Over the course of Wayne Rooney's 13-year Manchester United career, he played with a host of modern greats. His illustrious teammates helped him to win every major club honour available, but he is in no doubt as to who was the greatest among them.
Speaking to Gary Neville on the Overlap podcast Rooney had two names in mind for his best-ever United teammate. He said:
“Obviously, on ability, Ronaldo. But then Scholesey as well, it’s just what Scholesey brought to the team. But on form and ability, I’d have to say, Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Rooney and Ronaldo's bond on the pitch was evident as the two tore their way through opposition defences prior to the Portuguese legend's transfer to Real Madrid. Perhaps the most memorable example was their rapid counter-attacking goal against Bolton on the way to the 2006/07 Premier League title.
In 205 matches together, they combined for 25 goals with Rooney assisting Ronaldo 14 times. The two had an occasionally tumultuous relationship with Ronaldo conspiring to get Rooney sent off during England's 2006 World Cup quarterfinal loss to Portugal.
However, they soon made up and went on to win three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two Football League Cups, the UEFA Champions League and the Club World Cup during their time together at United.
Rooney Also Weighed in on Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes Debate
United fans may find his views controversial
Rooney Scholes
During the same interview, the former Manchester United and Everton striker expressed his admiration for the talents of Paul Scholes, putting him only behind Ronaldo as his greatest teammate.
The eternal debate is which of the midfielders from England's "Golden Generation" was the best player; Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard or Paul Scholes.
Rooney lauded Scholes' ability to dictate play, saying: “I don’t think anybody could dictate play the way he could."
But was he better than the legendary Liverpool and Chelsea midfielders of that era? Rooney acknowledged they all had different skills but seemed to have a preference for his fellow scouser Steven Gerrard.
Rooney said: “(they're) All world-class players, but I think Stevie (Gerrard) could’ve come to United and been a top, top-class player and almost do what Scholes could do. Whereas I don’t think Scholes could do what Stevie did at Liverpool.”
The former England captain's input adds another to the voices that have weighed in on the debate. Eight-time Balon D'Or winner Lionel Messi agrees with his former that Gerrard, was the most talented of the trio, naming him ahead of Rooney as England's greatest ever player.
For his part, Scholes agreed with Rooney's assessment of the two players. Speaking to Youtuber Harry Pinero, Scholes said: “I wouldn’t be able to do what he did at Liverpool, whether he could do what I did at United, I don’t know; I don’t see why not. I don’t think I could do what he did at Liverpool.”
The debate between the two will continue, but what Rooney has no hesitation over is naming Ronaldo as the greatest player he played with.
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