Ultimate XI’s- Premier League Red Cards

Hello!

Welcome back to another Ultimate XI, today we are going to be looking at players with the poorest disciplinary records!

To be considered in this XI, a player must have received at least four red cards in the Premier League (it was five but no goalkeeper has got five).

Let’s get into it!

GOALKEEPER- Jussi Jääskeläinen

With four Premier League red cards to his name, Jääskeläinen takes the number one jersey for this XI.

The former Finland stopper was best known for his successful spell at Bolton, where he made over 500 appearances for the the Trotters. He also played for West Ham for three Premier League seasons.

At his best he was one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, and with the 13th most clean sheets in Premier League history to his name, he should be remembered as a stalwart in this league.

CENTRE BACK- Nemanja Vidic

Richard Dunne (8)is the only defender with more Premier League red cards than Nemanja Vidic (6), and this won’t come as a surprise as the Serbian was well known for his tough tackling.

Centre backs are clearly more susceptible to red cards, and to be fair Vidic only got a red card every 35 Premier League games, so it’s not as if he was regularly letting his side down.

Vidic is one of the best Premier League defenders this century, and he helped United win five titles and a Champions League title.

CENTRE BACK- John Terry

John Terry also received six Premier League red cards, and this certainly doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Considering Terry played nearly 500 games in the Premier League, six red cards is actually pretty low.

With a red card on average every 82 games, Terry very rarely missed a game for Chelsea, and for that reason he is arguably their greatest defender ever.

So he makes this XI purely because he played so many Premier League games, and very occasionally his lack of pace meant he had to make a rash challenge.

CENTRE BACK- Tony Adams

Tony Adams’ four Premier League red cards means that he had to be the third centre back in this XI. According to Transfermarkt, these were the only red cards in his entire Arsenal career.

Adams was a magnificent reader of the game, and his performances as Arsenal captain makes him one of the greatest centre backs in Premier League history.

With two First Division titles and two Premier League titles to his name, he has the trophies to back up this claim. He was also named in the PFA team of the century in 2007.

DENFENSIVE MIDFIELD- Roy Keane

None of you will be surprised to see Roy Keane in this XI, and his seven Premier League red cards made him a shoe in for this XI.

Keane is one of the best midfielders in Premier League history, but he was certainly prone to a rash challenge or two… or seven. Five of his red cards were straight reds.

Despite his iffy disciplinary record, Keane won seven Premier League titles with Man United. He also helped United win the 1999 Champions League, despite being unavailable for the final due to suspension, ironic!

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD- Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira makes his second XI in as many days, while yesterday it was because of his performances for an invincible side, today it is because of his eight Premier League red cards!

Vieira and Keane had some immense battles in the midfield during the early 2000’s, but now they must put their differences aside and line up next to each other in my midfield.

The Frenchman was an all action midfielder, which ultimately meant that he was prone to red cards, receiving one every 34 games on average, but he never let Arsène Wenger down.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD- Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard is another player who has received six red cards in the Premier League, and he completes my all star midfield.

Gerrard possessed fantastic technical ability, but he was also prone to the occasional challenge worthy of a red card, although he only received a red card every 84 Premier League games.

Although Gerrard never won the Premier League with Liverpool, he was an incredibly influential captain, who drove his team forward when they needed him the most. He is a bonafide Premier League legend.

LEFT MIDFIELD- Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo spent six years at Man United, and this was enough time for him to amass four Premier League red cards.

While Ronaldo has had a glittering career, winning everything there is to win, apart from a World Cup, he was actually pretty hot headed during the formative years of his career.

He often showboated when he played in the Premier League, and this obviously led to him being kicked all over the place by teams across the land. He obviously was prone to retaliation, and he has received nine career red cards, so discipline isn’t one of his strong points…

RIGHT MIDFIELD- Paul Scholes

Wingers rarely receive red cards, so I have had to push Paul Scholes our wide in order to fit him into this XI.

Another player who makes this XI just because of the volume of games he played in the league, his four red cards means he only just makes this XI.

While he was short in stature, he more than made up for it with technical ability and reading of the game. He received a red card on average every 116 Premier League games, so you can’t exactly say that he had a poor disciplinary record.

STRIKER- Duncan Ferguson

Duncan Ferguson is the joint most red carded player in Premier League history, alongside Richard Dunne and Patrick Vieira, which takes some doing as a striker!

The Scotsman was your typical ‘Target man’, tall, strong and aggressive. He scored 68 Premier League goals, and he is widely considered as being one of the best headers of a ball the league has ever seen.

He received a red card every 33 games, and his poor disciplinary record is also one of the reasons he is such a well known Premier League striker, but he was certainly a great one.

STRIKER- Andy Cole

Andy Cole has the third most goals in the Premier League, with 187, but the Englishman is rarely talked about as being among the best strikers the league has seen. Well he makes this XI!

He managed to accrue six Premier League red cards, which again is on the high side for a Striker. He received a red card every 69 games, but he scored every 2.5 games, so his disciplinary record didn’t stop him from being an important player!

Cole had spells at seven different clubs in the Premier League, but it was at Man United where he had his best years, winning five Premier League titles.

That’s all for today’s XI!

Is there anyone is this XI that you wouldn’t have expected?