It was the moment that made Cristiano Ronaldo public enemy number one in England. A simple wink in the 2006 World Cup left Three Lions players and fans absolutely livid.
A 20-year-old Wayne Rooney was shown a straight red card for a stamp on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The Manchester United ace wasn't very happy to see his clubmate Ronaldo charge over to the referee to plead for a red card.
As the English forward stormed towards the tunnel, Ronaldo was caught on camera winking towards his bench, as if to say 'job done'. England eventually crashed out of the competition in a penalty shootout, with Ronaldo scoring the winner.
What Rooney and Ronaldo Said After England vs Portugal
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano RonaldoKieran Doherty via Reuters
Man Utd fans, and no doubt Sir Alex Ferguson, were worried a rift would form between their two star players. However, both men did their best to sweep the heated incident under the carpet.
Rooney, only 20 at the time, said after the controversy: "I bear no ill-feeling to Cristiano but am disappointed he chose to get involved."
Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup game between Portugal and DR Congo Related
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His United teammate also denied that there would be any lasting damage done. Ronaldo stated: "At the end, we texted each other and between us everything’s been cleared. He wasn’t angry with me and, moreover, he told me to completely ignore what the English press has said, that all they wanted was to create confusion."
Steven Gerrard's Brutal Advice to Wayne Rooney
Steven Gerrard vs Cristiano Ronaldo (World Cup)Tony O'Brien Livepic (Action Images via Reuters)
One man less forgiving than Rooney was his England teammate that night, Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool icon was clearly angry with what had happened. Immediately after the game, the midfielder claimed he was 'disgusted' with Ronaldo's actions, saying:
"If he were one of my teammates, I would be absolutely disgusted with him.
"After Wayne was sent off he winked at his bench and his teammates, and that just about sums him up as a person. If I were playing against a teammate from Liverpool and they were involved in a situation like that, I would never try to get them sent off."
In his autobiography, Gerrard later revealed his conversation with Rooney following the incident. First, he reiterated his disgust at his Portuguese rival's actions, writing: "Sadly, a dark side stains Cristiano Ronaldo’s game. His part in Wayne Rooney’s dismissal was a disgrace.
"What really [got to] all the England players was Ronaldo’s wink to his bench. It was a wink which said ‘job done’. How could he do that to his Manchester United teammate?"
Rooney then asked his fellow scouser what he made of the wink. Gerrard, rather brutally, claimed he would simply refuse to ever speak to his teammate again if he were in Rooney's position. He continued:
"On the bus after the game, Wayne asked me: ‘What do you think about the wink?’
"I said: ‘Honestly, Wazza, if we were playing Spain and [Liverpool team-mates] Xabi Alonso or Luis Garcia winked at the referee or gave a signal for me to be sent off, I’d never speak to them again.'"