For years, the Premier League has been one of those great stages for entertainment, with wild moments to summarize the years. From goals of glory to last-minute winners, it’s a footballing playground where the magic is real. Still, it holds a dark side for some players: drenched in controversy, flying tackles, and red card.
While referees have become the unsung heroes or villains of modern football, players have sometimes found themselves on the wrong side of the law. the football law, that is.
But to the players, a red card is sometimes a badge of dishonour-damagingly marking them out as the villains of the Premier League. These players are no strangers to controversy, and with the record number of red cards between them, they have some stories to tell.
Today, we are not going to discuss top scorers, assist kings, or clean-sheet maestros. We talk about the players with the most red cards in the history of the Premier League.
1. Patrick Vieira – 8 Red Cards
Vieira was a titan, just an unstoppable force that made Arsenal the complete machine they were in the late ’90s and early 2000s. He could do it all: score goals, assist, tackle, pass, and bully opponents out of possession like a schoolyard tyrant.
But like all schoolyard bullies, he often crossed the line. He wasn’t one to shy away from a challenge or in this case a red card.
The first one was handed out in 1998 by none other than referee Stephen Lodge, the referee who had sent off Micky Adams in the Premier League’s inaugural red card fiasco.
During his time in the Premier League, Vieira had eight red cards; many of these were during high-profile encounters, such as his infamous run-ins with Manchester United’s Roy Keane.
Often, Vieira’s aggressive approach to big games made him a target for referees.
Probably one of the most famous red cards came in a heated, hot-tempered clash with Liverpool in 2000, where tempers flared and Vieira was one of a few who were sent to an early bath.
He didn’t go down easily, though. Each sending-off was usually preceded by bone-crunching tackles or sneaky off-the-ball confrontations. And if there’s one thing we know about Vieira, it’s that he never shied away from the fight.
The man embodied the saying, “Go hard or go home.”
2. Duncan Ferguson – 8 Red Cards
To those who know him well, Big Dunc was the player you wouldn’t want to face in a dark alleyway or on the football pitch.
Standing tall with a brooding, intimidating aura, he was the medieval knight of the Premier League only with fewer jousts and more elbows to the face.
With his no-nonsense approach to the game, the eight red cards he received during his time at Everton and Newcastle United were almost inevitable. He was the kind of player who didn’t care much for subtlety.
Ferguson’s final red, given by the infamous Mike Dean, came in a 2006 match against Wigan Athletic. He took it with a mixture of grim acceptance and the awareness that he’d been here before, a lot.
But the man’s career wasn’t all about red cards and missed minutes; no, Ferguson had a goal-scoring record most strikers would die for, and his fiery approach to the game made him a cult hero across the park at Goodison.
Even into his post-playing days, the tough love continued with Ferguson now wearing his coaching cap for Everton, where you imagine he still pulls no punches.
3. Richard Dunne – 8 Red Cards
Defenders usually get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to aggressive tackles. After all, stopping an attacker is a dirty business, and Dunne certainly thought so.
This Irish center-back didn’t earn a reputation as one of the toughest defenders in the Premier League by standing back and watching. Instead, he used every inch of his 6’2″ frame to bully attackers. Sometimes that meant going a bit overboard.
His eight red cards also coincide with his unfortunate record of scoring the most own goals in Premier League history.
But to be fair, Dunne wasn’t a reckless player by nature. Often solid at the back, he even found a place in the 2009-10 PFA Premier League Team of the Year alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba.
Unfortunately for him, however, as good as he was with regard to defending, he was even good at getting sent off. Referees Andy D’Urso and Mike Dean had the opportunity of sending him to the showers early not once but twice.
4. Lee Cattermole – 7 Red Cards
The Premier League’s loveable midfield enforcer or depending on who you ask, a walking red card. Cattermole was never too far away from controversy with his no-holds-barred way.
Whether it was some poorly-timed tackle or just a hot-headed moment of madness, you could bet that with Lee on the pitch, something spicy might just go down.
He gathered seven red cards in the process, earning a reputation as arguably the toughest and most reckless player in the league.
His managers tried to rein him in at all times, but he was often like an untamed stallion: charging to tackles with less than legal force.
That said, when he did keep his cool, Cattermole was a combative midfielder that any manager would want in their squad. He was the type of player who, when on form, could destroy an opposition’s rhythm single-handedly.
Just don’t ask him to keep both feet on the ground.
SEE ALSO | Top 6 Premier League Players to Win the Ballon d’Or
5. Alan Smith – 7 Red Cards
Alan Smith’s Premier League career was one of two halves. He began as an energetic, goals-filled striker at Leeds United.
But as his career wore on, the goals dried up and Smith found a new calling in midfield- albeit a much more aggressive, card-collecting calling.
Between 2001 and 2004, no one received more red cards than Smith. He received five red cards during this period alone and found himself in the same company as aggressive foul experts like Franck Queudrue.
Unfortunately for Smith, his aggressive style of play came at a heavy cost. His career trajectory changed forever after a horror leg break sustained while trying to block a John Arne Riise free kick in 2006.
He never quite recovered from that injury, but his reputation as a hardman who liked to make reckless challenges certainly remains very much intact.
6. Vinnie Jones – 7 Red Cards
Not to mention Vinnie Jones, one of football’s hardmen. A growling presence with the demeanor of a Guy Ritchie movie thug, Jones didn’t so much play football as he did enforce the rules of street brawls on the pitch. His seven Premier League red cards were just the tip of the iceberg.
Jones was the player who made intimidation an art, and the referees were always at their wit’s end whenever he stepped onto the field.
His aggressive antics had attained legendary status when he picked up a yellow card just THREE seconds into a 1992 FA Cup match between Chelsea and Sheffield United. Yes, three seconds was a player who didn’t waste any time.
While that spell in the Premier League labeled him as the red card machine, it was the consistency in chaos that made him get known in households both in football and eventually on the silver screen.
While he may not have been the most skilled player on the pitch, no one could deny that Vinnie Jones knew how to leave an impression-literally.
SEE ALSO | 10 Premier League Players with the Most Appearances
7. Roy Keane – 7 Red Cards
The quintessential Premier League hardman. Keane was a brilliant commanding midfielder who captained Manchester United to glory after glory. But his footballing genius was often matched by an explosive temper that could turn the most docile situations into all-out war.
Keane’s red cards weren’t your run-of-the-mill fouls or petty offenses. When Roy Keane saw red, it usually meant someone else saw stars.
His infamous revenge tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland in 2001-Keane admitted afterward he had tried to injure his opponent in one of the darkest moments in Premier League history.
He never once backed away from a fight, be it standing up to Patrick Vieira in the tunnel or inciting a row with Alan Shearer. Keane’s footballing legacy is enormous, but those seven red cards will always be remembered as q big evidence to his hot-headed nature.
8. Joey Barton – 6 Red Cards
Bartons round off our list. A player who seemingly thrived on controversy, he was often in the headlines for all the wrong reasons—both on and off the pitch.
While undeniably talented, his temper always got the better of him with six red cards and a host of other yellow cards.
Oftentimes, Barton’s red cards had more to do with frustration and a general lack of discipline than tactical fouls or necessary challenges.
His career-which went through several Premier League clubs will be remembered almost as much for his aggressive streak as for his moments of brilliance on the field.
