Let’s take a look at some of the scariest players in football history. Football is cool until you go up against certain players who are just straight-up scary. Just being in the presence of these players will make the toughest players shake in their boots
Shop quality jerseys: Goal90.shop
Who are these guys we are talking about?
Come along as we look at the 5 scariest players in football history.
1. Vinnie Jones
Let’s start out with the man who holds the record for the quickest-ever yellow card in a football game, Vinnie Jones.
Vinnie Jones was never much of a footballer; he’d probably admit as much himself. He was, however, a key member of the Crazy Gang — the infamous Wimbledon team of the 1980s.
This guy got his in the referee’s book just 3 seconds into an FA Cup game back in 1992. Listen, a man who committed a foul so bad the referee had to book him just 3 seconds into the game is a very scary man.
What did Vinnie Jones have to say about this fascinating record?
Well, here’s a quote from his autobiography:
“I must have been too high, too wild, too strong or too early, because, after three seconds, I could hardly have been too bloody late.”
What a guy Jones was! In 1988, he was caught on camera grabbing Newcastle’s Paul Gascoigne by his testicles during a game. He was just too damn scary.
No wonder when he crossed over into movies, he was always asked to act as a criminal, mob enforcer, or any type of villain. Jones is just a career bad boy!
2. Terry Butcher
Many of you may not know Terry Butcher was one hell of a scary player. Terry Butcher was hailed for the way in which he put his body on the line for club and country. This guy was dedicated to a fault. This image from a World Cup qualifier in 1989 against Sweden tells you all you need to know about him.
This guy sustained a cut on his forehead at the start of the game, got a few quick stitches, and just kept going hard, heading the ball like nothing ever happened. Butcher ended up drenched in blood and still had a smile on his face. Now tell us how a guy like that won’t scare you.
To be honest, with a name like that, Terry Butcher was surely destined to be a very scary player.
3. Neil Ruddock
Neil Ruddock was once voted one of the hardest footballers of all time. This guy was involved in a little scuffle with Eric Cantona on the pitch, fractured Peter Beardsley’s jaw, and broke both of Andy Cole’s legs all during his spell playing for Liverpool. And guess what! Years later, he joked that he actually didn’t intend to break both of Cole’s legs, he only meant to break one.
His nickname is razor. What more do we need to tell you about how scary this guy is?
4. Pepe
Pepe is one of the real masters of the dark arts in the modern game. We’re all too familiar with this guy, he’s always doing one thing or the other to try and intimidate his opponents. From hard tackles to stamping on opponents and even outright kicking them, Pepe will do anything, absolutely anything, to win the ball or just intimidate his opponent.
He once stamped on Messi’s fingers in a Clasico game, and kicked Casquero in a game against Getafe, and these are just a few of his many crimes. As a player, if you don’t want to leave the pitch with an injury, you better be very scared of Pepe.
5. Pablo Alfaro
From a former Real Madrid man to a former Barcelona man, Pablo Alfaro. This is the guy Sergio Ramos had to beat to become the player with the most red cards in La Liga history.
That alone should tell you that this guy will do absolutely anything to stop an opponent. He even once put a finger up the butthole of an opponent and defended it by saying he was defending his team to the limit.
Well, Pablo, your limit is a little too scary.
Those are the 5 scariest players in football history.
Some other really scary players are:
Roy Keane
Roy Keane who more or less ended Alfie Haaland’s career with a horrible tackle, refused to apologize for it, and even publicly admitted to the tackle being premeditated. Nah, he was surely one very scary fellow.
Peter Schmeichel
Before TSchmeichel even opened his mouth to say anything, his size would instill real fear in you. This guy is something of a giant, standing at 6 feet 4, and the knowledge that he’s Scandinavian already makes you not want to even think of messing with him.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Speaking of Scandinavians, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was super scary, too. He was fearless in speech and action and that naturally made players scared of him. This guy slapped Petrasso for accidentally stepping on him when he was in the MLS, kicked Ruffier in the chest while he was playing for PSG, and even got into a fight with his own teammate Oguchi Onyewu in training during his first stint at AC Milan. Absolutely anybody could get it from Zlatan, nobody was safe from his wrath and ruthlessness.
And let’s not forget that this man has a taekwondo black belt. Players surely had every reason to be scared of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn was another very scary fella. He wasn’t the tallest goalkeeper, but he was a really hard man. We don’t think we ever caught the German break a smile on the pitch throughout his years as a player. Kahn was ready to do absolutely anything to intimidate opponents. He would yell, curse, get all up in your face…anything to shake you down.
