Ronaldo's moments of Manchester derby madness as Man Utd icon sent off twice

Cristiano Ronaldo has a reputation for coming up with the big moments in the biggest matches.

His track record in the Manchester derby is no different - yet his history in the fixture does include some moments he might actually rather forget.

Across United and Real Madrid, Ronaldo is set to make his 15th appearance against Manchester City on Saturday in a crucial clash in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign.

His manager may feel good to know the Portuguese superstar has won nine of those meetings and lost just three, while also scoring five goals in the process.

But Ronaldo does also have a couple of blemishes on his record thanks to two red cards against their local neighbours.

Here Mirror Football takes a look at both occasions - from the wild to the weird - when Ronaldo was sent for an early bath...

Man City 3-1 Man Utd - January 14, 2006

Cristiano Ronaldo is given his marching orders by referee Steve Bennett in 2006 ( Image:

Daily Mirror)

Tensions always run high in derby clashes, with the Manchester meeting certainly no different.

This result saw United slip to a third defeat in their last four visits to City's patch - not helped by them being reduced to 10-men after just 66 minutes.

Ronaldo had already been clattered by City full-back Stephen Jordan - a tackle which went unpunished by referee Steve Bennett.

The United winger - then still only 20-years-old - clearly felt the need to dish out some corporal punishment of his own - but got it horribly wrong.

It was actually a United legend who took the brunt of it, too, though how much Ronaldo's wild lunge caused Andy Cole to fall to the turf is open to interpretation.

It was high, reckless and his studs were showing, though - pretty much a full house in red card bingo in front of a hostile crowd.

A wild lunge on United legend Andy Cole was enough to land Ronaldo in hot water ( Image:

Daily Mirror)

Bennett wasted no time in reaching for his top pocket and giving Ronaldo his marching orders, but Sir Alex Ferguson was, unsurprisingly, far from happy.

Having already collared Bennett with a fiery tirade at half-time, Ferguson slammed the sending off in his post-match interview,

"The referee's decided it's a red card and I think he should look at it again really," Ferguson said. "He's not touched the player, he's not got near him."

The FA - again unsurprisingly - disagreed, upholding Bennett's decision despite an appeal from United, handing Ronaldo a three-match ban, including ruling him out of a clash against Liverpool.

Ferguson was equally unimpressed by the fact the aforementioned Jordan got away with another hefty challenge on Wayne Rooney, though avoided sanction for his outburst.

Whether Ronaldo staying on the field would have altered the course of the game is hard to say, given United were already two-down at the time of his dismissal.

And it wasn't to be the only time he got caught up in the occasion...

Man City 0-1 Man Utd - November 30, 2008

Ronaldo reacts in despair as Howard Webb shows him a second yellow card ( Image:

REUTERS)

A victory, at least, for Ronaldo this time, though he barely managed to stay on the field much longer.

United took the lead just before half-time thanks to a poachers goal from Rooney before Ronaldo was handed two quick-fire bookings - the second of which under bizarre circumstances.

Referee Howard Webb had brandished the first yellow due to Ronaldo scything down City's Shaun Wright-Phillips as he threatened to counter attack.

Ronaldo looked to have got a significant touch on the ball and protested as the whistle blew for a foul, though that didn't take into account the chunk he had already tried to take out of Wright-Phillips about a second earlier.

He was lucky to escape further rap when he petulantly applauded right in front of Webb before turning his back and walking off in a strop at the decision.

That said, he didn't escape for much longer.

It seems almost remarkable that he could then be booked again in the same minute from a United corner when City had a free-kick in possession after his first.

Having been dismissed in the 66th minute back in 2006, it was the 68th that Ronaldo was sent walking this time round.

Ronaldo ran full pelt to jump and meet an out-swinging delivery into the box, but raised his hands at the crucial moment and slapped the ball down into the turf.

Ronaldo was sent off after handling the ball despite protesting he had heard the whistle ( Image:

Getty Images)

He insisted he had heard Webb's whistle, but was only upgraded from yellow to red as a result, prompting an explanation from the United star on his agent Jorge Mendes' website after the match.

"[Wayne] Rooney knocked in a corner, I jumped and that was when I heard a shout from [Micah] Richards [City's defender] and simultaneously the sound of a whistle," Ronaldo said.

"At that moment I was convinced that the referee had whistled for a foul. I stopped trying to head the ball and score a goal, and I grabbed the ball so Richards could get help... after Richards yelled I thought that he was hurt and needed assistance.

"I tried to explain what had happened but he didn't want to listen. I hadn't done anything wrong. I heard the whistle so I took the initiative to stop the match."

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Ronaldo then laid into Webb, stating: "I understood the referee wanted to talk to me but then, maybe influenced by the fans, he put his hand in his pocket and sent me off."

Clearly feeling the pressure of life in English football, a distressed Ronaldo added: "I have come to understand that every movement I make, on or off the pitch, is analysed to death.

"If I don't celebrate goals it is because I am sad, if I talk to the public it is because I have lost my humility.

"People are always waiting for me to do something and they pick on absolutely normal and unimportant things to criticise.

"They analyse things that have nothing unusual about them through a magnifying glass."