Former Liverpool and Spurs defender Neil Ruddock has highlighted World Cup winners Enzo Fernandez and Lionel Messi as two players he’d target on-field because of their ‘antics’.
He went on to say that he’s now in the Cristiano Ronaldo camp, despite being in Messi’s for the longest time.
Ruddock pointed to former Manchester United star Eric Cantona as an example of a world class player that showed a level of physicality and brash attitude that went along with his quality.
Modern players to go up against
“No, I managed to kick pretty much everyone I set out to kick! I didn’t miss many,” Ruddock said in an exclusive interview with iGaming, when asked about whether there are any players he’d savor going up against in modern day football.
“Nowadays, most players seem alright, but Lionel Messi wound me up during the World Cup. And that Chelsea midfielder – Enzo Fernandez.
“I wouldn’t mind putting a proper tackle in on him,” Ruddock added.
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Ronaldo over Messi
“I used to be firmly in the Messi camp over Cristiano Ronaldo, mate.
“But after Messi got on my nerves at the World Cup, I switched sides to Ronaldo!
“I’m nearly 60 years old and holding a grudge against Messi because he wound me up on TV – it’s strange, isn’t it?!”
Cantona’s hard edge
“Not in the slightest! He wanted to fight me in the tunnel,” Ruddock said, regarding a situation in his playing days, where he put down Cantona’s collar – whose high-collar aesthetic was iconic.
“He wanted to knock my head off! Cantona was a huge bloke, bigger than me.
“I only did it because he was such a world-class talent and I needed to get inside his head to throw him off his game.
“Turning his upturned collar down drove him mad; he stopped caring about playing football and just wanted to brawl with me.
“It slightly backfired though, because he ended up scoring a last-minute penalty equaliser!
“But an incredible player. I was just doing everything possible to wind him up and break his focus.”
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Juliette White 
Michael Davey