Brede Hangeland has hit-out at several former teammates by naming them in a ‘Lazy XI’.
The former Fulham and Crystal Palace defender, who retired from playing last year, gave his opinion for Norwegian podcast Heia Fotbal.
He started by naming Emanuel Adebayor in his laziest team, saying of the Togo international; “When we had strength workouts he would sit in the gym with just a cup of coffee and a muffin.”
Continuing, Hangeland then told a funny anecdote of a time when Adebayor asked to recommend restaurants in London, during a match.
“I was playing for Fulham and he played for Spurs. We were attacking and I was marking Adebayor in the midfield.
“He suddenly said, ‘Ahhh, I’m hungry.’ I replied, ‘What?’
“I can’t wait for the game to finish, I’m so hungry,’ he said. ‘Do you know a good restaurant in London, Hangeland?”
The ‘Lazy XI’ attack was completed by Dimitar Berbatov and Bobby Zamora. Hangeland insisted that Zamora hated the gym and Berbatov spent too much time on the massage table.
The Goalkeeper selected was the current Crystal Palace number one Wayne Hennessey, whilst the defence consisted of Chris Baird, Zdenek Grygera and Erik Hagen.
Wilfried Zaha was named in midfield alongside Bryan Ruiz, Mousa Dembele and Jimmy Bullard. Of Bullard, Hangeland said he was; “A clear-cut pick for laziest team.”
The damning verdict hasn’t gone down well with some, especially Zaha. When selecting the new Ivory Coast winger in his XI, Hangeland said:
“He’d do five push-ups, sigh, then leave. He would have been incredible if he was serious.”
Zaha took to Twitter to dismiss these accusations and said Hangeland was sad and trying to stay relevant.
I don’t appreciate old team mates telling lies just to stay relevant! It’s sad ?
— Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) January 27, 2017
That tweet was then followed by another, with Zaha this time claiming he doesn’t need to be in the gym all the time because people have different bodies.
We all have different bodies so because I’m not constantly in the gym or doing the same as someone else doesn’t mean I don’t work hard ..
— Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) January 27, 2017
As yet, none of the other players have commented on this but it’s safe to say they probably won’t be happy.
Peter Reynolds, Pundit Arena
Read More About: bobby zamora, brede hangeland, bryan ruiz, chris baird, dimitar berbatov, emanuel adebayor, erik hagen, Football, football podcast, jimmy bullard, mousa dembele, wayne hennessey, wilfried zaha, zdenek grygera
