50 Gnarliest Tackles in World Football History

No, not that kind of dirty tackle, although this image is really amusing.

Today, we're talking about the bone-crunching, cringe-inducing, teeth-flying-through-the-air sort of messy, dastardly-dirty tackles that end up in YouTube highlight reels and inspire derisory chants about the players who commit them.

Here are 50 red-card tackles we found to be the gnarliest, complete with video—but be warned, these aren't for the faint of heart.

Not all of these ended in the individuals in question getting sent off, but they certainly should have been. If you have more gnarly tackles from world football history that we may have forgotten to include, please tell us in the comments. 

Pee-Wee Footy Red Card

Let's start things off with a surprising red card-drawing incident at a pee-wee football match, where a four-year-old (according to the YouTube description) is sent off for sending an uppercut to the chin of an opposing player after a series of attempted tackles.

As one commenter noted, "At least these kids don't dive and act like they got shot when they get fouled."

In This Case, Don't Bend It Like Beckham

Even the biggest stars are capable of the dirtiest tackles.

In this 2009 match between the L.A. Galaxy and Seattle Sounders, David Beckham appears to swing his leg to cross over and trip the Sounders' Peter Vagenas, receiving an immediate red.

You Can Almost Hear the Crunch on This One

In a 2005-06 season match between Exeter City and Accrington Stanley, Accrington's Peter Cavanagh was booked for smacking into Exeter City's Chris Todd.

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

Southampton sub Oscar Gobern showed off his martial arts skills when he flew feet first at Bournemouth's Adam Smith. FINISH HIM! 

Ibra Gets Really Lucky

Quite a few of these videos are lucky breaks for their perpetrators—they end up with a yellow when it should be a red, or with no disciplinary action at all.

In this 2010 match between Barcelona and Villarreal, Zlatan Ibrahimovic leaps in front of Villarreal's Diego Godín and gives him a harsh and unexpected trip.

He's given a yellow, but some fans will see this and see red.

Joey Barton Tackles Etuhu

Joey Barton has had his share of altercations on and off the pitch, but the one that lands him on our list comes from a 2007 Tyne-Wear derby.

Barton, then at Newcastle, pounces on Sunderland's Dickson Etuhu, leading with what looks like his fists.

He didn't get sent off, or even a slap on the wrist, but Etuhu gave him what looks like a stern talking-to.

Djibril Cissé Is Super Unlucky

Before launching into this slide, can we just point out that Djibril Cissé has broken his leg on the pitch twice and is still playing? 

The first break occurred while Cissé was at Liverpool, a freak accident in which he busted his tibia and fibula after his shoe got caught in the turf in a 2004 match against Blackburn Rovers.

He managed to recover only to have his leg broken again in a 2006 FIFA warmup friendly between France and China.

Chinese captain Zheng Zhi's challenge was illegal, but not particularly hard, but the fact that it gave Cissé his second career broken leg is still noteworthy.

A Literal Butt-Kicking from José Bosingwa

This is one of a number of crazy tackles on this list that should have been punished, and yet weren't met with proper response from the referee.

In this match between Chelsea and Liverpool, in a struggle to get the ball from the corner in stoppage time, Chelsea's José Bosingwa kicks Yossi Benayoun in the backside, knocking him over. 

Wrong Kind of Football Tackle

In the 2010 Aberdeenshire Cup, Buckie Thistle player Lewis McKinnon decided to try another kind of tackle, more like the kind one would see in American football, when he sought to dispose of Cove Rangers' Kevin Webster.

The crowd saw red, and so did the officials, and Cove would go on to win the cup.

[Warning: Some NSFW language in the video.]

Celebrity Guest Star Ridiculousness

Remember that time London mayor Boris Johnson played in a football match? You will now.

His Honorable Mayor-ness joined a bunch of other English luminaries of sport, celebrity, culture and politics for a 2006 charity match in which they faced a similarly-composed side from Germany.

Johnson's aerial skills weren't exactly optimal, so in an attempt to head the ball back to the English side, he leapt and rugby-tackled VfB Stuttgart legend Maurizio Gaudino. Whoops.

Kiwis Get Crazy with This Horror Tackle

In this 2007 New Zealand league championship match between Waitakere United and Auckland City, Waitakere striker Commins Menapi flies right into Auckland defender Riki van Steeden's leg.

