Cristiano Ronaldo’s true colours shine through with referee who disallowed two of his goals

Honduran referee Said Martinez has shared details of a heated exchange with Cristiano Ronaldo, which concluded with the Portuguese football legend offering an apology.

Martinez has been at the helm for several games featuring the ex-Real Madrid ace and recounted a notably tense incident with the 39-year-old in the Saudi Pro League. In one particular match, Martinez ruled out two of Ronaldo's goals, leading to a brief confrontation between the two.

Martinez disclosed that he received an apology from the former Man United man after the forward felt he might have crossed a line. Despite commending him, the FIFA-certified official pointed out that Ronaldo is known for frequent complaints.

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"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," Martinez said. "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.

"He stayed ten metres away from me and said: 'It's always the same with you lot, you always think you're the stars, but we don't bring you here to be the stars, we are the stars,' in perfect Spanish," Martinez continued. "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."

Martinez mustered the bravery to confront the iconic striker over his alleged inappropriate comments. Ronaldo then showed his class by apologising and acknowledging his mistake, reports the Express.

"After checking the VAR, I asked him to come closer. Cristiano is Cristiano, and if he doesn't want to come, he won't," Martinez added. "But he came over to where I was and I said to him: 'You're a great player, but what you said at halftime 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'. Indeed, he offered an apology and for the rest of the match, he didn't make any complaints, even delivering a stunning free-kick goal."

While many in football have the privilege of sharing the pitch with some of the sport's legends, not all can claim to have encountered both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Besides his interaction with Ronaldo, Martinez also shared insights from his experience with the World Cup winner after refereeing one of Messi's matches.

Martinez revealed insights into the Argentine's composed nature during Messi's first game for Inter Miami in July 2023. He noted that Messi's approach differs from Ronaldo's, highlighting his "calm" demeanour and praising his affable personality.

"He (Messi) doesn't get angry easily. When he complains about something, he is usually calm. I saw the most humble gesture of Messi that day," he said.

"The whole stadium was chanting his name and he came to shake hands with four Honduran referees. The stadium was chanting 'Messi Messi Messi Messi' and he went to shake our hands and congratulated us and gave us a pat on the back and said what a good game and what a good job.

"That kind of thing is worth more than anything else."