There have been plenty of superstars that have played under Old Trafford lights over the years – and ex-Manchester United talisman Wayne Rooney is a name that automatically springs to mind. The Englishman lined up alongside a plethora of elite-level players, but he once named two of the very best he played with.
Rooney was the club’s do-it-all striker between 2004 and 2017 and, after scoring 253 times in 559 appearances, he remains the Premier League powerhouses’ top goalscorer of all time. Only five footballers have more Red Devils appearances than him, too.
Arriving as a fresh-faced teenager from Everton, the 39-year-old – regarded as one of the greatest strikers in football history – experienced plenty of success in Manchester, including five Premier League flight titles and the solitary Champions League.
Rooney Named His Two Greatest Teammates Of All Time
‘I’d say there are two that stand out’
When Rooney tipped up at Old Trafford, after being spotted by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson, there was a sense of excitement. The youngster was hungry, a serial goal-getter of sorts, but who are his two best teammates of all time?
Rooney has a fair share of top talent to choose from. In Ferguson’s Champions League-winning side in 2008, he shared the pitch with the likes of the hard-as-nails Nemanja Vidic, his partner-in-crime Rio Ferdinand and the metronomic midfielder Michael Carrick.
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Welsh winger Ryan Giggs, a true Manchester United legend who played alongside Rooney on 278 occasions, was also snubbed by the centre-forward-turned-manager. The list of Rooney's talented teammates goes on – but he was quick to single out two players.
Ahead of his testimonial in 2016, the former England marksman answered all manner of questions: from what it was like to work under the enigmatic Jose Mourinho to his favourite-ever matches at Old Trafford. On his two best teammates of all time, he wrote:
“I’d say there are two that stand out and they’re Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo. Paul Scholes is one of the best midfielders of all time. His passing, vision and the way he controlled the tempo of games was incredible. Cristiano is a special player and he has gone on to be one of the best in the world.”
Rooney played alongside Paul Scholes 242 times and was often on the end of one of his lofty passes. The affectionally monikered Ginger Prince bossed midfielders with ease – not with a bruising nature but, instead, with how he could dictate the tempo.
Widely regarded as one of the best passers in football history, the central midfielder is woven into Old Trafford mythology; as is Cristiano Ronaldo, for that matter, if you choose to forget about how acrimoniously his second stint at the club ended.
Expectedly, the Portuguese marksman is still going strong at 40 years of age. Every fan remembers when he became John O’Shea’s worst nightmare in 2003 – the teenage winger turned the defender inside out. And the rest, well, is what they call history!