Cristiano Ronaldo red card: Dimitar Berbatov ‘not surprised’ Juventus star cried after 'ridiculous' decision

Dimitar Berbatov says Cristiano Ronaldo's red card was "a ridiculous decision" and is not surprised by the Juventus star's tears.

The forward appeared to pull Valencia defender Jeison Murillo's hair and was subsequently shown a straight red card with less than half an hour played.

Uefa will now open disciplinary proceedings with a decision over his ban set for September 27, and Ronaldo could face up to a three-game ban.

Berbatov, who played alongside Ronaldo for one season at Manchester United, feels the Portuguese's reaction was valid and was only a show of passion.

"I couldn't believe the red card that Cristiano Ronaldo was given against Valencia," he told Betfair. "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.

"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.

"Meanwhile, just another hat-trick for Lionel Messi. 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!"