Ronaldo admits Rooney reunion would be emotional

Cristiano Ronaldo says facing his former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney at Euro 2016 would be an emotional moment for him.

Ronaldo’s Portugal have twice before squared off against Rooney’s England in major tournament football – with little fondness of either occasion for the current England captain.

Rooney broke a bone in his foot in their Euro 2004 quarter-final meeting in Lisbon before Ronaldo went to score from the spot as Portugal won on penalties.

Two years later in Gelsenkirchen, this time in the last eight of the World Cup, Rooney was red-carded before Portugal and Ronaldo once more triumphed following a penalty shootout. Real Madrid star Ronaldo admits he has been thinking about meeting his former team-mate and England again this summer.

He also weighed in behind Rooney, insisting the England skipper remains crucial to the cause for Roy Hodgson’s team. “A match against England would be very emotive for me – because of Wayne Rooney and because of many other things too. Roo [Rooney] is now a leader and that’s not a surprise,” he told the Sunday Mirror.

During their five years at Old Trafford together, Ronaldo and Rooney achieved Premier League and Champions League glory. According to Ronaldo, it was clear even then that his team-mate would become a first-class leader during his playing career.

“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 [David] Beckham and [John] Terry. “For me, the character and pride of Rooney is unique – he’s still very important for England,” Ronaldo added. Ronaldo is 8.00 to be leading goalscorer at Euro 2016, with Rooney available at 41.00.