Most aggressive football players ever

It has never been and will never be. Every game involves fouls, tackles, crashes, confrontations, and, most often, injuries.

Because it happens frequently in football, everyone who comes onto the field is aware that it might happen. Who knows, maybe for some  football fans this feater makes it even more attractive.

Some athletes have developed a poor image throughout the years due to their playing habits. Hard tackling, breaking the rules, insulting, fighting with the officials, and other generally aggressive acts may fall under this category.

Today's question is, who were the most aggressive footballers in history?

In this article, we've compiled a list of football players that are renowned for their violent conduct and irrational behavior.

Who are the most aggressive football players of all time?

There you have it! The list of the

most aggressive football players ever

. Tune in and enjoy.It has to be mentioned that there is no particular order in this list.

Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith is a former footballer who played for

in the 1960s and 1970s. He was born on the 5th of April 1945 and joined the Reds in 1962.He was known for an uncompromising defensive style and he is considered as one of the toughest players Liverpool has ever seen. Smith used psychological behavior to threaten and intimidate opponent players.

Smith was nicknamed "The Anfield Iron" and former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once quoted "Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried"Some rumors said ''Merseyside mothers kept his picture on the mantelpiece to keep their kids away from the fire". But the interesting fact is that he only sent off once in his whole career and that one time was due to his rudely speaking with the referee. 

Smith made 638 appearances, scored 48 goals, and won more than 10 trophies with the Reds.

According to his daughter, after "growing increasingly frail and suffering from a variety of ailments over the last three months" Unfortunately, he passed away on 12 April 2019.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is known for his arrogance and high self-confidence. He played for many clubs such as Barcelona, Inter Milan,

, Juventus,

, and his current team A.C. Milan. He was born on born 3 October 1981 and began his senior career with Malmo FF in 1999 where he stayed for 2 years.

Ibrahimovic is famous for having a short temper. Even in his early career, he had a fight with a teammate during training, and the teammate's father wanted to expel him from the team.After that, he has been involved in several other violent incidents with teammates as well as his opponents. For some of them, we can mention his assault on coach Pep Guardiol during his time at Barca, his training-ground fist-fight with his Milan teammate Oguchi Onyewu, punching Bari defender Marco Rossi in the stomach during a game, or choking the NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnsonwhich which is somehow new.

It’s also interesting to know that Ibrahimovic also holds a black belt in Taekwondo. He was sent off a total of 14 times in his career, which is another reason he is among the most aggressive players in football history.

Marco Materazzi

You might know him from the 2006 world cup incident when Zinedine Zidane headbutt him after he verbally insulted Zidane while pulling his shirt. Zidane received a red card after that.

This Italian defender was born on 19 August 197 and started his professional career in 1990. He is mostly known for his period in

club Inter Milan where he stayed for 10 years.He was named among the hardest footballers in history and according to our list, he is among the most aggressive football players ever as well.

He was nicknamed "Psycho" or "Killer" due to his style of playing. Materazzi was a hard tackler, and a physical, brutal, pricked player. He was also known for his tight marking of opponents.

The Italian center back has received more than 60 yellow cards and 25 red cards in his career. But despite the bad behavior, he was a pretty good defender. He eventually retired in 2014 at the age of 41.

Wayne Rooney

This English midfielder is often referred to as a 'thug' and or a 'yob' by the media. Well, they might not be wrong.He was born on 24 October 1985 and made his professional debut with Everton in 2002 then he moved on to Manchester United where he gained his popularity.

This Red Devil's temper sometimes is out of control and he has a very short fuse. He is an energetic player who combines technical skills with strength and physicality but, this sometimes might get him in trouble. Swearing, stamping, kicking, and headbutting his opponents is another reason he was sent off six times, and all of these statements place him among the most aggressive soccer players of all time.

The forward sometimes got drown in his passion for football which made him angry and upset if someone had offended him. In a simpler way, his love for football often created a strong weak point for him. Rooney retired as a player after named Derby Couty's manager in January 2021.

Paul Scholes 

Another

player whose name is in the list of the most aggressive football players ever. English former football player, spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United. He is widely viewed by many as one of the greatest players of the Premier League although, there have been times in his career that he got violent.

Scholes sometimes take the match very seriously, especially When matches get tight. It's not a bad thing but too much of it may get dangerous. He always had a strong hard tackle, sometimes he was too hard a tackler. 

Scholes has assembled a total of 90 yellow cards and 4 red cards in his career. Generally, he was not a player who wants to behave and play dirty but you don't want to get him mad either.He retired in 2013 after he made almost 718 appearances for the Red Devils and won 25 titles.

Luis Suarez

Suarez is a pretty good player, one of the best strikers of his generation, but sometimes he chooses to play dirty.

Suarez bits, which he got suspended differently for each, are famously known. You might say it wasn't on purpose but, when an incident happens three times, obviously there is something wrong. He also accused for racism as well.His first bitting incident was On 20 November 2010 when he was playing for ajax and he bit PSV's player, Otman Bakkal. He was suspended for two matches and punished him for an undisclosed amount of money by Ajax. He was named the "Cannibal of Ajax" by a Dutch newspaper.

