"Irritating on and off the pitch" - Mark Clattenburg names 5 worst players he dealt with as a referee

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has disclosed the difficulty of dealing with five particular players during his active years as an elite professional. Clattenburg started in the Northern League and served as an assistant referee during his first year in 1993-94.

The following year he became a referee there. Since then, he climbed up the rankings until he became a recognized name in Premier League football. The Englishman served as a Premier League official from 2004–2017. He was later selected as a FIFA referee, officiating in several eminent fixtures from 2006–2017.

During his highly decorated career, the 46-year-old has had the honor of officiating the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final. He also officiated the UEFA Euro 2016 Final, along with 297 Premier League matches.

Clattenburg on makes honest admission about several high-profile players

In a recent interview, Mark Clattenburg transparently revealed the five players he found extremely difficult to contain.

The referee had to deal with four out of those five players quite regularly as they were Premier League stars. However, one other player exclusively finds their name mentioned in this ranking despite never setting foot in the English Premier League. These players are:

1) Craig Bellamy (Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool, West Ham United, Manchester City, Cardiff City)

"The worst one -- and I've thought it for years -- was Bellamy. He was just the most irritating player on the pitch -- and he was irritating off it. He was downright rude and it didn't matter what you said to him. I made mistakes against him but what he used to say to you, it was not acceptable. People say you should have sent him off and I did -- incorrectly for diving. I cautioned him at Bolton for diving and it was a blatant penalty. He was a guy I just didn't really get on well with."

2) Roy Keane (Manchester United)

"Roy was physical, hard and you couldn't trust him. Look at the tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland for example. You never knew what he was going to do next."

3. Jens Lehmann (Arsenal)

"I used to find Jens Lehmann such hard work. He was always difficult because he'd always whinge about people stepping on his toes in the penalty area. Centre-forwards would always try and wind him up. A corner would come in and they would give him a little nudge and he'd go ballistic and push players and have arguments with referees. He was always a difficult one."

4. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)

"I found him difficult to referee during that Fergie era because he was always trying to play mind games. He tried to get under your skin, probably to get that next decision. He was such a difficult player to referee as he was always in your face. When I got older and a bit more wiser, he probably left us alone more."

5. Pepe (Real Madrid)

"I had a run-in with Pepe in the Champions League final. He was a guy who was always difficult because he'd try to frame stuff and wind attackers up to get them sent off, which is not always a great thing when you're trying to referee a football match."

It's remarkable how Clattenburg maintained his composure while dealing with these players countless times in the Premier League. Such control over his temperament under high duress made him a legendary official of the sport that we love to adore.

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