World Cup Craziest Moments From Ronaldo Betrayal To Team Quitting Before Final Whistle

Cristiano Ronaldo Betrays Wayne Rooney

During the 2006 World Cup, England came up against Portugal in the quarter-finals. With the scores locked at 0-0 just after the hour-mark, Wayne Rooney lost his head and stamped on Ricardo Carvalho.

Rooney’s Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo was playing in the match and raced to the scene. But instead of calming the situation down, the forward remonstrated with the referee and put pressure on him to send the ex-Everton youngster off. The referee duly obliged, with Ronaldo has seen winking towards his bench as the match got back underway. And the betrayal was made all the worse for Rooney as Portugal won on penalties.

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Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand Of God’

England’s hopes of winning their second World Cup were also dashed at the quarter-finals stages in 1986 courtesy of Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘hand of God’s goal. With the game goalless just after the break, England’s Steve Hodge tried to clear the ball but ended up hooking it high into the air and towards his own goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Shilton rushed out of the net in an attempt to punch the ball clear. But Maradona got to it first and fisted it into the back of the net. The referee was none the wiser and the cheating went unpunished as the Three Lions lost 2-1 and crashed out.

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Gazza’s Tears

Four years after Argentina got the better of England, it was west Germany’s turn to knock the Three Lions out of the World Cup. In the 1990 semi-finals, west Germany beat Bobby Robson’s team on penalties after the match had ended 1-1. But the encounter is perhaps most famously remembered for Paul Gascoigne’s tears. The talented midfielder was a star of the tournament but was booked against the Germans and broke down after he realised he would subsequently miss the final if England were to get there.

Zidane’s Headbutt

Zinedine Zidane is one of the greatest players to ever walk onto a football pitch and scored two goals in the 1998 World Cup final when France beat Brazil 3-0. But his final match as a professional ended in controversy during the 2006 World Cup final against Italy. The match headed into extra time after finishing 1-1 – but Zidane lost his cool with 10 minutes remaining and proceeded to headbutt Italy defender Marco Materazzi. Italy won on penalties, with Zidane later saying he wasn’t proud of his actions.

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Rivaldo’s Play Acting

The 2002 World Cup was hosted by Japan and South Korea, with Brazil meeting Turkey in their first game of the tournament. Brazil overturned a 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 lead into the closing stages of the match. And as Rivaldo attempted to slow things down in stoppage time when Brazil was awarded a corner, Turkey’s Hakan Unsal fired the ball forcefully in his direction. The ball hit Rivaldo in the knee, but he went down holding his face in apparent agony as Unsal was dismissed. Supporters and the media slammed Rivaldo for his playacting as Brazil ultimately went on to lift the trophy weeks later.

Kuwait Walk Off

In one of the more bizarre World Cup incidents, Kuwait players were ordered off the pitch by Kuwaiti FA president Prince Fahid after France had scored their fourth goal to go 4-1 ahead in 1982. The Kuwait players had stopped in the lead-up to the goal as they thought they had heard a whistle. The referee disallowed the goal to allow the match to continue, with France eventually bagging their fourth strike to seal the win.