DC United coach, Wayne Rooney, was full of praise for Inter Miami’s new arrival Leo Messi, who he believes will give the MLS a major boost. In doing so however, he snubbed his former United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, calling the Argentinian “the best player to ever play the game”.
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were a fearsome duo for Manchester United, winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy in their five seasons together at Old Trafford.
However, the two had very different futures, with the Portuguese megastar ending up in the Saudi Pro-League with Al- Nassr, and the Englishman destined for the MLS, where he played and then returned as a coach.
Speaking to ‘Sky Sports’, Rooney had faith in Inter Miami’s superstar signing, Leo Messi, and his ability not only to drag his side up the table, but also attract attention to the American league.
“It’s a great move, obviously, for the MLS”, he said. “Commercially, it’ll be huge. It’ll draw more interest in the game from different regions of the world – I’m sure it’ll do that as well, because you’re getting arguably the best player to ever play the game“.
Rooney clearly holds the Argentinian in higher opinion than his former teammate, and he might be the best placed to judge. He is one of the few footballers to come into close contact with both stars, facing off against Messi in Europe’s top flight when the Argentinian was with Barcelona, and Rooney and Ronaldo played under the orders of Sir Alex Ferguson at United.
Messi to Miami?
— Albiceleste News 🏆 (@AlbicelesteNews) July 11, 2023
Rooney: I think it's obviously a great move for MLS, it's going to be a huge thing commercially to get interest from different parts of the world again. I'm sure this will come true because you're getting arguably the best player you've ever played the game with. pic.twitter.com/v0kdT58XUU