Luka Modric picked up one of the stranger yellow cards against Borussia Dortmund

Luka Modric doesn't strike us as the sassy type.

But the referee in charge of Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night was clearly of the opinion that the Croatian midfielder was being cheeky as he double-checked the 10 yards that were marked out for a free kick to the home side. No matter how many times you watch the footage of Modric pacing out the distance between ball and the Real wall that was being assembled, it continues to look absolutely innocuous.

Modric contando los 9 pasos al árbitro y dejando en evidencia que había mucha distancia del balón a barrera, pues amarilla.#ChampionsTotal pic.twitter.com/Fl0h3iReEW

— Mrs. Holmes (@cunetita) September 26, 2017

The rules state that a yellow card will be awarded to a player who "fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick or throw-in" or "who delays the start of play" or "shows dissent by word or action." We're not sure which of those offences Modric was found guilty of and he likely didn't know either, given the perplexed look on his face. https://twitter.com/GolazoJuice/status/912762132353097728 Some viewers were similarly baffled about the decision. https://twitter.com/Hauwau_SB/status/912766216598679553 https://twitter.com/iUsama719/status/912762180986195974 https://twitter.com/IronLion_RM/status/912760672513069057 https://twitter.com/erivane07/status/912760437363630082 https://twitter.com/Ohhmyisco/status/912762269825732608 https://twitter.com/xtinap1/status/912760254118719488