Wayne Rooney is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever produced by English football. In addition to his success with England, he cemented his legacy as one of the greatest footballers in the history of Manchester United.
Having spent so many years performing at the highest level, Rooney shared the field with some exceptional teammates while also facing world-class opponents. Because of that experience, his views on football debates often attract plenty of attention.
In 2025, Rooney was asked to choose the greatest dribbler the game has ever seen, and he gave his answer without any hesitation.
Wayne Rooney Named the 'Best Dribbler of all Time'
Wayne Rooney
Despite spending several seasons alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United — a player well known for his dribbling ability during his early years at Old Trafford — Rooney instead selected a long-time rival. His reppsonse when asked to name the greatest dribbler of all time was simple: "Messi".
Although Rooney didn’t go into great detail at the time, he has previously spoken highly of the Argentine superstar. Back in 2018, the former United striker described Messi as the greatest footballer of all time, reflecting on Manchester United’s defeats to Barcelona in the Champions League finals of 2009 and 2011, when Messi played a decisive role.
"In both games if we had been against any other team but Barcelona you would have fancied us to win. In my eyes they are the best team ever and Messi is the best player ever. What he gets to do is incredible. Messi has just got a bit of everything.
"Ronaldo has gone from a winger to a striker and a goalscorer. Messi a bit of everything - you see him scoring goals from playing probably a deep midfield role at times, and where I'm probably still walking on the pitch he's scoring. So he is probably the best."
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Messi Undoubtedly One of the Finest Dribblers in Football History
Argentina's Lionel Messi training.
Rooney’s opinion is understandable, considering Messi’s remarkable ability on the ball. At just 20 years old, the Argentine averaged 8.4 successful dribbles per match — the highest figure recorded in the StatsBomb database.
Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, who oversaw Messi’s rise to global stardom, once praised his efficiency on the ball. Guardiola described him as “a player who doesn’t rely on unnecessary tricks,” noting that Messi rarely used stepovers or flashy flicks, instead focusing purely on effectiveness.
In simpler terms, Jose Mourinho once summed up Messi’s brilliance in his own way:
"When Messi is one-on-one, you are dead."
Historically, only a handful of players — such as Diego Maradona and Garrincha — can rival Messi when it comes to dribbling influence. But given that Rooney competed directly against Messi during his career, particularly in those two Champions League finals, it is hardly surprising that he considers the Argentine the greatest dribbler in of all time.
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