‘Don’t kill him, I beg you’: The fateful moment Manchester United’s two stars were almost torn apart

‘Right here we go once more’, Sir Alex Ferguson should have thought as he watched the fallout grip the nation.

The 2006 World Cup was over and as soon as once more Manchester United’s supervisor was being compelled to take care of points that might usually be past his remit.

What occurs whereas on worldwide responsibility ought to not likely be his concern, however having been a central participant in the same saga, Ferguson knew what he could be confronted with.

It had been eight years since David Beckham returned to hateful tabloid headlines, vengeful paparazzi and effigies hanging exterior pubs after his sending-off towards Argentina within the 1998 World Cup, so Ferguson was braced for the repercussions in the summertime of 2006.

This time it was Wayne Rooney who had been despatched off, becoming a member of Beckham and Ray Wilkins as the one English gamers to be dismissed throughout a World Cup. However not like Beckham following his kick out at Diego Simeone, Rooney was not public enemy primary.

Each had obtained straight crimson playing cards in knockout video games which England then went on to lose, however just one Manchester United participant returned to the nation as a pariah.

Simeone was on the receiving finish of loads of abuse and ill-feeling for his function in Beckham’s pricey dismissal, however as a result of he performed for Inter Milan he was shielded considerably from the highlight in England.

In contrast, the supposed villain of the Rooney incident was already entrance and centre within the Premier League as Manchester United’s up-and-coming famous person. Cristiano Ronaldo had nowhere to cover.

Rooney was despatched off within the 61st minute of England’s quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen towards Portugal on July 1, 2006 by referee Horacio Elizondo after standing on Ricardo Carvalho’s groin.

The England striker, who was then simply 20 years outdated, had been annoyed by the shut consideration Carvalho and Petit have been paying him. With the Chelsea defender throughout him and Elizondo not blowing for a foul, regardless of being shut by, Rooney stepped again on Carvalho’s nether areas. The Argentine official blew his whistle and motioned for a foul earlier than the Portuguese gamers rushed in to demand motion.

Main the cost was Rooney’s United team-mate Ronaldo, who barged his strategy to the entrance of the queue to counsel a crimson card be issued. Rooney tried to push him again, however it was no use. England could be compelled to play the remainder of the match with 10 males.

The sport completed 0-0, however penalty misses from Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher – and Ronaldo’s profitable try from 12 yards – noticed Sven-Goran Eriksson’s facet dumped out of the World Cup.

Rooney’s crimson card would at all times have been a speaking level for followers, pundits and the press after such a high-profile sport, however crucially on this event there was one thing else to get the blood pumping. After Rooney was given his marching orders, a canny digital camera operator saved his give attention to Ronaldo and was rewarded with the cash shot: the 21-year-old winking in the direction of the Portugal bench. This was thought of the smoking gun. Within the eyes of the British media, Ronaldo’s actions had obtained Rooney despatched off.

It began on the BBC’s coverage of the match, the place Gary Lineker, Alan Hansen, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright expressed their disbelief at what they have been seeing.

“Simply take a look at the Portugal gamers there, look. England by no means do this to referees – making an attempt to place strain on them. I don’t know: are we too trustworthy?” requested Shearer.

“It appears to me, he [Elizondo] reacts when he [Rooney] pushes Ronaldo, fairly than the rest,” added Lineker.

“You take a look at the ref now. He’s not doing something. It’s not till Ronaldo is available in and tells him,” Shearer continued.

“Take a look at that… has he simply winked there?” Wright requested.

“I don’t know, like,” Shearer then stated. “I believe there’s each probability that Wayne Rooney may return to the Man United coaching floor and stick one on Ronaldo, as a result of he hasn’t helped him there.”

And so started one other tabloid outrage following a World Cup crimson card for a Manchester United participant. Solely this time there was the added aspect of these concerned being team-mates.

“If he have been considered one of my team-mates I’d be completely disgusted with him,” Gerrard stated, fanning the flames post-match.

“After Wayne was despatched off he winked at his bench and his team-mates and that almost sums him up as an individual. If I have been taking part in towards a team-mate from Liverpool and so they have been concerned in a scenario like that I’d by no means attempt to get them despatched off.”

“He is imagined to be a team-mate of Wayne’s at Manchester United and he does one thing like that,” Lampard added. “It isn’t good, is it?”

Beckham’s resignation as captain, Eriksson’s departure as supervisor and yet one more defeat on penalties deflected among the outrage, however Ronaldo was the principle goal on the entrance pages.

