Ronaldo: Diving jibes cost me player award

CRISTIANO RONALDO has claimed that his reputation as a diver prevented him from winning the Young Player of the Tournament award at the World Cup last summer and for the first time has admitted that his Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney was right to be dismissed in Portugal’s controversial quarter-final win over England.

The Portuguese winger was vilified in England for his role in England’s defeat – after winking at his own bench following Rooney’s red card, he then stepped up and fired the winning penalty in the shoot-out beyond goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

Ronaldo was expected to leave for La Liga last summer but has stayed and is now favourite to win the Player of the Year award: he goes into this afternoon’s match at home to struggling Charlton as the Premier League’s joint-top scorer with 15 goals to his name and at the centre of a battle for his signature between Barcelona and Real Madrid.