Wayne Rooney has explained how two former Manchester United players made him a better striker as he went on to become the club’s highest-ever goalscorer with 253 goals.
In 2004, Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United as a teenager in a deal worth £25.6 million. It proved to be money well spent as the forward enjoyed an incredibly successful career at Old Trafford.
Rooney won the Premier League five times as well as the Champions League in 2008. He also won the FA Cup, Europa League and FIFA Club World Cup.
Sir Alex Ferguson made Rooney a key player in his team for many years, but he was also joined by several world-class players in the dressing room, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and more.
Nowadays, Rooney is recognised as one of the greatest goal scorers to come from England, but he works as a pundit following spells as a manager at multiple clubs.
Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand playing together
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic aided Wayne Rooney’s development
Ferguson’s last great team that were crowned European champions in 2008 was built on solid foundations from the back.
Of course, Ferguson had his star players in attack, including Ronaldo and Rooney, but they were joined by the best central defensive partnership in Europe at the time.
Rio Ferdinand formed a formidable partnership with Nemanja Vidic after the Swede signed for United in 2006, but Rooney has now thanked the pair for helping him become a better striker during his development years.
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Rooney was covering Chelsea’s win over Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night when he reflected on training with Ferdinand and Vidic as a young striker.
Speaking on Amazon Prime, Rooney was asked if training with Ferdinand and Vidic helped him play against other defences.
“Yeah, it always did because when you’re playing against, you know, really top-class defenders, you know, every day in training and in small spaces as well, you have to in, the smaller-sided games and smaller possessions, you have to think quick on your feet,” Rooney said.
“You’d have to learn to use your body because you’re up against quick, strong players. So, training is normally the hardest opposition you have and that makes the games a lot easier.”
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Rooney remained at United after Ferguson’s retirement and spoke to Ferdinand about the culture change he witnessed in the dressing room.
Wayne Rooney’s infamous message to Rio Ferdinand
In 2011, Rooney was new to Twitter, now known as X.
The social media network provided an opportunity for footballers to get closer to their fans, but Rooney infamously messaged Ferdinand to check if he needed a lift to training.
Although it was a harmless tweet, simply asking if a friend needed a favour, it managed to go viral on social media and it’s still joked about to this day.