The first leg of the Barcelona - Manchester United semi-final ended 0-0. Christiano Ronaldo missed a penalty, hitting it off the right upright, and the chorus labeling him a big game bottler is rising to a crescendo.
Ronaldo's miss has prompted Setanta to look deeper into the issue of bottlers.
Some have labeled Ronaldo and his overall performance a "Cod" and a "Disgrace," although some of these comments may have come from Irishmen who'd lost the run of themselves. Still, excessive diving does test the viewers' patience, and Ronaldo sometimes tends to resort to diving in big games. For those who haven't seen his longing pleas to the referee, his comment after the 2006 World Cup semi-final may be revealing: "The referee didn't help us."
Bear in mind it takes some doing to earn a reputation as a big game bottler. The performances leading up to the big games have to be good ones, and Ronaldo has scored 28 league goals playing on the wing, so he's in the spotlight. Don't expect to hear Arsenal's wide midfielder Emmanuel Eboue (no goals in all competitions, 28 starts, 5 substitute appearances) being accused of being a big game bottler any time soon.
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