The Premier League's most red carded players

Following his red card offence over the weekend, Lee Cattermole’s seventh in the Premier League, the Sunderland midfielder joined a select list of players to have been shown the most red cards in the league. While he still has more than enough time to reach the highest red card tally by any player in Premier League history, there are still a few players who have a worse disciplinary record than he does.

Here are the players who have earned the highest number of red cards through their Premier League career:

6. Roy Keane – 7 red cards

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane is an expected name on this list, with the Irish player having accumulated seven red cards through his career at Manchester United.

Known to be a combative player, Keane admitted once that he wanted to hurt Alf-Inge Haland with a tackle that eventually ended the latter’s career.

5. Alan Smith – 7 red cards

Another former Manchester United player, Alan Smith was known to have a short fuse, with his hard tackling ways the cause of his red card count.

Incessant injuries plagued his career, but he did manage to notch up the dismissals at the rate of one red card every 48 games.

4. Vinnie Jones – 7 red cards

Tough-tackling midfielder Vinnie Jones accumulated a total of 12 red cards through his career, though only seven of those came in the Premier League.

His tough guy image helped him start an acting career as well, with Jones going on to act in movies like Snatch and Gone in Sixty Seconds.

3. Patrick Vieira – 8 red cards

Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira makes the top three of this list thanks to his 8 red card offences during his time at Arsenal.

A combative midfielder, Vieira helped Arsenal to three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, but on occasion left his teammates a man down on the field with his recklessness.

2. Richard Dunne – 8 red cards

Not only does Richard Dunne have eight Premier League red cards to his name, but the Irish defender also has scored the most own goals in the league as well.

The 34-year old QPR defender has been sent off eight times, but his minutes-per-red card ratio is not high enough to put him on top of this countdown.

1. Duncan Ferguson – 8 red cards

A player who once held a British transfer record when he signed for Rangers for a fee of £4 million, Duncan Ferguson tops this list with his 8 red cards for Everton and Newcastle.

Nicknamed ‘Duncan Disorderly’, the striker was a feared name in the Premier League, both for his ability on the field, and his recklessness both on and off it, earning a sending off once every 34 games. He has had four convictions for assault, and was even sent to prison for three months after headbutting defender John McStay on the pitch.