One of the main reasons that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest soccer players of all time is his will to win, his desire to be the best. From his obsessive training regimes to his on-field demand for perfection, everything Ronaldo does is geared towards one thing: winning.
But with that desire, there are occasionally consequences, that inner fire that drives Ronaldo sometimes spills out and wreaks havoc. Ronaldo plays on the edge, his demands on himself he feels he lives up to, but at times looks as though he believes his teammates and the opposition aren’t living up to their side of the deal.
And this leads to Ronaldo lashing out, his temper is always simmering, and a clever opponent can use this to their advantage. After all, if Ronaldo is sent off, he can no longer do any damage.
Let’s take a look at how many times Ronaldos’ temper has got the better of him in games and see how many times he has been sent off in his career. Is there one competition or league that has got under his skin more than others? Let’s find out…
Cristiano Ronaldo has received 11 red cards during his career – here are all the matches:
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2004 | Aston Villa – Manchester United (2-0) | Premier League |
| January 14, 2006 | Manchester City – Manchester United (3-1) | Premier League |
| August 15, 2007 | Portsmouth – Manchester United (1-1) | Premier League |
| November 30, 2008 | Manchester City – Manchester United (0-1) | Premier League |
| December 5, 2009 | Real Madrid – Almeria (4-2) | La Liga |
| January 24, 2010 | Real Madrid – Malaga (2-0) | La Liga |
| May 17, 2013 | Real Madrid – Atletico Madrid (1-2) | Copa Del Rey |
| February 2, 2014 | Athletic Club – Real Madrid (1-1) | La Liga |
| January 24, 2015 | Cordoba – Real Madrid (1-2) | La Liga |
| August 13, 2017 | Barcelona – Real Madrid (1-3) | Super Copa |
| September 19, 2018 | Valencia – Juventus (0-2) | Champions League |
| Number of Red Cards | Straight Red Cards | 2 Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 7 | 4 |
Ronaldo In The Premier League
- Red Cards: 4
With two spells at Manchester United now under his belt, Ronaldo has returned to the Premier League an older, wiser player. Now viewed by teammates with awe, Ronaldo is the new standard-bearer for his old club.
In his first stay in Manchester, Ronaldo accrued no less than four red cards in 6 seasons, not horrific, but certainly above average.
In part this was due to his already obvious desire to win, Ronaldo was used by Sir Alex Ferguson as a winger, and a young, pacy winger with an openness to diving certainly raised eyebrows in the Premier League.
Ronaldo was young, incredibly talented, but also had a habit of making the wrong choices or trying to do unnecessary tricks rather than move the ball on. This infuriated his manager and teammates alike, and slowly his game improved as he took on board his training.
It is worth noting that out of four sendings off in England, Ronaldo had two of them while playing against Manchester City, the arch-enemy of United.
Being targeted as the most dangerous player on the pitch, City (and it is worth remembering this is pre-Pep, pre-Qatari money Manchester City) made sure to foul and generally annoy Ronaldo until his inevitable retaliation got him sent off.
So far Ronaldo has managed to avoid falling into the red card trap during his second spell in Manchester, but given his still obsessive need to win, it could just be a matter of time before the red mist descends.
Ronaldo In La Liga
- Red Cards: 4 (+1 Copa Del Rey)
A 2009 move to real Madrid catapulted Ronaldo into true world stardom, and he began his first season in Madrid with a very creditable return of 26 goals and 10 assists in 29 appearances.
The Portuguese legend also took some time adjusting to the playstyle of Spanish soccer, as in his first season he saw 3 red cards.
Targeting players new to the league is hardly a new tactic, and given Ronaldos’ temperament, the La Liga giants must have expected a period of adjustment. Ronaldo obviously adjusted quickly, and while his goals tally for the next three seasons skyrocketed, his next red card took another four seasons to appear.
Ronaldo finished up with 5 red cards in La Liga over 9 seasons, which doesn’t make him the most ill-disciplined player ever to grace the league, his teammate Sergio Ramos is a prime example of a player who sees suspensions as a part of the job.
Ramos himself has so far collected 27 red cards in his career, which puts Ronaldos’ disciplinary record in its rightful place at the back of the list.
A single red card in the 2013 Copa del Rey Final against city rivals Atletico Madrid marred what was otherwise an excellent season, and to add to Real Madrid’s misery, Ronaldo getting sent off in extra time coincided with an extra-time winner for Atletico Madrid.
Ronaldo In The Champions League
- Red Cards: 1
Ronaldo has been much more patient and effective in the Champions League, with 140 goals in 181 appearances. Only one red card marred what has otherwise been a very profitable competition for the player.
A sending off in a group game against Spanish team Valencia, while playing for Juventus in 2018 is the only red card to Ronaldo’s name, despite accruing 24 yellow cards.
International Disciplinary Record
- Red Cards: 0
Being the record holder for all-time Portuguese top scorer, indeed all-time international top scorer for any country is a massive achievement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who is also his country’s most capped player of all time.
Ronaldos’ international career stats are not only superb, but he has also never been sent off while wearing the Portugal shirt.
A 184 game career has seen Ronaldo awarded 26 yellow cards, but no reds, something he must be particularly pleased with given he is the national captain. And while his role has changed from a tricky winger to a more central role, Ronaldo seems in no mood to slow down.
So, Is Ronaldo a Dirty Player?
Granted, there are many players that have gone an entire career without getting a red card, but most of those players haven’t had a career spanning two decades at the very pinnacle of their profession, while being kicked in every game.
Another key point to consider is that Ronaldo, like Lionel Messi, is simply one of the two best players ever to play soccer.
As one of the elites of the elite, Ronaldo has not only had to endure being targeted by opponents purely to stop him from being able to destroy teams, but his style of play brings him into direct physical contact with players at high speeds.
It is noticeable that there is a correlation between Ronaldos’ age and his playing position, and the frequency in which he has been sent off during his career. As a young, inexperienced, yet supremely talented winger, Ronaldo was easy to anger and quick to retaliate.
Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t a dirty player, he is committed to winning, and his larger-than-life personality, and his audacious skills, simply attract focus.
Could Cristiano Ronaldo See More Red Cards?
As a more mature player, he has curbed his temper to some extent, and after moving to a more central striker role has maintained his scoring record while reducing the number of fouls he has committed.
While the inner fires still burn, and burn brightly they do; you only have to take a look at Ronaldos’ face during games as he battles internally to bring his teammates up to his demanding level, he will always be susceptible to being booked.
Hopefully, in all walks of life, whatever you may do for a career, you wish to be the best you can be at whatever it is you do. What most of us can’t do is kick our work colleagues, or competitors from other businesses, in the knee when things aren’t going our way…
Given how badly Cristiano Ronaldo wants to win, at everything, it is only a wonder that he hasn’t collected many more red cards than the 12 he has.
Also Read: How Many Red Cards Does Messi Have?
