7 footballers who have earned a reputation for being overly-aggressive

In every form of contact sport, there are players who absolutely love using physicality to the fullest. Be it basketball or football, there are players who are known for their aggressive nature and relentless approach on the pitch.Players are often expected to be aggressive but some of them have taken their game to another level, often looking out of control. Some have gained cult status as players not to be messed with. The often spoken about “red mist” seems to descend on these players more often than others.Defenders and holding midfielders are usually the ones expected to be aggressive. However, these days, even forwards are required to be brutal to carry out the team's agenda of physical play. These players don’t seem to be out on the pitch to hurt others but it seems to have blended into their style of play.Funnily enough, it seems to work in the favour of these players at times, seemingly driving them and pushing them on the pitch. There are no half measures and soft tackles in this slideshow.Without further ado, here are 8 players who are know for their aggression.

#1 Pepe

Starting off with one of the despised characters in the world of football. Pepe was bought from Porto by Real Madrid for 30 million Euros in 2007. Since then, he has been a mainstay at the club – but not without controversies.

It all began when he came up against Getafe’s Javier Casquero. After breaking through on goal, Casquero was brought down by the Portuguese in the box and the referee blew the whistle for a penalty. The former Porto man then proceeded to perform a shocking act that would stun audiences.

Pepe seemed to attempt to kick Casquero’s skull not once but twice. And, fortunately, he failed in his attempts as his boots just brushed the head of the then Getafe player. He received a 6-game ban for this incident.

He has since been criticised for a number of incidents across matches often without reprimand. One of these incidents came in a match against Barcelona when Pepe was spotted stamping the hand of Lionel Messi.

Now, however, Pepe has toned down those antics to such a level that it would be hard for one to remember the last time he did something that could be considered overly aggressive.

But the past is never erased completely and Pepe’s reputation still seems to follow him around in memes from time to time.

#2 Luis Suarez

Filled with oodles of talent, Luis Suarez has dazzled the world with his skill, but his aggression has a dark side as well.

Like Pepe, he has quietened down a bit since his move to Barcelona, but his unpredictable nature means that he seems a tackle away from something rash.

While others seem to use their elbows, feet, arms and heads to do damage, Suarez has been among a fair few to have been reprimanded for biting another individual on a football pitch – thrice.

Having been caught for biting Ottman Bakkal while at Ajax, he went on to bite Branislav Ivanovic and then Giorgio Chiellini while with Uruguay.

His absolutely relentless nature to win the ball back is what every manager would love to see in their players, but the downside with the former Liverpool man is that his vile temperament gets the better of him.

In total, Luis Suarez has missed 39 games as a result of bans faced from biting opposition players – almost an entire season worth of matches.

#3 Sergio Ramos

This is a man that has 19 red cards in his professional career – that alone is a good reason for him to be on this list.

Sergio Ramos has been a great player for the Galacticos since his move to the Bernabeu in 2003. He is one of their longest serving players due to his consistency and determination. He may have a questionable – no, terrible – fashion sense, but his defending skills make up for that.

However, he has his poor moments.

He has become among the most consistent defenders in the world and his partnership with Pepe in defence has won Real Madrid many games and trophies.

However, he has a few moments when the blood rushes to his head and it is then that he is caught often making tackles off the ball and picking fights with opponents.

The former Sevilla man is responsible for a lot of wins, but he has also been the culprit for some losses the club have had to endure because of his rashness.

#4 Nigel De Jong

His superb ability as a defensive midfielder is often overshadowed by his rash challenges. Nigel De Jong is more remembered for that infamous kick to the chest of Xabi Alonso in the final of the 2010 World Cup.

His reckless tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa just some months after that incident left the Frenchman reeling on the floor with a broken tibia. De Jong was excluded from the next Dutch squad because of this as then manager Bert van Merwyk thought the tackle “was wild and unnececessary.”

In the last two seasons with AC Milan, he has received 19 yellow cards in the league. It seems an indication of his over-the-top aggression. He is a great holding player, someone whom attackers find difficult to play against – but his brutal approach sometimes goes beyond the limits of fair play.

De Jong has a decent temperament and not really a wild streak but he finds himself every so often going hard at the ball and when it is mistimed, bones break.

#5 Joey Barton

Every time Joey Barton is on the pitch, you expect some trouble. He has a knack of finding himself in the middle of spats more often than not.

The former Manchester City player has more infamous incidents in his career than trophies. He received his first ever red card for arguing with the referee during half-time, then he started a 10-man brawl in a friendly game against Doncaster Rovers after having made a terrible tackle.

Two-footed challenges were his bread and butter. In 2007, News of the World ran with the headline ‘Ban Him’ after he raised his footed dangerously to challenge Sunderland’s Dickson Etuhu, for which he later apologized.

Many more incidents like these can be found when one looks at his career. He’s notorious for picking fights and reacting aggressively to the mildest of provocations.

On his day though, he can play the game decently well and spay the ball around with some style.

#6 Ryan Shawcross

Ryan Shawcross was always going to make this list. His abilities and reading of the game make him a superb defender who incredibly got only a single game for the English national side. In fact, he is one of the reasons it is difficult for sides to come to Stoke on a cold, wet Tuesday night.

But if he’s mentioned on this list, it’s for a whole different reason.

Shawcross’s feisty defence means that he often gets into brawls and has been known to over-commit to tackles.

The first one to have suffered from Shawcross’s overly aggressive tackles was Sheffield Wednesday’s Francis Jeffers. A poor tackle on him put Jeffers on the treatment table for the next 3 months.

Emmanuel Adebayor was his next victim. The Togolese player is one of the strongest players around and when an off-the-pitch tackle from Shawcross put him on the sidelines for a while.

Next up was the incident for which he is known the most. Till this day, Arsenal fans despise him for the tackle on Aaron Ramsey that cost him over a year of football. Such was the viciousness of the challenge that Shawcross himself wept when he saw the extent of the Welshman’s injury.

Now, he is a little more composed and doesn’t make rash challenges as he previously did, but he still remains one of the most aggressive players in the Premier League and the world.

#7 Diego Costa

The bad-boy of football. He’s another one of those players who has bags of talent but is difficult to like if you’re not on his side.

His first notable incident was against another hot-head, Sergio Ramos, when the two of them were involved in a spitting saga. In fact, after that, there isn’t a single Madrid derby in which he didn’t display the dark side of his game.

A few days later, he was sent off against Viktoria Plzen for headbutting David Limbersky – he earned himself a 4-match ban for this incident alone.

Yet, he seems to thrive on being able to push his opponents around. He has terrorised defences this season in more than one sense and Chelsea definitely lose an edge to the game without the Spaniard in their squad.

More recently, he was banned for 3 games for a stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can in the League Cup semi-final.

Do not expect him to change his mentality next season though, because he has a hunger to win and influence the game. Unfortunately that puts him at the risk of sitting out a fair bit of games.