Footballers are always eager to impress on their first appearance for a new club or international team.
But debuts do not always end well. Sometimes, the added pressure or desire to deliver can cause tension and lead to mistakes, at times even aggression.
From the Premier League to European games and international football, here is a look at the men’s players who were sent off on their debut…
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Juventus as a five-time Champions League winner and at previous club Real Madrid, the Portuguese had won the competition for the previous three seasons.
But things did not start well for Ronaldo in the Champions League at Juventus as the Portuguese was shown a straight red card after appearing to grab the hair of Valencia defender Jeison Murillo midway through the first half of a game at Mestalla in September 2018. Referee Felix Brych reached for his red card after consulting with his assistant and Ronaldo left the pitch in tears. Despite losing Cristiano, Juve went on to win the game 2-0.
Bernardo Corradi (Manchester City)
Manchester City endured a miserable afternoon against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League in August 2006.
The Sky Blues were beaten 3-0 and Bernardo Corradi, making his Premier League debut, was sent off in the 63rd minute after two bookable offences.
Gheorghe Hagi (Brescia)
It was somewhat surprising when Gheorghe Hagi signed for Brescia in 1992, at the age of 27, but the Romanian rebuilt his reputation in Serie A after a difficult couple of seasons at Real Madrid.
Hagi went on to join Barcelona in 1994, but revealed he was wanted by Napoli as a replacement for Diego Maradona at that time. In September 1992, the attacking midfielder made his Serie A debut at Napoli in a 0-0 draw and was sent off with nine minutes remaining.
Florian Thauvin (Tigres)
Florian Thauvin signed for Mexican side Tigres in May 2021 and the French winger was welcomed by fans in a lavish presentation at the Monterrey outfit.
Thauvin, who was part of the France squad which won the World Cup in 2018, was sent off 35 minutes into his debut against Santos Laguna. The attacker had also been dismissed on his return to Marseille on loan from Newcastle United in 2016.
Joe Cole (Liverpool)
Joe Cole left Chelsea for Liverpool in the summer of 2010, but the England winger’s time at Anfield was not particularly productive.
Cole made just 42 appearances for the Reds, scoring five goals, and was shown a straight red card on his debut against Arsenal after 45 minutes for a challenge on Laurent Koscielny. The Belgian was also sent off later in the game, which finished 1-1.
Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal)
Laurent Koscielny signed for Arsenal from Lorient in the summer of 2010 and the Belgian defender was sent off on his Premier League debut, the same game in which Joe Cole also saw red on his Liverpool bow.
Cole was sent off for a foul on Koscielny at the end of the first half. And in the final minute of the sides’ 1-1 draw at Anfield, the Belgian was penalised for handball and shown a second yellow card by referee Martin Atkinson.
Federico Fazio (Tottenham)
Federico Fazio came into the Tottenham team for his Premier League debut in a game away to Manchester City in October 2014.
But the Argentine defender saw red after 67 minutes for a foul on Sergio Agüero which denied his compatriot a goalscoring opportunity. Spurs lost the game 4-1 and Fazio was also sent off on his return to Sevilla on loan in 2016.
Fabio Grosso (Perugia)
Fabio Grosso signed for Perugia in the summer of 2001 and the former Italy defender made his Serie A debut against Inter at the San Siro in August.
The match did not go well for the visitors, ending in a 4-1 defeat for Perugia, with Grosso dismissed for a second bookable offence in the final minute. The left-back, who hit the winning penalty as Italy beat France in the 2006 World Cup final, later spent a season at Inter.
Walter Samuel (Real Madrid)
Walter Samuel signed for Real Madrid with a big reputation, but the Argentine centre-back was much more suited to Serie A and spent just a season in Spain.
Sent off for two bookable offences on his La Liga debut as Madrid lost 1-0 at Espanyol, Samuel made 40 appearances in the 2004/05 season for Los Blancos, but returned to Italy with Inter in the summer of 2005.
Gervinho (Arsenal)
Arsenal were held to a goalless draw away to Newcastle United on the opening day of the Premier League season in August 2011.
Gervinho was making his debut for the Gunners, but the Ivorian was sent off on 72 minutes for slapping Joey Barton after the midfielder had dragged the former Roma player back to his feet following a challenge in the area.
Thomas Vermaelen (Roma)
Former Arsenal centre-back Thomas Vermaelen joined Roma on loan from Barcelona for the 2016/17 season.
But the Belgian defender got off to an inauspicious start at his new club as he was sent off just 41 minutes into his debut against Porto in the first leg of a Champions League play-off in August 2016. The game finished 1-1, but Roma lost the return 3-0 at home and Vermaelen went on to make only 12 appearances for the Giallorossi.
Ronald Araújo (Barcelona)
Ronald Araújo came off the bench to make his Barcelona debut against Sevilla in a LaLiga game at Camp Nou in October 2019.
Barça won the match 4-0, but the Uruguayan defender lasted just 14 minutes on the pitch after he was sent off for a foul on Javier Hernández. The decision was a controversial one and Ousmane Dembélé also saw red as Barça players protested the call to referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz.
João Félix (Chelsea)
João Félix joined Chelsea on loan from Atlético Madrid in January 2023, but the Portuguese winger endured a difficult debut.
Sent off in the 58th minute for a dangerous tackle on Kenny Tete, Félix was later given a three-match ban. He returned to Chelsea in a permanent transfer in August 2024.
Mark van Bommel (AC Milan)
Mark van Bommel was sent off fairly frequently during his career and the defensive midfielder was dismissed on his last-ever appearance, playing for PSV in a 3-1 loss to FC Twente in May 2013.
Van Bommel had previously joined AC Milan from Bayern Munich in January 2011 and was red-carded in the 54th minute of his Serie A debut against Catania after picking up two yellow cards in a 2-0 win for the Rossoneri.
Graeme Souness (Rangers)
Graeme Souness left Sampdoria to become Rangers’ player-manager in the summer of 1986 and the former Scotland midfielder led the Glasgow giants to the title in his first season at Ibrox.
But Souness’ debut did not go well as he was sent off for two bookable offences in a 2-1 loss at Hibs, the second of which left George McCluskey with a bloody knee wound at Easter Road.
Luis Suárez (Uruguay)
Never far from controversy in his international career, Luis Suárez infuriated Ghana fans with his handball on the line to stop a late winner for the Black Stars in the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals and was sent home from the 2014 tournament for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.
Suárez was also sent off on his international debut for Uruguay, given his marching orders for dissent in a second yellow card five minutes from time as the Celeste beat Colombia 3-1 in Cúcuta in February 2007.
Jonathan Woodgate (Real Madrid)
Jonathan Woodgate signed for Real Madrid from Newcastle United in August 2004, but the centre-back missed the entire 2004/05 season due to injury.
Woodgate finally made his Madrid debut in September 2005 and it was an eventful one for the defender as he scored an own-goal and was later sent off for a second bookable offence in a 3-1 win against Athletic Club at the Santiago Bernabéu. He would go on to make just 14 appearances for Los Blancos.
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Lionel Messi’s international debut with Argentina lasted just 47 seconds after he was sent off against Hungary in August 2005.
Introduced as a second-half substitute in a friendly in Budapest, Messi saw red for lashing out at Hungary’s Vilmos Vanczák in an extremely harsh decision, with the defender having exaggerated the contact. Shown the red card by referee Markus Merk, the Barcelona forward left the pitch in tears. “It was not like I had dreamed it would be,” he said afterwards. Argentina won the match 2-1.