The second incident was when he was playing for Liverpool. On 21 April 2013, Suarez bit Branislav Ivanović during a 2–2 draw with Chelsea. He received a ten-game ban.

The last incident was on the 2014 FIFA World Cup when Suarez bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini while waiting for a cross. Two days later, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, banned Suárez for nine international matches.

With all been said, Unfortunately, Suarez's dark side made him one of the

Most Aggressive Footballers in history

. 

Ben Thatcher

The former English Ben Thatcher is next on the list of

most aggressive football players ever

. He played for several English Premier League including Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City,

, Charlton Athletic, etc. He made his debut in 1992 when he was playing for Millwall.

During his time in

, which is the second club that he played for, Thatcher elbowed Nicky Summerbee of Sunderland to the head in January 2000. He was banned for two matches.     

Although, he is mostly remembered for his disgusting elbowing on Pedro Mendez in a match between Manchester City and Portsmouth that took place on 23 August 2006. he two players were running for a 50-50 ball during a Premier League match when Thatcher raised his elbow into Mendez's face. Mendez required oxygen at pitchside and suffered a seizure while being transported to the hospital. After the match.F.A suspended Thatcher for eight games. He received lots of hatred after that game.

Mario Balotelli

Italian footballer Mario Balotelli is often viewed as one of the most aggressive football players ever due to his poor and immature manners. He began his senior career in 2006 and since then, he played for 11 clubs. He is now playing for Sion. "Super Mario" is a promising but undisciplined player. He even was once called "unmanageable" by his former manager,

.

He had taken apart in some questionable actions. Like in one of them, Balotelli and a group of friends fired air pistols in the open in Milan's Piazza Della Repubblica. Or another, he threw darts at a youth team player during training.He is also an arrogant individual on and off the pitch. He once celebrated his goal against Manchester United by showing a shirt that stated "Why always me?" 

Balotelli has been sent off for seven different clubs and has a total of 13 red cards.

Craig Bellamy

Craig Douglas Bellamy is a former Welsh player whose reputation for being one of the

most aggressive football players of all time

is well known.He was born in July 1979 and began his career with Norwich City in 1996. He played for many Premier League clubs like Norwich City, Man City, West ham,

, Liverpool, etc.  

The career of Bellamy is full of incidents. Even his former Wales manager John Toshack once said "Occasionally, he could cause problems where they weren't necessary and you always felt there was a possibility that he could upset the applecart".

His negative behavior was expanded on and off the pitch. He injured other players, hit and hurt the fans, and even he dropped the referee with water on the ground. On the other hand, he had lots of criminal cases and charges of assaults outside the field as well. One of the most infamous incidents happened when he hit his teammate John Arne Riise in the face, with a golf club.

Nigel De Jong

Nigel De Jong is a former Dutch footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. In his prime, he was considered one of the best defensive midfielders in the world but unfortunately, he is ranked among the most aggressive football players ever as well. His most infamous moment was in the final of the 2010 World Cup between the Netherland and Spain when he kicked to the chest of Xabi Alonso. 

The action that made a lot of football fans, especially Spanish football supporters angry was that him receiving a yellow card and not a red. He didn't get punished after the match either.

That was not the end for De Jong as he continued this reckless style of play. He did some more violent actions including his wild tackle on the Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa whose tibia bone was broken due to the incident. De Jong was eliminated from the next Dutch squad and was called “wild and unnecessary” by the manager, Bert van Merwyk.

Diego Costa

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Spanish striker Diego Costa is a talented yet, very controversial player. Costa has been suspended and punished for various fights with opponents. Costa has received multiple violent conduct charges.

Mostly, he showed his angry side in Madrid derbies. Even his first notable confrontation was with Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos. If we want to talk about more about the reasons why he is in the 

most aggressive soccer players of all time

list, we can mention his notorious attacks such as his headbutting on David Limbersky when he was sent off and received a 4-match ban for this incident.

Another incident, was in 2015 when Costa was playing in Chelsea's side. He earned a three-match ban by the FA after two stamp incidents involving Costa and Liverpool players.

Costa gathered 141 yellow cards and 12 red cards in his career. He was named as the most hated footballer by a French newspaper.

Sergio Ramos

This well known Spanish player has been around for almost 2 decades now. Viewed as one of the best defenders of his generation, Ramos possesses good technical abilities as well as physical abilities.

He saved his teams on many occasions like in the 2014

final when he scored the equalizer against Atletico in the last minutes of the second half and Real won that season. Although, there is a darker side in Ramos playing style as well. Ramos is often criticized as an undisciplined player who uses reckless force while playing and often gets punished for his thoughtless style of play. He also is called a "diver" by many. 

Let's not forget the main reason that put him among the

most aggressive football players ever

, his number of red cards. He is the most carded player in La Liga, Spain National team, and UCL. He received five red cards just in El Clasico. Ramos has picked up 232 yellow cards and 28 red cards so far. But despite all of these facts, Generally he is a pretty good defender.

Ryan Shawcross

Ryan James Shawcross is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. It's worth mentioning that he only made a single appearance for the English national team. He began coaching in 2022 and was a little calmer in the last years, but he still is considered one of the most aggressive football players ever.

