Liverpool is on fire — and not in the good way.
After a chaotic 3-3 draw against Leeds United, Mohamed Salah lit up headlines with a stunning seven-minute interview in which he accused Liverpool of throwing him under the bus and revealed he had “no relationship” left with head coach Arne Slot.

This wasn’t frustration in passing — it was a full-blown public declaration of war.

Despite signing a new two-year contract in April, Salah has now been benched for three straight games. He didn’t feature for a single minute at Elland Road, and the Egyptian star finally snapped. With reports linking him to a January Saudi Pro League switch and Slot insisting he won’t return to the team unless he apologizes, Anfield is drowning in noise, tension, and uncertainty.

But as dramatic as this saga feels, football has seen even nastier fallouts between superstars and their managers.

Below are some of the most infamous clashes that shaped football history.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson vs David Beckham — The Flying Boot Incident

This feud is legendary.

In 2003, during an FA Cup match against Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson tore into his team — but especially David Beckham, who he felt was mentally checking out ahead of his eventual Real Madrid move.

In a moment that became football folklore, Ferguson kicked a boot across the dressing room that struck Beckham above the eye, leaving him stitched and furious. When photos of the wound hit newspapers the next day, the relationship was finished.

Ferguson later admitted that moment convinced him Beckham had become “bigger than the manager,” prompting United to sell him that same summer.

2. José Mourinho vs Paul Pogba — From Vice-Captain to Open Hostility

When Pogba returned to Manchester United for a record fee, everything looked rosy. By the end of Mourinho’s era, it was pure toxicity.

The situation exploded in 2018 when Mourinho stripped Pogba of the vice-captaincy — a punishment that confirmed the relationship had collapsed. A training-ground video later showed the two confronting each other, and Mourinho was sacked shortly after.

But the feud didn’t die.
In 2021, Pogba told Sky Sports that Mourinho would “turn players against each other.” Mourinho coldly responded: “I couldn’t care less.”

Their fallout remains one of modern football’s most dramatic and personal battles.

3. Pep Guardiola vs Zlatan Ibrahimović — Egos, Philosophy & a Clash of Worlds

If football ever had a textbook “personality clash,” this was it.

Barcelona signed Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2009 expecting fireworks — but they got explosions of a different kind.

Zlatan thrived for a few months, but everything changed once Guardiola redesigned the attack around Lionel Messi as a false nine. Zlatan lost his spot and lost his patience.

Everything spiraled:

• Zlatan accused Guardiola of lacking courage

• Called him “The Philosopher”

• Claimed he “sh*ts himself” around Mourinho

• And later declared: “The problem wasn’t me — it was him.”

Guardiola never retaliated publicly, but Zlatan was shipped out after one turbulent season.

Where Salah vs Slot Could Rank

Salah is one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players. Slot is still trying to establish authority during a messy season. When a club legend goes public with accusations against a new manager, it rarely ends quietly.

If this rift continues, it may join the list of iconic, era-defining feuds.

Now the biggest question remains:

👉 Is this fixable, or is Liverpool heading for one of the ugliest breakups in Premier League history?