5 defenders who have received the highest number of red cards
Whenever a player is sent off for a really nasty challenge on an opponent, commentators usually come up with the oft-repeated platitude of 'he is not that sort of player' and in many cases, it might well be true, since it might have been a case of poor decision making.
However, there are certain players who might be exactly that sort of player and have the tendency to lose their heads a bit too frequently.
They go in for rash tackles, give a piece of their mind to the referee, get into fights and are quite often complete nuisances. That being said, being sent off doesn't really daunt them much and they continue to walk the tightrope in games.
In this regard, defenders are the most likely candidates for red cards due to the nature of their role and over the years, there have been plenty of serial offenders. Here is a look at 5 defenders who got sent off most times in their careers.
#5 Pablo Alfaro
A Spanish central defender, Pablo played in La Liga for the entire duration of his career and in 18 years, he played for some of the biggest clubs in Spain.
He played for Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla during the course of his career but the defender's claim to fame does not originate from his considerable gifts as a defender but as someone who had a penchant of getting sent off quite frequently.
Alfaro was an excellent defender and could hold his own against most forwards, however, he had the tendency of going in for risky tackles and that made him one of the most infamous defenders in Spain.
His career lasted from 1989-2007 and during that period he picked up 18 red cards, which is the second highest in the history of the Spanish league and in addition to that, he had also been sent on 30 occasions.