Hardest Tackles Ever in the History of Football

One might also ask who are the

best tacklers in football in 2021

or who are the best tacklers in the world in 2021. These two are almost identical - we mean best tacklers in football in 2021 and the best tacklers in the world in 2021. Different sources have introduced different footballers - actually defenders - as the best tacklers in football in 2021 or

best tacklers in the world in 2021

actually based on the number of their average tackles per game or their successful tackles. Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City and N'Golo Kante of Chelsea are, for instance, among these players based on their ratings.

However, as we mentioned above, in this post, we are to the hardest tackles ever in the history of football or in other words the most dangerous tackles in football history. Some of these tackles are also among the worst tackles in English football history which have sent the targeted player even to hospital and for an operation.

A List of the Hardest Tackles Ever in the History of Football

Let’s see which tackles have proven to be the hardest or actually the most dangerous tackles in football history.

Richard Prokas on Patrick Viera (FA Cup, 2001)

It was in the third round of FA Cup in 2001 in a match between

and Arsenal that Richard Prokas of Carlisle United lunged with his both feet at the captain, Patrick Vieira, breaking his shin pad, and to your astonishment, he was not punished for that. Of course, he later apologized for his foul saying that he didn’t intend to injure Vieira, but some yet argue that if he didn’t, he shouldn’t have gone for Vieira’s legs with both his feet. And Vieira himself, claiming that the tackle could have ended his career and seen by everyone on TV, asked the authorities for a reaction but nothing was given to Richard Prokas as a punishment.

Dirk Kuyt on Phil Neville (Premier League, 2007)

They say most Merseyside derbies - Liverpool and Everton rivalries - are dirty and maybe how Dirk Kuyt tackled Phil Neville in a 2007 derby between the two teams is a proof to it. As you see in the photo, Kuyt Jumped off the ground lunging himself toward Neville that fortunately missed the

player otherwise he would surely see red. Later, the Dutch footballer claimed that he had gone for the ball not the player in that tackle, but he had been lucky not to make a contact with him which surely had got him a red. Consider it as one of the worst tackles in English football, if any contact came to happen!

Harald Schumacher on Patrick Battiston (1982 World Cup Semi-Finals)

You will admit that this one is one of the

hardest tackles ever in the history of football

if you know that the collision between the two players mentioned above resulted in two lost teeth and one of the players losing his consciousness. Yes! That was Patrick Battiston that actually bore all the pain. Receiving a through ball from Michael Platini in a 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-finals match against West Germany, Battiston left the German defense line behind facing the German goalkeeper, Harald Schumacher, in a one-on-one situation.

The two raced toward each other and the result was a collision that not only knocked out two of Battiston’s teeth and damaged his vertebrae but also left him unconscious on the ground with a pale face and no pulse at all so that everyone thought at first that the collision had killed the French player. He was given oxygen on the ground by medics and even later went into a coma but fortunately survived all this. To your astonishment, Schumacher was not even booked for the foul let alone being sent off, though he later apologized Battiston and his apology was accepted.

Boris Johnson on Maurizio Gaudino (A Charity Friendly between Germany and England, 2006)

Yes! You heard it right! Boris Johnson, England’s current Prime Minister; he actually took part in a charity game against England in 2006 where he made a tackle that later was labeled rugby tackle due to the way it was performed. Although Johnson’s tackle should not be called the hardest tackles ever in the history of football, it was, for sure, one of them. As once Maurizio Gaudino recalled, Johnson rushed towards him like a bull and as you can see in the photo above he also hit him like a bull! Maybe that’s why they call the tackle, the rugby tackle, because it’s not in football but in rugby - the sport Johnson practiced in his childhood - that you see such scenes.

Ramiro Funes Mori on Divock Origi (Premier League, 2016)

Another of

and Everton rivalries, this one also saw if not one of the hardest tackles ever in the history of football, but a tackle that resulted in a sending off. Everton’s Argentinian defender, Ramiro Funes Mori, put up a vicious challenge against the Liverpool forward, Divock Origi, as he approached him from his side and went for his ankle. Fortuntely, Origi’s ankle did not break but he left the ground on a stretcher amid the fears that he might have picked up a ligament injury. Worse than the tackle that had Mori being sent off was what he did when leaving the pitch: Grabbing his club’s crest as if he had done it for his club; something that was not welcome by anyone including his club.