“Don’t let this man into our nation any extra,” demanded The Day by day Mirror, who reported {that a} “blazing mad” Rooney needed to be restrained by his England team-mates earlier than being bundled on to the staff bus after the match.

In the meantime, The Solar slammed Ronaldo for his “shameful efficiency” and carried some eye-catching quotes which it attributed to Rooney, who was stated to have informed team-mates that the one method he would really like “to bury the hatchet is in Ronaldo’s head.” An ‘England insider’ additionally informed the paper a whimsical story: “At breakfast within the resort this morning, Wayne stated he would cut up him in two and smack him within the head.”

The Instances later reported that Portugal had taken a tourism hit due to Ronaldo’s actions, with vacation distributors saying there had been a dramatic drop in gross sales to Portugal for the reason that match.

In the meantime, the area title ihateronaldo.com was arrange and a marketing campaign started to ensure Ronaldo didn’t win the younger participant of the event award. The web site inspired followers to go to the FIFA web site and vote for Ecuador’s Luis Valencia in protest. Ultimately, Germany’s Lukas Podolski received, however Ronaldo’s behaviour was an element. Holger Osieck, head of the Fifa technical research group that picked the winner, stated: “We wish to have first rate behaviour and I admit we have been essential of this.”

The extent of the witch-hunt is probably surprisingly summed up by the actual fact pop singer Lily Allen felt compelled to put in writing a weblog in regards to the scenario.

“Ronaldo is a unclean, soiled b******,” she wrote. “Ronaldo is pure evil, did you see the winking and him winding up Rooney earlier on within the sport? I guess the press are gonna use Rooney because the scapegoat, however I reckon we should always go after Ronaldo.”

The tabloids had their enjoyable and anger reigned earlier than, three days after the match, Rooney put out a press release giving his facet of the story.

“I’m of the identical opinion now as I used to be on the time, that what occurred did not warrant a crimson card. If something I really feel we should always have had a free-kick for the fouls dedicated on me throughout the identical incident,” he stated.

“I wish to say completely categorically I didn’t deliberately put my foot down on Ricardo Carvalho. He slid in from behind me and sadly ended up able the place my foot was inevitably going to finish up as I saved my steadiness. That is all there was to it. From what I’ve seen within the World Cup, most gamers would have gone to floor on the slightest contact however my solely thought then was to maintain possession for England.

“When the referee produced the crimson card I used to be amazed, gobsmacked. I bear no sick feeling to Cristiano however I’m dissatisfied he selected to become involved. I suppose I do, although, have to recollect on that exact event we weren’t team-mates.”

For his half, Ronaldo was unrepentant and apparently unworried in regards to the potential repercussions together with his membership.

“Individuals are saying that the referee confirmed a crimson card as a result of I requested him to, however that isn’t true,” he stated earlier than Portugal’s semi-final towards France. “It was not my fault and I do not care who says it was. I did not get him despatched off. It is merely not true. It’s simply the English press stirring issues up.

“I spoke after the sport to Rio [Ferdinand] and Gary [Neville] and they didn’t have an issue with me. Rio stated: ‘Congratulations.’ I did not get the possibility to talk to Wayne however I’ll phone him. I do not really feel sorry for him, that is sure. Why would I really feel sorry for him? This can be a time for me to be celebrating Portugal’s achievements, not worrying about issues that aren’t even true.”

Whereas the tabloids – and Lily Allen – went after the flash younger Portuguese winger, lots identified that the blame lay with Rooney, regardless of Eriksson’s parting plea. “Do not kill him, I encourage you,” the Swede stated. “Whether or not he did it deliberately or not, go away it. Take it straightforward with Rooney, to your personal sake. You want him, so handle him.”

Writing in The Guardian, Daniel Taylor stated Ronaldo had been made “a handy scapegoat when the English public does not likely wish to fall out of affection with its greatest footballer.” Taylor additionally reported that the younger striker had sought the assistance of an anger-management counsellor.

Tabloid author Martin Samuel had additionally had sufficient of the Ronaldo focus. “Right here we’re once more,” he wrote. “Wonderful in defeat. The courageous losers. Missed penalties and misfortune. Aren’t you just a bit sick of it?”

In the meantime, The Telegraph sought the views of England followers in Germany. “Rooney desires his head testing,” stated Alan Tippin, a 41-year-old firm director from Newcastle. “I rang house at full-time and so they stated he stamped on the participant. He could have been provoked, however he desires to mature. He is too younger.”

