Rooney has wished me well, says Cristiano Ronaldo (Reuters) Updated: 2006-07-04 08:52
BERLIN, July 3 - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo said on Monday there was
no animosity between him and Wayne Rooney despite the furore over the winger's
actions when the England forward was red carded in their World Cup
quarter-final.
"There is no problem at all between me and Rooney," Ronaldo told the website
of the Gestifute agency, which represents him. "At the end of the game, we
exchanged a series of text messages just as we had on the day before.
"This reinforces that I have a fine relationship with Rooney. Between the two
of us, everything is clear," added Ronaldo who plays with Rooney at Manchester
United.
In the second half of Saturday's match with England, Ronaldo rushed 40 metres
to the referee, apparently to demand a card for Rooney who had battled his way
through two players and trod on Ricardo Carvalho's groin as he tried to
disentangle himself.
Rooney was sent off by Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo and Ronaldo was
captured by TV cameras winking at his bench as the England forward walked off
the pitch.
"I complained to the referee about the foul but I didn't ask for a red card,"
the Portugal winger said after the match.
"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," he added on Monday.
"The referee produced the red card because he thought that he had to, and my
participation in that was absolutely zero."
CLUB MATE
Ronaldo had also feigned a head-butt towards Rooney seconds before the match
kicked off as he was walking past his club mate to take up his position on the
left wing.
British media reported on Monday that the England forward was furious with
Ronaldo and attempted to charge into Portugal's dressing room to confront the
winger after the match.
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