Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney believes Lionel Messi is the "greatest ever" player, surpassing former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. He admitted that the two are the greatest players in history, but he chose the Argentine over the Portuguese.
“Messi. I think I've said it before, but they're easily the best two players the game has ever seen. "In my opinion, Messi is the greatest ever."
It's an unexpected choice, given that Rooney and Ronaldo had a fantastic on-field partnership while at Manchester United. Among other trophies, they won three Premier League titles and one Champions League title.
In 933 club matches for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, the Portuguese has 698 goals and 230 assists. He also recently became football's all-time leading scorer, with 815 goals for club and country.
Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times, as well as five Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, and two Serie A titles.
Messi, on the other hand, has 683 goals and 318 assists in 812 games for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. He has won La Liga ten times and the Champions League four times. He has also received a record seven Ballon d'Ors.
For more than a decade, the legendary duo has dominated world football. They've won 12 Ballon d'Ors in the last 13 years and have an unrivaled rivalry.
However, with Ronaldo now 37 and Messi now 34, the end of their era appears to be closer than ever. The FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year could be both players' last.
Neither has won the World Cup yet and will be eager to add it to their already impressive resumes. Both have won their respective continental competitions, with Portugal winning the Euros in 2016 and Argentina winning the Copa America in 2021.
Both countries have assembled a strong squad to compete for the World Cup trophy. One of the two might have a fairytale ending.
Nonetheless, it is likely that the legendary duo will be playing their final World Cup.
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