It's taken several months for Sergio Ramos to get up and running since his summer transfer to Paris Saint-Germain but at long last the veteran defender is back doing what he does best: getting sent off.
In only his third appearance for the Ligue 1 club since joining in July, Ramos was shown his first red card in Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Lorient.
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The 35-year-old only entered the fray as a half-time substitute and yet still failed to make it to the final whistle after picking up two late bookings in the space of just five minutes. With PSG trailing and chasing the game, they were reduced to 10 men when Ramos picked up a second caution in the 86th minute for obstructing a run made by Lorient forward Teremas Moffi.
Thankfully for coach Mauricio Pochettino's side, a 91st-minute equaliser from Mauro Icardi was enough to plunder a draw for the Parisians to send them 13 points clear at the top of the table with just 19 games played.
Ramos was then able to take a philosophical stance after the game, posting on social media: "Today is a new day to learn; tomorrow is a new day to improve. Always onwards!"
Due to persistent injury problems, Ramos has seen his involvement limited at PSG since arriving from Real Madrid on a free transfer, playing just 130 minutes of league football and 45 minutes in the Coupe de France so far this season.
Now, after only making his PSG debut in late November and making back-to-back appearances for his new club for the first time this past week, he is now set to be suspended for at least one match after the winter break.
Ramos' red card against Lorient was the 27th of his career and his first in almost two years, since he was last sent off for Real Madrid in their Champions League round-of-16 defeat against Manchester City in February 2020. The first 26 reds of the centre-back's career all came during his 16 years as a Madrid player, with his first dismissal during the last few seconds of a 1-0 defeat at Espanyol in September 2005.
While Ramos' infamous disciplinary record may be heaving with dismissals, it's not a patch on the very worst.
That dubious honour belongs to former Colombia international Gerardo Bedoya, whose formidable haul of 46 red cards during his 20-year career is recognised as the most ever by Guinness World Records.
Between 1995 and 2015 across more than a dozen clubs in his homeland, Argentina and Mexico, the man they fittingly nicknamed "The Beast" managed almost a half-century of reds for club and country.
Video "highlights" are scarce, but this clip of Bedoya kicking a grounded opponent in the head during the Bogota derby should serve as a good indicator of his general approach to the game.
Bedoya was also sent off on his coaching debut, lasting just 21 minutes of his first game in charge of Independiente Santa Fe before being sent off for constantly haranguing the match officials.
The fact that Ramos -- who is 35 years old and has already been playing professional football for almost two decades -- still needs to amass 20 more red cards before retiring to surpass Bedoya's grand total should tell you all you need to know about The Beast.
There's plenty of work to be done, Sergio. But we believe in you.