There is always an intriguing curiosity about fans wanting to know how footballers or athletes, in general, live their lives outside the pitch, particular their love lives.
Some form their perceptions about these favourites due to what they do on the pitch and wonder if they engage in certain issues in their lives just like any other human being.
The reality is that because they are human beings, footballers also encounter issues of betrayal and voyeurism and happen to do things that are below their morality standards.
Here are four players whose partners cheated on them with teammates
John Terry and Wayne Bridge
In 2010, alleged news about former Chelsea skipper John Terry having an affair with his ex-Chelsea and England teammate Wayne Bridge's wife Vanessa Perroncel broke and became haywire.
Although according to The Guardian Vannessa still holds that nothing happened between her and Terry back in late 2009, the allegations led to Terry being stripped of his England captaincy in 2010 after the news broke.
"After much thought, I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry," said Fabio Capello, who was then the Three Lions manager.
Two days after the allegations surfaced, Bridge’s City teammates Carlos Tevez, Stephen Ireland and Nigel de Jong all wore T-shirts reading “Team Bridge.”
“If you acted like [Terry did] in Argentina, you’d be dead,” Tevez later said as quoted by theguardian.com.
“In my opinion, Terry has no moral code for what he did to Bridge. In my neighbourhood, if you do that, you lose your legs,” he added.
Mauro Icardi and Maxi Lopez
Mauro Icardi and Maxi Lopez were once teammates at both the national team and club side, while playing for Sampdoria and Argentina before the former moved to Inter. Their friendship became sour after Lopez lost his wife, Wanda Nara to Icardi.
Nara divorced Lopez in 2013 and got married to Icardi in 2014. The marriage sparked a feud between the two Argentine footballers.
When Sampdoria met Inter in a Serie A game in April 2014, Lopez refused to shake hands with Icardi who had his hand out for it. The press dub the match 'Wanda derby.'
'Unfortunately, these things happen, it depends on the ignorance of certain people. I gave my hand, I am polite,' Icardi said after Lopez refused his handshake.
After 8 years of marriage, Wanda and Icardi have divorced. The split occurred in 2022 as Wanda posted a picture of Maxi Lopez a few days after the divorce.
Thibaut Courtois and Kevin DeBruyne
Kevin DeBruyne's ex-girlfriend Caroline Lijnen cheated on him with his Belgium teammate Thibaut Courtois, which broke the relationship between the two footballers.
Caroline Lijnen broke silence on his fling with Courtois back in 2014, claiming De Bruyne kicked into the hands of the goalkeeper by cheating on her with her best friend.
“In the summer of 2012, Kevin told me that he had an affair with my old best friend. I gave him the choice: her or me. I was ready to give him another chance, but our relationship was never the same afterwards," as quoted by dailystar.co.uk.
“[I then went to Madrid, and even] Kevin thought that this trip was a good idea. I asked him beforehand. But then something happened that should never have happened."
She said Courtois gave her everything she had never received from DeBruyne in their three-year relationship.
“That evening, Thibaut offered me what I had not received during a three-year relationship with Kevin. With Thibaut, I could talk about anything and everything and he had even prepared me a delicious meal. Kevin never did it for me."
“Kevin had deceived me and I thought ‘Why shouldn't I do that too?’”
Courtois, since his fling with Caroline, has dated four different women. Marta Dominguez, Brittny Gastineau, Elsa Izac, and now Mishel Gerzig.
Odartey Lamptey and a former Ghanaian footballer
The is a widespread rumour about a former Ghanaian footballer who had an affair with Nii Odartey Lamptey's ex-wife.
The fling is reported to have happened while Odartey was with his ex-wife, which dent his relationship with the former Black Stars player.
In an interview in 2020, Odartey was asked about the alleged affair the unnamed former footballer had with his ex-wife, and he said: "To be honest with you, there is no issue. Personally, Nii Odartey Lamptey, I have moved on. I have upgraded myself, I have moved on- I have a new family now, I have three kids that I am enjoying life now," Odartey said as quoted by ghanasoccernet.com
