With Roy Keane mentioning in his autobiography that he has “no regrets” over his horror challenge on Haaland back in 2001, we thought that now was as good a time as any to look back at the tackles that have made us gasp and, depending upon which teams are involved, shake our fists with rage at our TV screens over the years.
Here are the 10 worst tackles ever seen in football (in GIFs!), with rarely a hint of play-acting in sight.
Nigel De Jong on Xabi Alonso
Alonso stated that De Jong’s high-flying kick to his chest was “one of the worst tackles” he has ever received, while De Jong was vilified following the incident. It didn’t help that it took place on the grandest stage in football: the 2010 World Cup final. Holland and Spain fought tough and nail, but De Jong apparently couldn’t resist getting his studs involved, too. Even though the referee was only a few feet away from the action, De Jong walked away with just a yellow card.
Roy Keane on Haaland
Roy Keane expresses that he has “no regrets” over his horror tackle on former Manchester City player Haaland back in 2001, in act which was allegedly relation for Haaland previously mocking Keane for “play-acting” when the ex-United man had actually suffered a cruciate injury. Looking back, Haaland probably wishes that he’d have kept his mouth shut, as he has alleged that this foul greatly contributed to the premature end of his career.
Ben Thatcher on Pedro Mendes
Ben Thatcher was the perpetrator of some disgraceful fouls during his career, but none were worse than this forearm smash on former Portsmouth man Pedro Mendes. Knocking his rival out cold, it’s amazing to think that this didn’t lead to Thatcher receiving a straight red – he walked away with just a yellow instead.
Lee Bowyer on Gerardo
Though officials initially missed this challenge, Uefa later handed former Leeds midfielder’s Lee Bowyer a six-match ban for his seemingly intentional stamp on Malaga’s Geraldo. Bowyer was already in the ref’s book for a previous foul on Geraldo, though with this thuggish act of violence he wanted to finish the job.
Harald Schumacher on Patrick Battiston
German goalkeeper Schumacher’s incredibly hard challenge on French defender Battiston is widely recognised as perhaps the worst foul ever, for both the severity of the incident and Schumacher’s careless attitude following it. Somehow Schumacher avoided any kind of punishment for his diving punch, with the Dutch referee failing to notice any wrongdoing. Battiston was left out cold with paramedics being called onto the pitch, while Schumacher impatiently called for play to continue.
John Terry on James Milner
This horrific tackle could have been much worse for James Milner, who had raised his foot from the floor just enough to ensure that John Terry didn’t break his leg. What was most controversial about this incident was that Milner and Terry were England teammates, with Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill stating that the challenge “threatened Milner’s career”. Apparently no apology was given by Terry to Milner following the incident.
Leonardo on Tab Ramos
Brazilian defender Leonardo hit US midfielder Tab Ramos with a flagrant elbow, hospitalising Ramos and ensuring that he received a ban from football. Leonardo later stated that he had visited Ramos in the hospital and apologised, which was nice of him.
Pedro Monzon on Jorgan Klinsmann
The 1990 World Cup final was the stage for the first ever red card in World Cup history, when Argentina’s Pedro Monzon lunged in for a bad tackle on Germany’s Jorgan Klinsmann. Klinsmann was notorious for his theatrics, and his convulsions following this foul arguably contributed to the ref’s decision to send Morzon off, though it was an unarguably a terrible timed tackle that could’ve been a lot worse for the German.
Graeme Souness on Gheorghe Rotariu
Queens Park Rangers’ 1988 European Cup match against Steaua Bucharest saw Souness nearly prevent Rotariu from having children, as he planted his studs in his rival’s testes. It was a foul that makes us grimace to this day, though somehow Souness walked away without any form of punishment.
Martin Taylor on Eduardo
You know a foul’s really bad when the player receives death threats for committing it, which is exactly the position Martin Taylor found himself in when he brutally took down Eduardo, who suffered a number of injuries as a result of the awful tackle. Taylor has always insisted that there was no malicious intent behind the foul, but it’s difficult to believe him when you see the footage.
Photo: Getty Images
