Some players seemed to enjoy hurting people, and Kevin Muscat was one of them. Fans voted the Australian defender "the most hated man in football", and he earned the title with some of the most frightening tackles the game has seen. More than one opponent had his career ended by him.
Muscat was a right-back who played for Sunshine George Cross, South Melbourne, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rangers, Millwall and Melbourne Victory.
Which tackles made Muscat's name?
In 2004 he went through Matias Vuoso so hard that the striker's leg was nearly broken in half, and the injury almost ended his career. Back in 2000 he had hurt Christophe Dugarry so badly that the French World Cup winner needed months to recover.
He collected red cards at every club he played for. He was banned many times, and each time he came back and went looking for more opponents to frighten.
Other villains on this list are here for drama or controversy. Muscat is here because he genuinely ended careers. Dirty was the least of it. Plenty of forwards feared him more than any other defender. That is not meant as praise.
Tomorrow: number 25.
