Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney did not include Barcelona icon Lionel Messi in any of the six categories for his perfect player build.
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time alongside the likes of Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele and Diego Maradona.
The 37-year-old Argentine forward has had a legendary playing career for both club and country and Messi has had a seminal impact on football as a whole.
Messi has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards among his many accolades and finally captured the World Cup trophy with Argentina back in 2022.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona superstar has been with MLS outfit Inter Miami – co-owned by United legend David Beckham – since 2023.
Messi is in the tail end of his remarkable football career and the Inter Miami skipper is widely tipped to captain Argentina at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
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Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Wayne Rooney has waxed lyrical about Lionel Messi in the past and called him the best player of all time ahead of ex-Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Speaking to The Daily Mail, Rooney was asked to construct his perfect player and the United legend singled out five remarkable footballers, both past and present.
Rooney named former England teammate David Beckham for his perfect player’s right foot and fellow United legend Ronaldo was used for his speed.
Despite his incredible left foot, Messi was snubbed for the category and Rooney instead picked Brazil legend Roberto Carlos ahead of the Inter Miami skipper.
Rooney’s pick for football IQ was none other than ex-United and England teammate Paul Scholes, who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time.
READ MORE: Lionel Messi predicted Man Utd ace to be ‘one of the best,’ Ruben Amorim’s player is convinced it can happen ‘in the future’
Wayne Rooney selected former Man Utd star Zlatan Ibrahimovic twice for his perfect player
During his perfect player build, Rooney said that he would take Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his strength before picking his former United teammate for his personality.
Speaking to the newspaper, he asked: “You say the same person twice?”
Rooney then added: “Zlatan again.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic played alongside Rooney under ex-United boss Jose Mourinho after he left Paris Saint-Germain and completed a free transfer to Old Trafford.
The 43-year-old former United and PSG striker impressed in his first season with the Red Devils and lifted both the Europa League and the League Cup with the club.