However whereas Rooney was the topic of some scrutiny, it was nothing in comparison with Ronaldo, who was nonetheless within the highlight on the World Cup.

The 21-year-old winger might need been hoping to maneuver on and overlook in regards to the incident within the semi-final towards France, however he was given no alternative.

His first contact was greeted by a “shattering and genuinely stunning refrain of jeers” by the group contained in the Allianz Enviornment in Munich, in line with BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty, who speculated that there “could also be no method again for him in England” as a result of stage of abuse after the 1-0 defeat by France.

In line with his unabashed persona, Ronaldo caught to the get together line. “I used to be happy about being booed,” he stated post-match. “Possibly France followers have been upset to see a harmful participant. I am not anxious.”

However the vitriol was not dying down and Ronaldo was about so as to add extra gasoline to the flames by beginning his flirtation with Actual Madrid.

“I like Actual Madrid. We’ll see after the World Cup,” he stated earlier than the semi-final. “Do I wish to go away Manchester? I do not know. Possibly.”

By the point Portugal had misplaced the third-place play-off towards hosts Germany just a few days afterward July 8 that ‘possibly’ had solidified into one thing extra concrete.

“To be trustworthy it’s tough to remain in England after the way in which they’ve handled me, as a result of I did not harm anybody,” Ronaldo informed Portugal’s SIC tv. “They have been making a storm in a teacup in England. It is laborious to return to a rustic the place you are not welcome. We’ll see how issues pan out. Everybody is aware of my dream is to play in Spain.”

Ronaldo was clearly not proud of how Manchester United and Ferguson had handled the fallout both. He informed the Lusa information company: “They need to have defended me and nobody defended me. I can not keep on below these situations. I do not wish to keep on the membership.”

Actual Madrid’s new supervisor Fabio Capello was not too upset by Ronaldo batting the eyelashes in his course both. “Cristiano Ronaldo is a superb participant, however he is a Manchester United participant,” Capello stated. “Gamers at all times wish to play at Actual Madrid and we’re pleased he may wish to play right here.”

Not solely did Ferguson have a possible dressing room dilemma to take care of, he additionally had a switch saga on his arms.

On July 12, United launched a press release in an try to attract a line beneath the rumours. It learn: “The membership can verify there isn’t a risk of Cristiano being offered. Cristiano lately signed a brand new contract till 2010 and the membership totally expects him to honour that contract. The membership won’t hearken to any gives for Cristiano.”

Ferguson revealed in an interview with France Soccer in 2017 what actually went on behind the scenes that summer time.

“By way of Jorge Mendes, we have been knowledgeable that Cristiano was sad,” Ferguson stated. “He informed Jorge that he wouldn’t come again to United and that he needed to go to Actual Madrid. On the time [Ramon] Calderon was operating for Actual Madrid’s presidency and used Cristiano as a purpose to vote for him, which was unseemly of him.

“I took the aircraft to Lisbon to fulfill Cristiano in Carlos Queiroz’s home. I informed him, ‘You aren’t leaving this 12 months. I don’t wish to promote you to Calderon. However should you play nicely, you’ll go away later.’ Jorge Mendes was superb. He didn’t need Cristiano to go away. He felt that he was not prepared.”

Ronaldo must get his head down and face the music – or fairly the boos and abuse – ready for him in England. Any sense that England would forgive and overlook have been dispelled in pre-season.

A month on from the World Cup, Manchester United took on non-league Oxford United on the Kassam Stadium. They received 4-1 and Ronaldo scored twice, however he was not welcomed again with open arms.

“Ronaldo was heckled off the staff coach, booed in the course of the warm-up, hissed at when his title was referred to as out and booed all through the sport,” Sean Ingle wrote in The Guardian. “The one time the Oxford followers cheered was when he misplaced the ball. At occasions it felt like being at a pantomime.”

That was a low-key event, however the first Premier League sport of the season towards Fulham was something however.

“Conspiracy theorists have been scrutinising the purpose celebrations to gauge the passion with which Rooney congratulated Ronaldo and, if there’s any lingering ill-feeling from the World Cup, the 2 gamers hid it nicely,” Daniel Taylor reported. “Their link-up play was a major think about Fulham’s downfall.”

