Often hailed as one of the most popular and prestigious football tournaments in the world, the FIFA World Cup is religiously followed by millions of football aficionados from all over the world. Since its inception in 1930, the glorious history of the FIFA World Cup, which spans over decades, has witnessed numerous legendary football stalwarts who have displayed their unbeaten wrath on the field and have left no stone unturned in leading their respective teams to a phenomenal streak of victories in the world’s most prestigious football tournament.
However, shockingly, a few of these legendary football players have been handed red cards for serious misconduct on the field, which has led to their immediate departure from the field in a few of the most crucial FIFA World Cup matches. Have you ever wondered about the iconic football players who have received the highest number of red cards? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four football players with the highest number of red cards in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
FIFA World Cup: Top 4 Footballers With Most Red Cards
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Zinedine Zidnane
The trailblazing French professional football manager and former player Zinedine Zidane, who played as an attacking midfielder, is at the first spot in our list of the top four football players who have been handed the highest number of red cards in their FIFA World Cup careers. Often hailed as one of the greatest football players of all-time, Zinedine Zidane was sent off the field twice in his glorious FIFA career.
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During the France vs Saudi Arabia group stage match in the 1998 World Cup, Zinedine Zidane was shown a straight red card for stamping on Saudi Arabian player Fuad Anwar. Although the France national football team ended up clinching the match with a dominant score of 4-0, the iconic French midfielder was suspended for two games. In another shocking instance, during the final match of the 2006 World Cup between France and Italy, Zinedine Zidane was sent off for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest after an exchange of words, leaving his fans heartbroken. The France national football team ended up losing the match against Italy with a 5-3 score on penalties.
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Rigobert Song
At the second spot in our list of the top four football players with the highest number of red cards in the history of the FIFA World Cup, we have the iconic Cameroonian former professional footballer Rigobert Song, who is the manager of the Central African Republic national team. The legendary Cameroonian defender, Rigobert Song, was sent off for the first time during the 1994 World Cup stage match between Cameroon and Brazil for a rash tackle on Bebeto, the Brazilian striker.
At the age of seventeen, Rigobert Song became the youngest football player to be sent off the field with a red card in the history of the World Cup, leaving his fans in a state of utter shock. Rigobert Song received his career’s second red card during the group stage match between Cameroon and Chile at the 1998 World Cup for his ugly verbal and physical altercations with Chile’s Marcelo Salas.
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Rafael Márquez
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four football players who have been handed the highest number of red cards in their FIFA World Cup careers, we have the trailblazing Mexican football coach and former player Rafael Márquez, who played as a defender for a majority of his professional football career. Often hailed as one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game, Rafael Márquez received a red card and was sent off during the round of 16 match between Mexico and USA at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in the 87th minute of the match.
While Rafael Màrquez jumped for a header, he led with his studs and shockingly clashed with the U.S. captain Cobi Jones, leading to his ultimate departure from the field. Ultimately, Mexico were eliminated from the 2002 World Cup in the Round of 16 and USA clinched the match with a score of 2-0.
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Diego Maradona
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four football players with the highest number of red cards in the history of the FIFA World Cup, we have the legendary Argentine former professional football player Diego Maradona, who is often regarded as one of the greatest football players of all-time. Diego Maradona received his first and only FIFA’s red card during the second group stage match between Argentina and Brazil at the 1982 FIFA World Cup after he brutally kicked Brazilian midfielder Batista in the groin after losing possession in midfield.
The referee of the match, Abraham Klein, immediately issued a red card to Diego Maradona after the altercation, sending him off the field at the age of twenty-one.
