20 Hardest Football Hardmen Of All Time

By Sean Mills /

9. Roy Keane

The captain of Manchester United during their most successful period of the modern era, Roy Keane was one of the most consistent players in the Red Devils€™ elite squad, and also without doubt the hardest. Keane was a midfield engine, who often covered every blade of grass, and never shirked a tackle. Despite all this, Keane€™s career was tarnished by a number of infamous incidents, including walking out of the Republic of Ireland squad in 2002, getting sent off for swinging at Alan Shearer, and most notably, his horror tackle on Alf-Inge Håland. Keane sought revenge for an incident including Håland whilst the Norwegian was playing for Leeds, and he duly delivered. After clattering into the knee of the Manchester City man, Keane later made light of the pre-meditated nature of the tackle in his autobiography, stating €œI'd waited long enough. I f***ing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c**t. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries€. I don€™t think I€™d ever want to be on the wrong side of Roy Keane€