Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger was defended by former Germany international Dietmar Hamann in the wake of their remarkable 4-2 victory over Portugal at Euro 2020.
Rudiger produced a solid display to ensure his side kept their chances of qualifying to the next round of the tournament well and truly alive.
But with the Germans down 1-0 after half an hour, things were not as easy as the end result would suggest.
Cristiano Ronaldo put the Portuguese 1-0 up with a quick counter-attacking goal. And the former Manchester United winger was in high spirits after his strike.
Following his goal, Ronaldo lofted the ball over the head of Chelsea's Rudiger, and backheeled it to a teammate without his eyes on the ball.
The skill stunned the crowd and left Rudiger chasing shadows somewhat.
But former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann was less than impressed by the Juventus star’s showboating and claimed Ronaldo "belittled" Rudiger.
Hamann told RTE: "I think it’s nonsense, he flicks the ball over, pretends he is going to catch it and backheels it across, and looks away… of course it is [amazing] and we know he can do that… I think, in a way he’s belittling the opposition.
"This is at 1-0 and I’m sitting here while you all rave about it. Yes, he is the best, with Messi… He looks a fool now. This is 1-0. He does look the fool.
"If you ask the German players, they’ll tell you now what they thought of it. They would have noticed that.
"I tell you now, all of them will say it may have given us an extra bit of whatever to change things. What is he trying to achieve? Maybe this [Germany comeback] is where it all started."
Barring that moment, Rudiger was largely impressive during the match, winning three out of his six defensive duels, according to Wyscout, and making six interceptions in the process.
The Champions League winner is in a good position to qualify with Die Mannschaft for the next round of the tournament, with even a draw at home to minnows Hungary possible to qualify Germany to the round of 16.
What do you make of Cristiano Ronaldo’s showboating? Let us know in the comments below.
