No doubt one of the greatest line-leaders of his generation, Liverpool-born Wayne Rooney’s career – most notably, his 559-outing stint during the glory days of the once-dominant force of Manchester United – is as enviable as it is mightily impressive.
He emerged as England’s hottest talent in the mid-2000s, but there were very few who could have foreseen how talented he’d become, especially during his illustrious days at Old Trafford.
From a fresh-faced teenager to being widely regarded as one of the best England strikers in football history, he played – with and against, that is – some of the beautiful game’s greatest-ever talents and, speaking to Mail Online, he named his ultimate footbal XI.
Goalkeeper and Defence
Edwin van der Sar, Ashley Cole, Paolo Maldini, Rio Ferdinand, Cafu
Standing in between the posts for Rooney is Edwin van der Sar – a player who he relied upon on 220 different occasions at Old Trafford. Not only was the Dutchman an industrious shot stopper but he was an important leader for the Red Devils too.
And in terms of his left-back, he recalled his playing days for England and picked Arsenal and Chelsea hero Ashley Cole – who is widely regarded as one of the greatest left-backs of all time. Rooney is also familiar with one of his picks at the heart of the back line: Rio Ferdinand.
The two played alongside one another on 349 different occasions for Manchester United and England – so, in truth, there are very few players better placed to wax poetic about the English defender-turned-pundit. He’s stationed next to the wavy-haired maestro, Paolo Maldini.
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Four midfielders make the list, while the rest are defenders.
Thanks to his Italian heritage, Maldini’s defensive know-how is some of the best the world has ever seen – and he’s considered Rossoneri royalty thanks to being a one-club man and accruing 901 appearances for AC Milan between 1985 and 2009.
Rounding off a rather spectacular back line, one that would cause even the greatest Number 9s with an array of issues, is former AS Roma and AC Milan man Cafu – who is, perhaps, best remembered for his international exploits with Brazil.
Goalkeeper and Defence
Position
GK
Position
LB
CB
CB
RB
Midfield
Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the pair’s rather public disagreements over the years, was a shoo-in on the left-hand side of the midfield. The Portuguese sensation transformed into a centre-forward in the latter stages of his career – but his best days were on the wing.
In the centre of the park, arguably one of the most important areas of the pitch, Rooney opted for a two-man engine room of former Red Devils clubmate Paul Scholes and Zinedine Zidane, who plied his trade for the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid.
Commonly admired as one of the greatest French players in football history, Zidane’s crowning moment came in 2002 when he scored that goal (you're welcome, you can relive it below) against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final. That said, his career is littered with moments.
On the right of his four-man midfield is none other than Lionel Messi, whose wizardry has bamboozled defenders across the world for years. Now enjoying his swansong at Inter Miami, the dainty Argentine is – for some people – the greatest of all time.
Midfield
Position
LM
CM
CM
RM
Attack
Ronaldo Nazario and Thierry Henry
Now for a two-man strike force which would strike fear into the finest defenders to ever grace the beautiful game: Ronaldo Nazario and Thierry Henry. The former, who won the Ballon d’Or in the years of 1997 and 2002, sadly saw his career hampered by injury.
Albeit an otherworldly talent, what the Brazilian could have achieved in an injury-free universe can merely be imagined – but that’s by no means a ploy to play down his career as it is. Fundamentally, he was a one-of-a-kind striker who could simply, well, do it all: score, create and wreak havoc.
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Best remembered for his time spent in north London with Arsenal, Henry – who is widely regarded as one of the fastest players to ever ply their trade professionally – scored bucketloads of strikes while leaving defenders in their wake with relative ease.
Although Rooney somewhat hesitated when rattling down his options before eventually landing on the mercurial Frenchman, the Everton academy graduate had the (dis)pleasure of locking horns with his selection on 11 occasions – and so, it's fair to say he knows what he's talking about.
Attack
Position
ST
ST
Watch Rooney's full selection below:
All statistics per Transfermarkt - correct as of 30/03/2025