Who Has The Most Red Cards In Champions League History?

Apr 12 2023
5 min. read
Most Champions League red cards
Alex McMahon Sport
By Alex McMahon

  • Which player has been sent off the most times in Champions League history?

  • Three players are tied with four Champions League red cards

  • Juventus players have received 28 Champions League red cards – more than any other club

The Champions League is undoubtedly the biggest and most prestigious club tournament in professional football.

Betting fans from all around the world follow the Champions League throughout the campaign, with Europe’s best teams competing at the highest level of the sport.

Real Madrid are the most successful team in Champions League history but it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the La Liga giants – with Real receiving 24 red cards over the years.

In fact, only Juventus have had to cope with more Champions League sending offs than Real Madrid. The Italian outfit are clear on 28 red cards since 1992/93.

Here, we look at the players who have been shown more Champions League cards than any other – including one or two surprise inclusions.

Strap yourselves in and enjoy our take on the history of red cards in the Champions League. Who knows, we could see one or two in the next round of fixtures…

Players With Most Champions League Red Cards

Three players have been sent off on four occasions in the Champions League. One is pretty obvious, one is understandable and the other is something of a surprise.

First and foremost, we have Sergio Ramos. One of the best defenders in Champions League history, the Spain legend has received four red cards in the competition.

Next up is Edgar Davids. A lively figure in midfield, he wasn’t afraid of getting stuck in but his ill-discipline led to four Champions League red cards – a joint record.

Last but not least, we have Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Yes, that’s right – Zlatan has been sent off a record four times in Champions League games.

Plenty of players have multiple Champions League red cards but will we see one of the new kids on the block move level with Ramos and co in the coming years?

For the latest Champions League betting offers, bet on Europe’s top competition at 888sport. If Davids was still around, he’d be a shoo-in for any red card markets…

Sergio Ramos Red Cards

A stalwart of European football tips for many years, Sergio Ramos has a reputation as a bit of a bad boy. In fact, he has received more La Liga red cards than any other player.

So it isn’t a huge shock to see Ramos feature on this Champions League red cards list. Take a trip down memory lane as we recall Ramos red cards in Europe’s elite competition.

  • 28th September 2005: Olympiacos 1-2 Real Madrid

  • 23rd November 2010: Ajax 0-4 Real Madrid

  • 27th November 2013: Real Madrid 4-1 Galatasaray

  • 26th February 2020: Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City

Edgar Davids Red Cards

Edgar David was one of the players of his generation, dominating the midfield battle for the likes of Ajax, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus throughout his career.

Incredibly, none of Davids’ four sending offs were by straight red cards. Instead, they were after an accumulation of bookings – which sums his tenacious approach up to a tee.

  • 24th October 2000: Juventus 1-3 Hamburger SV

  • 18th September 2001: Juventus 3-2 Celtic

  • 27th February 2002: Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 Juventus

  • 22nd April 2003: Barcelona 1-2 Juventus

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Red Cards

One of the best players to never win the Champions League, Zlatan is a household name in the world of football and he will retire as a modern great.

The Sweden legend is known for his personality as much as his skills on the pitch but here, we remember some of his darkest moments as we look at his Champions League red cards.

  • 2nd November 2005: Juventus 2-1 Bayern Munich

  • 27th September 2006: Inter 0-2 Bayern Munich

  • 12th February 2013: Valencia 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain

  • 11th March 2015: Chelsea 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain

Which Teams Have Received The Most Red Cards In Champions League?

With the likes of Juventus, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich competing in Europe’s elite club tournament almost every year, it’s not exactly surprising to see these teams appear on this list.

Arsenal have received more Champions League red cards than any other English club, with Manchester United next up with 17 sending offs.

However, Juventus are some way clear as the most ill-disciplined team in Champions League history with a record 28 red cards. Four of those can be attributed to Edgar Davids.

Naturally, the more European games played, the greater the chance of receiving a red card and that is why some of the continent’s biggest teams appear on this Champions League sending off chart.

Here, you can see the Champions League clubs who have had the most sending offs in the competition’s history.

  • PSV – 18

  • Benfica – 18

  • Dinamo Zagreb – 18

  • Dynamo Kyiv – 18

  • Arsenal – 20

  • Inter – 22

  • Bayern Munich – 23

  • Porto – 23

  • Real Madrid – 24

  • Juventus – 28

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

About the Author See all Alex McMahon Articles
Alex McMahon
Alex McMahon Sport

Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.

He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.

As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible.