Most red cards in UEFA Champions League

The red card in football is probably the nightmare of every footballer. It directly implies the ejection of the footballer from the ground and hence the teams are bound to play with an incomplete team for the rest of the match. With the inclusion of red cards in 1970, we get to see players leaving the ground because of these dangerous cards mostly in every other tournament. SportzPoint.com presents you with the list of most red cards in the UEFA Champions League.

1. Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos, one of the best defenders in the world it is interestingly one of the players to get the most red cards in the UEFA Champions League. Till today the Spanish footballer got 4 red cards and therefore had to leave the match at that moment. His very first red card in UEFA Champions League was in the season 2005-06 on 28 September while playing for Real Madrid against Olympiacos Piraeus. He was sent off at the 90th minute and the result of the match was in the favour of Real Madrid with 2-1. The next red card came on 23rd November 2018 against ajax in the 90th minute once again. Real Madrid lost the match 4-0. His 3rd red card in the Champions League came in the 2013-14 season against Galatasaray SK with a massive victory 4-1. And he got his most recent red card game last year against Manchester City on 26 February.

The reason behind his immense popularity in the world of football is his goalscoring abilities being a defender and his leadership skills. He played for Real Madrid as a centre-back for 16 seasons and also captain the club for six seasons.

2. Edgar Davids

Edgar Davids is the second footballer on this list with four red cards in the UEFA Champions League. In different four instances, he got red cards. In the 2000-01 season, the referee showed him the red card against Hamburger SV on 24th October in minute 33. And in the 2001-02 season, he got 2 red cards, first against Celtic on 18 September 2001 on minute 75 and the other on 27th February against Deportivo on minute 28. He got his last red card in UCL on 22nd April 2003 against Barcelona. Also, Juventus won that match.

He is considered one of the greatest midfielders during his time and also received much acclaim for his playing tactics and captainship as well. The retired Dutch footballer and present coach started his football journey by playing with Ajax and then slowly move to Milan, Juventus Barcelona, Internazionale, Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax, Crystal Palace, and lastly Barnet. He often got involved with his managers due to his strong character, outspokenness, and short temper. The sad part about his career is his struggles with injuries.

3. Zlatan Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of the greatest strikers of all time, entered this list with 4 red cards. With 32 trophies and 570 career goals, he is presently one of the most decorated active players globally.

The nightmare of red cards started from the 2005-06 season in the match against Bayern Munich on 2nd November 2005 in the 90th minute. Next was in the next season on 27th September 2006 once again against Bayern Munich on the 58th minute. After a few seasons, the referee showed him the red card in the 2012-13 season against Valencia on 12 February 2013 in the 90th minute. He got his last red card in UCL in the 2014-15 season against Chelsea on the 31st minute.

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4. Didier Drogba

The Ivorian retired striker got the red card thrice in UCL. Didier got his first red card in the 2004-05 UCL season against Barcelona on 23rd February 2004 right at the 56th minute. The second red card game along his way on 21st May 2008 against Manchester United on 90th minute. Lastly, he got the third red card against Inter on 16 March 2010 in the 87th minute.

5. Philippe Mexès

Philippe Mexès played as a centre-back for France. In the 2002-03 season, Philippe Mexes got the first red card against PSV. The match was held on 30 October 2002 and he got the red card in the 90th minute. On 15th September 2004 against Dinamo Kyiv, the referee showed him the red card in the 45th minute. His last red card of UCL came in 2010-11 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the 41st minute.

6. Cristian Chivu

Cristian Chivu, the defender of the Romania football team also entered this list with three red cards in UEFA Champions League. The former footballer was a part of the squad in the 2008 European championship and the 2008 UEFA Championship. Also, he is a technical observer for the UEFA.

In the 2002-03 season of UCL, he got the first red card on 30th October 2002 against Olympique Lyonnais on 62nd minute. On 2nd October 2007, he got the 2nd red card on minute 65 against PSV. The last time on UCL, he was sent back on 5th April in 2010-11 season on minute 62.

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7. Vedat İnceefe

Next on this list is Vedat Inceefe with 3 red cards. The former Turkish footballer was a participant in the 1996 UEFA European Championship. His first red card in UCL was in the season 1997-98, second in the season 1998-99, followed by the third in the season 2000-01.

8. Ioannis Kalitzakis

With 3 red cards, Ioannis Kalitzakis is at the 8th position on this list. The retired Greek footballer had a career of about 12 years from 1987 to 1999. He was a part of the 1994 World Cup where he made 3 appearances and also had 71 caps in total.

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There are so many other footballers who are worth mentioning in this list of players with the most red cards. The table drawn below has the information of the players on this list from 9th position to 15th.

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