Throwback to What Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Said About Manchester United Legend Wayne Rooney

Manchester United and England’s all-time main goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, introduced his retirement final night. He takes over full-time as Derby County’s supervisor till 2023 after an interim shift with the Championship facet.

Tributes poured in from throughout for the legend, with Gary Lineker, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, and Edwin van der Sar amongst those that shared their messages on social media.

From teammates to rivals to those that admired him from afar, there was little question that Rooney was among the best gamers ever to grace a soccer area. And even two of the world’s finest gamers, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, knew Rooney’s value years in the past.

Lionel Messi stated in 2010 (h/t talkSPORT): “There has at all times been quite a lot of respect between myself and Wayne Rooney. For me, he’s the good English participant of the era. What he’s able to doing on the sphere could be very particular, and he is likely one of the few gamers that may enhance any squad in Europe.”

Messi added, “It could be a dream to play with Rooney if Manchester United ever got here to the purpose the place they wanted to promote him. I’d personally go to the Barcelona president and ask that he be signed myself. There are at all times a handful of gamers on the earth at anybody time who can go down within the footballing historical past books. In the mean time, there are perhaps Ronaldo, Rooney, Xavi and one or two extra – however I can’t consider one which performs with the will of Rooney.”

Ronaldo, in the meantime, performed alongside Rooney at Outdated Trafford, profitable three Premier League titles in a row. The Portuguese revealed he used to name Rooney ‘pitbull’ due to the tenacity and aggression he dropped at the desk.

“For me the facility of Wayne Rooney is his mentality and power,” Ronaldo stated in a 2015 interview as a part of a documentary on Rooney. He added, “He by no means stops, he at all times runs, helps the group. He is a incredible group participant and he scores objectives.”

Ronaldo concluded, “He scored essential objectives, for me he is incredible. He was the child of England. Everybody cherished him. He’s a incredible boy, incredible participant. I used to name him, between me and my mates, the pit bull. I bear in mind when he misplaced the ball he was so highly effective, a powerful man, he shoots unbelievable.”