Despite playing the game for over two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly still has a few firsts to conquer before his eventual retirement.
For the first time in his remarkable football career, Ronaldo received a red card as part of the Portugal squad before the team was defeated 2-0 by the Republic of Ireland.
The footballer is at serious risk of being banned for at least the first game of the 2026 World Cup after he displayed violent behaviour in the 61st minute of the game by elbowing Ireland defender Dara O'Shea away from the ball.
After an initial yellow card, the referee was urged to review the incident by the video assistant referee, and the decision was changed to a red card.
This marked Ronaldo's first red card for Portugal in over 220 appearances, a record in men's international soccer. He has been sent off 13 times at club level.
He will serve a mandatory one-game ban imposed for any red card when Portugal clash against Armenia on Sunday, where if they win, they will score a seat at the World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
Portugal coach Roberto Martínez came to Ronaldo's defence following the game.
"The red card is just a captain that has never been sent off before in 226 games, I think that just deserves credit, and today, I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team," he noted.
Martínez added, "I think the action looks worse than what it actually is, I don't think it's an elbow, I think it's a full body, but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow. But we accept it.
While a defeat against Ireland was shocking, Portugal still leads Hungary by two points in Group F, meaning a win against Armenia will be enough for Ronaldo to reach his sixth World Cup.
