Wayne Rooney has reflected on one of the most talked-about moments of his England career in an archive feature about his World Cup career.
The former England forward revisited the 2006 World Cup quarter-final against Portugal , a match remembered for his red card and Cristiano Ronaldo 's reaction.
England went out on penalties, but Rooney's latest comments frame the incident less as a personal clash and more as a painful part of the tournament's wider story.
Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images
Speaking about Ronaldo, Rooney said : "For me there was no issue with Cristiano, on that day he was playing for Portugal and I was playing for England, on that day we were rivals and I'd do anything to try and win for England the same way he'd do anything to win for Portugal."
That is the key point. Rooney is not reopening an old argument. He is closing it down by making the moment about international rivalry, not personal betrayal.
Rooney added: "It got made into a big thing but we spoke after the game and we were fine."
The comment matters because the Ronaldo angle has followed that game for years. Rooney's version is calmer and more direct than the story that grew around it.
Rooney also said the incident "really summed that World Cup up" because he "shouldn't have gone really", before calling the ending "a big disappointment".
That fits the wider context. Rooney had suffered a metatarsal injury before the tournament, and his fitness dominated England's build-up.
England's campaign ended in the 2006 World Cup quarter-final after a goalless draw with Portugal and a 3-1 defeat on penalties.
Rooney's comments do not make Ronaldo the centre of the story. They make 2006 look like a tournament defined by pressure, risk and a regret Rooney still recognises clearly.
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