He’s been at Old Trafford for over a decade – and faced most of the world’s best players.
Now the club is honouring him with a testimonial match on Wednesday night. The United captain will lead out the side against his boyhood club Everton at Old Trafford on Wednesday, with the proceeds from the game being donated to charity.
Ahead of the fixture, Rooney has been reminiscing about his 12 years at United, and speaking about the players he considers to be the best he’s played alongside and against.
Which ones have been the toughest? Which superstars did Rooney fear most in his 12 years at the club?
“There’s been so many over the years but I’ll try and pick one for each position. The best goalkeeper I’ve come up against is Iker Casillas, he’s won everything you can in the game and is one of the best goalkeepers of all-time.
“The best defender is probably John Terry, he reads the game well, he is physical and very tough to play against. For midfield I’d say Xavi, he’s got everything, brilliant passing, vision, creativity and leadership.
“The best striker has to be Lionel Messi, in my opinion he’s the best player ever and I’m honoured to have shared a pitch with him.”
He’s also picked out the best players he’s played with since joining United as an 18-year-old – but amazingly there’s no mention of Bebe or even Eric Djemba Djemba.
“I’d say there are two that stand out and they’re Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo,” the United captain told his official website.
“Paul Scholes is one of the best midfielders of all time. His passing, vision and the way he controlled the tempo of games was incredible. Cristiano is a special player and he has gone on to be one of the best in the world. Some of the things he used to do in training and then take into games was unbelievable, he’ll always be remembered as one of the greats of the game.”
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