Having been within touching distance of the European Championships in 2004, as Portugal were beaten on their home turf by surprise winners Greece, Ronaldo was once again in the limelight in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Having been drawn against England in the quarterfinal stage, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was plying his trade with Manchester United at the time, played a pivotal role in getting club teammate Wayne Rooney sent off.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s infamous wink
After a rash challenge left Ricardo Carvalho floored, Cristiano Ronaldo rushed to the referee to ensure Rooney got his marching orders. What followed was an infamous scene, as the hot-tempered English pushed Ronaldo out of the way and received a red card, to which he was greeted with a wink from Ronaldo.
Speaking to Times Sport as quoted by Goal, Rooney claimed that the incident was one of the weirdest moments of his career.
Cristiano Ronaldo went on to score the decisive penalty, as Portugal required spot-kicks to overcome England to make it through to the semifinals. However, Rooney added that he would have done the same thing for his country, had he been presented with the opportunity.
The pair reconciled after the game and went on to spend three more years together at Old Trafford, after which Cristiano Ronaldo was sold to Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of £80 million in the summer of 2009.
While Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo have since then gone separate ways, they spent five seasons together at Old Trafford, as they dominated English football and were amongst the most envied teams in the continent.
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