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2010-12-12 07:32:51 UTC
"Former Champions League ref says officials know Ronaldo is a diver
FIFA Top Class Referee Claus Bo Larsen worked his final Champions League match this week (Ajax's 2-0 win over AC Milan) and mere hours into his retirement, he's apparently already dishing dirt from the officials' dressing rooms.
When asked by Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet to pick the "most annoying player" from a referee's perspective, he reportedly went with the name you're probably shouting at your screen right now -- a man well known for both his superior skill and tendency to tumble, Cristiano Ronaldo.
From Soccernet:
"He's always out to get a cheap free-kick, especially at home," he told Ekstra Bladet. "We tended to talk before games about how he'd go down easily.
"We know not to be biased, but we have to be prepared. He has a clean slate at the start of every game. When he would lie down after failing to win a free-kick, he smiled at me because he knew I didn't fall for his theatrics."
It's a reasonable point of view -- as a referee you have to be aware of which players have the reputation for looking to get one over on you. It sounds like Ronaldo is aware that the officials are increasingly suspicious of him, too. Probably best to stay on his feet at all costs, then."