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#3 Jonathan Woodgate
The poster boy for bad debuts, Jonathan Woodgate's horrendous red card in his first match for Real Madrid has haplessly become the most notable instance of his career.
Having become a fan-favorite at St. James' Park, it came as a surprise to all of the Newcastle faithful when Woodgate was transferred to Los Blancos for an €18.3m fee.
It was supposed to be a dream come true for the Englishman. However, seeds of dismay were sewn when Woodgate turned up at the Bernabeu, injured. A full year after his signing, the Nunthorpe-born defender was finally given the medical green light to make his Real Madrid debut.
In his first appearance as a Madrid player, Woodgate scored an audacious own-goal and secured two bookable offenses to get himself sent off.
After a season's waiting, 66 minutes of game-time, an own goal to open the scoring for the opponent, and a red card was all that Woodgate could come up with for the fans of Los Merengues.
Injuries kept him from procuring a position in the first team and he was subsequently loaned out to Middlesbrough. His Real Madrid career could only span 14 appearances.
#2 Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez has shared a bumpy history with his national team, to say the least. The prolific striker was infamously banned for four months from all football-related activities in 2014, for inexplicably biting Giorgio Chiellini in a group stage match at the World Cup.
However, his red card-worthy antics have been with him since his international debut.
Having missed the chance to appear for Uruguay in the qualifying rounds of the 2007 U-20 World Cup, Suarez made his senior debut shortly after. In an international friendly against fellow South American side Colombia, Suarez was deployed alongside veterans Sebastian Abreu and Gonzalo Vargas.
The mercurial frontman had an average game, perfectly acceptable from a newbie player in his debut. However, close to the final whistle, Suarez was issued a red card, bringing his first expedition as an Uruguay player to an abrupt end.
Controversies would follow Suarez into his future international ventures but he has been able to establish himself as one of the best forwards of his generation.
#1 Lionel Messi
A successive international debut mishappening in the first place sees us revisit Lionel Messi's red card-inclusive maiden outing with the Argentina national team. After impressing for youth level teams, Messi was called up to the senior squad by then-manager Jose Pekerman to participate in a friendly against Hungary on 17th August 2005.
The former Barcelona talisman started on the bench with the first team being stacked with veteran players. In the 64th minute, with La Albiceleste leading the scoreline by 2-1, an 18-year-old Lionel Messi was brought on to seal the game.
Considering the hype that the youngster had mustered due to his stellar performances at club level, fans had been eagerly waiting for his debut in the Argentine colors.
However, his first international appearance lasted mere seconds, as he was shown a straight red card in the 66th minute. On his way to build an attack, Messi felt a tug on his back and recklessly swung his arm to deal with the offender.
Vilmos Vanczák, the Hungarian player in question, proceeded on to the ground in no time and a helpless Messi was given his marching orders. This marked a premature end to his much-anticipated debut.
To date, Lionel Messi has racked up only three red cards, with two of them coming on national duty. With his recent move to PSG signaling a new chapter in his glittering career, it would be interesting to see whether the magisterial Argentine manages to add to his scanty red card tally.
Also read: 5 world-class footballers Barcelona failed to sign
