5 defenders who have received the highest number of red cards

#1 Gerardo Bedoya

Gerardo Bedoya of Colombia

There is no reason for most football fans to know much about the former Colombian defender but he holds the dubious record of having seen the highest number of red cards in professional football.

The central defender, who often doubled up as a defensive midfielder, played for a host of clubs in South America and also represented the Colombian national team 49 times.

Bedoya played for some of South America's biggest clubs including the likes of Boca Juniors and Deportivo Cali among others, but it was his tough tackling nature and the tendency to go into high-risk challenges that made him a walking red machine.

Bedoya's professional career spanned two decades (1995-2015) and over the period he was shown the red card a record 42 times. It will probably stay as a record for many years to come.