Everyone loves to see a hard bastard representing their team – and Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have all benefitted from some of the best during the Premier League era.
They’re something of a dying breed, but the 1990s were a breeding ground for tough tackles and bust-ups aplenty.
It certainly isn’t a definitive list, but here are some of the most famous and most brutal hard men to play in the Premier League.
Roy Keane
Former Manchester United captain Keane was infamous for his hard-man image, with his bust-ups with Patrick Vieira and that revenge tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland just two examples.
So much was his ferocious nature that he could frighten anyone, with former referee Mark Clattenburg saying: “I still smile at the first time I came across Roy Keane.
“He screamed at us for a corner and I’m sure it was a goal kick, but because he screamed at us so loudly, I gave a corner. I was that petrified of him.”
He’s still terrifying people today.
READ: Nine times Roy Keane has been utterly terrifying even since retiring
Vinnie Jones
The staple member of Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’, any highlights from the Premier League’s early years is likely to feature Jones launching himself into tackles yet receiving just yellow cards and warnings from officials.
“Jones would always say, ‘Look at him, he’s bricking himself, and if a ball came in they would always say they would destroy you,” recalled former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, adding that he remembered the midfielder “headbutting the toilet door”.
And in 1995, he even extended to journalists when he bit Daily Mirror reporter Ted Oliver on the nose, three years after angering the FA by releasing a Christmas video entitled ‘Soccer’s Hard Men’.
David Batty
A cult hero at every club he lined up for, former Leeds academy graduate Batty was famed for his no-nonsense, unapologetic style of play.
“In the trenches, I want Batts alongside me,” said former team-mate Tony Dorigo, who recalled a training incident where Batty broke Keith Curle’s jaw.
“I think he’s gone up for the ball, elbowed him right in his jaw and broken it. Curley comes back to the table at dinner time after getting his jaw done and Batts is there sitting next to me.
“Of course, all Curley can actually eat is soup through a straw. So we’re all laughing, obviously, and we’re thinking Batts is going to say something.
“He said absolutely nothing and just got up, finished his meal…
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