I always knew Rooney would be the England captain and he can lead them to Euro glory
CRISTIANO RONALDO has heaped praise on his old rival Wayne Rooney and admitted it would be emotional if they went head to head again at Euro 2016.
Ronaldo and Rooney have a long history, not just from their partnership at Manchester United, but also from a series of explosive matches between England and Portugal.
Both started the game when Portugal beat England on penalties in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 – a match in which Rooney suffered a broken foot.
But the defining game came in the World Cup in Germany in 2006 when Rooney was sent off for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho as England crashed out – once again on spot-kicks.
This time, Ronaldo’s knowing wink – caught on camera as Roo trudged off – made him an international villain and sparked speculation that he and Rooney would never be able to play together again.
But the pair did manage to forgive and forget – and now Ronaldo says it would be something special to encounter his old rival and team-mate again in France.
England kick off their Euro campaign on Saturday against Russia in Marseille and Ronaldo is relishing the prospect of potentially meeting Roy Hodgson’s side in the knockout stages.
He said: “A match against England would be very emotive for me – because of Wayne Rooney and because of many other things too. Roo is now a leader and that’s not a surprise.
“I was always convinced that he would be a star for England and, inevitably, captain one day.
“It’s a perfect role for him after the era of Beckham and Terry.
“For me, the character and pride of Rooney is unique – he’s still very important for England.”
Portugal will begin their campaign in Group F with a match against Iceland on June 14, and Ronaldo insists all his focus is on that opening game.
But he admits a match- up against England would be a fascinating one, if they were to meet later in the tournament.
“I’ve watched some of England’s recent matches and they have been good to watch. They could do well this time,” he said.
“For me, England always have a chance to do well in big tournaments and this time they are arriving in France with some interesting young players who have a big future. The connection in the team and the team spirit looks positive.
“Both Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane have scored a lot of goals and had success this year too.”
As for Portugal, they appear to have been given an easy group with Austria, Hungary and Iceland to play – which makes them firm favourites to get through to the knockout stages. However, Ronaldo is refusing to count any chickens. “It doesn’t matter what people say, the opening group is always tough,” he said.
“The Press may say we are favourites, but that’s normal. Our first objective is just to make sure we get to the second phase.”
Should they do that, then Ronaldo believes his team have the potential to go all the way – and can help him achieve the one remaining dream in a career that has seen him win every possible trophy for Real
A match against England would be very emotive for me
Madrid and Manchester United. He said: “It’s a personal dream to win a big trophy with my country. There’s a chance it can happen, but it’s complicated, it’s difficult. So, let’s see.
“I have won a lot of big trophies in my career – the biggest you can win – but a title with my country is always important. It’s a big, big dream to fulfil.
“I think we are good enough to do it. Portugal have big players playing in the best leagues in the world. So why not?
“But we need to stick together on the pitch and hope that luck is with us.
“We have good players, a good coach in Fernando Santos and we need to believe in ourselves.”