Being a professional footballer isn't as simple as it may appear. Sure, you get to play the sport you presumably love for a living, but you have to deal with the monumental weight of expectations placed upon your shoulders.
Sometimes performing poorly on the pitch or engaging in controversial moments off of it can lead to a player becoming public enemy number one in eyes of their fans and, as we all know, it can take a lot to change a football supporter's opinion.
However, there is always a way of winning back the adulation of your fan base. Getting out there and proving everybody wrong.
Here is a list of eight players who managed to redeem themselves in the eyes of their fans.
8. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
Aaron Ramsey may have cemented himself as one of the most important players currently at Arsenal's disposal, but life wasn't always so rosy for the Welshman.
Following his return from a horrific leg break back in 2010, it took a while for Ramsey to find his feet again and his performances suffered as a result. Arsenal fans expressed serious doubts as to whether he would be capable of playing at the high level the Gunners demanded, but he managed to turn it all around during the 2013/14 season and hasn't looked back since - scoring winning goals in two separate FA Cup finals.
He enjoyed another brilliant season during 2017/18 and has now outlasted Arsenal's former wonder kid Jack Wilshere, who was pushed out of the first team picture at the Emirates and has left for West Ham.
7. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
Many people would have predicted that Gareth Bale's time at Real Madrid would be far from straightforward. The extreme pressures that are bestowed upon any player who lines up for Los Blancos are unrivalled at any other side around the world.
His time at the Bernabeu started brilliantly and he was a first team regular during his first two seasons. However, following a string of injuries and a poor run of form, Bale has found himself lingering on the subs bench for the past two seasons and has left many Real Madrid fans calling for him to be sold.
He managed to win back the hearts of Real Madrid supporters with his form during the closing stages of the 2017/18 season, and capped it off with a sensational performance in the Champions League final against Liverpool, scoring twice. Now that Cristiano Ronaldo has left Madrid, it may be time for Bale to become the undisputed star.
6. Roy Keane (Republic of Ireland)
Roy Keane was the Republic of Ireland's star man during the 90's and early 2000's, but his international reputation was left in ruins following the infamous Saipan incident during the build up to the 2002 World Cup.
Unsatisfied with Ireland's training preparations, Keane delivered an interview to the Irish Times, expressing his anger about the situation. His manager, Mick McCarthy, approached him about the interview and Keane responded by delivering a scathing speech directed towards McCarthy which he concluded, famously, by saying: "You can stick your World Cup up your arse."
Unsurprisingly he was sent home and he left the majority of fans believing that he let his country down. He returned to national team action in 2004 for Ireland's 2006 World Cup qualification campaign and he was instrumental to the side as they came just a point away from reaching the playoff stage, which redeemed him in the eyes of many supporters.
5. Luka Modric (Croatia)
Luka Modric is the greatest player to ever play for Croatia. Fact. Well, opinion, but a damned strong one.
It seems crazy to imagine that such an incredible player could not be worshipped by his country, but there were a number of issues that occurred off of the field which undermined his reputation in the eyes of Croatian supporters.
Modric retracted his original testimony in one of the country’s biggest corruption legal cases against former Dinamo Zagreb chief Zdravko Mamic - the most hated man in Croatia. Supporters fell out of love with Modric following this incident and Modric was officially charged with perjury by Croatian authorities over suspected false statements in court.
He came into the 2018 World Cup with very little support, but his performances won over everyone. He picked up the Golden Ball after guiding his side all the way to final. All seems to have been forgotten and Modric is the national hero he deserves to be.
4. Dejan Lovren (Liverpool)
Since signing for Liverpool in 2014, Dejan Lovren's time at Anfield has been marred by inconsistent performances and catastrophic mistakes but there have always been glimpses of what he is capable of achieving if he puts his mind to it.
Liverpool fans had just about seen enough last season after Lovren's disastrous display against Tottenham in October saw the Croatian get hauled off before half time. Many thought that would signal the end of his time in a red shirt, but he fought his way back into the starting XI soon after.
Following that display, Lovren then enjoyed his best season as a Liverpool player. Since the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk, he has looked full of confidence and he put in some particularly brilliant performances during Liverpool's run to the Champions League final.
3. David Beckham (England)
David Beckham's status as football's most recognisable man is indisputable. It doesn't matter whether you enjoy football or not - you know who he is.
However, people in England tended to know who he was for all the wrong reasons in the aftermath of the 1998 World Cup. He became public enemy number one following England's exit against Argentina, with the media and public blaming the loss solely on Beckham for picking up a silly red card after kicking out at Diego Simeone.
Beckham faced the wrath of the English public, but soon began to win back their trust with a string of fine performances for the Three Lions. He finally turned everything around when he scored one of the most famous free-kicks of all time in the last minute against Greece in 2001, securing England's path to the 2002 World Cup.
If that wasn't enough, he then went onto to exercise the ghosts of 1998 by scoring a penalty against Argentina in the knockout stages of that World Cup.
2. Eder (Portugal)
Portugal fans would have probably groaned when they saw Eder preparing to come on for Portugal in the European Championship final in 2016.
Prior to the tournament he had scored just three goals for his national side and was coming off of the back of a dire season which included half a year at Swansea where he didn't manage to find the net once.
Eyebrows were certainly raised when he was selected to join up with the Portugal squad ahead of Euro 2016, particularity given the gulf in class between himself and some of the other talents in the squad. He wouldn't have featured in the final at all if it weren't for an injury to Cristiano Ronaldo, but incredibly Eder was the man who scored the only goal of the match with a cracking long range strike.
Even his manager was surprised by the fact that he actually managed to score, stating "The ugly duckling went and scored. Now he's a beautiful swan."
1. David De Gea (Manchester United)
If you had have told any Manchester United fan back in 2012 just how good David De Gea would become, they would have laughed in your face.
The Spaniard joined the Red Devils in 2012 and initially looked well out of place in the Premier League. He struggled to deal with the physicality of the game and was often seen to be flapping at crosses and making routine mistakes. At the time, many United fans were calling for De Ge to be replaced by Anders Lindegaard who was the side's back up goalkeeper at the time.
Alex Ferguson kept his faith in De Gea and United have reaped the rewards for it. He has now won United's player of the season award on four occasions, which is the most of any individual who has ever played for the club.