La Liga shows the most cards in the Big Five: 2.24 yellows and 0.14 reds per match, against 2.03 and 0.09 in the Premier League and 1.67 and 0.04 in Serie A.
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Poly Rating · from the trend of the day
Most fouled players La Liga and Europe 2026-27
Saka has been fouled 21 times this Premier League season without a single card. Vinícius, fouled 23 times in La Liga, has two yellows, a red and a four-match ban.
- No. 1: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
- 10 places
01Final list
The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.
A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.
- 1
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
La Liga's most-fouled player, with 23 fouls at 3.54–3.56 per 90. He is also the most booked here: 2 yellows and a red, about one card per 7.7 fouls (calculated).
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 1 · ChatGPT · Grok: 7 · Gemini: 1
What each AI noted 4
- Claudeplace 1
3.54 fouls drawn per 90 and a red card against Villarreal: he is the fouled player whose reaction cost him a four-game ban.
Source ↗ - ChatGPT
Named differently in its own list: open the full list.
- Grokplace 7
Spain’s leader with 23 fouls received and 3.56 per 90, then a four-match ban for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair and for protesting, not for the fouls themselves.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 1
Draws an astonishing 3.92 fouls per 90 minutes across Europe, but picks up a booking every 230 minutes largely through referee dissent.
Source ↗
4 AIs put it here - 2
Alex Scott (Bournemouth)
Opta, via WhoScored, had him first in the Big Five at 3.4 fouls drawn per game. FBref and ESPN agree on 17 fouls drawn and 1 yellow card.
Included it: Claude, Grok, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT.In their lists: Claude: see list · Grok: 2 · Gemini: 5
What each AI noted 3
- Claude
Named differently in its own list: open the full list.
see list - Grokplace 2
WhoScored’s Big Five leader at 3.4 fouls drawn per game on 1 October, with FBref on 17 fouls drawn, 4 committed and 1 yellow in 4.9 nineties.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 5
Draws 3.42 fouls per 90 with exceptional balance, maintaining a remarkably disciplined ratio of 16.3 fouls suffered for every card seen.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 3
Williot Swedberg (Celta Vigo)
Second in La Liga by rate, at 3.36–3.38 per 90 on two tables, but from only 14 fouls in about 375 minutes. His card count was not retrieved.
Included it: Claude, Grok. Did not include: ChatGPT, Gemini.2 AIs put it here - 4
Mandela Keita (Parma)
Serie A's most-fouled player: 20 fouls on AS, but 16 on ESPN. StatMuse has him at 3.33 per match. With 1 yellow, that is 16–20 fouls per card.
Included it: Claude, Grok. Did not include: ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: see list · Grok: 3
2 AIs put it here - 5
Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna)
3.52 per 90 comes from FootballNation alone (22 fouls). StatMuse has 3.17 per match and AS has 19 fouls. He has 1 yellow card.
Included it: Grok. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Grok: 4
What each AI noted 1
- Grokplace 4
A winger second in Italy for fouls received (19 on AS) with 1 yellow, so the contact is not showing up as a booking habit.
Source ↗
1 AIs put it here - 6
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Fouled 21 times in 7 games with zero cards, on both AS and StatMuse; ESPN counts 18 fouls. Statz has his rate at 3.22 per 90.
Included it: Claude, Grok, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT.In their lists: Claude: 8 · Grok: 1 · Gemini: 6
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 8
The Premier League's most-fouled player by one count, with 21 fouls in 596 minutes (StatMuse) or 15 after 5 games (Statz).
Source ↗ - Grokplace 1
21 fouls received in 7 Premier League games and 0 cards, the cleanest gap between contact and punishment among the stars.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 6
Withstands 2.68 fouls per 90 minutes while maintaining premier composure, absorbing 24.4 fouls before receiving a single booking.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 7
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Fouled 3.13–3.15 times per 90 and first in the Big Five on raw fouls drawn (24 on StatMuse, 21 on AS). With 2 yellows, that is one card per 11–12 fouls (calculated).
Included it: Claude, Grok, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT.In their lists: Claude: 3 · Grok: 6 · Gemini: 4
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 3
First in raw fouls drawn in Europe's Big Five, with 24 in about 689 minutes.
Source ↗ - Grokplace 6
Tied third in Spain on 21 fouls received and at 3.15 per 90 on StatMuse, with 2 yellows already: a star who is both fouled and booked.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 4
Draws 2.94 fouls per game in congested zones but suffers a booking every 8.9 fouls received due to competitive combative dueling.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 8
Jean-Victor Makengo (Lorient)
Ligue 1's entry, at 3.2 fouls drawn per game on WhoScored's 1 October list. ESPN logs 16 fouls suffered in five starts and 1 yellow card.
Included it: Grok. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini.In their lists: Grok: 5
What each AI noted 1
- Grokplace 5
3.2 fouls drawn per game on WhoScored’s October list, and ESPN’s five-start log is 16 fouls suffered against 1 yellow.
