'Commander' Ronaldo hits back at Blatter

The Portuguese celebrated the first of his three goals in a 7-3 win with a military-style salute, a reference to Blatter's mocking claim that Ronaldo behaves "like a commander on the field of play".

Blatter's comments at the Oxford Union included a dig at Ronaldo's hairdressers' bills and an admission that he prefers Lionel Messi.

They provoked a furious response from Ronaldo and Real Madrid, forcing Blatter into a grovelling apology.

The 28-year-old followed up a carefully-worded 'tribute' to Blatter with his on-field salute during a performance that spelled out the benefits of a player who takes a commanding role.

Ronaldo scored his 22nd hat-trick for Real Madrid, taking his season's tally to 15 goals in 13 games.

Gareth Bale added two, his first for the club, in an outrageously entertaining match that saw Real bounce back from their 2-1 Clasico defeat to Barcelona.