A HONDURAN referee has lifted the lid on a heated exchange he had with a “difficult” Cristiano Ronaldo after revealing what it’s truly like to manage the superstar on the pitch.
One of the spats ended with the Portuguese striker later offering a sincere apology.
Said Martinez has officiated a number of games involving Ronaldo throughout his career.
And he has now recounted one particularly edgy incident involving the former Man Utd and Real Madrid star.
Martinez claimed that he was refereeing an Al-Nassr game when he disallowed two of the 39-year-old’s goals for offside.
An irate Ronaldo reportedly made his feelings surrounding the quality of Martinez’s officiating known.
Martinez told Mexican outlet Mediotiempo: “Cristiano Ronaldo is very difficult due to his temperament.
“He is a very competitive person, which makes him feel there’s a lot of injustice towards him, so he complains a lot.
“We disallowed two goals for him, with VAR and everything, but there was a play that upset him because he felt he was fouled in attack, leading to a goal against them. They were losing.
The 33-year-old added: “He stayed 10 metres away from me and said: ‘It’s always the same with you lot, you always think you’re the stars.
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“‘But we don’t bring you here to be the stars, we are the stars’, in perfect Spanish.
“He started calmly but then got agitated and I just looked at him provocatively to see if he would get closer to me, but he didn’t.”
However the Fifa-accredited official spoke to Ronaldo about their disagreement in the tunnel after reviewing the incidents.
The referee said: “After checking the VAR, I asked him to come closer. Cristiano is Cristiano, and if he doesn’t want to come, he won’t.
“But he came over to where I was and I said to him: ‘You’re a great player, but what you said at half-time isn’t right. I respect you a lot, but we’re here to do our job just like you are’.
“He replied: ‘Yes, you’re right; it wasn’t the right way to express myself. I apologise’.”
Ronaldo’s ultimate expression of regret speaks volumes about his sporting personality.
Martinez then revealed that the Portugal captain left him alone in the second half and went on to score a stunning free-kick.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has received 12 red cards in his career.
Of those, eight were direct red cards and four dismissals have come through double yellow cards.
The former Juventus star was booked for dissent during Portugal’s defeat to Georgia in Euro 2024.
