“I feel a broken man, completely disconsolate, frustrated, and an unimaginable sadness.” These were the words of a dejected Cristiano Ronaldo following Portugal’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The referee for the game- Argentina’s Hector Baldassi, first hand witnessed a young CR7’s frustrations on that night. Recently, he recollected asking Ronaldo a question that European referees refrain from usually asking. That provoked an unexpected response from the goalscorer. What could he be referring to?

With 61 career free-kick goals, Cristiano Ronaldo sure knows how to strike a ball. However, his effort against Spain in South Africa was not the best, as Baldassi shared an interesting memory a decade later. Speaking to Ole, the retired referee said, “I asked Ronaldo where he was going to kick and he looked at me as if to say, ‘what the f**k do you care?‘. The referee continued, “I explained to him that the question was about knowing how to position myself and I added that, in my opinion, he was good at kicking.”

While it is an unusual practice in Europe, Baldassi had his reasons for the comment. He explained, “Asking a player what he was going to do was something that allowed me to foresee a possible game situation. According to what they told me, I positioned myself in one way or another.” It was in the 27th minute that Portugal was awarded a free-kick. The distance was quite long and a direct free-kick didn’t seem like the best plausible option there. Unless, of course, you are CR7. Having scored a stunner from a similar position against Arsenal 2 years prior, all eyes were on the Portuguese superstar. However, it wasn’t meant to be, but it wasn’t the end of the tale.

Even though he put immense power and venom into the shot, the effort was straight in the middle and saved by his club teammate & Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Interestingly, this was well predicted by Spanish defender Carles Puyol.

Hector Baldassi revealed Carles Puyol owes him after his spot-on Cristiano Ronaldo prediction!

The Spanish veteran knew Cristiano Ronaldo in and out owing to their El Clasico nail-biters. Carles Puyol was even aware of CR7’s free-kick strategies, as revealed by Baldassi. He said, “On one side, he (Puyol) told me; “I’ll bet you a dinner that (the free-kick) wasn’t on the side.”

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Puyol’s prediction proved to be accurate. However, he didn’t keep his word. Baldassi continued, “And now that I remember, Puyol owes me a dinner. I won it for him and he never paid for it.” Was the veteran referee within his right to ask Cristiano Ronaldo regarding the free-kick placement? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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