Memories of British rule: I lost focus because of Messi and received a special gift from Ronaldo

Former British international soccer referee Mark Clattenberg revealed that the great performance of Barcelona star Lionel Messi forced him to change the way he managed his first match, as well as revealed a strong relationship with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Clattenberg, 45, said in an article in the British newspaper "Daily Mail" that Messi's first match with Barcelona was in 2015 against Paris Saint-Germain, and the Argentine star's performance was "incredibly dazzled" and pity the defenders, and he was busy touching him when he owned the ball from what Affected his focus.

"I had to change the way I run the match. It was so skillful that the competitors tried various ways to stop it. I warned him in that match against St. Germain to stand on the opponent's foot, but he did not object with a word."

Ronaldo also touched his British rivals, indicating his happiness in managing many matches for him since he was a young man wearing the Manchester United shirt, including the Champions League final and the European Championship Final 2016, and he felt "in front of a truly unique player who can change the result in a moment ".

Klattenberg states that his closeness to Ronaldo was translated by the player when he tried to embrace him while the referee team went to receive the medals after the Euro 2016 final, which Portugal crowned his title, saying, "He tried to hold me and embrace me, this was the level of respect between us although I never treated him differently than any Another player, I think that's why our relationship was good. "

He said that Ronaldo sent him his shirt to the referees' dressing room after the UEFA Champions League final 2016, and it was written "To Mark, Best Regards, Cristiano Ronaldo".

The referee confirmed that he had never requested the shirt, but it was a personal initiative of Ronaldo.