Rangers have had their fair share of hardmen walk through the doors of Ibrox and in turn there have been plenty of them red-carded.
From Graeme Souness and Fernando Ricksen to Terry Hurlock and Willie Woodburn, there’s been plenty of names who opposition players would not have liked to get on the wrong side of.
But when it comes to which player has had the most red cards flashed in their direction, trust us when we say it’ll come as a surprise – or maybe not – that he only just left Rangers last summer.
Here are the players who have received the most red cards in a Rangers shirt, as per Fitba Stats. According to the data, the Ibrox giants have had 226 red cards across the club’s history.
4 red cards
Willie Woodburn
Three players are tied on four Rangers red cards with Willie Woodburn remarkably earning this somewhat unwanted accolade with four straight Gers reds back-to-back.
Between 1948 and 1954, Ibrox centre-half Woodburn earned four red cards – a feat back in these days – and such was his aggressive style, he was the last ever player to be handed a life ban for indiscipline.
The ban was handed down for head-butting a Stirling Albion player in 1954, his final red card for Rangers.
However, the ban was later rescinded and the ex-Scotland international takes pride of place in both the Rangers and Scotland Hall of Fame before going on to become a journalist with the News of the World.
Fernando Ricksen
The inclusion of Fernando Ricksen – one of the feistiest characters of the modern era at Ibrox – will come as no surprise to Rangers supporters.
The Dutchman was a fine footballer but played very aggressively and saw red against Celtic, PSG, Dundee United and Aberdeen before captaining Gers on Helicopter Sunday.
A club legend who fought bravely against Motor Neurone Disease, his passing was marked with tremendous tributes from an adoring support who certainly enjoyed the edge with which he played.
Barry Ferguson
Barry Ferguson’s position as a Rangers star with four red cards may come as a surprise to some. But when you consider how long Bazza played at Ibrox and the tenacity of his game, perhaps it makes sense.
A tremendous Scottish midfielder with an eye for goal and a pass, Ferguson was the leader of several Rangers sides but sometimes his commitment boiled over.
His first red came in the year 2000 against Celtic at Parkhead for a handball, but he’d also see red against Hearts, Dunfermline and Motherwell in his career.
Lee McCulloch
Lee McCulloch was not someone to be messed with and found himself in bother a number of times during his Rangers career.
He was first sent off against Aberdeen in 2007 before being shown red in the Old Firm against Celtic in May 2010. McCulloch would see red against St Mirren a year later before a 2015 red card against Hearts in the Championship.
5 red cards
Ryan Jack
The first of two current Rangers first-team players on this list, it is quite surprising to see Ryan Jack come third in the all-time Ibrox red card list.
It’s fair to say that referees are certainly more willing to clamp down on aggressive tackles in the modern era and after signing for Rangers, Jack certainly struggled to remain on the pitch.
Jack received four red cards in his first season at Ibrox, seeing red against Hibs, Hamilton, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen – although the Hibs red was rescinded on appeal. The player’s red card against Kilmarnock was also downgraded to a yellow on appeal.
Jacko’s only other red card came in the Europa League against BSC Young Boys, a tactical foul later in the match which helped keep the club in the tournament. It came after he was already banned for the next match due to an earlier yellow card.
Willie Johnston
Willie Johnston is famous for being the Barca Bear who fired in a double at the Nou Camp to secure the European Cup Winners’ Cup for Rangers in 1972.
But did you know that the striker is also the second most red-carded Ranger of all-time? Johnston played for Rangers across two spells spanning 10 years and was sent packing six times.
Johnston was sent off three times in 1969 against Falkirk, Atletico Bilbao and Clyde as he struggled to stay out of the gaze of the referee.
Red cards would become a staple of Johnstone’s career and he was sent off a year later against Hibernian before being sent off against Partick Thistle in 1972.
After leaving Ibrox for pastures new down south and in Canada, Johnston would return to the club in 1980. And true to form, he earned a red card in his first year back against Aberdeen in the League Cup.
8 red cards
Alfredo Morelos
Alfredo Morelos is the most red-carded Rangers player of all-time. When it came to Morelos, most of his issues concerned his temperament with the Colombian biting the baited hook multiple times in Scotland.
However, Morelos wasn’t helped by an inflamed reputation amongst the media and strict refereeing in the country.
Petulant kick-outs and nothing incidents were blown up beyond recognition with Morelos often seen as fair game for rival fans and in the press.
It’s worth noting that Morelos wasn’t sent off in his first season at Ibrox and has only been sent packing in Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst sides.
Morelos’ first red card came against Aberdeen in 2018 – a club against whom he has been sent off against three times in his career – perfectly symbolises his reputation.
Dons defender Scott McKenna took a bite, Morelos responded and Rangers wound up drawing the season opener 1-1.
The striker would then be sent off for similar against FC Ufa, be sent packing twice in a row against Aberdeen before receiving his first red against Celtic, biting to a Scott Brown heel scrape.
Another red would follow for gesturing to Motherwell supporters the next season before Morelos received a second yellow for diving in the 2-1 win at Parkhead in 2019. He’d get another yellow as he left the pitch for gesturing to the Celtic fans.
Morelos received his final Rangers red card against Hibs in August 2022 before leaving the club at the end of that season.
