Football, while it is defined by its wins and losses, is really all about community. One only has to look at the filled stadiums and the countless numbers of people who watch games in pubs and community centers to see that the football community is a living and breathing thing. Outside the games, friendships are made over football time and time again, but it is also on the pitch that these friendships can be fostered. In this article, we’ll take a look at seven famous friendship duos in football, and explore how these friendships have remained so strong over the years.
A Community that Expands Beyond the Pitch
Whether you're a fan of professional football or grassroots games, you'll have noticed the strong communities that follow this sport. From stadiums filled and huge matches live-streamed for the world to see, to smaller games, with family and friends cheering on the sidelines and match updates being added to community Facebook pages, nothing can quite bring people together in the way that football does.
This sense of community is also clear in the world of online sports betting. Such platforms allow fans to come together over shared interests and make bets on their favorite teams. Many online sports betting sites even have chat rooms and forum pages, allowing the thrill of football games to be shared amongst other bettors. Additionally, sports betting has come a long way from the old days of having to attend sports books in person, and now, with no KYC betting sites, bettors can engage with a community without having to part with any of their personal information, making sports betting safer and more accessible than ever before.
Number one: Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez
Perhaps the most well-documented friendship in football is the one between Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. This friendship began when both players played for Barcelone FC. Since then, they have spent a significant amount of time together, on and off the pitch. They regularly praise the hard work and talent of one another and can be seen in many photos with their arms around each other, smiling, and seeming to very much enjoy one another's company.
Number Two: Frank Lampard and John Terry
This is undoubtedly the strongest friendship in English football. Both grew up in London and were together during their team, Chelsea’s, most successful era. The two were able to display how deep their friendship goes when they were given the opportunity to assist in coaching two opposing teams, Derby Country and Aston Villa, and maintained their bond despite being football rivals for a time. They have always spoken highly of the skills of each other and are likely to remain close friends for many years to come.
Number Three: Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford
Two big names in English football today have made their affections for one another quite well known. Both young men have social media accounts that they update regularly, often showing the escapades the two of them are getting up to while not on the pitch. Lingard, the older of the two by five years, has said that he sees Marcus Rashford as a ‘little brother’ and has admitted to having a nickname for him, calling him ‘bean sprouts.’ Their friendship began when Marcus Rashford was experiencing some negativity after the Manchester 2016 derby, and Lingard decided to ‘be there for him.’
Number Four: Dele Alli and Eric Dier
Both Alli and Dier were newbies when they joined Tottenham Hotspur, and it was this shared experience that brought them together. They have been close friends ever since 2015 and have been seen rooting for each other on multiple occasions. Their friendship was brought even further into the public light when they appeared together on the UK Channel 4 show, Gogglebox. The UK TV show Celebrity Gogglebox, which involves groups of celebrities watching TV together in their homes and reacting to what they have seen, and involves substantial donations to charity, showed the two men laughing together and bickering good-naturedly over how to make a ‘proper’ cup of tea..
Number Five: Declan Rice and Mason Mount
It would be hard to beat the bond that these two footballers have. Rice and Mount’s friendship did not begin, like the others, during their football careers, but rather the two have been friends since childhood. Although playing for different teams, they haven’t let their on-the-pitch rivalry take anything away from their friendship and they are often seen together off the pitch and regularly go on holiday together documenting their travels on social media. There is talk of the two finally finding themselves on the same team this year in the Premier League, which is a surefire way for their friendship to be strengthened even more.
Number Six: Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Maxwell
This is another famous friendship in football that has stood the test of time. Ibrahimovic and Maxwell have been friends for almost 25 years, beginning when they played at Ajax together. Though time has taken them down different paths and to different teams, their friendship has remained steadfast. They have both spoken openly about how the other has helped them during tough points in their careers, including two occasions when they were both broke at different times but kept afloat by the generosity of the other.
Number Seven: Dejan Lovren and Mohammed Salah
The importance of this friendship cannot be understated. Lovern and Salah have been close friends since Salah joined Liverpool in 2017. When the two got talking they discovered they had a lot in common, including a difficult childhood and tough upbringing. This helped them form a special connection that is rarely seen anywhere in the world, not just in football. But it is the easy way that these conversations come that has helped the two of them, as well as the fact that it’s just as easy to talk about casual matters and crack jokes together.
