Fans are convinced that Ronaldo's red card was UEFA's revenge in bizarre conspiracy theory
Wednesday saw Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo walk into his first Champions League game for his new club Juventus.
The 33-year-old moved away from Real Madrid in a famous £99 million switch to the Italian side.
While Lionel Messi opened his side's Champions League group stages in style as he broke the record for the most hat-tricks in the elite competition, his Portuguese counterpart did not have a similar start.
Ronaldo's first Champions League game as a Bianconeri player, on the other hand, made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. During the game against Valencia, which saw the Italian giants win 2-0, the talisman was sent off by the referee only after 29 minutes.
The Portuguese appeared to have been involved in a challenge that did not look like much to fans: the 33-year-old appeared to knock Valencia's Jeison Murillo to the ground off the ball, after which the referee, Felix Brych, showed a straight red card.
Speaking to the referee, the Portuguese could be seen saying, "I did not do anything". However, Brych paid no heed to his comments and gave Ronaldo his marching orders leaving the 33-year-old in tears.
The former Real Madrid man won three Champions League finals in a row with the Spanish side. He also broke individual records during his time at the Bernabeu, becoming the Champions League's all-time top scorer while also being the first man to break 100 goals in the competition.
The red card has caused outrage among fans who believed that the challenge did not deserve a red card. An array of conspiracy theories arose, among which is the theory that UEFA are exacting their revenge against Ronaldo for missing their awards gala earlier this season.
The UEFA Player of the Year award went to Luka Modric and Ronaldo famously missed the gala. The Portuguese's agent Jorge Mendes wasn't having the result, saying, "Simply ridiculous. Football is played within the four lines and there, Cristiano Ronaldo won. He scored 15 goals, carried Real Madrid on his back to conquer the Champions League once again. It's simply ridiculous, shameful."
Fans have since responded to the theory on Twitter: