Chelsea striker Diego Costa is a player rival fans love to hate and is in more disciplinary trouble with the Football Association after being charged with violent conduct following an ill-tempered clash with Arsenal last weekend.
Here, we look at six of the worst bad boys to grace the Premier League era.
VINNIE JONES
The self-styled Wimbledon hard man and fully paid-up member of the 'Crazy Gang' was sent off 12 times in his career and set a record of being booked after just three seconds of an FA Cup tie. Also claimed notoriety off the pitch when he bit journalist Ted Oliver on the nose in 1995 and Jones ended up taking his tough guy persona to Hollywood where he made it in the movies.
LUIS SUAREZ
The brilliant Barcelona striker is known as much for chomping players as he is for his goal-scoring skills. Banned three times in his career for biting opponents and was also found guilty of abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra during his time at Liverpool. Received an eight-game ban and a £40,000 fine for that, but refused to shake Evra's hand the next time they met.
EL HADJI DIOUF
A player who literally was spitting mad. The Liverpool striker was fined £5,000 by the Glasgow Sheriff Court for spitting at Celtic supporters during a UEFA Cup tie in March 2003. Like a true bad boy he did not learn his lesson and, after moving to Bolton, he was punished for spitting at an 11-year-old Middlesbrough supporter and also at Portsmouth captain Arjan de Zeeuw.
MARIO BALOTELLI
The talent has never quite matched the sideshow, either on or off the pitch. The Italian striker was sent off three times in Manchester City's 2011-12 title-winning season and away from the action the headlines have featured throwing darts at youth-team players, brawling with manager Roberto Mancini and setting off a firework in his bedroom. Why always him indeed?
PAOLO DI CANIO
Be it player or manager there was no stopping the Italian's crazy antics. Proud of his right-wing leanings and an admirer of the former Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, Di Canio bolstered his bad boy reputation at Sheffield Wednesday when he shoved over referee Paul Alcock in 1998 to earn an 11-game ban. Ended up fighting with his own player Leon Clarke as Swindon manager.
JOEY BARTON
Perennial wind-up merchant who has been sent off nine times in his career and been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association on three occasions. Spent 74 days in prison for an attack in Liverpool city centre in 2008 and stubbed a cigar out in a youth team player's eye during a Christmas party fracas. Also guilty of speaking with a fake French accent during his time at Marseille.
Source: PA-WIRE
