Cristiano Ronaldo taunted Ireland fans after being sent off(Image: ©INPHO/Nick Elliott)
Cristiano Ronaldo was branded ‘a big baby’ as he received his marching orders during Ireland’s pivotal World Cup qualifier against Portugal on Thursday evening.
Ronaldo, 40, was sent off after striking Dara O’Shea with his elbow, with the official initially brandishing a yellow card before upgrading it to red following a VAR review.
Supporters flocked to social media to voice their opinions on the ruling and Ronaldo’s subsequent behavior as he mimicked a crying gesture before confronting Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson, reports the Irish Mirror.
One posted on X: “Big baby Ronaldo.” Another remarked: “Ronaldo, the 40-year-old baby.”
READ MORE: Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson reveals what Cristiano Ronaldo said to him after red cardREAD MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo sent off as Troy Parrott scores double in Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against Portugal
Someone else stated: “Cristiano Ronaldo might be the greatest cry baby of all time , always the victim!”
Another message read: “Ronaldo 40 years of age the big baby can’t handle a night in the Aviva.”
Prior to the fixture, Hallgrímsson had appealed to the referee not to allow Ronaldo to control the match, following the Portuguese icon’s constant exchanges with Slovakian official Ivan Kruzliak during last month’s Portugal-Ireland encounter in Lisbon.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ireland player Dara O’Shea(Image: ©INPHO/Nick Elliott)
Portugal were granted a spot kick which Ronaldo failed to score due to Caoimhin Kelleher’s heroics, before Rúben Neves’ late strike secured triumph for the hosts.
Hallgrímsson stated: “Obviously it’s up to the referee if he (Ronaldo) takes part in a play, but the thing in Portugal, he was not only controlling the referee, he was controlling the whole stadium, so all the fans supported his actions and the referee just kind of played along.
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“I hope it will be the vice-versa now we are in the Aviva. Obviously a player shouldn’t be refereeing, it should be the officials doing the refereeing.
“I hope the people here will see that and recognize that if they want to affect the game, they shouldn’t at least affect the referee.”
Cristiano Ronaldo said Heimir Hallgrímsson played mind games before kick-off(Image: INPHO/Morgan Treacy)
Addressing these remarks before Thursday’s clash, Ronaldo declared: “I think he tried to make pressure to the referee because, for sure, he’s a smart guy, he knows where they can push.
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“I’ve been in the game so many years and I know how the coach thinks and how they try to make pressure or take away the pressure from their players.
“It’s normal, because they know if they lose tomorrow, they are out. So they try to make things around the game, to try to do things.
“But we have to be prepared for a tough game. I think it will be very similar to the game they play in Lisbon.
“And they [Ireland] have the chance. They are a good team. So we are prepared. I think Portugal will. have a good game and we’re going to win the match.”
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