Most footballers come with a certain reputation. Some will be known for being law-abiding do-gooders, others garner a reputation for diving, but plenty more become synonymous with receiving cards, namely of the red variety.
Here, we’ve drawn up a few tables to give some insight into top-flight sending-offs. Which Premier League club has had most red cards? Which player has been sent off most in Premier League history? What are the most red cards in the Premier League in one season shown to an individual player and team?
We’ll explore all of this and more below…
Who Has the Most Red Cards in Premier League History?
Three players share the accolde of having the most red cards in Premier League history: Richard Dunne, Duncan Ferguson and Patrick Vieira – each of whom got eight Premier League cards in their careers.
Indeed, you won’t be too surprised by the list of the top seven players with most red cards:
Players with Most Red Cards in Premier League
| # | Player | # of Red Cards |
|---|---|---|
| =1 | Richard Dunne (Everton, Manchester City, Aston Villa, QPR) | 8 |
| =1 | Duncan Ferguson (Everton, Newcastle United) | 8 |
| =1 | Patrick Vieira (Arsenal, Manchester City) | 8 |
| =4 | Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest, Manchester United) | 7 |
| =4 | Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland) | 7 |
| =4 | Vinnie Jones (Chelsea, Wimbledon) | 7 |
| =4 | Alan Smith (Leeds United, Manchester United, Newcastle United) | 7 |
Which Team Has the Most Red Cards in Premier League History?
Everton currently hold the record for the most Premier League red cards (104), after Jarrad Branthwaite and Salomon Rondon were sent off for the Blues at home to Brentford on 15th May 2022. Arsenal are just one behind with 102 red cards.
Arsenal were the first club to reach 100 red cards, when Gabriel was sent off in a 2-1 defeat to Man City on 1st January 2022.
Unsurprisingly, the top two teams for red cards have been ever-presents in the Premier League, but there’s still a fair distance between Arsenal and Everton and the rest of the most ill-disciplined clubs the Premier League has ever seen:
Most Red Cards in Premier League By Team
| # | Club | # of Red Cards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everton | 104 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 103 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 91 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 85 |
| 5 | West Ham | 80 |
Most Red Cards in Premier League Season (by Team)
Two clubs have seen their team pick up nine red cards over the course of a season, QPR (2011/12) and Sunderland (2009/10).
Although, to be fair, QPR had Joey Barton playing for them the year they managed it, and Sunderland had Lee Cattermole in their nine-reds season, so perhaps not the biggest surprise.
| # | Club | Season | # of Red Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Queens Park Rangers | 2011-12 | 9 |
| =1 | Sunderland | 2009-10 | 9 |
| =3 | Newcastle | 2008-09 | 8 |
| =3 | West Ham United | 1999-00 | 8 |
| =3 | Blackburn Rovers | 1998-99 | 8 |
| =3 | Leicester City | 1994-95 | 8 |
Most Red Cards in Premier League Season (by Player)
Five players have each received three red cards over the course of a single Premier League season: Victor Wanyama (2015/16), Wes Brown (2013/14), Franck Queudrue (2002/03), Craig Short (2001/02) and David Batty (1997/98)
| Player | Season | Red Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Victor Wanyama (Southampton) | 2015-16 | 3 |
| Wes Brown (Sunderland) | 2013-14 | 3 |
| Franck Queudrue (Middlesbrough) | 2002-03 | 3 |
| Craig Short (Blackburn Rovers) | 2001-02 | 3 |
| David Batty (Newcastle United) | 1997-98 | 3 |
Most Red Cards in Premier League Game
The most red cards a Premier League game has seen is three; an accolade shared by 17 matches. They are:
| Match | Date | Players Sent-Off |
|---|---|---|
| Southampton 0-3 West Brom | April 27, 2013 | Gaston Ramirez, Danny Fox (both Southampton), Marc-Antoine Fortune (West Brom) |
| Portsmouth 1-1 Sunderland | February 9, 2010 | Ricardo Rocha (Portsmouth), Lee Cattermole, David Meyler (both Sunderland) |
| Man City 1-2 Tottenham | November 9, 2008 | Gelson Fernandes, Richard Dunne (both Man City), Benoit Assou-Ekotto (Tottenham) |
| Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa | December 26, 2007 | Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole (both Chelsea), Zat Knight (Aston Villa) |
| Newcastle 0-3 Aston Villa | April 2, 2005 | Steven Taylor, Kieron Dyer, Lee Bowyer (all Newcastle) |
| West Brom 1-1 Fulham | September 18, 2004 | Neil Clement (West Brom), Papa Bouba Diop, Andy Cole (both Fulham) |
| Chelsea 2-1 Leicester | August 23, 2003 | Geremi (Chelsea), Alan Rogers, Riccardo Scimeca (both Leicester) |
| Bolton 2-2 Leicester | December 29, 2001 | Paul Warhurst, Dean Holdsworth (both Bolton), Muzzy Izzet (Leicester) |
| Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd | January 31, 2001 | Michael Gray, Alex Rae (both Sunderland), Andy Cole (Man Utd) |
| Tottenham 4-2 Newcastle | January 2, 2001 | Neil Sullivan (Tottenham), Nobby Solano, Kieron Dyer (both Newcastle) |
| Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool | August 21, 2000 | Patrick Vieira (Arsenal), Gary McAllister, Dietmar Hamann (both Liverpool – Hamann’s was later rescinded) |
| Leeds 1-1 Everton | May 8, 2000 | Michael Duberry (Leeds), Richard Dunne, Don Hutchison (both Everton) |
| Liverpool 0-1 Everton | September 27, 1999 | Sander Westerveld, Steven Gerrard (both Liverpool), Francis Jeffers (Everton) |
| West Ham 1-5 Leeds | May 1, 1999 | Ian Wright, Shaka Hislop, Steve Lomas (all West Ham) |
| Barnsley 2-3 Liverpool | March 28, 1998 | Darren Barnard, Chris Morgan, Darren Sheridan (all Barnsley) |
| Wimbledon 2-1 Leicester | September 10, 1994 | Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon), David Lowe, Brian Carey (both Leicester) |
| Wimbledon 1-1 Blackburn | September 19, 1992 | Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon), Tony Dobson, Mike Newell (both Blackburn) |
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The 2020 Olympic games football tournament has just been so unique this year. The women’s footballing skills have been amazing and considering the age of some of these players just shows the amount of talent that every country has coming through. Maybe some of these players will make the national teams if there not already and I always considered mixed teams as a bad idea until I watched this year’s Olympics. I believe that most of the women could easily stand their ground against the men.
Hahahaha! Granit Xhaka is sent off again! Guess who for? And this was someone who was touted as the next Arseholes captain!