Wayne Rooney was once left in complete awe at one World Cup-winning footballer, and it wasn't Argentine icon Lionel Messi.
Messi's longevity at the top of the sport will leave many feeling that he will never be overtaken as the greatest footballer in history. Messi has been world-class for almost two full decades and has battled Cristiano Ronaldo to be considered the world's best for many years.
However, Rooney once snubbed both Ballon d'Or winners when naming the 'best player in the world'. It's an incredible compliment to even be included alongside those iconic names, never mind being rated above them both.
Wayne Rooney Hailed World Cup Winner as World's Best
Wayne Rooney
Rooney's Manchester United were soundly beaten by a Messi-inspired Barcelona in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals. The Argentine icon netted in both victories for the Catalan giants, but one other man caught Rooney's eye.
Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta is one of the greatest footballers to ever play in the middle of the park. Shortly after the 2009 final, Rooney was full of praise for the majestic Spaniard, even calling him the 'best player in the world'.
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"Barcelona are a brilliant team, and in my opinion, Andres Iniesta is the best player in the world, he's incredible," the Englishman claimed.
Iniesta went on to achieve great things in the years to come, finally retiring in 2024. In his illustrious career, the versatile midfielder scored the World Cup-winning goal, while also winning the Euros (x2), Champions League (x4) and La Liga (x9).
Andres Iniesta Returned the Compliment
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Iniesta responded a year after that massive compliment by Rooney, who had seen Messi firsthand while also being Ronaldo's teammate. After Spanish football expert Graham Hunter asked the Barcelona legend about the comments, to which he replied: "If I said that I wasn’t pleased, then I’d be lying.
"It’s nice to hear, but the best thing is that the description comes from a top player and an important footballer.
"From a guy like Wayne Rooney, it says a lot. I could just as easily have said the same thing about him and his talents."
Rooney and Iniesta were two of the greatest players of their generation, and clearly shared a mutual admiration for each other. The latter concluded his complimentary words for Rooney by saying: "Wayne has always impressed me, he works so unbelievably hard for the team and, above that, he has so much quality."