Most red cards in football history: Where does former Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos rank amongst the top 10?

Football is known worldwide as the beautiful game, and while the sight of a slick passage of play makes for entertaining viewing, sometimes tempers spill over, and players are sent off.

An occasional red card could be dismissed as either a poor tactical decision or a rash mistake, but the players that end up in the list of the top 10 most sent off players in history usually have an established reputation.

For example, former Real Madrid centre-back Sergio Ramos is one of the most successful players of all time, but he is also widely regarded as one of the most unsportsmanlike players to ever grace the pitch, and it is no surprise that the Spaniard ranks highly in this list.

Here, Sports Mole answers the question: Who has the most red cards in football history?

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Who has the most red cards in football history?

10. Gerardo Torrado - 22 (MEX)

Years active: 20 (1997-2017)

Teams: UNAM, Tenerife, Poli Ejido, Sevilla, Racing Santander, Cruz Azul, Indy Eleven, Mexico

Career appearances: 680

Career red cards: 22

First up is Mexico international Gerardo Torrado, who terrorised opposition midfielders with his aggression in the centre of the park and earned 22 red cards for his trouble.

The midfielder was capped 144 times by his national side, representing Mexico at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and he even won a number of trophies during his career, including the CONCACAF Champions League and Copa MX.

Torrado won the former as the captain of the Cruz Azul squad, and during his eleven years at the club, he led them to three league finals, as well as picking up 14 red cards along the way.

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9. Cyril Rool - 22 (FRA)

Years active: 17 (1993-2010)

Teams: Bastia, Lens, Marseille (loan), Monaco (loan), Bordeaux, Nice, Marseille

Career appearances: 369

Career red cards: 22

 

A well-known figure in French football, Cyril Rool was an aggressive, tough-tackling midfielder who plied his trade in Ligue 1.

During his time on the pitch, he picked up a troubling 22 red cards, as well as a hefty 150 yellows, making him an unreliable figure.

However, he did manage to walk away with some silverware, and played in the final when Lens won the Coupe de la Ligue in 1998-99.

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8. Rafael Marquez - 22 (MEX)

© Imago

Years active: 22 (1996-2018)

Teams: Atlas, Monaco, Barcelona, New York Red Bulls, Leon, Hellas Verona, Mexico

Career appearances: 663

Career red cards: 22

 

Regarded as one of the best Mexican players of all time, former Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez makes the list with 22 red cards, six of which were earned during his time with La Blaugrana.

Infamously, the star was sent off in the 2002 World Cup after headbutting Cobi Jones of the United States, amidst his nation's exit from the tournament.

Marquez remarked that he did not regret the incident because he considers not being able to control himself to be part of his character.

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7. Alexis Ruano Delgado - 22 (ESP)

Years active: 18 (2002-2020)

Teams: Malaga, Getafe, Valencia, Sevilla, Besiktas, Alaves, Al-Ahli, Racing Santander

Career appearances: 424

Career red cards: 22

 

Spending the majority of his career in Spain before moving abroad in his later years, Alexis Ruano Delgado was a centre-back known to La Liga fans as a tough-tackler.

The former Malaga and Valencia star picked up 22 red cards across his 18-year career, but was also a capable defender at times, featuring as part of the league's best backline in 2006-07 during his stint at Getafe.

Aside from all of the time he spent suspended on the sidelines, Delgado can look back fondly at the 2008 Copa del Rey that he helped Ches win.

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6. Paolo Montero - 23 (URU)

Years active: 17 (1990-2007)

Teams: Penarol, Atalanta, Juventus, San Lorenzo, Uruguay

Career appearances: 355

Career red cards: 23

 

Former Juventus and Atalanta defender Paolo Montero was sent off a staggering 23 times during his 17-year career, though he did play to a high level in Serie A, winning the league four times.

However, he failed to get his hands on the Champions League and lost out in the final on three separate occasions.

Interestingly, Montero holds the record for the most red cards issued in the Italian top flight, and his tally of 16 in the division is unlikely to be beaten any time soon.

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5. Edgar Davids - 25 (NED)

Years active: 23 (1991-2014)

Teams: Parma, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Italy

Career appearances: 1,155

Career red cards: 25

 

The iconic Edgar Davids was renowned for his tenacity in the centre of the park and even earned the nickname 'the pitbull'.

Notably, Davids is the only player on this list to have played in the Premier League, though he only picked up one of his dismissals during his stint at Tottenham Hotspur.

He did however add five reds to his tally during his time in the lower leagues of English football, taking his total to 25.

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4. Felipe Melo - 26 (BRA)

Years active: 23 (2001-2024)

Teams: Flamengo, Cruzeiro, Gremio, Mallorca, Racing Santander, Almeria, Fiorentina, Juventus, Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Palmeiras, Fluminense, Brazil

Career appearances: 653

Career red cards: 26

 

Felipe Melo donned the colours of an impressive 12 different clubs during his 23-year career in professional football, and he was committed to causing chaos up until his retirement at the age of 41.

The versatile former Brazil international could play as either a defensive midfielder or defender and racked up more than 650 appearances, though he missed a chunk of game time through suspension.

Melo picked up 26 red cards in his time, making him one of the most sent off players in the history of the sport.

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3. Pablo Alfaro - 27 (ESP)

Years active: 21 (1986-2007)

Teams: Zaragoza, Barcelona, Racing Santander, Atletico Madrid, Merida, Sevilla, Aragon

Career appearances: 596

Career red cards: 27

 

Pablo Alfaro was part of Johan Cruyff's Barcelona team that won La Liga in 1992-93, but the former top-flight regular is more infamously known for his disciplinary record.

The centre-back received 18 straight red cards and eleven further second-yellow dismissals across his 21-year career, but despite his suspensions, he was still able to achieve some modest success.

Apart from winning the league with Barca, Alfaro also won boasts medals from UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Cup and Segunda Division triumphs.

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2. Sergio Ramos - 30 (ESP)

Years active: 22 (2003 - present)

Teams: Sevilla, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Monterrey, Spain

Career appearances: 798

Career red cards: 30

 

During his time at Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos struck up a frightening partnership with fellow centre-back Pepe, and the duo used the dark arts to their advantage at every opportunity.

Perhaps the most famous example of the Spanish international's questionable behaviour came in the 2017-18 Champions League final, when he locked arms with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, flipped him to the floor with a judo-style move and dislocated his shoulder.

Ramos was not sent off that day, but he has received 30 red cards for his antics throughout his career - the second-highest total in history - a number that only just eclipses his major trophy haul.

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1. Gerardo Bedoya - 46 (COL)

Years active: 20 (1995 - 2015)

Teams: Deportivo Pereira, Deportivo Cali, Racing Club, Colon, Puebla, Boca Juniors, Atletico Nacional, Millonarios, Envigado, Boyaca Chico, Santa Fe, Fortaleza, Cucuta Deportivo, Colombia

Career appearances: 601

Career red cards: 46

The well-travelled Gerardo Bedoya is the player with the most red cards in the history of football, a logic-defying 16 ahead of second-placed Ramos.

Disciplinary issues aside, the former Boca Juniors and Racing Club man lifted a number of trophies in his career, including the Colombian and Argentine top flights, as well as the 2001 Copa America with his national team.

Notably, Bedoya is now in the midst of a coaching career, and he has also been sent off while sat in the Santa Fe dugout as an assistant.

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