Wayne Rooney has spoken of his admiration for Lionel Messi after the legendary Argentinian ace signed for MLS rivals Inter Miami.
The departing Paris Saint-Germain forward's impending arrival in the league will likely go down as a seminal moment in the history of the sport stateside. Having won a staggering 42 trophies in his career alongside seven Ballon d'Ors, it is clear that David Beckham has pulled off an almighty coup in bringing the superstar to South Beach.
It means Messi will now become one of Rooney's rivals, with the former England striker now manager of fellow MLS franchise D.C. United. He was asked his view on the news of Messi's impending arrival in a recent interview - and risked the wrath of Ronaldo be reiterating his view on his rival's standing in world football.
"It's great to see Messi coming into the league," Rooney told beIN Sports. "Over the years, we've seen the impact of the likes of David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
"[He] is arguably the greatest player of all-time and recently won the World Cup almost single-handedly. He’s going to have a big impact on Miami and MLS. It's a great signing and I'm sure everyone is excited for him to be here."
That final statement is unlikely to go down well with Rooney's former United teammate Ronaldo, who has long been embroiled in a rivalry with Messi as they stake separate claims to be considered the sport's greatest ever player.
It is not the first time Rooney has spoken of his admiration for the Argentine, with the former Everton man having previously expressed his opinion that the player is better than his ex-Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Prior to last year's World Cup in Qatar, he told the Times: "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."
Messi is not the first superstar to head to America, but is undoubtedly the biggest MLS move since Beckham's joined LA Galaxy back in 2007. The former England captain's influence in terms of exposure and popularity supercharged the growth of MLS and so one can only imagine what impact Messi's arrival may have.
Naturally, the signing has already led to a clamour for tickets to see the iconic playmaker in action, with tickets for every match in the MLS versus Inter Miami having sold out within the space of a day of the announcement of the deal. With the World Cup set to be held in the US in 2026, it is possible that 'Messi Mania' could help the popularity of the sport skyrocket in the country.
