Football's good guys: 7 legends who never received a red card including Barcelona heroes

Name a famous footballer, either already retired or nearing the end of their career. Chances are they'll have been shown a red card at least once.

Ryan Giggs made it through more than 20 Premier League seasons without being dismissed, but failed to do the same in Wales colours. Even Lionel Messi, known more for enticing others into red card challenges, saw red for Argentina as a teenager and for Barcelona as an elder statesman.

There are a few players who have done the unthinkable, though, escaping the severest punishment from referees for the duration of their career. Here, picks out seven of the best, including three not-yet-retired players who still have time to blot their copybooks.

Didn't expect to see Benzema here, did you? Sure, he might not be the shrinking violet you'd expect on a list of 'good boys', but his disciplinary record is second to... well, a few, but not many.

The French striker has been carded just 16 times over the course of his illustrious career. 15 of those came at club level, in the colours of Lyon and Real Madrid, while one arrived in the blue of France.

The best thing about that France booking? It came during an 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan, with his team already three goals to the good.

Iniesta is no stranger to the referees notebook, picking up 67 bookings in his club career and five in his 131 Spain caps. However, in more than 900 games as a senior pro, he hasn't seen red even once.

Considering his position on the field, the stat feels even more remarkable. It's one thing avoiding punishment when you're regularly the one getting on the end of moves, but an ability to do so while playing in the middle of the park points to some impressive timing and self-control.

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