5 players who received a red card on their debuts
In football, even a deserved opportunity for a debut can get derailed in a matter of seconds, either due to a match-ending injury or just a silly red card. Nevertheless, debuts are meant to be an auspicious day in a player's career, kickstarting their professional journey.
After countless training sessions and facing numerous hardships, a crack at the top remains to be a rare possibility and therefore is cherished dearly and widely.
Some uncommon red cards on debuts
It is a rare spectacle to witness a goalkeeper receiving his marching orders since shot-stoppers don't usually partake in the rugged proceedings of the game. However, Iain Turner defied the odds by not only becoming one of the few goalkeepers ever to get a red card but also doing so on his Premier League debut.
Just nine minutes into the match, the Everton goalie was issued a straight red card for handling the ball outside the designated area.
Elsewhere, Florian Thauvin followed his shocker of a move to Tigres with an equally eventful debut. In his debut match for the Mexican outfit, Thauvin produced an awful tackle from behind, snapping down Omar Campos in the process.
This earned the Frenchman a straight red card, cutting short his debut in the 34th minute.
Similar to these incidents, many more notable names have been issued marching orders on their first outing. On that note, let's take a look at 5 top-level players who collected a red card on their professional debut for a side:
#5 Graeme Souness
Famous for his consistent criticism of Paul Pogba, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness was once a highly sought-after midfielder in the 80s. His illustrious playing career saw him turn out for some of the biggest British teams in existence.
Following a fruitful spell with Middlesbrough, the Scotsman enjoyed seven trophy-laden seasons with Liverpool, serving as club captain in three of them.
In 1986 and aged 33, Souness joined Rangers in his native Scotland. He was tasked with stabilizing the Teddy Bears' midfield as well as coaching them to success. His competitive debut for the club came in the opening match of the season against Hibernian.
Fans had been waiting desperately to see their marquee player-manager in action and expected nothing short of a blast from his debut.
However, the game turned out to be a violent one, with vicious tackles flying everywhere on the pitch. Being an aggressive hothead, Souness flung a dangerous tackle on George McCluskey in the 34th minute.
Having already received a booking, the Scottish midfielder was awarded a red card for his behavior, ending his debut in the first half itself.
#4 Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny has only had one club-level stint outside his native France. Nevertheless, this spell would prove to be the defining period of his distinguished career.
Having spent the initial six years of his professional journey with Guingamp, Tours, and Lorient, Koscielny earned a much-deserved upgrade to the Premier League in 2010. The French defender was signed by Arsenal for a nominal fee of €12.5m.
His debut at the Emirates was a much-awaited event, as Koscielny was touted to be the answer to the Gunners' defensive woes. Everything was going according to plan and Arsenal seemed to have secured a hard-earned point against Liverpool at Anfield.
However, in the dying embers of the game, Koscielny proceeded to induce two bookable offenses.
As a result, he was awarded with a red card in the 94th minute, capping off a decent performance with a flurry of terrible final decisions. Arsenal were able to hold off the lead, procuring a 1-1 draw. Koscielny went on to spend nine more years at the London club, becoming club captain in 2018.
Despite his initial red card getting more than redeemed by his later performances, Koscielny chose to draw curtains on his Arsenal career in an unceremonious manner. He recklessly tarnished his honorable status at the Emirates by appearing in a distasteful announcement video for Bordeaux in 2019.
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