Real Madrid captain sent off in shock home defeat to Girona
Sunday 17 February 2019 15:23, UK
Sergio Ramos set an unwanted record on Sunday as he was shown another red card.
The defender received the 25th red card of his career in Real Madrid's shock 2-1 home defeat to Girona for two bookings, the first for handball and the second for appearing to catch Pedro Alcala in the face as he was attempting an overhead kick.
Ramos already held the record for the most red cards in La Liga history, but he is now the most sent-off player in the history of Europe's top five leagues.
Former Bordeaux, Nice and Marseille midfielder Cyril Rool previously held the record with 19 red cards in Ligue 1.
However, Ramos is now the outright holder after being shown his 20th red in La Liga.
His other red cards have been in the Champions League (3) and Copa del Rey (2) - but interestingly, he has never been sent off in 161 caps for Spain.
His 25th dismissal for Real Madrid means he has been sent off at least twice more than any other player in the club's history - Fernando Hierro and Guti follow with 12 and 10 respectively.
The Premier League record stands at just eight red cards, shared by Duncan Ferguson, Patrick Vieira and Richard Dunne.
Ramos' latest red means he will be suspended for Real Madrid's clash against Levante next weekend.
However, perhaps more significantly, he will be available to face Barcelona in back-to-back Clasicos - in the Copa del Rey on February 27 and La Liga on March 2.
Ramos was on four yellow cards before the match against Girona, with one more resulting in a one-match ban, but a red card does not count against that so he still stands at four bookings.
The defender is also serving a ban in the Champions League after he was booked in the first leg of Real Madrid's last-16 clash with Ajax.
