For years, the Premier League was dominated by Manchester United under legendary head coach Sir Alex Ferguson. During part of that era, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were the team’s biggest stars—and arguably the faces of the league—forming an unforgettable attacking duo. Years later, the English forward reflected on his relationship with CR7.
“People think I don’t like Cristiano. People think I hate him,” Rooney said during a conversation with former United teammate Rio Ferdinand, before revealing how he truly feels about Ronaldo: “I love him… I don’t think people realise how close he and I were.”
Rooney went on to heap praise on the Portuguese superstar. “Cristiano’s an absolute genius in what he’s doing; he’s just turned 40, and what he’s doing is incredible… I think these last three seasons he’s the top goalscorer in Saudi (Arabia) and whatever,” said the former D.C. United coach.
“Ronaldo’s a killer,” Rooney added, referring to CR7’s instincts and goal-scoring ability on the field. “I take my hat off to him, I think, ‘You know what, fair play,’ and I can’t speak a bad word about him.”
Wayne Rooney retired from soccer in 2021 with Derby County.
Rooney picks Messi over Ronaldo
In the same conversation, Rooney speculated on why some fans believe he has a poor relationship with his former Manchester United teammate. “Just because I’ve said Messi is better than Ronaldo, people think I don’t like Cristiano, or I speak down on him,” said Wayne.
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Expanding on the Messi vs. CR7 debate, Rooney made his stance clear. “I think Messi had a little bit more in terms of how he played, and taking players on… I absolutely love Messi, I love watching him play. I just like the little flair about Messi, and that’s it,” the English legend explained. “You might prefer Cristiano, this person might prefer Messi or Ronaldo, but I don’t think you can argue with any of them two.”
However, the Manchester United icon also acknowledged that Ronaldo’s longevity could tip the scales when it comes to choosing the greatest of all time: “To be honest, over the last couple of years, I’m thinking, ‘Do you know what?’ He’s probably going to be the one when you look back, Cristiano, because he keeps going.”
The Rooney – Ronaldo duo
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United in 2003 from Sporting CP, and a year later, Wayne Rooney joined from Everton. From that moment until the summer of 2009—when Real Madrid paid a fortune to sign CR7—the two formed a fearsome duo in English soccer.
In those six seasons Ronaldo played during his first spell at Manchester, he scored 118 goals in 292 appearances. In that same stretch, Rooney played 238 matches and found the net 97 times. With both players leading the attack, the Red Devils won nine titles, including three consecutive Premier League championships, a UEFA Champions League, and a FIFA Club World Cup.
