Ranking the 9 footballers with the biggest egos ft. Zlatan, Neymar and Balotelli | OneFootball

Highlights

As professional athletes, footballers have to have a certain level of self-confidence and belief in their ability to perform at the grandest stage. It's hard to imagine they'd succeed without it if truth be told. Having that faith in yourself is vital for anyone who wants to excel at something. It just so happens, though, that some footballers may have taken it to a completely different level.

There are some stars who have developed pretty impressive egos during their careers. It's largely for good reason too. They're some of the most talented players on the planet, and they might not have reached the levels they did if it wasn't for that unwavering self-belief.

Still, some of the egos on these nine players in particular are pretty wild and some of the statements or actions they've made over the years are really eye-opening. Here are the nine footballers with some of the biggest egos in the sport.

9 Richarlison

Richarlison is quite like Marmite. You either love him or hate him. There's no denying his ability as a Premier League player, though, and it's refreshing to see him performing so well for Tottenham Hotspur this season after his highly publicised struggles with his mental health.

The Brazilian is a talented player and there's no reason why he shouldn't have developed a bit of an ego over the years. His entry on this list comes solely as a result of the astonishing tattoo he has on his back. Getting two of his nation's greatest-ever players in Ronaldo and Neymar tattooed onto his back isn't too glaring, but adding a self-portrait of himself in the middle is downright hilarious. We love the forward, but you've got to have a serious ego to get a tattoo of yourself alongside some of the greats.

8 John Terry

John Terry is one of the greatest defenders in the history of football and that isn't even up for debate. Over his career, he excelled at the heart of Chelsea's defence and was the catalyst for a lot of the Blues' success in the 21st century. He has become just as known for his antics outside of playing, though, as he has for his success on the pitch.

There have been several controversies surrounding Terry over the years, but the most hilarious incident, and certainly the one that highlighted his massive ego, was his decision to put a full Chelsea kit on and celebrate winning the Champions League with the side as though he'd played in the final. Of course, he was clearly overjoyed about his team's victory, but changing into a kit and lifting the trophy stunk of an ego that refused to allow his side to celebrate the moment without it appearing as though he played a significant role in it.

7 Ashley Cole

Throughout his career, there were few fullbacks in the world on Ashley Cole's level. He's certainly got a very strong case as the greatest of all time. So, it's no surprise that he developed a bit of an ego during his playing days. All you have to do is read his quote after he was offered £55,000 a week to see the proof is in the pudding.

"When I heard my agent repeat the figure of £55,000 [per week], I nearly swerved off the road. 'He's taking the p***,!' I yelled down the phone. I was trembling with anger." Trembling with anger over being offered £55,000 a week is pretty wild. During Cole's career that was a decent amount of money and his response just showed the ego he'd developed and his self-worth. It's hard to judge too harshly, though, he was the best left-back in the world after all.

6 Allan Saint-Maximin

A cult hero at Newcastle United, Allan Saint-Maximin was as exciting an attacking talent as we've seen in the Premier League in some time. He was incredible to watch and his ability to torch defences was second to none. His ego meant he wasn't afraid of throwing teammates under the bus order to build himself up, though. When talking about his stats, he said "The day when I have a player capable of finishing the (assists), I will have seasons with 10-15 assists, and I will change opinions in the people's heads." Not exactly the sort of thing you want to hear a teammate saying about you, is it?

The forward also once claimed that he thought he had the ability to one day with the Ballon d'Or. You've got to admire the sheer level of self-confidence that he possesses. Still, it wasn't enough to take him completely to the top of football and shortly after the Magpies qualified for the Champions League, he was sold to Al-Ahli and never played in the European competition for them.

5 Leroy Sane

At Manchester City, Leroy Sane emerged as one of the most promising young footballers on the planet. It's only natural, then, that with all that hype came a little bit of an ego. What we didn't expect, though, was for the German to get a tattoo of himself scoring a goal on his back.

Worse still, the goal came from a game that City actually lost and it showed he was more interested in the aesthetics of the image and his personal achievement than he was the result and the team. Sane is incredible, though, and moved to Bayern Munich in 2020. He's since won three straight league titles and scored in double figures in every season. He's become a top player and justified Bayern paying the big bucks for him. Still, getting a tattoo of yourself on your back needs a serious level of ego.

4 Neymar

Despite all that Neymar has achieved so far during his playing days, when he hangs his boots up, his career is going to have been a little underwhelming. When he first burst onto the scene, it looked as though we had a generational talent on our hands. Someone who would easily claim the status as the best football on the planet and run with it for years to come.

He's been great too, but not quite at the level many thought he'd reach. He certainly has the ego to suggest he's on that level, though. There have been numerous instances in the past where his ego has shone through in his actions. Whether it was leaving Barcelona as he felt he deserved more money than Lionel Messi, or throwing a tantrum at Santos when he wasn't allowed to take a penalty, he's always demonstrated it. Still, it's been a pretty decent career for the most expensive player in history.

3 Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba has been criticised a little too harshly throughout his career, but that hasn't stopped him from gaining an ego. The Frenchman actually created a documentary all about himself to paint the narrative of how unfairly he was treated during his time at Manchester United. He even called it "The Pogmentary", which is hilarious. The issue is, the entire thing felt like it existed solely to make him look a little better and has to be one of the most self-gratifying things we've seen.

Things haven't gone swimmingly on the pitch for him at Juventus, and his time at Old Trafford was also a little disappointing, so the idea to create a documentary is pretty wild and proof of the ego that he possesses.

2 Mario Balotelli

Few footballers have had quite the personality that Mario Balotelli has. The Italian quickly emerged as one of the most entertaining footballers due to his sheer absurd nature off of the pitch. He was a fantastic striker on it, but he had a huge ego, and it likely played a significant role in the fact he didn't quite reach the heights that he was expected to.

Still, he never let that deter him from being one of the cockiest footballers in the game. He once said that only Messi was better than he was, which is quite absurd looking back now. You have to respect the ego, though. It has to have taken a lot of work to develop one on his level. Never change, Mario.

1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

If we were to sit here and list all of the different ways Zlatan Ibrahimovic has shown his massive ego over the years, we'd be here for days. The Swede has always been very high on self-confidence and some of the quotes he's come out with throughout his career are a perfect example of that.

Even as recently as his interview with Piers Morgan this week, the former AC Milan striker revealed that he thought he was the greatest footballer of time. Just incredible levels of confidence. Zlatan has had an incredible career as well, so it's not hard to see why he has such high self-esteem, but referring to himself as a god and as the greatest player in history, may be a stretch too far. His legacy as a player is iconic, but his ego is probably even more legendary at this point.

Check out the career stats of all nine players listed in the table below.