No matter what team you support, you have probably had a moment where it feels as though a decision by the ref to give a yellow or red card is a completely unjustified one. There has been no shortage of scraps breaking out on the pitch over a foul decision, and there will no doubt be countless more in the summer season ahead.
Although the decisions of the referees can sometimes seem questionable, it's clear that some players are dirtier than others. When you take a cold, hard look at the numbers, there are some figures in English football that come up as repeat offenders time and time again. With that in mind, read on to find out who the most troublesome players in football are.
Gareth Barry
Former midfielder Gareth Barry is probably an unsurprising candidate for most fouls ever, simply because he has clocked in the most appearances in the Premier League ever. Although he is no doubt a formidable player, his track record is far from clean. During his stints with Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton, and West Brom, Barry has racked up an astonishing 633 fouls, including being formally charged with misconduct by the FA and at one point being fined £8000 for having a heated argument with a referee. Unfortunately, his bad behaviour on the pitch often overshadowed his top-notch football skills.
Kevin Davies
Kevin Davies is another truly prolific player, having made a name for himself as a striker for Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End, as well as a manager for Southport in the 2017-18 season. Although few would doubt his ability to get the ball in the net, many have called his tactics into question. During his career, Davies managed to get slapped with 605 fouls, prompting BBC Sports to crown him the foulest player in the history of the English Premier League. Not quite the accolade a player wants.
Marouane Fellaini
These days, keeping track of fouls and red cards is a favorite fan past-time, with many even choosing the bet on how many fouls a player will get, instead of betting on the number of goals they will score. This is partly due to the rise of live football betting platforms such as Mr Green, which allow people to place an in-game bet on how many fouls they expect to see. Anyone wanting predicting fouls this summer would be wise to keep an eye on Marouane Fellaini at Shandong Luneng, the popular Belgian midfielder who has also played for Everton, Man United, and the Belgian national squad. He's no stranger to the occasional on-pitch scrap, having had highly publicized tussles with Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth, among others. As such, his 588 fouls rank him as one of the dirtiest players in footie history.
These are the English football legends who have no qualms about playing dirty. It seems that it will take a lot more than a yellow card and the threat of a fine to convince these lads to behave.
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