Cristiano Ronaldo's 'Out of Order' Gesture Reportedly Angered Real Madrid Bosses

It seems as though even the great Cristiano Ronaldo is not immune from a telling off from his bosses, after it was reported the Real Madrid forward is in hot water with various club officials for his recent misconduct.

The three-time Ballon d’Or winner saw red during Los Blancos’ 2-1 win over Cordoba after lashing out at an opponent on a couple of occasions. According to Jose Felix Diaz of Marca, club delegates understand that players can occasionally lose their cool, but they’re reportedly unhappy with Ronaldo’s subsequent dusting off the Club World Cup badge.

Here’s a look at the incident which saw the Portuguese red-carded and his preceding actions, per Football Tweets:

Diaz elaborates on what the consequences may be for the 29-year-old:

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The touching of the Club World Cup badge was a bit too much. At the club they are well aware that for personal reasons Cristiano Ronaldo is not going through a good time right now, but that does not justify what he did. This is what the board members believe, anyway.

And this is what Carlo Ancelotti will tell Cristiano Ronaldo when Real Madrid return to training. The manager wanted to give his star player time to reflect on his actions and the consequences there might have been for a match which proved to be very complicated, and which Real Madrid only won because of a penalty close to the end. 

The manager will have a quiet word with the Portuguese to make him see that what he did was out of order.

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Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Ronaldo endured a poor game at the Nuevo Arcangel, failing to exert his usual irrepressible influence on proceedings. Perhaps it’s understandable that his head is elsewhere though, having recently confirmed his split from long-term girlfriend Irina Shayk, per Jack Briden of the Mail Online.

Christof Koepsel/Getty Images

To attribute his actions to his relationship issues would be misguided, though. After all, someone of Ronaldo's experience will be acutely aware of how vital it is not to bring emotion into a game. The player is no stranger to picking up red cards anyway, as noted by football writer Rik Sharma:

While brushing the badge was a little crass, what should come as more of a concern is Ronaldo's clouded judgement at such an important point in the game. Gareth Bale rescued Real’s blushes against the newly promoted side with a late penalty to take three points; if the match had ended in a draw, you suspect the criticism coming his way would be much more severe.

With critical games on the horizon for Real it’s imperative that their No. 7 rediscovers his focus. Although they’ll miss his impact on the pitch for the games that he’s banned for, a break from the game could end up being a blessing in disguise for the player; expect a replenished Ronaldo when he does eventually return to the side.