Andoni Goikoetxea on Diego Maradona (La Liga, 1983)

This one’s also one of those reckless challenges ever put up by a footballer and if it’s not among hardest tackles ever in the history of football - we believe it is, it’s surely among the most brutal tackles ever made in the history of Spanish football. The game was between Athletico Bilbao and the hosts, Barcelona. Tempers were fiery even before the game and when Barcelona almost sealed their victory with three goals into the second half they actually fueled those fiery tempers even more which finally culminated in a devastating foul - actually a hard tackle from behind - by the Spanish defender, Andoni Goikoetxea, on Diego Maradona that broke the Argentinian legend’s ankle and later got him the nickname of “the Butcher of Bilbao”; the nickname that was given to him by the English journalist, Edward Owen, and remained with him until the end of his career and even today.

The horrible tackle also brought the Spaniard a ten-match ban by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, though in the opinion of the then Barcelona manager, Cesar Luis Menotti, who labeled Goikoetxea as belonging to a “race of anti-footballers”, the Spanish footballer should have been given a life ban.

Gorka Pintado on Robbie Savage (English Championship, 2010)

You cannot call it one of the worst tackles in English football but at least one of the bad ones that if it made full contact with the targeted player, then it could turn into one of the worst ones in the English football, too. In a Championship match between Swansea City and

in 2010, Gorka Pintado of Swansea City tackled Robbie Savage of Derby County from behind with speed and with no intention to play the ball - we mean he went straight for the Welsh player’s legs - but thanks to Savage’s experience, as once was mentioned by him, that helped him get out of the way, of course, partially not to be fully impacted by the tackle. He later said in an interview that Pintado deserved more than a red card and a three-match ban that comes with it suggesting that the tackle could have broken his leg and even ended his career had he not missed it. And you know what Pintado’s answer was to that plea? So simple: “I didn't know he was a player, and as I have told you if I have to bite, I bite.”

Paul Gascoigne on Gary Charles (FA Cup Final, 1991)

One of those cases in football history where both the tackler and the tackled one get injured. This was actually the case with

and Gary Charles in 1991 FA Cup final where Gascoigne made a foul on Charles that left both players injured, and to your astonishment, the tackler suffered more as he ruptured a ligament in his right knee denying him the rest of the game and keeping him on the sidelines for quite a time. The game was between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur and the horrible tackle actually took place in the starting moments. Here is the account of the incident by Gascoigne himself: “I remember Charles coming down the right. His touch brought him inside and I was off balance. I tried to get a good challenge on him to let him know he was in a game.” Seems like things didn’t go as planned and Gascoigne’s good challenge turned into a bad one hurting himself the most.

Phil Bardsley on Steven Pienaar (Premier League, 2008)

During a Premier League match between Everton and Sunderland, Phil Bardsley of Sunderland made a tackle that he was lucky the targeted player - actually Steven Pienaar of Everton - did not pick up a serious injury from the challenge he put up. Emphasizing that there was no malice in the tackle, Bardsley later said about it: “When I saw (Joleon) Lescott play the ball, I thought it was a slow pass and I could have nicked in front of Pienaar to win the ball. But it wasn't to be and I caught him. Looking back, it was a bad tackle. But when the TV slows it down, it looks a lot worse. I know it wasn't the greatest of tackles and I am glad the lad is okay.”

Stephen Hunt on Gelson Fernandes (Premier League, 2007)

A tackle done by a player most notorious for fracturing Petr Cech’s skull, but fortunately, this tackle of him did not cause that much injury. It was a Premier League game between Reading and Manchester City where the Irish winger of Reading, Stephen Hunt, put up a knee-high challenge against Gelson Fernandes of Manchester City. As you see in the photo above, he went for the legs but he was lucky enough not to be sent off and only booked for his challenge. He later accepted widespread criticism on his foul on the Manchester City player but did not approve of being called a nasty player. He said he always played with “controlled fury” but at the same time admitted that his tackle on Fernandes was one in a thousand that did not conform to his controlled-fury standard.

Alan Hutton on Saido Berahino (Premier League, 2015)

Look at the photo above; that is almost a karate kick! Hutton first went for the ball but it seemed he continued his tackle onto the belly of Berahino, and as the photo above suggests even below the belly. The game was between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion, and the interesting fact is that Villa’s manager, Tim Sherwood, had emphasized on a calm and orderly play in pre-match team talks. Of course, that was the only nasty challenge to be seen from his players in that match and the player who made it only received a yellow card which as some believe should have been red.

