Top 10 Dirtiest Premier League Players Of All Time, Featuring Three Reckless Man United Stars And Chelsea’s Bad-Boy

Nicky Butt during his playing days for United.

The top ten dirtiest players in the Premier League ever.

Which players from Premier League history are consistently the worst, most dangerous and combustible players ever?

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10. Paul Scholes

Scholes is known for his amazing range of passing and his long range goals, but he’s also famous for his inability to tackle. While most people laugh it off, they really shouldn’t, as the Manchester United legend has seriously endangered some fellow professional’s livelihoods.

9. Scott Parker

Scott Parker gets away with it because he looks like an honest English RAF pilot, but we shouldn’t let appearances deceive us. Parker is more than just tough in front of a back four, and has put in some dangerous challenges over the years.

8. Jonas Olsson

Last season’s most carded player in the Premier League, and at the centre of plenty of brawls and bad-temeped incidents in his time in the top division.

7. Ramires

Ramires gets bookings aplenty but also puts in some bad challenges. His tackle on Aston Villa’s Karim Al Ahmadi was described as “one of the worst I’ve seen” by Sky pundit Jamie Redknapp.

6. Vinnie Jones

Jones is the record holder for the fastest red card in the top division, from when he clattered into Sheffield United’s Dane Whitehouse after only three seconds.

5. Nicky Butt

The “Class of 92” is remembered for the attacking talent it produced, but it also produced Butt, who was a different kind of player. With 76 yellows and four reds, in an age where cards were harder to come by, Butt was seriously dirty.

4. Lee Bowyer

Bowyer was known as a dirty player through most of his career, and he didn’t do much to help that image when he got into a fight with Kieron Dyer, his own team-mate.

3. Lee Cattermole

Lee Cattermole has tidied up his act somewhat this year, but still has a sensationally bad disciplinary record in the Premier League. 70 yellow cards and 7 reds have set the Sunderland midfielder on the way to setting an unmatchable record in the top flight.

2. Roy Keane

The only man on this list who has admitted that he went out to end another player’s career. Earns points for his honesty, but his tackle on Alfe-Inge Haaland should never be forgiven.

1. Ryan Shawcross

Ryan Shawcross doesn’t have the worst number of yellow and red cards on the list, but it’s the individual incidents he’s been involved with which stand out. His horror tackle on Aaron Ramsey almost ruined the young Arsenal player’s career, but several other tackles, including one on Scott Parker last year, have given him his bad reputation.