FORMER striker Wayne Rooney once again affirmed that Lionel Messi is the best player of all time, instead of his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

On May 28, in an interview on Sky Sports , when asked by former teammate Gary Neville who is GOAT – short for the phrase Best Player of All Time, Rooney replied: “I think Messi. You He is the best player ever. I was criticized a lot when I said that. Many people asked ‘Why do you say that, it has to be Ronaldo.’ . Those are the two best players ever. But for me, Messi is more refined.”

Rooney (left) competes for the ball with Messi in the 2009 Champions League final, Barca 2-0 Man Utd at Olimpico Stadium, Italy. Photo: PA

Rooney (left) competes for the ball with Messi in the 2009 Champions League final, Barca 2-0 Man Utd at Olimpico Stadium, Italy. Photo: PA

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Rooney played with Ronaldo at Man Utd in the period 2004-2009. Together, they won one Champions League and three Premier Leagues. Although he always respects his former teammate, the former English striker repeatedly affirmed that Messi is number one.

While still playing, Rooney – the number one scorer in Man Utd history – twice faced Messi in the Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011. Both times, Rooney failed, scoring only one goal. On the contrary, Messi scored every match, helping Barca beat Man Utd 2-0 and 3-1 respectively. Ronaldo appeared in the 2009 final, before moving to Real Madrid.

Messi or Ronaldo? Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney makes surprising pick in debate - CBSSports.com

Rooney said one of his dreams that did not come true was to play with Zinedine Zidane, a former midfielder who retired in 2006. Zidane won the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000 with France and the 2022 Champions League with Real. “Messi is the best player of all time, but playing with Zidane would be a great thing,” he added. “Zidane looks very cool, calm, plays with both feet, scores goals and assists.”

Ronaldo is 39 years old, but still continuously sets scoring records for Al Nassr and the Portuguese national team. Messi also left the top European playground, moving to Inter Miami when he was about 37 years old. Rooney retires from 2021 and is trying his hand at coaching. The 38-year-old famous player has just accepted to lead the English first division team, Plymouth. Previously, he worked at Derby County (UK), DC United (USA) and Birmingham City (UK).

Messi holds the records of winning eight Golden Balls, six European Golden Shoes and 44 collective titles. One of them is the 2022 World Cup, where the Argentina captain scored seven goals, assisted three times and won the Best Player award. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has five Golden Balls, four European Golden Shoes and 32 collective titles.