We all love a party. Whether it’s your birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or even if you have just bought a new house and want all your neighbours to come around for a bash, it’s not hard to find an excuse to paint the town red.
Footballers are no different; they spend the majority of the season monitoring their nutrition, avoiding alcohol, and putting their feet up, in a bid to stay in the best possible shape for when they take to the pitch.
However, even the biggest names in the game let their hair down on occasion, predominantly in the festive season, or during the measly three weeks of holiday they are given during the summer.
The problem is, many footballers tend to take things too far.
Lamine Yamal is the latest star to throw a bash that has landed him in trouble. The Barcelona and Spain star has been widely criticised for an 18th birthday celebratory bash which allegedly ‘exploited dwarves’ and featured women with ‘specific breast measurements’ who were claimed to have been ‘paid to attend’.
On Tuesday, new images of the individuals arriving at the private event were obtained and showed a group of five men with Achondroplasia as they appeared to be getting registered for the party. Another image shows a few women after passing through that checkpoint, as they appear to be headed to the main venue.
Laimne Yamal has hit the headlines after holding a controversial 18th birthday party
Yamal allegedly ‘exploited people with dwarfism’, pictured here upon entry to the controversial party of the Barcelona teen sensation
The Mafia-themed event has drawn criticism amid claims that women with ‘specific breast measurements were paid to attend’
Yamal’s lavish ‘mafia-themed’ event, held on a private estate, was reportedly attended by around 200 people, with notable attendees including his Barcelona team-mates Robert Lewandowski, Alejandro Balde, and Gavi.
The youngster is not the first, and will not be the last, footballer to hit the headlines for the wrong reasons when it comes to partying. Mail Sport takes a look at some of the wildest parties that players have thrown in years gone by.
Neymar’s ‘five-day bender’
Most football supporters would guess that Yamal’s footballing idol would be Lionel Messi, for obvious reasons. But that’s not the case, the now 18-year-old has always had a love for Neymar Jr.
Based on the way he dances across the pitch, it makes a lot of sense. Yamal is a perfect blend of both Messi and Neymar. However, it seems that he has not only based his skills on the Brazilian, but also his love of partying.
The pair met up in Neymar’s homeland for what can only be described as the quietest part of Yamal’s summer. A number of videos shared on social media showcased the Barcelona star enjoying life by a swimming pool at his hero’s home in Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro.
The duo can be seen playing volleyball in the clips, as well as swimming in the sunshine, but that is nothing compared to the shenanigans that Neymar has gotten up to in the past.
Neymar will know exactly how Yamal feels after a wave of criticism, as in the winter of 2020, the Brazilian was subject to a probe after allegedly organising a five-day party in a resort near Rio de Janeiro for 500 revellers, while Covid-19 continued to rip through Brazil.
Prosecutors contacted Neymar amid multiple reports in the Brazilian media that he had a disco built with acoustic protection for a bash that would start on Christmas Day and continue until the New Year.
Yamal’s idol is former Barcelona star Neymar and he visited him last month amid a whirlwind summer
Neymar and guests pictured at a party back in 2019, but the star was forced to cancel plans for a five-day celebration the following year following a state government probe
Comparisons have been made between Yamal and Neymar, who been on the receiving end of criticism during his career for a series of lavish parties
Eyewitnesses had claimed to have seen floods of guests making their way to the event, and many others leaving, with their host aiming to keep the party a secret, which clearly didn’t work, by imposing a ban on all mobile phones for attending partygoers.
Models, who had flown in for the event, had, however, shared photos minutes away from the mansion Neymar had allegedly rented for the party, with wristbands guaranteeing access over five days. Despite reports that Neymar had spent around £568,000 on the event, the forward denied any involvement.
The eventual cancellation followed the party gaining national and international attention during the pandemic. The Brazilian was blasted by a human rights lawyer, who had tweeted at the time, ‘The idiot trophy for the day goes to Neymar for his five-day party.’
Liverpool’s fancy dress controversy
It’s time to head back to the 1990s, which seemed to be the era where footballers really did some wacky things. Well, going by the story I am about to share, and many more.
The Reds had many a reason to host a celebratory bash in the late 1980s and early 90s as they dominated English football, before their rivals, Manchester United, took over the mantle, and regularly threw extravagant parties.
However, on one particular occasion, Reds legend John Barnes caused controversy with a fancy dress outfit.
The once rapid and skillful winger, who notched up 199 goal contributions during 10 successful years at Anfield, was pictured at a party dressed up as a member of the Ku Klux Klan – an extremist white supremacist group.
‘There was a fellow in a white outfit with a pointy hat who was John Barnes, (he was) the Ku Klux Klan,’ Bruce Grobbelar once revealed to BT Sport, now known as TNT Sports.
After donning a Ku Klux Klan costume in the 90s, Barnes said he would ‘do it again’ back in 2020
Barnes was a staple on the left wing of the Liverpool side during the 1980s and 1990s
Barnes has been criticised in years gone by for his outfit choice, but as recently as five years ago, he said he would don the outfit again.
‘Absolutely and I’d do it again,’ Barnes wrote on X in 2020. ‘And go as Hitler to a fancy dress party. ‘Fancy dress parties are there for you to make fun of people you go as and the kkk and Hitler are figures to be ridiculed so I see no problem in that… I wouldn’t go as Kunta Kinte with chains on…’
It has previously been suggested that Barnes’ team-mate was on door duty for the party when a man in a white sheet approached, trying to get in.