Rooney scored twice and Ronaldo as soon as as United thrashed Fulham 5-1 to make the proper begin to the 2006/07 season. United received their opening 4 video games of the season to maintain maintain of prime spot, with Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Louis Saha all chipping in with objectives.

Their first – and because it turned out solely – wobble got here when Arsenal received 1-0 at Previous Trafford on September 17 and United adopted it with a 1-1 draw towards Studying.

Ferguson’s facet responded nicely, beating Newcastle 2-0 with two objectives from Solskjaer, however it wasn’t the Norwegian who was the star of the present. Ronaldo peppered the Newcastle purpose and was not deterred both by the group’s whistling, or the Magpies’ fouling – all of their yellow playing cards got here from tackles on the Portuguese winger – as United went again prime of the league on October 1. They held onto that place for the next 31 video games.

“Everyone seems to be discovering it laborious to cease Ronaldo and I imply everybody,” admitted Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder. “It doesn’t matter what sport United are taking part in, Ronaldo is the point of interest.”

Ferguson was delighted by what he noticed from Ronaldo at Previous Trafford.

“It’s tough to say whether or not what occurred in the summertime was a defining second,” he stated. “However he was marvellous as we speak. He has been marvellous from the beginning of the season. He has nice braveness. I can see that nice willpower. He is obtained to maintain working laborious, which he does do. He has to enhance his understanding of the sport, which he’s doing.”

Rooney joined the get together later that month, scoring a superb hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Bolton to finish a 10-game run for membership and nation with no purpose, and it appeared that any turbulence from the World Cup was firmly within the rear-view mirror.

“Wayne Rooney has proved past doubt he is the very best English participant within the Premiership,” stated Bolton boss Sam Allardyce after the match. “His hat-trick was nicely deserved and it simply exhibits the individuals who have been writing him off have been speaking nonsense.”

By the point they reached Boxing Day, even United’s opponents have been praising Ronaldo, with Wigan Athletic left-back Leighton Baines getting within the Christmas spirit after his facet have been overwhelmed 3-1 by United.

“He will get numerous stick wherever he goes, however he offers with it admirably. He is been booed in all places, however he has been United’s greatest participant,” Baines stated.

“It says lots about him each as an individual and as a personality. He is coping with all of it. He is among the greatest gamers round, he is obtained actual skill and he is taken every little thing thrown at him.”

Any doubts about Rooney and Ronaldo, their relationship and United’s endurance had been put to mattress.

Each ended the 2006/07 season with 23 objectives and Ronaldo picked up eight particular person awards. United received the Premier League for the primary time in 4 years and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The season laid the foundations for a interval of dominance for Ferguson’s facet as United went on to clinch one other two Premier League titles in succession earlier than lifting the Champions League in 2008.

With the advantage of hindsight, we are able to safely conclude that the importance of the wink was overblown, as Ronaldo informed Goalhanger in November 2018.

“The media created an enormous drama which by no means existed. So once I arrived again in England I used to be form of afraid, not due to Rooney however due to England supporters.

“They made an enormous story once I did the wink, however it was not due to the circumstances with Rooney, it was one other scenario.

“It was tough timing for me as a result of I believed once I arrived in Manchester, individuals have been going to boo me in all of the stadiums.

“However it’s the previous, I had a chat with Rooney once I arrived again in Manchester. We’re nonetheless mates, we talk about that and he understands my viewpoint.

“After all, he helped me in all circumstances. He stated, ‘Cristiano, that is the previous, let’s converse in regards to the current, let’s win trophies collectively’.”

Rooney’s recollections, in his column for The Times final 12 months, have been a lot the identical. Time heals, and had issues gone downhill for United he might need felt in another way, however in the end each have been capable of put it behind them and separate membership and nation.

“I put myself in Ronaldo’s sneakers,” Rooney wrote. “Would I do the identical? In all probability. Would I be within the ref’s face to ensure he obtained despatched off? If he deserved the crimson, if it will assist us win — sure, no query. I’d do it tomorrow. I believed: ‘Really, I attempted to get him booked within the first half for diving.’ And the wink factor, I didn’t see something in that in any respect. It was nothing.

“So I calmed down. I went over to him afterwards within the tunnel. I felt it was essential to talk to him whereas it was nonetheless recent and to do it head to head. He gave me a glance as if to express regret however by then I had my United head on. I stated I’ve no points with you. Take pleasure in your event and good luck. I’ll see you in just a few weeks — and let’s go attempt to win the league.”

Ultimately, they did simply that.