Cristiano Ronaldo Banned Two Games For Kicking Opponent, Red Card Dismissal

Real Madrid must go without Cristiano Ronaldo for a couple of weeks.

Ronaldo received a two-game ban Wednesday for his red card dismissal in Real Madrid’s win over Cordoba on Saturday, according to the BBC.

Ronaldo will miss Real Madrid’s upcoming La Liga (Spanish first division) games against Real Sociedad on Jan. 31 and Sevilla on Feb. 4. However, the Portuguese superstar will be eligible to play when Real Madrid visits Atletico Madrid on Feb. 7 in a meeting of La Liga title contenders.

Ronaldo kicked Cordoba defender Edimar in the second half of Real Madrid’s 2-1 win. Ronaldo appeared to throw a punch at Cordoba’s Jose Crespo minutes before his incident with Edimar, but the referee declined to punish the Real Madrid goal machine then. Many speculated that Ronaldo might receive a severe punishment before the ban was announced, but the referee only referenced Ronaldo’s kick on Edimar in his official report.

Ronaldo has three days to appeal his ban.

Ronaldo, the reigning FIFA Ballon d’Or winner, apologized for his violent outburst after the game.

Ronaldo’s absence will be a blow to Real Madrid, which clings to a narrow lead over second-place Barcelona (by one point) and third-place Atletico Madrid (four points) in La Liga’s standings after 19 games.

Ronaldo has scored 28 goals in 18 league games in 2014-15. He will be keen to add to his gaudy totals when he returns to Real Madrid.