Chelsea legend Dennis Wise snubbed Vinnie Jones and Neil Ruddock when naming the biggest hardmen he had faced in his career.
After over a decade playing for Chelsea, club legend Wise has played against some of the Premier League’s toughest players during his playing career.
Wise played over 300 games for Chelsea, winning the FA Cup twice and earned 21 caps for England.
During his playing career, Wise made a name for himself as one of England’s biggest hardmen, earning the respect of Roy Keane after a on-pitch spat during the 2004 FA Cup final.
But there are some men that Wise himself ranks above any others that he faced in the Premier League, and surprisingly neither Jones or Ruddock made his list.
Dennis Wise made 440 appearances for Cheslea. (Image: Getty)
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Wise reflected on his career and revealed some of the hardest and most intimidating players that he faced in England
“You had your Roy Keanes, Nicky Butts, Patrick Vieiras. I came up against all of them,” Wise said.
“They had real bite between their teeth. They were real characters, real tough. Tony Adams. Martin Keown.
“That Arsenal team we came up against were a tough group of boys and so were Manchester United at the time. They were tough.
“Mark Hughes, when he came to Chelsea, wow. You realised what he was about, how strong he is, how focused, how single-minded these people are.”
Vinnie Jones is widely regarded as the hardest player in Premier League history. (Image: Getty)
And it appears that Wise’s respect for several of the Premier League hardmen is mutual, as United legend Keane explained the tactics that the Chelsea man used throughout his career.
“I think he [Wise] used to get away with it a lot because he was sneaky. He was a snake in the grass, he used to pinch people,” explained the 52-year-old during an episode of The Overlap‘s Stick To Football podcast.
In a previous episode, United teammate Gary Neville joked: “Dennis Wise was unbelievable with what he used to get away with. He’d gouge your eyes out, Dennis Wise!”
In total, Wise made 747 club appearances across all competitions, scoring 120 goals.
After retiring, he has managed the likes of Millwall, Swindon Town and Leeds United.
