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Published 12:29 8 May 2026 BST
Updated 12:29 8 May 2026 BST
After Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni reportedly traded blows in Real Madrid training yesterday - we have compiled the top five teammate fights in football history
Only this season Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane clashed in their 1-0 victory over Manchester United. The heated exchange between the two was spurred on by a poor pass from Gueye which led to Bruno Fernandes having a shot on-goal. A confrontation erupted due to the nature of the nearly costly error, Keane pushed Gueye and the Senegalese international responded by slapping his teammate.
Tom Harrington - the referee - saw the incident and brandished the red card 13 minutes into the game. Everton miraculously went on to win their first league match at Old Trafford since December, 2013.
Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane's scuffle marks 17 years since a similar incident happened on the pitch of a Premier League game - the last one involving Ricardo Fuller and Andy Griffin when Stoke City took on West Ham United in 2008
The altercation occurred after Stoke's captain Andy Griffin made a mistake in possession leading to Carlton Cole equalising for West Ham. Enraged, Fuller slapped Griffin in the face resulting in a straight red card for the Jamaican striker.
After Blackburn's remarkable league title win in the 1994/95 season it had meant Rovers had secured Champions League football for the next season. The defending champions however started the season poorly with only one win in six.
During Blackburn's Champions League game away at Spartak Moscow, David Batty and Graeme Le Soux both attempted to keep the ball in play near the side-line before bumping into each other. In frustration the two collided. Batty went on to call his teammate selfish which angered Le Soux enough to throw a punch at his midfield partner.
Arguably one of the most infamous examples of teammates fighting each other came in Newcastle's 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa in 2005. The atmosphere in St. James' Park was already dampened by the 3-0 score-line and after the third goal went in Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer squared up to one another in frustration.
The fight resulted in both men sent off leaving the home side with eight men due to Stephen Taylor's earlier red card. The fight transpired due to Bowyer accusing Dyer of not passing to him which Dyer responded with saying "It's because you're Sh*t".
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Adebayor is another player who has had a habit of getting involved physically with teammates. The striker reportedly hit out at Kolo Toure in Manchester City team training on the eve of their return to former club Arsenal. Adebayor however in 2008 clashed with teammate Niklas Bendtner after the Gunners 5-1 defeat to North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The Tongolese striker reportedly head butted Bendtner which left the Dane with a cut nose and a blood-stained shirt.
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JOE’s Win-Lose-Draw Predictor – Win €/£1,000 each week in our FREE Premier League game
Think you know your stuff? In the age of stats geeks, AI-generated Fantasy teams and nth-degree analysis, we’ve stripped Premier League knowledge down to its most instinctual form: Win, Lose or Draw. JOE’s brand new Premier League Win-Lose-Draw Predictor gives you the chance of going up against your mates to prove your footballing nous, while […]
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