Michael Brown on Ryan Giggs (Premier League, 2006)

Another of the hardest tackles ever in the history of football made within the Premier League, Michael Brown’s tackle was actually a two-footed lunge at the Manchester United midfielder, Ryan Giggs. The match was between Fulham and Manchester United and the two players were actually fighting for possession when Brown stamped on Gigg’s legs to gain possession near the sidelines. Fortunately the foul didn’t leave Giggs with any injuries but it drew a yellow card from the referee for the culprit.

Graeme Souness on Losif Rotariu (European Cup quarter-finals, 1988)

This tackle is one of the

most dangerous tackles in football

history actually based on the damage it left. Honestly speaking, it shouldn’t be called a tackle since almost all tackles are made to win back possession, but in this tackle, or better called incident, the player who caused the injury, namely Graeme Souness of Rangers, had the ball and was progressing forward that the

midfielder, Losif Rotariu, came on his way receiving a painful thrust with the then iron-studded boots from the Scottish player that actually caused him a serious injury involving burst lymph nodes for which he underwent an operation the day after the match.

Here is a more detailed account of the injury as explained by Rotariu himself in an interview: “At half time, the doctor used a syringe to draw out the lymph fluid. My leg started to swell heavily. He put a bandage around my thigh … After the game, the leg continued to swell. The doctor had to draw out the lymph fluid again. I was operated on the very next morning. It was a surgery...a difficult one, quite difficult.”

Chris Mavinga on Mehdi Carcela (Belgian League, 2011)

Let’s call this one a bad misguided tackle; the player who went for the ball actually kicked the other player having the ball in the face and so hard from behind. It was actually Chris Mavinga of Genk who performed the tackle on

of Standard Liege leaving him with a broken jaw, lost teeth and a fractured nose. That should be one of the hardest tackles ever in the history of football? We say yes based on the damage it created, or if you don’t call it “hard” specifically, it is for sure one of the most damaging ones. Carcela fell onto the ground immediately after he received from-the-behind kick in the face from Mavinga and was taken to a nearby hospital soon after. The culprit only received a yellow card for the offense.

Axel Witsel on Marcin Wasilewski (Belgian League, 2009)

Not only one of the hardest or most dangerous but also one of the heart-rending tackles if you see it in slow motion: In a match between Anderlecht and Standard Liege within the Belgian First Division, Axel Witsel of Standard Liege made a horrible tackle on Anderlecht’s Polish defender, Marcin Wasilewski, which actually twisted his leg before breaking it. The injury was so intense that the Anderlecht medical staff announced there was a probability that Wasilewski could never return to the game. Fortunately, that was not the case and the Polish defender made his return in May 2010 after a long rehabilitation from surgeries both on his tibia and fibula.

The culprit,

, received a red card right after making the foul, though he believed he shouldn’t have because he had done that unintentionally. However, the injury was too severe to leave the referee with other options than sending him off. It might be interesting for you to know that although Witsel later apologized for his foul, he was the subject of criticism from media and even death threats from Anderlecht and Poland fans. He was also given a three-month ban by the Belgian Football Association which later was reduced to eight games on plea.

Kevin Muscat on Adrian Zahra (A League, 2011)

In an Australian professional league derby between Melbourne Heart and

in 2011 Kevin Muscat of Melbourne Victory actually scythed down Adrian Zahra of Melbourne Heart on his way toward goal which got him an immediate red card from the referee. The impact was so intense that Zahra made a somersault before falling onto the ground! The tackle actually damaged his right knee and denied him the rest of the season. Fortunately he fully recovered after he had a surgery on his knee. And Muscat was given an eight-match ban in addition to the red card he received.

Brian Mullan on Steve Zakuani (MLS, 2011)

In the very starting moments of a MLS match between Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders, Brian Mullan of the Rapids made a horrible tackle on the Sounders’ Zairian winger, Steve Zakuani, which broke Zakuani’s right leg in two places, namely in tibia and fibula, and got him an immediate red card from the referee. The account of the incident was like this: In the third minute of the match Zakuani won possession from Muscat and Muscat, who thought he had been already fouled by a Sounders defender, got up angry, rushed toward Zakuani and finally made a lunge at him from his side to make his revenge. Zakuani was rushed out of the field and to the hospital and Muscat who received a red card on scene was also fined with an eight-game ban and $5000 by MLS.

