There’s a reason this article has been limited to footballers of the modern era. If we included footballers of yesteryear, then the article would be big enough to fill a book! The likes of Nobby Stiles, Norman Hunter, Chopper Harris, Ernie Hunt, gGeorge Curtis, Tommy Smith, Jack Charlton and Vinnie Jones would be top of our list, but this list only includes players of the modern era and footballers whose antics are still fresh in the minds of fans.
10) Nigel De Jong
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De Jong might feel hard done by the fact that he is number 10 on our list, but then if you kung-fu tackle an opponent on the grandest stage in football, then you must prepare for the backlash from fans of the beautiful game.
The horrendous tackle on Xabi Alonso aside, De Jong’s stint in the EPL was marked by two ferocious tackles that set back careers of two promising footballers, Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa and Bolton’s Stuart Holden. Both players felt the De Jong force, and although they lived to tell the tale, they have never quite been the same.
Here’s a sampling of De Jong’s, ahem, handiwork:
9) Marco Materazzi
Famous, or infamous depending on your outlook towards headbutting, for provoking Zidane and getting himself in trouble in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, Materazzi is one footballer who has never divided opinions – he is unanimously hated.
There are footballers who just can’t tackle properly and there are those who are simply too late into a tackle.
Then there’s Materazzi, a player who knows how to tackle properly, but simply refuses to. Materazzi’s modus operandi is simple – bring the man down, and forget the ball.
Here’s Materazzi at his finest:
(VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED: This video contains horrible, awful tackles that will make you squirm. Also, the background music is System of a Down.)
8) Pepe
As the saying goes, a video is worth a thousand words (or is it a picture is worth a thousand words? Anyway).
That’s right. Not content with kicking out at Getafe’s central midfielder Javier Casquero who had the audacity to wince in pain following a tough challenge, Pepe demonstrates his manliness and don’t-care-about-anything attitude by proceeding to punch a player who is trying to stop his kill-streak.
And there’s more:
Of course, who can forget Pepe’s intentional stamp on Messi’s hand during the extra spicy El Clasico in Jan 2012, for which manager Jose Mourinho forced him to issue a public apology.
7) Roy Keane
A debatable entry, since Keane would be better classified by fans as an aggressive, passionate footballer rather than a dirty one.
Just kidding. Keane’s done enough to warrant being on this list. The most prominent incident that comes to mind is the horror tackle on Manchester City player Alf Haaland, which nearly ended Haaland’s career. The fact that Keane admitted the tackle was deliberate only adds more weight to the theory that aside from being a great midfielder, Keane was also a dangerous, dirty player.
Apart from his rough tackling, there’s also the tunnel incident with Patrick Vieira and his altercations with Ireland boss Mick McCarthy, none of which paint Keane in a saintly manner.
Perhaps his reputation as a fierce competitor saved Keane from the referee’s wrath on a number of occasions. For instance, take this particular tackle on Neil Pointon. Keane was very lucky to escape with a yellow card for this one:
6) Gennaro Gattuso
AC Milan and Italy legend Gennaro “Rino” Gattuso was one of those players who used to tread the fine line between dangerous and passionate, and more often than not cross the aforementioned line. Gattuso’s commitment and fierceness is stuff of legend, but there were times when the old warhorse overstepped the line and became a dirty player.
Who can forget his iconic fight with Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Joe Jordan in the 2011 Champions League match between AC Milan and Spurs. Gattuso first manhandles Joe Jordan (no mean feat), and then later headbutts him, for which he received a 4-match ban from UEFA.
Rino Gattuso, forever living life on the edge.
5) Luis Suarez
Diving. Deliberate handballs. Biting a player, twice. Stamping on a player. Pulling a player’s hair.
Enough said.
Ladies and gentlemen, Luis Suarez.
4) Lee Cattermole
69 yellow cards and 7 red cards in 216 matches in the EPL for Lee Cattermole. A shocking disciplinary record that shows no signs of improving.
Fans of Cattermole will no doubt point to his feisty and aggressive personality, but that shouldn’t come at the cost of getting regularly suspended from crucial games. Nor does it explain why Cattermole and Bendtner decided to get into a pub brawl and went about vandalising cars in Newcastle.
3) Gary Medel
Gary Medel, who currently plays for EPL side Cardiff City, has a nickname that will set the alarm bells ringing for his manager. El Pitbull, as he is fondly known, has a playing style similar to another entrant on this list, Gennaro Gattuso. Perhaps that’s why Chilean fans have nicknamed him the Chilean Gattuso.
Medel was at La Liga side Sevilla before joining Cardiff, where he had a notorious disciplinary record, picking up 7 red cards in 89 games. And this is what he did after receiving one of those 7 red cards.
2) Mark Van Bommel
Shirt pulling, niggling fouls, sneak attacks when the referee isn’t looking, terribly late tackles and constant time-wasting – Mark van Bommel checks every box in the infuriating, dirty player category. Fans love him and rival fans love to hate him, that is Mark Van Bommel in a nutshell. He is the wily old fox of dirty tackling, and for that he is number 2 on our list.
1) Kevin Muscat
Fans of dirty tackling will no doubt be familiar with Kevin Muscat’s name. A former Crystal Palace and Millwall player who moved to the Australian A-league in the latter part of his career, the now-retired Muscat’s list of dirty tackles stretches as long as the Great Wall of China.
Here’s a snippet of his disciplinary track record:
- In March 2002, Wolves man Muscat was sent off for elbowing Grimsby Town striker Michael Boulding. Suspended for 3 matches.
- Sent off for stamping on Watford’s Danny Webber.
- Former Charlton player Matty Holmes sued Muscat after a bad tackle from the hardman resulted in Holmes’ leg being broken in four places. Both parties settled the issue outside court for an estimated sum of 750,000.
- Sent off and suspended for 5 games after tackling Sheffield United player Ashley ward from behind, a tackle that sparked off a brawl.
- Suspended for two matches for “violent conduct” in December 2005.
- In January 2011, Muscat was sent off for elbowing Adelaide United player Adam Hughes.
- In his first match back from suspension, Muscat delivered a horrifying tackle on Melbourne Heart player Adrian Zahra in a derby match. He was suspended for 8 games.
- In his playing career, Muscat received 123 yellow cards and 12 red cards.
