9 Dirtiest Teams in Football History (Ranked)

Football is dubbed the ‘beautiful game’. It’s meant to be about elegant football and sophisticated attacks. Naturally, that does happen some of the time, but the sport can also be encapsulated in chaos and disaster. The dark side of the game is only growing every week.

On the other side of the coin, tackles fly in, gamesmanship is at an all-time high and teams will do anything to try and win at all costs. Maybe they ‘lose their heads’ and get caught up in the tension and pressure, which often sees them sent off by the referee. It all makes up the ‘dirty’ side of the game.

Due to this, we have decided to rank the nine dirtiest football teams of all time. With the rules and regulations consistently changing in the sport, it’s almost impossible to rank clubs purely based on their disciplinary record, so memorable actions have added to the chaos on the list. With teams pinpointed to eras or specific tournaments, they were the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons.

Ranking Factors

• Disciplinary Record – Whether they picked up consistent yellow or red cards.
• Level of aggression – How they acted on the pitch.
• Gamesmanship – To what extent they went to ‘win at all costs’.

9 Manchester City

2001/2002 Division 1

EFL football is completely different to the top of the pyramid. It’s aggressive, rough and can make even the best players in the world run for their lives. Manchester City, now one of the best clubs in the world, used to suffer in the depths – and they built up a poor reputation during the 2001/2002 campaign.

With 108 goals and 99 points, they cruised to the title to secure promotion, but they also had a dark side. Over the course of the season, they managed to pick up 10 red cards, shared among 10 different players. Most notably, Paolo Wanchope was sent off for an incident with a ball-boy, whilst Ali Benarbia was also sent off for a disgraceful elbow during their match against Millwall. Danny Tiatto even turned to wrestling at one point during the season, symbolising their dirty and chaotic nature.

8 Cameroon

1990 World Cup

Cameroon impressed at the 1990 World Cup by reaching the quarter-finals and nearly knocking England out at that stage. However, it wasn’t without their poor discipline. Even in their opening victory against Argentina, Benjamin Massing went down in the history books for a tackle on Claudio Caniggia so cynical that everyone was shocked.

Diego Maradona, one of the best players of all time, was the victim of continued aggressive tackles by Cameroonian internationals. Massing was rough with him early on, whilst Victor N’Dip also went too far with a reckless and wild challenge. It foreshadowed their whole tournament story, which saw them pick up 15 yellow and two red cards in their five games – at a time when yellow cards were not handed out lightly. It was a feel-good story slightly tarnished.

7 Arsenal

1990s under Graham and Wenger

Arsenal had a prolonged period of success in the 1990s, especially when Arsene Wenger arrived in 1996. However, for all their beautiful football and elegant teamwork, they were also dubbed as ‘bullies’ by fans up and down the country. While they may have done it in a more sophisticated manner compared to sides built by the likes of Sam Allardyce, they always knew how to take gamesmanship to the final level.

The likes of Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams could handle the opposition being aggressive, but more importantly, they could dish it out in large amounts. It helped them dominate English football for years as teams always feared travelling to Highbury in N5.

6 Netherlands

2010 World Cup

The Netherlands. The home of ‘total football’ – a system based on elegant passing, high-pressing and teamwork. What it didn’t mention is constant violence. However, it seems the country’s 2010 World Cup side did not get the message, as they built up a reputation for their aggression.

Most notably, Nigel de Jong is always remembered for his infamous karate kick into Xabi Alonso’s chest, which somehow escaped a red card. That was only the tip of the iceberg, though, with Holland picking up nine yellow cards in the final. One of their greatest players of all time, Johan Cruyff, called the tactics “ugly, vulgar, hard, hermetic… they were playing anti-football.” Maybe the footballing gods spoke then when Spain claimed a late 1-0 victory through Andres Iniesta.

5 Argentina

1990 World Cup

Argentina have always been one of the most aggressive sides on the international scene. Their passion frequently overflows, with that being highlighted at the 2022 World Cup. 32 years prior, it was the same story in Italy, with the South American nation eventually losing in the final to West Germany.

Throughout the whole tournament, they were criticised for their aggressive nature – and it came to fruition in the final, when legendary commentator John Motson said: “If Argentina continue this, FIFA will have to ban them from the next World Cup, surely.” That summed up their performance, with his words uttered just after Gustavo Dezotti became the second Argentina player to be sent off in the 1990 World Cup final. Dezotti grabbing Jurgen Kohler by the neck truly summed up their reputation.

4 Real Madrid

2010-2013 under Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is football’s ultimate villain. Sergio Ramos is the sport’s greatest villain on the pitch. Put the two together and you get one of the dirtiest teams of all time. With the former Chelsea manager in charge from 2010 to 2013, Real Madrid turned to the dark arts.

With the duo working together, alongside another aggressive centre-back in the form of Pepe, Real Madrid became known for their aggression when things were not going their way. It was all about their ‘win at all costs’ mentality, and the major El Clasico battles against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side brought out the worst in this Real Madrid team.

3 Atletico Madrid

Under Diego Simeone

Taking a trip across the Spanish capital, Atletico Madrid have been a master of the dark arts ever since Diego Simeone became manager in 2011. The Argentine, who was famous for his mysterious antics during his playing career, is the master of gamesmanship, doing whatever possible to walk away with victory.

Taking inspiration from his attitude whilst playing, Atletico Madrid have always been known for throwing themselves to the floor trying to win a free kick or putting in aggressive challenges since Simeone arrived. Most notably, in their 2019/20 Round of 16 Champions League encounter against Liverpool, the Reds were consistently frustrated by the Spanish giants. From Angel Correa trying to get in a fight with Virgil van Dijk to Diego Costa, one of football’s ultimate hardmen, running into battles like a headless chicken before time-wasting, they progressed purely due to their chaotic – and controversial – antics.

2 Wimbledon

‘The Crazy Gang’ in the 1980s

‘The Crazy Gang’ of Wimbledon are one of the greatest stories in English football history. Their cheeky ‘lad culture’ antics and no-nonsense approach on the football pitch made them one of the most notorious teams of the 1980s and 1990s, even if it ruffled a few feathers across the country.

When they arrived in the First Division in 1986, they were unconventional. Their style of play was aggressive, rough and bold. It frustrated some of the world’s best players – but it worked. Epitomising this, Wimbledon continued to produce upsets in the division with their in-your-face and unruly tactics, whilst they won the 1988 FA Cup final – which remains one of football’s biggest shocks – against Liverpool. Speechless.

1 Leeds United

Don Revie’s ‘Dirty Leeds’ in the 1960s and 70s

Finally, Leeds United have been ranked as the dirtiest team in football history due to their poor record in the 1960s and early 1970s. The label of ‘Dirty Leeds’ has stuck forever – and that phrase was born due to their antics under legendary manager Don Revie. The Yorkshire side were in a golden era, but they are always remembered for their thuggish style of play.

Players such as Billy Bremner and Norman ‘Bites Yer Legs’ Hunter are still talked about by football historians to this day as some of the nastiest players to ever play the game. Their ‘Battle of Goodison’ encounter in 1964 even saw the FA label them as ‘Dirty Leeds’, with the organisation highlighting their improper conduct and poor disciplinary record.