The World Cup has showcased the talents of some of the game's top stars.
But for every gifted playmaker the tournament has had its fair share of players who excelled in the physical side of the game.
Here, in no particular order, we list 10 of the hardest men to have been involved in the competition:
1 Harald `Toni' Schumacher
The West Germany goalkeeper featured for his country at the 1982 and 1986 tournaments and his main qualification for inclusion in this list was his shameful assault on France's Patrick Battiston in Spain. Battiston raced through on goal and had lifted the ball past Schumacher, but the German seemed unconcerned about the ball and deliberately launched himself at the Frenchman, who was left with fractured vertebrae. Schumacher, incredibly, was not even booked.
2 Stuart Pearce
Affectionately dubbed "Psycho" by fans of Nottingham Forest and England, the left-back was not to be trifled with. However, more often than not he was hard but fair. Physically tough, but it was his mental strength to take a penalty for England in a shoot-out against Spain at Euro 96 which will live longest in the memory. Pearce missed a vital kick in the 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany but made no mistake against Spain, and the joy and relief on his face when he wiped out the memory of that miss is one of English football's most enduring images.
3 Antonio Rattin
Argentina were dubbed "animals" by England boss Sir Alf Ramsey after the sides met in the 1966 World Cup quarter-final at Wembley, with captain Rattin arguably the most beastly of them all.
The towering defender was apparently sent off by Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst for repeated dissent, and after glowering meaningfully at anyone who cared to look in his direction, finally left the pitch almost 10 minutes after the red card was shown.
4 Graeme Souness
The all-action Liverpool midfielder was as hard as they come and featured for Scotland at the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cup finals. Booked only once in those three trips (against the USSR in 1982) but the moustachioed menace's reputation went before him. He was still getting stuck in as a manager, sent off in his first match as player-boss of Rangers and even taking out one of his own players - Dwight Yorke - with a tackle in a six-a-side training match while at Blackburn.
5 Benjamin Massing
The Cameroon centre-back had been booked in the 10th minute of his side's World Cup 1990 opener against Argentina at the San Siro, but when Claudio Caniggia began to advance menacingly on goal in the 89th minute, Massing knew his side had a 1-0 lead to protect. Determined to stop Caniggia at all costs, two Cameroon defenders sought to take him out but somehow Caniggia just about kept his balance and rode the challenges. Big mistake. Massing charged in with a body-check-cum-tackle which sent the South American hurtling through the air. The red card was instant, and Massing took a bow and exited stage left.
6 Trifon Ivanov
The uncompromising Bulgarian defender was just as scary to look at as to play against. The lank hair and dead-eyed stare would have been enough to make most players run a mile and that was before he had set foot on the pitch. Solid as a rock in the tackle and once endeared himself to one of his club managers in Austria by telling him: "You know nothing about football." Charming.
7 Andoni Goicoechea
Known as "The Butcher of Bilbao", Goicoechea left his stud-marks on the game's history when he almost ended the career of Diego Maradona in September 1983. The Argentinian superstar was left with a broken ankle and damaged ligaments, Goicoechea - who played for Spain at the 1986 finals in Mexico - was given a 16-match ban. Goicoechea decided to commemorate the event by having the boots he wore that night put in a glass case and made into a permanent fixture in his living room.
8 Claudio Gentile
There was nothing gentle about Gentile. The Juventus and Italy defender was an old-school man-marker - happy to use any and every tactic, fair and foul, to stop an opponent. Rough-house tackling, obstruction, shirt-tugging and even some Vinnie Jones-style squeezing of genitals were all part of his unseemly repertoire. Like Goicoechea, also did his best to cut the already-quite-small Diego Maradona in half in a 1982 World Cup match.
9 Jose Bastia
The Uruguayan claimed his place in World Cup folklore as the recipient of the quickest red card in finals history. His X-rated tackle on Scotland midfielder Gordon Strachan in 1986 left French referee Joel Quiniou little option but to send him off after 55 seconds. Still, the end justified the means as 10-man Uruguay held on for a last-16 place at Scotland's expense.
10 Morais
Portugal's 1966 World Cup team figured if they could stop Pele they could stop Brazil, and so it proved. Mario Coluna was given the man-marking duties on the Brazilian great but it was Morais who decided to give his team one less thing to worry about. A sublime shuffle of the feet from Pele took the ball away from Morais, whose late tackle sent him skyward before tumbling to earth. However, with the ball loose and no foul given, Pele was first to his feet, only for Morais to have a second bite at him, this time taking a shin-high swipe which forced Pele to limp off the pitch and out of the World Cup. Pele swore he would never play in the tournament again but thankfully relented for the 1970 finals in Mexico.
