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HARRY REDKNAPP - Columnist

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THE ENGLISH gave the world football - but while other countries play as well as us they don't do it the same way.

It seems the Beautiful Game suddenly turned ugly this week with that horrible, disgraceful rubbish we witnessed in Madrid.

I'd been excited all day in anticipation of the Real Madrid v Barcelona Champions League semi-final. It was going to be a real treat.

But afterwards the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth.

Play-acting, fouling, baiting the referee - cheating, basically. The players lost the plot.

And it wasn't the best of nights for the managers, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, either.

People I know who absolutely love football turned off their TVs in disgust at what was going on. I honestly believe you would never see a game like that in England. English crowds wouldn't tolerate that sort of behaviour from players of the opposition, or indeed their own team.

And, as a manager, I certainly would not want to be involved in any of that rubbish.

Real and Barca are two fantastic football teams with two great coaches. But everyone went into meltdown on Wednesday night. It was horrible.

We saw similar events in Scotland not so long ago when Rangers played Celtic. I think there were around a dozen bookings and a sending off.

It's as if the players felt the need to get booked, sent off or attack the referee to either show off to the fans or to prove they were committed and involved in the game.

But that was nothing to do with football.

When we played at Madrid in the Champions League this season, we had Peter Crouch sent off early in the game for two bookable offences.

Even then, when the Madrid players were fouled they were rolling all over the place - and then straight up and getting in the ref's face.

It wasn't football, it was more like that WWE wrestling you see from America with all the stunted injuries and theatrics.

I'd be extremely disappointed if my lads got involved in stuff like that in a match. I wouldn't stand for it and I'd tell the players in no uncertain terms to cool down and play the game, win or lose.

But then I think there is an inherent sense of restraint over here.

English football fans are admired the world over for the atmospheres they create at grounds.

Sure, it's hostile and it's not always nice. But I don't believe even the most ardent supporter of any team would enjoy paying good money to see the sort of stuff put before us in Spain this week.

We had a big derby game against Arsenal last week.

There was a great atmosphere, hostile and intense.

But, thankfully, it never degenerated into the farcical scenes at one of the best stadiums in the world which was supposed to be a Champions League semi-final. It was madness.

The only highlight was Lionel Messi's second goal. A terrific strike from the best player in the world. Can't we see more of that?

The tie is dead, by the way. Madrid won't come back from that and neither will Schalke against Manchester United.

So it's Man Utd v Barcelona in the Champions League final and I bet you don't see the Spaniards play anything like they did on Wednesday when they go to Wembley on May 28.

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You can be assured that 99 times out of 100 they play football in the most breathtaking way - the way I like to see it played and the way it should be played.

Wednesday's match must have been the one per center.

When Real Madrid's Pepe was sent off, Daniel Alves was rolling around as if he'd been poleaxed, like he was dying.

Then he suddenly jumped up and was absolutely fine. I felt a certain sadness watching it all unfold.

Even in my living room watching on TV, some of the diving was making me cringe with embarrassment.

We had players needing stretchers to get them off the pitch as if their careers were finished - only for them to hop off and back into the game as soon as they could.

Players gesticulating at the referee to try to get the opposition booked. Particularly distasteful behaviour in my mind.

Maybe I'm expecting too much to hope that all games of football can be played in the best atmosphere with teams doing things the right way. Maybe I'm too romantic.

England is not a nice, cosy place where gentlemen pass the ball around with smiles on their faces, of course not.

We gave the world football and the richest club game of all is coming to the home of football at Wembley next month.

However, you wouldn't see those scenes we witnessed this week even among the most amateur pub players on Hackney Marshes.

Maybe England can still teach the world a thing or two about football after all.