Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has dropped a clear-cut verdict on watching both Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina skipper Lionel Messi at the 2026 World Cup.
Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi are both appearing at a record-tying sixth World Cup appearance apiece with their respective nations.
Messi is leading Argentina to their World Cup title defence in Canada, the United States and Mexico after La Albiceleste captured the FIFA trophy back in 2022.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, is on the quest to capture the World Cup trophy in what is expected to be his final appearance for Portugal at the prestigious FIFA tournament.
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Wayne Rooney’s reaction to Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina legend Lionel Messi speaks volumes
Lionel Messi is currently leading the World Cup goalscoring charts for the 2026 tournament after the Argentine forward netted five times in two matches.
The 39-year-old Barcelona icon scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria before netting a brace against Group J opponents Austria.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has opened his goalscoring account at this World Cup after the Manchester United legend scored a brace in Portugal’s win over Uzbekistan.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Wayne Rooney admitted that it has been “incredible” to see Ronaldo and Messi still making an impact for Portugal and Argentina respectively.
“As I said, his [Ronaldo] response here is exactly what you’d expect from him because he’s selfish in terms of he wants to be the best, but he is a team player also,” he said.
“Yeah, it’s incredible to still watch Messi last night and Ronaldo tonight at their age, it’s incredible what they’re doing.”
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Ronaldo came under significant criticism after the 41-year-old Portuguese forward failed to make an impact in Portugal’s Group K opener against DR Congo.
Rooney insisted that former Manchester United teammate Ronaldo will be hungry to chase Messi down in the World Cup’s leading goalscoring chart for this tournament.
“He wants to be the best at what he does, and he’s always been like that, so, of course, when the other top forwards, attacking players are scoring goals, he wants to be at the top of that list,” he said.
Argentina will play Jordan in their final Group J match on Sunday, while Portugal will face Colombia in their last Group K fixture at this summer’s World Cup.
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