It is not an opinion widely held on Teesside, but last
night Jonathan Woodgate punctured the latest controversy
surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo when he absolved the Portuguese
winger of diving for the penalty that earned Manchester United a
place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
That the 75th minute award on Monday was even a matter of debate
after the England defender clearly connected with Ronaldo
illustrates the depth of Middlesbrough's grievance following two
contentious penalty decisions in games against United this season,
frustration that resulted in some of their coaching staff shouting
"cheat" at the 22-year-old during the quarter-final, substitute
James Morrison seeing red for a wild lunge on the player and
assistant manager at Old Trafford, Carlos Queiroz, involved in a
furious row with the opposition's staff after the final
whistle.
"A guilt complex," was how Sir Alex Ferguson described Boro's
reaction, before raging at a Sky television interview with Ronaldo
in which the midfielder revealed a depth of the English language
that would make many natives blush, and though Woodgate insisted it
was debatable he had fouled his opponent, a sentiment shared by
Boro manager Gareth Southgate, the defender was adamant his club
had not been cheated out of the FA Cup.
"I don't know if it was a penalty but Ronaldo is a very clever
player. He is one of the best in the world and whether it was a
penalty or not, I don't know. I couldn't honestly tell myself," he
said. "Ronaldo is a fantastic player. There is a touch of genius in
him and to be fair he lights up the Premiership. I don't think he
dived so you can't put the blame on him."