Van Steeden's leg was broken in the collision, and although Menapi was sent off, he was not suspended for Waitakere's OFC Champions League final against Fijian side Ba F.C.

Ryan Shawcross: Brutality and Remorse

In a February 2010 match between Stoke City and Arsenal, Ryan Shawcross and Aaron Ramsey both sprinted after the ball, and the resulting challenge and collision resulted in a broken leg for Ramsey and a red card for Shawcross. 

Debate ensued in the weeks that followed over whether or not Shawcross's challenge was intentional, but one thing's for sure: He felt really, really bad about it. Shawcross exited the pitch in tears, indicating remorse for his actions.

He certainly didn't mean to break his opponent's leg, and the truth is, in most of these cases, as horrible as they seem at the time, there probably was no legitimate harm meant.

Unless your name is Roy Keane and you're tackling Alf-Inge Haaland, but we'll get to that. 

Preston Edwards Earns a Red in Record Time...

In this February 2011 match, Ebbsfleet United keeper Preston Edwards made a brutal tackle against a Farnborough F.C. player and became an Internet sensation.

His red card was delivered in just 10 seconds, breaking the English football record for fastest send-off.

Ebbsfleet would go on to lose the match, 3-0.

...only for Takahiro Masukawa to Break It Several Months Later

A matter of months after Preston Edwards' infamous move, the ante was upped in the Japanese league.

Takahiro Masukawa, the centre-half for J. League juggernauts Nagoya Grampus, was sent off after just five seconds after laying the smackdown on an attacker from their opponents, Shimizu S-Pulse. 

Double-Footed Flying Flamini

In this horrifying scene from a February 2011 Champions League match, AC Milan's Mathieu Flamini slide tackles Tottenham Hotspur's Vedran Corluka, sending the defender flying and requiring him to be stretchered off the pitch.

Although Flamini only received a yellow card for the incident, Corluka said he thought Flamini should have been locked up for that tackle. 

Peter Crouch Can Do Anything... Including This Tackle

In this footage from a 2007 match, England mainstay Peter Crouch, then at Liverpool, hurls himself into Chelsea's John-Obi Mikel, knocking him into the siding.

Crouchy's reaction wasn't much better—after refusing to leave the pitch, he flipped Blues supporters the two-fingered bird and mouthed "f*** off." 

Karl Henry Makes Wolves' Reputation Worse

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Karl Henry didn't do much to help his side's less-than-stellar disciplinary record at the start of last season, earning a straight red in the 11th minute of the match for a controversial lunge on Jordi Gomez.

The offense was so blatant that in a press conference following the match, in which Wolves lost 2-0 at Wigan, manager Mick McCarthy said he stood by the referee's decision and expressed his disappointment in Henry, calling the incident "reckless."

A Crunch on CR7

The YouTube description labels this gnarly red-card tackle a "cruncher," and that description is accurate.

James Morrison came on as a substitute for Middlesbrough in the hopes of saving his squad from Manchester United, but his sliding crunch on Cristiano Ronaldo only got him sent off and sparked a bit of scuffle between the two teams.

Charlie Adam's Lunge on Gareth Bale

Liverpool's Charlie Adam has a hard-man reputation which sometimes gets him in trouble, and he was certainly in hot water last season at Blackpool for this side clash on Tottenham's Gareth Bale.

Bale's ankle was injured, but thankfully, not broken.

Michael Essien vs. Dietmar Hamann

Surprisingly enough, video of this horror tackle isn't readily available on the YouTubes, but many readers will probably remember it.

Tough-tackling Chelsea defensive midfielder Michael Essien went in a bit too hard on Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann, and his powerful, rage-inducing lunge nearly broke Hamann's leg. 

Officials did not punish Essien for the tackle, much to the ire of Rafa Benitez, who sought action from UEFA, who charged Essien with misconduct on the pitch and left him out of the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona that year.

He later apologized, and Hamann accepted.

Francesco Totti's Double Trouble

The AS Roma captain had already drawn ire in this Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan for a hard trip on Thiago Motta, which sent him flying.

