5 Dirtiest Players in Modern Football History

#3 Sergio Ramos

Soccer - La Liga - Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona

He has enjoyed a stellar career for club and country. With Real Madrid, Ramos has won four La Liga titles and three Champions League cups. On the international stage, Ramos was a present figure in Spain’s Euro 2008 and 2012 triumphs on to of a fine World Cup win in 2010.

The Madrid captain has made a habit of picking up yellow cards and getting sent off over the years. As a central defender, Ramos is known for not thinking twice when it comes to going in to make a challenge. This has resulted in him breaking various records for the wrong reasons.

Since the 2003-2004 season, Ramos has been booked a whopping 155 times in the league. 13 of those bookings have resulted in red cards. He has received a straight red card six times in La Liga. In the domestic cup competitions, he has 16 yellow cards to his name to add to 41 yellow cards in international cup competitions. In the current Spain roster, he has the highest number of bookings at 21.

Many of the bookings he has received are a result of foul play or overly aggressive tackles. For instance, on November 30, 2010, Ramos was sent off for a wild kick at Lionel Messi during a heated El-Classico match. Despite being sent off, he pushed international teammate Carlos Puyol to the floor and put his hands on Xavi in what was a fierce tussle.