Gerard Pique’s red card in his final game for Barcelona was anticlimactic to say the least. But it is far from the first time a player has waved goodbye with a punishment. Keep in mind Gerard Pique’s red card will certainly not be the final entry in the list.
1. Zidane in the World Cup final in 2006.
Many football fans will remember this as a memorable occasion. In the 2006 World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane headbutted Italy’s Marco Materazzi. “If you want my shirt, I’ll give it to you at the end of the game,” Zidane is quoted as saying to Materazzi. The defender would then have stated that he would prefer Zidane’s sister, prompting the Frenchman to execute what has been dubbed “the headbutt of the century.”
2. Van Bommel for PSV against FC Twente on may 12, 2013
Mark van Bommel’s football career likewise comes to an end with a red card. In a match against FC Twente, he overcame the then Twente star Dusan Tadic with a powerful tackle, leaving the referee with little choice but to point him to the locker room. Van Bommel later confesses, “That was the clearest red card of all red cards.” He also describes the event as “a reflection of the entire season.” PSV finished second in the league and lost in the cup final to AZ in 2012/13.
3. Kohler in the UEFA Cup Final in 2002
In the 31st minute of the 2002 UEFA Cup Final versus Feyenoord, German Jürgen Kohler was sent off. The then-36-year-old Dortmund defender knocked Feyenoord midfielder Jon Dahl Tomasson down in the penalty area, and the referee waved him off.
The Rotterdam squad eventually won the game 3-2 and brought home the cup. The red card represents a terrible conclusion to Kohler’s football career, which included the UEFA Cup, the Champions League, and the Bundesliga title, among other things.
