Booted out by his beloved Manchester United, suspended by the Football Association and deemed over the hill by many, Cristiano Ronaldo answered everything in the best possible fashion with another record-breaking display on Thursday.
The German apologised for his conduct after the game and said that he should have dealt with the situation differently.
Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday to book a place in next month's FA Cup final, thanks to a second-half goal by Hakim Ziyech which ended City manager Pep Guardiola's dream of steering his side to an unprecedented quadruple of titles.
The Portuguese star was linked with a move away during the summer transfer window, though Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag said he still featured in his plans for the season.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
'It will (be) a (time for) reflection for him, but also for everyone else. Football is a team sport and you have to fulfil certain standards. And I have to control it.'
Ronaldo's behaviour on Wednesday drew criticism, with former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel saying the 37-year-old has become a distraction at Old Trafford.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Croatia played at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday.
During a demonstration against Xi Jinping outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester, Bob Chan, 30, originally from Hong Kong, said he was dragged inside the consulate grounds by masked men from the embassy, kicked and punched.
Players who have been ruled out or are doubtful for the 2022 World Cup.
Ronaldo was an unused substitute as United produced arguably its most complete performance of the season. The 37-year-old has scored just two goals in 12 appearances for United this season.
'The Indian board is very, very, powerful, whereas the current Pakistan administration is quite weak.'
The incident was one of many involving match officials being confronted in the top flight at the weekend, with the FA also charging Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp with improper conduct for his outburst at an assistant referee.
Premier League leaders City said a statue will be erected outside the Etihad Stadium in the Argentine's honour, alongside those of his former team mates David Silva and Vincent Kompany.
"The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has a right to a fair trial," Potter added.
Images from Saturday's action in the English Premier League.
A summary of Friday's action in the Premier League.
Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney urged Cristiano Ronaldo to remain patient and make the most of the opportunities that come his way as the Portugal international looks to work his way back into the Premier League club's first team.
This is the first time a player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the list in eight years.
Erling Haaland has scored 14 of Manchester City's 29 English Premier League goals so far this season with hat-tricks in his last three home matches.
'They were certainly not practising Hinduism in the Harappan culture (which includes Mohenjo Daro and other sites).' 'There was no notion of Hinduism then.'
;You will have setbacks. We beat Arsenal, we beat Liverpool. On Sunday, we had a bad day at the office. City were better, we have to accept that. But we can't accept our unacceptable performance. So thank you for the lesson, Pep and City. We have to understand, we have to do things much better.'
Guardiola will not take his opponents lightly despite Copenhagen, the Danish champions, languishing in sixth place in the league, forcing them to replace manager Jess Thorup with Jacob Neestrup last month.
'The most worrying fact is that young people are becoming less and less interested in football. The current competitions, as designed today, do not attract spectators' interest, except in the final stage.'
AC Milan have been drawn to play Manchester United in what is the standout tie in next month's Europa League round of 16.
With City pulling out and Chelsea set to leave, while Liverpool's players posted a shared Twitter message saying they want no part of the new league, the ESL project looks doomed.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Ronaldo's moments of brilliance, however, are getting ever rarer. Even in the Europa League, where he has started all four matches against mediocre opponents such as Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia Nicosia, he has only scored once, off a penalty.
LaLiga leaders Barcelona's pursuit of a 27th Spanish title gained momentum after a 2-1 comeback win over Real Madrid.
'Just a couple of Indian No 5s bumping into each other in Manchester'.
Video footage appeared to show Ronaldo angrily slapping the phone out of the boy's hand as he walked down the tunnel.
"When you see world-recognised figures like Juergen Klopp and Pep Guardiola behaving like that, it is then replicated by people in youth football and perpetuates the idea that it is OK to do it," Ref Support UK CEO Martin Cassidy said.
Real Madrid's France forward Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or award for the best men's player in the world on Monday, while Barcelona's Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women's award for a second time.
Images from Sunday's action in the Premier League.
The defeat halted Brighton's impressive three-game winning streak which included a 4-1 win over Chelsea and a 3-1 victory at Arsenal in the League Cup on Wednesday.
He talked of snacking on crisps, sweets and donuts with his fellow queuers to keep their energy up.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Manchester City needed a second-half penalty from striker Erling Haaland to break the resistance of a dogged Crystal Palace.
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