Top 10 hardest footballers of all time according to AI - with Ferguson snubbed
While the modern day game is becoming more technical there is still a place for a firm challenge, and physically imposing players.
Duncan Ferguson is someone infamously known for his aggressive style, having received a career total of nine red cards and a three-month prison sentence following an on-field assault of John McStay. However, the 51-year-old has not made it into Chat GPT's top 10 hardest footballers of all time.
Mick Harford and Jimmy Case are among the names unfortunate not to have made the AI generated list, although three English players do feature. With that in mind, Mirror Football have taken a look at the top 10 hardest footballers of all time - and it has left no shortage of debate.
10) Franco Baresi
While known for his intelligence and composure, AC Milan legend Baresi also had a physical side to his game that made him one of the best defenders in the world. Although Baresi was capable of playing anywhere across the back line, he primarily played as a centre-back where he combined his defensive, tough-tackling qualities with his excellent ball-playing ability.
9) Ron Harris
Nicknamed "Chopper" for a reason, Harris was known for his tough style of defending and physical presence during a successful playing career at Chelsea and Brentford. To this day, Harris is still Chelsea's record appearance maker (795) and will forever be a club legend for the impact he made and the longevity of his performances.
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8) Pepe
A no-nonsense defender, Pepe is renowned for his work-rate and strong tackling. He is also a threat from set pieces and uses his aggressive qualities to be successful from dead ball situations. Still playing at the age of 40 for Porto, the Portugal international has clocked up 849 appearances for club and country, scoring 48 times in the process.
Pepe is amongst the top 10 hardest footballers of all time (Getty Images)7) Marco Materazzi
Another Italian hard man on this list, Materazzi was someone no-one wanted to mess with. He was an aggressive and tough-tackling centre-back who was known for tightly marking his opponents and often winding them up, as he infamously did to Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final. Materazzi's career spanned over 20 years, and although he spent most of it in Italy with the likes of Inter Milan and Perugia, he did spend one season in the Premier League at Everton.
6) Stuart Pearce
The second Englishman to appear, Pearce was given the nickname "Psycho" for his unforgiving style. The term was picked up by Nottingham Forest fans initially and then grew as the left-back became a regular for England. He spent 12 years at The City Ground, before joining Newcastle, West Ham and then ending his career at Manchester City, finishing with over 700 club appearances.
5) Graeme Souness
Legendary former Liverpool midfielder Souness was a tough-tackling midfielder and always made sure his opponent knew about him. Infamously, ex-Romania star Iosif Rotariu claimed that a surgeon told him a tackle by Souness could have killed him. Souness had an illustrious playing career and made over 700 club appearances. He also starred for Scotland throughout the 1970s and 80s and won 54 senior caps.
Graeme Souness in action for Liverpool in 1978 (Getty Images)Who is the hardest footballer of all time? Let us know in the comments below!
4) Gennaro Gattuso
Italian ace Gattuso is often remembered for his tireless work-rate and fierce determination, having spent the majority of his playing career at AC Milan. Gattuso, who also had a short spell at Rangers, wasn't the most technical midfielder but he made up for it in his defensive and physical game, with also having excellent positional sense.
3) Vinnie Jones
A former defensive midfielder, Jones earned the 'hard man' image after being a highly aggressive and physically compromising character on the pitch during his career. Jones added steel to any team and spent time at Leeds, Wimbledon and Chelsea through his playing days, before taking up a career in acting, having featured in the likes of Mean Machine and The Big Bounce.
Vinnie Jones has been named as the third hardest footballer of all time (Getty Images)2) Roy Keane
One of the most unsurprising players on this list, Keane is second having been a dominant, physical and combative midfielder during his career. He is a legend at Manchester United after starting his senior career with Cobh Ramblers and Nottingham Forest. Back in 1997, Keane's studs-up challenge connected with Alf Inge Haaland's shin and ended up giving the ex-Manchester City man a serious injury.
1) Norman Hunter
Moving right to the top of the list is ex-Leeds hard man Hunter. He earned the nickname "Bites Yer Legs" to his no-nonsense approach to defending. Hunter came through the Leeds academy and became a club legend, helping them to win the First Division on two occasions. He is also one of a few players that have won the World Cup in England.
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