Peter Crouch names the only player who ever made him scared during his 29 year playing career and it’s one who certainly had many a footballer afraid.
The much travelled striker was asked the question on his much loved podcast, so recalled which player he considered his famous fearsome opponent.
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Crouch briefly thought back on his spells with Liverpool, Tottenham, Portsmouth, QPR, Southampton, Norwich, Stoke and Aston Villa, then named former Wolves, Crystal Palace, Rangers and Millwall defender Kevin Muscat as his toughest opponent.
He said: “Kevin Muscat scared me.”
“You know people would say ‘I’m going to break your legs’ – when he would say it, you genuinely believed him.”
Kevin Muscat is 46 today. You remember him.
Some call it a mistimed tackle, others call it GBH…pic.twitter.com/5IzR3Cozkt
— Proper Football (@sid_lambert) August 7, 2019
The Australian defender was once known as ‘the most hated man in football’ after gaining a reputation as a brutal enforcer on the pitch.
Former Charlton midfielder Matty Holmes was awarded £250,000 by the High Court way back in 2004 after Muscat produced a malicious challenge on him, so bad it left the player requiring skin grafts and a metal bolt inserted in his ankle.
Muscat was branded a ‘lowlife’ by Arsenal legend Ian Wright, he stamped on Danny Webber’s head, elbowed Gold Coast United midfielder Jason Culina, threatened to break Ashley Young’s legs while he was a youngster at Watford, and committed one of the worst tackles in football history on Adrian Zahra.
He ended his professional career with 123 yellow cards and 12 red cards, and in 2013 was voted ‘football’s dirtiest ever player’ by Spanish outlet El Gol Digital.
Muscat stood down as Melbourne Victory coach in May after an Asian Champions League clash with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
He also once applied for the manager’s job at Wolves, instead that was handed to Nuno Espirito Santo.
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