Nemanja Vidic says Manchester United teammate could have achieved even more than Cristiano Ronaldo

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Wayne Rooney could have achieved even more than Cristiano Ronaldo, says Nemanja Vidic.

Vidic spoke to former teammate Rio Ferdinand on Vibe with Five and talked their old Champions League winning side, comparing Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After lifting the trophy in 2008, Ronaldo went on to win it four more times with Real Madrid, and is a five-times Ballon d’Or winner.

Wayne Rooney is Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer and was recently England’s before being overtaken. But Nemanja Vidic felt he was capable of even more.

Wayne Rooney compared to Cristiano Ronaldo

Nemanja Vidic played alongside both Rooney and Ronaldo, who were both in the early stages of their careers. And he feels that Rooney had the highest potential.

Vidic explained that Rooney did not push himself as hard as Ronaldo, and that is why the Portuguese star reached unprecedented levels.

The Serbian said: “He is the one I think, if he was closer in mentality as Cristiano Ronaldo he can achieve much more. Definitely, that is my feeling.

“Physically he was amazing, technically as well. He is a great teammate on the pitch, him and Carlos Tevez, as a defender you want them on the pitch, they worked hard for the team.

“In one moment they are similar, the same. What brought Cristiano Ronaldo much higher was his mentality to change, to work hard, to improve, to have goals.

“I’m not saying Wayne didn’t have a mentality, but he played pure on his talent. He didn’t invest in his body, invest in extra training, the physical side.”

It’s not exactly breaking news that Rooney did not look after himself as much as Ronaldo, but it’s still interesting to hear Vidic’s opinion.

Both players were a joy to watch and it was incredible to enjoy that run where they both played together. It’s just a shame it didn’t last even longer.

For as much as Rooney could have invested in his body more, you could have asked Ronaldo to show more loyalty to United and stay longer at United. That was arguably the greater shame, that Ronaldo’s peak years took place at Real Madrid.