Wayne Rooney gave his opinion on the much-talked-about G.O.A.T battle between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Rooney, who played alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United picked Messi over him.
Rooney said Messi and Ronaldo are the best two players football has ever seen. The former England player is currently donning the role of player and coach in Derby.
He emphasized on Ronaldo's abilities, who he played alongside at Manchester United where they lifted a hat-trick of Premier League titles before the latter departed for Real Madrid in 2009.
'Ronaldo wasn't as focused on goals when we started playing together but you could see that all he wanted was to be the best player in the world.
'He practised and practised and began to produce. Cristiano has become an incredible scorer and he and Messi are arguably the best two players the game has seen," Rooney told Sunday Times.
Rooney said despite his friendship with Ronaldo, he picked the Barcelona talisman, because of his composure and skills.
"But despite my friendship with Cristiano, I'd go for Messi. It's for the same reason I loved watching Xavi and Scholes: it's the different things in Messi's game. I've talked about composure and I can't remember seeing Messi score when he has hit the ball as hard as he could. He just rolls them in, makes it so easy.
"Ronaldo is ruthless in the box, a killer. But Messi will torture you before he kills you. With Messi you just get the impression he is having more fun. Those two have completely changed the game in terms of goalscoring numbers and I don't think they'll ever be matched."
Earlier, another Manchester United legend David Beckham also picked Messi over Ronaldo and claimed that the Barcelona captain is alone in his class.
“He [Messi] is alone in his class as a player, it is impossible that there is another like him,” Beckham told Argentine outlet Telam.
“He, like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is not at his level, are both above the rest,” he said.
The rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo is one of the best in the sports world with the two-star sharing 11 Ballon d’Ors between them. Messi has won the coveted trophy six times, while Ronaldo grabbed it five times in his career.