Nuno Claro on Georgian Paun (Romanian Liga 1, 2009)

Another karate kick that resulted in a horrendous foul, this time however, by a goalkeeper; in a Romanian Liga 1 match between CFR Cluj and Astra Ploiesti, the Portuguese goalkeeper of

, Nuno Claro, stopped the opposition forward, Georgian Paun, in no normal way! As the game video suggests, the Astra Ploiesti forward received a long ball from the back and tried to control the ball, but only partially. He put his right leg in the ball path, but the ball only bounced on his forefoot continuing toward the goal with the forward chasing it, and it was exactly at this moment that the incident occurred.

The hero goalkeeper, Nuno Claro, came with a karate kick to hit the ball away but he hit the forward’s chest instead. The nice thing here is that when he performed the kick, the ball had already passed him! Seems like an already-planned kick to us, no matter what the target was! As far as we know, the kick didn’t cause any injuries but it got the culprit an instant red card.

Callum McManaman on Massadio Haidara (Premier League, 2013)

Another dangerous tackle made within Premier League, the tackle actually involved Callum McManaman of Wigan Athletic and

of Newcastle United in a match that ended in the Latics’ 2-1 victory. Haidara had just received the ball trying to start an attack that McManaman rushed toward him throwing his right leg at the ball that landed on the French footballer’s knee instead leaving him crying in pain on the ground. Haidara was stretchered off the pitch and taken to a hospital but fortunately the damage was not serious and only involved bone bruising and soft tissue damage. He recovered in just less than a month but later voiced his astonishment that McManaman had neither been sent off nor penalized by the authorities, specifically the Football Association, for his foul. That was because the referee had not seen the foul and his assistants also had not seen it clearly, so, the Football Association could not act, however, the rule pertaining to that was also changed later letting FA act even if the match officials were not in a position to assess a foul.

Ryan Shawcross on Aaron Ramsey (Premier League, 2010)

This one looked more like a hard collision than a hard tackle, however, it left the injured player, Aaron Ramsey, with a broken leg. The match was between Stoke City and Arsenal within Premier League and in February 2010. Showcross had just missed an Arsenal player advancing forward with the ball that Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal came in for the ball and the two players collided hard. In the collision slow motion taken from another angle, one can see that Showcross tries to hit the ball but he hits Ramsey’s leg. Then just taking a look at how Ramsey’s leg was hung from his knee you can guess it’s a broken leg. Not the type of those aggressive mean footballers as described by his teammates, Showcross wept at the scene of Ramsey’s broken leg, however, that was no excuse for him as the referee showed him an instant red card.

Nigel De Jong on Xabi Alonso (World Cup Final, 2010)

Yet another karate-kick tackle on the list of

hardest tackles ever in the history of football

; it was the 2010 World Cup final between Netherlands and Spain that ended in the Spaniards’ championship. In the 28th minute, Alonso jumped to head the ball and he actually did but did not notice Nigel De Jong also coming the other way to kick the ball. The result was clear: A karate kick that missed the ball but landed on Alonso’s chest and drew a yellow card for De Jong from the referee. The Dutch midfielder later said in an interview that there was no malice in the tackle and he also hadn’t noticed Alonso since he had been on his blind side. He also said that he hoped one day he and the Spaniard sat together and laughed about the incident!

Peter Cavanagh on Chris Todd (The English National League, 2006)

They call this one a horror tackle and rightly so; the targeted player moved like a ragdoll for a moment when he was hit by the tackler; it was almost an assault rather than a tackle and was actually performed not by the defending but by the attacking player. The match was between Exeter City and

within the English National League in 2006. Both players were actually headed for the ball that suddenly Peter Cavanagh of Accrington Stanley lunged at Chris Todd just about a meter before reaching the ball which resulted in a horrible collision. In fact, the ball had been hit by Todd before Cavanagh made his tackle, so his very hard tackle hit the player instead of the ball. He only received a yellow card for the offense maybe because it was unintentional and only hard, however, Todd later said on his Twitter account that the tackle almost had broken him in half!

