Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has issued an apology to former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher after referencing his penalty miss for England against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup. During an appearance on The Wayne Rooney Show, Fernandes recalled celebrating as a boy when Carragher's spot-kick was saved by Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo.
Carragher had initially scored his penalty but was forced to retake it after the referee ruled he had taken it too soon. On the second attempt, Ricardo saved the effort, sending Portugal through to the semi-finals. Fernandes said: 'Obviously 2006, everyone remembers because of Cristiano and Wayne's little bit of fire. (It) ends up with Jamie Carragher missing the penalty. I had to say this – sorry, Jamie.'
Fernandes added: 'I had to get a little bit off you, you get on me all the time. I can get on you with that penalty. When I miss a penalty, don't say anything about it, please.' The incident was part of a dramatic match in which Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho, with Cristiano Ronaldo famously winking as his Manchester United teammate left the pitch.
In 2021, Carragher opened up about his heartbreak in a column for The Telegraph, responding to the racist abuse suffered by Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford after missing penalties in the Euro 2020 final. He described being summoned by manager Sven Goran Eriksson to take the fourth penalty, having not missed in six weeks of practice, only to see his second attempt saved.
