There are fouls – and then there's a whole other level on top of that, encompassing some of the craziest behaviour ever seen on a football pitch.
From fully airborne two-footed tackles to moments of utterly unrestrained madness, FourFourTwo has picked out the most violent red cards in the history of the game.
Let's get straight to the countdown, shall we?
10. Kevin Muscat, Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne Heart (2011)
Once named the dirtiest player in the world (probably more than once, such was his deserved reputation for doing some truly nasty staff on the pitch), former Australia captain Kevin Muscat committed his worst foul in the A-League's Melbourne derby.
His knee-high assault on Melbourne Heart's Adrian Zahra (after which he ranted at the referee as if he'd done nothing wrong) left the youngster with serious leg injuries and resulted in an eight-week ban.
9. Benjamin Massing, Argentina vs Cameroon (1990)
Claudio Caniggia was hard to stop, and Cameroon's Benjamin Massing clearly knew that, deciding that the only thing for it in his country's Italia '90 opener was to abruptly chop down Argentina's dribbling wizard in full flow.
It was a horrible tackle which rightly earned a red card – putting Cameroon down to nine men – but it ultimately worked: the Indomitable Lions' hung on to record a shock 1-0 win over the reigning world champions.
8. George Santos, Sheffield United vs West Brom (2002)
You know a game got tasty when it has its own Wikipedia page and it wasn't even a final. This flying two-footed lunge from Sheffield United's George Santos on West Brom's Andy Johnson took place in the midst of the 2002 'Battle of Bramall Lane'.
It resulted in the Blades' second red of the game and sparked a mass brawl which brought about their third (Patrick Suffo, who, like Santos, had just come on, headbutted Baggies captain Derek McInnes). The match lasted another 17 minutes before having to be abandoned – the first time that had ever happened in English football – as injuries reduced the hosts to six men.
7. Andoni Goikoetexea, Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao (1983)
This tackle (if it can even be called a tackle) earned Athletic Club's Andoni Goikoetexea the nickname 'The Butcher of the Bilbao'.
During a LaLiga clash with Barcelona at the Camp Nou, he thoroughly crunched Diego Maradona from behind, absolutely mangling the Argentine superstar's ankle. The most disturbing part? Goikoetexea kept the boot he used to commit the foul in a glass display case at home. Jeeze.
6. Kevin Nolan, Newcastle vs Everton (2009)
This challenge was so bad that the unfortunate player on the receiving end of it, Everton striker Victor Anichebe, successfully sued for loss of earnings as a result of the horrific broken leg he sustained.
Newcastle midfielder Kevin Nolan was rightly given his marching orders for an incident which left the Nigerian sidelined for the best part of a year.
5. Roy Keane, Manchester United vs Manchester City (2001)
Alfie Haaland was already struggling with his left knee when Roy Keane went and committed the most notorious foul in Premier League history during the April 2001 Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
The Man United captain's horror tackle – which he later admitted in autobiography was pre-meditated, resulting in an additional five-game ban and a whopping £150,000 fine – ultimately ended the Man City midfielder's career.
4. Axel Witsel, Standard Liege vs Anderlecht (2009)
Axel Witsel's ankle-breaking stamp on Marcin Wasilewksi sparked outrage from fans of Anderlecht and the latter's country, Poland, with the Belgian, then of Standard Liege, receiving death threats.
Witsel claimed the foul was an accident, but the Belgian FA weren't buying that and slapped him with a three-month ban (later reduced to a still hefty eight matches).
3. Commins Menapi, Waitakere United vs Auckland City (2007)
He was the Solomon Islands' all-time record goalscorer, but Commins Menapi will be remembered mainly for this sickening foul during the 2007 New Zealand Football Championship Grand Final.
While playing for Waitakere United, the striker went in (and we mean in) studs up on Auckland City defender Riki van Steeden, instantly breaking his leg.
2. Pepe, Real Madrid vs Getafe (2009)
Pepe hasn't made too many friends throughout his years in football – let's put it that way – and with moments of unhinged aggression like this, it's not exactly hard to see why.
As if bringing down Getafe captain Javier Casquero wasn't enough, the uncompromising Portuguese proceeded to forcefully kick him in the leg then rake his studs up his back. His punishment? A 10-game ban.
1. Zinedine Zidane, Italy vs France (2006)
And here we have it, perhaps the most infamous sending off in the history of football: Zinedine Zidane's very last act as a professional player, that ferocious headbutt delivered to the chest Italy's Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final.
What caused Zizou – whose France team ended up losing on penalties – to lose his cool so dramatically? He claimed that Materazzi had insulted his mother – something the Italian strongly denied.
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