"I think Ronaldo was a bit scared" - Wayne Rooney makes huge admission on incident with Cristiano Ronaldo at 2006 World Cup
Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney admitted that he tried to get Cristiano Ronaldo sent off in England's quarter-final clash against Portugal at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He made the claims in The Overlap's Fan Debate Euros Special hosted by himself alongside former teammate Gary Neville.
In a high-octane encounter, Rooney was involved in a tussle for the ball with Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho and stepped onto his thigh in the midst of the duel. A 21-year-old Ronaldo came rushing towards the referee and pleaded with him to get his Red Devils teammate sent off.
The English forward then shoved his Red Devils teammate away and had to be restrained by his teammates to de-escalate the situation. Eventually, the referee gives Rooney his marching orders.
Cameras later captured the former Real Madrid superstar winking after getting the prolific English sharpshooter sent off. To add insult to injury, Portugal would trump 10-man England 3-1 on penalties after a goalless draw in 120 minutes.
When asked about England's plans to keep the Portuguese talisman in check, Rooney said:
"We were trying to get him [Ronaldo] booked for diving. [The plan was to try] If I could get Ronaldo sent off, 100 percent. I spoke to him in the tunnel after the game. Wished him luck for the rest of the tournament and it was after that I think Sir Alex called me up to make sure I was okay. I was fine, I think Ronaldo was a bit scared, I had no issues [with the incident]."
Wayne Rooney would like England to beat Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the final of EURO 2024
The former English attacker said that he would love for his national side to beat Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the final of Euro 2024.
In the mid-2000s, Portugal beat England in the quarterfinals of back-to-back major tournaments on penalties. At Euro 2004, Rooney suffered a broken leg due to a challenge in the 27th minute and had to be substituted for Darius Vassell. After a 2-2 draw in 120 minutes of play, Vassell would go on to miss the decisive penalty as Portugal won the game 6-5 in the shootout.
Portugal then went on to repeat their feat at the 2006 World Cup, in a game that saw Rooney get sent off in the 61st minute for a horrible challenge on Ricardo Carvalho.
These clashes left a sour taste in Rooney's mouth, as indicated by his statements on The Overlap. When asked who he would like to see England beat at Euro 2024, he said:
"Probably Germany, yeah. But just because of my experiences, I would say Portugal as well [as the team I want England to beat the most]. Broke me in 2004, I got sent off in 2006, and they beat us on penalties both them times. I'd love to see England beat Portugal in the final [of Euro 2024]."
England beat Serbia 1-0 in their Euro 2024 opener while Portugal are set to take on Czechia on June 18 in their opening fixture.