Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney snubbed three high-profile players when naming the only footballer who had more talent than a younger version of himself.
Wayne Rooney is arguably one of the best English players of all time and had a remarkable playing career at club level and on the international stage.
The 38-year-old former Manchester United striker announced himself to the world after he burst onto the scene at Everton under ex-Red Devils boss David Moyes.
Rooney’s scintillating emergence at Everton caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, who brought the United legend to Old Trafford in 2004 in a deal worth £27m.
The former Everton and United star had an illustrious playing spell at Old Trafford, including eclipsing Sir Bobby Charlton as the club’s all-time leading scorer.
During his time at Old Trafford, Rooney lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy, a Europa League, an FA Cup and three League Cups.
The ex-United captain’s legendary spell at the Red Devils came to an end in 2017 after he completed a move back to boyhood club Everton.
Rooney’s ultimate praise for legendary player
Wayne Rooney had a brief second spell with Everton before he saw out the remainder of his glittering playing career at DC United and Derby County.
The Manchester United legend made a real name for himself as a talented youthful player, with Rooney showing his true potential at major tournaments like Euro 2004.
Rooney made his presence felt for England at an early stage in his career and enjoyed a long and successful international playing spell with the Three Lions.
The former England and United skipper even surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton to become the Three Lions’ all-time leading scorer before Harry Kane broke his record.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Rooney was asked to stay silent until he heard a player who had more talent than him during his youth.
The England legend put himself ahead of Real Madrid duo Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham before he even snubbed former United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, Rooney broke his silence when Barcelona legend Lionel Messi came up, with the former United striker admitting that the Argentine was well clear of him.
“Yeah, I’d say Messi. Yeah,” he said, as per a clip posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rooney on Ferguson and Man Utd
Rooney recalled his experience of playing under legendary ex-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as a youthful talent and the important lessons he learned from him.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2020, he said: “His man-management is the best I’ve ever seen.
“I always remember as a kid, every half-time arguing with him. Constantly. I remember thinking: ‘Why’s he keep having a go at me? There’s players far worse than what I’ve been.’
“But the older you get, you realise why he’s doing it. He would have a go at me for dribbling, which I very rarely … well, I dribbled a bit more then.”
Rooney added: “But for [players such as] Nani, it would just maybe trigger something in their head, make them think: ‘Maybe I shouldn’t dribble as much.’
“If he [Sir Alex] spoke to Nani the way he spoke to me, he’d break down in tears. He [Nani] wouldn’t be able to come back out.”
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