Top 5 Most Fouled Players In Football History
The best players often hit the ground more often than average players. Getting fouled is also a sign of growth as it means that this man is the most willing and creative player in his team. Most of the playmakers and dribblers usually get fouled while some players have a tendency to get fouled or dive just to get that free penalty or a free-kick.
In modern football getting fouled is taken more seriously compared to older times. Some of our favourite players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are always getting fouled by defenders because they know the threat that they possess in front of the goal.
Man City star Jack Grealish broke the record of getting the most fouls in a single Premier League season (127).
We compiled a list of 5 players who we think got the most fouled in their careers. It may not be statistically correct or in order as the data is not readily available on the fouls players received. A list of best players to receive the majority of fouls.
Virgil van Dijk was shown a yellow for this challenge on Dries Mertens.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 11, 2018
The right call? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/NCrBwe9Reu
Who are the most fouled football players?
5: Cristiano Ronaldo
The greatest Portuguese player of all time is always keen on getting inside the box even if it means getting fouled. The Man Utd forward is not the average playmaker but with the amount of effort, Cristiano has applied for football he deserves to be on the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo used to perform more dribbles in his early career with Manchester United and Real Madrid for that he received his fair share of fouls. In his time at Real Madrid, he was fouled 1.5 times every 90 mins.
Pictures from tonights match: Cristiano fouled pic.twitter.com/gu1FP2RI
— RMA .👑.🌍 (@RealMadrid_F_C) January 30, 2013
4: Lionel Messi
Unarguably the greatest player in the history of football who has the most number of assists has to be on this list. The Argentine gives everything for his team and scissors inside the opposition defence with the ball stuck to his feet. In the process, the defenders get offensive and commit rash fouls on him. The fact that he did not end up higher on this list is because he is so good at dribbling that even fouling him is a task for the defenders.
The player has constantly managed to get a majority of dribbles per game in Europe’s top 5 leagues. Lionel Messi has been fouled 2.8 times every 90 mins during his time at FC Barcelona.
It will feel so odd seeing Ramos fight for Messi when the latter gets some vicious tackles from opposition when Ramos spent last 15 years of his life killing Messi in every El Clasico 😭pic.twitter.com/VZM4z6quNk
— 🇩🇪🐐 (@its_me_axad) August 11, 2021
3: Neymar
The style of player Neymar is it is impossible for him to not get fouled. Some people criticize him for being too easy before going to the ground but there is still contact because if there was no contact there would be no foul. Due to his history of getting fouled he’s prone to injuries.
According to BESOCCER the PSG star was fouled every 21.7 minutes which is a lot for an average player. Apart from all this he is also accused of diving and rolling for winning free kicks and penalties. No matter what Neymar is the most talented and skilled Brazilian of this era. The dribbling skills of Neymar are out of this world.
Neymar went off injured in PSG’s game last night.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 11, 2021
They face Barcelona next week 😳 pic.twitter.com/vpOEwcCTLO
2: Eden Hazard
Hazard is the player who used to rule the Premier League when it comes to dribbling and scoring. The prince of Stamford Bridge had some of the best memories of his career in England where he used to dribble past 3-4 defenders just for fun.
Reports suggest that Eden Hazard is the most fouled player in the last decade. The Belgian star won 1030 fouls which are way more than many of the top playmakers combined. He is ahead by the second person on the list by 233 fouls.
Unfortunately, this sensational talent didn’t thrive well in Madrid and the curse of getting fouled is ruining his magical career.
Eden Hazard in his prime was just unplayable 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ANv0Hh9Ius
— CFC-Blues ⭐️⭐️ (@CFCBlues_com) October 12, 2021
1: Diego Maradona
The Legend of Argentina Diego Maradona won them the World Cup and always made his nation proud. A player who was so good that the opposite team players main motive was to break him down instead of winning the match. Believe me, the fouls Maradona received are the worse compared to the fouls we see in modern football.
In a match between Argentina and Italy, he was fouled 23 times by a single player. I wonder any other player would’ve been fouled more. The player still holds the record for getting the most fouls in the World Cup. It’s crazy how the second and third position is also taken by Maradona himself.
No modern player can survive what Maradona did.
Other Notable Mentions: Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Pele, Nabil Fekir, Zaha, Mo Salah, Saint Maxim, Goncalo Guedes, Ribery, Reus and many more.
Throwback to when Bilbao spent the entire game trying to seriously injure Maradona and he finally had enough. pic.twitter.com/IUlSGHlAJc
— MLS Buzz (@MLS_Buzz) July 24, 2020
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