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From The Times:
50 Pierluigi Collina (Referee)
Not strictly speaking (or even vaguely speaking) a player. But the scary Nosferatu-ringer easily merits a place in the top 50 toughest football folk, for his forbidding, bug-eyed glare alone.
49 Chic Charnley (Partick Thistle and many more)
Trouble was Chic’s middle name (actually it turns out to be Callaghan, but you know what we mean). Holds the sendings off record for British senior football. During a training session in a Glasgow park he was attacked by two men with samurai swords. The pair ran away.
48 Joe Louis (Liverpool)
The heavyweight champion of the world signed for The Reds while he was stationed near Liverpool during the war. True, he never played a League game – but how much harder can you get than one of the greatest boxers of all time?
47 Miguel Angel Nadal (Barcelona and Spain)
His nickname says it all – would you want to take on The Beast?
46 Roy McDonough (Birmingham City and many more)
English lower league legend who racked up a national-record 21 red cards in a trouble-strewn career.
45 Marco Materazzi (Everton, Inter and Italy)
The man they call The Matrix due to his unpredictable personality dispenses pain like other Italians dish out linguine con vongole.
44 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Ajax, Juventus, Inter and Sweden)
Sharpest elbows in continental Europe, and isn’t fussy where he sticks them.
43 Fernando Hierro (Real Madrid and Spain)
Immovable as a rock in the chaos of the galactico years at the Bernabeu.
42 Duncan Edwards (Manchester United and England)
A giant of a man when he died from grievous injuries sustained at Munich, aged just 21.
41 Bobo Balde (Celtic)
The Frenchman might have a first name like a Teletubby, but he’s harder to push around than the Eiffel Tower.
40 Billy Whitehurst (Sheffield United, Hull City and Newcastle United)
Cult centre-forward viewed by Alan Hansen among others as the roughest player they’ve come across.
39 Paolo Montero (Juventus and Uruguay)
The Montero clothes-line was the most feared defensive weapon in the game. Try running anywhere with a stiff Uruguayan forearm jammed in your Adam’s apple.
38 Duncan Ferguson (Dundee United, Rangers, Everton, Newcastle United and Scotland)
Pigeon-fancier who did bird for crimes related to football and chip shops, and emerged from Barlinnie without a scratch.
37 Nobby Stiles (Manchester United and England)
The world’s toughest-ever person named Norbert.
36 Daniel Passarella (Argentina)
Looked every inch the Latin American desperado from central casting, and tackled with the ferocity of the wild bull of the Pampas.
35 Frank Barson (Aston Villa, Manchester United and Watford)
Famed for brutality even in the 1920s when footballers were less squeamish about physical play than they are today. On frequent occasions Barson was escorted out of grounds by policemen to protect him from mobs of angry opposition fans. Once banned for seven months for a hideous challenge in a match against Fulham.
34 Joe Jordan (Leeds, Manchester United, AC Milan and Scotland)
There have been few more fearsome sights in the European game than 'Jaws' Jordan without his front teeth.
33 Patrick Vieira (Arsenal, Inter and France)
Wasn’t from the psychopath school of hardmen, but was always ready to ensure Arsenal’s talented kids never had their lunch money stolen by Premiership bully boys. And ten Premiership red cards was a fair effort.
32 Jose Emilio Santamaria (Real Madrid, Uruguay and Spain)
While the likes of Puskas, Gento and Di Stefano were weaving their spells up the field for Real in the 1950s and 1960s, the hulking Uruguayan was booting opponents over the stand to make like easier for them.
31 Kenny Burns (Nottingham Forest and Scotland)
Every city he played in needed a Burns Unit at the nearest hospital.
30 Romeo Benetti (Italy)
Spiteful midfielder who epitomised the ultra-defensive, don’t-lose-at all-costs attitude of Italy in the early 1970s.
29 Bert Trautmann (Manchester City)
The former German paratrooper played on with a broken neck in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City in the 1956 FA Cup Final. If the Wehrmacht had had a few more like him we might have been looking forward to the start of the new Barclays Bundesliga this week.
28 Jack Charlton (Leeds United and England)
Denied ever having a little black book of prospective victims. But he was always the evil twin to Saint Bobby.
27 Ferenc Puskas (Real Madrid and Hungary)
Better known as one of the greatest footballers ever, Puskas was also a bit tasty. The ex-Hungarian army major was mentioned in dispatches after the notorious Battle of Berne when the Magyars beat Brazil 4-1 in the 1954 World Cup semi-final. It all went off in the dressing rooms after the game. Puskas kept crazed South Americans at bay with a boot in one hand, a bottle in the other.
26 Peter Storey (Arsenal and England)
One Storey that belonged in the horror section.
The top 25 choices will appear on Thursday.
Souness, Keane, Vinnie Jones surely in the top 10 then.
