Whether they like it or not, some players are just known for being yellow card magnets.
Over the years, the Premier League has been home to some hard tacklers such as Roy Keane and Lee Cattermole. For them, a game wouldn’t be complete without clattering into an opponent at least once. The evolution of the game and laws does mean that these tackles aren’t as frequent as they once were, but it hasn’t stopped the yellow cards from flowing.
This season, even more so with referees stamping down on dissent. Yellow cards are not just for fouls. They’re now for talking back, wasting time, kicking the ball away, and even asking for a yellow card. There are so many ways for a player to be booked.
Joao Palhinha received the most yellow cards in the Premier League in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. In 2022-23, he equalled the record for the most yellow cards in a single Premier League campaign on 14. One year later, Palhinha received one fewer, but was still at the top.
But the Portuguese midfielder is now at Bayern Munich, so who will take over in 2024-25?
Players with the most Premier League yellow cards (2024-25 season)
Players with the same number of yellow cards are ranked by fewer minutes played. Stats correct as of 18:30 on 27/04/25.
| Player | Yellow Cards | Fouls | Minutes Played |
| Sasa Lukic | 12 | 58 | 2,090 |
| Will Hughes | 11 | 60 | 1,878 |
| Flynn Downes | 10 | 45 | 1,794 |
| Joelinton | 10 | 58 | 2,404 |
| Liam Delap | 10 | 65 | 2,443 |
| Dan Burn | 10 | 28 | 2,970 |
| Moises Caicedo | 10 | 61 | 2,996 |
| Manuel Ugarte | 9 | 35 | 1,620 |
| Ryan Yates | 9 | 49 | 1,766 |
| Ryan Christie | 9 | 43 | 2,131 |
We’re now at the final stage of the season, with 15 yellow cards the minimum threshold for a suspension — now at three matches. The single-season record stands at 14, so if we do see it, it will be for the first time in the competition’s history.
Players with the most Premier League fouls (2024-25 season)
Players with the same number of fouls are ranked by fewer minutes played. Stats correct as of 17:30 on 26/04/25.
| Player | Fouls | Minutes Played |
| Liam Delap | 65 | 2,443 |
| Joao Gomes | 65 | 2,702 |
| Antoine Semenyo | 65 | 2,914 |
| Moises Caicedo | 61 | 2,996 |
| Will Hughes | 60 | 1,878 |
| Alexis Mac Allister | 60 | 2,562 |
| Sasa Lukic | 58 | 2,090 |
| Joelinton | 58 | 2,404 |
| Bruno Guimaraes | 54 | 2,923 |
| Idrissa Gueye | 51 | 2,709 |
Who has the most yellow cards in Premier League history?
| Name | Yellow Cards | Clubs | Years active | |
| 1 | Gareth Barry | 123 | Aston Villa, Man City, Everton, West Brom | 1997-2018 |
| 2 | Wayne Rooney | 102 | Everton, Man Utd | 2002-2018 |
| 3 | Lee Bowyer | 99 | Leeds, West Ham, Newcastle, Birmingham City | 1996-2011 |
| 4 | Kevin Davies | 99 | Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton | 1997-2012 |
| 5 | Paul Scholes | 97 | Man Utd | 1994-2013 |
| 6 | Scott Parker | 92 | Charlton, Chelsea, Newcastle, West Ham, Tottenham, Fulham | 2000-2014 |
| 7 | Ashley Young | 90 | Watford, Aston Villa, Man Utd, Everton | 2003- |
| 8 | Robbie Savage | 89 | Leicester, Birmingham, Blackburn, Derby | 1997-2008 |
| 9 | Lee Cattermole | 88 | Middlesbrough, Wigan, Sunderland | 2005-2017 |
| 10 | George Boateng | 85 | Coventry, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Hull City | 1997-2010 |
What about red cards?
| Name | Red Cards | Clubs | Years active | |
| 1 | Richard Dunne | 8 | Everton, Man City, Aston Villa, QPR | 1996-2001, 2002-2013 and 2014-15 |
| 2 | Duncan Ferguson | 8 | Everton, Newcastle | 1994-2006 |
| 3 | Patrick Vieira | 8 | Arsenal, Man City | 1996-2005 and 2009-11 |
| 4 | Lee Cattermole | 7 | Middlesbrough, Wigan, Sunderland | 2005-2017 |
| 5 | Vinnie Jones | 7 | Chelsea, Wimbledon | 1992-98 |
| 6 | Roy Keane | 7 | Nottingham Forest, Man Utd | 1992-2005 |
| 7 | Alan Smith | 7 | Leeds, Man Utd, Newcastle | 1998-2009 and 2010-12 |
| 8 | Gareth Barry | 6 | Aston Villa, Man City, Everton, West Brom | 1997-2018 |
| 9 | Joey Barton | 6 | Man City, Newcastle, QPR, Burnley | 2002-09, 2010-13, 2014-15, 2016-17 |
| 10 | Luís Boa Morte | 6 | Arsenal, Southampton, Fulham, West Ham | 1997-2000, 2001-2011 |