Centurion – With news of former Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns player Matthew Booth’s alleged extramarital affair, it’s worth looking at some of the biggest cheating scandals in football history.
5 Mauro Icardi
Perhaps the strangest tale among football’s biggest cheaters is Icardi.
The Argentinian striker met his countryman Maxi Lopez when he was playing for Barcelona’s youth team from 2008 to 2011, before they played alongside each other at Sampdoria in 2012.
Soon after the duo became friends, it’s alleged Icardi began an affair with Lopez’s wife Wanda Nara. The affair subsequently came to light and Icardi and Nara later married. The story was not done yet though, as Icardi was accused of cheating by Nara and their relationship ended.
4 David Beckham
Perhaps the most famous footballer in the world at one stage, Manchester United legend David Beckham is said to have cheated on his wife Victoria – of Spice Girls fame – with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos in 2003. Beckham has steadfastly denied the accusations.
3 Ryan Giggs
Another Manchester United player who became embroiled in cheating allegations is Giggs. Giggs was alleged to have cheated on his wife with Welsh model and TV personality Imogen Thomas in 2011. Giggs was believed to have obtained a gagging order in connection with the alleged affair.
However, the allegations had already appeared on social media and Giggs could not prevent himself being named as the footballer involved in the matter.
Giggs has also admitted in August this year that he cheated on his wife with his sister-in-law.
A former footballing legend and family man, Giggs is currently facing a retrial over assault and controlling-behaviour allegations. He is accused of attacking and controlling his ex-girlfriend and also assaulting her sister.
2 Wayne Rooney
The third Manchester United player on the list is Rooney. Two years into his relationship with his future wife, Coleen, in 2004, Rooney admitted to soliciting prostitutes.
“I was young and stupid. It was at a time when I was very young and immature and before I had settled down with Coleen,” said Rooney at the time.
The couple would go on to wed in 2008 after six years of dating. They have four sons.
It also later came to light that Rooney was again involved with sex workers in 2010, while his wife was pregnant with their first child.
Rooney was then stopped by police in 2017 for drinking and driving with ‘friend’ Laura Simpson. He was banned from UK roads for two years after the incident, and he has denied any sexual relations with Simpson.
If that was not enough, last year pictures emerged of Rooney asleep in a hotel with young women.
1 John Terry
Number one on the list of cheating footballers is John Terry. The still-revered Chelsea skipper was accused in 2009 of having an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-girlfriend of his former England and Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge. Whether true or not, the incident meant Terry was stripped of the England captaincy in February 2010. He was later reinstated as captain.
On February 27, 2010, Bridge, playing for Manchester City, refused to shake Terry’s hand before the match.
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