"I’m honoured to have shared a pitch with him" - When Manchester United legend hailed Lionel Messi as best striker he ever played against
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney once named Lionel Messi the best striker he has played with in his career. The Plymouth Argyle manager is often considered among the greatest English players of all time.
Wayne Rooney played against Messi in three games, all of which were in the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona faced Manchester United in two UCL finals in 2009 and 2011 with the LaLiga giants winning both times. The third game was a semi-final game in the 2007-08 season which ended in a stalemate. In other words, Lionel Messi has never lost a match against Rooney.
In a 2016 interview at an event, Wayne Rooney named the Argentine legend the best striker he has ever faced. He said (via GiveMeSport):
"The best striker has to be Lionel Messi, in my opinion, he’s the best player ever and I’m honored to have shared a pitch with him. I couldn't get near him."
During his time at Manchester United, Rooney also notably played alongside Lionel Messi's archrival, Cristiano Ronaldo. The two played 206 games together for the Red Devils across competitions, contributing 25 joint-goal participations.
However, the English legend still preferred Messi over his former teammate as he clarified in his aforementioned 2016 interview.
"Messi has just got that little bit more extra flair" - Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney explains why he prefers Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo
In his aforementioned 2016 interview, Wayne Rooney addressed the age-old debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Englishman made his sentiments clear about preferring the Argentine over his ex-Manchester United teammate and said (via GiveMeSport):
"I get a lot of stick for saying Messi where it's as if, 'How can you say Messi, it's Ronaldo.' I understand that people can say Messi, people can say Ronaldo – they are both incredible, probably the best two players to ever play the game. For me, Messi has just got that little bit more extra flair, which I like in a player, so that’s the reason."
Messi and Ronaldo are unarguably considered two of the greatest footballers to grace the beautiful game. The duo's highly-publicized on-pitch rivalry reached its peak between 2009 and 2018 when Ronaldo was at Real Madrid and Messi at Barcelona. During this period, the legendary attackers met at least twice each season, bringing much excitement on El Clasico days.
Both Messi and Ronaldo have bid farewell to European football after largely successful careers. La Pulga is focused on MLS side Inter Miami and will look to win the MLS Cup with them in 2025. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo is continuing to make records while playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.