Liverpool fan Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and footballers who supported rivals as kids, including John Terry and Manchester United
Many footballers grew up supporting their club’s rival when they were younger, but who are these players?It has always been said Ole GunnarSolskjaer, Manchester United’s caretaker manager, grew up supporting Liverpool before growing up to become a legend at Old Trafford.Being from Norway, this had more to do with the fact the Reds were so dominantand, as a result, were always on telly at a time when Solskjaer was young and impressionable.Taking the United job, he said:Manchester United is in my heart and its brilliant to be coming back in this role. Im really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club. Here, talkSPORT.com looks at other examples of players who were boyhood fans of ‘the enemy’.
13Kevin De Bruyne loved Liverpool and Michael Owen – Back in 2002, De Bruyne admitted he was a Liverpool fan. The Manchester City star is one of the best players in the world right now, and had been showcasing his potential as an 11-year-old. Having scored four goals for Genks youth side in a cup final, De Bruyne was captured on video explaining: My favourite team is Liverpool. My favourite player is Michael Owen and I would like to play there. Despite that dream, De Bruyne has never turned out for the Reds but isnt doing too badly for himself.
13John Terry supported Man United as a kid – He loves Chelsea and Blues fans still love their former captain, but it could have been different. His dad and granddad were Man United fans, meaning so was Terry. United approached him when he was younger, but his mind was made up from his first day at Chelsea. I knew that was the club I wanted to be at. I just loved it. It must have been hard for his dad to take!
13A young Gareth Bale thought Arsenal were easy on the eye – "I used to actually like Arsenal a lot," Bale once told a Spanish radio station. "'But when I went to Tottenham I went away from Arsenal," he added, explaining he enjoyed watching Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry. At Spurs he was loved by the club's fans and even scored in the 3-2 win against the Gunners in 2010, Spurs first at their rivals home for 17 years. He eventually earned an 85m move to Real Madrid in 2013.
13Jamie Carragher was mad about Everton – It's well known he was a Toffee and would travel home and away, including in Europe, to watch them play. He made his Liverpool debut in the 1996/97 season and his allegiances eventually switched. "I remember returning with the Liverpool reserve squad from a mid-afternoon game early in 1996 while Everton were playing an FA Cup replay at Stockport," recalled Carra. "The radio commentary was on as the coach made its way back to Melwood and naturally I was listening to every word and urging Everton to win. Stockport scored, and Ronnie Moran and Sammy Lee, who were in charge of the reserves at the time, couldn't hide their delight. 'One-nil!' shouted Ronnie. Sitting at the back of the coach, I simmered away inside, praying we'd get back into the game. Then my moment came. Everton equalised. I couldn't resist. 'Get in!' I screamed. 'Who the f*** was that?' shouted Ronnie who, as first team coach, was still in the dark about my youthful loyalties. I was soon told to start behaving like a Liverpool player."
13Joe Cole was a Chelsea fan – When Cole picked up the Chelsea Player of the Year award in 2008, he said: I always dreamt of playing for Chelsea and my other dream was to play for the best team in the world. I think I am doing both things at the moment so I am very happy. He actually began his professional career at London rivals West Ham, though, and was a highly rated member of the academy before eventually sealing a transfer to the Blues in 2003. He even encouraged Eden Hazard to move to Stamford Bridge!
13Adam Lallana came from a big Everton family – His boyhood club was the result of his dad, though they experienced different emotions as supporters. Lallana senior loved watching Gary Lineker in the 1980s, a decade that saw them win two league titles, the Cup Winners Cup and the FA Cup. When I was supporting them Everton always seemed to be fighting relegation. I seem to remember there were a lot of tears, the current Liverpool ace said.
13Kenny Dalglish was a Rangers fan – He may have been a boyhood Ger, but Dalglish jumped at the chance to play for Celtic when the clubs assistant manager, Sean Fallon, came over to his house to invite him to train with the club. Theres a great story in Dalglishs autobiography about tearing down Rangers posters from his bedroom wall upon hearing Fallon was at the door. It was not a problem for me, or Celtic or Rangers, Dalglish explained about playing the club. His goals (167 in total) quickly earned him hero status at Parkhead and he won four league titles and four Scottish Cups there.
13Steve McManaman was keen to play for Everton – When I was younger I was desperate to sign for Everton but they weren't as forthcoming as Liverpool, McManaman said, explaining the Reds youth policy was so much better than Evertons. In training he reportedly shouted Latchford whenever he scored a header in tribute to former Toffees striker Bob Latchford. He won the FA Cup and League Cup with Liverpool before playing for Real Madrid.
13Paul Merson was a Chelsea fan – Merson was a favourite with Arsenal fans where he won the PFA Young Player of the Year, two league titles, the FA Cup and Cup Winners Cup. However, he grew up supporting another London club. I was a Chelsea fan when I was growing up, he once revealed, before saying he loved Ray Wilkins. Butch was the main man at Stamford Bridge back then.
13Raul was brought up in an Atletico Madrid household – Raul's dad was a massive Atleti supporter and the player joined the club's youth team. However, the academy was closed down and he moved across the city to Real in 1992 where he became a club icon. Ouch.
13Cristiano Ronaldo's boyhood team was Benfica – Ronaldo played for Sporting in Portugal, but his boyhood team was said to be rivals Benfica. Former Man United player Paddy Crerand wasnt happy when he was sold to Real Madrid for 80m in 2009 and would obviously have preferred to keep him. I keep hearing his boyhood heroes were Real Madrid. His boyhood heroes were not Real Madrid, his team as a kid were Benfica.
13Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a Liverpool fan – Rumours about Solskjaer's club allegiances in his younger days have followed him for years. Was he really a member of a supporters club in Norway? It pretty much came down to the games being shown on TV in his homeland at a time when Liverpool used to win league titles on a regular basis and Kenny Dalglish a player he loved was scoring for fun. When he became a pro, though, he joined Man United from Molde in 1996 and is a legend at Old Trafford. Asked the question in an interview with Four Four Two, he didn't deny it. "You learn as long as you live, thats the only answer I can give you I never confirm that one! Im a Manchester United fan through and through. I bleed red."
13Luke Shaw was a Chelsea supporter – Shaw grew up fairly close to Chelsea and used to go to Stamford Bridge a lot before he joined Southamptons youth academy. My hero was Didier Drogba but Cole was the kind of player I aspired to be, he told southamptonfc.com. It was rumoured Chelsea were in the running to sign him before he chose Man United in 2014.
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