Rio Ferdinand reveals peacemaker role between Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo

Rio Ferdinand has revealed his role in helping to bring to an end Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo's feud following the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

During the quarter-final between England and Portugal, Rooney appeared to stamp on Ricardo Carvalho. As players surrounded the referee, Ronaldo was urging the referee to send off his Manchester United team-mate.

Rooney was soon given his marching order and the Portuguese ace was in the aftermath caught winking on camera - an action which infuriated English fans back home.

Speaking on the Vibe with Five podcast, Ferdinand explained how he helped the pair to reconcile their differences.

"I don't think I necessarily squashed it, I think they did it by themselves together," he said.

"But I was the one who got them together.

"Immediately afterwards Wazza [Rooney] was hot in the changing room and then I think a few people got to him and said to him that it is not as you might think.

"By the time we had got in the shower and we got onto the coaches I think Cristiano [Ronaldo] had pulled me and said: 'Rio could you go and get Wayne? I want to talk to him and say that I didn't mean anything by it, there is no animosity or malice in what I've done. We are both in the same team, I would never do that. He's my boy.'

"So I went and got Wazza and said: 'Listen Cris wants to talk to you.' [I] got him off the coach and put them together.

"From that point on I didn't say anything else I just let them deal with it like men."

Manchester United would go on to win the Premier League the season after with both Rooney and Ronaldo playing important roles at Old Trafford.

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