Liam Roberts’ reckless tackle on Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is hard to watch, and even harder to understand.
The Millwall goalkeeper rushed out of his goal during his side’s FA Cup fifth round defeat by the Eagles on Saturday and collided with the Frenchman’s head as well as the ball.
Mateta was hospitalised by a horror challenge, while Palace chairman Steve Parish, who branded the challenge as the worst he has ever seen in football, accused the Lions keeper of endangering the striker’s life.
To make matters even worse, as Mateta was being provided oxygen and transferred to a stretcher to be taken to hospital, Millwall fans sang: ‘Let him die, let him die.’
Roberts’ shocking tackle quickly drew comparisons to some of the other horror challenges in football over the years, especially after Parish’s claim.
Many of the worst examples resulted in serious injuries that, in some cases, affected the afflicted for the rest of their careers. Like Saturday’s incident at Selhurst Park, some even threatened more than victim’s career.
Millwall keeper Liam Roberts was shown a red card after his horror challenge on Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta
The Frenchman left the field on a stretcher and was taken to hospital on Saturday night
Palace chairman Steve Parish accused the Lions stopper of endangering the Mateta’s life
9. Roy Keane on Alf-Inge Haaland 2001
During a Manchester derby in 2001, Roy Keane was rightly sent off for a horrific foul on Alf-Inge Haaland after deliberately planting the studs of his right boot into the City player’s right knee.
Keane did not break the leg of Haaland, who was able to complete the full 90 minutes. But that is not to say that Keane did not intend to seriously injure Haaland.
Keane had seemingly been out for revenge because of an incident that took place in 1997 when the Irishman was accused of faking an injury after rupturing his ACL.
As referee David Elleray raised the red card, Keane shouted down to Haaland – who was still on the floor: ‘Don’t ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries. And tell your pal [former Leeds defender David] Wetherall there’s some for him as well.’
Keane was given a three-match ban by the FA fined £5,000. He was punished again the following year – when he was suspended for further five-match ban and hit with a £150,000 fine – after suggesting in his autobiography that he had meant to hurt Haaland.
Roy Keane (centre) saw red against Manchester City in 2001 for a vicious foul on Alf-Inge Haaland
8. Paul Gascoigne on Gary Charles 1991
The enigmatic midfielder’s terrible tackle on Nottingham Forest’s Gary Charles in the 1991 FA Cup final ended up doing him more harm.
A pumped up Gascoigne, a year on from capturing the imagination of the country at the 1990 World Cup, launched into a wild tackle on Charles which resulted in him rupturing his cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The 23-year-old was fortunate to escape a red card for a sickening stamp into the chest of Forest’s Garry Parker in the opening seconds of the match. He admitted in 2011 that he still regrets the tackle on Charles which kept him sidelined for a year.
‘I didn’t go into that challenge to try and really hurt Gary Charles,’ he said. ‘I said sorry afterwards and wanted to make sure he was alright and still had a career ahead of him, and he appreciated that.
‘I tried to get a good challenge on him to let him know he was in a game. I just mistimed it. It was daft and I’m gutted about that.
‘I’m just probably one of those players who couldn’t tackle. When I see the challenge I cringe myself. It’s the biggest regret of my career.’
Paul Gascoigne came off the worse in a shocking kick out at Nottingham Forest’s Gary Charles in the 1991 FA Cup final
7. Harald Schumacher on Patrick Battiston – 1982
Perhaps the most famous mistimed tackle by a goalkeeper came during the clash between West Germany and France and at the 1982 World Cup.
A wonderous through ball by talisman Michel Platini sparked a foot race between Patrick Battiston and stopper Harald Schumacher in the 60th minute of the epic semi-final.
Battiston got to it just inside the box, long before the German, but knocked it wide of the target.
The FC Koln keeper had ample time to apply the brakes. Instead, he leapt into the air, twisted his body and ploughed his hip into the Frenchman’s face at high speed. The Frenchman was knocked unconscious, lost teeth, broke three ribs and sustained lifelong damage to his vertebrae.
Remarkably, there was no foul, penalty or even a yellow card given. Instead, Dutch referee Charles Corver signalled a goal kick.
‘I had a call not long after it happened,’ Battiston told Mail Sport in 2016. ‘It was someone close to Schumacher who said he wanted to meet me. I was told that things had been very unpleasant for him and his family. I wanted to meet him to see if I could calm the situation.
‘There was a lot of media and he was being called a lot of things. I went to see him and we talked about how we felt. For me, that was the end of it. I do not remember if he apologised, I am not sure, but after we met it was over. No bad blood.’
West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher ploghed his hip into the face of France defender Patrick Battiston
6. Graeme Souness on Gheorghe Rotariu – 1988
After his trophy-laden six years on Merseyside with Liverpool Graeme Souness spent time in Serie A with Sampdoria before returning to his native Scotland for five seasons with Rangers.
There, the legendary hard man produced one of his most shocking tackles that resulted in his victim requiring an operation.
The Gers took on FCSB – formerly known as Steaua Bucharest – in the European Cup in 1988. In the first half of the second leg at Ibrox, Souness lunged at Steaua star Gheorghe Rotariu, and even more shockingly escaped a red card.
The Romanian revealed in 2019 that the challenge burst his lymph nodes and left him requiring a ‘quite difficult’ surgery.
‘My lymph nodes burst following this tackle,’ he told Romanian outlet GSP. ‘At half time, the doctor used a syringe to draw out the lymph fluid. My leg started to swell heavily. He put a bandage around my thigh.
