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11 Hardest Players in Football History [Ranked]
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Football nowadays is viewed as a relatively soft sport due to the nature in which players go down to ground and exaggerate on a game-to-game basis. However, the beautiful game has not always been, well, quite so beautiful.
Some warrior-like players were hard as nails and would run through a brick wall for their team, including the likes of Roy Keane, Graeme Souness and Gennaro Gattuso. These players would be a rarity if they were playing in today’s game. They all had a style where they weren’t just aggressive; they also had an incredible amount of technical ability, which made people appreciate their hard work and warrior-like spirit even more.
We’ve ranked the 11 hardest players in football history. Included are some true greats of the game. They certainly don’t make them like this anymore.
11
Terry Butcher
Career span: 1976-1993
The first man making an appearance on the list of the 11 hardest players in football history is England legend Terry Butcher. The former defender, responsible for one of the most famous and iconic photos in English football history, where he was pictured with a bandaged head and his white England shirt stained in red with his own blood, deserves a place on this list for that incident alone.
The hard-as-nails centre-half collided with a Swedish player in the 1990 World Cup qualifiers and, despite suffering a nasty cut which required stitches after the game, he insisted on finishing the game. He went on to complete the full 90 minutes and still performed to a high level despite suffering an incredibly nasty head injury.
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Terry Butcher’s Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
|
Appearances |
434 |
|
Yellow cards |
10 |
|
Red cards |
1 |
10
Eric Cantona
Career span: 1983-1997
Despite being extremely tough and an intimidating presence on the pitch, ‘hot head’ is the main phrase which comes to mind when discussing Manchester United and France legend, Eric Cantona. The Frenchman is one of the most technically gifted and skilful players in Premier League history, but he also had a unique physicality and strength about him.
Cantona wasn’t considered a dirty player as such, but he was very well known for having moments of madness which turned physical, most famously his infamous incident where he kung-fu kicked a Crystal Palace fan at Selhurst Park in 1995. Cantona stormed the crowd, kicking the Palace fan in the chest and unleashing a few punches. As a result of the incident, the charismatic forward was banned from football for eight months, charged £20,000 and had to complete over 100 hours of community service.
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Eric Cantona’s Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
|
Appearances |
467 |
|
Yellow cards |
42 |
|
Red cards |
5 |
9
Stuart Pearce
Career span: 1978-2002
Another England legend who makes the list of the hardest players in football history is the no-nonsense Stuart Pearce. Nicknamed ‘Psycho’ throughout his career for both club and country, Pearce is one of the most fearless and aggressive players to have ever played the game, and once he stepped over that white line, he was one of the most intimidating figures in English football.
The strong tackling defender was not just known for his physicality and aggressiveness on the pitch, but also for his sheer toughness and resilience. Just one example of these many moments throughout Pearce’s career came when he played on with a broken leg without realising it in a match for West Ham in 2000. Moments like this are what made him such a fan favourite for the England national team as well as every club he ever played for.
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Stuart Pearce’s Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
667 |
|
Yellow cards |
53 |
|
Red cards |
2 |
Euro ‘96: Stuart Pearce’s penalty redemption vs Spain
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8
Graeme Souness
Career span: 1970-1991
Graeme Souness was the ultimate midfield enforcer during his playing career, and this style saw him become a legend for several different clubs. The Scot was known for his extremely physical style of tackling, which at times was judged to be a bit too over the top, but made him the player he was.
Despite his clear talent on the ball and ability to control a midfield, it was Souness’ fierce and at times terrifying nature which led him to essentially nothing but success throughout an incredible 21-year career where he won pretty much every trophy he could possibly have won.
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Graeme Souness’ Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
|
Appearances |
635 |
|
Yellow Cards |
19 |
|
Red cards |
0 |
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7
Norman Hunter
Career span: 1962-1982
Next on the list of the hardest players in football history is a member of England’s iconic World Cup-winning squad from 1966, Norman Hunter. Known for his hard-hitting tackling, Hunter was an integral part of England’s 1966 World Cup win and garnered a reputation for himself as almost a terrier-like player.
He would constantly be hacking at players’ ankles for 90 minutes, so much so, that the nickname ‘Bites Yer Legs’ followed him throughout his career. As well as his niggly and tactical tackling style, Hunter was known for his high energy and aggressive style which put fear into any of the opposition who crossed him on the pitch.
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Norman Hunter’s Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
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Appearances |
776 |
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Yellow cards |
2 |
|
Red cards |
2 |
6
Billy Whitehurst
Career span: 1977-1995
Dubbed “the hardest man in football” by none other than Vinnie Jones, Billy Whitehurst, despite not being incredibly well known, is the ultimate football hard-man.
