The one player in football history to receive a 0/10 from L’Equipe

L’Equipe are famously discerning with their player ratings, with Lionel Messi and Neymar among only a handful of players in football history to receive their mythical 10/10.

But getting a 0/10 is harder than you might think. In fact, it’s an unwelcome distinction that only one footballer has ever been given by the long-running French sports paper.

A player can evidently have an absolute shocker on the pitch, producing an all-time stinker of a performance, and they’ll usually at least be awarded a one or a two.

For example, in the 2025 Champions League final, hapless wingback Federico Dimarco received a 1/10 for his role in Inter’s 5-0 humiliation at the hands of PSG. Seven other starters received a 2/10.

It seems that a zero is reserved for something that goes beyond just a bad performance – a moral failing.

For example, last season Lyon manager Paolo Fonseca became only the second person to receive the score.

That was because he butted heads and screamed in the face of a match official who had awarded a VAR-assisted late penalty against his team – an incident that also earned the Portuguese coach a near-unprecedented nine-month touchline ban.

Brazilian midfielder Wendel was the only player to receive the score, way back in 2008.

Wendel spent his prime years at Bordeaux in the late 2000s. He made over 200 appearances for the club, regularly contributed goals and assists, and was a key part of the side that won the Ligue 1 title under Laurent Blanc.

He wasn’t an especially dirty player, having received just one red card in his six-year stint with Les Girondins, but it was a doozy.

One of three players sent off in a spectacularly ill-tempered clash with Grenoble in September 2008, Wendel’s challenge on Albert Baning was especially vicious – earning him a straight red card, a three-match ban and a 0/10 from L’Equipe.

We must admit, we were expecting worse when we looked up the clip . It’s a horror challenge, no doubt, certainly worthy of a red.

But is it singularly worth singling out in the past 40 years of football? We’re not so sure. It appears that previous indiscretions factored into their thinking.

“What’s happening to the Brazilian policeman?” wrote L’Equipe reporter Bernard Lions in his match ratings.

A slight aside, that’s a Google translation from the original French (“ policé brésilien “).

We’ve done some digging for that particular phrase and have come up short. We can only assume that it’s a particularly peculiar French football idiom, meaning something like ‘enforcer’.

(Any French football experts – get in touch as we’d love to get a definitive answer on this one.)

“Shining last year, he’s a mere shadow of his former self this season,” Lions continued.

“After unintentionally but seriously injuring Nantes’ Abdoun on August 24 (2-0), he was guilty yesterday of a very nasty tackle on Baning’s knee, resulting in a straight red card (53rd minute). Unacceptable.”

So, there you have it.

You can produce an absolute disasterclass. Put a couple into your own net or miss a succession of open-goal sitters and L’Equipe will at least reward your efforts with a score.

But put in a dangerous leg-breaker and you’re getting a zero.