FourFourTwo named the 30 most hated people in football and the list makes for fascinating reading

All football fans have their own main pantomime villain that they love to hate for a multitude of reasons but back in May 2021, FourFourTwo compiled a list of the most despised people within the game.

The magazine was quick to note out that the list was not made up of people "personally despised by the people of FourFourTwo" and instead focuses on those who "stir up opprobrium in the game".

The outlet also acknowledge that though some on the list are not well thought of by plenty, they still have a number of admirers at the same time.

Managers and players were the most common inclusions but presidents, owners executives and referees also featured.

Mike Dean's main character syndrome on the pitch and now in the Sky Sports studio was enough for him to get the nod on a list which also saw Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho mentioned for the way in which they've rubbed people up the wrong way while being extremely successful.

There was also a real fix on football hardmen, which saw Dennis Wise, Joey Barton, Kevin Muscat, Andoni Goikoetxea and Harald Schumacher all get a look-in for some of the shocking acts they committed on a football pitch in their careers.

Luis Suarez, John Terry, Diego Costa and El Hadji Diouf may well be four of the most disliked players to play in the Premier League thanks to various controversies and scandals and it's no surprise to see them included - but Cristiano Ronaldo also has his fair share of haters and he too makes the cut.

Cristiano Ronaldo features in 30 most hated people in football. Image: Getty

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini both make the top four for their roles in an alleged corruption scandal within UEFA and FIFA, which led to six-year bans for the pair.

Most hated people in football list

30.Sir Alex Ferguson

29.Mike Dean

28.Joe Kinnear

27.Silvio Berlusconi

26.Dennis Wise

25.Roman Abramovich

24.Kevin Muscat

23.Richard Scudamore

22.Graeme Souness

21.Andoni Goikoetxea

20.Paolo Di Canio

19.Ashley Cole

18.Diego Costa

17.Mike Ashley

16.Luis Suarez

15.Ken Bates

14.Joey Barton

13.Diego Maradona

12.Karl Oyston

11.Bernard Tapie

10.John Terry

9.Pete Winkelman

8.El Hadji Diouf

7.Luciano Moggi

6.Cristiano Ronaldo

5.Richard Keys

4.Michel Platini

3.Harald Schumacher

2.Jose Mourinho

1.Sepp Blatter