Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has launched another subtle dig towards Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese icon prepares to get his World Cup underway.
Tensions have been rising between the ex-teammates, with Ronaldo launching a tirade towards the DC United head coach during his contentious interview with Piers Morgan. He labelled Rooney as a “rat” and implied that he was after Instagram followers for sharing his opinion on the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Rooney gave a conciliatory response to the 37-year-old's comments as he broke his silence on the interview. He labelled Ronaldo’s comments “strange” before then sharing his opinion that Lionel Messi was the better of the two footballing superstars.
He said: “Everyone has different views on Messi and Ronaldo but I have said many times that I think Messi is the best. I have watched lots of videos of Diego Maradona, who was a similar player, but Messi is better.
“He has everything — the way he controls games, his dribbling, his assists — whereas Ronaldo is more of a goalscorer. It would be a great story for football if either Messi or Ronaldo won the World Cup.
“I have heard some of the Argentine players saying that they want to win it for Messi. That’s crazy — and might only increase the pressure on them.”
Who do you think is better out of Ronaldo or Messi? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Ahead of the World Cup kicking off with Qatar’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Ecuador on Sunday, Rooney was once again probed about Ronaldo's interview during an appearance on Indian TV network JioCinema.
He was asked who out of Messi, Ronaldo and Harry Kane would get into his all-time team and Rooney elected to leave out his ex-United colleague. "I'd have to start Messi, bench Kane and leave Ronaldo out," the 37-year-old replied.
After being told that he would not feature on Ronaldo’s Christmas card list, Rooney then shared a simple reason behind Ronaldo being left out. He said: "He's not playing for his club, so..."
Whilst Ronaldo is unlikely to play for the Red Devils again - the club already exploring the prospect of cancelling the remainder of his lucrative deal - he will still hope to have an impact on what is likely to be the final World Cup of his career.
Portugal kick-off their Group H campaign against Ghana on Thursday before clashes with Uruguay and South Korea. Meanwhile, Rooney’s pick, Messi, is aiming to round off his international career with World Cup glory. Argentina begin their latest attempt to claim the title against Saudi Arabia before taking on Mexico and Poland.
