Daily Star's World Cup of Football S***houses: Vote for your winner in Group A

Daily Star's World Cup of Football S***houses: Vote for your winner in Group A,If there's one thing we love at the Daily Star, it's a complete wind up merchant. You know, the ones who pinch, argue and time waste like no tomorrow. So we thought we'd crown the ultimate s***house - as voted by you

Daily Star’s World Cup of Football S***houses: Vote for your winner in Group A

There's some things which people just love about football.

For most it is last minute winners, goalkeepers coming up for corners or crunching last-ditch tackles. For us here at Daily Star Towers, it's a good old fashioned s***house.

You know the ones. The footballers who will stand on your toes just to wind you up. Or will pull your shirt and make it look you were the culprit. Or the ones who have mastered the art of time-wasting and riling crowds at the very same time.

But the question has dawned upon us: who is the all-time greatest football s***house?

We've ran two annual World Cup of Pundits before and Roy Keane has been the victor, but will he also come out on top here?

READ NEXT: World Cup's sexiest fan looks glam at PSG – but fans notice cheeky blokes behind her

Group A is full of some of football's biggest wind-up merchants

We have shortlisted 32 names and split them into four randomly-drawn groups. Today, we begin with Group A, where the top two will progress to the semi-finals.

To vote, head down to the bottom of this article.

And if you cannot remember why each of these are wonderful s***houses, here's a little recap…

Aaron Ramsdale

Ramsdale certainly knows how to wind up opposition team-mates and fans (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Every so often there comes a s***house with a God-given talent for riling up opposition players and fans. For one of the best in the game, look no further than Arsenal shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale, whose goal-line antics resemble s***houses of a bygone era.

It became known not long after his move to the Emirates that Ramsdale absolutely revels in being antagonised and targeted by opposition supporters behind his goal. His long CV includes waving at Chelsea fans in a 4-2 thrashing, dancing in front of Leeds supporters and celebrating in Bruno Fernandes’ face after a missed penalty.

And who could forget the time he ran half the length of the pitch to celebrate in Ruben Neves’ face, weeks after the Wolves midfielder criticised Arsenal for over-celebrating their 1-0 win at the Molineux. It seems elephants aren’t the only ones that never forget.

Vinnie Jones

Here's Vinnie being, well, typically Vinnie (Image: Getty Images)

“It’s just you and me today, fatty. I ain’t playing football – and neither are you,” Vinnie Jones said to Paul Gascoigne in the tunnel before they faced off in 1988.

Jones stuck by his words and, in a moment permanently etched into football fans’ memories, grabbed Gazza by the gonads with a mean snarl on his face. The incident typified Jones’ hard-man approach in the ‘80s and ‘90s as part of Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’.

Even now, there are hundreds of videos on YouTube honouring his tough and borderline-disgraceful tackles. This is one Grade A s***house that lives up to the billing, having even made an acting career from his villainous image.

Joey Barton

Barton wanted to take a Man City player with him when he was given his most famous red card

From starting a 10-man brawl in a friendly to taking on the entire Manchester City team single-handedly, Joey Barton is one of football’s great pantomime villains.

The ex-Newcastle United and Man City midfielder, 40, was never one to shy away from a good old bust-up – and to give him his kudos he was usually the one starting the ruckus.

Aside from his on-field antics, there are also the times he publicly slated Burnley on Twitter, blasting the area and the clubs’ lack of fans, only to sign for the Clarets – twice!

Samir Nasri

Nasri was never far from the headlines during his time in the Premier League

Publicly admitting he left Arsenal for the money, Samir Nasri trebled his wages when making the £25million switch to nouveau riche Manchester City. “Economically I have a better life now than what I had at Arsenal,” he told The Telegraph. “It’s normal.”

It wouldn’t be the only time Nasri caused a stir with his choice of wording. The silky playmaker bizarrely tweeted an expletive-laden reply on social media after receiving medical treatment in America. Nasri later claimed his official Twitter account was hacked.

Diego Costa

He’s horrible, he’s petty, he screams at the ref, rolls on the floor, and makes himself a squatter inside your head. In short, he is everything you want in a centre forward. The former Chelsea striker is far from the player who fired the Blues to two Premier League titles in three seasons.

However, he is still as wonderfully horrible as before and nobody is safe from the fiery ex-Spanish international. He’ll insult your mother and your sister, gouge your eyes, stamp on you when you’re on the floor and, in the case of Gareth Barry, he’ll even suck your neck.

Andrew Robertson

Robertson was most recently celebrated as a s***house for laughing in the face of Pickford (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Andrew Robertson may not have the shirts of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he certainly has a comfortable spot in their heads. Messi may have been crowned as the GOAT, but Robertson made him look like a goat when he ruffled his hair during Liverpool’s unforgettable 4-0 victory over Barcelona in 2019.

The Scottish international will clatter into you, steal the ball away, and run past, before circling back and laughing in your face. If ice hockey style fist fights were encouraged in football, one would imagine Robertson would always be the one who starts it. Yet again, everybody should reserve a slight bit of admiration for a player who laughs in the face of pure greatness like a madman.

Craig Bellamy

Bellamy was not a player to be messed with - especially when golf clubs were involved — Bellamy was not a player to be messed with – especially when golf clubs were involved (Image: Getty Images)

Steven Gerrard's assessment of Craig Bellamy being 'a bit of a hothead' doesn't quite do it justice – with three Premier League referees saying he was the very worst player to officiate.

From annoying Michael Olivier to squeezing the balls of Mark Clattenburg and hammering rivals with his 'awful language' Bellamy even told Howard Webb that he 'f***ed up good and proper' after the 2010 World Cup.

The former Cardiff and Liverpool man was constantly in the face of opponents and got four red cards for his troubles, leading the way for future s***housery.

Neal Maupay

Maupay vs Arsenal is a narrative we can all get on board with (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

A modern inductee into the s***house contenders, Neal Maupay was often on the windup during his time at Brighton and even formed a very personal rivalry with Arsenal.
From cupping his ears in a direct repeat of Wilfried Zaha's celebration for Crystal Palace to trying to score from an uncontested drop ball against Chelsea, and often mocking rival fans during celebrations, Maupay is never far from the limelight.
Having left Bernd Leno with a long-term injury back in 2020 and started a brawl – only this month he squared up to Granit Xhaka and Oleksandr Zinchenko to keep the feud going.