Top Bad Boys in Football: Legendary Rebels of the Game

Football has been a sport which has seen a lot of characters come through. With the advent of league football, football has gained a rough edge. With the growing edge, the need to be aggressive on the pitch and have a clear advantage over your opponents is the need of the hour for many players. 

In the last few decades, the fans have seen some of the players evolve into the greatest of this era. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Pele, and Diego Maradona have left many fans in complete awe of their talents. 

They are a few players who have time and again gained a cult status amongst the fans with their antics on the field. Their brash and aggressive nature on the pitch has seen them being hated by rival fans but the bad boy image also made them global icons. 

Here is the complete XI for football's most loved bad boys

Oliver Kahn – Germany

The former German legend was one of the best goalkeepers in football with his ability to stop a shot and keep his defense in check. One of the biggest attributes of Oliver Kahn is his ability to get into the skin of the opposition and their fans with his antics on the pitch. 

Gary Neville – England 

One of the best-known right-backs in the English Premier League, Gary Neville was a through-and-through Manchester United legend. One of his most iconic moments came during a game against Liverpool where he flashed the Man United badge and kissed it in front of the KOP fans. His penchant for getting under the skin of the opposition made Gary Neville a United Legend before he retired from the game in 2011. 

Sergio Ramos – Spain

Sergio Ramos is considered one of the biggest names in Madrid for his association with the Los Blancos. The Spanish star was a hard-nosed defender with the ability to put in rough tackles and also has a few violent outbursts. FC Barcelona fans will look back at Sergio Ramos with a lot of anger as he was involved in a fracas with Lionel Messi and David Villa. 

Pepe – Portugal 

During the height of Real Madrid’s dominance, Pepe played the perfect foil to Sergio Ramos in the defense. Pepe was known for his short temper volatile tackles and the ability to put in a rough challenge. His duels with FC Barcelona players during the El-Classico will go down in history as one of the most heated in Spanish football. 

Ashley Cole – England 

Starting off as an Arsenal prodigy, Ashley Cole went on to achieve fame with the Gunners before his move to hated rivals Chelsea. The decision to move to Stamford Bridge had the Gunners fans seeing red while the Blues loved it. Every time Cole touched the ball during the Arsenal vs Chelsea game, there were mixed calls from the fans making him one of the most divisive figures in London. 

Roy Keane – Republic Of Ireland 

Former Manchester United skipper Roy Keane was prone to huge bursts of anger and his ability to remember the times when he was wrong. His tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland during the Manchester derby is still talked about to this day. Roy Keane also had duels with Alan Shearer, Gareth Southgate, Jason McAteer and countless others. His biggest moment came when he had a clash with Mick McCarthy which saw him storm out of Ireland’s 2002 Fifa World Cup campaign. 

Gennaro Gattuso – Italy

One of the most short-tempered players and a naturally aggressive footballer, Gennaro Gattuso had a very short fuse. Apart from his hard tackles, Gattuso could also get embroiled in duels with the opposition and even the dugout. His most infamous moment was slapping Zlatan Ibrahimovic during a Champions League and also getting into a shoving match with Joe Jordan who was the assistant coach of Tottenham Hotspur. 

Eric Cantona – France

The former Manchester United legend is still called the best-ever player to don the Red shirt in the Premier League era. Cantona was skilful with the ball at his feet and was a role model to some of the upcoming Man United players. The Frenchman also had a short temper as seen when he kicked a fan after being relentlessly abused during a game against Crystal Palace. 

Vinnie Jones – United Kingdom 

During the old League One football days, Wimbledon FC were considered one of the toughest sides. Dubbed the Crazy Gang, Vinnie Jones was at the heart of every tackle and every duel with the opposition players. His imposing presence and intimidating stature meant that Vinnie Jones was named one of the toughest players by some of the biggest names.

Luis Suarez – Uruguay 

The former FC Barcelona star is still going strong and plying his trade in Major League Soccer along with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami FC. The veteran striker was a noted goal scorer and could do the most outstanding things with relative ease. Suarez also had an ugly side, where he could get into a physical altercation if provoked. He bit Georgino Chillieni and Brainslaw Ivanovic to earn the ire of the fans. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Sweden 

The biggest bad boy in the history of Football is none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic. There is no doubt that he was one of the most complete strikers. Ibra as he was fondly called also had a street fighter’s attitude and his outburst against teammates and opposition is well known. His feud with Pep Guardiola or the elbow on Tyrone Mings has gone down as the stuff of legends. 

Manager – Jose Mourinho – Portugal 

To manage a team of such bad boys one needs a manager with the same mentality. ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho would easily win a whole list of trophies with this team as he too can be aggressive. His verbal battles with Sir Alex Ferguson or his jousting with Arsene Wenger are still remembered. The biggest moment for Mourinho came against Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona when he poked the eye of then-assistant manager Tito Vilanova during one of the most combustible El-Classico matches.