Lionel Messi was surprisingly sent off on his international debut for Argentina against Hungary. But since then, he has only been sent off two more times. On the other hand, his rival Cristiano Ronaldo has far more red cards – but, has never been sent off while playing for Portugal.
So, which icon has more red cards? The answer is Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Portuguese accumulating 12 red cards during the course of his illustrious career. What’s more surprising is that his tally is four times that of his Argentine rival.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Which player has more red cards?
⚽️⚔️ Messi and Ronaldo stats after 1000 games:
— Sholy Nation Sports (@Sholynationsp) May 17, 2024
🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo:
👕 1000 games
⚽️ 725 goals
🎯 216 assists
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi:
👕 1000 games
⚽️ 789 goals
🎯 348 assists
🔥🔥🔥🥱 pic.twitter.com/N4emY2yQ4P
Ronaldo has been sent off once for Al Nassr, while he received only one with Juventus. When he was playing for Real Madrid, he was shown six red cards, with four coming during his time with Manchester United.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, was sent off 14 years after his international debut for Argentina in the game against Chile. The only time he was ever sent off while playing club football was for Barcelona in the Supercopa Espana final against Athletic Club.
The two eternal rivals have been compared in almost every metric imaginable. But in terms of discipline on the field, Messi is far ahead, being sent off four times lesser than Ronaldo over the course of his career.