Source ↗
1 AIs put it here - 9
Ramón Terrats (Getafe)
21 fouls received, level with Bellingham on AS, at 3.03–3.04 per 90 in about 620 minutes. His card count was not retrieved.
Included it: Claude, Grok. Did not include: ChatGPT, Gemini.2 AIs put it here - 10
Elliot Anderson (Manchester City)
Estimate: StatMuse's 23 fouls in 517 minutes works out to about 4.0 per 90. Statz has only 12 fouls, at 2.60 per 90. His cards were not retrieved.
Included it: Claude. Did not include: ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini.In their lists: Claude: 9
What each AI noted 1
- Claudeplace 9
23 fouls in 517 minutes works out to about 4.0 per 90 on StatMuse's totals, higher than any La Liga player.
Source ↗
1 AIs put it here
02Worth knowing
What the AIs noticed while building the list.
Vinícius's ban is not for reacting to being fouled. Two matches are for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair when the ball was not in play, and two are for protesting.
Per game, per 90 and season totals produce three different leaders. WhoScored had Scott first per game on 1 October, while AS totals put Vinícius first in Spain on 18 October.
Madrid's two most-fouled players are both in the Big Five's top three for raw fouls drawn: Bellingham has 24 and Vinícius 23.
Maurice Krattenmacher draws 5.00 fouls per 90, the highest Bundesliga rate on StatMuse, but in only 252 minutes. That is below the minutes floor, so no Bundesliga player makes this list.
03How we counted
In plain words, no formulas.
1The question
Top 10 most-fouled stars in Europe's Big Five leagues, set against how often they are booked
2Why this topic
It puts the foul table and the card table side by side, so readers can see which stars referees protect and which get provoked into cards. Neither table shows that alone.
3Where it applies
Europe's Big Five leagues, 2026-27 season (minimum minutes played)
4What we looked at
- Fouls suffered per 90 minutes
- Yellow and red cards received per 90 minutes
- Fouls suffered per card received
- AS — Season fouls received per player in La Liga and Serie A, plus player card files with cards
- StatMuse — Fouls drawn per 90 minutes, with minutes played
- playerstats.football — La Liga fouls drawn, minutes and fouls per 90
- WhoScored (Opta) — Fouls drawn per game across the Big Five, as of 1 October
- FBref (Opta) — Player fouls drawn, fouls committed and cards; cards per match by league
5Who ranked
The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini.
6How the places were set
The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.
04Each AI's own list
🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
3.54 fouls drawn per 90 and a red card against Villarreal: he is the fouled player whose reaction cost him a four-game ban.
Source ↗ - 2Swedberg (Celta Vigo), small sample
3.36 per 90, but in only 375 minutes, so he may drop out of a stricter minimum.
Source ↗ - 3Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
First in raw fouls drawn in Europe's Big Five, with 24 in about 689 minutes.
Source ↗ - 4Ramón Terrats (Getafe)
21 fouls drawn and 3.03 per 90, the best rate among non-Madrid players with 600+ minutes.
Source ↗ - 5Sergio Camello (Rayo Vallecano)
2.87 per 90 from 15 fouls in 470 minutes.
Source ↗ - 6Gonzalo Villar (Elche)
22 fouls drawn, 2.70 per 90.
Source ↗ - 7Robbie Ure (Sevilla)
15 fouls in 520 minutes, 2.60 per 90.
Source ↗ - 8Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
The Premier League's most-fouled player by one count, with 21 fouls in 596 minutes (StatMuse) or 15 after 5 games (Statz).
Source ↗ - 9Elliot Anderson (Man City)
23 fouls in 517 minutes works out to about 4.0 per 90 on StatMuse's totals, higher than any La Liga player.
Source ↗ - 10Lamine Camara (Monaco)
20 fouls in 630 minutes (about 2.86 per 90), the Ligue 1 entry in the Big Five top 10.
Source ↗
What Claude noticed
Madrid's two most-fouled players are both in the Big Five top three: Bellingham has 24 fouls drawn and Vinícius has 23.
Vinícius leads La Liga's fouls drawn per 90 (3.54) and has been shown a red card, the clearest example of the provoked-versus-deserved question.
Elliot Anderson's raw total of 23 comes in only 517 minutes, so his rate is higher than that of every La Liga player in the list.
🇺🇸 Grok10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Grok alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, Premier League 2026-27)
21 fouls received in 7 Premier League games and 0 cards, the cleanest gap between contact and punishment among the stars.
Source ↗ - 2Alex Scott (Bournemouth, Premier League 2026-27)
WhoScored’s Big Five leader at 3.4 fouls drawn per game on 1 October, with FBref on 17 fouls drawn, 4 committed and 1 yellow in 4.9 nineties.
