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1.biographyRead it Now
2.early careerRead it Now
3.sporting clubeRead it Now
4.manchester unitedRead it Now
5.international careerRead it Now
6.world cup incidentSee below
7.private lifeRead it Now

world cup incident
 
On 8 July 2006, after the sending off of United team-mate Wayne Rooney in the Quarter Final of the 2006 World Cup between England and Portugal, and after much speculation in the English media that he had influenced Rooney's red card, Ronaldo told reporters that he thought he "should get out of Manchester as the circumstances are not right to keep playing there."[13]

"I have told my agent I am prepared to leave. I want to do it in the best manner possible. I want to play for Real Madrid and dream of doing so," Ronaldo allegedly told the Spanish sports daily Marca.[14]

On 9 July, he also told SIC, a Portuguese television channel, he cannot understand all verbal violence and pejorative speculation about him. Ronaldo declared he did not behave wrongly when Portugal defeated England and so cannot be blamed for defending his home country colours. He added that he cannot live and work in a place where people do not like him, so he would be glad to move out of England.

After England's elimination Ronaldo was attacked by the English tabloids. The Sun made a dart board with a picture of his wink in a similar fashion to the one made after the 1998 World Cup for David Beckham by The Daily Mirror, another English tabloid.[15][16][17]

Ronaldo has said that Rooney was a friend, and that he was not trying to get Rooney a red card.[18] Rooney said, "I bear no ill feeling to Cristiano but am disappointed that he chose to get involved."[19]

Wayne Rooney was investigated by FIFA's disciplinary committee after being sent off during England's World Cup quarter-final defeat against Portugal, banned for two competitive matches and fined 5,000 Swiss francs (£2,207).

After the match Ronaldo admitted reports that Real Madrid were interested in him were correct, and was now more likely to go to the Spanish club or elsewhere over the summer transfer period.[20]

On July 5, in the semi-final against France, which Portugal lost 1-0, Ronaldo was loudly booed each time he had possession of the ball, by French and English fans alike. Though generally considered the best player on the pitch during the match, several reports accused Ronaldo (and other members of his side) of trying to influence the referee by diving.[21][22][23][24][25] There have been similar accusations in the past, and Ronaldo has been booked for the offence more than once in the English Premiership.[26][27][28] Shortly after he dropped back to second place in the online voting for Best Young Player, it was reported by BBC Sport that this was partly because of an email campaign by an England supporter urging people to vote for Luis Valencia, who was the second place player to prevent Ronaldo from winning the award.[29] Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA Technical Study Group awarded the honours to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor.[30]

On July 12, United released a statement saying "The club can confirm there is no possibility of Cristiano being sold. Cristiano recently signed a new contract until 2010 and the club fully expects him to honour that contract. The club will not listen to any offers for Cristiano," and on July 17, Sir Alex Ferguson said, "Cristiano will be coming back," while Chelsea manager José Mourinho said, "If he stays in England, I think he can turn things around."[31][32] In addition, Sir Alex Ferguson sent assistant boss Carlos Queiroz to Portugal, hoping to change the young player's mind,[33] and Rooney pleaded with Ronaldo not to leave the team, and to let their differences rest.[34] Ultimately, Ronaldo stayed at Manchester United for the 2006-07 season.
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