There a bit a whole host footballers and managers who have dished out taunts to opposing players and managers alike. Emi Martinez has been a modern day provocateur, using antics during penalty shootouts. Managers Diego Simeone and Jose Mourinho also feature.
Since football's very inception, there have been countless individuals that have played hard and pushed referees and adversaries to their very limit, playing off of the masses in attendance, or just upping their craftiness to get their desired outcome. Football is as much a mental test as it is physical, and the players this article is going to look at are the biggest wind-up merchants, and borderline criminals in some cases, the game has ever seen. From Jamie Vardy 's almost weekly antics to defensive greats Sergio Ramos and Pepe , the world over has seen its fair share of provocateurs.
Diego Costa, Jamie Vardy and Luiz Suarez are among the Premier League icons that loved getting under their opponents' and fans' skin. 11 Emiliano Martinez As much as he is one of the globe's finest goalkeepers, Emi Martinez is also one of the biggest wind-ups around. With particular notoriety from the penalty spot, the Argentina and Aston Villa man is a great exponent of trash-talking bravado in order to disrupt his opponent's cool in front of goal.
Martinez's 6 ft 5 frame and excellent reflexes take a quiet back seat in exchanges with takers, showing he has the skill to back up his chatter. In 2021's Copa America semi-final, the stopper .