It’s the 2000s, and there’s no VAR. As a result, you could get away with a few, shall we say, loose tackles.
You couldn’t overstep the mark, as Zinedine Zidane did in the 2006 World Cup final, when he headbutted Marco Materazzi. Absolute madness.
However, generally speaking, referees weren’t reaching for their pockets every few minutes to penalise the occasional overzealous challenge – which made for some juicy stuff.
If there’s the odd hard man missing from this list, make sure you check out the hardest players of the 90s, where you’ll most likely find your Roy Keanes, Patrick Vieiras and Duncan Fergusons.
As for the ranking, we’ll let you argue over that.
32. MICHEL SALGADO
Defender Michel Salgado, who won four league titles and two Champions League titles at Real Madrid, was surrounded by world-class attacking players during his glittering 10-year career at the Bernabeu. Few players during that time would have covered more ground for the Spanish giants, for whom he made 251 appearances. No one would have made more tackles, either.
31. RYAN SHAWCROSS
Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross lived for a good, old-fashioned 50-50, as well a high ball. Whether it was a foot (sometimes two), a knee, elbow or head that got in the way, the central defender would always put his body on the line for his team. The defensive partnership he formed with Robert Huth was definitely one of the hardest.
30. SCOTT PARKER
Not all hard players have a one all over and tattoos on their necks. Scott Parker wore a neat short back and sides, and he was a tidy player, too. The former Chelsea, Newcastle and West Ham midfielder, who had legs as thick as tree trunks, once had his tooth knocked out and refused to be substituted. That’s hard.
29. JONATHAN WALTERS
What the Stoke and Ireland striker lacked in terms of goal threat, he made up for with a willingness to chase lost causes and create as much trouble for defenders as possible. He spent seven years in Staffordshire, and was a popular figure with the Potters, for whom he made over 200 appearances.
28. MARTIN KEOWN
When Ruud van Nistelrooy missed a penalty at Old Trafford during the 2003/04 Premier League season, Martin Keown went delirious and jumped all over the Dutchman. It wasn’t one of the Arsenal defender's finest moments. Like most of that famous “Invincibles” team, Keown was a fighter, and someone who really didn’t like losing.
27. CARLES PUYOL
More fool you if you decided to poke fun at the Spaniard’s wild hair during a match. True, he did look rather unkempt at times, but Carles Puyol was not a defender to be messed with. He became an iconic figure at Barcelona and earned over 100 caps for his country, winning pretty much everything along the way.
26. ROBERT HUTH
Not many players accumulated more bookings than the former Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Stoke and Leicester defender. The centre-back, who played a starring role in The Foxes’ incredible 2015/16 title triumph, was not one for letting anyone past. As well as being a hard-tackler, the German also possessed a pretty mean shot.
25. KEVIN NOLAN
Maybe it was because he played a key role in Bolton Wanderers’ top-flight survival that made him such a combative player. In fairness, Liverpool-born Nolan’s greatest strengths were his eye for goal and creative qualities, but he could also role up his sleeves and get in the face of the opposition when required.
24. LEE BOWYER
Newcastle United love a player who will fight tooth and nail for the badge, but Lee Bowyer went a step too far in 2005 when he was involved in one of the Premier League’s most infamous brawls… with a teammate. Both he and Kieron Dyer were shown red for trading punches, in what was an ugly day on Tyneside.
23. GARETH BARRY
Not just a hard worker, but also a hard tackler was Aston Villa legend Gareth Barry. The combative midfielder, who also spent lengthy periods with Manchester City and Everton, accumulated 123 yellow cards during his Premier League career, and very few of those were picked up for descent. To take a yellow for petty arguing – that would have been a waste.
22. MARTIN SKRTEL
The imposing Martin Skrtel, who stood at 6ft 4in tall, was a fan-favourite during his eight-year spell with Liverpool, where he made nearly 250 appearances for the club. The shaven-headed centre-back, who arrived on Merseyside in 2008, never shied away from a tackle and would often pop up with a crucial goal.
21. VINCENT KOMPANY
The heartbeat of some of the great Manchester City sides of the early 2010s, Vincent Kompany arrived in England with a reputation for displaying great strength and composure, a reputation he enhanced during his time in the north west. As well as doing some of the more ugly work and being tough in the tackle, he was also a threat going forward.
20. PEPE
Was the Portuguese defender genuinely hard, or just a wind-up merchant? He was probably a bit of both. Along with the imaginary card waving and theatrical dives, Pepe did sometimes act like a thug. His list of offences includes: stamping on Lionel Messi, knee-capping Dani Alves and headbutting Thomas Muller. He was a very good footballer, too, in fairness.
19. ALAN SHEARER
The former England captain was all skin and bone when he started his Southampton career. At his peak, however, he was as tough as old boots, dangerous in the air and dangerous in a 50-50. You’ll find many a great Shearer goal on YouTube, and also a few naughty challenges. Oh, and he wasn’t afraid of Roy Keane.
18. JOEY BARTON
No one was ever safe on the ball when Joey Barton was around, especially if something or someone had wound him up. Sometimes the anger would be triggered by the opposing set of fans, for he made himself a bit of a target with his rough tackles and love of a scrap.
