Football is a contact sport and due to its very physical nature, the probability of a player getting booked before the end of a match is always very high.
While some footballers are renowned for avoiding bookings, others have carved a reputation for always getting into the referee’s book.
In this post, we bring to you the list of the footballers who never received a single red card in their career, obviously, they may have received a bunch of yellow card through out their career but they were never given red card during the long of their career.
In this article, Football-updates presents you with the big names of footballers that never received a red card throughout their entire careers.
Table of Contents
Which Player has never got a red Card?
As seen in the previous post following the above link, we have a good number players who played the whole of their career games without even taking a single booking even though some of them played as defenders.
Today in this list, You will see the players who never received a red card in their football career but some how received yellow cards but never reds. So all the players in the list of footballers who were never booked during their careers can also be added here but for clarity purpose, we will only see the players who never received a red card but you can follow the above link to see the players who never got booked even once in their careers.
1. Michel Platini
Michel platini who remains a legendary French footballer and is also widely known as one of the best footballers that France has ever produce in its history. And today he also is also among the soccer players who never received a red card in their careers.
The French international made a total of 652 appearances during his career both with his nation and club ( 580 with the club and 72 at Country ) but it is astonishing that he was never shown a single red card in any one of these appearances.
Michel Platini holds to his name a quite prestigious number of trophies like Ballon dor which he won three times in the years 1983, 1984, 1985 and also a World cup trophy with France.
Despite the fact that he played as a midfielder, he was also a prolific goal scorer and he actually scoored a total of 353 goals during his 652 appearances. Then coming to bookings, he received a total of 13 yellow cards with no single red card.
2. Phillip Lahm
Philipp Lahm, the versatile German full-back and former Bayern Munich captain, was known for his tactical intelligence, technical ability, and fair play. Lahm's professionalism and discipline ensured that he never received a red card during his career.
The German player Phillip Lahm who was once the Captain of Germany's national football team and also at Bayern Munich. He is the only German footballer to feature on this list of footballers without a red card in history.
He can also be considered as a player who played for only one club as he played for 15 years at Bayern Munich from the year 2001 to the year 2017. But he is not totally a one club man as he also played for two seasons with the German club VfB Stutgart.
Phillip Lahm made a total of 765 career appearances from which 652 was at club level and 113 was at International level.
Even though the German midfielder received a huge number of yellow cards during his career ( 60 yellow cards), he was never sent off the game with a red card.
3. Raul Gonzalez
Raul Gonzalez Blanco popularly known as Raul, is a retired Spanish international footballer who played for the La Liga club Real Madrid for most of his career precisely 16 years and this was between 1994 to the year 2010. In his 16 years of career, he made a total of 741 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions.
During his career, Raul Gonzalez made a huge total of 1044 appearances from which 942 was at club level and 102 appearances was at international level and it might seem difficult to imagine that he actually never received single red even though he played more than a thousand games but the truth remains that he never got sent off with a red card.
But the Real Madrid legend received a total of 46 yellow cards in his career but without ever receiving a red card.
4. Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs, the legendary Manchester United winger, played his entire career without ever receiving a red card. Known for his elegance, skill, and longevity, Giggs exemplified professionalism and fair play throughout his illustrious career.
Ryan Giggs stands as the one only Welsh and one club footballer of the list of soccer players who have never been shown a red card. Ryan Giggs is said to be a one club man cause he only played for the top English club Manchester United, during his long 24 years career which actually lasted from the 1990 to 2014 and during this period, he made a total of 963 appearances for Manchester United.
So following this awesome number of appearances that he made for the club, he presently detains the record of most number of appearances for the red devils in the history of the club.
The Legend Ryan Giggs also holds 64 caps for the Welsh national team which makes an overall of 1027 appearances for both country and club but still he did not received a red card even though playing more than 1000 games.
Ryan Giggs received a total of 50 yellow cards from which 48 of the yellow cards where at club level and the remaining two where at country level.
5. Andres Iniesta
The great Barcelona player Iniesta stands as the second Spanish player to make his way into this our list of players who have never been shown a red card. Andres Iniesta is a 36 years old midfielder who played for the La Liga club Barcelona for the majority of his career which actually stands at 17 years with the Spanish club from the year 2001 to the year 2018.
