Cristiano Ronaldo’s first-ever red card in 226 international appearances sent shockwaves across the football world, and the reactions online were just as dramatic, emotional, and hilarious. The moment arrived only days after SoftFootball reported that Ronaldo confirmed the 2026 World Cup will be his final one. It also came in the same qualification window, as they hope to wrap up their World Cup spot at home against Armenia.
Many fans took to X to defend Ronaldo, and one of the first voices came from @TuralBakuLNDN, who wanted to remind people not to overreact to one disappointing night. His message was meant to shift the conversation from criticism to perspective.
He posted:
Sure, Ronaldo had an off day, but one game doesn’t define a legend! He’ll bounce back stronger!
But not everyone shared that sentiment. @chuksbro_ jumped into the conversation, aiming to spark a long-standing debate about Ronaldo’s all-round ability, which he felt fans often avoid.
He made his point by stating in full:
When you take away penalties from football you realize how terrible of a player that Ronaldo is but we are not ready for that conversation today.
For others, the moment was more amusing than controversial. @yung_snipes1 wanted to highlight the sheer rarity of Ronaldo being sent off by pointing out the scale of the record.
His intention was to blend praise with humour, leading him to add:
226 games before his first red card is actually impressive. Man waited until the Ireland match to finally pad his ‘red card stats’ just to stay ahead in the Messi rivalry.
Humour continued when @StockSurgeon18 delivered one of the most viral reactions of the night. His goal was to joke about Ronaldo’s constant record-breaking before he wrote:
VAR finally got tired of him breaking records and said ‘my turn.’
However, the spiciest reaction came from @Kwara_Yakoyo, who aimed to blame someone entirely outside the pitch. He connected Ronaldo’s misfortune to his public association with a well-known media personality and wrote:
Anytime he sits with Piers Morgan calamity befalls him. He needs to avoid that unfortunate soul @piersmorgan.
As Portugal continue preparing for what will be Ronaldo’s final World Cup run, the red card will no doubt be remembered as a strange, unexpected chapter in an iconic career. And as always, football fans made sure the moment lived forever online.
