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If you've ever played a football game, you know how difficult it is to go through the entire duration of a match without committing a foul. Though in these games you do not get booked for such offences. In professional football, even the slightest of touches could earn a player a place in the referee's books.
Well, committing a foul is the easiest way to earn a booking, but there are plenty of other ways a player can be shown a yellow card in the beautiful game. Not happy with the referee's decision, why don't you go argue with him? Boom! A booking. Scored a 90th-minute winner? Why don't you take off your shirt and celebrate wildly? Bam! A booking is waiting for you. Fancy earning a penalty by diving? If you get caught, a booking is on the cards.
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In short, no one is safe from a booking in the modern game but there a few players who have earned a staggering number of yellow cards in their careers. Here we take a look at the top 10 players with the most bookings in the 21st century.
Stats Courtesy - Transfrmarkt.com
#10 Emre Belözoglu - 181 Bookings
We kick off our list with former Inter Milan, Newcastle United and Fenerbahce midfielder Emre Belözoğlu, who has 181 bookings to his name. The Turkish international made his professional debut in 1996 and was still active in league football with Fenerbahce until last season, making 26 appearances for the Turkish club.
Luckily, the 40-year-old, who is currently the football director at Fenerbahce, is remembered by fans for his sound technical skills rather than his propensity to indulge in controversies on the pitch. In his final season as a player, he was hilariously sent off after picking up two yellow cards without even stepping out on the pitch.
#9 Giampiero Pinzi - 182 Bookings
Giampiero Pinzi started his career at Lazio but spent most of his career with Serie A rivals Udinese. The midfielder mostly played in the top flight but also spent some time in the Serie B and Serie C in his two-year long association with Padova where he hung up his boots.
Though he did not earn a lot of trophies in his career and only had one senior appearance for the Italy national team, he got 182 bookings since the turn of the century and becomes the second-most booked player in Italy in that period.
#8 David Albelda - 183 Bookings
Former Valencia midfielder David Albelda makes it to our list, despite the fact that he played over 100 games before 2000 for Valencia and Villareal. Of the 183 bookings he received in his career, 177 came for his boyhood club, Valencia, whom he captained for more than a decade.
A defensive midfielder by trade, he was known for arguing with match officials, kicking opponents while defending, insulting opponents, being a sore loser and making dangerous tackles.
Despite that, he is a Mastella legend and was part of their highly successful squadd at the start of the 21st century and won two La Liga titles, one UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup with Los Che.
Also See: Top 10 quotes on Lionel Messi
#7 Raúl García - 185 Bookings
The second Spanish player on our list in Athletic Bilbao striker Raul Garcia. He is in his fifth season with Los Leones and in just nine appearances has picked up two bookings already. In the previous four campaigns with Bilbao, he has earned double-digit bookings in La Liga.
The 34-year-old has won all of his silverware with his old club Atletico Madrid and the same applies for the yellow cards as well, with 128 of all his yellow cards coming with Los Colchoneros.
#6 Gabi - 189 Bookings
It seems the burden of doing the dirty work on the pitch falls on the defensive midfielders, as yet another player playing in the middle of the park in Gabi, makes it to our list. The former Atletico Madrid skipper picked up 122 yellows and eight reds while representing them.
The 37-year-old last played for Al-Sadd under the tutelage of Xavi and has been linked with a move back to Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in a potential assistant role to Deigo Simeone.
#5 Daniele Conti - 190 Bookings
In the Serie A, the highest number of yellow cards awarded to a player since the turn of the century is Daniele Conti, who was booked 190 times in his spell with AS Roma and Cagliari in the Italian top-flight.
Conti belongs to a family of footballers with his father Bruno Conti, being a Roma and Italy legend, while his older brother Andrea Conti is also a fellow footballer. 186 of his 190 bookings came with Gli Isolani.
#4 Xabi Alonso - 197 Bookings
The presence of a player like Xabi Alonso in this list tells us that you can be prone to making fouls every now and then but still be highly successful. The EURO and World Cup winner with Spain was booked 197 times in his career with Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
One reason for the high accumulation of yellow cards for the player might be his lack of pace which forced him to commit tactical fouls to stop the opposition's attacking move in its tracks.
Also See: 10 highest-paid players in La Liga this season
#3 Dani Alves - 210 Bookings
For a right-back who spent most of his time in the opponents' half, the 210 bookings for Dani Alves should not come as a shock. The Brazilian defender has also been sent off 13 times in his career but all this didn't stop him from becoming the most decorated player in football history with 40 trophies to name.
The former Barcelona stalwart is still playing professional football at the age of 37 and represents São Paulo, the most successful team in Brazil, where he has been given the No.10 Jersey. His association with such a big club means another trophy could be added to his collection soon.
#2 Gerardo Torrado - 228 Bookings
Gerardo Torrado might be a relatively unknown player to the fans of European football as he only spent five years in Spain and out these five only two were with a well-known outfit like Sevilla.
Torrado was known for his rough style of play, which included tackling the players often but that helped him win the ball back in dangerous positions. El Borrego was capped for the Mexico national football team 146 times, making him the joint-second highest appearance maker for El Tri.
#1 Sergio Ramos - 259 yellow cards
It had to be Real Madrid and Spain captain Sergio Ramos at the top of this list. The 34-year-old defender is a world-class defender, no one can argue with that but some of the tactics employed by him on opponents like - Lionel Messi (in El Clasicos) and Mohamed Salah (in their UCL clash) have not gone down well with neutral fans.
Since the turn of the century, the player has picked up a staggering 259 yellow cards on the club level. His cold-blooded approach on the pitch have also seen him sent-off 26 times but he refuses to change his ways and we love him for the way he is.
Also Read: 10 teams that have conceded the fewest goals in the 21st century
