We all love a conspiracy theory, don’t we? Back in 2020, football fans listed the craziest conspiracy theories in football in an epic Reddit thread. The thread read: “To pass the time during this COVID-19 pandemic lets discuss some wacky conspiracy theory that you believe (in delusion, perhaps) is actually true.”

Hundreds of replies later, and we discovered some pretty wild theories. FourFourTwo magazine also produced a list of 28 of the ‘craziest football conspiracy theories’ which we have combined with the best ones from the Reddit thread. We have also added Louis van Gaal's eye-opening comments about Lionel Messi and Argentina's 2022 World Cup win.

'Nike forced Ronaldo to play the 1998 World Cup final'

Ronaldo after Brazil lost the 1998 World Cup final

Brazil’s Ronaldo had a seizure the night before the 1998 World Cup final against France and, initially, wasn’t named in the squad for the final in Paris. However, the team sheet quickly changed and suddenly Ronaldo was starting. The striker could do nothing to stop France winning 3-0 as he looked out of sorts. Did Nike - who sponsored Ronaldo - force him to play? Is there a whole conspiracy theory behind the seizure itself?

'Spurs' lasagna-gate to stop them overtaking Arsenal for fourth'

Tottenham vs West Ham in 2006

Spurs only needed to match Arsenal’s result on the final day of the 2005/06 season to finish above their north London rivals for the first time in Premier League history and qualify for the Champions League. However, the night before their match against West Ham at Upton Park, almost the entire squad fell ill after eating lasagna at the Marriott West India Quay hotel. A thread-bare Spurs side subsequently lost 4-2 to the Hammers with Arsenal overtaking them into fourth. Was the lasagna chef a Gooner?

'The South Korea vs Spain match in the 2002 World Cup was rigged'

South Korea reached the semi-final of the 2002 World Cup in their own country after beating Italy in the last-16 and then Spain in the quarter-finals. But a number of questionable decisions went in their favour during the tournament, as the integrity of the officials was called into question.

'The Match of the Day commentators know what’s going to happen'

Match of the Day

Match of the Day commentators are accused of commenting in a studio after the match has already taken place so they know what will happen. It’s a theory that Gary Lineker has disproved previously but that won’t stop supporters from thinking it. It is uncanny how many times they mention a defender going up for a corner and they end up scoring…

'The CL draws are completely irrelevant and the teams get picked by UEFA themselves after the conclusion of each round'

Joe Cole during the Champions League draw

Fans will always claim that a draw is ‘rigged’ if they face a tough side. Despite the fact that Champions League draws are televised live, fans are still claiming hot balls are used. The same teams always get easy draws apparently…

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Amazon hit the jackpot by following Spurs last season considering everything that happened. That Amazon had a say in Jose Mourinho replacing Mauricio Pochettino is about as far as we’re willing to go - not that Daniel Levy would have appointed him on Amazon’s say-so. But was Amazon responsible for Spurs losing to Colchester in the Carabao Cup? For losing 7-2 to Bayern Munich? For Eric Dier running into the stands to confront a fan? Doubtful.

'Harry Kane secretly hates England and that’s why he didn’t square it to Sterling'

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Some England fans simply can’t forget when Harry Kane failed to pass to ball to Raheem Sterling against Croatia in the World Cup semi-final back in 2018. But the fact that he didn’t pass it because he ‘hates England’ is just ridiculous. Remember, he did win the Golden Boot in that tournament...

'Steven Gerrard missed a penalty on purpose to get Roy Hodgson sacked'

Liverpool were losing 3-1 to Blackburn when Steven Gerrard blazed a penalty over with six minutes left at Ewood Park. The loss left Liverpool four points above the relegation zone after 20 matches and in danger of dropping to the second tier. Hodgson was sacked three days later. But would Gerrard - club captain - purposely miss a penalty to get him sacked? Surely not…

Denmark and Sweden’s convenient 2-2 draw at Euro 2004

Antonio Cassano after realising Italy were being knocked out of Euro 2004

The only result that would send both Denmark and Sweden through at Italy’s expense was 2-2. The final result? 2-2. Italy’s Antonio Cassano thought he had sent the Italians through with a late winner against Bulgaria only to find out mid-celebration the two Scandinavian nations were drawing 2-2. Cue a meltdown.

