Lionel Messi has received how many red cards throughout his career?

Six-time winner of the Ballon d'Or Lionel Messi is well-known for his sportsmanship on the field, but does he do enough to avoid the referee's book?

It should come as no surprise that, like many athletes and tough competitors, tempers flare on occasion or when things don't go their way on the field.

Messi, on the other hand, was controversially sent off in Argentina's Copa America third-place play-off triumph over Chile in 2019. It was the first time he had seen red in 14 years.

During the Super Cup final in 2021, Lionel Messi was issued his first red card for Barcelona.

Messi or Ronaldo: who is better? Since they established their dominance in the game about two decades ago, that has been the question that has captivated football.

But, in terms of crossing the officials, how does the Barcelona forward compare to his arch-rival?

Portugal's Ronaldo has had 11 red cards, compared to Messi's three. It was Messi's Argentina debut against Hungary in 2005 that earned him his first red card.

His international debut was cut short after only 2 minutes once the then-18-year-old was adjudged to have shoved Vilmos Vanczak, who also was pulling the shooter's shirt.

After a brawl in the Super Cup final in 2021, Messi, who has played in 520 games for Barcelona, received his first red card for the Catalan club.

Following a VAR review, Messi was issued a red card for appearing to strike Asier Villalibre in the head in an off-the-ball incident with Barcelona down 3-2 to Athletic Bilbao in extra time.

Messi's hat-trick of red cards in 726 games for club and country seems impressive, doesn't it?

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