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This lot loved humiliating the opposition.

9 of football’s most disrespectful skill moves: Depay, Neymar, Ronaldo…

Nestor Watach •

Former Barcelona and Manchester United winger Memphis Depay has caused controversy out in Brazil by pulling off a piece of skill so disrespectful that the Brazilian FA have taken action in response.

Memphis isn’t the first footballer to get in hot water – or physical harm – by pulling off an impudent skill, and he probably won’t be the last.

We’ve identified nine of the most disrespectful pieces of skill pulled off by big-name footballers.

Memphis Depay

In the closing minutes of Corinthians’ Campeonato Paulista final victory over Sao Paulo rivals Palmeiras, Netherlands international Memphis took a bit of inspiration from ‘jogo bonito’ school and incensed the opposition by briefly standing on the ball with both feet.

The move caused such a stir in that it moved the Brazilian Football Confederation to send a letter to all clubs, warning them that their players would receive a yellow card in the future if they repeated Memphis’ impish trick.

“This involves a player stepping on the ball with both feet, with the intention of provoking the opposing team,” read the statement (translated to English).

“This fact, in addition to the risk of injury to the player himself, generates widespread disruptions in the matches. Because of this fact, the CBF Refereeing Committee announces that such conduct is punishable for disrespecting the game, as stated in the Rule Book.

“Let’s see: Infractions due to unsportsmanlike conduct: There are different circumstances in which a player should be cautioned with a CA for unsportsmanlike conduct, including showing a lack of respect for football.

“Therefore, the CBF Refereeing Committee instructed referees that, upon identifying the aforementioned attitude, they should sanction it with an indirect free kick in favour of the opposing team, to be taken at the location of the infraction, and warn the offender with a yellow card.”

A piece of skill so disrespectful that they change the rules? Some feat.

“Football is getting more and more boring,” Santos captain Neymar responded on Instagram. We can’t help but agree. Memphis himself posted the cold-as-ice picture of the skill on X, accompanied by the caption “good morning”.

Neymar

Where do we even start with Neymar?

During his peak years in La Liga and Ligue 1, the Brazilian was forever trying – and often succeeding – outrageous tricks that made his opponents look like donkeys.

He often came under fire in the Spanish and French media for being disrespectful, but Luis Enrique – his boss at Barcelona – always had his back.

“You have to consider the player and the culture from where he is from,” Luis Enrique told reporters back in 2015.

“Brazilians look to enjoy themselves playing football and it is the same for all the Brazilian players at the club. We are in a strange country where people are more offended by a nutmeg than by five dangerous tackles.”

If we’re to choose one example, we can’t look beyond him infamously getting booked for a rainbow flick against Montpellier.

Nani

We couldn’t not include Nani royally taking the p*ss in Manchester United’s 4-0 drubbing of Arsenal in the FA Cup back in 2008.

Seventeen years on… surely even Arsenal fans can now admit this was very, very funny. Right?

Kerlon

Nani isn’t football’s most famous exponent of the seal dribble.

Last year, The Athletic went and tracked down Kerlon to ask about his trademark move. That’s our kind of journalism.

“There was a lot of support for me in the youth sides,” he recalled.

“But at senior level, even my own team-mates thought I shouldn’t do it. They would say I was asking for trouble. I had a few issues with the older ones. They really didn’t like it.”

Imagine that being your entire calling card in football. Some legacy.

Brazil's Kerlon does his seal dribble against Uruguay. Venezuela, 2005.

READ: Celebrating Kerlon, the seal dribble sensation who faded too soon

Antony

Can you disrespect yourself with a piece of skill? Answers on a postcard.

Andrei Kanchelskis

The mercurial Russian winger went one better than Memphis and added a salute to the standing-on-the-ball trick. A lovely touch.

We’re not entirely sure what’s going on in the second half of this clip, but it doesn’t look good. Wonderfully, outrageously pointless stuff.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s talent in his early days was clear for all the world to see, but his showiness didn’t do him any favours.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy is reported to have hated Ronaldo. According to Rio Ferdinand, the Dutch striker fumed “he should be in the circus, he shouldn’t be on the pitch” after he was too busy doing skills to cross him the ball.

“Of course, in the beginning of my career he was so important to me because I moved from Sporting to Manchester and had that Portuguese mentality – too many stepovers, decision making was not the best,” Ronaldo reminisced.

“So he taught me how to do it. In the Premier League they don’t fall over so easy, they are tough. As I’ve said many times, he taught me everything. He was like a father to me. He helped me a lot at Manchester United.”

Fergie and Van Nistelrooy evidently weren’t the only ones who thought Ronaldo did too many stepovers as a youngster. Here’s what a young Wayne Rooney – back then at Everton – thought of his shenanigans.

Diego Maradona

We could have included any number of clips of El Diego in his Argentina or Napoli pomp pulling off otherworldly manoeuvres that left opposition defenders in another postcode, but we’ve got a soft spot for him demonstrating he never lost his touch long after retirement.

Maradona could’ve nutmegged a mermaid.

Eberechi Eze

We have a bone to pick with this post.

This very much looks like a Crystal Palace Pic That Goes Hard to us.

READ NEXT: On the Origin of Skill Moves: Charles Darwin’s got nothing on highly-evolved ballers

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Brazilian to score 10+ Champions League goals?

Antony Memphis Depay Nani Neymar Lists And Rankings