Best of 2013: Top 5 controversial football moments of 2013

2. Referee ruins Manchester United’s European campaign –

Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford was perhaps one of the biggest talking points of the year 2013, but not many expected it to end so bitterly.

After playing an exceptional 90-odd minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu, United were walking on the Old Trafford pitch with an away-goal advantage. As the game progressed, the English side impressed upon their Spanish counterparts. They thoroughly dominated the game and earned their lead through a Sergio Ramos own goal.

But then in the in 56^th minute, the game turned on its head for all the wrong reasons. Luis Nani and Alvaro Arbeloa apparently collided in the air chasing the ball. Arbeloa started rolling on the ground, but the Portuguese didn’t appear to make any contact. Referee Cuneyt Cakir without sparing a second thought showed the Man United man the red card.

Eventually, Real Madrid capitalized on the advantage and won the game 2-1. Though Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t make himself available for the post-match press conference, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho summed up referee’s catastrophic decision-making by quoting – “the best team lost”.