5 of the worst defenders in the Premier League era

LONDON - MARCH 26:  Jean Alain Boumsong of Newcastle United looks during the Barclays Premiership match between Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United at The Valley Stadium on March 26, 2006 in London.  (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
Boumsong endured a torrid time with the Magpies

#4 Marco Materazzi (Everton)

13 Mar 1999:  Ray Parlour of Arsenal is challenged by Marco Materazzi of Everton in the FA Carling Premiership match at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England. Arsenal won 2-0. \ Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill /Allsport
Materazzi picked up 3 red cards in just 27 appearances for the Toffees

A surprising inclusion in this list for many, Materazzi is usually best remembered for being a hard-tackling, tough-talking, no-nonsense type of defender during his stint with Inter Milan; and of course for being headbutted by Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final.

Materazzi has an extensive list of honours to his name with Inter; 5 Serie A’s, 4 Coppa Italia, 4 Supercopa Italiana, a UEFA Champions League and a FIFA Club World Cup. So, it seems incredibly unlikely that he should be anywhere near this list, right?

But his time in the Premier League with Everton was less than pleasant, with the defender picking up the habit of hacking down players and being poor at anything to do with defending. A consequence of which being that he was sent off three times in just 27 appearances for the Toffees.

Everton decided that they had enough after just one season, selling him to Serie A side Perugia Calcio, where he broke the record for highest number of goals by a defender in a league season, with 12.

As many Indian fans will know (with the Kerala Blasters fans’ protest fresh in mind), he now manages Chennayin FC in the Indian Super League, guiding them to the title the previous season.

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Edited by Staff Editor