Football’s biggest hot-heads including Keane and Rangers star with 7 red cards

Football has had it's fair share of bad boys over the past few years – but the on-field antics of Rangers hitman Alfredo Morelos takes some topping.

Morelos has proven himself to be one of the coolest finishers in football over the past few years at Ibrox, but the striker has struggled to keep his cool more often than not when he's not banging in goals.

But the Rangers man, who celebrates his 26th birthday today is far from the only hot-head who has kept us entertained over the years. Here, Daily Star Sport takes a look at Morelos and seven other well-known players who have been lost their rag regularly in recent years…

Alfredo Morelos

Ibrox favourite Morelos has bagged loads of goals since making the switch to the Scottish Premiership from Finland, but the Colombian bad boy has also had his fair share of disciplinary issues too.

The 25-year-old had never been sent off prior to joining Rangers, but he's now picked up a staggering seven red cards since joining the club back in 2017. And the striker has even managed to equal Sergio Ramos' European record after being sent off five times in one season during the 2018/19 campaign.

Morelos has been given his marching orders for a host of reasons over the years, including petulance, stamping and just general poor discipline. Former 'Gers boss Steven Gerrard vowed to get on top of Morelos' disciplinary issues during his time with Rangers, but

Joey Barton

Who do you think is the biggest hot-head in Premier League history? Let us know in the comments section

One of football's original bad boys, Joey Barton had a real knack for causing other people to lose their heads – as well as losing himself to the red mist every now and then.

The 39-year-old – who has since gone into management – was sent off nine times during his career and was more often than not right at the heart of controversy both on and off the pitch.

Barton's most wild moment on the pitch occurred during Manchester City's dramatic title-winning triumph at the Etihad back in 2012. The fiery midfielder was given his marching orders after elbowing Carlos Tevez in the throat and went on to offer out half of the City squad, including Vincent Kompany and Mario Balotelli. Barton was slapped with a 12-game ban from the FA for his shameful showing.

Roy Keane

Arguably the hardest man in football, Roy Keane was Manchester United's chief enforcer during their glory years under Sir Alex Ferguson.

With Keane running things in the dressing room and the engine room, United enjoyed a period of sustained success with the fiery Irishman – but Keane was no stranger to controversy himself and would often wind up on the wrong side of the law on the pitch.

Keane's dark side saw him accumulate seven red cards in the Premier League over the years and countless cautions, while the midfielder's feisty battles with Arsenal and Patrick Vieira in the mid-2000s were arguably some of the finest moments in top-flight history.

Kevin Muscat

To this day, it's hard to think of a more hot-headed player than Kevin Muscat. The controversial Australian full-back spent the majority of his playing career in the UK, with spells at Crystal Palace, Wolves, Rangers and Millwall – but he wasn't exactly popular.

In fact, whenever Muscat's name is mentioned, it's hard not to imagine somebody being sent flying by an X-rated challenge or Neil Warnock gleefully telling everybody in earshot, "serves you right for f****** Muscat, that" after the 48-year-old allegedly headbutted an opposition player.

Although Muscat was sent off a staggering 12 times in his professional career and picked up a further 123 yellow cards, the former Lions captain is now a cultured manager who bosses Yokohama FM, a member of he City Football Group.

Duncan Ferguson

When it comes to Premier League hot-heads, nobody comes close to Duncan Ferguson.

The big, volatile ex-Everton striker proved to be a handful for defenders on the pitch – and the Toffees bruiser was a right pain for match officials, too. The fiery Scotsman picked up an astonishing eight top-flight red cards during his time at Goodison Park; more than any other player in Premier League history.

But like Muscat, the 50-year-old – who was also once given his marching orders for headbutting an opponent – has mellowed since hanging up his boots and has been tipped to land his first manager role soon after impressing in his previous position as interim boss at Everton.

Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos has racked up a staggering 27 red cards during his trophy-laden career and is rightfully considering one of the biggest wind-up merchants in football.

The Spaniard is renowned for his theatrics and his ability to embroil himself in any and all dramatics and is often an easy target for opposition fans to hurl abuse at.

Despite his petulant on-field antics and his shocking disciplinary record, the veteran defender has never been sent off for his country – even though he probably should have been a fair few times.

Gennaro Gattuso

Gennaro Gattuso was another top player who had a knack for letting his temper get in the way of his football.

The Italian enforcer was a huge hit with AC Milan and won the Scudetto, the Champions League and the World Cup during his storied career. But he was also dogged by his fair share of controversies, including an incident back in 2003 when he was sent off after slapping Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the face.

But Gattuso's ill-judged scrap with big Joe Jordan on the touchline during Tottenham's Champions League clash with the Italian giants back in 2011. The two had shared words before Gattuso grabbed the Scotsman by the throat, sparking a melee. Gattuso was banned for five matches as a result of his actions.

Pepe

It would be criminal not to include the ultimate footballing ****house, Pepe on this list.

The 39-year-old defender has made a career out of winging opponents up – and he's still going strong to this day with FC Porto. During his time at Real Madrid, Pepe was public enemy number one and was always caught up in controversy, often losing his temper.

However, the master of the dark arts hadn't been sent off for a staggering 11 years – until he saw red earlier this year for his part in a chaotic post-match brawl between Porto and Sporting Lisbon.

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