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The game of football never stops to amaze us with all the entertainment and passion involved. It is incredible how fans around the globe religiously follow the game.
That being said, it is not just the fans that are insanely passionate about the game. Passion and adrenaline flow crazily among the footballers on the pitch too.
Footballers have had a reputation for losing control on the pitch
With all the intensity involved in the game, it so sometimes happens that players lose control over themselves. At times, it is in the form of physical confrontation which eventually leads to their sending off. Players have been known to go into some rough tackles and pose a risk to opposing players.
Roy Keane was one of the most passionate footballers on the pitch during his time but at the same time, his tackles were quite intense and risky. Surprisingly, the Irishman is not on this list of footballers being sent off.
On that note, we take a look at the players who have been sent off the most number of times in Europe's top five leagues in the 21st century.
Note: All stats are as per Transfermarkt
#5 Matuzalem (13 times)
Matuzalem was a Brazilian midfielder having played for multiple European clubs in his football career. He played in Serie A for the majority of his career.
The Brazilian played for Lazio, Brescia Calcio, Genoa, Piacenza Calcio, Napoli and Hellas Verona in Italy's top division. With his aggressive style of play, Matuzalem was on the receiving end of a red card more often than not. He was sent off ten times in Serie A.
While playing for Lazio, he was sent off once in the Europa League. Matuzalem received his marching orders twice while playing for Real Zargoza in La Liga within one season itself.
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Giampiero Pinzi, Alberto Lopo, Sulley Muntari & Cyril Jeunechamp (14 times)
The fourth position sees five players tied for the same spot. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Giampiero Pinzi, Alberto Lopo, Sulley Muntari & Cyril Jeunechamp all have had different levels of success in their careers.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is without a doubt the most successful of them. The Swedish star has always been a notorious character on the pitch and it comes as no surprise that he has been sent off 14 times in his career. He has been shown the red card five times with AC Milan, the most at any club Zlatan has played.
Giampiero Pinzi was a central midfielder who played his entire career in Italy. He was sent off 13 times while playing for Udinese and once for Chievo Verona. Alberto Lopo played his entire career in Spain, with long spells at Deportivo de La Coruna and Espanyol. He was sent off four times while playing for Deportivo and eight times while playing for Espanyol.
Sulley Muntari was always known for having a short temper and was sent off 12 times while playing in Serie A. Cyril Jeunechamp played his entire club career in France as a defensive midfielder and was habituated to being sent off with his aggressive style of play.
#3 Gonzalo Rodriguez (15 times)
The Argentine centre-back was a regular face at Villarreal after spending nine seasons in Spain. During that duration, Gonzalo Rodriguez was sent off eight times for the Yellow Submarine.
The tall centre-back joined Fiorentina in Serie A in 2012 and spent five seasons there. Interestingly, Gonzalo Rodriguez was sent off twice with the Italian side while playing in the Europa League. In the league, he was sent four times for his reckless approach.
#2 Philippe Mexes & Thiago Motta (16 times)
Philippe Mexes started out his career in France with Auxerre. The French centre-back has always had a reputation for losing control and turning extra aggressive. This more often than not resulted in him being sent off.
At Auxerre, he was sent off only once. It was with AS Roma that the Frenchman was shown the red card eleven times. In the last four seasons of his career, Mexes played for AC Milan. Even with the Italian giants, he received his marching orders thrice.
Thiago Motta was one of the most underrated midfielders of his time. Using his intellect and technical abilities, he was a reliable figure in midfield. But at times, he was found guilty of being too aggressive.
In his amazing career, Motta was sent off five times with Paris Saint-Germain, eight times with Barcelona, and once each with Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Genoa.
#1 Sergio Ramos (26 times)
Sergio Ramos and red cards have always gone hand in hand. The Spanish defender has been a stellar player throughout his football career and continues to be a massive player on the pitch.
That being said, Ramos has always been tempted to be rash and reckless on the pitch. He has loved getting into feuds with the opposition and it has very frequently resulted in him being sent off. The Spaniard has a legendary status at Real Madrid and interestingly, all of his 26 red cards have come while playing for them.
Out of the 26, 20 have come while playing in La Liga. Ramos has four UEFA Champions League trophies to his name and has been sent off four times in the tournament. The remaining red cards have come in the Copa Del Rey.
There is no active player who can challenge Sergio Ramos when it comes to the frequency of being sent off.
