Neymar, Casemiro, Xhaka, Busquets: Who was the most-booked player of 2022?

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·3 January 2023

Neymar, Casemiro, Xhaka, Busquets: Who was the most-booked player of 2022?

The most booked players of 2022 have been named – and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar features prominently.

That’s according to data provided by the team over at Transfermarkt, who recently calculated the 20 most frequently cautioned individuals across Europe’s top five leagues in the calendar year, counting all competitions, as well as international appearances.

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Neymar was already comfortably set for a place in the top 10 of the countdown heading to PSG’s final match of 2022 against Strasbourg last week.

However, the talented Brazilian endured a nightmare return to Ligue 1 action after the World Cup, picking up a pair of yellow cards in the space of just a few minutes – the second for simulation – to ensure to his night ended early.

Those sanctions were enough to see the 30-year-old close out the year as the second-worst offender on this list.

Neymar is joined in the top five by his PSG teammate Marco Verrati. The reigning French champions, though, aren’t the only club with multiple representatives in this countdown.

Barcelona also have two entrants, while Manchester United and Sevilla led the way with three squad members each in the top 20.

The Old Trafford trio are among five Premier League players to make the top 20.

We’ve taken a look at the countdown in full below.

The most-booked players of 2022

20. Bruno Fernandes (Man United/Portugal)

Games: 59 | Yellow cards: 14

19. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal/Switzerland)

Games: 54 | Yellow cards: 14

18. Jordi Alba (Barcelona/Spain)

Games: 50 | Yellow cards: 14

17. Nemanja Gudelj (Sevilla/Serbia)

Games: 47 | Yellow cards: 14

16. Sandro Tonali (AC Milan/Italy)

Games: 45 | Yellow cards: 14

15. Scott McTominay (Man United/Scotland)

Games: 45 | Yellow cards: 14

14. Gary Medel (Bologna/Chile)

Games: 41 | Yellow cards: 14

13. Alidu Seidu (Clermont Foot/Ghana)

Games: 38 | Yellow cards: 14

12. Oscar Trejo (Rayo Vallecano)

Games: 36 | Yellow cards: 14

11. Antonio Raillo (Mallorca)

Games: 32 | Yellow cards: 14

10. Casemiro (Man United/Brazil)

Games: 58 | Yellow cards: 15

9. Sofayan Amrabat (Fiorentina/Morocco)

Games: 50 | Yellow cards: 15

8. Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla/Argentina)

Games: 35 | Yellow cards: 15

7. Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham/Uruguay)

Games: 54 | Yellow cards: 18

6. Sergio Busquets (Barcelona/Spain)

Games: 54 | Yellow cards: 18

5. Marcos Acuna (Sevilla/Argentina)

Games: 46 | Yellow cards: 18

4. Marco Verratti (PSG/Italy)

Games: 43 | Yellow cards: 18

3. Stefan Savic (Atletico Madrid/Montenegro)

Games: 38 | Yellow cards: 18

2. Neymar (PSG/Brazil)

Games: 43 | Yellow cards: 19

1. Gianluca Mancini (Roma/Italy)

Games: 45 | Yellow cards: 20

In recent seasons, Man United squads have – at times – been accused of lacking a competitive edge as the club have endured some of worst campaigns in their Premier League history.

With combative midfielder Casemiro now at the heart of Erik ten Hag’s side, fighting spirit is no longer an issue – even if the Brazilian is prone to picking up yellow cards on a regular basis. The same can be same for Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes.

Casemiro’s arrival at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has ultimately led to less game time for Scott McTominay, although that hasn’t prevented the Scotsman from featuring on the countdown.

In terms of a sheer number of fixtures, 2022 was a busy year for the world’s top players as the FIFA World Cup was held in the winter for the first time in tournament history.

Surprisingly, though, the most-booked man of 2022 plays for a nation that didn’t make it to Qatar.

Italy’s Gianluca Mancini – who plays his club football for Roma – racked up 20 bookings in just 45 outings in 2022.

The 26-year-old was also sent-off at AC Milan in early January, meaning he served a total of three separation suspensions in the year for disciplinary reasons.