Most red cards in a Premier League season: Where does Cristian Romero rank among the dirtiest players?

Cristian Romero has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons of late, with his latest episode coming in Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Manchester United on Saturday, where a red card saw him reach an unwanted disciplinary milestone.

Just days after stirring controversy with public criticism of the Spurs hierarchy’s transfer strategy, the club captain’s on-field rashness saw him dismissed by referee Michael Oliver at Old Trafford following a late challenge on Casemiro.

While his sending-off proved costly for Spurs, who eventually lost 2–0, it also marked the Argentine’s sixth red card in all competitions across his five-year stay in North London — a tally no other Premier League player has matched in that period.

At the time of writing, the World Cup winner has also collected the most red cards in the ongoing top-flight campaign (2), having previously received his marching orders for kicking Ibrahima Konate in the chest during Tottenham’s defeat to Liverpool on December 20, 2025.

As a result, Romero now finds himself edging towards an unenviable slice of history and could even threaten an over 30-year-old mark for most dismissals in a single campaign, with no player having exceeded three.

With that in mind, Sports Mole takes a look at the players with the highest number of red cards in a single Premier League season, as well as where Romero ranks among Tottenham’s most-sent-off players in the competition.

Players with the most red cards in a single Premier League season

Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon, 1995–96)

Vinnie Jones was synonymous with disciplinary trouble during his time in the English top flight, from picking up a caution just three minutes into a match against Sheffield United in 1992 to ranking among the most-sent-off players in Premier League history.

Just one behind joint all-time holders Patrick Vieira, Duncan Ferguson and Richard Dunne, Jones was dismissed seven times in his Premier League career across spells with Wimbledon and Chelsea.

However, the combative midfielder recorded his highest single-season tally in the 1995–96 campaign, receiving three red cards in 33 appearances — two for double bookings against Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, and a straight dismissal versus Liverpool.

David Batty (Newcastle United, 1997–98)

Not as notoriously ill-disciplined as Jones but still guilty of a feisty edge, Batty was sent off five times across 268 Premier League appearances with Newcastle United, Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers.

Three of those red cards came during the 1997–98 season in 32 matches for the Magpies, with the midfielder receiving two second yellows against Liverpool and Derby County before a straight red on the final day versus Blackburn, leaving him joint-highest for dismissals that campaign.

Slaven Bilic (Everton, 1997–98)

Joining Batty that year was Slaven Bilic, who made 76 Premier League appearances across spells with West Ham United and Everton.

The Croatian endured a turbulent 1997–98 campaign, collecting three red cards in just 24 matches — a double booking against Newcastle followed by straight dismissals versus Chelsea and Southampton — the only sending-offs of his English top-flight career.

Craig Short (Blackburn Rovers, 2001–02)

Craig Short spent eight seasons in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and Everton, making 181 appearances and receiving four red cards overall.

Three of those came in 2001–02 across 22 games for Blackburn, with a second yellow against Manchester United followed by straight reds versus Sunderland and Fulham.

Franck Queudrue (Middlesbrough, 2002–03)

Queudrue featured in the Premier League for eight seasons with Middlesbrough, Fulham and Birmingham City, making over 200 appearances and receiving six red cards in total.

Half of those dismissals arrived in the 2002–03 campaign with Middlesbrough, including straight reds against Birmingham City and Arsenal, alongside a double-yellow sending-off against Birmingham.

Wes Brown (Sunderland, 2013–14)

Brown spent the majority of his career at Manchester United but also featured prominently for Sunderland, amassing over 300 Premier League appearances across both clubs in 17 seasons.

The defender was dismissed five times in the competition, with his highest tally coming in 2013–14, when he received three straight red cards in 25 outings against Stoke City, Norwich City and Hull City.

Victor Wanyama (Southampton, 2015–16)

Across seven Premier League seasons with Southampton and Tottenham, Wanyama made 154 appearances and collected three red cards.

All three came in the 2015–16 campaign, with the Kenyan midfielder receiving second yellows against Bournemouth and Norwich City before a straight dismissal versus West Ham United.

Where does Romero rank among Tottenham’s most-sent-off Premier League players?

Following his red card against Manchester United, Romero moved clear of the likes of Son Heung-min, Michael Dawson and Mauricio Taricco, all of whom were sent off three times in the competition for Spurs.

The Argentine now sits on four Premier League red cards, level with former French centre-back Younes Kaboul, who had two spells at the club between 2007–08 and 2010–15.

Putting the figures into context, Romero has reached that tally in 121 league appearances for Tottenham, while Kaboul accumulated his four dismissals in 110 matches.