Euro 2016: Ronaldo says possible match against England would be 'very emotive' because of Rooney

 

 Portugal lead striker and captain Cristiano Ronaldo said that it would be emotional to meet Wayne Rooney head to head during Euro 2016.

Cristiano Ronaldo has praised his former club mate Wayne Rooney, saying that the possible face-off between their countries during Euro 2016 would be emotional.
"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," mirror.co.uk reported him as saying.

Looking back at their rivalry, Ronaldo and Rooney have had intense partnership, from playing together in Manchester United to playing against each other in Euro Games and World Cups. It started in 2004 Euro quarterfinals penalties round that Portugal won, followed by Germany World Cup in 2006 where Rooney got red card and England lost to Portugal again during penalties. The infamous wink of Ronaldo while Rooney was leaving has fetched him the 'villain' tag in the international arena and speculation that the two would never play again together.
But the two seem to have moved on as Ronaldo said it would be special to encounter him again in France. “For me, the character and pride of Rooney is unique – he’s still very important for England.”
Talking about England, Ronaldo said, "“I’ve watched some of England’s recent matches and they have been good to watch. They could do well this time. 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.”
Portugal will be playing in Group F against Austria, Hungary and Iceland, starting with Iceland on June 14. Ronaldo insisted that there was no such thing as easy opening game and their focus was to reach the second phase. “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.”
When asked about getting the trophy, Ronaldo 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 fulfill. 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.”