Martin Taylor on Eduardo (Premier League, 2008)

This tackle should be one of the

worst tackles in English football

history concerning how disturbing an injury it left behind that even the sports channel, Sky Sports, did not show replays of it. The victim of the tackle, Eduardo, actually suffered two damages at the same time: Fractures to his left fibula and an open dislocation of his left ankle.

And how was the tackle performed? Eduardo was actually advancing with the ball in the midfield that Taylor tackled him from his side and as the replays suggest he actually went for the player’s leg and not the ball, but as the Football Association decided the tackle had been made with no intent, so, Taylor was not penalized more than the red card he received on the pitch and the three-match ban than follows naturally. There was controversy about the tackle and while Taylor’s teammates insisted that he was not a malicious player, Eduardo’s fellowman and the then captain of Croatia, Niko Kovac, referred to the brutality of the act, Arsenal’s manager, Arsene Wegner, asked for a life ban, and fans threatened Taylor to death.

Ian Wright on Peter Schmeichel (Premier League, 1997) 

Unlike some other tackles already mentioned in this post that were actually made with no intent and malice, this one was actually made with both! In fact, there was a hatred between

and Peter Schmeichel who are friends today that always led to clashes between them. And one of these clashes was in a Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United in 1997 that Wright jumped with his both feet, as you see in the photo above, to hit the ball while it was at Schmeichel’s feet, and of course he hit both! We mean both the ball and Schmeichel’s legs. The interesting thing here is that before the tackle happened, Wright had been flagged offside and he had heard the whistle, but as he admits, he continued his tackle; maybe deliberately to hit Schmeichel’s legs? Anyhow, he got away with a yellow that could be red, but it was a tackle that shamed the world of football and of course him as well as he said in an interview.

Michael Brown on Sean Davis (Premier League, 2006)

It was also a two-footed tackle but the targeted player was lucky enough to only get in its way partially not ending up with a broken leg or something. The match was between Fulham and Portsmouth within the Premier League in 2006; an attack was building up on Fulham’s side; Brown made a run forward and was encountered by Davis who tried to hit the ball away, but before he hit the ball, the Fulham forward had lunged at him two-footed and he actually hit the defender’s legs but only partially, however, he picked up a red from the challenge and was sent off immediately. He said later in an interview that the tackle had been made unintentionally and only had been mistimed, though the Portsmouth defender didn’t believe that saying that the Fulham man had done it on purpose.

Commins Menapi on Riki Van Steeden (New Zealand Championship Final , 2006)

Another horror tackle on the list of hardest tackles ever in the history of football, this one was actually performed by a footballer from Solomon Islands, namely Commins Menapi of the New Zealander team, Waitakere United, on Riki Van Steeden of

in the New Zealand championship final in 2006. It was almost an assault not a tackle, but as you see in the photo above, it was not a two-footed challenge. It was actually performed by one foot and then the other foot came in which didn’t make a serious contact. Whatever there was, was actually in the first touch which was so hard and impacting that broke Van Steeden’s leg. Menapi was sent off for the challenge and charged with a six-match ban which later was reduced to one.

Ben Thatcher on Pedro Mendes (Premier League, 2006)

Quite an unnecessary challenge and a sign of carelessness, hostility, or both - whatever you call it; Pedro Mendes of Portsmouth was chasing a loose ball which was about to cross the line that suddenly out of the blue came Manchester City’s defender, Ben Thatcher, and elbowed him in the face so hard that he fell unconscious on the ground. Mendes was given oxygen on the pitch and immediately sent to hospital on the way to which he also suffered a seizure. Despite the fact that the hit hadn’t caused a serious injury and he was discharged from the hospital the next day, Thatcher was fined heavily. He received a yellow card on the pitch but later received a six-match ban and was fined a six-week worth of wages. The Football Association of England also gave him an eight-match ban followed by another fifteen-match suspended ban for two years.

Felix Musasa on Bhuti Ngubali (South African Premier League, 2009)

One of the most horrifying tackles on the list that actually got the culprit a court trial. It was a match between Mpumalanga Black Aces and Carara Kicks within the South African Premier League in 2009 that captain Felix made a horrible tackle on Bhuti Ngubali of Carara Kicks which almost broke his leg in half. The impact was so hard that the breaking in half actually happened for a brief moment, then you could see how Ngubali’s leg was hung from his knee just like an unhinged door. Felix was sent off the pitch and other than receiving a four-month ban was fined 100K rands (South Africa currency), too, later.