50 Pierluigi Collina (Referee)
Not strictly speaking (or even vaguely speaking) a player. But the scary Nosferatu-ringer easily merits a place in the top 50 toughest football folk, for his forbidding, bug-eyed glare alone.
49 Chic Charnley (Partick Thistle and many more)
Trouble was Chic’s middle name (actually it turns out to be Callaghan, but you know what we mean). Holds the sendings off record for British senior football. During a training session in a Glasgow park he was attacked by two men with samurai swords. The pair ran away.
48 Joe Louis (Liverpool)
The heavyweight champion of the world signed for The Reds while he was stationed near Liverpool during the war. True, he never played a League game – but how much harder can you get than one of the greatest boxers of all time?
47 Miguel Angel Nadal (Barcelona and Spain)
His nickname says it all – would you want to take on The Beast?
46 Roy McDonough (Birmingham City and many more)
English lower league legend who racked up a national-record 21 red cards in a trouble-strewn career.
45 Marco Materazzi (Everton, Inter and Italy)
The man they call The Matrix due to his unpredictable personality dispenses pain like other Italians dish out linguine con vongole.
44 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Ajax, Juventus, Inter and Sweden)
Sharpest elbows in continental Europe, and isn’t fussy where he sticks them.
43 Fernando Hierro (Real Madrid and Spain)
Immovable as a rock in the chaos of the galactico years at the Bernabeu.
42 Duncan Edwards (Manchester United and England)
A giant of a man when he died from grievous injuries sustained at Munich, aged just 21.
41 Bobo Balde (Celtic)
The Frenchman might have a first name like a Teletubby, but he’s harder to push around than the Eiffel Tower.
40 Billy Whitehurst (Sheffield United, Hull City and Newcastle United)
Cult centre-forward viewed by Alan Hansen among others as the roughest player they’ve come across.
39 Paolo Montero (Juventus and Uruguay)
The Montero clothes-line was the most feared defensive weapon in the game. Try running anywhere with a stiff Uruguayan forearm jammed in your Adam’s apple.
38 Duncan Ferguson (Dundee United, Rangers, Everton, Newcastle United and Scotland)
Pigeon-fancier who did bird for crimes related to football and chip shops, and emerged from Barlinnie without a scratch.
37 Nobby Stiles (Manchester United and England)
The world’s toughest-ever person named Norbert.
36 Daniel Passarella (Argentina)
Looked every inch the Latin American desperado from central casting, and tackled with the ferocity of the wild bull of the Pampas.
35 Frank Barson (Aston Villa, Manchester United and Watford)
Famed for brutality even in the 1920s when footballers were less squeamish about physical play than they are today. On frequent occasions Barson was escorted out of grounds by policemen to protect him from mobs of angry opposition fans. Once banned for seven months for a hideous challenge in a match against Fulham.
34 Joe Jordan (Leeds, Manchester United, AC Milan and Scotland)
There have been few more fearsome sights in the European game than 'Jaws' Jordan without his front teeth.
33 Patrick Vieira (Arsenal, Inter and France)
Wasn’t from the psychopath school of hardmen, but was always ready to ensure Arsenal’s talented kids never had their lunch money stolen by Premiership bully boys. And ten Premiership red cards was a fair effort.
32 Jose Emilio Santamaria (Real Madrid, Uruguay and Spain)
While the likes of Puskas, Gento and Di Stefano were weaving their spells up the field for Real in the 1950s and 1960s, the hulking Uruguayan was booting opponents over the stand to make like easier for them.
31 Kenny Burns (Nottingham Forest and Scotland)
Every city he played in needed a Burns Unit at the nearest hospital.
30 Romeo Benetti (Italy)
Spiteful midfielder who epitomised the ultra-defensive, don’t-lose-at all-costs attitude of Italy in the early 1970s.
29 Bert Trautmann (Manchester City)
The former German paratrooper played on with a broken neck in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City in the 1956 FA Cup Final. If the Wehrmacht had had a few more like him we might have been looking forward to the start of the new Barclays Bundesliga this week.
28 Jack Charlton (Leeds United and England)
Denied ever having a little black book of prospective victims. But he was always the evil twin to Saint Bobby.
27 Ferenc Puskas (Real Madrid and Hungary)
Better known as one of the greatest footballers ever, Puskas was also a bit tasty. The ex-Hungarian army major was mentioned in dispatches after the notorious Battle of Berne when the Magyars beat Brazil 4-1 in the 1954 World Cup semi-final. It all went off in the dressing rooms after the game. Puskas kept crazed South Americans at bay with a boot in one hand, a bottle in the other.
26 Peter Storey (Arsenal and England)
One Storey that belonged in the horror section.
The top 25 choices will appear on Thursday.
Souness, Keane, Vinnie Jones surely in the top 10 then.