The nail in the coffin for the referees came later in the match, where in an effort to get the ball, Totti kicked Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Why always me?" Balotelli wondered while writhing in pain.

Balotelli's Turn

And now, a red card from Balotelli himself. Last season, when City faced Dynamo Kyiv in Europa League play, the striker got sent off for a flying kick to the chest on Goran Popov.

He probably learned that from his City teammate, Nigel De Jong (we're getting to that).

Rangers Rage

Graeme Souness was seen as the savior of Rangers when he took over in a player-manager role, but he certainly drew criticism after this 1986 match against Hibernian.

After a series of trips all over the middle of the pitch, he earned his second yellow for this tackle on Hibs' George McCluskey.

A brawl ensued and Souness saw red, because, as he put it, Souness'  'boot ran up his leg!'

Red for a Red Devils Legend

Manchester United's creative midfielder and fan favorite scores goals (as the song says), but he's also racked up a few notorious red cards in his time.

In this April 2011 Manchester derby / FA Cup semifinal, Scholes gets sent off for a high-flying slam on City's Pablo Zabaleta. 

Simpson's SPL Scuffle

In a 1988 Scottish Premier League match, Aberdeen F.C. legend Neil Simpson slammed into Rangers Ian Durrant, leaving Durrant with injuries that kept him out of the game for almost three years.

The two settled out of court, but the incident created more hostilities between the two sides still evident to this day. 

More Local Derby Mayhem

As we've mentioned before, local derbies are always a goldmine for terrible tackle videos, and this 2006 match between Partizan Belgrade and crosstown rivals OFK Beograd is no different.

Partizan keeper Ivica Kralj draws ire from fans and officials for, in his pursuit of the ball, sliding and flinging an OFK player in the air with his leg and flipping him over to the ground.

Michael Brown's Lucky Break

In this 2006 Premiership match between Fulham and Manchester United, Fulham's Michael Brown tries to neutralize a sliding Ryan Giggs and beat him to the ball by appearing to attempt to stomp on his kneecap.

At least that's what it looks like from this angle.

In the end, Brown lucked out and so did Ryan Giggs.

Brown could have easily been given a red for that tackle, and he probably should have, and judging by where his feet landed, he could have done a whole lot more damage to Ryan Giggs. 

Mido's Notorious Move

Egyptian footballing juggernaut Mido's career was in jeopardy, as threats of legal action and speculation of blackmail surrounded this tackle.

The striker, playing for the Egyptian national team in a friendly against Al-E'lameyin, busted the knee of Mostafa Abdul-Rahim, and the Al-E'lameyin player needed ligament surgery and suffered damaged cartilage.

Mido paid for the first surgery, and a legal battle ensued over compensation for the second.

Gazza Injures Himself in Horror Tackle

The 1991 FA Cup final between Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest remains something of a cautionary tale for footballers, a rather forceful reminder that the dirty tackle not only has consequences for the opponent, but can cause larger issues for the player and eventually cost them a victory. 

Paul Gascoigne's brazen tripping of Forest's Gary Charles not only saw him sent off, but Gazza tore several cruciate ligaments in his knee, an injury that would rule him out all of next season.

On top of that, the forced penalty and resulting goal from Stuart Pearce evened the score. Spurs got lucky, though—they would go on to win 2-1 and bring the FA Cup home.

John Fashanu vs. Gary Mabbutt

One of the most shocking aerial challenges in Premiership history occurred in a 1993 clash between aggressive Wimbledon "Crazy Gang" member John Fashanu and Tottenham Hotspur's Gary Mabbutt.

Fash led with his elbows, breaking Mabbutt's cheekbone and fracturing his skull.

Awful Tackles Happen in the MLS, Too

In just the third minute of an April 2011 Major League Soccer match between the Seattle Sounders and Colorado Rapids, the Rapids Brian Mullan slides into Seattle Sounders winger Steve Zakuani, breaking his leg and leading to an immediate send-off for Mullan.

You can actually hear his leg snap in this one. Shudder.

And Here's Another One from the MLS

Chivas USA was already on disciplinary thin ice during this match against Real Salt Lake when Chivas forward Marcos Mondaini went down and took Real Salt Lake's Javier Morales with him, leading to a dislocated ankle and two broken bones and a sendoff for Mondaini.