McMahon is believed to have uttered: ‘You can’t come in like that. John Barnes is in there,’ before Barnes is said to have pulled off his hood and replied, ‘No, he’s in here.’
Vinnie Jones’ ‘dwarf-tossing’
In 1994, Vinnie Jones was put in charge of organising Chelsea’s Christmas party.
The footballer turned Hollywood actor has a reputation for being one of the sports tough guys, so you can imagine the parties he threw were rather wild.
However, during a lock-in at a London pub with his ex-Chelsea team-mates, with Jones back playing for Wimbledon at the time, the Welshman opted to play a game that many would look down upon in the current era.
‘The idea was to pick up a dwarf and hurl him as far as you could,’ said striker Tony Cascarino.
‘I had a go, but I can’t remember how I did. They were heavier than I expected.’
Vinnie Jones opted to play a game that many would look down upon in the current era at a party with Chelsea players in 1994
Celtic’s trio of arrests
We all know that staff Christmas parties end up in carnage. It’s not only footballers that have stories which are hard to comprehend; I’m sure many of you reading this have some of your own, am I right?
However, have you ever seen anybody get arrested at your work do?
I’d like to guess that many of you have just thought of the word ‘no’, but knowing what they are like, I’m almost certain a handful of readers may have uttered ‘yes’.
If you happen to have been a member of the Celtic squad in the winter of 2002, and you have for some reason decided to click on this article and carry on reading in anticipation of what’s about to come, you will have definitely done the latter.
The Bhoys in Green partied hard 23 years ago, with their bash involving bikini-clad waitresses, mechanical bulls, nightclub bouncers, and three sets of handcuffs.
The party took place south of the Scottish border in Newcastle, as the players hoped for some anonymity.
However, they didn’t get it, and when Joos Valgaeren, Johan Mjallby, and Bobby Petta spotted photographers trying to snap pictures of them, they saw red.
The trio allegedly damaged cameras worth £12,000, which led to a night in the cells. Neil Lennon was also pictured being led away from the incident by police; however, he was later released without charge.
Joos Valgaeren (second from right) and Johan Mjallby (far right) both got arrested after a party in 2002 while at Celtic
Neil Lennon was also led away from the incident in Newcastle by police but was released
Barton’s cigar scandal
Joey Barton was notorious for violence during a 15-year professional career, which started at Manchester City, the club he joined at just 15 years of age.
On many occasions during his time at the club and beyond, incidents have boiled over, and on one night in 2004, that’s exactly what happened.
The City squad were all at a fancy dress party, where Barton was believed to be dressed as Jimmy Saville, and the players thought it would be fun to start setting each other’s outfits on fire.
‘We were on the booze all day Sunday morning, and I think Paul Bosvelt or [Robbie] Fowler started it. They were all in fancy dress in this bar and started setting each other’s costumes alight,’ Barton told the Anything Goes With James English podcast in 2023.
‘So it was the seniors who started it, just burning the edge of it. In five or ten minutes, it went round the whole group, and then it stopped.
‘I’d burned [Jamie] Tandy’s costume. Someone had got me, and then I’d burned Tandy back – no malice in it. He didn’t have the opportunity to get me back, everything gets calmed down, lighters are confiscated from everybody by the security.’
However, things got out of hand between Barton and academy star Tandy, with the former stubbing a cigar in the eye of the then-teenager.
‘So for some bizarre reason unknown to me this day, I thought it would be a fantastic idea as a payback to him to stump the cigar out on the back of his head,’ Barton continued.
Barton started his career at Manchester City and got into a fight with younsgter Jamie Tandy in 2004
Barton stubbed a cigar in Tandy’s (pictured) eye which left permanent scarring on the youngster
‘That was the logic, makes no sense now, but at the time, a burn for a burn, he’s getting this on the back of his head.
‘As I’ve gone like that to stick it on the back of his head, he’s naturally felt me coming and turned towards me, and it’s managed to graze his eyelid. He’s gone down.’
Barton was fined six weeks’ wages for the incident, and Tandy was left with permanent scarring to his eyelid.
Spurs’ sneaky Dublin trip
Harry Redknapp is a man of principle, and while manager at Tottenham Hotspur, he trusted his players to be transparent with him.
In 2009, the English coach once claimed that his players would ‘never take the liberty’ of going behind his back to organise a party. If they decided to go under his nose, there would be trouble.
Well, sorry, Harry, it appears that you didn’t know your players all that well, because that’s exactly what they did; they went behind his back.
Captain Robbie Keane informed Redknapp that he was planning on taking his team-mates to Dublin, so that they could all play some rounds of golf. However, that was not really his intention.
What Keane actually did was lead 16 players on a pub crawl around the Irish capital, which is certainly not short of top-tier drinking holes.
Harry Redknapp trusted his players to be transparent with him when he was Tottenham manager in 2009
Robbie Keane went behind Redknapp’s back and took his team-mates to Dublin, which led to an unhappy boss
Once Redknapp had found out, he said: ‘Wednesday was their day off and Robbie told me they were going to Dublin to play golf. I had no problem with that. I am not happy, and it will be dealt with, and dealt with severely. I was shocked when I heard about it.
‘I don’t see why parties should happen in today’s football – they’re more trouble than they’re worth.’
Every player involved in the night out was fined £20,000, and Spurs went on to lose their next home match to Wolves; the first time the West Midlands team had won in London in 33 years.