17. PAPA BOUBA DIOP
The Senegalese midfielder racked up a lot of air miles during his career, representing a number of clubs across Europe. However, he enjoyed his longest stay at Fulham, where the defensive midfielder also accumulated a lot of miles just in front of the back line. Diop, who passed away in 2020, was a fan-favourite, tough in the tackle and scorer of one or two memorable goals.
16. MICHAEL ESSIEN
The Ghanaian midfielder was behind a lot of the best stuff Chelsea produced when Jose Mourinho had them performing like a well-oiled machine in the mid 2000s. Despite suffering a few nasty injuries throughout his career, it didn’t make Michael Essien any less tenacious, and he was no stranger to serving the odd suspension.
15. STIG TOFTING
Danish midfielder Stig Tofting, who spent a brief spell with Bolton Wanderers, enjoyed a nomadic career throughout which he gained a reputation as a bit of a nutter. He didn’t always leave his aggression on the pitch. In 2002, during Denmark’s post-World Cup celebrations back home, he headbutted the owner of a café. Prison time followed.
14. JOHN TERRY
The Chelsea legend may have lacked a bit of pace, but his reading of the game was exceptional. Most of the time the former England centre-back let his boots do the talking, but he’d happily wade in to help a teammate if things kicked off. Like most of the best ever Premier League centre-backs, he was also very strong in the air.
13. CYRIL ROOL
Cyril Rool must have given referees nightmares when he was booting players all over the place in France. The best solution was to send him from the field of play, which happened to angry Cyril 25 times during his career. With 187 yellow cards to his name, it’s fair to say that the defensive midfielder liked putting himself about.
12. BOBO BALDE
In the early 2000s, French-born Celtic defender Bobo Balde struck fear into the hearts of the opposition. With the build of a rugby player and a fearsome aura, Balde was a genuine tough guy, a towering centre-back and a colossal figure in the Scottish team’s backline for many a year.
11. MARCO MATERAZZI
It’s not often you saw this hard man decked, but Zinedine Zidane floored the Italian in the 2006 World Cup final. The infamous headbutt was a snide blow, but there wasn’t a great deal of sympathy for Marco Materazzi, a player who left his mark (studs) on many a player during his career.
10. TONY ADAMS
Tony Adams was a proper hard man. Sure, the Arsenal rock produced the odd flailing elbow and late challenge, but for most parts he played the game the right way – strong but fair. He wasn’t the reckless type and he only went down when he was genuinely hurt, which wasn’t very often.
9. GENNARO GATTUSO
Milan hard man Gennaro Gattuso always had a word or two to say about the opposition, but he wouldn’t then go and hide on the pitch. Far from it, in fact – the Italian was always in someone’s face, including the referees’. There was no one he wasn’t willing to take on, even managers and backroom staff. Just ask Joe Jordan.
8. ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC
Most ‘hardest player lists’ are dominated by snarling defenders and nasty, tough-tackling midfielders. The genius that was Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the few exceptions. As well as being exceptionally gifted, the Swedish striker was no stranger to a dust-up. You had to be tough if you went around calling yourself a “Lion” – and tough he was.
7. NEMANJA VIDIC
Nemanja Vidic played with absolutely no fear. The no-nonsense centre-back developed one of the best defensive partnerships in Premier League history alongside Rio Ferdinand. His specialities were aerial duels and sliding tackles. The imposing Serb was also an excellent reader of the game, and always a threat at the other end of the pitch.
6. ALEXIS RUANO DELGADO
As well as being accused of match fixing when playing in Turkey, the Spanish defender, known simply as “Alexis”, was well known for his short fuse. With his long blonde hair and colourful tattoos (including one covering most of his neck), the former Getafe and Valencia centre-back certainly had a presence about him.
5. TOMAS REPKA
If ‘Build A Bet’ had been around in the 2000s, Tomas Repka to get booked would have featured in many a betting slip. West Ham fans must have tired of seeing the Czech defender go in the book, although he was a fan-favourite with the east London side. His disciplinary record at Sparta Prague wasn’t exactly great, either.
4. SERGIO RAMOS
There’s not much the Spanish centre-back didn’t get booked for during his long and distinguished career with Real Madrid, where he made nearly 500 appearances and filled his trophy cabinet with a lot of silverware. He was a ticking time bomb, never far away from a booking, but a world-class defender, one who also had an eye for goal.
3. PABLO ALFARO
During a five-year spell at Sevilla, Pablo Alfaro forged a fearsome partnership with Javi Navarro. The Spanish centre-back used his elbows almost as much as his feet, and by the time he left Sevilla for Racing Santander, the man who once stuck his fingers up another player’s back passage had amassed more red cards than other La Liga player.
2. JAVI NAVARRO
Javi Navarro was Pablo Alfaro’s partner in crime at Sevilla, and he was cut from the same cloth. One of the Spaniard’s most infamous moments (there were a few) was his rather robust challenge on Real Mallorca's Juan Arango, a tackle that left the midfielder requiring 40 stitches. The resultant five-match man was probably lenient.
1. NIGEL DE JONG
When the red mist descended for Nigel De Jong, things got really ugly. The Dutchman’s nasty tackles can be traced back to his days with Ajax. However, it’s perhaps the savage 'attack' on Xabi Alonso in the 2010 World cup final that is remembered most, a flying kick to the chest that someone only earned him a yellow.