Also, Kyle Beckerman just looks livid in this video. Apparently, he told the press afterwards that when it happened, he was so angry that he "just wanted to choke-slam somebody."

Felix Musasa: Bonecrusher

In this 2009 South African league match between Carara F.C. and Mpumalanga Black Aces, Black Aces captain Félix Musasa bowls over opponent Oupa Ngulube, visibly breaking his leg.

Musasa was sent off and served an eight-game suspension for the challenge, but remains the Black Aces' captain. 

[Warning: Broken bone extreme close-up. Proceed with caution.]

Blow-for-Blow in the Belgian League

Standard-Liege and RSC Anderlecht are big rivals, so it comes as no surprise that their Jupiler League face-offs are often rather heated.

In this 2009 affair, Standard's Axel Witsel and Anderlecht's Marcin Wasilewski both went after the ball, with Witsel opting for the slide tackle, a brutal affair which broke Wasilewski's leg. 

Wasilewski returned to the pitch in 2010 and is still with Anderlecht today. 

Breaking out the Scissors

In this short but rather brutish scene from a 1999 Turkish Süper Lig match between Antalyaspor and Beşiktaş, the Istanbul club's midfielder Ayhan Akman takes a scissor kick around the neck and goes down.

Benjamin Massing's Effortless Challenge

In this match from the 1990 World Cup, Cameroon defender Benjamin Massing was sent off just minutes into the opening group stage match for this stunning tackle on Argentina's Claudio Caniggia.

Massing slams into Caniggia, sending him flying, and then, after shaking off an angered Argentina player, proceeds to nonchalantly put his shoes back on before being served with the red card.

Awww, Nuts!

Gentlemen, you may find this one particularly tough to watch.

In this 2010 Mexican First Division match between Pachuca and Cruz Azul, Cruz Azul's Julio Cesar Dominguez attempts a slide tackle on Pachuca's José Francisco Torres, but instead of getting the ball free, Dominguez slams his foot into the two which are, erm, attached to Torres. Ow.

Naturally, Dominguez was sent off. 

More La Liga Crotch-Shot Agony

Because we're all gluttons for punishment, here's one that's even worse. 

In a 2010 Spanish league match between Getafe and Athletic Bilbao, Getafe's David Cortes tripped Athletic midfielder Pablo Orbaiz.

While on the ground, Orbaiz, obviously perturbed at what had just happened, retaliated by sending an upward kick towards Cortes' crotch. Cortes crumpled to the ground in pain and Orbaiz was shown a much-deserved red. 

And One More for Cringe-Worthy Measure

This isn't even a tackle now.

This is just a straight-up malicious kick to the crotch on one of the members of the Angola national team. Like, who even thinks to do this? 

José Batista: Quick and Dirty

In a 1986 World Cup qualifier match, Uruguayan defender José Batista was sent off after 40 seconds, the fastest red card in World Cup history, after he tripped Scotland's Gordon Strachan and sent him airborne. 

Nuno Claro's Headshot

In a move straight out of Mortal Kombat, CFR Cluj goalkeeper Nuno Claro delivered a flying kick that caught Georgian international Păun in the face in a 2009 Romanian league match.

 Naturally, the keeper was sent off. 

A Tackle so Bad, It Landed a Guy in Jail

One player in an amateur match in England tackled another so violently that he actually ended up in jail for it.

In a 2010 bout between Long Lawford and Wheeltappers, Lawford's Mark Chapman, 20, careened into opposing player Terry Johnson, and the impact broke Johnson's legs in two places, ending his footballing career and causing him to need surgery and skin grafts.

Chapman pled guilty to charges of grievous bodily harm and served six months in prison for the challenge.

Dudu's Ankle, Meet Martin Taylor's Cleats

Another particularly gut-wrenching, bone-crushing affair, this time from a 2008 Premiership match between Birmingham City and Arsenal.

Birmingham defender Martin Taylor slid into the ankle of Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva (Dudu), and in the video footage, you can actually see his ankle bend and snap in a very stomach-turning manner.

Da Silva's ankle was dislocated and his left fibula broken, and Taylor was immediately sent off.

The "Butcher of Bilbao" Earns His Nickname

This 1983 horror tackle from a La Liga match between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona is one of the oldest scenes in today's slideshow, but is also still one of the most scarring.

