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IT’S AMAZING how having a financial investment can greatly increase you interest in certain aspects of football.
It seemed a clever bet last summer to back Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo at 12-1 to be top scorer at Euro 2016.
It turned out to be not such a smart move as the Real Madrid superstar had a bit of a mare, including the horror show against Austria where he had 10 chances, including a penalty, and fluffed the lot.
Hope came after two goals against Hungary and one in the semi-final victory over Wales.
So in the final against France there was a special reason to watch Ronaldo closely.
Of course, he had to go off in the 25th minute after a nasty challenge by Dmitri Payet, which did not even earn the former West Ham star a booking.
Payet was not the first to have thundered into Ronaldo, with France targeting him in a way which would have caused outrage had it been Uruguay or Argentina.
The point of all this is why do referees, and the public in general, seem to accept it when cocky superstars get hammered?
Eden Hazard at Chelsea gets more than his fair share of thumpings, the offender often going unpunished.
So fans are denied seeing the most skilful players at their very best.
It will be fascinating to see what protection referee Felix Brych gives Ronaldo in the Champions League Final against tough-tackling Juventus. I wouldn’t bet on it being a lot!