Bookings and suspensions are a part of football, but some players are more prone to receiving harsh punishment from referees due to their bad reputations, such as Sergio Ramos. Here are the 10 dirtiest players in the history of LaLiga, including the Real Madrid captain and FC Barcelona legend Dani Alves!
Click through the gallery above to see the 10 most ill-disciplined players in LaLiga history.
Many have criticised LaLiga for its players sometimes going to ground too easily after a challenge, as well as for its players often surrounding referees after a rough challenge to plea for a booking for the culprit, with the likes of Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets often mentioned in conversations on the latter.
Although it is debatable as to whether or not that type of behaviour is in Spanish football's DNA, one thing that is certain is that LaLiga has, for a long time, been home to many of the game's toughest tacklers, and many of them are even considered to be dirty players.
This is one criticism Los Blancos defender Ramos has received throughout his time in Spain's top flight. The 32-year-old is the most ill-disciplined LaLiga player of all time, having picked up 142 yellow cards and been sent off 19 times in his league career so far, according to Transfermarkt.
The German website developed a ranking system to come up with an all-time ranking of the dirtiest players, giving each player one point for a yellow card, three for a double booking and five for a straight red card. As a consequence, Ramos has accummulated 211 disciplinary points throughout his LaLiga career so far.
The second dirtiest player in the history of the division is Real legend Fernando Hierro, who received 141 yellows and was sent off on 15 occasions, equalling 204 points.
Former Espanyol, Deportivo La Coruna and Getafe player Alberto Lopo comes in at third with 198 points, while in fourth spot is Osasuna icon Patxi Punal, who played 420 LaLiga matches in his career, with 164 points..
Fifth is ex-Valencia and Spain international David Albelda with 139 yellow cards and five sending offs, equalling to 162 points, while Pablo Alfaro, with 161 points, and Juanfran, who collected 153 points before retiring from football after playing for Levante in 2016, follow in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
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Former Atletico Madrid captain Gabi, with 152 points, and former Valencia defender Carlos Marchena, with 150 points, also feature, while ex-Barca right-back Dani Alves, with 148 points, is the only non-Spanish player in the top 10.
Are you surprised to see Ramos at the top of the list? Let us know in the comments section below.
