Paul Ince combined class and skill with a tenacious attitude on the pitch to become one of the best midfielders of his era.
During his illustrious career, Ince represented some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Manchester United, Liverpool, and Inter Milan.
He was also a key player for England, winning 53 caps between his debut in 1992 and his international retirement in 2000.
Ince went toe-to-toe with some of the best midfielders the beautiful game had to offer across three decades, and now he has revealed the hardest opponent he faced in an interview on talkSPORT.
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The 57-year-old collided with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira back in the day, and yet he claims that another former Premier League star was the toughest man that he ever faced on the pitch.
Instead, Ince insists that his toughest opponent was actually former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly.
"I've had a few. Keany, Steven Gerrard, Vieira but I'd probably say Desailly,” he said.
“He was tough. When he was at AC Milan. Before the Milan derby we had to do a big photoshoot, me and Desailly with our mouths open roaring for a big billboard in Milan.
"We had to go to this warehouse, but he refused to go because he was at AC and I was at Inter.
“I don't know whether he didn't like me or something but we didn't go.
"Quarter to eight kick-off, first tackle - I absolutely melted him.
“I put him on his a*** and shout, 'get up, get up!'
“He then looked at me.
"About ten minutes later, he just cracked me.
“I thought, 'wow'. I thought I'd been hit by a juggernaut.
"It was the toughest game I've had.
“We were always going into each other, head-to-head.
“It was tough, tough man."
Desailly won 116 caps for France during an international career that saw him lift the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship.
He was also a star at club level, representing top European sides like Marseille, AC Milan, and Chelsea.
The Frenchman won the UEFA Champions League twice, once with Marseille in 1993 and with Milan in 1994.
Topics: Liverpool, Manchester United, Premier League, Football, Chelsea
Jonathan Bray