Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney refused to put one former attacker ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo – but he did pick the player ahead of himself.
Wayne Rooney is one of the best strikers of all time and the Manchester United legend is considered one of the best English talents in the history of football.
The 39-year-old former United and England skipper had a prolific playing spell during his time at Old Trafford under iconic ex-manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Sir Alex Ferguson brought Rooney to the Premier League club in 2004 after the Liverpool-born former striker was signed from boyhood club Everton.
Rooney became United’s all-time leading scorer after he surpassed fellow Red Devils and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton in the goalscoring chart.
The ex-United and England striker lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy, a Europa League, an FA Cup and three League Cup.
Rooney, who retired as a player in 2021, scored an impressive 253 times and registered 140 assists in 559 United matches before his Old Trafford exit in 2017.
READ MORE: Wayne Rooney names his incredible ultimate XI and Man Utd legend hesitated on ‘difficult’ final pick, he left himself out
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
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Wayne Rooney’s stance on Man Utd and Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo
Wayne Rooney had a brief second spell with Everton after his remarkable Manchester United career before going on to play for DC United and Derby County.
The United legend played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo during the Portugal icon’s first spell at Old Trafford during the 2000s under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, former United captain Rooney took part in a ‘winner-stays-on’ segment with a wide range of legendary attackers, both past and present.
The ex-Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle boss ranked Arsenal icon Thierry Henry ahead of United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and himself.
However, Rooney dropped Thierry Henry, who is regarded as one of the best Premier League players of all time, when Ronaldo came up in the picks.
READ MORE: Wayne Rooney completely snubs Lionel Messi from his perfect player build, even former Man Utd ace was picked twice
Man Utd icon Wayne Rooney asked to choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Ronaldo’s place at the top of the pile was short-lived in Rooney’s segment with the newspaper, with Barcelona icon Lionel Messi popping up as the final name.
Rooney, who has been out of management since 2024, did not hesitate to pick Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi ahead of Al Nassr star Ronaldo as his top pick.
The United legend is a big fan of Messi and previously hailed him as the best player of all time when the 37-year-old Argentine forward signed for Inter Miami in 2023.
“He’s the best, simple as that,” Rooney said when he was DC United boss, as per the MLS’ official website in 2023.
“In my view, he’s the best player to ever play the game, so that’s how he’s different.
“Obviously, the fan base around him will be huge and commercially for the league I’m sure it will be huge as well. It’s massive for MLS.”
Rooney has been active in punditry and is still waiting for his next opportunity in management after he was sacked by Plymouth Argyle in 2024.