Roy Keane on Alf-Inge Haaland (Premier League, 2001)

A case of revenge rather than a mistimed tackle causing some injury; this was actually between Roy Keane of Manchester United and Alf-Inge Haaland of Manchester City. Keane had held grudges for Haaland because of an unjust on-field criticism from him accusing him of feigning an injury while he was actually injured back in a match in 1997. So, he took his revenge in 2001 by deliberately kicking the Danish midfielder’s right knee in a Premier League match between Man Utd and Man City that many believed brought Halaand’s early retirement in 2003, though the case was not really that due to the fact that Haaland had already had problem with his left knee and also had a surgery on it but could never recover to full fitness. Also, as he once said, his right knee was not damaged much due to the fact that when he had received the kick from Roy, it had not been on the ground, so the impact had not been that effective.

On Keane’s side, he saw red on the pitch, was given a three-match ban and was later fined £5,000. He is actually in one way different from all the other tacklers already mentioned in this post and that is he not only apologized for his offense but also mentioned in his autobiography published a year later after the Man Utd and Man City game that his tackle against Haaland was a deliberate one and was meant to make a revenge; that did no good to Keane as it brought him another five-game ban and an additional £150,000 fine from FA for bringing the world of football to disrepute, though he claimed later that it was kind of inaccurate paraphrasing to escape more punishment!

Lee Bowyer on Gerardo (UEFA Cup, 2003)

This one’s also one of those nasty challenges followed by a second hit on the victim. The match was between Leeds United and

within UEFA Cup that Leeds’ midfielder, Lee Bowyer, did a nasty thing in 16th minutes: He actually light kicked Gerardo of Malaga from behind while the ball was not at his feet causing him to fall on the ground, and worse than that, he trod on Gerardo’s face while walking away from the scene. Could it be deliberate? It’s not clear from the incident’s video, but Gerardo said later in an interview that it had been, and that Bowyer had also done something identical to Juan Sanchez of Valencia two years before. He also criticized the referee, Massimo Busacca, for being close to the scene but only producing a yellow card for such an offense.

Ashley Barnes on Nemanja Matic (Premier League, 2015)

This one tackle did not damage the targeted player because if it did, the player wouldn’t stand up and rush toward the tackler to finally push him onto the ground. The interesting fact here is that it was not the tackler but the targeted player who was sent off for his rude behavior! The match was between Burnley and Chelsea within Premier League in 2015 that Ahsley Barnes of Burnley hit Nemanja Matic’s leg and fell him onto the ground. The tackle seemed hard for a moment but it didn’t cause any damage and the tackler was not even booked for his challenge.

Karl Henry on Jordi Gomez (Premier League, 2010)

This one we would prefer to call the fly-sender tackle. Just take a look at the photo above and you see why; the tackler sent the targeted player flying into the air by his tackle; thanks God that, despite tackling so hard, he did not cause any damage to him. He was lucky in fact. It was a Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic in 2010 that in 11th minutes of it captain Karl Henry of Wolves made a horrible tackle on

of Wigan Athletic that sent the victim into the air! Fortunately, the tackle did not cause any damage and Henry also apologized later for his recklessness saying that he should have refrained from going in like that, however, his tackle left the referee with no choice other than producing a red card.

Kevin Nolan on Victor Anichebe (Premier League, 2009)

This is also one of those horror tackles within the Premier League scale. It was a match between Newcastle United and Everton in 2009 that right before half time - actually in 44th minutes - Kevin Nolan of Newcastle United made a horror tackle on Victor Anichebe of Everton that left him sidelined for 11 months. At first, it didn’t look like that the injury was serious, but later the Everton man underwent two surgeries on his knee for a damaged cartilage. Although Nolan apologized three times - once to Anichebe himself, another time to his teammates, and the third time to his manager, Anichebe sued Newcastle for the loss of earnings during his out-time and received a six-figure court settlement from them.

Jamie Carragher on Nani (Premier League, 2011)

This tackle is different from all the other tackles already mentioned in this post in one respect and that is it actually made an open wound on the leg of the targeted player which was only remedied with a few stitches on it. The match was between Manchester United and Liverpool where almost at half time - 45th minutes - Jamie Carragher of Liverpool slid in to win the ball at Nani’s feet but he actually missed the ball and instead hit Man Utd Portuguese winger’s leg making an open wound on it. If you see the incident’s slow motion, it can be said from it that Carragher actually went for the ball and the tackle was not a pre-planned attack on the targeted player.

