Not many have had the guts or the recklessness to do it, but Paul Pogba responded to a talking-to by Sir Alex Ferguson by giving him a piece of his own mind in front of his startled team-mates. This is how he earned his nickname among young Manchester United players: Nelson Mandela.

Loic Rémy

Rémy joined QPR on 16 January 2013, which showed that Harry Redknapp is not a man to hold a grudge. Ten days earlier, the manager had flown specially to Marseille to watch the French striker, who played in a 2-1 OM victory over Guingamp, only for Rémy to refuse to talk to Redknapp, who was heard muttering: ‘Who does that guy think he is?’ (expletives deleted).

Moussa Sissoko

What do Moussa Sissoko and Thierry Henry have in common? Answer: they both made their debuts for Les Bleus at exactly the same age, 20 years and 55 days. Sissoko, born on 16 August 1989, was first capped against the Faroe Islands (5-0) on 10 October 2009. Henry, born on 17 August 1977, on 11 October 1997, against South Africa (2-1).

Rapha?l Varane

Upon finishing his first season for Lens in Ligue 1, Rapha?l Varane gets down to revising for his baccalauréate. His phone rings. It is Florentino Pérez’s special advisor, a certain Zinédine Zidane. The 18-year old politely tells Zizou that he is very busy studying at this precise moment. And asks him to call back later – which he obviously did.

Franck Ribéry

Having celebrated late into the night the Bayern Munich’s triumph over Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League final, Franck Ribéry finally made it to his hotel bed, where his wife Wahiba had the surprise to find an unexpected guest: the Champions League trophy. After telling her husband that he was simply mad, she accepted the ménage à trois and even took a few photographs of the intruder.