Wayne Rooney, England and Manchester United’s all-time highest goalscorer, has shared what he considers to be the most distressing experience of his nearly two-decade-long football career.
Rooney recalls the 2006 World Cup, during which he clashed with his then Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the quarterfinal match between England and Portugal.
Rooney’s World Cup journey in the 2006 Germany World Cup ended in controversy as Ronaldo played a role in Rooney’s dismissal, who received a red card for a second-half stamp on Ricardo Carvalho.
Portugal’s Ronaldo encouraged the referee to send off his Manchester United teammate Rooney and was then seen winking after Rooney was dismissed. As a result, England lost on penalties after a scoreless draw, with Ronaldo converting the decisive kick for a 3-1 victory.
Despite the incident, Rooney has forgiven Ronaldo, but considers it the lowest point in his career.
“There was a clear foul; the former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho was pulling and pushing me, and Petit came in from the other side,” Rooney wrote in his column for The Times.
“Referee Horacio Elizondo did nothing, and I planted my foot down on Carvalho — it was one of those moments when you’re not thinking.
“I knew it was a red card, and back in the dressing room I watched the rest of the game on a little TV, thinking: ‘If we win this, I’m suspended for a World Cup semi-final and final, and if we lose, it’s my fault.’ It was the worst, weirdest feeling I’ve had in football.
“I had my phone in my hand, and I was getting all these messages about Ronaldo. Of course, when he ran over to ask Elizondo to send me off, I pushed him away. In that moment, I couldn’t believe what he was doing. But sitting in that dressing room gave me time to calm down and think.
“I put myself in Ronaldo’s shoes. Would I do the same? Probably. Would I be in the ref’s face to make sure he got sent off? If he deserved the red, if it would help us win — yes, no question. I’d do it tomorrow. I thought: ‘Actually, I tried to get him booked in the first half for diving.’ And the wink thing, I didn’t see anything in that at all. It was nothing.
“So I calmed down. I went over to him afterward in the tunnel. I felt it was important to speak to him while it was still fresh and to do it face to face. He gave me a look as if to say sorry, but by then I had my United head on. I said I’ve no issues with you. Enjoy your tournament and good luck. I’ll see you in a few weeks — and let’s go try and win the league.”