The reason for Cristiano Ronaldo tossing his Juventus jersey to the ground on Sunday appears to have been explained.
Less than a month after courting controversy by tossing his captain's armband on international duty with Portugal, Ronaldo once again made headlines over the weekend when he was seen discarding his Juventus jersey following the club's 3-1 win over Genoa.
Following the match, it was suggested that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was frustrated not to have scored for the Bianconeri on the night but coach Andrea Pirlo was quick to defend his star man from any criticism for his perceived actions.
"It's normal he wanted to score a goal, especially seeing that the match had turned out in a certain way," Pirlo told Sky Sport. "It is part of the attitude of champions who always want to leave their mark."
However, it has since been revealed that Ronaldo was in fact not throwing his jersey to the ground but that he had instead tossed it to a ball boy who was stationed behind the Genoa goal when the final whistle blew.
Last month, the 36-year-old was criticised after hurling his Portugal armband to the floor and storming off the pitch when he and the reigning European champions were denied a match-winning goal during their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Serbia.
In that instance, the armband was picked up by an on-duty fireman who donated it to charity, from where it was auctioned off for an incredible sum of around €64 000 (R1.1m), per The Guardian.
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