Nothing like a lot of testosterone and a fiery temper to get you banned from a couple soccer matches, but Cristiano Ronaldo definitely fell into that and really went to down striking a Cordoba defender in the face. It was a close hand so there was definitely some fist action in that making it hurt even worse. Ronaldo was having a time after also tussling with Cordobas Jose Angel Crespo as you can see in the images below.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a two-game suspension following his red card in the 2-1 win over Cordoba at the weekend.
The prolific attacker lost his temper in the closing stages of the game after failing to make an impact, kicking out and raising a hand to strike Cordoba defender Edimar in the face, leaving referee Alejandro Hernandez no other choice but to dismiss him.
Ronaldo initially appeared unrepentant on being sent off, smirking at the referee and stroking the gold Club World Cup winners badge on his Real Madrid shirt.
However, he later Tweeted: “I apologize to everyone and especially Edimar for my thoughtless action in today’s game.”
Pido disculpas a todos y especialmente a Edimar por mi acto irreflexivo en el partido de hoy.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) January 24, 2015
Ronaldo did apologize after the incident, while Edimar called for La Liga‘s disciplinary committee to show leniency, and the Portugal captain has escaped a lengthy ban.
Barcelona‘s Brazilian star Neymar offered a degree of sympathy to Ronaldo, but said he should still be punished: “It’s bad and is a negative thing, although we can’t do what he did so I think he needs to be punished. It’s hard because there might be provocation, like happened to [Zinedine] Zidane or to me, and you need to work on that in your own mind.”
“I don’t know how long his ban should be as I don’t work for the Competition Committee,” he said.
“It’s easy for those that weren’t there to talk about it but all players are subjected to different things and sometimes we deal with it.
The 29-year-old will miss the Primera Division games against Real Sociedad and Sevilla as a result of his suspension.
Ronaldo has been in sublime form for Madrid in 2014-15, netting 36 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions.
The former Manchester United star’s absence means Ancelotti could turn to promising youngster Jese Rodriguez, who recently made his comeback after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury.