Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card against Valencia was one of the memorable moments in the first round of Champions League group stage matches.Just one day after Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick for Barcelona, Ronaldo left the pitch at the Mestalla in tears after a controversial sending off for Juventus.Ronaldo clashed with Valencia’s Jeison Murillo in the 28th minute. It wasn’t clear at first what had happened to leave Murillo so incensed and referee Felix Brych had to consult his assistant behind the goal.The assistant was confident that Ronaldo had committed a red-card offence and relayed the message to Brych.So Ronaldo departed, and still nobody was quite sure what he did.Clearer footage quickly emerged and it showed Ronaldo grabbing Murillo’s hair.In the eyes of Brych and his assistant, that was enough to warrant a red card.

Berbatov reacts to Ronaldo's tears

But not everyone agreed with the decision.

Dimitar Berbatov believes the call was “ridiculous” - and also responded to those who believe Ronaldo’s tears were an overreaction.

“It was a ridiculous decision. You could see he was thinking 'what the f*** are you doing ref?' in his reaction as he went off,” Berbatov told Betfair, via the Evening Standard.

"Some people might think crying is an overreaction but sometimes when you are lost in the moment, your passion takes over.

“It was his first game for his new team in the Champions League and he will be have been desperate to perform.”

Messi v Ronaldo

For those keeping score in the Messi v Ronaldo debate, the Argentinian won this week.

His hat-trick in Barcelona’s 4-2 win over PSV means he has now scored 63 goals in 64 Champions League group stage matches.

Berbatov offered his thoughts on the rivalry, comparing Messi and Ronaldo to Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in the way in which they keep producing the best out of each other.

“Just another hat-trick for Lionel Messi,” Berbatov told Betfair, via the Evening Standard.

“These two are like Ali v Frazier - they keep pushing each other to greater heights, driving each other on. It's great to watch.

“Let's hope they continue!"

Berbatov is right. While Ronaldo and Messi may not go head-to-head in La Liga any longer, they still strive to outperform each other.

Ronaldo will have seen the plaudits that Messi is getting and he’ll use it as fuel to play well when Juventus take on Frosinone in Serie A on Sunday.

There’s also every chance he unleashes his anger upon his return from the Champions League suspension.