Wayne Rooney owes a debt of gratitude to Cristiano Ronaldo for ensuring he did not shoulder the blame for England's World Cup exit in Gelsenkirchen.

Rooney's red card in the quarter-final defeat to Portugal was overshadowed by Ronaldo's infamous wink, which was roundly condemned within the England camp considering the pair were Manchester United team-mates at the time.

How to watch England's match in Ukraine online - see video

Ukraine v England links:
How to watch it on the internet
How to watch it -in Ukrainian!
Pics: fun facts about the Ukraine
England game to be exclusive on the Internet
Team news: Walcott is left out
Pics: International match action
Discuss this on the England forum
Prepare for the game with our great shop

Yet, looking back, the Red Devils forward actually believes it did him a favour because his own stamp on Ricardo Carvalho got overlooked, unlike the misdemeanours of David Beckham and Phil Neville that had been highlighted at previous tournaments.

"I didn't really get any stick," said Rooney.

"Ronaldo took a lot of it and I was pleased about that.

"I still got it when I played for my club but that is just normal. In that instance, I know I could have taken a lot more."

Sign-up to Fantasy Football and WIN AN X-BOX

Register to play Virgin Media Sport's fantastic new fantasy football game and you could get your hands on a brand-new X-Box 360!

Click here for more details