Football as a sport is widely known as the beautiful game but it isn’t always played in a ‘beautiful’ way, as players sometimes make bad decisions leading to them receiving a red card from the referee. This could be the result of a dangerous challenge, an off-the-ball incident or sometimes receiving two yellow cards.

So Who Has Received The Most Red Cards In Their Career?

10. Gerrardo Torrado – 22

The Mexican midfielder received 22 red cards in 680 appearances during his career, which lasted from 1997 to 2017. Throughout this time, Torrado played for clubs such as Cruz Azul, Racing Santander and Sevilla whilst also making 144 appearances for Mexico, including the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

9. Rafael Marquez – 22

Another Mexican player that also received 22 red cards during their career was Rafael Marquez. Marquez made 663 career appearances for clubs including Monaco, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls and is seen as one of the best Mexican footballers of all time. One of his 22 red cards came in the 2002 World Cup against the United States, where he headbutted Cobi Jones and since then has stated he didn’t regret the incident.

8. Cyril Root – 22

Cyril Root was an aggressive midfielder who picked up 22 red cards and 150 yellow cards in just 369 career appearances. Root spent his career at clubs such as Lens, Marseille and Nice between 1993 and 2010 and in that time, he won the Coupe de la Ligue with Lens in 1999. With that many cards in that little game time, you can imagine the type of player that he was on the pitch.

7. Alexis Ruano Delgado – 22

The Spanish centre back picked up 22 red cards in 424 career appearances spanning between 2002 and 2020. During his career, Delgado played for clubs such as Malaga and Valencia and was known for his tough tackling. However, he was also known for his ability, which managed to feature him in La Liga’s best defence in the 2006/07 season, in which he was playing for Getafe.

6. Paolo Montero – 23

Montero was a Uruguayan defender who played for clubs such as Juventus and Atalanta, making 355 career appearances during that time. He won the Italian league title four times during his career and holds the record for the most red cards in the Italian top flight, with 16 of his 23 coming in this competition.

5. Edgar Davids – 25

Edgar Davids is an icon in the footballing world known for his tenacity on the pitch as well as his goggles that he wore on the pitch. His appearances-to-red-card ratio is markedly higher than the previous 5 players on this list, as he made 1,155 appearances in his career between 1991 and 2014. The Dutchman had stints at Juventus, Parma and Paris Saint-Germain, amongst others, during his career.

5️⃣ Edgar Davids — 25 Red Cards

The “Pitbull” lived up to the nickname. Champions League winner with Ajax, star at Juventus… and still getting red cards at Barnet at age 40. pic.twitter.com/XfUyimeDfU

— Why It Is Trending (@trendingblog247) November 14, 2025

4. Felipe Melo – 26

Felipe Melo was a Brazilian defensive midfielder who accumulated 26 red cards in 653 career appearances between 2001 and 2024. During this time, Melo played for 12 different clubs, including Flamengo, Juventus and Inter Milan and as you can imagine, was known for his tough tackling and general misbehaviour on the pitch.

3. Pablo Alfaro – 27

Pablo Alfaro was a Spanish centre half that collected 27 red cards throughout his 21-year career between 1986 and 2007. In this time, he was part of Johan Cruyff’s La Liga-winning Barcelona team in 1993 and was known in this team for his disciplinary record. As well as Barcelona, Alfaro also played for Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Zaragoza.

2. Sergio Ramos – 30

Sergio Ramos is widely regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs to play the game, but alongside his ability, he also had a love for the dark arts. He was also part of a frightening defensive partnership during his time at Real Madrid with Pepe, who was also an aggressive player. Ramos is still playing currently so this number of red cards could increase - however, he is still a way off number 1.

Sergio Ramos has the most yellow AND red cards since 1 January 2001 😤😂

✅ All-time record for yellow cards in LaLiga with 193

✅ Most carded player in the history of the Champions League

Bro is inevitable 🟨🟥 pic.twitter.com/Jcu3rOCf7h

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) November 29, 2025

1. Gerardo Bedoya – 46

Gerardo Bedoya is by far the player with the highest number of red cards in his career, with his 46 red cards in 601 appearances putting him 16 red cards ahead of second place. The Columbian international played for clubs such as Racing Club and Boca Juniors in his career, which you can imagine involved a lot of disciplinary issues, as he averaged a red card almost every 12 appearances.

🟥 Gerardo Bedoya holds the record for the most red cards in football history — 46 in total! Known for his fiery tackles, he truly earned the nickname “The Beast.” 💥 pic.twitter.com/9QoxSWBmwu

— Nasir (@AlNasir05) September 30, 2025