Controversial Reds: Love or Hate Tevez?

What do you think of Carlos Tevez?

Carlos Tevez is one of the most controversial players to have played for United and City.

Let's have a look at his time at Old Trafford then his spell at The Etihad.

Move to England

On 23 August 2006, it was reported that Tevez was refusing to play for Corinthians. Tevez confirmed on his website on 31 August that both he and Javier Mascherano were signing for West Ham United on permanent deals for undisclosed fees. 

Media reports speculated that other Premier League clubs turned down the opportunity of signing Tevez and Mascherano because of stipulations put in place by third parties MSI and Global Soccer Agencies. Tevez made his West Ham debut after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 home draw with Aston Villa on 10 September 2006.

 

However, after this match, West Ham went on a nine-game winless streak (one draw and eight defeats), which included seven consecutive matches without scoring. This winless run also included going out of Europe.

Tevez left the ground early after being substituted and throwing a tantrum during a league match against Sheffield United, and as punishment, his teammates decided Tevez had to donate half of a week's wages to charity and train in a Brazil jersey. Tevez refused to wear the shirt.

In January 2007, Tevez made his first start for West Ham under the new management of Alan Curbishley in a 3–0 FA Cup third round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored his first West Ham goal and assisted two others on 4 March 2007 in a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. 

In relegation-threatened West Ham's final league match of the season against Manchester United on 13 May, Tevez scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory. The match result secured West Ham's stay in the topflight after Sheffield United's failure to beat Wigan Athletic at home on the same day.

Who's that man from Argentina?

Manchester United put forward a proposed two-year loan deal for Tevez, this was approved on 10 August 2007.

He made his debut on 15 August when he started in place of the injured Wayne Rooney in a 1–1 draw against Portsmouth. On 23 September, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 home victory against Chelsea. In November, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed the club wanted to sign Tevez permanently. 

Tevez scored a total of five goals during Manchester United's successful 2007–08 UEFA Champions League campaign. He also scored the first penalty in the shoot-out against Chelsea in the final. Manchester United won the shoot-out 6–5 after the match had ended 1–1 after extra time.

The following season was also successful for United and Tevez but controversy started to mount as the future of the Argentinian started to become uncertain. 

Despite an outburst in the build-up, Tevez was named in Manchester United's starting 11 for the May 2011 derby match against Manchester City later that day. Before scoring the second of United's two goals on the stroke of half-time, which prompted chants of "Fergie, sign him up" from some of the club's fans. 

The following match for United was away at Wigan. Tevez did not start the match but came off the bench on 58 minutes and scored the equaliser three minutes later with a flamboyant back-heeled finish. His introduction immediately improved the team's play and Michael Carrick scored the winner on 86 minutes. 

After the game, to the relief of most United fans, Ferguson announced the club had commenced talks to sign Tevez on a permanent deal. Tevez started the next match against Arsenal but was substituted by Park Ji-sung in the 66th minute. As he left the field, the Manchester United supporters applauded him in what would be his last match at Old Trafford for United. 

Although United agreed to meet the option fee of £25.5 million and offered Tevez a five-year contract that would have made him one of the club's top earners, Tevez's advisors informed the club he no longer wished to play for Manchester United. 

Suddenly, one of United fans most adored players, was about to leave. Very few people really expected where his next club would be though. 

From love to hate

After protracted negotiations, Tevez signed a five-year contract with Manchester United's cross-town rivals, Manchester City, after a medical on 14 July 2009. On 12 September, it was claimed the transfer fee was £47 million, a British transfer record, this was later denied by both Manchester City and MSI. 

Tevez was given the number 32 shirt, just as he was at Manchester United and West Ham. In signing for Manchester City, Tevez became the first player to move between the two Manchester clubs since Terry Cooke moved from United to City in 1999.

Throwback to the 'Welcome to Manchester' poster after Carlos Tevez moved from the red side of Manchester to the blue #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/JVSPJ57tRC

— HCT Views (@HCTviews) July 27, 2017

 Tevez made his City debut coming off the bench against Blackburn Rovers in a 2–0 away win. He scored his first goal for the club on 27 August 2009 against Crystal Palace in the second round of the League Cup.

His first season with City ultimately ended in disappointment as they finished in 5th place, narrowly missing out on a Champions League place. They also lost both league matches against Man United and were knocked out of the League Cup by them at the Semi Final stage.

Success and controversy

Ahead of the 2010/2011 season Tevez was made club captain by Roberto Mancini. Tevez continued his scoring form in the Premier League from 2009–10 in the 2010–11 season with two goals in the 3–0 victory over Liverpool.

In December 2010, despite his agent recently asking the club to renegotiate and improve his contract, Tevez handed the club a written transfer request, citing family reasons and a breakdown in relationship with people at the club. The transfer request was later rejected by the club.

Later that month, Tevez withdrew his transfer request and expressed his commitment" to the club following talks. Goals against Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City and Notts County took him to 50 goals for the club. The 73 matches played to reach this figure made him the second-fastest player in City's history to reach that figure. 

 

The 2010/2011 season would ultimately be successful for City and Tevez as they won the Fa Cup. This was their first trophy in 35 years. This was followed up by a dramatic Premier League triumph during the 2011/2012 season. There was more controversy for Tevez though.

Tevez eventually left City and England at the end of the 2012/2013 season. His time in England saw him score 114 goals in 276 appearances. He would go onto achieve more success in Italy with Juventus.