An ill-timed from-the-back move from Athletic's Andoni Goikoetxea broke Maradona's ankle and tore a ligament, sending the star to the ground, writhing in pain and earned Goikoetxea the nickname, "The Butcher of Bilbao."

Maradona's inability to recover from the tackle was a factor in him never reaching his full potential as a member of the Blaugrana.

He joined Napoli a year later, though, a move which sent him on the path to become the Maradona we all know today. 

Nigel De Jong's Kung-Fu Chest Shot on Xabi Alonso

In a now-notorious moment from the 2010 World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain, Nigel De Jong's foot was introduced rather harshly to Xabi Alonso's chest.

Although De Jong was only given a yellow card for the tackle, official Howard Webb later admitted he should have sent the defensive midfielder off for his dastardly doing. 

Julien Rodriguez's Ligue 1 Headshot

Monaco's Julien Rodriguez reaches to get the ball and in the process, sends a headshot to the face of Ajaccio's Edson.

This doesn't look like it was done with malicious intent, but it sure looks extremely painful.

Ben Thatcher's Brutal Elbow-Slam on Pedro Mendes

This is just horrifying to watch, so I'd proceed with caution.

In a 2006 match between Manchester City and Portsmouth, City defender Ben Thatcher employed his elbows in a cringe-worthy challenge on Pedro Mendes.

The blow sent Mendes into the advertising boards and knocked him unconscious—he was given oxygen at the scene and experienced a seizure from his injury while hospitalized that night.

Thatcher apologized and received punishments from City and from the FA, who banned him for eight matches.

Ewald Lienen: OH DEAR GOD, NO.

If you are eating at your desk or whatever while perusing this slideshow, just skip over this one. Please.

In this 1981 Bundesliga match between the newly-promoted Arminia Bielefield and Werder Bremen, German midfielder (and now manager) Ewald Lienen became just as known for his skills on the pitch as for something terrible which happened to him.

When a Werder Bremen defender set upon him with the slide tackle, the studs of his shoes got caught on Lienen's thigh, ripping a massive hole in it and exposing his innards.

What's even more mind-blowing is that he tries to get up and walk on it after we can all see that something internal is exposed.

And he started practicing again less than three weeks later. Hard as nails. 

Roy Keane Ends Alf-Inge Haaland's Career

The crosstown rivalry between Manchester City and Manchester United is contentious enough, and sometimes, tensions can come to a head on derby day.

But no clash had a more shocking conclusion than Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane's career-ending challenge on City defender Alf-Inge Haaland.

The rivalry between Haaland and Keane began in 1997 after Keane injured his knee on a foul on Haaland, and the Norwegian international, while Keane was on the ground, accused him of faking his injury, resulting in a booking for Keane.

In a 2001 match, Keane sought revenge with a crushing kick that caught Haaland's knee. The defender retired in 2003 after being unable to recover from the injury and didn't play a full match after that. 

In his autobiography, released a year later after the incident, Keane admitted the tackle was made with malicious intent:

"

"I'd waited long enough. I f****** hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c***. 

And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries. Even in the dressing room afterwards, I had no remorse. My attitude was, f*** him. 

What goes around, comes around. He got his just rewards. He f***** me over and my attitude is an eye for an eye."

"

Harald Schumacher and Patrick Battiston's Horrible Collision

Ironically, the most horrific tackle on this list didn't actually earn the offender a red card. But it most certainly should have, so it's on this list anyway. 

The 1982 World Cup semifinal between West Germany and France was already a wholly dramatic affair, with the score tied at three goals each in stoppage time.

But then came the resounding clash: In chasing the ball, German goalkeeper Harald "Toni" Schumacher made a brutal challenge on Patrick Battiston, a gut-wrenching collision which knocked the Frenchman unconscious.

Battiston suffered damage to his vertebrae and lost his front teeth in the clash, and his teammate Michel Platini later said he was convinced Battiston had died on the pitch because he was so pale.

Schumacher escaped without a sendoff, and Germany would go on to win the match in a shootout.

Soon after the incident, a poll was released by a French magazine asking who the most-hated German in the nation was. Schumacher came in second, losing only to Adolf Hitler.