Revealed: English football's most controversial characters

They don’t make them like they used to. As Lee Bowyer takes his first steps into management at Charlton Athletic, it sees another controversial character back in the headlines.

Today, it’s mainly clean-cut, media savvy footballers who employ someone to look after their instagram and twitter accounts.

There’s odd exceptions to the rule, but the bad boy seems to be a dying breed in an era where everyone is offended by something and risks can’t be taken.

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But let’s not mourn. We’ve had quite a few over the years – some have crossed a line, some have done a line while celebrating a goal and some have just not been able to help themselves.

When you discover Gazza’s flute playing antics haven’t made the cut, you get a feel for how poorly behaved some of our stars are!

We have compiled a list of the top ten/worst 10 controversial English footballers to grace our game.

10: Nile Ranger:

Some say a waste of talent, other to-the-point people say a waste of skin. This lower league miscreant’s sacking by Southend for not bothering to turn up was the tip of the iceberg.

Sent to prison for fraud and money laundering, previously tagged, and in trouble for posting on social media while behind bars he has also been booted out of two clubs and admitted to taking Class A drugs.

9: Steven Gerrard:

A surprise inclusion perhaps, but he’s had his moments. Liverpool’s ultimate hero had two dalliances with Chelsea, famously.

Back in 2008, a nightclub incident saw him accused of a fray – he pleaded not guilty and was cleared in court. The rumour was that he was upset by a Phil Collins record – haven’t we all been, though?

8: Ashley Cole

Don’t get us wrong. We know Ashley Cole was one of the greatest English left-backs that there has ever been. But he could be a fool.

Quite how he managed to find himself in bed with a 3/10 local hairdresser when he had wife Cheryl at home is anyone’s guess. But writing this little nugget in his autobiography turned him into a hate figure for some: “When I heard (agent) Jonathan Barnett repeat the figure of £55k per week, I nearly swerved off the road. I was so incensed. I was trembling with anger.”

7: Sol Campbell

Controversial while playing, and equally so after retirement. His action spoke louder than his words with his boots on, going back on his promise to not leave Tottenham for Arsenal.

Now? Campbell can’t keep quiet. Saying that if he was white he would have captained England for ten years drew eye rolls, as did he comments that he is entitled to a job in management because “he is Sol Campbell” before saying again his colour held him back.

6: Rio Ferdinand

One of a generation’s finest defenders had a few slip-ups off the pitch, and one rather costly memory lapse. Done for drink driving in 1997, and then for driving over the speed limit in 2002, 2003 and 2005. We’re not quite sure what he was doing in 2004.

But in 2003 he failed to turn up for a drugs test and he missed the Euros after being given an eight-month ban.

5: Lee Bowyer

If he wasn’t stamping on players, he was fighting with his team-mates during a game. Bowyer really was a bad boy. Controversy just followed him around.

Picking up five Premier League red cards and 98 yellow, he was convicted for affray after throwing chairs across a McDonalds. Forced to apologise after swearing at a grandmother during a game, he acquitted of a racial attack on an Asian student in 2001.

4: John Terry

Adored by Chelsea fans, disliked by pretty much everyone else. No player divided opinion more.

The whole Wayne Bridge thing – you know the story – tops most people’s ‘against’ list, but parking in disabled bays more than once didn’t help his charm offensive. Though most serious of all, the England man was banned for four matches and fined £220,000 for racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

3: Robbie Fowler

If his quite obvious homophobic abuse of Graeme Le Saux back in 1999 happened today, Robbie Fowler’s feet wouldn’t have touched the ground.

Celebrating a goal by sniffing a line of cocaine wasn’t his greatest moment, either.

2: Joey Barton

Where to start? The life and crimes of our Joey are never ending. Now putting the world to rights on the radio, the king of Shakespeareian cut-and-paste quotes on twitter is now the voice of a generation.

Putting a cigarette out on a youth teamer, numerous spats with fans, breaking a pedestrian’s leg while at the wheel, dropping his shorts to Everton supporters, arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage, admitting assault and affray in 2007 for which he served 77 days in prison the following year, headbutting and elbowing opponents and banned for betting on football.

1: Wayne Rooney

Ah, Wayne. The gift that keeps giving from the 17-year-old who supposedly spent some time in the company of the delightfully-re-named Auld Slapper to various other accusation of straying from poor old Coleen.

It’s not just those type of accusations which have blighted the father of three.

A drink-driving ban, moaning to camera about England fans after yet another shocking England display, becoming a Manchester United contract rebel and a red card when England needed him most against Portugal in 2006.