Maybe that’s why he only received a yellow card for his tackle despite the fact that at first glance it looked like a hard sliding tackle. Carragher later said that he had felt terrible when he had watched the incident’s replay and even could not sleep at night with his mind teeming with the thoughts of his tackle and the public response to it. Fortunately, Nani did not pick up a serious injury from the tackle and resumed playing just nine days after the incident.

Lucas Neill on Jamie Carragher (Premier League, 2003)

This time Carragher was not the culprit but the victim. The match was a Premier League one between Blackburn and Liverpool in 2003 where in the 13th minute Lucas Neill of Blackburn on Jamie Carragher of Liverpool that broke his leg and drew a red card from the referee for him. Carragher was actually on the receiving end of a pass from a teammate and he was going to pass the ball again on first touch that the culprit went in and hit both the ball and his leg. The injury actually had Carragher out for six months and it also sparked an argument between the then managers of two teams, namely Gerard Houllier of Liverpool and Graeme Souness of Blackburn with one believing that such scenes happen in football and the other believing that the culprit deserved more than a red card and a three-match ban.

Kemar Roofe on Onrej Kolar (Europa League Round of 16, 2011)

Another karate-kick tackle on the list of

hardest tackles ever in the history of football

, this tackle is actually different from other karate-kick tackles on the list in the respect that instead of chest, leg, or any other part of the body, it directly landed on the victim’s face bruising it in three places, actually one below the left eye and two on the forehead, and worse than that, fracturing his skull. It was just six minutes into a Europa League round-of-16 match between Rangers and

that Ranger’s forward, Kemar Roofe, jumped to hit a high ball near the goal which he actually hit but he also hit Slavia Prague’s goalkeeper in the face.

Roofe, who was sent off immediately after the incident, later showed his remorse for the incident stating that he was not that kind of player who does that intentionally, however, that didn’t satisfy Kolar since, as he said, the English forward could have lowered his kick plus that he had never sent him an apology. What Kolar had received, specifically on his Instagram, was a host of hatred messages from Rangers fans; messages like “He should have broken your spine!”

Son Heung-Min on Andre Gomes (Premier League, 2019)

One of the most recent damaging tackles performed within Premier League, the tackle that Son Heung-Min made on the former Barca’s player, Andre Gomes, in a match between Tottenham and Everton was not meant to get Gomes a fractured dislocation of ankle but it actually did. The incident came to happen like that: In 76th minutes, Gomes hit Son in the face by his arm while trying to dispossess him and just two minutes later in the 78th minutes, Son lunged at the Spaniard from behind which did not directly damaged him but actually caused his boot to get stuck in the ground and the Everton player to crash to another player awkwardly finally getting a fractured dislocated ankle. Son cried at the scene and said later that he was still feeling bad about the incident and that he was really sorry, though that wasn’t much believed by either Gomes, who told him he didn’t like to talk about it, or by Everton fans.

Ryan Ledson on Lewis Baker (Carabao Cup, 2018)

Another case of those two-footed - and by two-footed we really mean two-footed! - challenges made deliberately to bring down a player. It was a Carabao Cup match between Preston North End and Leeds United where almost half of the first half passed, Ryan Ledson of Preston North End jumped and tackled - better said attacked - Leeds United’s Lewis Baker while his side was in front by one goal. His violent attack actually was pertained to his inexperience and youth by the Preston North End’s manager, Alex Neil, and the fact that he was a player that actually “gives whatever he has”, however, he deserved a red for such a reckless challenge and he received a red, and of course, a three-match ban.

Final Words

There are a dozen of such hard tackles as mentioned in this post happened in football history especially in older times that football was played more aggressively than today. There have also been cases of hard collisions - not actually tackles - that almost killed the victim including the case of Petr Cech’s fractured skull. In this post, however, we actually handpicked some of the hardest tackles ever happened in the history of the game - we actually didn’t aim to introduce to you where or when

most tackles in soccer history

happened - and if any such harsh incidents of tackles happen again, which we hope don’t, we will surely update you with.

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