Wayne Rooney once again heaped praise on Lionel Messi while taking a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo. Over the last few months, Rooney and Ronaldo have been at odds with each other. Rooney was one of the biggest critics of Ronaldo during the latter’s second stint at Manchester United. However, Rooney has delivered the final nail in the coffin with his recent statement.
According to @BarcaWorldwide, Wayne Rooney has declared that Cristiano Ronaldo can longer compete at the same level as Lionel Messi. Rooney said, “The rivalry between Messi & Ronaldo is over since Leo Messi won the World Cup.”
He further claimed that Messi has now gone past Ronaldo and is now competing with the new generation of players like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
🗣 Wayne Rooney:
“The rivalry between Messi & Ronaldo is over since Leo Messi won the World Cup. Messi is now competing with the new generation of players Haaland, Mbappe for the 2023 Ballon d’Or and I hope Messi will beat them both and win it.” pic.twitter.com/i4U1hmohZx
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) September 22, 2023
While Rooney’s statements won’t go down well with Ronaldo, there’s some truth behind the ex-England star’s statements. Over the last few years, the Al-Nassr star has failed to consistently fight for the Ballon d’Or, soccer’s ultimate prize at an individual level.
Meanwhile, Messi is reportedly in pole position to win his eighth Ballon d’Or this year, fighting against Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
The Ronaldo 🆚 Messi rivalry is “over” ❌ pic.twitter.com/fDJ1yWCO0X
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) September 7, 2023
In addition to this, Cristiano Ronaldo himself recently stated that his rivalry with Lionel Messi has finished. Speaking ahead of Portugal’s Euro 2024 qualifiers, Ronaldo claimed that since both he and Messi have left Europe, their long-standing rivalry has finished. However, the Inter Miami star is showing no signs of stopping, despite turning 36 this year.
Lionel Messi’s past comments on Wayne Rooney
Over the years, Lionel Messi and Wayne have held a lot of mutual respect. The Manchester United legend has often hailed Messi as the best soccer player in the world. Moreover, Rooney has also not shied away from letting know his preference for Messi over his former teammate Ronaldo. Meanwhile, the Argentine ace has also praised Rooney in the past.
Lionel Messi: “For me he (Wayne Rooney) is the great English player of the generation.” pic.twitter.com/7pAAbXuTpJ
— The True Red Devils (@TrueRedDevils__) April 4, 2016
As per reports from Shortlist, Lionel Messi labeled Wayne Rooney as “the great English player of the generation” back in 2016.
The 2022 World Cup winner further went on to state that Rooney was one of the few players who could instantly improve any squad that he was a part of. Moreover, Messi also admitted that there was a great deal of respect between him and the current DC United head coach.
Lionel Messi defeated Wayne Rooney twice in the Champions League finals (Credits: The US Sun and The Guardian)
Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney have gone head-to-head against each other twice in their careers. The two faced each other in the final of the Champions League in 2009 and 2011. However, Messi’s Barcelona prevailed both times against Rooney’s Manchester United. FC Barcelona defeated United 2-0 back in 2009 and replicated their success against the Premier League giants again in 2011 with a 3-1 win in the final.