15 Biggest Wind-Up Merchants in Premier League History

In brief
Robbie Savage, Aaron Ramsdale, and Emmanuel Adebayor are a few of the Premier League’s greatest wind-up merchants.
These athletes have a reputation for employing mind games and trash-talking techniques to irritate both their rivals and supporters.
Former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho is regarded as the Premier League’s greatest mind-game master.
Even though football is primarily a physical sport, players frequently engage in mental combat on the pitch as they try to outsmart and, on occasion, irritate their opponents. Throughout the Premier League’s history, there have been several players who have made it their speciality to wind up opponents. Over the years, a number of celebrities have enjoyed that kind of activity, whether it was their rivals on the pitch or the spectators.

We’ve chosen to examine and highlight the top 15 wind-up merchants in Premier League history, since Jamie Vardy has returned to the league and is creating havoc on his opponents and their supporters. While some of the players on the list are amazing, some are more known for their mental tricks than their skill. A certain’special’ manager is also included.

Premier League’s largest wind-up merchants in history

Name

PL team or clubs

Country of origin

15. Zaha, Wilfred

Cardiff City, Manchester United, and Crystal Palace

The Ivory Coast

14. Guendouzi Matteo

The Arsenal

France

13. Keane Roy

Manchester United and Nottingham Forest

Ireland’s Republic

12. Adebayor, Emmanuel

Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Arsenal

Togo

11. Ramsdale, Aaron

Southampton, Arsenal, Sheffield United, and Bournemouth

England

10. Savage Robbie

Derby County, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Leicester City

Wales

9. Robertson, Andrew

Liverpool and Hull City

Scotland

8. Pickford, Jordan

Everton and Sunderland

England

7. Richarlison

Tottenham Hotspur and Everton

Brazil

6. Suarez Luis

Liverpool

Uruguay

5. Diego Costa

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea

Spain

4. Emi Martinez

Aston Villa and Arsenal

Argentina

3. Maupay, Neal

Brentford, Everton, and Brighton & Hove Albion

France

2. Vardy, Jamie

City of Leicester

England

1. Mourinho, Jose

Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Chelsea

Portugal

15 Wilfred Zaha
Cardiff City, Manchester United, and Crystal Palace

Over the years, Wilfred Zaha, who is best remembered for his amazing legacy at Crystal Palace, played for three Premier League teams and gained a reputation for getting under the skin of the opponents. Without a question, the Ivory Coast international’s skill with the ball at his feet is incredible. His ability to attack was enough to get Palace through some difficult years, and he will be remembered primarily for his skill.

However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy occasionally embarrassing his rivals and their supporters. The star frequently got into arguments with opposing players, and his actions made his fans loathe him. He always understood how to get under their skin, whether it was by mouthing off or theatrically diving, and since there have been rumours that he would go back to England, we might see more of it still.

14 Arsenal’s Matteo Guendouzi

 

Over the years, Wilfred Zaha, who is best remembered for his amazing legacy at Crystal Palace, played for three Premier League teams and gained a reputation for getting under the skin of the opponents. Without a question, the Ivory Coast international’s skill with the ball at his feet is incredible. His ability to attack was enough to get Palace through some difficult years, and he will be remembered primarily for his skill.

However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy occasionally embarrassing his rivals and their supporters. The star frequently got into arguments with opposing players, and his actions made his fans loathe him. He always understood how to get under their skin, whether it was by mouthing off or theatrically diving, and since there have been rumours that he would go back to England, we might see more of it still.

14 Arsenal’s Matteo Guendouzi

Roy Keane works as a pundit these days and frequently takes on the role of a wind-up merchant. However, he hasn’t picked up this skill while he hasn’t played football. During his tenure at Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, he was frequently frightening his rivals and their supporters with his antics.

Being one of the toughest players in Premier League history, Keane never shied away from voicing his opinions, and he occasionally exploited that to mock and intimidate his opponents. In a fiery MUTV interview that finally resulted in his departure from Old Trafford, his enormous personality even led him to burn his own colleagues.

12Emmanuel Adebayor

Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham & Crystal Palace

Leaving Emmanuel Adebayor off this list would have been sacrilegious, given that he is mostly recognised for one of the most egregious acts of s**thousery in Premier League history. Before joining Manchester City in 2009, the former striker played for Arsenal for a number of years after being handed his first opportunity in England.

When he scored against his old team, he couldn’t help but celebrate in front of the Gunners supporters, and he left the Emirates on poor terms. The intended outcome was that his actions infuriated Arsenal supporters. The 39-year-old, however, is ranked this low because, other from that iconic moment, he wasn’t known for accomplishing much else.

11Aaron Ramsdale

Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Arsenal & Southampton

Even though goalkeepers receive a lot of criticism from supporters, particularly when they are playing with the opposing team’s supporters behind them, Aaron Ramsdale is a great example of someone who likes to return the favour. The former Arsenal number one enjoys arguing with supporters whenever he is on the pitch.

