Which Players Have the Most Red Cards in Champions League History?
The players with the most red cards ever in the Champions League!
The Champions League is in full swing, with many huge upsets already taking place in the early stages.
Unsurprisingly, the goals have taken centre stage, but no magical Champions League night would be complete without the arguments that often take place in the heat of the moment under the lights.
It really isn’t proper entertainment without the crunching tackles and feisty battles that modern-day football is slowly losing.
It remains to be seen whether it is the rules or indeed the players themselves that are getting softer.
Fortunately, there have been a handful of Champions League players over the years who have mastered the art of the foul.
Indeed, it has often been their main purpose on the pitch, in a bid to prevent their talented opponents from strutting their stuff as the world watches on.
Sergio Ramos plays the villain
As noted by FIFA, three iconic players hold the record for the most red cards in Champions League history, with Sergio Ramos, Edgar Davids and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all having been sent off four times.
With one defender, one midfielder and one striker leading the way, it represents a very evenly-balanced mix of positions, playing down the stereotype of only defenders doing most of the dirty work, or leaving their foot in when it was best to leave it out.
That said, Real Madrid legend Ramos is perhaps the most notable name in this regard. And his tally could have undoubtedly been a lot bigger had he not been so crafty and clever with his rough-housing.
To be fair to the defender, he has played 11,581 Champions League minutes, which places him ninth for the most minutes played in the competition.
Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah is the most noteworthy victim of such antics, with the Egyptian forced off in just the 31st minute of the 2017/18 Champions League final following a forceful challenge from Ramos.
Madrid went on to win the match 3-1, with Salah perhaps still having nightmares of that unfortunate night in Kyiv.
Lionel Messi is another to have felt the pain of a Ramos challenge, with the Argentine falling victim to many crunching tackles from the defender during his time at Barcelona.
Their battles in El Clasico were on view for the entire world, with the pair, somewhat ironically, now teammates at PSG.
Ramos has even played a role in an opponent being sent off, with Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado handed a second yellow in the 2016/17 final for pushing the Spanish defender.
It’s fair to say that the Madrid legend has played the villain over the years, making more enemies than friends throughout his fantastic career.
Davids and Ibrahimovic share red card burden
As mentioned, both Davids and Ibrahimovic also have four Champions League red cards.
Iconic Netherlands midfielder Davids represented Juventus, Ajax and both Milan clubs in Europe’s elite competition, but it was the Old Lady who witnessed all of his recklessness, with Davids picking up all four of his reds while playing for the Turin-based outfit.
The midfielder will not be remembered for his goals, epitomised by the fact that his red cards (4) outnumbered his Champions League strikes (3).
Fortunately, the title deservedly went his way in 1995/96 with Dutch giants Ajax.
Incredibly, Ibrahimovic also lined out for Ajax, Juventus, Milan and Inter in the Champions League, along with time spent at Barcelona, PSG and Manchester United.
The formidable Swede is certainly no stranger to altercation, with two of his reds coming in his latter years in the French capital.
Another arrived during his spell with Juventus, with his other coming for Inter.
With Davids retired, it leaves plenty of time for either Ramos or Ibrahimovic to move ahead, and gain the unwanted statistic of the most red cards in Champions League history.
Both players remain heavily involved in the competition to this day, with 36-year-old Ramos at PSG, and 40-year-old Ibrahimovic at AC Milan.
If yellow card statistics are anything to go by, however, then it will more than likely be the Spaniard who sets the record.
Adding further to his notorious reputation, Ramos is out on his own at the top with 40 yellow cards to his name.
It’s eight ahead of second-placed Paul Scholes. Both Davids and Ibrahimovic sit much further down the list, with 20 yellow cards each.
Which other Champions League players have often seen red?
There are a total of 13 players just one rung down the all-time list with three red cards.
Once again, it includes a mixture of positions on the pitch, with defenders leading the way. Philippe Mexes, Christian Chivu, Joel Veltman, Stefan Savic, Felipe, Giannis Kalitzakis and Vedat Inceefe.
The midfielders in the list include Patrick Vieira, Marco Verratti, Emre Can, Marcelinho and Arturo Vidal.
Vidal, incidentally, is one of three players to be sent off for three different clubs in the competition, joined by Ibrahimovic and Vieira.
Chelsea legend Didier Drogba is the only striker on the list, with one of his three red cards coming in the 2007/08 final against Manchester United.
Drogba, Cuadrado and Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann are the only three players to have been sent off in a Champions League final, with all three players’ clubs losing that final.
Surprisingly, animated centre-back Pepe has just two Champions League red cards to his name.
He is joined on the list by fellow veteran central defenders Pique, Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini.
Also picking up two reds in the competition were iconic midfielders Paul Gascoigne and Zinedine Zidane, with their perhaps less elegant but equally impressive midfield counterparts Paul Scholes and Mark van Bommel also seeing red on two occasions.
Representing the attacking players in this list are AC Milan’s Olivier Giroud and Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller.
Both are still active in the competition, and will have three red cards to their name should they receive their marching orders another time!
