The debate on who is the greatest footballer of all time between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will continue for the ages. The two players have proved their mettle in the game, exceeding existing limits, lifting the bars, and setting new limits and records.
Football fans, pundits, analysts, managers, and professional footballers are all divided on the greatest of the two footballers.
Manchester United legend and former Cristiano Ronaldo teammate Wayne Rooney is among the few set of former players who have shared a team with either Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi and still choose to pit tent with the opposing camp in the goat debate.
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo made history in Manchester United together as teammates, establishing themselves as Old Trafford legends but when it comes to the Goat Debate, Rooney has always been a die-hard supporter of Lionel Messi.
Without disrespect to the legendary career of his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney has always maintained that Lionel Messi is a greater and better player than Cristiano Ronaldo.
He even cited instances when he came across Messi as an opponent and found it difficult to mark the player due to his stealthy and brilliantly creative moves with the ball.
Taking his alignment with Lionel Messi further, Rooney tweeted in 2012, “Messi is a joke. For me the best ever.”
Ten years after the infamous tweet, the former DC United player and manager affirmed his tweet saying, "nothing has changed" as Messi led Argentina to 2022 World Cup glory in Qatar.
While the 38-year-old does recognize the legendary blueprints of Cristiano Ronaldo in the game, Rooney particularly pointed out the difference in the style of play of the two players that makes him align with Messi's camp.
According to him, Lionel Messi is more of a team player than Ronaldo due to his playmaking role. Conversely, Cristiano Ronaldo, playing as a striker, seems more focused on scoring goals than also creating chances for his teammates.
“So for instance, Cristiano Ronaldo, his mindset is goals,” Rooney said in an interview with YouTubers Lyes Bouzidi and CultureCams.
“He doesn’t care about anything else, it’s goals, that’s all he wants.
“Whereas you look at Messi, he wants to play a bit more. I suppose that’s what Hazard is saying, he liked to play – exactly like myself.
“I saw something that Gary Neville said recently, that Alex Ferguson always used to have a go at me for coming too deep, but it was because I wanted to play football. And I could have been a bit more selfish and stayed up top, and maybe scored a few more goals, but I wanted to play.
Who is better player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi?
Football fans, pundits, analysts, managers, and professional footballers are all divided on the greatest of the two footballers.
Manchester United legend and former Cristiano Ronaldo teammate Wayne Rooney is among the few set of former players who have shared a team with either Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi and still choose to pit tent with the opposing camp in the goat debate.
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo made history in Manchester United together as teammates, establishing themselves as Old Trafford legends but when it comes to the Goat Debate, Rooney has always been a die-hard supporter of Lionel Messi.
Without disrespect to the legendary career of his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney has always maintained that Lionel Messi is a greater and better player than Cristiano Ronaldo.
He even cited instances when he came across Messi as an opponent and found it difficult to mark the player due to his stealthy and brilliantly creative moves with the ball.
Taking his alignment with Lionel Messi further, Rooney tweeted in 2012, “Messi is a joke. For me the best ever.”
Ten years after the infamous tweet, the former DC United player and manager affirmed his tweet saying, "nothing has changed" as Messi led Argentina to 2022 World Cup glory in Qatar.
While the 38-year-old does recognize the legendary blueprints of Cristiano Ronaldo in the game, Rooney particularly pointed out the difference in the style of play of the two players that makes him align with Messi's camp.
According to him, Lionel Messi is more of a team player than Ronaldo due to his playmaking role. Conversely, Cristiano Ronaldo, playing as a striker, seems more focused on scoring goals than also creating chances for his teammates.
“So for instance, Cristiano Ronaldo, his mindset is goals,” Rooney said in an interview with YouTubers Lyes Bouzidi and CultureCams.
“He doesn’t care about anything else, it’s goals, that’s all he wants.
“Whereas you look at Messi, he wants to play a bit more. I suppose that’s what Hazard is saying, he liked to play – exactly like myself.
“I saw something that Gary Neville said recently, that Alex Ferguson always used to have a go at me for coming too deep, but it was because I wanted to play football. And I could have been a bit more selfish and stayed up top, and maybe scored a few more goals, but I wanted to play.
Who is better player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi?