The List | 10 Players To Avoid In Training - Football News

Gareth Bale may be the most expensive player in the world, but that didn't stop the formerly most expensive player giving him a rather harsh intro to life at Madrid. Ronaldo isn't exactly renowned for his tackling, yet made sure new boy Bale knew exactly who was top dog on the Welshman’s first training session.

With that in mind, here's our list of the top ten players to avoid in training. The type who would two foot their own grandma and scream at her to get up, the type of player Roy Keane would describe as 'competitive'. You know when pundits say "he's not that type of player"? Well these lads are exactly that type of player.



Mario Balotelli – Crazy would probably be the best way to describe Mario Balotelli. He certainly has a place on this list – having been involved in training ground bust ups amongst his various indiscretions and admitting to doing Thai Kickboxing. Liable to lose his rag, Mario is certainly a player you would not want flying at you in training. He's got the look of an unpredictable psycho, the sort of player you avoid eye contact with.

Joey Barton – The bad boy of football will always have a certain unsavoury reputation following him around, and that will not go away no matter what he does. Formerly a thug and a convicted criminal, the fuse is still there in Barton and we wouldn't want to be the next Ousmane Dabo. He's competitive and full blooded, 50/50's are more 70/30's with Barton and if he doesn't like you, he'll let you know about it.



Nigel De Jong - After that kung fu kick on Xabi Alonso back in the World Cup final, De Jong certainly has the Dutch streak of crazy in him. Flying into tackles and making sure that the recipient does not get back up again is not the best quality to possess, but it is one that finds him on this list. He'll leave a foot in, he'll let you know he's there.



Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Zlatan may consider himself to be one of the best forwards of all time, but he's also one of the biggest lunatics. At 13, he head butted a teammate so hard he landed in hospital and Zlatan can still go crazy from time to time. Slapping, kicking and screaming are just some of his current party tricks and you only need to flick through his book to know that bust ups are just part of the mad, bad world of Ibra.



Pepe – The name is probably enough on its own. The Spanish press even went as far as to compile a video clip of Pepe and his personal attacks on Leo Messi – complete with hyena sound effects. Ordered to go to anger management by Real Madrid once upon a time, Pepe is no stranger to red cards on the field. If you look close enough at the picture where Ronaldo tackles Bale, Pepe can be seen in the back ground, laughing, manically.



Luis Suarez – Tackling would be the least of a new player’s worries when it comes to Suarez,  as we all know the forward gets a bit antsy when he is hungry. With a reputation that dates far further back than his days at Anfield, Suarez may claim to be misunderstood, but is one to keep on your side should you wish to come away from training unscathed.



Chris Samba – His sheer size pretty much sums up the reason he is on this list – Samba is a beast of a defender and certainly one that you would not want sliding in on you – if you wish to get up that is. Now a little bit of a laughing stock because of his QPR debacle, when on form, the defender is a brick wall and gives Gandalf a lesson in the ‘you shall not pass’ stakes.



El Hadji Diouf - The striker makes Mario look like a school boy with his antics and reputation – and is well known for his temper and ability to break players legs. Unfortunately, it is not just teammates or even the opposition that can come a cropper when Diouf is on the rampage – supporters in the crowd have even felt the force of his saliva. A face only a mother could love, and we bet she doesn't like him either.



Felipe Melo – Kicking opponents in the face and stomping on Arjen Robben during the World Cup are just a couple of unpleasant things that Melo has become known for. Referring to himself as a pitbull probably does not help the situation either and following that up with ‘I run, chase and bite my opponents’ is reason enough to stay away – far away.



Marlon King – King has struggled to find a club to take him because of his behaviour. Not exactly a saint on the field, it is off it that is the real problem, headbutting teammates is the very best of the allegations and convictions the forward possesses. Spends more time in court than in the box. When this fella is on trial he's more likely to be trying to impress a jury than a new club. 

What do you reckon of that naughty lot then? Anyone lucky to miss out? Join the conversation online, on Twitter and on Facebook.