Neymar wasn’t really injured at the 2014 World Cup

Was Neymar spared the inevitable humiliation of facing Germany in the World Cup semi-finals by faking a back injury? A video of him seemingly walking around pain-free at his home aroused suspicion. Then fans pointed to images of him covering his face as he entered the hospital with the patient apparently missing tattoos on his arm. Some people have too much time on their hands…

Argentina spike Brazil’s drinks in 1990

Diego Maradona at the 1990 World Cup

Brazil left-back Branco believed Argentina were spiking their water bottle during a 1990 World Cup last-16 match after Argentine physio Miguel Di Lorenzo gave him a water bottle. Argentina went on to win 1-0 courtesy of Claudio Caniggia and two days later, Branco complained of feeling dizzy and sick after drinking from what he believed to be tranquiliser-laced water. In 2005 Diego Maradona suggested that the story was true while coach Carlos Bilardo added: “Look, I’m not saying it didn’t happen.” Maybe this conspiracy theory isn’t quite so crazy.

Arsene Wenger signs Dennis Bergkamp for Arsenal

Dennis Bergkamp in action for Arsenal

Bruce Rioch deserves so much credit for signing Dennis Bergkamp for Arsenal back in 1995. Or does he? That’s because there’s a belief that it was actually the manager of Grampus Eight who played a big role in the deal - Arsene Wenger. Wenger would go on to become Arsenal boss a year later. Hmmmmm.

The 2022 World Cup was rigged in favour of Argentina and Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi with the World Cup trophy

Lionel Messi's dreams came true as he guided Argentina to the World Cup trophy in 2022. However, Louis van Gaal, whose Netherlands side were beaten by Argentina on penalties in the quarter-finals, has now claimed that the tournament was rigged so that Messi and Argentina could win it.

He said, per Dutch outlet NOS: "I don't really want to say much about it. If you see how Argentina gets the goals and how we get the goals and how some of Argentina's players crossed the line and weren't punished, then I think it's all preconceived game." Asked exactly he meant by that, Van Gaal added: “I mean everything I say by that. That Messi had to become world champion? I think so, yes."

Howard Webb helped Man United win

Many football fans believed Howard Webb, a Premier League referee from 2003-2014, was a United fan after giving the Red Devils a number of favourable decisions. Ex-Liverpool player Ryan Babel shared that opinion and, back in 2011, even posted a photoshopped image of Webb in a United shirt on his Twitter page. He was subsequently fined £10k.

Webb felt compelled to nonsense the claims in his autobiography, 'The Man in the Middle'. He wrote, per the Daily Star: “Let’s get something straight, once and for all. Contrary to what you might have seen on the internet, I never shared a bed with Sir Alex Ferguson. There is no statue of me outside Old Trafford. My kids are not called Rio, Wayne and Cristiano. There is no Red Devil tattoo inked on my left buttock. The only United I have ever supported - hand on heart - is of the Rotherham variety. And that’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

The 1966 and 1974 World Cups were fixed

England won the 1966 World Cup

Joao Havelange, FIFA president from 1974 to 1998, incredibly claimed that the 1966 World Cup and 1974 World Cup were fixed for the host countries (England and Germany respectively) to win.

The Brazilian told Folha de Sao Paulo in 2008, per Goal: "In the three matches that the Brazilian national team played in 1966, of the three referees and six linesmen, seven were British and two were Germans. Brazil went out, Pele ‘exited’ through injury [following some rough defensive play], and England and Germany entered into the final, just as the Englishman Sir Stanley Rous, who was the President of FIFA at the time, had wanted.

"In Germany in 1974 the same thing happened. During the Brazil-Holland match, the referee was German, we lost 2-0 and Germany won the title. We were the best in the world, and had the same team that had won the World Cup in 1962 in Chile and 1970 in Mexico, but it was planned for the host countries to win.”