Ronaldo could miss out on his eagerly anticipated return to Old Trafford
Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off just 29 minutes into Juventus’ opening fixture in the Champions League against Valencia last night, but the Italian giants managed to win without him as Miralem Pjanić scored two penalties.
After colliding with Jeison Murillo in the penalty box, Ronaldo appeared to kick out before pulling the defender’s hair. Many will argue that the decision was harsh, however, as any Murillo’s reaction was hugely over the top.
The red card the world is talking about.
Cristiano Ronaldo sent off after 29 mins on his Champions League debut for Juventus!pic.twitter.com/0dVVnkBUWL
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) September 19, 2018
While it was harsh, and probably the wrong decision, it was nice to see the assistant next to the goal actually contribute to a decision for once.
Ronaldo will receive an automatic one game ban, meaning he will miss Juventus’ home game against Young Boys, but could see that ban extended to two matches if the disciplinary panel come to the decision to do so. Given that it was a straight red, this is not out of the question.
If he receives a two game ban, the Portuguese will miss out on a return to his old stomping ground, Old Trafford, when Juventus travel to play Manchester United away.
He has returned to Old Trafford once before since leaving in 2009, when Real Madrid were drawn against United in the Champions League in the 2012/13 season. Ronaldo scored in both legs of that tie, but refused to celebrate against the club who helped elevate him to the top of the game.
