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Footy Factor’s Best of the Decade: Hard Man

Posted by Trevor Cassidy on Dec 2, 2009 in Best of the Decade, Players | 0 comments

As we continue our ongoing parade of accolades for the decade’s best players and performances, we reach the award for Best Hard Man. But let’s define the term first. Hard Man doesn’t necessarily mean “dirty” – otherwise Joey Barton and Duncan Ferguson would have run away with this title (and kicked us in the nuts while doing so.) No… Hard Man means you’re tough as nails, in control when you need to be, and able to take whatever you dish out. With that being said, let us continue…

Hard Man of the Decade

Winner: Roy Keane. It had to be him, didn’t it? The hugely talented Irish midfielder with a scowl that could even frighten Fergie hung up his boots in 2006, but his shadow cast a pall across the entire decade. How much do Manchester United wish they still had a man in the middle of the park who could boss play, intimidate opponents, and dictate the tempo? (Sorry, Carrick, you just don’t cut it.) For most of his career, Keane played like he had a big chip on his shoulder – an attitude that produced an incredible intensity in his play but also often meant he was prone to going in feet first without thinking. It certainly kept everyone on their toes – and it helped United win three league titles during this decade alone. But the thing about Keane was that he was just as hard on his own teammates as he was on his opponents – especially when it came to getting to practice on time and resisting the temptations of a millionaire lifestyle. And of course, if you did make this mistake of crossing him, be prepared to be on the wrong end of the world’s longest-held grudge. (Just ask the Irish FA.)

Runners Up: Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman wasn’t the psychopath that typically dominates this category, but he did accrue 10 red cards during his time in the Premiership, which takes some doing. And just as United miss Roy Keane, Arsenal are in desperate need of another Vieira who can add some steel to their young midfield. Marco Materazzi. The Italian defender deserves an apology from Zinedine Zidane. Zizou’s infamous head butt in the World Cup final didn’t only hurt like hell, it painted Materazzi for once as the victim, tarnishing his well-earned reputation as one of Serie A’s toughest and dirtiest defenders.