Cristiano Ronaldo's very public desire to leave Manchester United in the summer of 2022 for a Champions League club, followed by his controversial interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, highlights a common tactic in soccer. He missed the team's summer tour citing "family issues," clashed with manager Erik ten Hag upon his return, and was subsequently benched. Ronaldo's interview criticizing Ten Hag and the club ultimately led to his contract termination and lucrative move to Al Nassr.

Another recent example involves Alexander Isak and Newcastle. After Newcastle rejected a 162 million USD bid from Liverpool for Isak this summer, demanding 200 million USD, the player skipped the preseason tour of Asia, citing a minor injury. Instead of staying with the team, Isak traveled to northern Spain to train alone at his former club, Real Sociedad. He then publicly criticized Newcastle, claiming they broke a promise to allow his transfer. Newcastle responded with disappointment, denying any such promise while emphasizing their understanding of the player's perspective.

History is replete with similar examples. After winning the 1994 World Cup, Romario extended his vacation for three weeks, claiming he missed Copacabana beach. This angered Barcelona's management, but they were powerless against his will. Six months later, he returned to Flamengo.

In 1999, Claude Makelele staged a fake attack on his own car, blaming Celta Vigo fans, to force a move to Real Madrid. Although later exposed, the incident pressured Celta to sell.

William Gallas reportedly threatened to score own goals if Chelsea didn't let him leave in 2006. The shocking news put Chelsea in a difficult position, eventually leading to a swap deal with Arsenal for Ashley Cole.

Dimitar Berbatov's open desire to join Manchester United led to him refusing to play for Tottenham. This pressure tactic resulted in a 40 million USD transfer on the last day of the 2008 summer transfer window.

Carlos Tevez cited language barriers and food preferences as reasons for wanting to leave Manchester City in 2011. His refusal to warm up in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich exacerbated the situation, forcing City to appease him to maintain team harmony. He eventually left two years later for Juventus.

Peter Odemwingie's infamous drive to Loftus Road in January 2013, believing a transfer to QPR was finalized, became a transfer deadline day classic. The deal fell through, leaving Odemwingie embarrassed and ultimately returning to West Brom before leaving in the summer. He later admitted it was the "most embarrassing moment" of his career.

In 2016, Hulk used his children's education as justification for wanting to move from Zenit Saint Petersburg to Shanghai SIPG. His public displays of dissatisfaction and refusal to play ultimately forced Zenit to sell him for nearly 60 million USD, highlighting the trend of South American stars moving to China for lucrative contracts.

Dimitri Payet's desire to return to Marseille in 2017 led to a series of rebellious acts, including refusing to train with the West Ham first team and threatening to feign injury. Despite manager Slaven Bilic's insistence on not selling, West Ham eventually relented, letting Payet return to Marseille for around 30 million USD.

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Hong Duy

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