There were times when a simple tackle or aggression in the field would result to fists and prolonged rivalry on and off the pitch - nowadays, dives and simulation take precedence. Gone are the days when footballers reacted like savages - although we do have several prime candidates! The good old days when football careers were defined by the tackles evaded/won as well as the injuries incurred on the opponents! Well, if I was a manager, I would go for such "hard bones" as no team would ever win or keep a clean sheet! Enter Roy Keane! A legend when it comes to fists and bare knuckle bouts. A man rumored to have sent shivers down Fergie's spine severally! Well, if you can terrify the man from Govan, then accolades are in order Keano! The former Republic of Ireland captain was no man to annoy as Mick McCarthy found out during the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Korea and Japan. Keano once broke the leg of Alf Inge Haaland just to satisfy a personal grudge he held against him. The 2001 Manchester derby will forever be etched into the memories of the Scandinavian - to say that Keano literally destroyed his career would be an understatement. To make the story more juicier, Halaand played for both Leeds United and Manchester City - MUFC patented rivals! Keano was also good at expletives - tinker with him at your own peril. Former teammates too can attest to Keano's aggressive nature - apparently he and Peter Schmeichel dint see eye to eye! The less we talk about his endless feuds with Patrick Vieira, the better. Things dint change when he became a manager - he used Clive Clark's heart condition as an excuse to cover up a shoddy performance against Luton. Simply heartless! Truly, there is only one Keano. Step up Pepe! The man with an unequaled magnetism for controversial tackles. The Real Madrid defender is so unpleasant to the extent that he intentionally stamped on Lionel Messi during the El Clasico - an off ball incident! Pepe's list of ferocious tackles rivals the Wall of China lengthwise! Ironically, Pepe is surrounded by too many "glass bones" at Los Blancos. The Portuguese is simply not one to be trifled with. Simply, Pepe is a nasty piece of work. Kevin Muscat - the zenith of savage tackling! The epitome of stone age football. Well, how do you describe a man who amassed more than 120 yellow cards in his careers? Kindly, lets not concentrate on his total tally of red cards. Only the Australian could earn several suspensions - some as long as eight matches ban, for his "heroics" on the field. However, he is still a darling to the fans of dirty play! Gennaro Gattuso - the dad of niggling fouls! The "Lion of San Siro" - as the Rossoneri faithful dearly referred to him, had an insatiable penchant for medieval tackles. Rino was the stuff that could make opposing players feign injuries so as to avoid doing battle with him. The bullish Italian has handed out retributive justice even to other hard characters in the game - he once slapped Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the back! The Italian old warhorse antics craft an image of a great football warlord! None of his actions are saintly! Lee Cattermole - a hardman who has never polarized opinion - he is collectively hated. His modus operandi is simple - win tackles at all costs! Cattermole is the catalyst of various videos sure enough to make one squirm. He is also a master in off field matters - he nearly caused anarchy in Newcastle as they fought with the then Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner. Simply, you cannot celebrate football dark arts without mentioning Lee Cattermole - such a legend in Sunderland, Wigan and Middlesbrough! Nigel de Jong - the grand Dutch kung-fu maestro. Maybe he watched too much Mortal Kombat. Part time footballer, part time thug! His works in the EPL are visible - the horrendous tackle on the then Newcastle United's player Hatem Ben Arfa, plus his ferocious tackling on Bolton Wanderers' Stuart Holden. Well, think about a Dutch lineup incorporating both Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel! Pure anarchy! Joey Barton - A prime candidate for "all-round dirtiest player". His filthy contributions have been enhanced by a well honed personality via Twitter. The resident bully is pretty much the poster boy for cynical fouls. Try to dribble past Barton, and you will be the recipient of some wicked shit! Barton on the field of play is ninety minutes of violence and chaos - if he miraculously plays for that period! The English lad embodies everything that is awful in football. Ohhh, he even beat up Thai Everton fans! His boxing equivalent is Manny Pacquiao! Scary - isn't it? Andoni Goikoetxea - they did not name him "The Butcher of Bilbao" for nothing! A man who viewed tackling as a violent venture. This is a creature that gave no heed to quality man-marking! His transgressions can compile a novel. Streaks of endless and reckless challenges from the Spaniard were the core element in his career! Simply, a menacing nightmare. Shhh, he is a legend at San Mames. Gary Medel - Santiago proudly refers to him as "El Pitbull" - a nickname passed on from Edgar Davids. Well, the Dutch should be proud of his inheritor. It is also terrifying that the entire Chilean populace regards him as the "young Gatusso". Quite troubling! Ron "chopper" Harris - a player who could kick crap out of anyone! The kind of man you wouldn't fancy meeting in a dark alley. With a less-than-stellar disciplinary track record, Ron is among the wickest players as regards fouls. His aggressive and shocking tackles made him become a cult hero at Stamford Bridge. Miguel Angel Nadal - the beast of Barcelona. His dodgy haircut seemed to send a message that he was the cool guy, well forget it as the converse is true of him. The Spaniard was so rash that he could easily have attracted the nickname Voldemort. It is rumored that the only person whom he dint tackle was his grandmother! Robbie Savage - the Welsh lived up to his name, tackling like a savage! With boatloads of cynical fouls and a penchant to annoy fans equally, Robbie was a red card in waiting. His endless antics made him an instant footballing villain. Savage thrived on one aspect - purely dirty football.
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