Wednesday 1 September 2021 will go down in history as the day Cristiano Ronaldo broke a record... and slapped his opponent. All in the same match.
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Portugal were playing Ireland in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. In addition to the stakes of qualification, CR7 had the opportunity during the match to become the top scorer in the history of international selections. Before last night, he was tied with the Iranian player, Ali Daei, with 109 goals. But by scoring the two game-winning goals last night, Ronaldo officially became the top scorer, with a record-breaking 111 goals.
Everyone was quick to celebrate his incredible feat, and so Ronaldo's inappropriate gesture during the match almost went unnoticed...
Cristiano Ronaldo's slap in the face...
At the 10-minute mark, Hendrick tripped Fernandes and a penalty was whistled. Confident—perhaps a little too confident, even—Ronaldo was ready to open the score for his side and, at the same time, write his name in the history books. But what CR7 didn't anticipate was that an Irish player would disrupt him just before he took his shot...
John O'Shea, who moved the ball from the penalty spot, earned the wrath of the Portuguese, who slapped him in the face. Fans, already angered at what they deemed to be an unfair penalty, are now saying that Ronaldo 'should have been sent off' following his disgraceful act. One fan tweeted:
No penalty and Ronaldo should be sent off!! Var not even checking it either.
And then Cristiano Ronaldo's record
Cristiano Ronaldo went on to miss his penalty, also missing the chance to break that record. Worse still, Ireland opened the scoring in the 45th minute. But CR7 wouldn't be a legend without a story of his own.
Twice in stoppage time, the new Manchester United player found the net. A brace that took his tally to 111 international goals. Simply breathtaking. A real slap in the face (no pun intended).
