Wayne Rooney Says He ‘Loves’ Ronaldo And Calls Him A Genius

• Wayne Rooney has rejected claims of animosity with Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting: “I love him” and calling the Portuguese forward “an absolute genius.”
• Rooney clarified that his preference for Lionel Messi in the long-running debate does not mean he dislikes Ronaldo, saying the two remain close from their Manchester United days.
• Having faced both players at their peaks, Rooney said it is “impossible” to pick one definitively, calling them the two greatest players ever.

Wayne Rooney has dismissed suggestions he dislikes Cristiano Ronaldo, describing his former Manchester United teammate as “an absolute genius” and saying the two shared a close bond during their five years together at Old Trafford.

“People think I hate him [Ronaldo],” Rooney said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. “I love him. I think he’s an absolute genius and what he’s doing is incredible. I love Cristiano and playing with him. I don’t think people realise actually how close me and him were.”

Rooney explained that criticism stemmed from his past comments favouring Lionel Messi. “I think just because I’ve said that I think Messi is better than Ronaldo, people think I don’t like Cristiano. I absolutely love Messi, love watching him play and that was the only reason because I think Messi had a little bit more in terms of how he played and taking players on and whatever. Ronaldo’s a killer and people think because I’ve said Messi is better than Ronaldo, I don’t like him or speak down on him.”

Rooney played against Messi at the peak of his Barcelona career, including defeats in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals. Reflecting on the debate, he said: “This person might prefer Messi or Ronaldo, but no, I don’t think you can argue with any of them two. But then I think people think, ‘Oh, Wayne said Messi’s better than Ronaldo.’ I get asked it all the time. I’m like ‘come on.’ The two of the best players ever, well, they are the two, in my opinion, the two best players to have played the game. And I just like the little flair about Messi and that’s it.”

Rooney reserved special praise for Ronaldo’s longevity. “Ronaldo? Cristiano is an absolute genius on what he’s doing. He’s just turned 40. What he’s doing is incredible and I take my hat off to him. I couldn’t speak a bad word about him.”