From midfield enforcers and teak tough defenders to elegant skill players – Goal takes a look at players who have received a litany of red cards

• Getty Images
  

  Table of Contents

  Toggle

  1Zinedine Zidane

  Zinedine Zidane is one of the greatest French footballers of all time, possessing prodigious levels of skill, but he had a huge weakness too: his fiery temperament.

  Even before his outrageous headbutt to Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final, Zidane had a reputation for losing his head during games, having previously been sent off in the 1998 World Cup for a stamp on Saudi Arabia's Fuad Anwar.

  He amassed 12 red cards across his club career too, which is not typical of a player known for his silken grace on the ball.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  2Patrick Vieira

  Former Arsenal and France star Patrick Vieira was an imposing figure on the football pitch, but sometimes his temper got the better of him.

  A combative, tough-tackling midfielder, Vieira's role as an enforcer involved plenty of risk. However, he frequently miscalculated and ended up on the wrong side of referees more often that he probably would have liked.

  The 1990s and early 2000s in the Premier League are defined by Vieira's running battles with Manchester United's Roy Keane, a foe he even notably clashed with off the pitch.

  With eight Premier League red cards during his career, Vieira is the division's joint record holder.

• Getty Images
  

  3Mark van Bommel

  As if to ram home his reputation as a red card magnet, Mark van Bommel was sent off in the final game of his career after hitting an opponent with an overzealous tackle.

  The Netherlands international played for some of the best clubs in the world, such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan, but he is not remembered for his elegant style of play.

  Rather, the midfielder's snapping tackles and fearlessness are what marked him out. Unfortunately, he didn't always time them well.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  4Francesco Totti

  Francesco Totti was one of the most gifted players of his generation, but he also had a mean streak, which saw him pick up 11 red cards in Serie A during his Roma career.

  The former Italy international received his marching orders a total of 15 times while playing for the Giallorossi and was also controversially sent off at the 2002 World Cup.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News