Despite being an old-fashioned, no-nonsense, physical centre-forward, Whitehurst gained the reputation of a hardman for his antics away from the football pitch. According to podcast host Matt Legg, Whitehurst regularly competed in illegal bare-knuckle fights and would regularly find himself in bar brawls, which would leave him looking like “Frankenstein”.
“Billy was offered two illegal bare-knuckle fights for £1,000. The first fight was relatively easy with Billy getting a quick knockout, but the second one was a lot tougher with Billy suffering a lot of facial damage. He said he got quite a mauling in that fight. He told the Oxford manager Morris Evans that he’d been involved in a car crash and he still played the following match with his face stitched up.”
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Billy Whitehurst’s Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
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Appearances |
83 |
|
Yellow cards |
6 |
|
Red cards |
1 |
5
Vinnie Jones
Career span: 1984-1999
Vinnie Jones is always one of the first names which pop into people’s minds when discussing some of the most ruthless and aggressive players to have played in England. Jones, due to his hard-tackling style of play and fearlessness to get into confrontations with opposition players, gave himself a reputation for being somewhat of a dirty player throughout his career.
Jones’ style, albeit being successful for his team, was viewed as dirty and unsportsmanlike by many, which tainted his reputation as a player. His intensity and, at times, terrifying presence were enough to secure him several roles in big-time Hollywood movies where he often played villainous or intimidating characters.
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Vinnie Jones’ Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
|
Appearances |
389 |
|
Yellow cards |
48 |
|
Red cards |
12 |
Vinnie Jones explained why he took out 5-year-old Leeds mascot before game
Vinnie Jones’ story on Soccer AM in 2016 about why he took out a young Leeds mascot in 1989 is still absolute gold…
4
Pepe
Career span: 2001-2024
Despite being one of the best and arguably most underrated defenders in the last 20 years, Pepe’s reputation in football, to many, is unfortunately masked by the many controversial incidents he got into on the pitch. The Portuguese centre-half was a warrior for the entirety of his incredible 23-year career. His aggression, combined with his willingness to do whatever he could to win, made him one of the best but also toughest players around.
Unfortunately for Pepe, despite his outstanding ability, he is mostly known for his moments where he lashed out on the pitch and regularly saw red. His most famous and dirty incident came in 2009 in a game for Real Madrid against Getafe when he brought down Javier Casquero in the box and, while he was down, Pepe brutally and blatantly kicked him twice. This is viewed as one of the dirtiest and most brutal moments in football history and led to Pepe receiving a whopping 10-match ban.
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Pepe’s Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
|
Appearances |
878 |
|
Yellow cards |
210 |
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Red cards |
17 |
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3
Gennaro Gattuso
Career span: 1995-2013
Coming in at number three on the list of the hardest players in football history is Italy and AC Milan legend, Gennaro Gattuso. The Italian, despite not being the biggest player, is one of the most aggressive and physical midfielders ever and this style, combined with his incredible leadership skills, led his AC Milan side to the highest heights of club and international football.
Gattuso’s intensity and passion on the pitch were sometimes a negative factor for him, as he was regularly involved in confrontations with both opposition players and his teammates. Despite other names on this list, Gattuso was not classed as a dirty player throughout his career, which makes his standing on this list even more impressive.
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Gennaro Gattuso’s Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
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Appearances |
647 |
|
Yellow cards |
169 |
|
Red cards |
8 |
Gennaro Gattuso vs Joe Jordan: When AC Milan legend brawled with Tottenham coach
Gattuso was never far away from a meltdown
2
Roy Keane
Career span: 1989-2006
Taking the runner-up spot in the list of hardest players in football history is Manchester United legend and arguably the best captain in Premier League history, Roy Keane. The Irishman, like another name on this list, Pepe, is somewhat unfairly looked at by football fans as purely a dirty player with great leadership skills. Keane was known for his sometimes reckless tackles, which he rarely held back, and it is well documented that he received an extremely high number of red cards throughout his career for this.
Keane is one of, if not *the* most intimidating midfielders in Premier League history, with his intense style and superb leadership skills, which led to him winning seven Premier League titles, four of which he won as captain. The Irishman was also technically superb on the ball and was extremely intelligent, which are traits to his game that he doesn’t get enough praise for.
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Roy Keane’s Documented Career Disciplinary Record |
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|---|---|
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Appearances |
679 |
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Yellow cards |
109 |
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Red cards |
12 |
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