8) Pepe
As the saying goes, a video is worth a thousand words (or is it a picture is worth a thousand words? Anyway).
That’s right. Not content with kicking out at Getafe’s central midfielder Javier Casquero who had the audacity to wince in pain following a tough challenge, Pepe demonstrates his manliness and don’t-care-about-anything attitude by proceeding to punch a player who is trying to stop his kill-streak.
And there’s more:
Of course, who can forget Pepe’s intentional stamp on Messi’s hand during the extra spicy El Clasico in Jan 2012, for which manager Jose Mourinho forced him to issue a public apology.
7) Roy Keane
A debatable entry, since Keane would be better classified by fans as an aggressive, passionate footballer rather than a dirty one.
Just kidding. Keane’s done enough to warrant being on this list. The most prominent incident that comes to mind is the horror tackle on Manchester City player Alf Haaland, which nearly ended Haaland’s career. The fact that Keane admitted the tackle was deliberate only adds more weight to the theory that aside from being a great midfielder, Keane was also a dangerous, dirty player.
Apart from his rough tackling, there’s also the tunnel incident with Patrick Vieira and his altercations with Ireland boss Mick McCarthy, none of which paint Keane in a saintly manner.
Perhaps his reputation as a fierce competitor saved Keane from the referee’s wrath on a number of occasions. For instance, take this particular tackle on Neil Pointon. Keane was very lucky to escape with a yellow card for this one:
