Manchester United’s captain, Wayne Rooney, has responded publicly to Lionel Messi’s dominate performance against Ajax-Amsterdam yesterday. After many were hailing Messi, who tied Raúl Gonzalez’s record for most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League, the best player in the world, Rooney responded by saying it’s Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
“He has certainly overtaken Lionel Messi now as the best player in the world,” Rooney told MUTV.
Rooney played with Ronaldo at Manchester United and it’s no secret that the Red Devils are making a push to bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford after the Portuguese striker said he would like to return one day. Rooney believes that Ronaldo has never played better than he has the past few years, and believes he should win the FIFA Balloon d’Or trophy again this year.
“I think so,” Rooney said when asked if he believed Ronaldo would win the coveted prize again. “He’s had an incredible two or three years… I’m sure it will be difficult to give it to anyone else.”
Ronaldo is one of 23 finalists for the Balloon d’Or which will be awarded in Zurich on January 12th, and he currently has 20 goals in just 13 La Liga and UCL games this season. While most soccer fans believe the award will go to either Messi or Ronaldo again, if Messi can break the UCL record for the most goals scored before Ronaldo, he certainly will have a chance to steal the trophy away from the Portuguese star.
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