Mexican referee César Arturo Ramos Palazuelos revisited one of the most talked-about episodes of his career: the tense exchange he had with Cristiano Ronaldo during Portugal’s 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

In that match, Portugal came in with high expectations after winning Euro 2016 and boasting players like André Silva and Pepe. But the South American side prevailed thanks to a brace from Edinson Cavani, both goals set up by Luis Suárez.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s frustration boiled over

Ramos Palazuelos explained that the key moment came in the closing seconds, when the Portuguese captain’s frustration boiled over. Speaking to FOX, he said: “It was the frustration of the Portuguese captain. In a play where he thought a teammate had been fouled, he came over to complain. I didn’t see who it was at first, I just saw someone in white running toward me. Suddenly he was right in front of me, shouting that I had to call that foul. There were about 30 seconds left, and it was a World Cup Round of 16 match with no cards.”

The referee said the intensity of the protest caught him off guard and forced him to act within the rules. “I was thinking, what’s going on here? So I went by the book. He keeps at me, looks me in the eye, steps back, tries to come closer, and I put my hand out to stop him. With that eye contact, he seems to recognize it, backs off, play restarts, the game ends, and we go.”

Sign of respect from Ronaldo

Finally, Ramos Palazuelos noted that, despite the tension, the moment ended on a respectful note. “He said goodbye afterward, at the end. For me, that was a sign of respect. The only card in that match was for him, and that photo went around the world. It’s a moment I keep from my career.”

The scene quickly went viral and remains one of the most iconic images from that World Cup, capturing the pressure and emotion of knockout soccer at the highest level.

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