Took him to task

“Desert” referee tells of Ronaldo incident

Said Martinez reconciled with Cristiano Ronaldo after the incident.(Bild: AFP/APA/KARIM JAAFAR)

Referee Said Martinez has reported an incident with Cristiano Ronaldo. During a match in the Saudi Pro League, the 33-year-old clashed with the superstar. The referee was not put off by an arrogant attack by the Portuguese and finally confronted him. 

Martinez now knows Ronaldo well from their time together in the Saudi league. "Cristiano Ronaldo is very difficult because of his temperament. He is a very competitive person who feels that he is wronged a lot, which is why he often complains," the Honduran told Mediotiempo.

It is therefore not surprising that there are occasionally difficult moments between Ronaldo and the referees. Martinez has also experienced such an incident himself. "We disallowed him two goals, with VAR and everything, but there was one action that he got upset about because he thought he had been fouled and it led to a goal being conceded," recalls the 33-year-old.

"We are the stars here"
It was the prelude to a short, heated dispute that culminated in a fit of arrogance from the Portuguese. "His team was about to lose the game. He stopped ten meters away from me and said: 'It's always the same with you. You always think you're the stars, but we don't bring you here to be the stars, we're the stars,'" said Martinez, who didn't let that put him off his stride. 

During the half-time break, the referee took another look at the controversial scene and finally showed it to Ronaldo. He then confronted the Portuguese. "You're a great player, but what you said at half-time is not right. I respect you a lot, but we're here to do our job, just like you," Martinez emphasized. Ronaldo showed some insight and replied: "Yes, you're right, that wasn't the right way to express myself. I apologize for that." In the end, reconciliation was reached during the match.