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Football’s most famous winks, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Ryan Bertrand

Rooney Red England Portugal

Winking is back in the news thanks to Tory MP Dominic Raab, and one thing football has never been short of is winkers.

Dominic Raab's cheeky/sexist wink at Angela Rayner during Prime Minister's Questions had Twitter aflame on Wednesday.
However, it's not the first time a wink has provoked anger, with several instances on the football pitch alone.
Planet Sport picks out five of football's best winks.

Cristiano Ronaldo

You can't have any article about winks without possibly the most famous blink of an eye in football, certainly for fans of England.

The Three Lions bowed out of the 2006 World Cup on penalties after a penalty shootout defeat to Portugal. But not before they were reduced to ten men, Wayne Rooney receiving a straight red for a stamp on then-Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho.

Cristiano Ronaldo had led the protests as the Portuguese players urged referee Horacio Marcelo Elizondo to show his Manchester United team-mate a red card. He was then caught winking by TV cameras as Rooney trooped off.

It earned Ronaldo 'The Winker' moniker and incensed fans and media alike.
Sir Alex Ferguson later revealed that the wink was nothing to do with Rooney's dismissal but Ronaldo's reaction to being told to 'calm down' by his bench.
But why let the truth ruin a great story?

Tammy Abraham

Jose Mourinho has always been a fan of the wink, whether it be in press conferences or on the touchline and striker Tammy Abraham showed he had learned from the master during Roma's Europa whatever it is final against Feyenoord.

Abraham went down in the closing stages clutching his shin following a clumsy challenge on the England striker. Eating up valuable time with his side 1-0 to the good, Abraham couldn't resist a look to the bench, with a cheeky wink confirming this was not a serious injury but the dark arts in play.

Ryan Bertrand

With Southampton hanging on for a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth, full-back Ryan Bertrand embarrassed himself as a throw-in slipped out of his hands, looped up in the air and failed to even reach the pitch.
The Bournemouth fans certainly saw the funny side but Bertrand rode it out, searching out the pitch-side camera, winking into it and pointing to an imaginary watch on his wrist.
Thirty second wasted, he duly completed a regulation throw-in.

Kyle Lafferty

Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty was hit with a record fine by his own club in 2009 after his theatrical reaction led to Aberdeen defender Charlie Mulgrew being sent off.

The Northern Ireland international fell down dramatically, clutching his face after going head-to-head with former Celtic full-back Mulgrew.

Lafferty was then caught on TV winking to team-mates after faking the headbutt.

He later expressed "deep regret" over his behaviour, which was criticised by his manager Walter Smith. "I want to apologise for my actions in Saturday's match with Aberdeen. It was something I should not have done and I deeply regret what happened."

He was talking about the dive but it could easily have applied to the wink.

Madjid Bougherra

In the very same match, Bougherra saw red for a challenge on Jamie Langfield which was later reduced to a yellow on appeal.

However, it is a match in which Bougherra didn't receive a red and should have done that interests us.

Already booked and on a seemingly one-man wrecking mission during a Glasgow derby, Bougherra incensed the Celtic half of Glasgow when he went through the back of Robbie Keane for the umpteenth time.
A second yellow still wasn't forthcoming and then he produced the wink. The Bhoys fans were not impressed.

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