{"id":17032,"date":"2026-11-13T15:15:51","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T15:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/13\/10-footballers-with-the-most-red-cards-in-football-history\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T15:15:51","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T15:15:51","slug":"10-footballers-with-the-most-red-cards-in-football-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/13\/10-footballers-with-the-most-red-cards-in-football-history\/","title":{"rendered":"10 footballers with the most red cards in football history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"10<\/p>\n
By Adegboyega Adeleye<\/h6>\n

\n

Footballers are often praised for keeping their cool when the stakes are high, but some of the game\u2019s most recognisable names have become known for receiving repeated red cards. From tough-tackling defenders to forceful midfielders, their careers have combined success on the pitch with frequent disciplinary woes.<\/p>\n

\n

Gerardo Bedoya stands clear at the top of the ranking, with 46 red cards during his playing career and recognised by the Guinness World Records. The former Colombia international\u2019s fiery reputation followed him into coaching: in 2016, he was sent off just 21 minutes into his first match as an assistant coach at Santa Fe.<\/p>\n

\n

Red-card totals can differ between databases because no single global record tracks every player\u2019s dismissals across all competitions.<\/p>\n

\n

According to a recent ranking by Planet Football, here are the 10 players who have been sent off the most times in football history.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Alexis Ruano Delgado \u2014 22 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Spanish centre-back played for M\u00e1laga, Getafe, Valencia and Sevilla, among other clubs. He won the Copa del Rey with Valencia in 2008.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Rafael M\u00e1rquez \u2014 22 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The Mexican defender played for Barcelona, Monaco and New York Red Bulls, among other clubs, and represented Mexico at five World Cups. Six of his red cards came during his time at Barcelona.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Cyril Rool \u2014 22 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The French midfielder played in Ligue 1 for clubs including Lens, Bordeaux and Nice. His career, which ran from 1993 to 2010, also included more than 150 yellow cards.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Gerardo Torrado \u2014 22 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Mexico\u2019s former defensive midfielder earned 144 international caps and played at three World Cups. He spent 11 years at Cruz Azul, where he was sent off 14 times.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Paolo Montero \u2014 23 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            The Uruguayan defender played for Atalanta and Juventus, winning Serie A titles with the Turin club. Sixteen of his 23 dismissals came in Italy\u2019s top flight, where he holds the league record, according to the ranking.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Edgar Davids \u2014 25 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              The Dutch midfielder won the Champions League with Ajax and also played for Juventus and Tottenham. Known for his energetic style, he continued his career with Barnet in England\u2019s lower leagues.<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Felipe Melo \u2014 26 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                The Brazilian midfielder and defender played for clubs including Juventus, Inter, Galatasaray, Palmeiras and Fluminense. He retired in 2024, aged 41, after a career spanning more than two decades.<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Pablo Alfaro \u2014 27 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  The Spanish centre-back played for Barcelona, Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, Racing Santander and Sevilla. He was part of Barcelona\u2019s 1992\u201393 La Liga-winning squad and later earned a UEFA Cup winner\u2019s medal with Sevilla.<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Sergio Ramos \u2014 30 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    The World Cup winner and former Real Madrid captain is second, with 30 career dismissals. His total includes 26 red cards at Real Madrid and four across spells with Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain and Monterrey.<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. Gerardo Bedoya \u2014 46 red cards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      The former Colombian international tops the ranking with 46 dismissals during his playing career. Known for his aggressive approach, Bedoya\u2019s reputation followed him into coaching as he was sent off just 21 minutes into his first match as a Santa Fe assistant in 2016.<\/p>\n

                      \n

                      Vanguard News<\/a><\/p>\n

                      \n

                      The post 10 footballers with the most red cards in football history<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                      Source: <\/p>\n

                      Vanguard News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      By Adegboyega Adeleye Footballers are often praised for keeping their cool when the stakes are high, but some of the game\u2019s most recognisable names have become known for receiving repeated… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17032\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}