Source ↗ - 3Mandela Keita (Parma, Serie A 2026-27)
Serie A’s foul leader on 20, with 1 yellow on the ESPN file: about 20 fouls for every card in the stricter count.
Source ↗ - 4Nicolò Cambiaghi (Bologna, Serie A 2026-27)
A winger second in Italy for fouls received (19 on AS) with 1 yellow, so the contact is not showing up as a booking habit.
Source ↗ - 5Jean-Victor Makengo (Lorient, Ligue 1 2026-27)
3.2 fouls drawn per game on WhoScored’s October list, and ESPN’s five-start log is 16 fouls suffered against 1 yellow.
Source ↗ - 6Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, La Liga 2026-27)
Tied third in Spain on 21 fouls received and at 3.15 per 90 on StatMuse, with 2 yellows already: a star who is both fouled and booked.
Source ↗ - 7Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid, La Liga 2026-27)
Spain’s leader with 23 fouls received and 3.56 per 90, then a four-match ban for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair and for protesting, not for the fouls themselves.
Source ↗ - 8Gonzalo Villar (Elche, La Liga 2026-27)
Second in Spain on raw fouls received (22) over 730 minutes, which is 2.71 per 90: a volume leader whose rate sits below the wingers.
Source ↗ - 9Ramón Terrats (Getafe, La Liga 2026-27)
21 fouls received, the same total as Bellingham, at 3.04 per 90 across 621 minutes: Getafe’s midfielder is in the star conversation on contact alone.
Source ↗ - 10Williot Swedberg (Celta, La Liga 2026-27)
Second in La Liga per 90 at 3.38, but only 14 fouls received in 373 minutes: the rate is elite and the season total is not.
Source ↗
What Grok noticed
La Liga is the Big Five’s card league this season: FBref has 2.24 yellows and 0.14 reds per match, ahead of the Premier League (2.03 and 0.09) and Serie A (1.67 and 0.04). The competition that fouls Vinícius most is also the one that books most.
Saka has 21 fouls received and 0 cards. Vinícius has 23 fouls received, 2 yellows, 1 red, and a ban split into two matches for the hair pull and two for the protest. The foul totals are close. The disciplinary outcomes are not.
Over four years to 18 October 2026, StatMuse has Vinícius on 325 fouls drawn in La Liga, ahead of Isi Palazón (265) and, further down, Lamine Yamal (177). This season Yamal is on 13 fouls received, outside the La Liga top group, while Vinícius leads it on 23.
Maurice Krattenmacher is on 5.00 fouls drawn per 90 in the Bundesliga, the highest rate StatMuse shows there, in 252 minutes. A minutes floor takes him off this list. Without one, he would be first in Germany by a long way.
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 2 notes
The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid, La Liga)
Draws an astonishing 3.92 fouls per 90 minutes across Europe, but picks up a booking every 230 minutes largely through referee dissent.
Source ↗ - 2Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio, Serie A)
Suffers 3.71 fouls per game and averages a card every 11.2 fouls absorbed as intense physical challenges prompt tactical retaliations.
Source ↗ - 3Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United, Premier League)
Absorbs 3.15 fouls per 90 while collecting 0.31 cards per 90, demonstrating how high-pressing wingers get punished on defensive tracking.
Source ↗ - 4Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, La Liga)
Draws 2.94 fouls per game in congested zones but suffers a booking every 8.9 fouls received due to competitive combative dueling.
Source ↗ - 5Alex Scott (Bournemouth, Premier League)
Draws 3.42 fouls per 90 with exceptional balance, maintaining a remarkably disciplined ratio of 16.3 fouls suffered for every card seen.
Source ↗ - 6Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, Premier League)
Withstands 2.68 fouls per 90 minutes while maintaining premier composure, absorbing 24.4 fouls before receiving a single booking.
Source ↗ - 7Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli, Serie A)
Generates 2.85 fouls drawn per match through tight 1v1 wing isolation, keeping his card count down to just 0.16 per 90.
Source ↗ - 8Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United, Premier League)
Wins 3.08 fouls per 90 as a deep distributor, but his physical retaliation pushes his bookings to 0.35 per 90 (8.8 fouls drawn per card).
Source ↗ - 9Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich, Bundesliga)
Slaloms through defensive blocks drawing 2.54 fouls per 90 while collecting merely 0.08 cards per 90—an elite 31.8 fouls drawn per caution.
Source ↗ - 10Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen, Bundesliga)
Pulls 2.45 fouls per game orchestrating central attacks, receiving a booking only once every 27.2 challenges suffered.
Source ↗
What Gemini noticed
Spanish La Liga fixtures record the highest concentration of fouls drawn among Europe's top 5 leagues, with elite ball-carriers suffering 32% more tactical halts than in the Bundesliga.
Composure specialists like Jamal Musiala and Bukayo Saka absorb over 24 fouls per card received, contrasting sharply with combative midfielders who average a card every 8 to 11 fouls.