Ronaldo Rants at Referee

Cristiano Ronaldo finally came out and told the World what was going through his head when he punched the ball rather than heading it - earning himself a red card in the big match against City.

Ronaldo, in a statement issued on his agent Jorge Mendes's website, claimed: "[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.

"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."

"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."

Ronaldo will miss Wednesday's clash with Blackburn in the Carling Cup, a game he would have missed anyway as Sir Alex fields youngsters in his place to help them gain experience.

Ronaldo also vented his spleen about the Media - "I have come to understand that every movement I make, on or off the pitch, is analysed to death," Ronaldo added.

"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."