Wayne Rooney has named his former England teammate and Chelsea legend John Terry as the toughest defender that he ever faced throughout his career. The former Manchester United forward is one of the best English strikers of all time. He was once the Three Lions' all-time leading goalscorer, before Harry Kane surpassed his record, and no one has scored more times for United than Rooney did during his tenure at Old Trafford.
He won an outstanding amount of trophies with the Red Devils too, including multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy in 2008. Rooney accomplished more than most footballers could ever hope to and as a result, he faced off against some of the best teams on the planet. He went to battle against the likes of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, Pep Guardiola's Barcelona and Arsene Wenger's Arsenal over the years and competed against the best defenders in the sport.
Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard celebrating in a collage. Related
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When asked to name the toughest defender he ever faced, though, there was only one name in mind – and that was a man he'd lined up alongside for England.
Rooney Named Terry the Toughest
He called the Chelsea icon 'very physical'
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In 2016, ahead of his testimonial match at United, Rooney looked back on what had been a glistening career in professional football. He spoke about the best and worst teammates he'd had at Old Trafford, while also naming the toughest players he'd faced in each core position. He named the toughest goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker. When it came to defence, he named Terry. In quotes shared by United in Focus, he explained what made the former Chelsea man so special and said:
"The best defender is probably John Terry. He reads the game well, he is physical and very tough to play against."
It's hard to blame him for that assessment too. Throughout his career, Terry was regularly one of the best centre-backs in the world. In fact, he's considered one of the best to play the position ever. While he was a solid goalscorer too, his defensive prowess was unlike anything else in the Premier League.
Terry was the focal point of the best defence in the English top flight's history as Mourinho guided the Blues to the league title in 2005 and they conceded just 15 goals throughout the entire campaign. Whether it was for England or at Stamford Bridge, the former Chelsea skipper played with some incredible partners. He teamed up in the heart of defence with stars such as Rio Ferdinand, Ricardo Carvalho and Gary Cahill throughout his career, but always managed to stand out among the rest for his sheer brilliance.
It's easy to see why Rooney thought he was the toughest defender that he ever came up against. The two had some epic battles throughout the 2000s as Chelsea and United wrestled for control of English football.