Sent off in Dublin in November 2025 for an elbow on an Ireland defender, this Portugal captain and record goalscorer drew a three-match ban — two of them deferred, so he missed nothing that mattered.
The full story
Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O'Shea during Portugal's 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Dublin on 13 November 2025. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee handed him a three-match ban on 25 November, deferring two matches on a year's probation, which left him available for Portugal's World Cup opener.
The clues we handed out
— FIFA's disciplinary committee suspended two of the three matches on a year's probation, leaving him free for the World Cup opener.
— The defender was Dara O'Shea; Portugal lost the qualifier 2-0 on 13 November 2025.
— He has played club football in Portugal, England, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia.
— His decade-long rivalry with an Argentine forward defined an era of the sport.
— Initials: C.R.
How this case played
ALLEGEDLY* edition No. 37. Three strikes to name Cristiano Ronaldo, with a free clue
unlocked after every miss.
Where this comes from
Every case on this site is drawn from the public record. These are the records for this one.
*A blind item you can check. Every puzzle is drawn from the public record —
court records, official rulings, and moments that unfolded on live television — and the
records are linked above. Allegedly.
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