Micah Richards names football's ultimate hardman who even Roy Keane was absolutely terrified of

Former Manchester City star Micah Richards has named the player he considers as the hardest man in football.

Over the years, the Premier League has housed some of the world's hardest players.

For example, the likes of Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Jaap Stam, Nemanja Vidic and Vinnie Jones are some of the many tough players that have graced the Premier League.

However, according to ex-City and Aston Villa man Richards, Scotsman Duncan Ferguson is the hardest of them all.

During an episode of the Match of the Day podcast, Richards, along with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer were tasked with ranking the hardest men to play in the English top flight.

Richards placed Keane in fifth, with former striker Ferguson taking the top spot for both him and Shearer.

Explaining his decision, the former City defender said in 2023: “I watched some videos because a couple of these are before my time and the reason why he slipped down to number five is because of Duncan Ferguson. I was watching clips of Duncan and both Jaap Stam and Roy Keane walked away from a confrontation [with Ferguson].

“I was like, ‘how hard are you really then?’ Everyone did [walk away from Ferguson]. He’s the ultimate hard man because nobody wants smoke with him.

“Roy Keane let me down, to be honest, because everybody talks about him as a hard man."

Duncan Ferguson has been voted the Premier League's hardest ever player. Image: Getty

Keane's United teammates Vidic and Stam alongside Welsh midfielder Jones completed the rest of Richards' top five list.

Following their careers on the pitch, both Richards and Keane took the microphone to offer their expertise as football pundits.

And, despite their opposing personalities, the two men have developed a strong relationship and are regarded by many as the best punditry duo in the game.

Speaking about his relationship with Keane, Richards once said: "He’s nice with me [in their roles as Sky Sports pundits]. You guys [Lineker and Shearer] are legends of the game and Roy is in that category.

"So when you have to work with him, you’ve got respect. I love working with him. I couldn’t compete with him as a player, with medals, but I can make him uncomfortable on camera."