Jersey Stories: Ronaldo’s Battle of Nuremberg

Words by Oscar O'Connor

Cristiano, Cards, and total chaos

Before he was CR7, he was CR17. At just 21 years old and making his first appearance in a World Cup knockout game, the young Cristiano Ronaldo lined up in this number 17 Portugal jersey against the Netherlands, in a team that featured legends like Luis Figo, Deco, and Pauleta.

While Ronaldo has gone on to win almost everything there is to win in world soccer, he likely still remembers the infamous Battle of Nuremberg in 2006. It certainly left an impression on his right thigh...

This Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal jersey is being displayed as part of The MWS Legend Collection NYC exhibition, a celebration of soccer history told through some of the game’s most iconic jerseys and unforgettable moments.

Ronaldo was a bright young talent in a golden Portuguese generation - and the Netherlands knew it.

While most legendary tournament matches are remembered for sublime goals, dramatic comebacks, or frantic end-to-end entertainment, the Battle of Nuremberg holds iconic status for being the match with the most red cards in international tournament soccer history. It was a bad-tempered royal rumble of reckless two-footed tackles, heated player scuffles, and managerial touchline antics. And needless to say, the young Ronaldo was the catalyst of it all.

He was a menace from kickoff. Receiving a lofted goal kick in midfield on the half-turn, Ronaldo juggled the ball twice before spinning away down the wing, only for known Dutch midfield marauder Mark van Bommel to hatchet Ronaldo down in his prime. Khalid Boulahrouz then added insult to injury by kicking the loose ball back at the fallen Ronaldo.

Minutes later, Boulahrouz would launch a horrendous airborne tackle into the thigh of Ronaldo, sending the young winger crashing to the ground in agony.

Boulahrouz escaped with a yellow card for his challenge, but the die for the match was now set. All hell began to break loose around the field, as each team vied to outmuscle the other, both on and off the ball.

With Ronaldo visibly in pain after Boulahrouz’s tackle, the young talent still managed to spark the attack that changed the match after switching to the right wing to avoid the Van Bommel-Boulahrouz wrecking crew.

THE MOMENT

Picking up the ball in a tight channel on the right flank that looked like a dead end and would have been for most players, Ronaldo weaved around two Dutch players before laying off a smart pass to Deco. The midfielder's dangerous cross into the box found its way to Maniche, who rifled the ball past legendary Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and into the top corner of the net. 1-0 Portugal.

Despite largely disregarding human limits throughout his career, the young Ronaldo’s right leg (the most prolific right leg in history) was severely compromised by the early Boulahrouz tackle. Having initiated the attack that led to Portugal’s goal, Ronaldo could only manage 10 more minutes before he hobbled off the field in tears in the 34th minute, fearing his tournament might be over. But destiny had other ideas… Ask Wayne Rooney!

With Ronaldo off injured and the Netherlands desperate to push for an equalizer, the match descended further into total chaos. Costinha received his marching orders on the stroke of halftime for a blatant and needless handball in the middle of the field, but it was the second half when the match truly entered combat sports territory and the record books for all the wrong reasons.

Melees broke out around the field as tempers flared. Headbutts were thrown, players were pushed to the ground, and even the usually mild-mannered creative playmaker Deco was sent off for a second yellow card offense for holding the ball up during a Dutch free kick. It was the only red card of Deco's entire international career.

Justice was done in the 63rd minute when Boulahrouz was also finally given his red card for an elbow to Luis Figo’s face, which resulted in even more scuffles and more cards.

But it was Portugal and Ronaldo who would have the last laugh, as the game ended 1-0, sending Portugal through to the World Cup semifinal against England, another infamous encounter.

The Battle of Nuremberg lives on as the World Cup's most ill-tempered affair, and Ronaldo's jersey is a living representation of a night that shook the soccer world.