‘I didn’t feel my leg anymore but kept playing. I was not in pain because I didn’t feel my leg. After the game, the leg continued to swell. The doctor had to draw out the lymph fluid again.
‘I was operated on the very next morning. It was a surgery…a difficult one. Quite difficult. Because of it, I missed the European Cup semi-finals against Benfica.’
5. Kevin Nolan on Victor Anichebe – 2009
Victor Anichebe instigated legal action over Kevin Nolan’s tackle on him in 2009. The Nigerian striker was sidelined for 11 months after the Newcastle star went aggressively into the tackle, missed the ball and planted his studs on his leg.
Nolan was shown a straight red card for the challenge and subsequently apologised. Anichebe was denied the chance to play in that year’s FA Cup final for Everton and took legal action for loss of earnings related to bonuses for club and country.
The striker settled out of court with the Magpies in 2011.
Shortly after the incident, it was claimed that the £12 shin pads Anichebe was wearing saved his right leg from being ‘snapped in two’.
‘When it happened I thought: “That’s me, that’s my time”,’ he said. ‘But luckily I’ve got strong legs. If that was anyone else their leg would have snapped in two.
‘I’ve never felt as much pain in my life. I couldn’t even look down. It was a terrible tackle but I don’t think he really meant it. He came and said sorry, but what can you do?’
Victor Anichebe instigated legal action over Kevin Nolan’s awful tackle on him in 2009
4. Mason Holgate on Kaoru Mitoma – 2024
Mason Holgate became the quickest player to be sent off last season after he was dismissed just 13 minutes into Sheffield United’s clash with Brighton.
The defender lunged into a tackle on Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma in the opening exchanges at Bramall Lane, in a collision that sparked outrage from the away side.
Holgate was initially shown a yellow card for the tackle before referee Stuart Atwell checked with his assistants, and after a second look on the VAR screen, the punishment was upgraded to a straight red card.
Reacting to the incident at half-time, Jamie Redknapp labelled the challenge ‘one of the worst tackles’ he had ever seen and urged it could have ended Mitoma’s career.
‘It’s an assault, one of the worst tackles I’ve seen in years,’ Redknapp said on Sky Sports. ‘Even in my era, that would’ve been a scandalous tackle.
‘How on earth Mitoma’s managed to get his left leg out of the way, I have no idea. Thank goodness he has, otherwise that’s career ending. His career would be finished.’
Mason Holgate became the quickest player to be sent off last season after he was dismissed just 13 minutes into Sheffield United’s clash with Brighton
3. Ryan Shawcross on Aaron Ramsey – 2010
Aaron Ramsey’s gruesome leg break at the hands of Ryan Shawcross in 2010 is one of the most unpleasant of the Premier League era.
The Stoke defender inflicted a double leg break on the Welshman that left him sidelined for nine months, though Ramsey needed much longer to recover the confidence he burst onto the scene with as a precocious youngster.
In 2022, the one-time England international revealed that he has never spoken to the former Arsenal midfielder about the incident. Nor was he bothered by how it hung over his career for so long.
Ramsey, meanwhile, explained how the challenge affected him in a 2013 interview, and how difficult it was to recover from.
‘It was a really tough thing to go through and I don’t wish it upon anybody,’ he said. ‘The determination and the professionalism that you need, all the hours you have to spend in the gym, it’s quite tough.
‘But I’ve got through that. It’s taken me a bit longer than I would’ve liked, but I’m happy now where I am, and hoping to improve and carry on this good form that I’m in.’
Aaron Ramsey’s gruesome leg break at the hands of Ryan Shawcross in 2010 is one of the most unpleasantly memorable Premier League moments
2. Martin Taylor on Eduardo – 2008
The first of two truly sickening injuries to Arsenal players came in 2008, when Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor snapped Eduardo’s leg in two.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger called for Taylor to be banned for life, though he later retracted his hasty statement.
It was an example of the trauma experienced by so many at St Andrew’s that day. Not least by Taylor who was shaken by the effect of his tackle on the Brazilian. Writing for Mail Sport in 2019, Taylor revealed that he had received death threats but found support in his club.
‘Birmingham were fantastic with me,’ he wrote. ‘There was no formal counselling but there was support from my family, team-mates, manager Alex McLeish, agent Gary Porter and people in football who sent messages of support.
‘I followed Eduardo’s recovery closely through the media and was happy when he was back at the top level.’
Martin Taylor’s ankle-dislocating challenge on Eduardo from 2008 is still remembered today
Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher’s forearm smash on Pedro Mendes left the then Portsmouth player unconscious and needing hospital treatment
1. Ben Thatcher on Pedro Mendes – 2006
Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher’s horror challenge on Pedro Mendes in 2006 left the then Portsmouth player unconscious and needing hospital treatment.
The defender was hit with an unprecedented six-match ban and £130,000 fine. The FA later handed down an eight-game suspension, with a further 15-match ban suspended.
After being released from hospital, Mendes spoke for the first time about the incident and vowed to help the FA bring Thatcher to book.
‘The moment was terrible,’ said Mendes. ‘After the incident my head crashed into the fence and I do not remember anything after that until I was in hospital. At first I had real fear about possible after-effects of the incident, but the doctors told me they are optimistic I will be OK.
‘I am a strong person and one day I hope to forget what happened. But this is the worst thing that has ever happened to me in my career. It is the hardest to deal with.
‘The tackle was totally unnecessary by Thatcher but the subject is in the hands of Portsmouth and the FA. If I am called by them to speak then I will give my opinion.’
