The flashpoint in the 0-0 draw came when Rooney tread on Ricardo Carvalho, leading to a big confrontation between England and Portugal‘s players. Ronaldo could be seen saying something to the Argentine referee Jorge Larionda, who then sent Rooney off. Ronaldo’s wink towards the Portugal bench was interpreted in England as him celebrating Rooney’s red card. The Three Lions were beaten in the penalty shootout and Ronaldo became a figure of hate for the English tabloid media and fans.
Rooney, however, said he had no hard feelings towards Ronaldo about the incident, even immediately after the game. He said on his BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show: “I spoke to Ronaldo right after the game in the tunnel and no issue whatsoever. I just said good luck for the semi-final.”
Rooney also revealed that he had tried to gain an advantage on Ronaldo earlier in the game. “People don’t see in the first half, I’m trying to get Ronaldo booked for diving,” he added. “If I could have got Ronaldo sent off, I would have. For that game we are rivals, but once it’s over and back playing for United, it is done.”
While the tabloid media and rival fans were desperate to see a rift between Ronaldo and Rooney, the incident at the World Cup had no effect on their relationship as team-mates at United. If anything, it made them even better. In their first game back they combined to destroy Fulham 5-1, with Rooney netting twice and setting Ronaldo up to score.
It was the start of an incredible partnership which inspired United to win three consecutive Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League, while Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or for the first time. Their flourishing partnership ended when Ronaldo left for Real Madrid in 2009, while Rooney remained at United until 2017, going on to become the club’s all-time top scorer.
Rooney was asked to name the five toughest defenders he played against in the Champions League. He put John Terry, who missed the crucial penalty in the 2008 Champions League final against United, as No. 1. He explained his choice: “Without question. John Terry. He was horrible to play against. Before every game I would go in thinking ‘he’s not quick, I’ll take him into channels’. But when talking about leaders, he was fantastic as captain of England when I played with him.
“Everything was him trying to get things right for everyone around the hotel. How he defended, he was strong, good in the air, never pulled out of tackles, was threat on set pieces. He was one of those defenders who when you went near him, he would just hurt you. He didn’t mean to, but he would leave something on you all the time. I don’t think people give him the credit he deserves; he was incredible with both feet.”
Rooney ranked his former United team-mate Gerard Pique as the second best defender he faced, followed by Paulo Maldini, Ricardo Carvalho and Alessandro Nesta. He said of Pique: “A player I played with and against. He was a young lad at Man Utd but he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. He wasn’t the quickest but put himself into really good positions to counteract that. His ability with the ball was as good as any defender you will ever see in terms of passing through the lines and starting attacks off.
“He was a winner, a great character, fun to be around when we played with him. His problem at Man Utd was when he was coming through, technically he was fantastic, but the question was could he cope with it physically. It was a toss of the coin between him and Jonny Evans, we all felt at the time Jonny was the better player and was more suited to the Premier League. Then Gerard played against Bolton in the Premier League and really struggled. The manager kept Jonny and let Gerard go back to Barcelona. I don’t think any of us could imagine the career he went on to have.”
Ronaldo returned to United in 2021 for an eventful season and a half before leaving for Al-Nassr following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan. And the Portuguese could come up against United soon as the Red Devils are exploring the possibility of playing a mid-season friendly in Saudi Arabiato raise more revenue in the absence of European football. United have plenty of free weeks after being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby, although coach Ruben Amorim is unlikely to be in favour of the move as it will deprive him of time on the training ground as he looks to turn results around following a dreadful start to the season amid calls for him to be sacked already. Rooney has been outspoken about Amorim, saying he had”no faith” that the coach would be able to improve results.
