The complete ranking of the 50 most notorious footballers in football history, compiled by the prestigious magazine France Football. Robin Friday leads the list, while Mario Balotelli, ranked 10th, is the highest-placed Italian player.
The history of football is filled with countless stars who displayed extraordinary talent on the pitch — true champions who behaved professionally both on and off the field. Well, in this special Top 50, you won’t find a single one of them. This ranking, created by France Football, celebrates the 50 wildest and most controversial footballers in history.
In first place is Robin Friday, the English footballer nicknamed by many as “the other George Best,” “the sixth Beatle,” and even “the greatest footballer you’ve never seen.” Despite his immense talent, Robin Friday never reached the Premier League, spending most of his career in England’s Second and Third Divisions. His life was one of total excess: drugs, alcohol, women, and prison. An intense and self-destructive existence that ended with his death from an overdose at just 38 years old.
The highest-ranked Italian footballer is Mario Balotelli, who at only 24 years old already reached 10th place in this far-from-flattering ranking. Other Italian players featured include Giorgio Chinaglia (11th), Paolo Di Canio (18th), and Pasquale Bruno (31st).
The ranking also includes football legends such as Eric Cantona (13th), Paul Gascoigne (16th), Diego Maradona (22nd), George Best (27th), and Romário (32nd). Which of these football “villains” is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
Here is the complete ranking of the 50 most notorious footballers in football history:
1st — Robin Friday (England) – READ ALSO: The Story of Robin Friday
2nd — Neil Ruddock (England)
3rd — Stig Tofting (Denmark)
4th — Ramón A. Suárez (Argentina)
5th — Stan Collymore (England)
6th — Dadá Maravilha (Brazil)
7th — Gerardo Bedoya (Colombia)
8th — Edmundo (Brazil)
9th — Marlon King (South Africa)
10th — Mario Balotelli (Italy)
11th — Giorgio Chinaglia (Italy)
12th — Gavin Grant (England)
13th — Eric Cantona (France)
14th — Roy Keane (Ireland)
15th — Luis Suárez (Uruguay)
16th — Paul Gascoigne (England)
17th — Andoni Goikoetxea (Spain)
18th — Paolo Di Canio (Italy)
19th — Faustino Asprilla (Colombia)
20th — Frank McAvennie (Scotland)
21st — Duncan Ferguson (Scotland)
22nd — Diego Maradona (Argentina)
23rd — Vinnie Jones (England)
24th — René Higuita (Colombia)
25th — Adriano (Brazil)
26th — Stefan Effenberg (Germany)
27th — George Best (Northern Ireland)
28th — Lars Elstrup (Denmark)
29th — El-Hadji Diouf (Senegal)
30th — Shep Messing (United States)
31st — Pasquale Bruno (Italy)
32nd — Romário (Brazil)
33rd — Kevin Muscat (Australia)
34th — Stan Bowles (England)
35th — Paul Merson (England)
36th — Uli Borowka (Germany)
37th — Jean Baeza (France)
38th — Germán Burgos (Argentina)
39th — Almir Pernambuquinho (Brazil)
40th — Bruce Grobbelaar (Zimbabwe)
41st — Siniša Mihajlović (Serbia)
42nd — Rudi Brunnenmeier (Germany)
43rd — Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
44th — Mickey Thomas (Wales)
45th — Hugo Gatti (Argentina)
46th — Ramón Quiroga (Argentina/Peru)
47th — Joey Barton (England)
48th — José Luis Chilavert (Paraguay)
49th — Loco Abreu (Uruguay)
50th — Jean-Marie Pfaff (Belgium)