The clearest example of his taunting the opposition supporters is from last year’s north London derby, when the Gunners were ahead 1-0 against Tottenham Hotspur. Ramsdale turned to the Spurs supporters behind him and made fun of them with his tongue. It’s always nice to see someone return it, especially since keepers often endure abuse.

10. Robbie Savage
Derby County, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Leicester City

Robbie Savage was one of the few players who could annoy opposing players and supporters. The Welshman had a reputation for getting under people’s skin, and he frequently took advantage of this. The former Blackburn Rovers player has a reputation for constantly irritating and disparaging his opponents.

An excellent illustration of an opponent who lost his mind while playing Savage is Dean Windass. The former Hull City player said that he had trouble focussing for the remainder of the game because Savage had been taunting him early on.

“After I warm up, Savage says, ‘Now then, fatty.'” He basically got on my mind all day and abused us, and I want to murder him before we even start.”

9. Andrew Robertson
Liverpool and Hull City

Andrew Robertson, one of the greatest deals in recent memory, has been crucial to Liverpool’s success under manager Jurgen Klopp. In the past ten years, he and Trent Alexander-Arnold have revolutionised what it means to be a full back, and he has been a crucial member of the team.

In addition, he is a charismatic player for Liverpool who enjoys taking advantage of opponents wherever possible. He virtually smiled in Jordan Pickford’s face during the Merseyside Derby when the Reds swept Everton aside. That has to be one of the most notable examples. A player who isn’t scared to put in the grunt work and get inside opponents’ minds is essential for success, and Robertson has done just that for Liverpool.

8Jordan Pickford

Sunderland & Everton

Speaking of Pickford, he is an even greater windup merchant than the Liverpool man, so it was difficult to feel sorry for him when Robertson made fun of him. In addition to winding up opponents, the Everton goalie has a tendency to make fun of fans. Reds supporters were furious by his cynical dive on the ball during a play against Liverpool, but that’s what makes him so fun to watch.

Given Everton’s recent setbacks, his tactics have frequently backfired and left him looking a little foolish, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to frustrate his opponents, and you have to respect him for that level of commitment and self-assurance. It’s not comparable.

7 Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Richarlison Watford

Richarlison, a former Everton footballer, has never hesitated to irritate his rivals and opposing supporters to the extent that he is currently perhaps one of the Premier League’s most despised players. However, he obviously enjoys getting under people’s skin, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

He always had a talent for getting the appropriate people fired up, whether it was through cruel showboating against Nottingham Forest or social media rants ridiculing Liverpool’s shortcomings. His antics initially subsided as he battled to establish himself at Tottenham Hotspur, but he is now back to his best, so don’t be shocked if he soon starts making fun of people again.

Luis Suarez Liverpool, number six

Luis Suarez was a genuine superstar while playing for Liverpool in the Premier League. He was a man who was almost as controversial as he was talented. During his time at Anfield, he was outstanding and scored goals for joy. However, he took advantage of the fact that he was at the time one of the most despised players in England.

In addition to his very real and serious transgressions, he had a tendency to make fun of opponents and infuriate them. One of the most notorious instances of this occurred when David Moyes, the manager of Everton at the time, openly stated that he believed the Uruguayan forward was prone to diving. Naturally, Suarez made a show of sprinting to the manager on the touchline and theatrically diving at his feet after scoring against Moyes’ team in the very following game. An appropriate wind-up vendor.

5 Diego Costa Wolverhampton Wanderers & Chelsea

From one explosive to the next. Diego Costa was a fantastic goal scorer for Chelsea, and even if his time in England was brief, it was unforgettable. That’s because he was a master of mind games in addition to being a fantastic football player.

However, Costa was also known to frighten his teammates with his antics and pranks, so it wasn’t just his opponents who were in risk. During their time together at Stamford Bridge, he had little trouble working up almost anyone, even someone as meek and innocent as N’Golo Kante. Costa was a real character, and more than six years after his departure from Chelsea, the team still lacks a manager to fill the void he left.

4 Emi Martinez, Aston Villa & Arsenal

You must be on this list if you were nearly sent off for agitating the crowd during a penalty shootout. Although Martinez nearly went into problems during the Europa Conference League match against Lille, the Argentina number one is a master at mind tricks. Because the initial yellow card he had earned earlier was discarded as the shootout started, it was thought that the shotstopper had been given a second one for his theatrics.

In addition to the iconic occasion when Bruno Fernandes blasted a 90th minute spot kick over the bar after Martinez pleaded with his opponent to let Cristiano Ronaldo take it, his mind tricks were essential to his country’s win in the 2022 World Cup final.

3 Neal Maupay Brentford, Everton, and Brighton

Neal Maupay has established a reputation as a true wind-up merchant during his tenure in the Premier League, which has included stints with three different clubs. He just enjoys making his opponents angry, and he’s been playing much better lately. Despite being ridiculous, his theatrics against Tottenham last season were really amusing. In a recent tweet, he insulted Everton supporters by saying, “Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.”

Maupay rarely fails to make an impression on his opponents, whether it’s by making fun of their celebration after a goal, as he did with James Madison, or by making fun of the England national team on social media, as he did with them during Euro 2024.

2Jamie Vardy

Leicester City