Where does Cristiano Ronaldo rank among the most sent off players this century? | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo collected the 13th red card of his glittering career last night as Portugal fell 2–0 to the Republic of Ireland in a fiery World Cup qualifier.

The incident occurred in the 59th minute when Ronaldo appeared to catch defender Dara O’Shea with an elbow inside Ireland’s half. After an on-field review, the referee upgraded the initial yellow card to a straight red.

It was a frustrating evening for Portugal, and for Ronaldo especially, who had joked pre-match that he would try to be a “good boy” in front of the famously passionate Irish crowd. Instead, he left the pitch early, visibly annoyed after taunting the Irish fans with a crying gesture moments before his sending off.

The number of dismissals he has collected is surprisingly high for a forward, with attackers rarely featuring prominently among football’s serial offenders.

But there are several other stars who have racked up plenty more red cards than the Portugal international. Hayters searched through the archives to find the most sent off players on record in Europe over the past 25 years…

Matteo Contini – 20 Reds

The Italian centre-back spent 19 years between Serie A and La Liga, developing a reputation for harsh challenges and occasional rashness. Remarkably, Contini holds the record for the most red cards by a player who never represented his national team. Seven of his 20 dismissals came from straight reds.

Rafael Márquez – 21 Reds

A legend for Mexico and Barcelona alike, Márquez combined elegance with a notorious edge. His most infamous sending-off came during the 2002 World Cup, when he headbutted U.S. midfielder Cobi Jones in the dying minutes of a 2–0 defeat. The punishment: a £3,500 fine and a four-match international ban.

Alexis Delgado – 22 Reds

Known simply as Alexis, the Spanish defender played across Europe’s top leagues during a 16-year career. He quietly amassed one of football’s most remarkable disciplinary records.

Felipe Melo – 22 Reds

Level with Alexis is Brazilian midfield enforcer Felipe Melo, whose career was punctuated by controversy. His elbow on Mario Balotelli during the 2009–10 Derby d’Italia remains one of Serie A’s most infamous flashpoints. Melo’s career included fallouts with managers and teammates with one such example leading him to be frozen out of the Palmeiras team for criticising then manager Cucas.

Sergio Ramos – 29 Reds

Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate stands alone. Ramos remains the undisputed king of the modern red card, collecting 29 across his career, including five in El Clásico alone. No player in La Liga, the Champions League, or Spanish national team history has accumulated more total cards. His 274 bookings make him both an icon and an outlier in football’s disciplinary history.

Ronaldo, then, sits far below football’s most frequently expelled figures, especially given that attackers rarely reach such territory. As he approaches 41, it seems unlikely he will climb this particular leaderboard.

Yet with the superstar still playing regularly for club and country, and with a fiery World Cup looming next summer, it’s hard to rule out the possibility of another dramatic flashpoint as he chases one last moment of international glory to match Lionel Messi’s triumph in Qatar.