#4 Jaap Stam
The 6’3” menacing frame of Stam cut quite the figure in his playing career as the Netherlands international made a name for himself across some of Europe’s top clubs with his aggressive style of play and his no nonsense defending. His bald head made the former Manchester United defender look all the more ferocious.
Stam was on of the most revered centre-backs in his prime and was never afraid of a fight. Often holding players by their necks in his time with Lazio and Milan, one of Stam’s most memorable scuffles comes against Zlatan Ibrahimovic when the latter was playing for Juventus. Zlatan himself is quite an intimidating figure, so you can imagine the guts that Stam had to go up against the Swede.
Stam was brilliant at defending and even more so when it came to standing his ground. Not to mention when he was angry, the face of the current Reading manager looked like the Devil himself had come to fight you. Truly a man who lived for the game and for the occasional choke hold.
