Wayne Rooney once challenged Sir Alex Ferguson over why he did not sign ex-Real Madrid star who enjoyed prolific partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney once wanted Sir Alex Ferguson to sign Cristiano Ronaldo's former Real Madrid teammate Mesut Ozil. The iconic Scottish manager shed light on the matter in his book "My Autobiography", as relayed by The Guardian via Sport Bible.
The German midfielder caught the eye at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Rooney wanted the Red Devils to take him to Old Trafford that summer. However, Los Blancos won the race for Ozil's services, securing his services from Werder Bremen for a reported £15m.
Rooney was furious and apparently demanded an explanation from Sir Alex regarding the matter, according to the aforementioned report. That was the summer where the Englishman was reportedly close to leaving Manchester United for Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Ozil was a huge hit alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid. The two of them played 149 times together for the LaLiga champions, contributing 39 goals.
The German won the league, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de Espana during his time with Los Blancos. Interestingly, Ozil left Real Madrid in the summer of 2013 to move to the Premier League to join Arsenal.
The German was quite impressive with the Gunners too, winning three FA Cup trophies and the Community Shield. However, he never won the Premier League, and left the Emirates in the summer of 2021 to move to Fenerbahce.
How many goals did Cristiano Ronaldo score for Real Madrid?
Real Madrid reportedly paid Manchester United £80m for the services of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2009. The Portuguese arrived at the club as an established face in world football, and took his game to a higher level at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He lifted four of his five Ballon d'Or trophies during his time with the LaLiga champions. He won 16 trophies with Los Blancos, including the two LaLiga trophies and four Champions League titles.
Cristiano Ronaldo went on to score 450 goals from 438 games for Real Madrid during his stay with the club. The 40-year-old left the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2018 when Juventus paid reportedly £99.2m for his signature.
Ronaldo spent three seasons at Turin, winning the Serie A twice. He finished his stint in Italy with 101 goals from 134 games for the Bianconeri.
After a brief second stint with Manchester United, Ronaldo moved to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in December 2022. He has since scored 83 goals in 94 games for the club.