Last update 16 April, 2022 by Alberto Llopis
Who are the cleanest players in history? Of course in the following article are by no means all players who were never expelled. Among other things, because there is no complete statistics to define these parameters in the world that can describe or list one by one on every corner of the planet. However, yes they are any of players who were never sent off, and even in some cases, They were not even reprimanded with a simple yellow card. They are the knights of the “fair play”.
The cleanest players in history
Two of the most representative cases of world football are Gary Lineker y Sir Stanley Matthews. The British striker who one day played for Barcelona is the paradigm of the cleanest players in history of football. It is true to play center forward helped him, but I doubt that in more than 450 meetings in Europe (during his stay in Asia he saw a yellow) not having received not a single card is great merit. As is also the Stanley Matthews what in 697 parties never had the dishonor of seeing a red card.
More illustrious names that carry a lifetime playing football without being expelled are two real legends: Raúl González Blanco y Ryan Giggs. The Madrid player neither in Real Madrid nor in Schalke nor in the Spanish team, neither in Qatar nor in the Cosmos, the eternal '7’ was never expelled 932 matches as a professional. Giggs never saw a red card in 963 games with United although he was sent off once for 2 yellow cards with Welsh against Norway in 2001.
Other players without any expulsion in his career
Andrés Iniesta is one of the illustrious who has never seen a red one in his entire career, although he is still active. that despite having been on the brink of seeing the red card on occasion, he has never left early.
Other classics of world football were never expelled was the great Dixie Dean, one of the greatest scorers in the history of England that never saw a red in his 439 meetings, Tommy Lawton, Tom Finney, Bill Wright (the first man to reach 100 international matches with a selection) o Jimmy Dickinson (764 meetings with Portsmouth).
Such a Golden Ball as Michel Platini nor did he suffer any expulsion in 655 matches as a professional, neither at club level nor at national team level. Damien Duff played 19 years as a professional and was never expelled, in none of the multiple clubs where he played or with the Northern Ireland national team.