"We just have to live with these injustices" - When Cristiano Ronaldo claimed Barcelona were 'protected' by refs after incident in 2011

In 2011, Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that Barcelona were being protected by referees. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner made this accusation after Real Madrid lost to their fierce rivals in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Ronaldo was involved in several El Clasico clashes with Barcelona during his nine-year stay at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Al-Nassr forward faced La Blaugrana 34 times across competitions with different sides, recording 10 wins, nine draws, and 15 losses. In addition, he scored 20 goals and provided three assists against the Catalan club.

One of Ronaldo's famous losses to Barcelona came in the 2010-11 season of the UEFA Champions League when the two sides clashed in the semi-final. Barca emerged victorious 3-1 on aggregate, but the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, which ended 2-0 courtesy of a brace from Lionel Messi, came with controversy.

Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere ruled out Gonzalo Higuain's goal in the second half which left Cristiano Ronaldo angry. The referee adjudged that the Portugal international had fouled Javier Mascherano in the build-up to the goal.

However, the decision was quite contentious as it was former Barcelona defender Gerrard Pique who had initially pushed Ronaldo. After the second leg which ended 1-1, Ronaldo claimed that Barcelona were protected by referees. He said (via Essentially Sports):

"It [trying to overhaul Barcelona’s first-leg lead] was Mission Impossible 4. We knew what was going to happen. We were used to it after the first leg. Higuain’s goal was fine."

"Those who know about football know that Barcelona are very well protected. We just have to live with these injustices.” Ronaldo added.

Barcelona went on to win the Champions League that season, defeating Manchester United 3-1 in the final at the Wembley Stadium. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, later won four Champions League with Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018).

---

When Barcelona president Joan Laporta revealed that the club rejected the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Barcelona club president Joan Laporta once claimed that the club turned down the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal international was still in his formative years with his boyhood club Sporting CP at the time.

Laporta said to MARCA in 2016 (via ESPN):

"We had signed Ronaldinho, [Rafael] Marquez and [Ricardo] Quaresma. We were in a process of reconstruction throughout the whole club. [Ronaldo] was at Sporting at the time, before Manchester United, and we were speaking with his agent who wanted to sell us Deco."

"We said that we couldn't because we weren't able to [spend that much at the time], so he told us he had another really good kid. It was Ronaldo. He had a deal with United for €19 million, but we were offered him for €17m," he added.

Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United in 2003 where he established himself as one of the best players in the world.