In 2009, OM defender Souleymane Diawara tackled Cristiano Ronaldo, keeping him away from the field for several months. The matter did not stop there.
It was a tackle which left its mark and which remained in the memories. During the group stage of the 2009/2010 Champions League, Olympique de Marseille lost at the Bernabéu against the great Real Madrid. During this match, Souleymane Diawara, then OM central defender, was the author of a rough intervention on Cristiano Ronaldo in the area. The referee had whistled a penalty and brandished a red card against the Senegalese. A decision which, fifteen years later, is still debated, because the player also takes the ball in the action. However, this tackle did not remain without consequences since CR7 was then removed from the field for three months for his first season at Real Madrid after having made the screen at Manchester United. The main person concerned then gave his version of the facts a few years ago.
Diawara and OM apologized to CR7 and Real
Souleymane Diawara returned to this event: “You can say what you want, he’s a monster. You can't stop it. He doesn't have the right to play football, it's cheating to have a player like that. Did he shock me? Crazy. I couldn't do it. I had no solution, I had nothing against this guy. It tired me from start to finish. Besides, am I hurting him? Yes, it's true that I arrived strong. I didn't mean to hurt him. Hurt, but not hurt. Unfortunately, he was injured for 2-3 months. Afterwards, we sent an apology email with OM. Real responded. he revealed. The future five-time Ballon d'Or winner finally came back even stronger from his first injury with the Merengue and ended up breaking numerous records in the Madrid tunic before his departure for Juventus in 2018.
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