The 10 Toughest Footballers In History

There have been some absolute nutcases in football over the many decades. There are players who thrive off of being the one who puts in a crunching tackle to set the tone, the one who doesn’t care about the consequences of a yellow or a red card, and players who just want to be as physical with their opponent as possible. In this article, we will be ranking the 10 toughest players in football history.

10. Zlatan Ibrahimović

In at number 10 is none other than the big Swede himself, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. You may have thought that this list would be all about defensive players; well, think again. Zlatan had a knack for getting involved in a lot of altercations during his career. Most notably was when he and his then teammate, Oguchi Onyewu, got into a fight in training after Ibra made a hard tackle; things quickly escalated, which led to Ibra headbutting Onyewu and punches being thrown.

Fun fact: Zlatan has a black belt in taekwondo, which he earned back when he was 17.

9. Sergio Ramos

At number 9 we have one of the greatest defenders ever, Sergio Ramos. The man for the big occasion, having won four UCLs with Real Madrid and scoring a 93rd-minute equaliser against Atletico in the UCL final in 2014, which eventually led to Real Madrid winning in extra time.

However, he also had the reputation of a “bad boy”. He has the most red cards in Real Madrid history with 26 and 30 across his whole career. The Spaniard has had a lot of altercations across his career, even with Florentino Perez after Real Madrid were knocked out by Ajax in 2019.

8. Nemanja Vidic

Number 8 is the Serbian monster, Nemanja Vidić. Your typical when-in-doubt kick-it-out centre back, he wasn’t worried about playing out from the back, just route one football. As Premier League CBs go, none are more feared than Vidic; standing at 6 ft 2 in, he was never afraid to stick a foot in.

Who could forget this monster of a challenge when United travelled down to White Hart Lane? In my opinion, the greatest tackle ever.

THIS STILL HAS TO BE UP THERE AS TACKLE OF THE CENTURY FROM NEMANJA VIDIC ON KYLE WALKER... PIC.TWITTER.COM/UPEMRPJMMN

— THE EXTREME FOOTBALL ENTHUSIAST (@EXTREMEFOOTBAL4) OCTOBER 18, 2024

7. Pepe

In at number 7 is Sergio Ramos’ partner in crime, Pepe. The Portuguese man has a massive reputation for being an absolute nutter at CB. During his career he amassed 17 red cards and was very much your no-nonsense CB. However his biggest controversy during his career was in a match vs Getafe when he kicked Javi Casquero after he was already down on the floor; he received a 10-game ban for the incident

Este momento de locura de Pepe cumple 15 AÑOS.

En pleno Real Madrid-Getafe, empujó a Casquero y le revoleó dos patadas criminales cuando ya estaba caído.

Luego, lo siguió pisando como si nada.

Una barbaridad. 🇵🇹⛔️pic.twitter.com/HwmUF2PD3Z

— Ataque Futbolero (@AtaqueFutbolero) April 21, 2024

6. Graeme Souness

At number 6 we have the Scot, Graeme Souness. Known for his questionable punditry in the modern game, back in the day he was known for his aggression in the tackle and was often criticised for being too over the top, too aggressive and sometimes dangerous. Despite this sh*thouse way of playing, he never picked up a red card in his whole career.

5. Gennaro Gattuso

In at the halfway stage at 5 is the Italian midfielder, Gennaro Gattuso. One of Italy’s all time greats was known for being ruthless out on the pitch, always putting in an aggressive tackle and making sure his opponents know he was there.

His most infamous moment came during AC Milan's UCL game against Tottenham, where Gattuso had the brilliant idea to headbutt Spurs assistant coach Joe Jordan. He received a four-game ban for his troubles.

4. Vinnie Jones

Getting closer to the top spot now, in at number four is Vinnie Jones, also known as “the Chopper”. He was a player who didn’t care who it was, or how unlikely he was to get to the ball; if his mind thought 'tackle', then he would. All of this earned him that nickname of the Chopper. He was physically intimidating for any player facing him and when you came across him you always had to be on the lookout for his flying challenges.

It’s 35 years since this Vinnie Jones tackle in the opening exchanges of the FA Cup Final.

No booking. No rolling around in pain. Steve McMahon jumps back to his feet and it’s on with the game, chaps…

pic.twitter.com/es7Cifiuyc

— A Funny Old Game (@sid_lambert) May 14, 2023

3. Duncan Ferguson

Making the podium places is Duncan Ferguson at number 3. Your traditional back in the day “hard man” was exactly Duncan Ferguson. His pure aggression for winning the ball back led to him having many moments of madness on the pitch.

None other than when he actually went to prison for 44 days over a head butt on the pitch in a game where he was playing for Rangers against Raith Rovers. It wasn’t caught by the referee at the time but it was caught on camera; this led to a police investigation and eventually prison time.

2. Terry Kurlock

Just missing out on the top spot is Terry Hurlock. He was sent off 13 times and booked on over 100 occasions during his career, which back in that day was incredibly impressive considering the way the refs would let play go. He was often joked about looking more like a bouncer than an actual footballer by other players.

He once ripped a pub door off of its hinges when he was asked about what he would do when faced against Vinnie Jones; enough said, really.

1. Roy Keane

And now the top spot goes to none other than “It’s his job, isn’t it?” Roy Keane. The Irishman created a devastating reputation from day one of his career. A true no-nonsense midfielder who would have probably died for whatever team he was playing for, he ruthlessly captained Manchester United to trophies such as the Premier League and the UCL.

His aggressiveness is what made him him. We could be watching footage of his flying, late, crunching tackles for hours and still probably have footage spare. His worst moment was a challenge in the Manchester Derby on Erling Haaland’s dad, of all people, Alf-Inge Haaland. He had no intention of winning the ball and just completely ran through Alf-Inge’s knee, ending his season and creating a domino effect which ended up causing Haaland to retire.

Keane himself has admitted that the act was purely revenge after Alf-Inge mocked Keane when he suffered a severe ACL injury the previous season, and his anger for Haaland had built up ever since.

Alf-Inge Haaland vs Roy Keane 👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/JxEqqYNU5a

— Football Fights (@footbalIfights) May 15, 2024