Martinez attributes Ronaldo's reaction to provocation from opposition players. Martinez said, "I saw that Cristiano's reaction was a reaction to provocation. And it was a provocation that started at the beginning of the game, every time Cristiano was in the box with their defenders...'

Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a message of support to his Portugal team-mates ahead of their meeting with Armenia. The Selecao currently top Group F ahead of the final round of World Cup qualification games but defeat to Ireland on Thursday means they need to win to book their trip stateside next summer.

Tony Cascarino feels there is something amiss when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo, even if he is ‘extraordinary’. Ronaldo made headlines for all the wrong reasons on Thursday when he

Thomas Tuchel would rather England lose their World Cup qualifier in Albania than risk a needless red card like Cristiano Ronaldo’s, which could rule a player out of the start of next summer’s tournament.

Top bosses of the Portuguese football federation have reportedly begun assembling an urgent appeal to FIFA in an attempt to cut down Cristiano Ronaldo's three-match suspension, a punishment that currently threatens to rule the 40-year-old out of the opening fixtures of what would be his sixth World Cup next summer.