Sergio Ramos's booking at Leganés in midweek leaves the Real Madrid captain serving a one-match suspension in today's LaLiga clash with Alavés, and has once more brought into focus the issue of the many, many cards that he has accumulated throughout his time as a footballer.

Ramos has earned 274 cards during playing career

Ramos has picked up more cards - be it yellow or red - than any other player in the history of LaLiga, the Champions League, and the Spain national team: 171, 36 and 20, respectively. Overall, he has been brandished with 274 during his career.

The defender's LaLiga total not only sees him lead the way in Spain, but across all of Europe's major leagues.

And the same goes for his games-to-card average: he is the most prolific ever in Primera División, going into the referee's book every 2.3 matches, and is not to be outdone by the top card collectors on the continent, such as Giampiero Pinzi in Serie A (2.7), Stefan Effenberg in the Bundesliga (3.3) and Cyril Rool in Ligue 1 (also 2.3).

Much lower card rate in a Spain shirt

In the Champions League (one in three) and on international duty (one every 7.4), however, his card frequency is lower. Indeed, the contrast between LaLiga and La Roja is particularly striking: with Spain, he has not been dismissed once; in Primera, he has earned an early bath 19 times (once every 22 games).

Ramos himself complained in August, after the first of two sendings-off so far this term in LaLiga: "In Europe and Fifa [international] games, the referees are much more tolerant. I like the English way better; they let you play there..."

Ramos has lowest card frequency of Spain top 10

And although he has the most tarjetas of any Spain player, every other member of the top 10 has amassed his at a higher rate, with David Albelda heading up La Selección's games-per-card list with a considerably more prolific one every 4.2.