Honourable mention to some of Chelsea's teams of the 60s and 70s. David Webb, the immortal Ron Harris, Peter Osgood, Ian Hutchinson; they were all capable of playing exquisite football but they didn't take any prisoners when the gloves came off.
Football then was a far more physical game in terms of contact than today, and not only in Britain. The Italians had a fearsome reputation, as did some of the Spanish sides. Beckenbauer was a tremendous footballer, one of the greatest ever, but he too excelled in the more physical aspects of the game. As for the South Americans, well, the very mention of Estudiantes or Racing Club is enough to send shudders down the spine of oldies in Manchester and Glasgow.