5 times Cristiano Ronaldo lost his temper on the pitch

Bhargav
Cristiano Ronaldo has been a standout performer for club and country.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been a standout performer for club and country.

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo screams at teammate for denying him a wonder goal (2010)

Cristiano Ronaldo dribbling past Sergio Busquets of Spain
Cristiano Ronaldo dribbling past Sergio Busquets of Spain

During a friendly game between Portugal and Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo was apparently furious at his teammate Nani for denying him an excellent goal.

After a typically marauding run down the left, Ronaldo did well to take out a few Spanish defenders and evaded the challenge of another. He then unleashed a sumptuous lob over Iker Casillas at the far post. But his teammate Nani, apparently in an offside position, propped up at the most inopportune moment to head home the goal, and the strike was ruled out.

Replays later suggested that the goal should have stood, as Gerard Pique had played Nani onside. Even so, Nani's silly intervention had robbed Ronaldo a truly beautiful goal.

Nani would later tender a public apology to his teammate, saying:

"I touched the ball because I thought I wasn't offside. Everything happened so quickly. After having time to think about it I apologised to Ronaldo. It was a great piece of play and I shouldn't have ruined it."

Nevertheless, the disallowed goal did not have any impact on the result, as Portugal floored the newly crowned champions 4-0.


#2 Cristiano Ronaldo is furious at teammates in Portugal's six-goal thriller (2016)

Ronaldo is furious after Portugal conceded one of their three goals against Hungary (Courtesy: Reuters)
Ronaldo is furious after Portugal conceded one of their three goals against Hungary (Courtesy: Reuters)

During a key Euro 2016 game between Portugal and Hungary, Cristiano Ronaldo went wild with fury after his team conceded barely minutes into the second half.

In a must-win game for the eventual champions, it was Zoltan Gera who drew first blood for Hungary before Portugal equalized on the cusp of half-time. The unexpected group winners took the lead for the second time in the match two minutes after the interval.

Ronaldo provided a swift riposte for his first goal of the tournament, which also made him the first player to score in four successive European Championships. But before Portugal had a chance to settle in and look to score a winner, Balazs Dzsudzsak produced a long-ranger, which left Ronaldo seething at his teammates for failing to close down the player.

The Portugal captain, though, once again put his team back on level terms, and Portugal eventually escaped to the Round of 16 as one of the three best third-placed teams.

Incidentally, Adam Szalai hit the woodwork for Hungary. Had that strike gone in, that would have sent the Iberian nation crashing out of the tournament, and Euro 2016 would have had a different winner.

Ronaldo later said about the game:

"A crazy game, we were out of the European Championship three times, and we were always chasing the game."

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo seethes at referee for denying a legitimate goal (2021)

Cristiano Ronaldo remonstrates with the referee for ruling out a legitimate strike against Serbia.
Cristiano Ronaldo remonstrates with the referee for ruling out a legitimate strike against Serbia.

During a FIFA World Cup 2022 qualification game between Serbia and Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo animatedly remonstrated with the referee for disallowing what should have been his late winner.

With no VAR available to assist the referee that night, Dutch referee Danny Makelie failed to see that Ronaldo's effort had crossed the line before Serbian defender Stefan Mitrovic scrambled the ball clear. That came after Portugal had squandered a 2-0 lead in the away game.

Despite Ronaldo protesting the call, the decision stood, and the furious player tore the captain's armband he was wearing and stormed off the pitch at the end of the game.

The referee later apologised to Cristiano Ronaldo for his error, as Portugal were denied two points in what could be a tight qualification group.

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Edited by Arnav Kholkar
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