Players vs Pundits: From Gary Lineker and Harry Kane’s Euro 2024 tiff to Zlatan Ibrahimovic telling a reporter to ‘stop’ talking as well as Roy Keane’s beef with Erling Haaland after League Two comment
Football is a passionate sport with players, managers and fans all involved in intense moments of expression and frustration.
This is not so clear when pundits or reporters criticize the performance of a team or player after they have performed poorly in a match.
BBC pundit Gary Lineker and England striker Harry Kane are the latest pair to go head to head.
Lineker made headlines after England’s opening match against Serbia after branding the Three Lions’ performance ‘s***’. That wasn’t the end of it though, as the England captain then hit back at a number of former England players-turned-pundits.
Lineker and Kane’s Euro 2024 tiff is the latest in a number of memorable exchanges between footballers and media members. Here are some others.
Harry Kane is the latest player to respond and get involved in a heated argument with a pundit
Harry Kane responds to comments from ex-England players including Gary Lineker
Lineker made headlines for branding the Three Lions’ group stage performances ‘s***’
Harry Kane vs Gary Lineker
Harry Kane recently hit out at a number of former England internationals who criticized Gareth Southgate’s men in Germany for the 2024 Euros.
Gary Lineker was one of many former England players to voice their disapproval in the media ahead of Euro 2024 over England’s performance in the 1-1 draw with Denmark.
Other former players included Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand. Kane, who normally avoids confrontation with the media, hit back at the former players by pointing out that they, like him, had never won an international trophy during their playing days.
“I would never want to be disrespectful to any player, especially a player who has worn the shirt and knows what it’s like to play for England,” Kane said.
“But what ex-players who are now analysts have to realize is that it is very difficult not to listen to it now, especially for some players who are not used to it or for players who are new to this environment.
“I always feel like they have a responsibility. I know they have to be honest and give their opinion, but they also have a responsibility as a former England player.
‘The bottom line is that as a country we haven’t won anything for a long time. Many of these players have also participated in that and they know how tough it is.’
Roy Keane vs Erling Haaland
Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, Roy Keane made headlines earlier this year when he described Erling Haaland, regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, as a ‘League Two player’.
The former Manchester United player told Sky Sports that ‘the level of his general play is so poor’.
He added: ‘Not just today, scoring goals, headers, whatever… in front of goal he is the best in the world, but his overall game is so poor for such a player.’
The comments didn’t seem to faze the Norwegian striker as he went out and scored four goals against Wolves in his first game straight after the comments were made.
When asked about Keane’s comments, Haaland said: ‘I don’t care that much about the guy, so that’s OK.’
Roy Keane is critical of Manchester City and Norwegian striker Erling Haaland
Keane has criticised Haaland’s overall play, comparing him to a League Two player
Graeme Souness vs Paul Pogba
Arguably one of the most one-sided feuds between pundits and players is that between Liverpool legend Graeme Souness and former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
Some of Souness’ most memorable comments towards the 2018 World Cup winner include him branding Pogba a ‘lazy t***’ and a ‘selfish player’.
He also reminded talkSPORT presenter Jim White that he was the ‘first person to call Pogba a pudding’.
The 71-year-old recently revealed why he is so critical of the midfielder, telling talkSPORT: ‘He had the equipment to be the best midfielder in the world. I saw a young man who was going through the motions a lot of the time and it frustrated me.”
Graeme Souness has been highly critical of Paul Pogba throughout his playing career
Pogba came in for a lot of criticism from the former Scotland player, who called the French player a ‘lazy prick’ and a ‘selfish player’
Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs. Multiple Reporters
Zlatan has had his fair share of awkward moments with the media, and that’s largely because he’s not afraid to speak his mind.
Even at a 2016 press conference, he admitted that he “gets a kick out of doing things that hurt you.”
In this particular incident, he clashed with TV4 reporter Olof Lundh, after the Swedish forward failed to properly answer Lundh’s question about his business interests regarding his perfume and clothing brand Dressmann.
Zlatan replied: ‘You say I’m not allowed to earn money. Every time something happens you say: ‘Doesn’t he have enough money?’ Isn’t that true?’
He added: “These projects are fun to work on. These are new adventures for me. If I’m doing well and you feel a twinge, then I enjoy it even more.
‘It’s the same as when I play football – I get an extra kick out of it when it hurts you. That’s the best feeling.’
The former striker sometimes gave witty and sarcastic answers to journalists, including when he simply told a journalist to stop.
It came after the reporter asked the PSG forward at the time how he felt after scoring for the first time in two months.
The problem was that Zlatan had scored at that time, which made the reporter in fact wrong. In response to the reporter, Zlatan simply said: ‘Please, my friend! Stop. If you don’t know your details, don’t talk to me before you storm out.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had a number of confrontations with various reporters during his career
The Swedish striker never shied away from expressing his opinion at press conferences
Jurgen Klopp vs Roy Keane
One of Jurgen Klopp’s most memorable moments with the English media came in 2020 and involved none other than Roy Keane.
Immediately after claiming their first Premier League title in 30 years, the Reds hosted Arsenal at Anfield.
After going 1-0 down, Liverpool recovered to beat the Gunners 3-1. Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the German manager immediately went after Roy Keane over a comment he overheard the Irish pundit make just before he took the floor.
‘Did Mr Keane say it was a sloppy performance? Maybe he’s talking about another game. Can’t be this game, sorry, nothing was sloppy.’
Not wanting to be public enemy number one, Keane quickly clarified what he said, insisting he had not intended to offend Klopp’s side.
“I’m not sure you understood me correctly,” Keane said, to which Klopp immediately replied that he would “100 percent” go back and listen.
Jurgen Klopp was stunned by Roy Keane after a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in 2020
Klopp came after Keane after hearing the final words of the Irishman’s analysis of their 3-1 win against Arsenal
Jurgen Klopp vs Niels Christian Frederiksen
Another memorable Jurgen vs. the media moment came earlier this year, when the 57-year-old asked a television reporter, “What’s wrong with you?”, after which the confrontation became tense and he stormed out of the interview.
The tense moment came after Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup, with Klopp’s team expected to beat the Red Devils effortlessly.
The former Liverpool player took offense to a question about his team’s intensity, calling it ‘stupid’
Before telling the Danish V Sports commentator that ‘you’re clearly not in great shape’.