Stuart Pearce has named two surprise former England internationals as the toughest players in the Premier League right now. Aside from the nickname, ‘Psycho’ was a hard man in every sense - perfectly illustrated by the time he tried to play on during a match between West Ham and Watford despite having broken his leg.
And that’s not all. There’s perhaps no one in his home country who doesn’t recognise the iconic image of him from a group stage clash against France at Euro ’92. During that match, Pearce suffered a gash to the forehead after a collision but carried on playing with blood streaming down his face - capturing the gritty, fearless spirit that earned him his infamous moniker.
It’s safe to say they don’t make footballers quite like him anymore. But the former England and Nottingham Forest legend believes that, while the definition of toughness may have changed since his playing days, there are still two Premier League players who stand out. He named them during an interview with GIVEMESPORT, courtesy of new free-to-play fantasy football game CLUB.
Pearce Includes Harry Maguire Among PL’s Two Toughest Players
He also picked former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson for good reason
"I think toughness manifests itself in different ways now. Physical toughness is not there," Pearce explained, pointing towards the fact the digital age requires more mental toughness to succeed with so much scrutiny. "You need to be mentally tough, I think."
He then went on to name Manchester United outcast Harry Maguire as one of his two choices for the toughest players in England's top-flight. He said: "Harry Maguire. Harry, a few years ago, I went to watch England play at Old Trafford, I think it was. And I made a beeline after the game. I was fortunate enough to get a ticket in the players' lounge. I went over, and he was getting a lot of stick."
"You know, people didn't want him in the England team. They didn't want him at United, blah, blah, blah. And he kept going, and he kept going, and he kept going, and he won people over. And I went over to see him and I said to him, I really admire you. Keep doing what you're doing."
"You know what I mean? Keep your head down. You don't have to answer people verbally. Your performances will answer them," he continued before naming one of the most underrated players of all time in Jordan Henderson as his other pick.
"And when you talk about tough players nowadays, you need to be tough mentally. And I think Jordan Henderson probably falls into that category as well."
Jordan Henderson's Mental Toughness
He went from zero to hero at Liverpool, captaining them to glory
Jordan Henderson Champions League
The common denominator in Pearce's two picks is that both Maguire and Henderson had to weather storms of adversity and shoulder heavy criticism before proving their worth as captains. But it’s the latter whose story truly begs to be told. The young Mackem featured in more first-team matches in 2011/12 - 48 out of 51 - than any other Liverpool player.
At times, though, he looked adrift - unsure of his role, and even more unsure of his future - while whispers of an exit grew louder. Yet, through quiet grit and relentless perseverance, he rekindled his spark under Brendan Rodgers. When Steven Gerrard departed for LA Galaxy in 2015, the armband found a new arm - and Henderson wore it incredibly well.
Fast forward to 2019, and he led the Reds to their sixth Champions League crown, before lifting their first league title in three decades just a year later.
Then came more criticism - this time for severing ties with the LGBT+ community he had long stood beside - after a controversial move to Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia in 2023. A year on, he traded the gold of the Gulf for the gravitas of Ajax.
Now, he’s back on English soil with Brentford, still writing chapters in a career that has seen it all - and proven, time and again, that his leadership is worth its weight in gold.
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