Soccernet’s Phil Ball tells the interesting story of Rafael Guerrero, possibly the most famous linesman in the game, certainly the most famous linesman in Spain’s La Liga. He is known as “Rafa no me jodas” Guerrero for the words spoken by a match referee to him in a game involving Zaragoza and Barcelona 10 years ago. The controversial incident, which resulted in a Zaragoza player being sent off and then a Barcelona penalty, immortalized Guerrero, who is noticeable for the unkempt mop of hair on his head, forever. Canal Plus decided to put together a documentary on the man recognizable for his perm; his fame even earned him a sponsorship deal with a Spanish rental car company. Since then, Guerrero has managed to remain at the forefront of controversial incidents, including Sunday’s game between Barcelona and Zaragoza, which we know was something of an anniversary for him. This time, Guerrero played a part in the sending off of Barca midfielder Thiago Motta for putting his hand in the face of Zaragoza forward Diego Milito. Guerrero called the match referee over and they agreed to show Motta the door. An enraged Carles Puyol then had to be restrained by his teammates for wanting to attack Guerrero for the call. However, a few minutes later the lead ref balanced the books by sending off Juanfran, and he then awarded a “nonexistent” free kick that Ronaldinho converted brilliantly. Javier Saviola then added a third from an offside position to make it 3-1 to Barca. At the end of the match, Puyol could be seen smiling and mouthing the immortal phrase “no me jodas,” which by the way means “don’t f*** with me.”
