Rooney: 'Messi is better than Ronaldo'
Wayne Rooney has hailed Messi as the best player the world has ever seen despite being a former team-mate of the Barcelona star's great rival.
Rooney played with Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford between 2004 and 2009, but he still believes that Messi is better.
During his time at United, Rooney twice lost to Messi's Barcelona in the Champions League final.
"In both games if we had been against any other team but Barcelona you would have fancied us to win," he said this week.
"In my eyes they are the best team ever and Messi is the best player ever. What he gets to do is incredible. Messi has just got a bit of everything.
"Ronaldo has gone from a winger to a striker and a goalscorer.
"Rather than taking players on all the time, he has gone more one or two touch, getting in the box and scoring goals.
"Messi a bit of everything - you see him scoring goals from playing probably a deep midfield role at times, and where I'm probably still walking on the pitch he's scoring. So he is probably the best."