Wayne Rooney has declared that he will not care if former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo missed the World Cup next summer.
England have already qualified with consummate ease, winning all eight of their group matches thus far under Italian coach Fabio Capello. However, the story is very different for Ronaldo's Portugal, as well as Lionel Messi's Argentina, who both face premature exits by the end of the current international break.
Ronaldo was blamed for Rooney’s dismissal at the 2006 World Cup, with the Portuguese also angering Three Lions fans by greeting the referee's decision with a cheeky wink.
“I’m not really bothered if Cristiano or Messi are there or not," Rooney said to The Daily Mirror.
“We have to concentrate on ourselves and to be honest it would be nice to see Portugal not there - because the last two tournaments they’ve knocked us out.
“Obviously when we didn’t qualify for Euro 2008, we got a lot of stick, including from Cristiano.
“You have banter with your team-mates, but it’s important not to go too far because it’s an important issue, especially if it’s a World Cup you are missing.”
Even two wins this week over Hungary and Malta will not be enough for Portugal if other results go against them, while Argentina are barely holding on to a play-off spot in South American qualification.
I Only Care About England
Wayne Rooney has declared that he will not care if former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo missed the World Cup next summer.
England have already qualified with consummate ease, winning all eight of their group matches thus far under Italian coach Fabio Capello. However, the story is very different for Ronaldo's Portugal, as well as Lionel Messi's Argentina, who both face premature exits by the end of the current international break.
Ronaldo was blamed for Rooney’s dismissal at the 2006 World Cup, with the Portuguese also angering Three Lions fans by greeting the referee's decision with a cheeky wink.
“I’m not really bothered if Cristiano or Messi are there or not," Rooney said to The Daily Mirror.
“We have to concentrate on ourselves and to be honest it would be nice to see Portugal not there - because the last two tournaments they’ve knocked us out.
“Obviously when we didn’t qualify for Euro 2008, we got a lot of stick, including from Cristiano.
“You have banter with your team-mates, but it’s important not to go too far because it’s an important issue, especially if it’s a World Cup you are missing.”
Even two wins this week over Hungary and Malta will not be enough for Portugal if other results go against them, while Argentina are barely holding on to a play-off spot in South American qualification.
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