generally structured such that they have multiple goalkeepers, with one of them being the No. 1 and the others lower down the pecking order.
However, there have been occurrences when the deputy puts in excellent performances whenever called upon. In such cases, it is clear that one of them cedes ground to the other. Cech - Courtois at Chelsea and Ter Stegen - Cillessen at Barcelona are a few recent examples.
With national teams, it isn't so simple. You can't just 'move' a player on. Germany learned it the hard way in 2003 when Jens Lehmann spoke about his displeasure at always being the no. 2 for Germany, feeling he deserved more for how he was performing for an in-form Arsenal.
"I don't think I am given the right respect in Germany. There are a lot of people there who don't know anything about goalkeeping. My bad luck is that I am only No. 2 in the national team. I think I should be playing. I have developed in a very good way. I perform better these days than Germany's No.1 [Kahn]." Lehmann once said.
it was clear that Kahn wasn't pleased about the attack: "Lehmann is constantly provoking and he's been doing it for years. The situation is escalating and has to be resolved. This can't continue like this. We have to resolve it internally."
In October 2004, Jurgen Klinsmann sacked Maier. Lehmann sensed that it was his time as he was the first choice for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The then Arsenal keeper was the hero in Germany's penalty shoot-out victory over Argentina in the quarter-finals.
It wouldn't be the last time Germany would witness a 'clash' between their national team goalkeepers.
Neymar vs Alba - Barcelona
Neymar spent four fruitful seasons at Barcelona, winning the treble in 2014-15 as part of the famed MSN (Messi-Suarez-Neymar) trio. Jordi Alba has been a regular in Barcelona's first XI since he signed for the club in 2012.
Since both Neymar and Alba were active on the left side of the pitch, they got to know each other better than most.
There were reports of a feud between the duo for a while before it was confirmed when Neymar was caught shouting expletives at Alba during a 2-1 Liga loss to Valencia in 2016.
In terms of tactics, Jordi Alba didn't have the space to run up on the left since Neymar is not your everyday left-winger. The quality that Neymar possessed, he had the freedom to roam around a bit to do maximum damage. Neymar's flexible positioning on the pitch, in turn, limited Alba's offensive impact.
After Neymar's departure, Alba all but confirmed that things weren't rosy between the two. He stated that he enjoyed playing for Barcelona even more after the Brazilian left Camp Nou:
"As I said before, I have more space to run into and honest, for me, it's much better. I have regained confidence. With more space on the left I am very comfortable and that is demonstrated in the field. I'm enjoying it in a way I haven't for a long time."
Andy Cole v Teddy Sheringham - England & Man Utd
Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham, along with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Dwight Yorke, are well-known for inspiring Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United to a historic treble in 1998-99.
The feat seems even more impressive if you believe Andy Cole who said he "didn't exchange a single word" with Sheringham during their time as teammates at United. It's astounding but true.
Things started to go downhill between Cole and Sheringham ever since the latter was subbed off for Cole who was making his England debut in front of a packed Wembley. Cole felt enraged that Sheringham ignored him completely when he was subbed off rather than providing some encouragement to the debutant:
"I replaced Teddy. I was making my debut. Maybe I was naive, but I think he should have wished me all the best. I was nervous, as anyone would be. Instead, he walked straight past me and blanked me. It’s not like I told Terry Venables to take Teddy off.
"So I was devastated when Teddy Sheringham signed for United because I couldn’t stand him. We played a friendly in Milan in 1997, just after he’d signed. He said something on the pitch. I didn’t like it.
"'I'm only trying to help you,' he said. 'I don't need your help,' I replied."
The animosity never went away. After bringing it up once, Sir Alex Ferguson understood and never broached the topic again. Sheringham, for his part, never went public about the feud. More importantly, the two of them didn't let it affect their relationship on the pitch as they won a host of titles together.
Neymar v Cavani - PSG
PSG expected great things when they smashed the transfer record to bring in Neymar from Barcelona in the summer of 2017. The immediate return was not as satisfactory.
Finally the main man after the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani was banging in the goals for PSG while also being their penalty-taker. The Uruguayan saw no reason to give up his penalty-taking duties simply because Neymar arrived at the club. Neymar, on the other hand, felt it was only natural that he assumed set-piece duties as one of the main players of the PSG project.
Things came to a head against Lyon as Cavani and Neymar publicly argued over who would take a spot-kick. Reportedly, Cavani told Neymar after the game: "Who do you think you are? Lionel Messi?"
The remark from Cavani sent the Brazilian over the edge. Thiago Silva had to intervene to stop the situation from escalating.
Unai Emery could have shown more authority in this regard than merely suggesting that the two take penalties alternately. Only later did the manager entrust penalty-taking responsibilities to Neymar.
