Ronaldo dives into controversy

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronanldo has immense talent, but it is sometimes overshadowed by the way he scores.

Ronaldo's apparent dive, allegedly performed in order to win a penalty kick, has diverted public attention from the hat-trick that gave his team an easy win over Celta Vigo on Saturday night.

Ronaldo fell to the ground after slight contact from Celta Vigo defender Jonny Castro and the referee handed out a penalty kick when both sides were seeking to break the goalless deadlock.

The controversial call overshadowed Ronaldo's hat-trick as the focus of media reports, among which, Catalan newspaper Sport delivered the most acrimonious verdict.

The pro-Barcelona publication ran a report titled "A month of shame: Real Madrid benefit from wrong refereeing calls", collecting referee decisions it deemed as preferential.

Since then, social media platforms have been flooded with parodies linking Ronaldo to all kinds of diving images. In a picture circulating on Twitter, the footballer was photographed as a diver ready to leap, while another comical piece featured diving judges giving all 10s on their scoreboards.

Troll Football, a website known for sports-related memes, was inspired by the fact the Portuguese player was a favorite to win the Balon d'or, posting a picture on Twitter showing a dapper Ronaldo lifting another award – the Diving d'or.

This is not the first time Ronaldo has found himself at the center of international derision. Among his many nicknames "Ronaldo the Diver" has been one of the most popular among Chinese fans.