Then Manchester United teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney clashed during the 2006 World Cup, in which Portugal defeated England in the quarterfinals. The match was marred by Rooney's sending off that supposedly was instigated in part by his Portuguese friend. Famously, Ronaldo was caught on picture giving a wink when Rooney was ordered out of the pitch.
What happened during that day was part of the game, according to the United legend, adding Ronaldo did what it takes to win in that match and he would have done the same thing. Rooney said he knew that the referee was to give a red card and at that time, "it was the worst, weirdest feeling I've had in football."
Penning a column for the Sunday Times, the former England captain recalled that once in the dressing room, he had a rushed of mixed feelings - anger, disappointment, and guilt. He, of course, was in disbelief with how Ronaldo worked hard to convince the officials that Rooney had to be sent off.
"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," the former Red Devils star was reported by Metro as saying.
Rooney admitted that things cooled off eventually, he realized that Ronaldo's actions were justified. He would even do the same if the Portuguese was deserving of a red card, and for England to win getting him off the game was also acceptable.
He revealed that after the game, he decided to speak with his United teammate and Ronaldo then looked apologetic so what he planned to say came out a bit easier.
"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," Rooney wrote.
Sure enough, the duo collaborated to help United win the Premier League several times while playing together and Rooney claimed that the World Cup incident failed to dampen his friendship with Ronaldo, who in 2009 made the jump from Old Trafford to Real Madrid.
Despite the controversy, Rooney and Ronaldo became even closer and the former shared they continued to their cherished roles as the club's prankster, pulling one over teammates on and off the pitch. At times, even then club boss Sir Alex Ferguson was the subject of fun tricks.
"It was always the two of us doing pranks on the manager or other players," The Sun reported the United legend as saying.
It was clear that Rooney's moments of playtime with Ronaldo were memorable, including the Champions League triumph in 2008. The two went on to score one more Premier League silverware in 2009 then Ronaldo opted to become a Galactico.