There were even rumours that Cavani was offered a cash bonus to give up taking penalties voluntarily. It was embarrassing for the club looking to dominate Europe soon.
Neuer v Ter Stegen - Germany
Germany are fortunate in a way, having two world-class goalkeepers competing for the same position. Manuel Neuer was the undisputed no. 1 in the world with his performances, especially under Pep Guardiola. Following Guardiola's departure, Neuer's confidence went a little downhill because of injuries and a slight dip in form.
Ter Stegen, on the other hand, went from strength to strength at Barcelona after his transfer from Borussia Mönchengladbach. Just as Neuer's form dipped, Ter Stegen was putting out extraordinary performances to ensure Barcelona continued their domestic dominance.
Neuer, captain and favourite of Joachim Low, retained the support of the staff for the 2018 World Cup even after he missed significant portions of the season while Ter Stegen shined.
The latter let his feelings be known after Neuer kept his spot even after conceding four goals in a crucial Euro 2020 qualifier against the Netherlands. Ter Stegen told the Spanish media that missing out on a starting spot again was a 'heavy blow'.
Neuer did not let that slide: "I think he’s a good keeper and he is performing well, but I’m not sure if that helps us. We are a team and should present ourselves as such. We have great goalkeepers. We have Kevin Trapp, Bernd Leno… these are all great goalkeepers who also want to play and then sit on the bench.."
And Ter Stegen gave his response: "You can see how I have behaved in recent years and I don’t think that Neuer or others have to talk about my feelings or assess them. His remarks were inappropriate but I don’t want to say much more, I want to bring an end to all this controversy."
While the debate has been put on the back-burner for now, you can be sure that it will pick up once football resumes again. What's also given is that if Ter Stegen played for Bayern instead, there wouldn't have been much of a discussion.
Cantona v Deschamps - France
When you've got a character as colourful as King Eric, you know there's never a dull day in sight. This feud is no different. It went sour in 1995 as Eric Cantona, captain of the France national team, was dropped and Deschamps took his place instead. The whole saga is rumoured to have been instigated by Deschamps after Cantona's kung-fu kick to a racist Crystal Palace fan.
Not one to keep quiet over a perceived injustice, Cantona wasn't very subtle.
"Deschamps gets by because he always gives 100 per cent, but he will never be anything more than a water carrier."
Ahead of a Champions League clash against Deschamps' Juventus side, Cantona added again:
"You can find players like him (Deschamps) on every street corner. At present Didier likes to act like a monk and a moralist but he'll end up wallowing in every kind of vice."
It is clear that he hasn't let it go. The situation escalated when Cantona accused Deschamps of racism for not picking Benzema and Ben Arfa in the French squad for Euro 2016. It forced the Deschamps to respond:
"There is a line that cannot be crossed. And when you touch the family, it is unacceptable. I will go to the end."
As promised, Deschamps filed a defamation suit against Cantona in the French court. It looks like this one will play out in the legal system.
Del Piero v Filippo Inzaghi - Juventus
Filippo 'Pippo' Inzaghi is considered as an AC Milan legend, with his battles with Raul for the Champions League top-scorer now part of European folklore.
From 1997 to 2001, Inzaghi formed a fearsome attack for Juventus, with Alessandro Del Piero and Zidane right behind the Italian striker.
Already an established player when he signed for Juventus, it was supposed to be a match made in heaven for the talisman in Del Piero. Zidane's creativity, Inzaghi's predatory instincts as a poacher and Del Piero, a mix of Zidane and Inzaghi's attributes; the combination looked perfect on paper. However, on the field, it wasn't.
The first season did go spectacularly as Inzaghi, and Del Piero scored a combined 59 goals to lead the Turin side to the Serie A title. Del Piero's knee injury in the next campaign forced him to miss the majority of the next campaign as Juventus finished a lowly 7th in the league. Inzaghi, though, still managed to score 20 goals that season.
It was the third season when things turned sour. Del Piero was struggling to score from open play after returning from his injury while Inzaghi was still prolific. The match against Venezia would prove to be a turning point as Juve were 1-0 up thanks to a penalty from Del Piero.
In the final ten minutes, Pippo managed to score a hat-trick, which was commendable. However, for each goal, Inzaghi could have passed the ball to Del Piero, who was in better positions and in need of goals to regain his confidence. Further, Inzaghi's exaggerated celebrations after each goal riled up Del Piero.
After the game, Del Piero stated that Pippo was 'lucky to score', and refused to pass the ball to the striker 'unless the moment was right'.
That was the beginning of the end of a great partnership. Inzaghi was the top-scorer in his fourth season with Juventus as well, despite the arrival of David Trezeguet. Soon after, he moved to AC Milan and made history while Del Piero became the face of Juventus.