He is hated by many, especially

fans due to his infamous tackle on Aaron Ramsey which broke his leg and cost him over a year of football.

His tackles were very poor and wild when he gets into brawls, and many have suffered from his fouls. Other victims are Sheffield Wednesday player Francis Jeffers who got injured from Shawcross’s overly aggressive tackle and he couldn't play for the next 3 months or Emmanuel Adebayor, a Togolese player who was a very strong player but Shawcross's tackle grounded him for a while.

Vinnie Jones

Vincent Peter Jones is a former British footballer and actor. Most people know him for his roles in action movies such as The Midnight Meat Train, X men, or snatch but he was a footballer too. He placed for English teams Like Leeds United, Sheffield, Chelsea, and so on.Like his movies, he was furious and mad on the pitch as well. His nickname "Butcher" somehow tells you why he is among the most aggressive football players ever. He broke bones on the field and was quite a hard tackler.

He was dangerous off the pitch as well. He was accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage against a neighbor, slapped a passenger on an aircraft for an air rage incident, and threatened to murder the cabin crew on the same event.He was punished for all of them but generally, you don't want to get on this guy's nerves.

Joey Barton

Former footballer Joey Barton is whom most of the fans  accept as uncontrolled and overly aggressive. Somehow you expect fights when you see this player on the pitch.He played for several clubs which Man City was the first and the most famous among them. He left there in 2007.

After some years when he played against his old club, within two minutes he managed to hurt 3 players mentally and physically. He punched Tevez, kicked Aguero, and tried to settle with Balotelli.That was one of many poor behaviors that you see in his career.

Even if you deny some of these manners, you will accept he is crazy when you hear that he stubbed a lit cigar out in his teammate,Jamie Tandie's eye at a Christmas party!He was so crazy that In 2007, News of the World ran with the headline ‘Ban Him’ after he tackled Sunderland’s player Dickson Etuhu with two feet.He absoulotly deserves to be in the list of the most aggressive players in football history.

He retired in 2017 and began a Managerial career in April 2018 when  League One club Fleetwood Town announced in that Barton would take over as manager.

Eric Cantona

The Frenchman was played a huge role in Manchester United's success during his time with the club. He is considered one of the best players of his generation.Although, he is also known for his volatile temper, hostility, confrontational manner, and lack of discipline. His arrogance was well known as well.

His kung fu kick is his most notable moment that shows his aggression. On 25 January 1995 in an away match between the Red Devils and Crystal Palace Cantona was sent off when he kicked Richard Shaw. While he was getting off the pitch, he performed a kung fu kick to a Palace fan named Matthew Simmons after he swore at him. He received a long length ban after the incident. 

Another poor action that he made, which is kinda funny as well, was during a match for Nîmes when he threw the ball at the referee after he was angry with his decisions. He was sent off immediately and then got banned for one month which got increased later.

Even in his early career,Marseille was Unhappy with Cantona’s actions and loaned him to Bordeaux. He retired in 1997 after years of struggling with others. But despite his behaviors, He was actually a great player.

Gennaro Gattuso

Gennaro Gattuso last served as manager of Valencia but he was a player too. He played for Sion, Milan, etc, and he mainly played as a defensive midfielder. Gattuso was not a very technical player so chose the physical playing style. He was strong and his tackles were very reckless. He was also very short-tempered.But, Gattuso is actually loved for his  playing style because he was a warrior, not a dirty footballer. He had the ability to lead and also his work rate was very high.

He made almost 500 appearances and scored 13 goals during his career. So in total, he was a focused and determined player but he is still one of the

most aggressive players in football history

.

Roy Keane

Roy Maurice Keane was a former Irish footballer who mainly played for Manchester United.Pelé named him one of the world's greatest living players in 2004. He was powerful and competitive. But, He is the exact definition of a "Red Devil."The Times placed him in the list of the 50 hardest footballers in history.

Many suffered from his playing and he actually ended a career. 2001 Manchester derby, he performed a knee-high foul on Alf-Inge Håland and broke his leg.According to Roy Keane himself, the tackle was premeditated and it was an act of revenge. He was banned for a further five matches and fined £150,000 when a behaved selfishly after that incident.

It was just one of many Keane's poor manners on the pitch and he was very dangerous to play against.

Pepe

Pepe is currently playing for Porto since 2019 but he is widely known for his defensive role in

and his strong partnership with Sergio Ramos. Although he is calmed down in these past few years, he has done some disgraceful actions that can't be forgotten.

His assault to Casquero by itself can put him at the top of the most aggressive football players ever list. He pushed Casquero and caused Casquero to fall, then kicked him 2 times continuously. It was not enough. He then put his knee in Casquero's back and pushed his face to hurt him more.

He then got into a brawl with other players as well. He received a 6-game ban for the incident. It was not Pepe's last poor action. He once stepped in Messi's hand, Kick a player in a private area, Performed overly aggressive tackles and other thoughtless behaviors. Glad he is cooled out a little bit!  

These were the players whose names are believed to be among the

most aggressive football players ever

. Hope you enjoyed! 

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