As he is actually almost getting close to the end of his football career, The Legend Andres Iniesta is now playing for the Japanese club Vissel Kobe where he joined since 2018 from Barcelona.
Andres Iniesta during his time at Barcelona, he made a total of 674 appearances for the club and 131 for the Spanish national team with whom he won the World Cup in 2010. And also since 2018 that he joined the Japanese club Vissel Kobe, he has already made 74 appearances for the club so this makes a gross total of 879 appearances for Andres Iniesta in the date of writing this post and he has never been sent off any of the games he has played since the start of his career.
But however, the Spanish player has received a huge number of yellow cards ( 68) with 5 of them being at international level and the rest with club.
6. Karim Benzema
Here is the only French footballer on our list of footballers who have never been shown red card, Even though his career his career is still ongoing, he has already played a majority number of his professional career games but has never been vokked with a yellow card so he makes his way into this list.
The French International has been playing for the top La Liga club Real Madrid since the year 2009 but before coming to Spain, he had already played for five years in the French League with Olympique Lyonais and he made 148 appearances for the French club.
And for the Spanish club Real Madrid, he has already made a total of 541 appearances( still counting).
Karim Benzema's Senior international career with the France national team lasted for only 8 years fro the year 2007 to the year 2015 during which he made 81 appearances for his country. So all in all, tbhe player already has 790 appearances to the date of writing this post but yet he has never been sent off in any of them.
Even though his 790 appearances, the French player has just 14 yellow cards all of which are at club level.
7. Gary Lineker (England, Barcelona):
Gary Lineker, an English striker who played for clubs like Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, was known for his clinical finishing and goal-scoring abilities. Despite being heavily marked by defenders, Lineker managed to avoid any bookings throughout his career. His focus on fair play and his ability to score goals without resorting to unsportsmanlike conduct set him apart.
8. Hernan Crespo
When he was playing, Hernan Crespo was a prolific striker. Over 300 goals were scored by the Argentine over his 19-year career.
He is Argentina's fourth-highest goalscorer at the international level with 35 goals, after only Sergio Agüero, Gabriel Batistuta, and Lionel Messi.
He participated in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 FIFA World Cups.
Crespo was once the most expensive footballer in the world when Lazio paid €56 million (£35.5 million) to acquire him from Parma in 2000.
Even though he had a long very long football career, Crespo never received a red card during his career.
9. Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, who is regarded as one of the best British players of all time, had a lengthy 33-year career that spanned from 1932 to 1965 without ever receiving a yellow or red card!
More importantly, he stayed in shape to compete at the highest level until he was 50 years old!
In 1956, Stanley Mattews took home the inaugural Ballon d'Or trophy.
Because he rarely tackled opponents and refused to defend himself against the numerous extremely physical challenges he faced throughout the course of his 33-year career, he was never flagged for a booking or given a warning.
10. Joao Moutinho
Portuguese midfielder, Joao Moutinho, has played for various clubs in his career and has been one of the most disciplined players ever.
The 36-year-old won the Euro Championship with Portugal in 2016 and currently plays for EPL side, Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Moutinho has gone over 800 matches for club and country without ever receiving a red card!
Final Thought on List of Players Who Never Received a Red Card in Their Careers
These football players serve as shining examples of professionalism, fair play, and discipline in the world of football.
Their ability to compete at the highest level without ever receiving a red card is a testament to their exceptional skills, sportsmanship, and dedication to the beautiful game. These players have left a lasting legacy, not only for their achievements on the field but also for their exemplary conduct throughout their careers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which footballer has never been booked?
There are several footballers who have never been booked during careers. Lineker never received a yellow or red card during his career, and he also never won a top-flight league title.
Which player has no card in his career?
Not only did Gary Lineker never received a red card in his career; but he was NEVER even shown a yellow card.
Which player has never missed a penalty in his career?
Ivan Krstanović never missed a penalty in his career, as he told UEFA.com that "it's at least 30 goals" from the spot for the Croatian.
Which player has never received a red card in his career?
There are many players such as Andres Iniesta, Garry Lineka, Karim Benzema and many other players who have never received a red card during their careers.