10 Dirtiest Players in the Premier League in 2025 [Ranked]

How to make the beautiful game not so pleasing on the eye, I hear you ask? The answer is simple: sign the following Premier League players. Football is, of course, all about perspective – but there are a handful of players who have a knack of being dirty.

Whether it’s a tackle that former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane would stand and applaud as if it was one of his own or an off-the-ball scuffle outside the referee’s eyesight, the dark arts phenomenon has grown in popularity in recent times.

Players that relish in the mayhem is commonplace in every Premier League fixture nowadays – but who are the dirtiest of the bunch? From Jefferson Lerma to Cristian Romero, there are the top 10 dirtiest players in the English top flight right now.

Ranking Factors

• The number of fouls each entrant has committed in recent years.
• Each entrant’s yellow card tally this season and last.
• A look at general off-the-ball mischief.
• Notable displays of poor discipline towards opposition and/or referees.
• Their approach to dark arts: tackling, duelling etc.

1

Joelinton

Newcastle United

Arriving to England’s top flight, in the summer of 2019 from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim, as a promising centre forward, Joelinton quickly became a hard-working midfielder at Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United and, as such, his responsibility has changed from scoring goals to breaking up play in the heart of the Magpies.

No longer expected to bag 20+ a season (that’s Alexander Isak’s job!) but recycling possession, which coincides with the odd crunching tackle, is now at the summit of his remit. As tenacious as they come, the Brazilian is never too far from the chaos and, as such, earns himself a gold medal here.

2

Cristian Romero

Tottenham Hotspur

The ever-growing idea that Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero is nothing but a rash central defender is just incorrect – but that doesn’t cloud his penchant for lunging in when his poor decision-making comes into play. And that, as expected, often results in chaos ensuing and the Argentine is never too far away from providing fireworks.

A tough tackler of the highest order, Cordoba-born Romero – who, by virtue of his big-money move to Spurs, is one of the most expensive centre-backs in football history – strikes fear into almost every forward he has the job of marking, and it’s clear to see why. He’s stout-hearted, he’s brave, he’s daring – but, of course, it doesn’t always pay off.

3

Lisandro Martinez

Manchester United

Plenty of fans and pundits alike – Jamie Carragher, most notably – were conscious of whether Lisandro Martinez would be able to adapt to the trials and tribulations of Premier League football due to his height. Since, he’s been an up-and-down servant for Manchester United, but one thing has remained a constant: his gift of picking up yellow cards.

It seems that every week, the diminutive Argentina international is caught up in controversy in regard to whether one of his poorly-timed challenges should have resulted in an early bath. The number of cautions he’s picked up has, no doubt, been amplified by being a South American native.

4

Matheus Cunha

Wolverhampton Wanderers

At the time of writing, Matheus Cunha is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the Premier League thanks to his alarming work rate at the top of the Wolverhampton Wanderers tree, but that’s not always at the betterment of his teammates in the Midlands – as evidenced by his throng of dangerous tackles and moments of madness.

His cocktail of sheer pace and willingness to run that extra yard, at points, makes him his side’s crown jewel, but it sometimes comes as a detriment thanks to the resulting fouls given against them. Don’t let that take away from his supreme talent, however, as Manchester United-linked Cunha has all the tools to become one of the most promising forwards in Europe.

5

Liam Delap

Ipswich Town

When Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town were promoted to the Premier League last season, the Northern Irish chief would have told his players about the jump in physicality – and in Liam Delap, they’ve got that in abundance. Equally robust as he is potent, his unrivalled desire – believe it or not – has its downsides too.

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons behind why he is such a sought-after prospect. The likes of fellow Premier League club Chelsea keeping tabs on the young hotshot’s situation and a move seems inevitable, doesn’t it? Strikers of his age typically shy away from the ruckus but Delap, son of throw-in cult hero Rory, wants to be at the centre of the action.

6

Joao Gomes

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Albeit technically excellent, there is just something about how Joao Gomes scuttles in front of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ back line with fire behind his eyes. More than willing to get stuck in when the going gets tough – which is so often does at Molineux – the 23-year-old from Rio de Janeiro is prone to committing a foul.

Also adept at marauding up field and making a difference in the final third, Gomes’ primary tasks are completed in the beating heart of the field: the engine room and legs being flown across an opposing player is something that he has done way too often this season. As of now, there is no other player that has committed more fouls (45) than the Flamengo graduate.

7

Jefferson Lerma

Crystal Palace

Although Crystal Palace’s fortunes have been flipped on their heads since last season’s promising finish, something they can always rely on is the tenacity and bite that Jefferson Lerma brings to the table – and, in all honesty, that’s a necessity for teams struggling to match the top flight’s level. Put it this way: there is no shortage of Lerma lunging into challenges online.

Formerly of Bournemouth, the 52-cap Colombian – a menace to opponents and referees alike – is now provoking the latter’s whistle in south London. Well known for his short fuse and subsequent unpredictable temper, the 30-year-old doesn’t always play for Oliver Glasner’s Eagles but is their enforcer-in-chief when he does.

8

Joao Pedro

Brighton & Hove Albion

What Joao Pedro carries with him at all times is an elite, by any means mentality. Ferociously intent on winning the ball high up the pitch at every given opportunity, the former Watford prospect is often seen bruising his way through defenders with the odd petulance here or there – as evidenced by his jump into Ipswich Town’s Christian Walton recently.

Pedro’s success from 12 yards (93%) out sees him widely regarded as one of the best penalty takers in world football, but – fear not – he’s also no stranger to the dark arts and loves the occasional bit of play acting. Albeit not football’s archetypal hatchet man, you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of the Brazilian given his track record.

9

Richarlison

Everton

Romero is not the only player on Tottenham’s books who dabbles in football’s dark world of a player ‘doing the dirty work’, as Richarlison, who moved to the north Londoners from Everton in the 2022 summer transfer window, is a specialist. He’s often seen as his side’s bonafide ‘dirty’ player – when the aforementioned Romero is unavailable, that is.

Having earned a reputation for a wandering elbow or being late into challenges, the forward, also recognised as one of the Premier League’s biggest wind-up merchants, has struggled to settle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Turning to petulance as a result, the Brazilian’s limited game time is often overshadowed by a lack of effort – or more poignantly, his hot-headed nature.

10

Marc Cucurella

Chelsea

Marc Cucurella has been given a lease of life under new boss Enzo Maresca, having been earmarked as the Italian’s first-choice left-back thus far, and so he’s now back to kicking opposition shins on a regular basis in the Premier League. Thus far, in 2024/25, he’s also matched his appearance tally from last term.

The dogged 13-cap Spain international is, quite clearly, a talented footballer but that’s often overshadowed by his knack for illegally halting Premier League opposition. Dating back to his 38-game stint with Brighton & Hove Albion, most of Cucurella’s time is spent hauling down opponents on the left of the west Londoners’ back four, even if he doesn’t always get cautioned.