10 Football Teammates Who Absolutely Hated Each Other
7. Lothar Matthaus & Stefan Effenberg
Unlike Bale and Ronaldo, Stefan Effenberg and Lothar Matthaus never gave the impression that they didn't like each other while on the pitch. The duo often featured in the same German international lineup from 1991-98, even partnering each other in central midfield from time to time, so it came as a major shock when the extent of their hatred was revealed towards the end of Effenberg's career.
Always a controversial figure, Effenberg accumulated 109 yellow cards throughout his career, and was rarely out of the tabloids in the 1990s. His feud with Matthaus came to the forefront when he berated his former international captain in the press, calling him "a big mouth and a quitter," in his autobiography, which even featured a chapter titled "What Lothar Matthaus knows about football." This section comprised of a blank page.
This was no one-sided beef, however. Matthaus threw more than his fair share of barbs too, particularly during their mutual stint at Bayern Munich, when Lothar claimed the Bundesliga giants should sell Effenberg as he'd lost his touch. Despite this, it was the older Matthaus who left Munich first, with Effenberg outlasting him by two years.