Rarely does Cristiano Ronaldo admit he felt shackled on the pitch, if at all.
But during Manchester United‘s FA Cup quarter-final against Portsmouth in March 2008, a controversial refereeing performance left the Portuguese superstar ‘scared’ to show off his skills.
Sulley Muntari’s 78th-minute penalty proved to be the difference between the two teams at Old Trafford.
Muntari’s effort from the spot came after Milan Baros was taken out by United goalkeeper Tomasz Kusczczak inside the box, who was subsequently sent off for the challenge by referee Martin Atkinson.
Kusczczak was also a half-time substitute for the injured Edwin van der Sar, so his red card meant centre-back Rio Ferdinand had to stand between the sticks for the remainder of the match.
Although Atkinson pointed to the spot late in the second half, just about everyone connected with United believed they should have had a penalty of their own in the opening 45 minutes.
A raking ball from the middle found Ronaldo in stride on the right flank and his first touch took him into the Portsmouth box as Sylvain Distin came bounding over.
Ronaldo looked to evade the Frenchman by nudging the ball to his right.
Instead, the Portuguese flyer was sent tumbling to the floor when Distin bundled him over.
But Atkinson remained completely unmoved.
Ronaldo raised his hands to the heavens while United supporters furiously gesticulated at Atkinson.
Legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson also blew up deluxe on the sidelines over Atkinson’s polarising decision.
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Distin’s challenge was not the only physical one Ronaldo was subjected to during the contest as several Pompey stars looked to leave one on the United superstar.
The brutal treatment prompted a stunning claim from Ronaldo in his post-match interview as he conceded he would consider changing the way he played to avoid getting injured.
“Sometimes I say that this is the best league in the world, but sometimes they don’t protect the skilful players,” Ronaldo said.
“After what happened to Eduardo, I am scared to do my skills. In the first five minutes there were three fouls but the ref took no action.
“Sometimes they just protect the defenders and I am thinking about having to change my game because it is difficult to play like that. It’s a joke.”
Ronaldo’s reference to Eduardo came just weeks after the Arsenal striker had his left leg broken following a sickening challenge from Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor and spent nearly a year out from football.
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Ferguson also vented his fury over Atkinson’s ‘ridiculous’ refereeing display in a fiery post-match interview.
“This ref will referee next week, but his performance today should not be accepted by our game,” Ferguson said.
“It was an absolute stonewall penalty. I cannot explain it, I just cannot explain that decision.
“Managers get sacked because of things like that, yet he’s going to referee next week. It’s ridiculous.”
Perhaps Ferguson’s fury stemmed from the fact United’s loss ended their hopes for another treble as they went on to win the Champions League and the Premier League that season.
Had United got past Portsmouth, they could have faced West Bromwich Albion in the semi-final and Championship side Cardiff City in the final.
Given United’s standing in the game and the star power they boasted, it would have been a dream draw for Ferguson and his side to complete the treble for the first time since 1999.
Instead, it was Portsmouth who went on to win the FA Cup in what was their first major trophy in 58 years.
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