3 July 2006, by Sean Gillen

Ronaldo rubbishes Rooney rift claims

Cristiano Ronaldo has emphatically denied that there is any problem between himself and Wayne Rooney after Portugal’s World Cup Quarter-Final win over England on Saturday.

Rooney was shown a red card after stamping on Ricardo Carvalho, and Ronaldo received strong criticism from the English press for appearing to influence the referee’s decision.

It had been suggested in some English newspapers that Rooney had vowed never to play with Ronaldo again, and that the row between the two would force the Portuguese out of Old Trafford.

No ill feeling

But Ronaldo has dismissed these reports and revealed that he has been in contact with his Manchester United team-mate since the incident, and there is no ill feeling between the pair.

“Dreadful things have been said about me and my team-mate (at Manchester United) and friend Rooney,” says Ronaldo in his World Cup blog.

“How is it possible that I would help to get him sent off? I am not the referee with the power to send off anyone I want, nor do I have the ability to convince him to show cards. The referee produced the red card because he thought that he had to, and my participation in that was absolutely zero.”

“I would also like to make it clear that there is no problem at all between me and Rooney. I insist: no problem at all. At the end of the game, we exchanged a series of text messages just as we had on the day before.”

Rooney good luck message

“This reinforces that I have a fine relationship with Rooney. Between the two of us, everything is clear. In fact, he didn’t just send me congratulations for going forward in the World Cup, he also told me we have a great team, and if we carry on as we have, we will go a long way.”

Ronaldo has also revealed that Rooney has told him to ignore any attempts from the English press to create tension between the two.

“He wasn’t angry with me, or about anything that happened. And more: he told me to ignore the things written in the English press on this subject, they only want to stir things up. That’s normal… That’s how they are and we are used to it.”

“Statements have appeared as if they were from him, saying that he didn’t want to play with me in Manchester. That’s not what he wants! Of course he wants to!”

“This is absolutely false, he said so himself when asked. So, just typical things in the English papers, which we’re all used to. I guarantee it’s not this that makes me lose sleep.”